This Trip Report Is Under Refurbishment For Your Future Enjoyment (UPDATED 9/13 with final bonus chapter)

Chapter 1: Its 970 Miles To Disney World, We Got A Full Tank of Gas, No Cigarettes, It's Dark...And We're Wearing Sunglasses.

Good one! That was my favorite movie when I was a kid!

since I knew the ropes, and they would just follow our lead, by which they meant they would ignore my suggestions altogether.

Precisely. I'm looking forward as to how this pans out.

My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks. I told him to enjoy Cosmic Ray's.

I hear the sit down restaurant in Morocco is a good one for walk ups.

Keep in mind that my brother hadn't been in Disney World since 2000. A few things have changed since then. But it seemed that in his mind, everything would be just the same as it was on his last visit.

Even in 2000 you still had to make plans in advance. :rolleyes1

My brother told me he didn't want to bother setting times for rides, anyway. He said he could just wing it when he was down there. I told him to enjoy the Country Bear Jamboree.

Or Mickey's Philharmagic.

Our goal, when emptying our savings account to visit Disney World, is to spend as much time on Disney property as humanly possible. It's all about the value. If I'm going to be spending my kids' college money, I want to wring every last bit of value out of that money as I can.

I'm that way on the cruises. If you read my last trip update on my feelings about my DVC, I already gave my life savings to Disney so besides the monthly usage fee I pay them, staying on property is like free to me.

At first, we were excited about the idea. Yes, it would be a horribly long day, but we'd get to Disney even sooner. So I added another night to our reservation. An extra day at Disney? Sign me up!

I just did the exact same thing, but I added two days! :teacher:

If you had an EZ Pass tag, you could drive in those lanes for a little over $10 for an 18-mile stretch. Or you could sit in the free lanes at a dead stop. Best $10 we ever spent.

We used to have one of those, but in California if you don't use it for a minimum, they charge you anyways, so we turned it in.

We stopped for the night in Petersburg, VA at a Country Inn. In the morning, we stopped for breakfast at the World's Greatest Convenience Store: Wawa.

Someday when I'm in your neck of the woods, I will have to visit one of these.

We even stopped at a Wendy's for lunch, so at that point life was really testing our will to live.

I understand the hate for Taco Bell, but so far in this TR you have disparaged Burger King and Wendy's as well. I don't understand. I actually eat a fairly regular diet of drive through delicacies because we are constantly lacking in time and needing some kind of sustenance, and I've never had a problem from any of these places.

We trusted Google with our lives and took FL 414 to FL 429. It worked like gangbusters--no issues with traffic, and it took us all the way around to the west entrance to Disney World.

We always turn on Google Maps and when they suggest some sort of detour, Fran still says we're going the way I know, and we get stuck in horrible traffic.

We were assigned a room in 7A. So at least we could work off the calories from our meals.

That's pretty much where we were assigned when we stayed there a few years back.

I'm showing this just to point out the Hidden Mickey in lights at the far end.

That is a cool little effect. We noticed that too.

Here's our room before we trashed it like the slobs we are.

The rooms must have been refurbed since we stayed. Ours had completely different linens and such.

Here's your up-to-the-minute construction update on the new tower at Coronado Springs (from July 20):

That's one huge tower there!

Julie and Sarah and I split a plate of nachos and another plate of tacos. Sarah and I let Julie have the refried beans to herself, since we feel they have the appearance, texture, smell, and consistency of poo.

I was going to say Julie is smart, but those are not refried beans, they're black beans. Blech!

The meal wasn't bad. Not the greatest I've ever had, but not bad either.

That's about what I had to say for Pepper Market as well.

We even got Drew to go down the slide, which was a good omen for attempting the rides later in the week. However, after the second run, he went underwater for a moment at the end, and then he decided he didn't want to slide anymore. So that was less positive as an omen.

Yes but at least most of the rides in the parks don't dunk you under water.

We had a whole week at Disney World ahead of us. The real world was just a distant memory.

And that's why we keep going back. :goodvibes
 
As we got closer to our departure, Julie and I started to scheme. The original plan was to leave Friday morning, drive all day, stay somewhere in Georgia, and finish the drive on the 21st. Maybe squeeze in a couple of hours at the Magic Kingdom in the evening.

This sounds like us this summer. We did a Disney Cruise out of Port Canaveral. Last minute, like 2 days before we were going to leave, we decided to leave early and stay a night in Cocoa Beach. I went a little crazy trying to get everything together.

we could make the entire 15-hour, 970-mile drive in one day. It's so crazy...it just might work!

We have done this 3 times from Northeast Ohio. It is about a 20-24 hour drive. DH does most of the driving and is exhausted when we get their. He would lose that whole first day. The last time we did this I made him go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner. He fell asleep in the lobby while we were waiting for our table.

and we could make it as far as Jacksonville

Now we stop in Kingsland, Georgia. A nice little town just on the other side of the river from Jacksonville. It is the last exit in Georgia before you hit Florida. We have stopped here twice now.

getting through North and South Carolina by lunchtime. Apologies to those of you who live in the Carolinas, but if you look up "mind-numbing" in the dictionary, it shows you a poster for The English Patient. But then right next to that is a picture of I-95 through North and South Carolina. When this qualifies as the only recognizable landmark, you have a serious problem:

OMG South Carolina is the worst to drive through. Traffic is always bad and getting on 95 from 77 makes it hours of traveling through this state. Also, after out last trip this summer I can tell the worst Wendy's to stop at and the best ER. This state and WVA are the longest most tiring states to drive through.
 
As always, we are only noticed when something is not perfect
Then you’ll never go unnoticed.


(It is still a given though that you can only do so much at a time and then only what’s been authorized and more importantly… funded)


Get ready for much more crap in the rest of the TR!
It’s what we live for…

Apparently.


I'm sorry, what did you say?
Exactly…


I may be slow, but I try to always finish what I started!
That makes me a bit of a failure then.
Nothing new about that assessment either.


Actually, as long as Julie is teaching full-time, we're stuck with the summer travel. They seem to frown upon teachers using vacation days.
Can’t imagine why…
(especially given that teachers are generally seen as punching bags for a plethora of ills)


We're not quite that dumb. But how about showing up 3 weeks after said "Land" opened?
Like you said…
You still be smarter than I.


I don’t know…


I think we all know the answer to that question.
Parenthood?


Try 7 days of PB&J and see if you still feel that way.
I’ve seen the pictures.
Worth it!

(besides, I’m not allowed to eat anything good right now anyway)


Montana warrants further study. The other two...
Pretty sure that Showmen's Rest in Hugo, Oklahoma would be a must do…
As for Iowa, I imagine there’s a corn field or two that may need investigating.


I like to think there are some rather stellar examples of men out there, too. I'm just not one of them.
Me neither…
And I haven’t seen much evidence that anyone else is making much of an effort on that account.


Well...we're not that way all the time.
But can this assertion be proven?


Oh, it's long gone. I don't even remember what that was like.
I’ve read stories about it, but I think those are just fiction.

Or maybe fantasy.


I'd ask you about it, but not if speaking about it out loud would produce said jinx.
Potential multiple plans, but much else has to fall in place first.

Much…


Not all the time. Mostly for storm events.
Beats my 0% of the time…

I’ve also seen only one COLA in thirteen years (with no raises at all).
Can you beat that one?


Gesundheit!
L'Chaim





Oh look!
A bright, shiny new chapter that I haven’t assaulted yet…



Chapter 1: Its 970 Miles To Disney World, We Got A Full Tank of Gas, No Cigarettes, It's Dark...And We're Wearing Sunglasses.
Hit it!


It's hard enough planning a Disney trip for your own family. Planning for 13 people is a whole new level.
Of pain and suffering.


