End of Summer Blast - Sept 4 – 12, 2004 – POFQ + DCL (+Hurricane Frances?) About This Page:

[EvilQueen]

We started our trip the day before Charley hit Florida.

We called Friday night when Charley hit land. The parks closed at one that day. The resorts had a crew stay into the night to check in guest that made it passed the road blocks.

Most people are stopped in Northern Florida. Like my crew. I would say if you are flying in just call Disney. Guest stayed in there rooms when the storm hit.

The day after we called Disney they had a hurricane crew working into the early morning cleaning. The parks opened the next day with the exception of AK. The animals tend to get spooked after such a large storm.

We arrived the day after the hurricane and the parks were running. The only sign of damage were fallen trees and branches.

So head up Disney travelers. As is well. Disney on a scale of 1-10 in hurricane clean-up is a 12+.

[socalluckdragon]

Ok, so the saga has us up to the afternoon/evening of Sept. 1 with too many people telling me there isn't anything to worry about...yet. Quick chat with the DW, before departing work, to verify that if we need to advance our departure plans that it's possible with regard to time off work. Quick call to the airline to see if there's space available for Friday instead of Saturday. Yeah, there is space available, but as of yet no relief for the $100/ticket change fee, and space is going fast. I have a 30 to 40 minute drive home from work, so it's a perfect time to call Disney. I do want to advance our travel plans and need an additional hotel night on the front end of our package for Friday arrival rather than Saturday. (yeah...good luck) Chatting with the wonderful CM on the disney reservation line, she initially said that all reservation space was taken due to the need to handle extended needs for people "already staying with us"...then there was a somewhat drawn out pause as she slowly conceded "...which you technically you will be. Can you hold on for just a moment?" Ok. "Well, we don't have space available in our hotels, but there are two possibilties that I can offer for hotels we recommend and are on property." Hilton @ $130/night or Grosvenor @ $55/night. Since this is last minute, this will be a no-cancel reservation too. Hrmmm. Still more changes to make and more possible change fees, but I need to have a hotel to stay at before I can make the flight changes. With kids in the equation, sleeping at the airport isn't an option. After more discussions with the CM, she said that she could personally recommend the Grosvenor and that they had character breakfasts and such which is unusual for non-disney hotels and re-emphasized that they were on-property. Well, never having been to Orlando before and only have descriptions of the size of the property, this tidbit didn't help much. Ok, I'll go with that for Friday night. Done. Home now...call to AmericaWest (AmericaWorst). Finally a ruling about relief for change fees. I ask about room on the flights for Friday departure. "Sure...there's room...and the change fees will be waived, but we currently have a notice that Orlando International will likely be closed by noon on Friday." Great...not a good thing since the flight isn't scheduled to arrive until 4pm. Ok, what about Thursday departure...got room for that? Yeah. Ok, don't change anything yet, I'll call back. Ok...call back to Disney Reservations. I explain situation, to a different CM (of course) about the extra reservation at Grosvenor and ask if it is at all possible for Thursday too? Thank goodness...a break. Yeah, no problem. A++ for Disney. Ok, now back to AmericaWorst. Change everything from Saturday departure to Thursday departure...gritting my teeth and knowing this last minute change may cost as much as $300 - $400 extra per ticket since I bought these tickets way back in April. Again another break...the $300 - $400 per ticket increase was from my attempts to figure out scheduling for a Friday departure, not thursday. Only $100 extra per ticket for Thursday and no change fee! YEAH! Only one last call to make to change the reservations for the ride to the airport and then we have to pack (keep in mind that we were planning on leaving Saturday morning and were not packed by Wednesday evening). I scheduled a limo for dropoff and pickup as an extra treat for the family, so again was highly concerned about last minute changes. This call was literally less than one minute...no problem. A+ for Executive Limo! Well, after breaking the news to our children that we would be leaving tomorrow instead of Saturday for Disneyworld , my DW and I spent the rest of the evening packing and working remotely to finish last minute projects at our respective jobs. I managed to get to bed by 3:00 am for 5:00am wakeup. As of this day, Hurricane Frances was forcast to hit MCO by late Friday/early Saturday, with 145 mph sustained winds - Cat. 4.

[luvnwdwgal]

Whew! Glad you managed to get everything work out for your departure! Looking forward to your next installment!!

[Colexis Mom]

Wow, what a stressful afternoon! Glad you were able to make all those changes, and rather cheaply!

Can't wait for more

[socalluckdragon]

"Everybody ready? Then off...we...go!"