I was told by my extended family that I could take the lead since I knew the ropes, and they would just follow our lead, by which they meant they would ignore my suggestions altogether.
Sounds about right.

Pretty much how all folks with experience and learning on a given subject are treated now-a-days.


My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks. I told him to enjoy Cosmic Ray's.
Now, let’s be fair here.
That plan will also work at the Golden Oak
(assuming it’s open at the time)


My brother told me he didn't want to bother setting times for rides, anyway. He said he could just wing it when he was down there. I told him to enjoy the Country Bear Jamboree.
And Figment; don’t forget about Figment.


The D.C. Beltway at rush hour moves at roughly the same speed as my boys when Julie asks them to empty the dishwasher.
The same goes for getting young’ens to even put dirty stuff in the dishwasher.
The sink is nearly 22 inches closer and doesn’t require one to actually open a door.


If it was any slower, it would be moving backwards.
Or fossilizing…


If I'm going to be spending my kids' college money, I want to wring every last bit of value out of that money as I can.
And they’ll agree with this completely.
(for now…)


Then we started thinking some more (dangerous, I know).
Well, this is true for one of you at least.


If we left at 3:00 a.m., we could make the entire 15-hour, 970-mile drive in one day. It's so crazy...it just might work!
giphy.gif



Then we started thinking some more
No!!!! Stop!!!
This could cause a tear in the cosmic fabric of time and space!


I'm 43 years old. Things hurt for no reason.
Add thirteen more years and consider the possibilities…


This seemed like a bad idea for my family's safety.
Such an odd concept…


We got dinner at a Denny's just south of Fredericksburg, mostly because they were offering Super Slam breakfasts for $5.99. Hard to beat breakfast for dinner.
Breakfast makes one of the best dinner options known.
Denny’s however…

(a little bit like choosing Lifebouy over Palmolive)

achristmas-story-soap-mouth-ralphie-peter-billingsley-punishment-gif-3577157



We stopped for the night in Petersburg, VA at a Country Inn.
I’m sure that worked well, but let me say this about that…
Never… ever… ever… stop in Petersburg without already having a confirmed reservation at a motel with an acceptable level of quality.


Just don’t…


You might think that's hyperbole, but it's not. We Philadelphia-area residents take our Wawa seriously. Articles have been written about our devotion.
They have those down this way as well…
They’re just call: Quick Trip


It's like Canadians with Tim Horton's. Or so I hear.
Hard not to have heard about that one…

Can’t prove nor disprove it though.


I'm happy to say we achieved our biggest goal: getting through North and South Carolina by lunchtime. Apologies to those of you who live in the Carolinas, but if you look up "mind-numbing" in the dictionary, it shows you a poster for The English Patient.
True story…


But then right next to that is a picture of I-95 through North and South Carolina.
Also a true story.
I live here, and although we have a long history of picking fights (and usually on the wrong side of a given issue at that), I’ll whole heartedly agree with this assessment.

(excluding a couple of stellar BBQ joints that are just a short detour off of the road, of course.)


When this qualifies as the only recognizable landmark, you have a serious problem:

eOXl4A2y-k6pusKlmn78HTsC3F9PfNlfGqvP0TYW1cCzdFeYQkHpnyrLe-V1n5pecaljjYLXPKsxyfbDXPpYJvMJonKI-kQC3rCfKNwSQBWXzt3XZui3o31q_Hg4Si6V7h0LyU5D7_AOQPumbD6GbySSGQwWlLY1hAw2FwLyYhdN4k_6M10rr4zZWEBfFL0v6Jm225r8bZJVjMfDCptVhxo0amVCOtDDzwDwnyY--WT6AyVRQIkVHDHej_cnn6LGfAf1EfRRo6wmv2SDAXOLaugw4Iq_zCnjWTy8gR2Or_pungwPJYlQ4cDnz4UamgR1tkqFrnizUUzPyxzeApuGqE110Y2LiJ5nKR8X5nXNM7M_ahz4mg-N6AtuRuNrvPe_mWFtpzIYNUgEyVAiTLYN47iPB12JMcAgQwhQ8Im_X7YTjV5RH0dYYExDLPWnBikZlS0yuGKj1YRE3ZQvS2aoOlSzA1_CYRCpZJJFMeq5RJOleHG8wAV0f6wWJLb_0R8JdxFVScNrzxbI7HTqxrDocebPk3_NHuEfXKOQ8YkoMWjddPwvWpRZK_-nxPz9iz5-V9d54LSu0qXKFH8RH97Iwl6wqg8E9FSLg4sD1nDakoH09bTYEKw_ZWb_PNAxZoTb=w928-h1236-no


By the way, don't ever stop there. Trust me on this.
Like I said, we live here…
we’re smart enough to know better.


We even stopped at a Wendy's for lunch, so at that point life was really testing our will to live.
PBJ would likely have been better.


I’ve always suspected that building was actually the inspiration for it.


At that point on I-4, we started getting traffic reports on Google Maps that indicated Orlando was a parking lot. In other news, water is wet.
Water… Wet!
Good Lord, that’s a catastrophe! All our science is based on lies!
What’ll we do!!!!


We trusted Google with our lives and took FL 414 to FL 429. It worked like gangbusters
Interesting…
Only about 4 miles more and no parking lot.

Question, though:
How much was the Toll at each station and how many toll stations did you have to stop at along the way?


By this time, the anticipation was so palpable that the kids actually turned off their electronics.
And in other news, the Loch Ness Monster has agreed to pose for a full National Geographic photo spread.

Yeah, I ain’t buying it…
You got’s proof of this


I can't prove it, but I do feel like you can feel an actual weight lift off of your shoulders when you pass through those gates.
Now that…
That I believe.

Not much else though.


The first thing you do when you walk into a Disney Resort lobby is stop and inhale. It has that Disney Resort Smell®.
Ok, ok…
I’ll believe that one too.


We'd never gotten a text that our room was ready, so I had to go to the front desk to check in. When I'd made the reservation, I'd requested a room in buildings 8A, 8B, or 9A. I figured it was close to the main pool, the front desk, and the last bus stop on the loop.


We were assigned a room in 7A.
It was worth a shot…


Nearly all of our trips have included stays in the single farthest point form every amenity.
Between that fact and the rising cost of staying on site, we may not be spending near as much time in the bubble in the future. Could change my mind, but I’ve got’s me doubts.


As it turned out, Drew noticed this one and turned out to be incredibly adept at finding Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks. I feel like this means we're doing something right as parents.
A parenting win if ever I’ve heard one.


They must have known we were coming, since they brought out the jack--uh, they had the gift shop open for us.

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It’s like they’re psychic or something!


I figured when in an Artificial Recreation of Generic Mexican And Southwest Culture, I should get an artificial recreation of Mexican cuisine.
Obviously…
Proper etiquette would dictate such.


Sarah and I let Julie have the refried beans to herself, since we feel they have the appearance, texture, smell, and consistency of poo.
More for Julie.


We managed to convince the cast member to put the beef for the tacos on top of the nachos as well, so that was a win.
Toco Bell is currently taking notes.


Like I said, refined palates.
Unquestionable judges of haute cuisine, you are.


The kids and I spent the majority of our time riding the waterslide.
giphy.gif



About halfway down there's a figure of a jaguar perched over the slide like he's about to pounce. But he's just vomiting water on you as you slide.
Wow, just like in real life.
Those Disney blokes got this stuff down to a science, don’t they?


We even got Drew to go down the slide, which was a good omen for attempting the rides later in the week. However, after the second run, he went underwater for a moment at the end, and then he decided he didn't want to slide anymore. So that was less positive as an omen.
Foreshadowing…
Another integral part of the TR writing process.


Such a wealth of knowledge and information…
(must mean that we need to ignore you)


Anyway, we had a blast at the pool.
Didn’t they confiscate the explosives when you checked in?
They’re security is slipping a mite.


We had a whole week at Disney World ahead of us. The real world was just a distant memory.
And that is why we foolishly and willing empty the savings accounts and spend the college funds.


‘Cause we’re stupid.
 
I was told by my extended family that I could take the lead since I knew the ropes, and they would just follow our lead

Oh, sure. "We're too lazy to do the research. You do it!"

by which they meant they would ignore my suggestions altogether.

Correct.

My brother, however, was insistent on staying in a Fort Wilderness cabin. This was where we had stayed when we were kids, so I think there was some nostalgia involved.

Well, that I can understand.

But they also said they wanted the kitchen. Fair enough.

Nope!
I do the cooking at home. When I'm on vacation, the last thing I want to do is cook.

buying roundtrip airfare for 6 gets expensive

No kidding. I remember when I went from 4 tickets to 1... it was like I was flying free.

My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks.

:lmao:

Oh... sorry... good luck!

Keep in mind that my brother hadn't been in Disney World since 2000. A few things have changed since then.

But he's been once before so he obviously knows more about it than you do.

It took some maneuvering, but I got every ride we'd wanted.

Nice! Score.

my brother's family was arriving the day after us, so they were not officially at the 60-day mark. I could not add them to my FP+ reservations.

I told them about this in the afternoon, and they seemed nonchalant. "We'll just get what we can,

Uh, huh...

My brother told me he didn't want to bother setting times for rides, anyway. He said he could just wing it when he was down there.

Good idea! I encourage that!



That way I get to go on the rides I want to go on while people like that stand in lines.

The problem was Washington D.C. Our home is in Delaware. If I left at 6:00 a.m., we'd be hitting rush hour in D.C.

I know a way around that!

The D.C. Beltway at rush hour moves at roughly the same speed as my boys when Julie asks them to empty the dishwasher.

I would disagree with that as a possibility..... but I've seen the Beltway.

Our goal, when emptying our savings account to visit Disney World,

Really?

Huh.

Mine's long gone. Now I just go into debt.

If I'm going to be spending my kids' college money

There it is!

If we left at 3:00 a.m., we could make the entire 15-hour, 970-mile drive in one day. It's so crazy...it just might work!

And totally something I'd do.

So we chickened out acted prudently, and left on Thursday evening (the 19th).

That works too. Just as long as you don't lessen your time in Disney.

It was clogged up worse than my digestive system after visiting Burger King.

Nothing is that bad.

Fortunately, they had some high-speed toll lanes built in the center of the highway

So... traffic's version of Ex Lax.

If you had an EZ Pass tag, you could drive in those lanes for a little over $10 for an 18-mile stretch. Or you could sit in the free lanes at a dead stop. Best $10 we ever spent.

Hmmm... Is this available to foreigners by any chance?

We got dinner at a Denny's just south of Fredericksburg, mostly because they were offering Super Slam breakfasts for $5.99. Hard to beat breakfast for dinner.

Easy to beat Denny's though.

We Philadelphia-area residents take our Wawa seriously. Articles have been written about our devotion.

Whoa. That's pretty devoted. I couldn't see the Santa story though.

It's like Canadians with Tim Horton's. Or so I hear.

Excuse me. I believe you mean Timmies.

if you look up "mind-numbing" in the dictionary, it shows you a poster for The English Patient.

:lmao:

By the way, don't ever stop there. Trust me on this.

I never saw that. Must've been farther south, past Raleigh?

We even stopped at a Wendy's for lunch, so at that point life was really testing our will to live.

You just have no desire to ever poop again, do you?

The rest of the drive continued to be uneventful. We did get to pass Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc.

RL1RamwMI6HzExtQq0tHyy-lQKdEjL96LL_h_uFzzq30cRkLNryuUY0Po_Mn1aiVeXOtKTGMGZ1R0P72nJyChTZDMc4MtsVlo_ZVTyhprZ8tkbAQhD2XzijnL5yh7v0AwHQ1gPHGp7jxAOF73uE9_LGkAC_dPNDhhNAOEeNgVptwGBdUEBC_KwZsk_XlUHcRcaDP9KoYQacdxOZrnHb-C1AI7vxE8AOBOtbYfGR-4z8Ho5_T2s_yrMcpqHWZ4IRMukZAl7lSS1L5bQXwOn5dUBrgExB3mIrfvvv1oFnCmuV_tA-wzkh6huzKxt7b05kaQ_u8XbmEjmSOyQoGqTDTyND_zpQWA3pobC2G71cHevzK6AVpYAbY8LSLMYxOJOCVKzClIU6RRO8VvQhw_xF0hwkKbT7JohIAKhNBOoadvgXHe9uxFgVPiYBicRpi0zyd0g-I0ZASZu_zvTVnqufSqjeobyXzY0PJsucGsm3yuPE_pZ8wOzj1WcPC8pnO1NHqZJ01nXT2JQo7_VRNWg_Aa3SUN0dCcUOBEHpkLRnqsZ5fS1RNIGCeeWmXDRONe_OXBu-JWZeh-Mg3pBoX3jVIu9NSMXtUnKHt3zY2p9bnOdXgOElafYxAL6nrAANmsbr4=w928-h1236-no

:laughing:

We trusted Google with our lives and took FL 414 to FL 429. It worked like gangbusters--no issues with traffic, and it took us all the way around to the west entrance to Disney World.

Nice!

By this time, the anticipation was so palpable that the kids actually turned off their electronics.

:eek:

I can't prove it, but I do feel like you can feel an actual weight lift off of your shoulders when you pass through those gates.

Oh, you don't have to prove it. That's exactly right.

We pulled up to the gates of Coronado Springs, and immediately entered a construction zone. Fences were up everywhere, and you could see the cranes and new high rise looming in front of you.

Uh, oh... hence the discount?

The first thing you do when you walk into a Disney Resort lobby is stop and inhale. It has that Disney Resort Smell®. Just another sign you're back in the bubble.

::yes:: Love that.

When I'd made the reservation, I'd requested a room in buildings 8A, 8B, or 9A. I figured it was close to the main pool, the front desk, and the last bus stop on the loop.

I didn't have to read any further to know you'd get something like...

We were assigned a room in 7A. So at least we could work off the calories from our meals.

...that.

Here's the front lobby. I'm showing this just to point out the Hidden Mickey in lights at the far end.

Cool!

As it turned out, Drew noticed this one and turned out to be incredibly adept at finding Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks. I feel like this means we're doing something right as parents.

::yes::

Just to the right of this photo was a huge crane and lots of construction in the pond. They were building a new bar out in the lake.

Out on the lake? Like... there'll be a pier or something to get out to it? Or?

Sarah and I let Julie have the refried beans to herself, since we feel they have the appearance, texture, smell, and consistency of poo.

Blech.... completely agree.

The Dig Site pool is very cool.

Yes it is. I haven't been, but on our first trip with the kids, it was a strong contender just because of that slide.
What swayed us to POR, was the Pepper market. I don't know about now, (I believe they've changed) but back then it got pretty bad reviews.

We even got Drew to go down the slide, which was a good omen for attempting the rides later in the week. However, after the second run, he went underwater for a moment at the end, and then he decided he didn't want to slide anymore. So that was less positive as an omen.

oh.

:laughing: Good luck!
 


Annie! If I didn't know better, I'd say you threw a little shade there.:rolleyes1

Me? Throw shade? Never :smooth:

Never heard of that! Huh.... maybe I should look into that.

::yes::

My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks.