Well, after just over an hour's sleep, morning came too early to say the least. All the planning paid off in dividends though. The Limo showed up 15 minutes early. All of our bags were packed and ready and with a quick run down of the Passporter checklists, we were confident that we were ready to walk out the door. My DW made sure the kids were dressed and armed with all the snacks and entertainment for the long day's worth of travel, and I took care of the heavy lifting of bags, and the last minute surprise of champagne for the limo ride to the airport. We live about 30 miles from the airport, but with Thursday morning rush-hour traffic instead of Saturday morning traffic, the trip was a bit longer. Fortunately, I planned for this and it was a very relaxing ride, especially with the champagne. The kids had a great time in the limo and my DW really enjoyed the champagne. What a way to start vacation. Of course, as I was beginning to relax, the question started to creep into the back of my mind and wonder about the sanity in rushing to get in front of a category 4 hurricane. The odd thing about it was that I was honestly thinking that I would rather be there than at work. How's that for a shot of reality?

Ok, so we arrive at the airport, a little tipsy due to the combination of no sleep, no real breakfast for us, and the champagne. We check our bags and head off to the gate. We were running a little behind for my comfort in that we were at the security check point about 40 minutes before the plane was supposed to leave. Ok, two bathroom breaks later, one for each child while someone waits outside to watch the carry-on baggage, we finally arrive at the gate...but no plane. That's odd...the other plane with the same airline that departs at the same time and going to the same place is announcing pre-boarding. I recall in the hectic rush to make all the extra reservations meet up, that the airline agent made a last second change of our reservations from one flight to another and said that there were two flights at the same departure time to Phoenix. I distinctly recall hearing a little voice shouting in the back of my head "say NO!" as the airline agent was asking if it was ok to put us on the other flight since it was less full. For some reason the words tumbled out of my mouth "Yeah...sure." Now we are standing at the gate, watching the flight that they changed us FROM begin boarding, while they are announcing at our gate that our plane was still in Phoenix and will be here in about an hour. Now the stress level is starting to bump up. I inquired at the gate if it was possible for us to transfer to the departing flight...sorry only three seats available. Grrrrr.... Ok...well, we have about 90 minutes time between flights to transfer in Phoenix, so 30 minutes is still possible, but will put a question mark as to whether our baggage will make the transfer. Also knowing that we cannot miss the flight to Orlando out of Phoenix as there won't be another for several days due to the closing of the airport; the possibility of our baggage missing the flight wasn't as acceptable an option as it would otherwise normally be. Now add that we would be changing hotels from between when we would arrive and when our baggage could potentially arrive if it missed the Orlando flight.... Ok, nothing is wrong yet, wait to worry until there is something to worry about. Quick phone call to Disney to confirm the details of our ground transfer in Orlando -- who do we talk to and where? Talk to Mears, there will be a desk there and they will handle it. Great...of course they forgot to mention that it was near the rental car agencies. 20 minutes later we are watching the other flight pull away from the gate and they announce that our plane is just pushing back from the gate in Phoenix. WHAT?!?!? Gad...they're just pushing back? They still have to taxi, wait in line for take off, fly....nothing to worry about yet, but that time is getting closer... 15 minutes later, we expect them to push back and be in the air at any moment. GAAAAHHHH!!! Ok, I've flown many times with AmericaWorst and know their operation at Phoenix hub pretty well...for some reason, even though they have a set of runways on each side of the airport, but they always make you go to then one the farthest away...which translates to 15 minutes of taxiing before you get to the line to take off. ...ok...it's still possible...try not to worry. Trip to the counter because I notice that the seating on the flight to Orlando has us sat with three of us together and one apart. Can't it be fixed to two and two? No. Thanks.... Another trip to the counter. There seems to be another minor problem. My DW has been issued two tickets and my DD none. Oh good, they are willing to try to fix that. Now we have two tickets for my DS and none for my DW. ...nevermind...these people seem downright determined to stress me to my absolute limit. There is something decidedly troubling about a 1 hour flight that has you arriving at your destination at the same time your connecting flight is supposed to be leaving. AmericaWorst also has another bad habit of making you walk (more often than not, run) the entire length of the Phoenix airport to catch your connecting flight. The prospect of doing so with two small children and two pieces of carry-on each (including the kids) with zero time between flights is heavily on my mind for the entire hour. Finally, we land and they begin to call out gates for connecting flights, which is highly unusual for AmericaWorst. More often than not, they tell you to check the boards in the airport. As we are taxiing to the gate in Phoenix, I make a mental note of the gate number we need and spot the flight to Orlando still sitting there even though it should have closed the doors and pushed back 5 minutes ago...whew...that's one miracle down...and only two more to go for saint status. Please don't park too far away...please don't park too far away....Wow, we get the same terminal and only have about 10 - 12 gates to go to get to where we need to be, now to make it. We scoop up the kids and all of our carry on bags and litterally run the length of the terminal, and they close the door behind us as we step on the plane. "Glad you made it, we were waiting for you." Ok, that is two miracles down. Now we only have a 4 1/2 hour flight to worry if our bags will be so fortunate...otherwise it will be several days before we will see them again.

Ok, well we arrive in Orlando with only my sanity showing the worse for wear. I managed to catch between 15 - 30 minutes of extra sleep since I volunteered to sit with both kids and let them watch Lilo and Stitch on my laptop to help pass the time. Miracle number three...our luggage made the flight! Well, I didn't bother to flag down a porter to help with our luggage, because I wasn't sure if it had made it or not. Now we had it and no help to move it about, since all the porters were now either helping other people or gone. So I rented one of those airport carts and of course it is woefully overladen. I have to carry about three backpacks on my back and have my DW spot in front for me since I can't see over the bags. The kids were happy to be able to run around again after being confined to their seats for nearly all day and I almost ran over each of them twice due to my inabilty to see in front and their darting about. Not good to stress daddy out when he is on the edge.

Now the guy at the Mears counter didn't want to acknowledge that he had any reservation for us nor honor the transfer since it was booked through Disney Cruise line and our ship wasn't supposed to be leaving until next thursday, not today. This guy didn't realize how close he was to getting strangled... "Look...Disney said that I was to show up here at the Mears counter and you would honor their transfer coupon." "Oh...you have a coupon...that's different."

Well, we finally arrived at the Grosvenor and the kids even caught a glimpse of one of the fireworks displays on the bus ride in. Well a few very kind words about the Grosvenor and their staff.... While the hotel is a bit dated looking, kinda like a lot of the "themed" hotels that used to be around Disneyland LA before the major remodel due to California Adventure, but the place was very comfortable, very affordable and the staff treated us like kings and queens! The front desk staff was extremely quick, efficient and friendly. That's always a great first impression and I must say that I've stayed at some of the Disney properties in LA where we didn't receive as good of attention. I dropped the family off at the restaurant while I took the bags up to the room with the bellboy (bellperson...whatever you call them these days...it was a guy who pushed the trolley with all our bags). He gave me a full 100% verbal tour on the way to the room and described everything, including hurricane preparations, what was open and expected to be open, hours, how to get there...pretty much a full rundown on more things than I could absorb. Wow...what a way to end an amazingly stressfull day. I would HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone that asked simply based upon their amazingly friendly customer service. The Hilton across the way was very posh looking and with my 'frequent flyer' account with Hilton thought that it might have been better to have paid the extra and stayed there, but the Grosvenor had a real "Disney" feel to it and I don't for one second regret our choice to stay there. They had the option for a Character breakfast and a mystery dinner theatre, although we didn't have time to try either, I have no doubt that they would have been above and beyond the level of quality that you expect from regular Disney amenities.

I met my family in the Sherlock Holmes themed restaruant and we decided to go with the buffet for simplicity's sake. Since we were there late, around 9p - 9:30p, and they closed at 10p, things were a little the worse for wear, meats were a bit dry, pastas a bit crusty around the edges...but you know what...I don't fault them since we were one of two family's that hadn't had dinner by this late hour and it was all very delicious in spite of not being as fresh as it could have been. I enjoyed everything that I ate and don't have a single complaint. Again, the service was outstanding. A great meal with great service...what a way to end a day (especially this day)!

[socalluckdragon]

"Everybody neat and pretty? Then on with the show!"



Friday Sept. 3, 2004



Well, the weather report this morning still had the hurricane bearing down on FL with a predicted path still very close to right over Orlando area. Still huge and menacing, but you could not tell from looking out the window. It was a beautifully sunny day with just the hint of a breeze. We decided to go for the MK first, because nothing says Disney to me quite as much as seeing Cinderella's castle. So PP in hand we were off! We skipped the option for a sit down breakfast and the kids had granola bars and juice boxes. After a bit of confusion on the lobby about where to buy tickets, we were off out the door and waiting for the bus. It took a while for the bus to show up, but that gave us an opportunity to slather on a sufficient amount of sunscreen on the kids and boy howdy I'm sure glad we did, because that sun was beating down quite fiercely for only 9am.



I was absolutely religious about toting my PP about. I used it all the time for map references and last second restaruant ideas and reviews. I opted to leave my camera this day and just have fun without the worry of trying to take pictures...live the moment rather than being concerned with capturing it on film. mistake. I missed a lot of easy photo opportunities that I wished I had. Oh well, I do have the memories and this day was AMAZING! I was absolutely blown away at how few people were around. I'm sure it was a combination of low season plus the fact that a hurricane was on the way. After having been to DL so many times, the differences between it and MK were things that I never expected. I knew that the Cinderella's Castle was bigger and from looking at the maps that the general layout of certain rides were a bit different, but everything was just a bit different. There was more space for everything and that surprised me. Each land was a bit more spaceous and thus a bit farther apart. The fact that there was more room to walk and very few people around absolutely floored me. One other minor thing that I noticed and doubt anyone else would have was that the DL grounds are unbelieveably spotless and MK had leaves in the gutters of the streets. I can't quite explain why I found that so intriging but I'm sure it's a combination of a lot of things. I don't know if it is the norm for MK to be spotless and the weather and repairs and such just taxed their cleaning crews to the limits such that certain things took a lesser priority or the simple fact that rain and wind bring leaves down from the trees (there's rarely wind and it almost never rains outside of winter in DL) in FL. Anyway, to me, that was just one of the most subtle of things that made the differences that much more fun. I'm sure your shaking your head right now and saying "Weirdo."