I'm sensing a theme here.....and it makes me grateful I'm an only child

If we were going to go as far as Jacksonville, why not just finish the drive all at once? If we left at 3:00 a.m., we could make the entire 15-hour, 970-mile drive in one day. It's so crazy...it just might work!

We did this our most recent trip. But our trip is only about 9 1/2 hours, so pretty doable. Of course, I wasn't the one driving so I can say that.

Apologies to those of you who live in the Carolinas, but if you look up "mind-numbing" in the dictionary, it shows you a poster for The English Patient. But then right next to that is a picture of I-95 through North and South Carolina. When this qualifies as the only recognizable landmark, you have a serious problem:

I feel like I should take offense to this, but then again my family draws straws to pick who has to drive through SC.


But what actually is this? I feel like it's been under construction my entire life.

I can't prove it, but I do feel like you can feel an actual weight lift off of your shoulders when you pass through those gates.

I can vouch for this, as I tend to start bouncing when we get close :hyper:

Sarah and I let Julie have the refried beans to herself, since we feel they have the appearance, texture, smell, and consistency of poo.

Agreed.

However, after the second run, he went underwater for a moment at the end, and then he decided he didn't want to slide anymore. So that was less positive as an omen.

I can't blame the kid. I'm still wary of water slides, and it's been almost 20 years since my last traumatic experience.
 
We live in Voorhees, NJ and I endorse this statement! WaWas sandwiches are the best! Which I know sounds weird, gas station sandwiches, really? But Yes!

Voorhees! Home of the Flyers' practice facility. Sorry, I get carried away with my Philadelphia sports fandom.

Anyway, I'm glad I have another person here who agrees that Wawa rules!

We stopped here on our way to Myrtle Beach. Yup. We did it. Don't need to do it again.

That was one of the skeeviest bathrooms I've ever used. And then they had an attendant who was expecting tips! :rotfl2:

It totally is!

::yes::

I feel this when we land at MCO usually. We made it! But I know the feeling.

I can see that. You're in Florida and no longer lugging your bags around.

We were just there last week! We were in 7B and it was a LONG walk!

I actually didn't mind the walk. But it was a long way from the main lobby!

The main pool was closed when we were there. Thankfully they have all the smaller pools.

Sounds like you had a good drive and first day at the resort!

Always nice to take a little time and enjoy the perks of wherever you're staying.

:eek: :faint: I'm on edge after the 4-5 hour drive to/from Vegas. That's alot of driving.

Good thing we're used to it by now!

For some reason, I'm thinking your brother and family will have no problem waltzing right in for any reservation, have no problem with lines, and will have amazing bus luck.

Wouldn't that be just perfect?

Agreed - fixed that for dinner tonight.

Mmmm...bacon...

Bummer. They couldn't put you farther away from your goal of being close to everything.

When I saw the renovation work going on, it was hard to get too angry about it. We were still at Disney. It was fine.

Drew has learned well.....get right to spending your hard earned dough.

It's what my kids do.

We all look forward to our copy in the mail....ok...at least seeing it in the next update.

Whew. That'll be a lot less expensive!
 


Howdy!

:wave:

I think this is the first of your trip reports I have followed. But we seem to hang around a lot of the same places here, and I enjoy your humor, so I'll hop on!

:welcome: Dee! Thank you for joining in! I've seen you hanging around the boards as well. So thanks for breaking the ice!

Great introduction to your family.

I look forward to reading more, but I wanted to make sure I rushed through the first post so I could mark my place on Page 4.

I hope I haven't scared you off by now! :p

That was the best trip intro I've ever read!

:welcome: Was it the only trip intro you've ever read? :rotfl2:

Wawa is serious business!!! We've stopped at that VA Wawa a few times while driving to WDW.

::yes:: Wawa is the goods.

Yeah Im following. And I never follow. :)

Well, then I'm honored! :welcome:

That I do get. A lot like me and beer.

Except I hate beer. LOL!

Then it's time for a re-do!

I'm not a big wine fan myself (maybe a few white wines). It's grape juice gone bad.

Then again, there's a lot of beer I can't stand. And some I really like. I dunno.

The Gorge is so pretty. You'll need a wide angle lens...

Cool. I'll have to make sure we are prepared with the proper camera gear.

I have been waiting for someone I'm on a TR for to stay there. THat's where I'm booked for May, and am trying to learn all I can about the resort. So, yay!!

Hopefully this chapter helped! I don't know how much more I'll have about Coronado since we spent most of our time in the parks!

Only one word comes to mind.

Inconvenient.

They certainly did what they wanted. That's not necessarily a bad thing with large group trips, though.

:sad2:


This is going to be... entertaining in the most cringe worthy ways. Like a train wreck you can't avert your eyes from.

All I can say is...I tried.

It's like a slow motion catastrophe in the making.

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo...

Isn't DC always the problem? The epicenter seems to be the Mall area.

:rotfl2::rotfl2:An excellent point. Although we really love visiting the city itself.

Hence squeezing and eking out every last Disney minute you can. Even if it's not at a park.

::yes:: Exactly.

That usually ends up adding a zero to the end figure.

Amazing how that works.

I see you are rather as astute as the rest of us with Fuzzy Disney Math.

Also amazing how we just add the extra night with barely a glance at the cost.


Way.

I was stunned.

Yes, this really happens.

Yes! Myth confirmed!

Okay that's pretty cool. I like subtle.

It was a nice little touch.

:lmao:

NO really, Mark, tell us how you really feel.

One of the few foods that is the same coming in as it is going out! :rotfl:

How fun!! Water vomit!

Talk about Disney Magic!
 
Well, I'm so glad someone finally educated me on how to properly write a report. I'm taking notes. Well done. Also, I did not skim a single important word.

Looking forward to more.

:welcome: Wait--you found important words in there? I thought I had edited all of those out.

Thanks for joining in!
First time reader! Awesome intro and can’t wait to read more! popcorn:: Love your photos of the kids. We are up for an adventure with a semi-large group in January. All 8.5 of us. Found out DIL is pregnant after trip was booked soooooo ya can’t wait to read how you and yours did it ....it sounds like you are experts :worship: :cool1:

:welcome: I don't know if I'd say experts...especially with large groups! Let's just say it was a learning experience.

Well, actually...

... oh.

Nevermind.

Whew. Thank goodness for disclaimers.

Good one! That was my favorite movie when I was a kid!

I've actually only seen it once. It's a fun one, though.

Precisely. I'm looking forward as to how this pans out.

As always, we have our ups and downs.

I hear the sit down restaurant in Morocco is a good one for walk ups.

They might like that one, actually. Their tastes are more exotic than ours.

Even in 2000 you still had to make plans in advance. :rolleyes1

It was still quite different. I remember Julie and I walking up to Le Cellier and getting seated right away.

Or Mickey's Philharmagic.

::yes::

I'm that way on the cruises. If you read my last trip update on my feelings about my DVC, I already gave my life savings to Disney so besides the monthly usage fee I pay them, staying on property is like free to me.

I can see that. If I owned DVC, I'd be squeezing as much as I could out of that too!

I just did the exact same thing, but I added two days! :teacher:

party:

We used to have one of those, but in California if you don't use it for a minimum, they charge you anyways, so we turned it in.

Gotcha. I think you can use EZPass up and down most of the East Coast (except Florida, which has their own system).

Someday when I'm in your neck of the woods, I will have to visit one of these.

I look forward to the future "Man, Mark really overhyped that place" review. :rotfl2:

I understand the hate for Taco Bell, but so far in this TR you have disparaged Burger King and Wendy's as well. I don't understand. I actually eat a fairly regular diet of drive through delicacies because we are constantly lacking in time and needing some kind of sustenance, and I've never had a problem from any of these places.

Boy, there's just no pleasing you guys. After all the indignation over Taco Bell, I diversified my targets for crappy fast food and still can't make anyone happy.

Just messing with you. Believe me, I eat my share of fast-food meals as well. Making fun of fast food is just my schtick. Actually, so is making fun of gourmet food. Basically, I just like poop jokes.

Burger King always seems to make Julie and Sarah sick, and Wendy's always just makes me feel disappointed afterwards. I still maintain, however, that Taco Bell is Liquid Plumber for the digestive system.

My overall fast-food rankings:
1. Chick Fil-A
2. (large gap)
3. Everything else

We always turn on Google Maps and when they suggest some sort of detour, Fran still says we're going the way I know, and we get stuck in horrible traffic.

:sad2: Even if it takes longer, I'd rather keep moving.

That's pretty much where we were assigned when we stayed there a few years back.

Hope the scooter batteries were charged!

That is a cool little effect. We noticed that too.

:thumbsup2

The rooms must have been refurbed since we stayed. Ours had completely different linens and such.

It looked like they were still in the process of renovations, so we must have gotten a fairly recent refresh.

That's one huge tower there!

There are going to be a lot of people at that resort!

I was going to say Julie is smart, but those are not refried beans, they're black beans. Blech!

Whatever. They're all terrible.:crazy2:

That's about what I had to say for Pepper Market as well.

A definite "meh". But who cares, we're at Disney!

Yes but at least most of the rides in the parks don't dunk you under water.

True, but it's not really a Disney ride unless they squirt you with water somewhere.

And that's why we keep going back. :goodvibes

::yes::
 
This sounds like us this summer. We did a Disney Cruise out of Port Canaveral. Last minute, like 2 days before we were going to leave, we decided to leave early and stay a night in Cocoa Beach. I went a little crazy trying to get everything together.

But was it worth it? It's all about extending the vacation.

We have done this 3 times from Northeast Ohio. It is about a 20-24 hour drive. DH does most of the driving and is exhausted when we get their. He would lose that whole first day. The last time we did this I made him go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner. He fell asleep in the lobby while we were waiting for our table.

I was afraid of that, too. I wanted to be awake for Disney, not exhausted at the start of the week. I think we made the right call.

Now we stop in Kingsland, Georgia. A nice little town just on the other side of the river from Jacksonville. It is the last exit in Georgia before you hit Florida. We have stopped here twice now.

We definitely considered that. But then I was like--at that point, we're so close to the end...

OMG South Carolina is the worst to drive through. Traffic is always bad and getting on 95 from 77 makes it hours of traveling through this state. Also, after out last trip this summer I can tell the worst Wendy's to stop at and the best ER. This state and WVA are the longest most tiring states to drive through.

It's amazing how the highways manage to avoid every interesting landmark in the entire state!
 
Acronymize? I kinda like it.
I expect that one to show up in a future update to Websters! Wonder if there's a royalty for that? :scratchin

I was told by my extended family that I could take the lead since I knew the ropes, and they would just follow our lead, by which they meant they would ignore my suggestions altogether
In the famous words of Mike Fink.....I see trouble around the bend.

My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks. I told him to enjoy Cosmic Ray's.
Well if you have to settle, not the worst choice.

It's all about the value. If I'm going to be spending my kids' college money, I want to wring every last bit of value out of that money as I can
As opposed to what they might do. .....

Fortunately, they had some high-speed toll lanes built in the center of the highway. If you had an EZ Pass tag, you could drive in those lanes for a little over $10 for an 18-mile stretch. Or you could sit in the free lanes at a dead stop. Best $10 we ever spent.
Yes, we have a SunPass in the car now. Not having to go through that bottleneck in Orlando is definitely worth every penny!

I'm happy to say we achieved our biggest goal: getting through North and South Carolina by lunchtime. Apologies to those of you who live in the Carolinas, but if you look up "mind-numbing" in the dictionary, it shows you a poster for The English Patient. But then right next to that is a picture of I-95 through North and South Carolina.
So the plan is working. All those facades along the Interstate that make it look boring so the retirees continue on to Florida has been a great investment........

It was a long 6 years between visits to the theme parks for the kids, but right around 6:00 p.m. on July 20th, the wait was finally over.
Hey we were there around that time. No pictures of a meet so I guess one didn't happen. .... :confused:

About halfway down there's a figure of a jaguar perched over the slide like he's about to pounce. But he's just vomiting water
A positive use of puke :thumbsup2
 
Then you’ll never go unnoticed.


(It is still a given though that you can only do so much at a time and then only what’s been authorized and more importantly… funded)

Or appreciated. Such is the life we chose.

It’s what we live for…

Apparently.

More crap, coming right up!

That makes me a bit of a failure then.
Nothing new about that assessment either.

Nah. You just have better priorities than I do.

Can’t imagine why…
(especially given that teachers are generally seen as punching bags for a plethora of ills)

Well, there is that whole "off for the summer" thing.

Like you said…
You still be smarter than I.

Debatable.

Parenthood?

I don't know. What was the question again?

I’ve seen the pictures.
Worth it!

(besides, I’m not allowed to eat anything good right now anyway)

:sad1:

But yes, the views were worth the PB&J.

Pretty sure that Showmen's Rest in Hugo, Oklahoma would be a must do…
As for Iowa, I imagine there’s a corn field or two that may need investigating.

Interesting spot. Not sure that I'd make a big detour for it, but it's something at least.

But can this assertion be proven?

I have no photos, so...no.

Potential multiple plans, but much else has to fall in place first.

Much…

Hope it all works out!

Beats my 0% of the time…

I’ve also seen only one COLA in thirteen years (with no raises at all).
Can you beat that one?

Well, we don't get a COLA. Ever. We went about 8 years without a raise, from 2008 to 2016. The raises we do get are set by the legislature, so everyone gets the same raise regardless of performance (it's like working for a socialist country). It's usually something like a 1% raise or a flat amount like $500, and it doesn't go into effect until halfway through the fiscal year or something like that. So I know the suffering of which you speak.


Thanks for finishing that one for me.

Sounds about right.

Pretty much how all folks with experience and learning on a given subject are treated now-a-days.

A dose of humility would do us all a lot of good.

Now, let’s be fair here.
That plan will also work at the Golden Oak
(assuming it’s open at the time)

I don't want to explain that one to them.

And Figment; don’t forget about Figment.

Yes. How could we forget that ride? :rolleyes1

The same goes for getting young’ens to even put dirty stuff in the dishwasher.
The sink is nearly 22 inches closer and doesn’t require one to actually open a door.

It really does boggle the mind.

Or fossilizing…

Like at the DMV!

And they’ll agree with this completely.
(for now…)

It's all about the short term.


Sadly...we'll never know.

No!!!! Stop!!!
This could cause a tear in the cosmic fabric of time and space!

I told you it was dangerous!

Add thirteen more years and consider the possibilities…

:sad2: But I don't want to!

Breakfast makes one of the best dinner options known.
Denny’s however…

(a little bit like choosing Lifebouy over Palmolive)

achristmas-story-soap-mouth-ralphie-peter-billingsley-punishment-gif-3577157

Well, there is the piquant aftertaste...

I don't think Denny's is horrible. Not great by any means, but for $5.99, it's passable.

I’m sure that worked well, but let me say this about that…
Never… ever… ever… stop in Petersburg without already having a confirmed reservation at a motel with an acceptable level of quality.


Just don’t…

:scared1: Sounds like there's a story here.

We were actually south of town.

They have those down this way as well…
They’re just call: Quick Trip

But it's not Wawa!

Hard not to have heard about that one…

Can’t prove nor disprove it though.

Someday I'll get to try it out.

True story…

I've never seen a 3-hour movie before where absolutely nothing happens.