Well, my DS insisted that we go on Buzz Lightyear first. Actually he wanted to go on the Matterhorn and only then did I notice that there was no Matterhorn. Whoa...that's not a cool difference. So we quickly convinced him that Buzz Lightyear was the place to hit first and he agreed. He was litterally bouncing up and down. So we did. ...hold on a second...there's no lines! Wow...must still be early. We weren't there to stand at the ropes and open the park; we actually arrived about an hour or so after it was open. Well, maybe people are going on the big rides first. I'm sure there will be a line for SM. Well, we went on Buzz Lightyear and had fun comparing scores at the end. Definitely a fun ride. We ended up riding it about 3 or 4 more times during the course of the day and my DW managed to out score me once during the day, and that made her very happy. So we eventually made it to SM and ...no lines. The sign outside said there was a 5 minute wait for stand-by. It took 5 minutes to walk in and there was literally no one waiting. We got to the CM that assigns your row and the last of the people that were in front of us were stepping into their coaster and we had our choice of rows. I was surprised at how different SM was from the one in DL. The longest line that we waited in all day was for the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority, which was about 15 minutes. We grabbed some quick lunch at the tomorrowland burger place (I forget the name at the moment) and discussed our plans for the afternoon.



After lunch it was time for some serious rides! We rode everything and could have gone on most things as many times as we wanted. Well, there was one other ride that had a line. Peter Pan had about a 15 - 20 minute line. I was bummed out that TSI was closed, as was the JC, and IASW. Well, my DD had achieved the 40" height requirement so suddenly, there were a LOT of rides that she could now go on as well. We were a bit concerned that she might be scared by some of the rougher rides, but found she had quite the appetite for roller coasters as indicated by her non-stop giggling as we were on the various rides.



We made PS reservations for dinner at cinderella's castle by walking up and asking at the check in counter around one in the afternoon. "Sure, when would you like to eat?" "How about 6:30?" "6:45 ok?" "Great!" Same day PS, no advance calling or anything.



Haunted Mansion...quite different than DL, mostly on the outside. I was thrilled to see that MK still had Country Bear Jamboree as that was renovated out of DL quite some time ago.



We watched the afternoon parade of characters from very near the Country Bear Jamboree. Right in the middle of it a cloud burst started dumping warm summer rain at about a 2" per hour rate (I know rain...having lived in the pacific northwest for about 5 years). It only lasted for about two minutes during which all the parade watchers backed up to the covered sidewalk/storefront areas and, of course, the CMs in the parade continued on as if nothing was happening. I found that kinda funny, but honestly, what could they do?



I thought that PotC was depressingly different in MK from DL, although I did like the exterior styling of the MK one. The Aladin-like themed bazaar was a nice difference. The Tiki Room (under new management) was a refreshing change as well.



Lots of rides later and we were heading for our PS at cinderella's castle. Once again, the PP was right on...food was average but good, but the atmosphere of eating in the castle just can't be beat.



Of course, we finished off the day by watching Wishes. A definite winner! This was time of the day that I most sorely missed my camera, not to mention all the charcters that we saw.

[luvnwdwgal]

Great updates! What a nice start to your trip with champagne! Glad your luggage made it to Orlando with you! Sounds like you're all having a great time!! Looking forward to your next installment!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a stressful start to your trip

Glad you finally made it to Orlando (as well as your luggage) and sounds like you are having quite the time now that you are there!

Hurry back with more

[LizardCop]

Great report. Looking forward to more...

Rough start, but things smoothed out so far...

[socalluckdragon]

Sat. Sept. 4, 2004



Now the fun begins...



Well, we knew from the news and hotel update letters that the parks would be closed today. Earlier weather reports had hurricane Frances scheduled to be on top of us today as we needed to transfer from the Grosvenor (extra day lodgings) to our vacation package hotel, the POFQ. Well, mother nature still had a few tricks up her sleve. Overnight Frances slowed down to a crawl (4 - 5 mph) and it's arrival was now predicted for sometime in late afternoon/early evening. This was a bit of a relief as the prospects of moving the family and all of our luggage between hotels with the possibilty of hurricane force winds didn't seem either smart or likely. Fortunately, taxis were still out and about and we were able to secure one and transfer to POFQ in the morning.