Also a true story.
I live here, and although we have a long history of picking fights (and usually on the wrong side of a given issue at that), I’ll whole heartedly agree with this assessment.

(excluding a couple of stellar BBQ joints that are just a short detour off of the road, of course.)

BBQ is always worth a detour. But the drive itself...ugh.

Like I said, we live here…
we’re smart enough to know better.

Thank goodness.

PBJ would likely have been better.

Probably. They did have that 4 for $4 deal, though.

I’ve always suspected that building was actually the inspiration for it.

What else could it be?

Water… Wet!
Good Lord, that’s a catastrophe! All our science is based on lies!
What’ll we do!!!!

Continue to ignore it!

Interesting…
Only about 4 miles more and no parking lot.

Question, though:
How much was the Toll at each station and how many toll stations did you have to stop at along the way?

I don't remember, honestly. We still had the SunPass from last year so we just used that to get through the tolls quickly and painlessly.

And in other news, the Loch Ness Monster has agreed to pose for a full National Geographic photo spread.

Yeah, I ain’t buying it…
You got’s proof of this

It was just Disney Magic, that's all I can say.

Now that…
That I believe.

Not much else though.

How about an exploding helicopter?

It was worth a shot…


Nearly all of our trips have included stays in the single farthest point form every amenity.
Between that fact and the rising cost of staying on site, we may not be spending near as much time in the bubble in the future. Could change my mind, but I’ve got’s me doubts.

This is why I don't go every year. It's a special occasion, and the price reflects that.

A parenting win if ever I’ve heard one.

:woohoo:

It’s like they’re psychic or something!

Or they had our names on file!

More for Julie.

I'm good with that.

Toco Bell is currently taking notes.

This would require actual meat.

Unquestionable judges of haute cuisine, you are.

That's us! Gourmet at its finest!


We're really hitting Young Frankenstein hard, I see.

Wow, just like in real life.
Those Disney blokes got this stuff down to a science, don’t they?

Amazing realism!

Foreshadowing…
Another integral part of the TR writing process.


Such a wealth of knowledge and information…
(must mean that we need to ignore you)

:sad2:

Didn’t they confiscate the explosives when you checked in?
They’re security is slipping a mite.

We had them hidden in Drew's stroller.

And that is why we foolishly and willing empty the savings accounts and spend the college funds.


‘Cause we’re stupid.

Yep. But we do have fun.
 
Planning for 13 people is a whole new level. I was told by my extended family that I could take the lead since I knew the ropes, and they would just follow our lead, by which they meant they would ignore my suggestions altogether.
Sounds about right. My parents came with us on our 2010 trip. They didn't bother with any planning and let me do it all. I had 8 days of my dad asking "why did we do this" or "why didn't we do it another way"?

My brother, however, was insistent on staying in a Fort Wilderness cabin.
I really would like to stay in a cabin one day. it will likely never happen since DW insists she's not going to Disney World to go "camping". :sad2:

My brother told me he didn't want to bother setting times for rides, anyway. He said he could just wing it when he was down there.
My brother told me he didn't want to plan every single meal in advance and he'd try and walk up at the spur of the moment when they were in the parks.
thumper laugh.gif

Keep in mind that my brother hadn't been in Disney World since 2000. A few things have changed since then. But it seemed that in his mind, everything would be just the same as it was on his last visit.
I do understand to some degree. My first trip as an adult was in 2000. When I think back on it now, it almost seems like a different place.

Toy Story Land would be open for about 3 weeks before we arrived, so I knew Slinky Dog Dash was going to be a Fastpass or bust. Same with Flight of Passage. It took some maneuvering, but I got every ride we'd wanted.
Nice one. I managed about the same, by pushing FoP and Slinky Dog near the end of our trip.

Then we started thinking some more (I had a migraine at this point from the exertion). I'm 43 years old. Things hurt for no reason. If I started driving at 3:00 a.m., I'd be going for about 4 hours on my own with no one else awake in the car. And then we'd still have another 11 hours to go.
I like the idea of these road trips. I am terrible at driving for a long time though. I don't get stiff, I get very sleepy.

It's like Canadians with Tim Horton's. Or so I hear.
Thou shalt not besmirch Timmie's. (Actually, if I'm being honest, I can take it or leave it. I see people lined up in the drive thru every morning just to get a cup of Tim's. I don't get the attraction)

The rest of the drive continued to be uneventful. We did get to pass Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc.

RL1RamwMI6HzExtQq0tHyy-lQKdEjL96LL_h_uFzzq30cRkLNryuUY0Po_Mn1aiVeXOtKTGMGZ1R0P72nJyChTZDMc4MtsVlo_ZVTyhprZ8tkbAQhD2XzijnL5yh7v0AwHQ1gPHGp7jxAOF73uE9_LGkAC_dPNDhhNAOEeNgVptwGBdUEBC_KwZsk_XlUHcRcaDP9KoYQacdxOZrnHb-C1AI7vxE8AOBOtbYfGR-4z8Ho5_T2s_yrMcpqHWZ4IRMukZAl7lSS1L5bQXwOn5dUBrgExB3mIrfvvv1oFnCmuV_tA-wzkh6huzKxt7b05kaQ_u8XbmEjmSOyQoGqTDTyND_zpQWA3pobC2G71cHevzK6AVpYAbY8LSLMYxOJOCVKzClIU6RRO8VvQhw_xF0hwkKbT7JohIAKhNBOoadvgXHe9uxFgVPiYBicRpi0zyd0g-I0ZASZu_zvTVnqufSqjeobyXzY0PJsucGsm3yuPE_pZ8wOzj1WcPC8pnO1NHqZJ01nXT2JQo7_VRNWg_Aa3SUN0dCcUOBEHpkLRnqsZ5fS1RNIGCeeWmXDRONe_OXBu-JWZeh-Mg3pBoX3jVIu9NSMXtUnKHt3zY2p9bnOdXgOElafYxAL6nrAANmsbr4=w928-h1236-no
My first thought was Stark Tower...or Avengers Tower...or whatever it's called. Interesting though.

By this time, the anticipation was so palpable that the kids actually turned off their electronics.
No electronics?! Were you also regaled by a choir of angels?

It was a long 6 years between visits to the theme parks for the kids, but right around 6:00 p.m. on July 20th, the wait was finally over.
Wow, that is a long wait. And I thought 4 years was bad. I'm happy that you were able to get back.

We were assigned a room in 7A. So at least we could work off the calories from our meals. I learned later that the buildings I'd requested were largely under renovation.
Well, look on the bright side, I guess.

I'm showing this just to point out the Hidden Mickey in lights at the far end. As it turned out, Drew noticed this one and turned out to be incredibly adept at finding Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks. I feel like this means we're doing something right as parents.
I got my DD into hidden Mickey's and she's a bit obsessed now too. Mind you I'm not into it to the extent of buying the guide book and ticking them off (I witnessed a family doing that), but it's a bit of fun.

I thought Coronado Springs was very nicely themed. The only other moderate we've stayed at was Port Orleans Riverside, and both are gorgeous resorts. We were very happy here, even with the construction going on all over the place.
POR was beautiful and Coronado seems nice. I would love to go back and stay in Alligator Bayou. DW thinks the resort was too big though. If I went back to Moderate, I may look at French Quarter.

Here's our room before we trashed it like the slobs we are.
I still don't like the white hospital beds. I know it's being picky, but a little runner would spruce it up.

Here's your up-to-the-minute construction update on the new tower at Coronado Springs (from July 20):
It probably hasn't changed much. It looks about the same as it did the middle of August anyway. These are the same people that took two years to build a parking garage, so...

The Dig Site pool is very cool. I love that they went to the trouble of building an entire Mayan (or Aztec?) pyramid here.
It does look awesome. I do wish you could climb the pyramid though (but totally understand why not).
 