Boy howdy, you couldn't make it more hot and humid for 9am. This is one of the things that fascinated me most about the hurricane. Being a west coast person, this was a totally unique experience and all I had to go on was the images that I had seen on the news in years past and from hurricane Charley. Everyone is bundled up and looking like the tornado scene from the Wizard of Oz. Well, at 9a-ish, it was high 80's for temp and humidity in the high 90's and the wind was blowing about 20 - 30 mph. The wind didn't even take the edge off the heat...it was just windy and hot.



Well, we bid the Grosvenor a fond farewell and off we went to the POFQ.



We arrive and POFQ and they look well on their way to hurricane preparedness...sandbags near the doors, CMs in full rain gear (in this heat? yikes!) I go inside to the bell desk and ask for some help with our bags. That's a new experience for me. Usually Disney properties have Bell Desk CM's either stationed at the passenger drop off area or at least watching it to see if any guests arrive and need help with their bags. Well, I guess I can chalk this one up to the coming storm. "What room are you in?" I don't know, I haven't checked in yet. So much for first impressions...



Well, here is one of the points in our vacation where Disney stumbled. Due to our 7 day land/sea package offically starting on a sunday and us having to come from the west coast; our original plan was to arrive on this evening and thus we had to book Saturday (today) as an extra night on the front end of our package. Well, when we were given our key to the world cards at check in we were told that we would have to physically return to the front desk on Sunday (tomorrow) and check out and check back in and be given new and different cards. ...huh? Why? "Well...it's two separate reservations and we need to reconfirm....blah blah blah." Reconfirm that I'm still me and the credit card that I give you for charging today is still the same one tomorrow and hasn't magically changed numbers overnight?!?! No, they weren't joking. More on this later... My next question was -- "we still have the same room right?" clickity-click on the keyboard...yeah...same room...of course. In my head, I'm thinking: if it was 'of course,' then why did you have to look it up? Next is one of the places where both Disney and the PP failed us. From reading in the PP, both DCL version and regular version, the check-in for the land/sea packages is supposed to be one time at the beginning and you are done. You check in at the hotel, receive you key to the world cards, and you don't need to re-check in when you board the ship. Your key to the world cards are supposed to be good from beginning to end. Ok, so we had an extra reservation, theoretically, arranged through a "different" entity, Disney reservations rather than DCL, but, gimme a break. This is the computer age right? Your computers are good enough to talk to each other well enough to recognized that we have both of the reservations, but not allow them to be put together into one or at least treated as such? Well, we'll get back to this, but just mark in your memory, this is check in number one. No mention of anything else necessary, other than coming back tomorrow and checking out and back in.



Fortunately, while I am going through all of this, the kids are kept busy and content with characters in the lobby and the ubiquitous Disney kids area with kid-sized furniture and Disney flicks on TV.



So...we go through the motions of checking in. "What floor would you like: 1, 2, or 3?" (hrmm...I thought you were booked up?!?!) How about 2? High enough to not be a flooding concern and not the top in case there is a problem with the wind and the roof. We get our room (5241). I didn't bother to spend the extra money for a river view as I didn't see much value in it, and glad I didn't. Well, when we left the lobby with our Bell person leading the way, this is when we got to see the true charm of this property. This place is styled exactly like the architecture of New Orleans Square in DL, which happens to be one of my favorite places in DL!. Next bonus...corner room with windows on two walls of the corner overlooking a beautiful courtyard. Very cool!



Ok, so we unpack and head for the food court for lunch. Well, with all the parks closed there are obviously a lot of people around for lunch. Unfortunately, with the hurricane approaching, they are on reduced staffing and reduced menu. Not a problem at the moment, since this is our first meal here, but it gets tiring later. The long lines aren't fun, but we make it through and even with the hurricane a-comin' it's still better than being at work.



Well after lunch, with the parks closed, we choose to do the only thing that is an option and sounds appealing...go for a swim. Just about everybody else in the hotel had this same idea. Heck, it's still hot outside, even though it is cloudy and windy. Initially, POFQ had the water slide closed, the pool towel bins locked, and no lifeguards about in preparation for the hurricane (i suppose). Not too long after we began enjoying the pool with the bulk of the other hotel guests, they decided to open some of these other amenities. Well, everyone was splashing about and generally enjoying the pool with a general carnival atmosphere. When the lifeguards came out and it was fairly apparent they were going to open the water slide, the kids got very excited. For the next two hours or so, my DS and DD were virtually non-stop (running, at times...hey slow down!) up and down the waterslide. Lots of fun, with the single exception of a few thunder claps off in the very far distance. Well, as the afternoon wore on, we eventually decided to retire from the pool and head for an early dinner.



New updated info from the hotel awaited us in our room. A memo stating that the POFQ was annoncing that they had styrofoam coolers for sale in the gift shop and recommend that people purchse them with enough food, drinks, and snacks for a potential 36 hour in-room lockdown. No services other than bare minimum and emergency services would be available during this time. Hrmmm...36 hours sounds serious. Ok...with the family taking post pool showers and such, I cruise on down to the gift shop and am surprised to find that the coolers are reasonable priced. Ok, I buy a small one for $3 along with a supply of snacks. I head over to the food court to stock up on drinks and buy dinner. Hrmmm...same limited menu of about 4 or 5 entrees: Pizza, pasta, hamburger, hot dog, chicken strips. Ok, two meals in a row...well, I've eaten worse for longer. I buy an extra entree or two and return to the room.



Disney did make extra accomodations, as stated in their memo, about making three extra disney movie channels available. Normally, you get the regular cable disney channel and a disney movie channel. Well, for the duration of the lockdown we had a total of 4 disney movie channels available to help ease the cabin fever. Nice touch. Well, after dinner, snacks and a few disney movies, including the fact that I had my laptop and at least 10 DVDs to supplement the ample entertainment offerings, we draw this day and chapter to a close.

[socalluckdragon]

Sun. Sept. 5, 2004

Hurricane Frances

Well, the most surprising thing to see this morning was the fact that the wind was blowing but nothing like what you typically see on TV from weather reporters that are strapped to heavy cement objects and cringing madly because of the horizontal rain. We alternated between watching disney movies, dvd's, one of the local weather channels, and peeking out of the windows from time to time. I learned the tip of keeping the curtains closed in case the glass breaks from right here on passporter and someone's account of their vacation and visit from hurricane Charley. Keep in mind, we're from the west coast and hurricanes and hurricane preparedness are things that are relegated to the warm glow of TV and we never have to live through. Thus, simple things that others know by heart when it comes to wind driven storms, are things we need to read about. Thanks again passporter!

Well, we can see from the TV weather reports that the hurricane is right on top of us, or rather just south of us, but the local weather doesn't seem to be as nasty as others are experiencing. We get half an hour to hour intervals of 40 - 70 mph wind and rain, and then just wind, and then lighter wind and downpour. I was absolutely amazed at the weather forcaster's ability to "see" things in their radar images and the different modes they could utilize. Predicting possible tornadic activity and even down to the minute predictions of where it was moving and when "you" could expect it. Of course, there wasn't anything else to be seen on network television, so if you didn't find it interesting you were out of luck. Of course, the disney movies were there when you started to o.d. on weather info. During the some of the lighter periods of wind and rain over the day, we made a few walks outside; get some ice down the hall at the ice machine, took the kids outside to play in the rain and walk around without shoes on the sloshy grass in the courtyard (a few other people were doing the same). We made a few cell phone calls to anxious relatives to calm them down. A friend from back home even called and asked what we were up to and wanted to know if we were interested in BBQing or something. Um...we're in the middle of a hurricane in Florida right now. "Oh...so I guess you don't want to BBQ then..."

Well as the day wore on, and we were all beginning to get a little cabin fever, the storm began to wear itself out in the early afternoon. It was still a bit windy, maybe 20 - 40 mph winds, and there was some rain now and then, but nothing at all scary. So we decided to go for a walk along the river pathway. Taught the kids the "stomp in the puddle and splash the person next to you" trick. Mistake. Spent the rest of the walk telling them to cut it out. There were a few people out and sitting on their porches. A 40 ft tall palm tree in the court yard had it's crown blown off, but it fell over and landed right at the base of the trunk, so it didn't do any damage. A pretty willow-looking tree in the courtyard next to one of our windows tipped over and looked like it had really shallow roots, but, again, nothing was hit and the only damage it did was to itself.

Let's talk about the river and why I was glad to not have a view of it. While walking, and dodging the children's splash attempts, I noticed that the color of the water looked like used motor oil. It didn't look oily with the rainbow reflections on top, but it just had the color of used motor oil and was simply disgusting looking when you got within a stone's throw of the water. Pay extra for that? Thank you, no. Well, we came to this little gazebo by the water that had a vending machine (gumball type) with fish food in it. It ate quarters, so I fed it one just to see if there were any fish around. Pitched one of the pellets into the water and bloob bloob bloob...a bunch of fish attacked it almost the instant it hit the water. The kids were instantly interested and I had to jog back to the room to get more quarters to feed the machine so they could feed the fish. Well, after about two dollars of fish feeding, a Disney CM came by in a golf cart and griped at us for being out...blah blah...not safe...blah blah...stay in your room until told to come out (<-- she actually said this specific phrase)...blah blah. I work at a nuclear plant and understand "safety" more than most people. Needless to say we weren't in any danger, except of getting a little wet from puddle stomping games, but we sauntered back to our room just the same to keep them happy. I don't at all mean to belittle the fact that many other people had to endure great hardship, both enconomic and physical, because of this storm. I merely mean to relate that, for whatever reason, where we were the effects where relatively light compared to what happened elsewhere and we were lucky for it. I do thank Disney for doing a great job of looking out for our safety and keeping us informed both before and after (well, their communication could have been better about declaring it over, so after wasn't so good).