Oh, sure. "We're too lazy to do the research. You do it!"

Pretty much. They're lucky I enjoy the research.

Nope!
I do the cooking at home. When I'm on vacation, the last thing I want to do is cook.

Exactly! Julie is the same way, which is why I work so hard on finding cool places for dinner.

No kidding. I remember when I went from 4 tickets to 1... it was like I was flying free.

A part of me is greatly looking forward to that day. But another part of me is not.

:lmao:

Oh... sorry... good luck!

I tried to warn them. I really did.

But he's been once before so he obviously knows more about it than you do.

I love my brother, but he does tend to be the "Well, actually..." guy sometimes.

Good idea! I encourage that!



That way I get to go on the rides I want to go on while people like that stand in lines.

::yes:: We certainly weren't going to change our strategy!

I know a way around that!

:rolleyes1

US 301 is not as good in that direction in the evenings because people are going home from D.C. So it's a "pick your poison" situation if you're heading south to Virginia.

I would disagree with that as a possibility..... but I've seen the Beltway.

So. Painful.

Really?

Huh.

Mine's long gone. Now I just go into debt.

Well, Julie just started teaching, so the double income...

Oh, it doesn't help. We just give them all our money.

And totally something I'd do.

You know, I believe that.

That works too. Just as long as you don't lessen your time in Disney.

Exactly. That was a no-go.

Nothing is that bad.

Nothing? Are you sure?

So... traffic's version of Ex Lax.

Or Taco Bell.

Hmmm... Is this available to foreigners by any chance?

You know, that's a great question. I don't know about the rules regarding EZ Pass. I'll have to see if I can look that up.

Easy to beat Denny's though.

True. I don't think Denny's is horrible, though. Certainly at $5.99 and having to feed my family, I could do worse.

Whoa. That's pretty devoted. I couldn't see the Santa story though.

So the Santa story is a bit of a sore spot with Philadelphia sports fans. Years ago, the Eagles were terrible. Just an awful football team. In December near the end of the season, they were doing a Christmas-themed halftime show. But weather was terrible, and the field was a muddy mess. They were supposed to have Santa in the show, but the guy they hired never showed. So they pulled a guy from the stands in a homemade Santa suit and had him parade in the show. According to some, the guy was drunk and barely resembled Santa. The "show" was awful. So the fans, already tired of their terrible team, booed. Some threw snowballs.

Now, whenever talking heads on TV need a shorthand to tell you how Philadelphia sports fans are THE WORST SPORTS FANS IN THE WORLD, they make a reference to Philly as being the City That Booed Santa Claus. Never mind that Cleveland fans once threw beer bottles at their team, or that Vancouver practically burned down the city after losing the Stanley Cup. We're the worst because we apparently hate Santa.

But no, I'm not bitter. As a side note, here is a map of Philadelphia based on national sports broadcasts:

DM31rIMXUAARJUM.jpg


Excuse me. I believe you mean Timmies.

I stand corrected. Someday I gotta try that place.

I never saw that. Must've been farther south, past Raleigh?

Yes. As Rob said, it's just on the South Carolina side of the border.

You just have no desire to ever poop again, do you?

It did feel like a death wish.

Oh, you don't have to prove it. That's exactly right.

That's two confirmations!:woohoo:

Uh, oh... hence the discount?

I think that is the reason it was cheaper to stay there. I knew that going in, though. And I didn't care. I wasn't going to be spending a ton of time in the room anyway. I think it saved us about $400 to stay there over other moderates.

I didn't have to read any further to know you'd get something like...


:sad2:

Out on the lake? Like... there'll be a pier or something to get out to it? Or?

Yes, they were building some bridges/walkways out to the restaurant/bar. Here are some photos of the construction/concept.

Blech.... completely agree.

::yes::

Yes it is. I haven't been, but on our first trip with the kids, it was a strong contender just because of that slide.
What swayed us to POR, was the Pepper market. I don't know about now, (I believe they've changed) but back then it got pretty bad reviews.

Gotcha. Pepper Market was perfectly meh. But you can say that about most food courts. The pool was pretty cool. However, POR has a nice pool as well. Overall, I'd probably rank POR higher. That boat ride to Downt--uh, Disney Springs, is a nice extra. I love the theme at POR too.
 
Me? Throw shade? Never :smooth:

:rolleyes1

I'm sensing a theme here.....and it makes me grateful I'm an only child

We have our fun, too. It's like any relationship.

We did this our most recent trip. But our trip is only about 9 1/2 hours, so pretty doable. Of course, I wasn't the one driving so I can say that.

I don't mind long drives. But I prefer not to be falling asleep. So does the rest of my family.

I feel like I should take offense to this, but then again my family draws straws to pick who has to drive through SC.

I mean, I gotta call it as I see it.

But what actually is this? I feel like it's been under construction my entire life.

I have no idea! So I'm going with Doofenshmirtz.

I can vouch for this, as I tend to start bouncing when we get close :hyper:

Who doesn't?


:thumbsup2

I can't blame the kid. I'm still wary of water slides, and it's been almost 20 years since my last traumatic experience.

Water slides rock!

It's in SC (of course) on I-95 just south of the NC boarder (thus the "clever" name)
and trust us...
You ain't missin' nothin'.

Truth.

I expect that one to show up in a future update to Websters! Wonder if there's a royalty for that? :scratchin

Not for regular folk like us.

In the famous words of Mike Fink.....I see trouble around the bend.

We shall see...

Well if you have to settle, not the worst choice.

True. At least they have variety.

As opposed to what they might do. .....

You think I might get value out of my kids' education? Ha!

Yes, we have a SunPass in the car now. Not having to go through that bottleneck in Orlando is definitely worth every penny!

::yes::

So the plan is working. All those facades along the Interstate that make it look boring so the retirees continue on to Florida has been a great investment........

I'm not saying there are no interesting parts of SC. I'm just saying none of them are along I-95.

Hey we were there around that time. No pictures of a meet so I guess one didn't happen. .... :confused:

I guess we'll never know for sure...

A positive use of puke :thumbsup2

And it wasn't even mine!

Sounds about right. My parents came with us on our 2010 trip. They didn't bother with any planning and let me do it all. I had 8 days of my dad asking "why did we do this" or "why didn't we do it another way"?

Everybody always appreciates a good Monday Morning Quarterback. :sad2:

I really would like to stay in a cabin one day. it will likely never happen since DW insists she's not going to Disney World to go "camping". :sad2:

The Fort Wilderness cabins are "camping" as much as opening a bag of chips is "cooking".

I do understand to some degree. My first trip as an adult was in 2000. When I think back on it now, it almost seems like a different place.

It has changed so much. As I mentioned to Alison, I remember my wife and I walking right into Le Cellier for dinner.

Nice one. I managed about the same, by pushing FoP and Slinky Dog near the end of our trip.

Our HS day was Tuesday and our AK day was Wednesday, and I guess that was far enough into the week that I could find ride times. I went for those two rides before I got any other FP's.

I like the idea of these road trips. I am terrible at driving for a long time though. I don't get stiff, I get very sleepy.

It's always a good idea to program some breaks/sightseeing stops in along the way.

Thou shalt not besmirch Timmie's. (Actually, if I'm being honest, I can take it or leave it. I see people lined up in the drive thru every morning just to get a cup of Tim's. I don't get the attraction)

Starbucks has the same devotees. And so does Wawa. Everyone has their thing, I guess.

My first thought was Stark Tower...or Avengers Tower...or whatever it's called. Interesting though.

I'm not sure if anyone has any idea what it actually is.

No electronics?! Were you also regaled by a choir of angels?

As a matter of fact...no.