Well later in the afternoon, since the storm seemed tired of doing it's worst, I called down to the desk to see if they wanted me to deal with the check out and back in procedures. They CM said sure, come on down. I was still feeling a little frustrated for having to do this and once I arrived at the front desk, it took the CM about 15 secs of key punching to complete this transaction. "Here's your new keys, the other ones aren't good any longer, you'll need to use these." Great...now I have 8 keys instead of four. "These will be your park tickets and can charge anywhere on Disney property...blah blah..." didn't we do this yesterday? "...and here are some complimentary passes that are to replace the UPH tickets that you didn't get to use today. They are good for the next ten years." ...wow...very cool. The "official" company line on days missed due to weather on the packages is no refunds, no compensation, tough luck...you should have bought travel insurance. Equivalent passes to what we missed that are good for ten years is super cool. Also here's some coupons for a few cool things...free leave a legacy tile, two free pin collecting lanyards and pins. Ah...right on. Ok, so just to refresh the mental tally, this is check in number two...And yet no mention that anything else would be required. more to come on that.

Well, on the walk back to my room, another guest said "hey, the food court is open!" "Thanks!" Hrmmm...why didn't the front desk CM mention that lock down was over and the food court was open? So I went back, gathered the family and we made our way to the previously empty and now packed food court. Surprise...same limited menu and same long lines. Ok, this is getting tiring. Fortunately, my DW was willing to brave the lines this time. It's surprising how tired you can get from just sitting in your hotel room all day, but I was about to doze off waiting there, staring at the news while the kids fought over coloring and crayons.

Well, after dinner we decided that sitting in the lobby area was better than being cooped up in our room, and many other people had the same idea. Disney came through again. Less than a few hours after lock down was lifted and about 5 characters were moving through the lobby, gift shop and food court areas. Kids were laughing again, disney characters everywhere, disney flicks on the kids area tv...ah to be in the lap of Disney. Well, since the kids were entertained, I thought I would visit the gift shop and check out the free lanyard coupons. *warning* This pin trading thing is the Disney version if crack. They are most happy to "give" you your first 'hit' off the Disney crack pipe of pin trading...because they know, you'll be hooked and won't be able to help yourself from buying them, or having your kids nag you to buy more for them, where ever you go for the rest of your vacation. Ok so $70 - $80 later, the four of us each has our own lanyard and four pins each...all from a coupon for two free lanyards with a single pin each. I'm sure the guy that figured this little bit of sales stuff out is laughing all the way to the bank from the big fat bonus check he got for the idea. All kidding aside, it is a lot of fun, because the most unlikely and friendly people come up to you out of nowhere and offer to trade pins. It almost always sparks an interesting conversation and you get to meet a lot of very friendly CMs that you normally might overlook. It is also a great tool to calm a young child's temper and snap them back into good behavior. "Well, if you can't act like a big girl (or boy) or don't feel that you can behave nicely, I guess you don't need any more pins." Now, don't think me fool enough to bribe my kids into good behavior at every tantrum, but it was a helpful tool to use as extra incentive.

Well, once we felt that the kids had burned off enough engergy and worked out enough of the cabin fever, we decided to hit the rack, and thus ends another chapter in our tale.

[Colexis Mom]

More great updates! Glad you got a great room, and that you handled the lockdown pretty well! How great that you were treated to extra passes, and free stuff as well! Great bonus!

Hurry back with more

[buckysmom]

Great addition, you are really hanging in there!

[luvnwdwgal]

Love the updates!! Cool freebies!! Looking forward to more!!

[socalluckdragon]

Mon. Sept. 6, 2004



Back to the Parks!



From our excellent written updates that were provided by POFQ, we knew which parks and the hours that they were going to be operating today. We also knew from reading a trip report from the time of hurricane charley on this site that the waterparks were best avoided today. That left us ample time to decide which park to attempt to tackle next. My DW asked in the morning "Where to today?" and my answer was quick. "Epcot!"



Well, apparantly, I didn't read the update thouroughly enough as we arrived at the Epcot gates about an hour before they were supposed to officially open (modified to 10a today instead of normal 9a). While there were about 3 or 4 CMs manning the gate, the place looked like a ghost town otherwise. It was still cloudy, breezy, and quite humid out. There were also some rain clouds still hanging about and we still hadn't had breakfast yet, so the prospect of waiting just over and hour outside the front gate was none too appealing. Fortunately, when the CM asked if we were going to the princess breakfast, I was quick with my answer.

"Sure! ...do we need reservations or something."

"um...well, yeah, but let me call them and see if they have availability."

"cool."

Well it took a few minutes to get the restaurant people to reply, but they did have availablility. So they let us through the gates. We immediately went over to the stroller rental place and got a two-seater, since we knew today was going to be a HUGE amount of walking. So, with that all taken care of we were off...but to where? Nobody told us where this place was or even the name of it. I did have my PassPorter in hand, even had the forsight enough to put it in a large zip-lock bag to protect it from the rain. Unfortunately, without the restaurant name or having to do a bunch of fast reading through restaruants to figure out which one had the princess breakfast, we weren't much better off. Ah, heck with it, we'll just ask a CM as we go and follow any other guests we might see. Since the place wasn't open, any guests must be going to the same place, right? Ghost town...CM's were only seen fleetingly and at great distances. Finally we were able to ask a CM and received some general directions that made it sound like it was just around the corner...not 3/4 of the way to the back of the park. Nothing like a good long hike first thing in the morning to work up an appetite!



Well, we managed to trek the distance and helpful CMs were waiting in the main walkway to make sure we didn't miss the turn into Norway. We were promptly seated and given a quick explanation of how the characters would be coming to all the tables so there wouldn't be a need to chase them about. This kind of explaination and treatment is very different from what you tend to get at DL character breakfasts. While they do tend to come to your table at DL, you are equally likely to be asked to get up and dance with the characters or meet just as many at your table as you do coming and going from the buffet.



Again due to the high liklihood of rain today, I elected to leave my camera back at the hotel. My DW realized first the huge mistake that we just found ourselves in. We didn't plan on this character breakfast, but were glad for it just the same, but no camera...huge mistake. Disney to the rescue again. Imagine the luck of a fully stocked gift shop right across the way from the restaurant...and open too, when the rest of the park is not. Wow...what luck!



One disposable camera, two autograph books (one pink, one blue), and two custom pens later and I'm back at the table just as breakfast is arriving. Breakfast suddenly got a bit more expensive than I planned. Whew...that was close. Princess Aurora came shortly after that and my DD's smile didn't stop for the remainder of the breakfast. Talk about priceless. After that, the princesses came one after another and gave a great amount of attention at each table. Now that I think back on it, I realize one of the really great things about these characters are that they can talk to you. Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the rest of the Disney favorites, obviously, cannot talk to you. While the masked characters do a marvelous job of speaking with their actions and gestures, the additional verbal interaction really personalized the experience and adds extra magic.



Well, after we were done with breakfast and ready to leave, we halted at the door and stared into the absolute downpour that was happening outside. Hrmmm...well, I did see people about with some very cool Micky-logo clear rain parkas. I wonder if that conveniently located and rather well stocked gift shop across the way has some? :/ silly question...of course they did! In both adult and kid sizes. I had bought and brought some rather cheap single-use ones from a sporting goods store ($0.89/ea). They were little more than very thin, clear, garbage bags with hood and arm holes, in one-size-fits-all adult size. We tried them at the POFQ during some of our rain play and found them to be good for emergency use, but not very good for the extended wear required for moving about Epcot all day. So the Mickey-logo ones were a much perferred alternative. Off we went in our stylish new rain gear, laughing at the warm end of summer rain left behind from hurricane Frances. Of course, my DS managed to soak his shoes almost instantly by finding the nearest, and only, puddle greater than 3 inches deep and walking right though the middle of it.



Well, after going on a few of cultural rides and realizing that they were cool, but not entirely the kids' cup of tea, we headed to the front of the park. I felt like salmon swimming upstream as we got nearer the gates. Crowds coming into the park and us heading against the tide of humanity that was coming at us. We went on spaceship earth, due to the recommendation of my father-in-law, and also because of it is "the" landmark of the park. The kids thought it was ok, but my DW and I liked it. We wandered through one of the exhibit halls and realized that it really wasn't the place to be with the kids all packed with energy. So, off to the Living Seas. Very cool. The kids absolutly loved this and we spent probably close to an hour and a half or so in this place. As we were on our way out and re-acquiring our bearing, I had a good laugh at the Coral Reef restaurant being right next to the Living Seas. Doesn't anyone else find this funny? What...Don't entertain guests well enough in the Living Seas and you get sent to the Coral Reef restaurant?



Once I pointed out Mission Space, there was no holding my DS back. I was very excited to go on this and purposfully delayed our arrival here from right after breakfast to a bit later to allow for our meal to settle. A very good thing, in hindsight. I enjoyed the ride immensely, but it did leave my stomach feeling a little woozy. Not enough that I was in danger of getting sick, but just enough to make me feel slightly off kilter. This was my DS' new favorite ride and he said so about every 15 minutes for the rest of the day. Since my DD wasn't tall enough to go on it, my DS instantly got two shots at it, once with me and once with my DW. Although he passed on this initial second ride, he and I did go on it another two or three times during the day.



Again, today, no lines greater than five minutes for anything. I think we waited 10-15 minutes for Test Track twice in the five times we went on this. My DD was barely tall enough to go on it and giggled through the entire ride. Yeah...she liked it just a little bit. After this area of the park was feeling "done" to us, we headed out for France for lunch