But it wouldn't have been a surprise, either.

Wow, that is a long wait. And I thought 4 years was bad. I'm happy that you were able to get back.

Well, to be fair, we did get some visits in to Aulani, Disneyland, Disney Hilton Head, and Typhoon Lagoon during those 6 years. So we weren't exactly suffering.

Well, look on the bright side, I guess.

We were at Disney. It was fine.

I got my DD into hidden Mickey's and she's a bit obsessed now too. Mind you I'm not into it to the extent of buying the guide book and ticking them off (I witnessed a family doing that), but it's a bit of fun.

Yeah, I think it's more fun to happen on them by surprise.

POR was beautiful and Coronado seems nice. I would love to go back and stay in Alligator Bayou. DW thinks the resort was too big though. If I went back to Moderate, I may look at French Quarter.

We really liked Alligator Bayou. I'd go back there for sure. We're not the world's biggest New Orleans fans, so French Quarter has less appeal to us. Then again, I think Disney French Quarter is a lot better than the real thing!

I still don't like the white hospital beds. I know it's being picky, but a little runner would spruce it up.

I agree. I like having some color. Plus, the comforters/runners made each resort unique.

It probably hasn't changed much. It looks about the same as it did the middle of August anyway. These are the same people that took two years to build a parking garage, so...

:rotfl2:

It does look awesome. I do wish you could climb the pyramid though (but totally understand why not).

That would be so fun! But one slip, and it's lawsuit city. I'd sign a waiver, though.
 
I told him to enjoy Cosmic Ray's.

:rotfl:

I told him to enjoy the Country Bear Jamboree.

:rotfl2: Hey, wait a minute. I love CBJ, I think I might be insulted here. >:( :P

I'm 43 years old. Things hurt for no reason.

Totally understand this one! Which is why I'm a bit on the crazy side to run 5Ks. It's usually a competition to see which part hurts the worse during each race. :laughing:

I can't prove it, but I do feel like you can feel an actual weight lift off of your shoulders when you pass through those gates.

Hmmmm. It's got to be true, I know it is for me. Maybe a completely scientific poll here on the DIS to prove this one?::yes::

We were assigned a room in 7A. So at least we could work off the calories from our meals.

Yikes! Nothing like being placed in the furthest possible building from the main building.

I'm showing this just to point out the Hidden Mickey in lights at the far end. As it turned out, Drew noticed this one and turned out to be incredibly adept at finding Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks.

OK, that's really cool! And yes, you have trained Drew very well!

Here's your up-to-the-minute construction update on the new tower at Coronado Springs (from July 20):

I caught a glimpse of this tower from the bus in August and couldn't believe how massive it is!
 
Off to a good start! When I was about 9 years old we drove from NY to Disney with another family - two cars, CB radios, station wagons, Cabbage Patch Kids - the whole 9 yards. We just HAD to stop at South of the Border after seeing all the signs, etc. I think at 9 in 1980 something we thought it was cool. Fast forward to many (many) years later at 41 years old, driving again from NY with my husband for our move to Florida. We stopped there as a joke just to show him - we were afraid at that point, LOL. It is something to see for sure!! Needless to say, we did not stop when we drove back a few months later :rotfl2:
 
So we hatched our first crazy idea: we'd leave earlier, thereby bypassing D.C. long before rush hour, and we could make it as far as Jacksonville. Then we'd have an even shorter drive to Disney the next day. Then we started thinking some more (dangerous, I know). It really hurt my head to do that, but we persevered. If we were going to go as far as Jacksonville, why not just finish the drive all at once? If we left at 3:00 a.m., we could make the entire 15-hour, 970-mile drive in one day. It's so crazy...it just might work!

You could always go to a Paul McCartney concert, come home, load up the van and start the drive at 3:00 a.m. People have been known to do that. :rolleyes1

When I'd made the reservation, I'd requested a room in buildings 8A, 8B, or 9A. I figured it was close to the main pool, the front desk, and the last bus stop on the loop.

When I stayed there we were somewhere around building 2, far from the main pool, the front desk, and early in the bus loop.

I'm showing this just to point out the Hidden Mickey in lights at the far end.

That's a great one!

Here's your up-to-the-minute construction update on the new tower at Coronado Springs (from July 20)

I'm confused, is there also a new one going up at Caribbean Beach? Which one will be DVC?

Sarah and I let Julie have the refried beans to herself, since we feel they have the appearance, texture, smell, and consistency of poo.

Maybe so, but at least they don't taste like it. Or at least that's what I'm told.

The Dig Site pool is very cool. I love that they went to the trouble of building an entire Mayan (or Aztec?) pyramid here.

For some reason I just have the urge to go up those steps. But then I think of "Apocalypto" and I don't want to go anywhere near a Mayan (or Aztec?) temple.
 
Pretty much. They're lucky I enjoy the research.

Or your love for Disney outweighs your desire to tell them to pound sand.

Exactly! Julie is the same way, which is why I work so hard on finding cool places for dinner.

Uh, huh. That rumble coming from your tummy has nothing to do with it.

A part of me is greatly looking forward to that day. But another part of me is not.

Correct.

I love my brother, but he does tend to be the "Well, actually..." guy sometimes.

No offense meant, but... I don't care for people like that.

US 301 is not as good in that direction in the evenings because people are going home from D.C. So it's a "pick your poison" situation if you're heading south to Virginia.

Ah. Well, I certainly appreciated it.

So. Painful.

So. True.

Well, Julie just started teaching, so the double income...

Oh, it doesn't help. We just give them all our money.

::yes::

Nothing? Are you sure?

Well.....

Or Taco Bell.

Isn't that the same thing?

True. I don't think Denny's is horrible, though. Certainly at $5.99 and having to feed my family, I could do worse.

Possibly?
I'm not really sure, though.

So the Santa story is a bit of a sore spot with Philadelphia sports fans. Years ago, the Eagles were terrible. Just an awful football team. In December near the end of the season, they were doing a Christmas-themed halftime show. But weather was terrible, and the field was a muddy mess. They were supposed to have Santa in the show, but the guy they hired never showed. So they pulled a guy from the stands in a homemade Santa suit and had him parade in the show. According to some, the guy was drunk and barely resembled Santa. The "show" was awful. So the fans, already tired of their terrible team, booed. Some threw snowballs.

Now, whenever talking heads on TV need a shorthand to tell you how Philadelphia sports fans are THE WORST SPORTS FANS IN THE WORLD, they make a reference to Philly as being the City That Booed Santa Claus. Never mind that Cleveland fans once threw beer bottles at their team, or that Vancouver practically burned down the city after losing the Stanley Cup.

ohhhhh.... Wow.

We're the worst because we apparently hate Santa.

Correct.

But no, I'm not bitter. As a side note, here is a map of Philadelphia based on national sports broadcasts:

DM31rIMXUAARJUM.jpg

:lmao:

I stand corrected. Someday I gotta try that place.

You'll be underwhelmed. I promise.

Yes. As Rob said, it's just on the South Carolina side of the border.

Gotcha

I think that is the reason it was cheaper to stay there. I knew that going in, though. And I didn't care. I wasn't going to be spending a ton of time in the room anyway. I think it saved us about $400 to stay there over other moderates.

Yeah. For me, the resort is just somewhere to sleep in between park time.

Yes, they were building some bridges/walkways out to the restaurant/bar. Here are some photos of the construction/concept.

That looks really nice! I like it.

Gotcha. Pepper Market was perfectly meh. But you can say that about most food courts. The pool was pretty cool. However, POR has a nice pool as well. Overall, I'd probably rank POR higher. That boat ride to Downt--uh, Disney Springs, is a nice extra. I love the theme at POR too.

That boat ride to DTD is a really great perk.
 

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