Steve & Sue take the Convertible to Disney: Day 6 is started! About This Page:

[rescuesk]

Who: Steve, 46, and Sue, 44, 11th trip to WDW

When: 9/30 till 10/10

Where: Old Key West/Hilton Head



Why: We own the perfect Florida car now, so LET'S GO!

A little background, and an explanation of dates and details:

(Don't you just love when a trip report starts with a disclaimer? )

This trip came to fruition late last year. We were at the World for Mousefest 2003, and were thinking about coming back in May for the Flower show. Some discussion and planning later, we realized that October would be a better time to travel, as our schedules would make it easier to do a longer journey. There was no doubt from the beginning that we were going to drive. (This would come into play as we got closer and closer to the date...but I digress...) There were several reasons for this. First of all, we were had our basement finished in January/February and had gone way over budget! Next, although I am not afraid to fly and have flown many times, I had a bad feeling about flying for this trip. It is inexplicable, and we are flying for our January trip and I have none of the same feelings! Then, although we didn't realize it at the time, all those hurricanes made driving a wiser choice. And last but not at all least, we had a new (to us) 2002 2 door green with black roof nice stereo drives great Chrysler Sebring CONVERTIBLE to travel in!!! WoooooHoooo!! The decision was made.

I called DVC at 7 months out and had no problem getting a one bedroom villa. I then booked 2 nights at Hilton Head Island in a studio for the end of our trip. We were set!!

The days dragged by. I put other things in my countdown timer because it seemed so long. I finally got down to 92 days....91 days...90 days...it was time to start calling for my Illuminations cruise! Did I get it? You'll have to read the trip report to find out!

At about 75 days I made round one of our Priority Seatings. These changed at least six times! I think my phone number came up in red when I called Diseny dining, and whoever answered the phone probably got the rest of the afternoon off. We were finally set, and then, with a free morning, we decided to do a KTTK tour. Called and booked that, too!!

I kept a running list of all I needed to do, and checked things off as I got them done.

Finally it was the week before. I had at least a million things to do that week. (Well it seemed like that many)I had to go to the post office (I needed to stop the mail and pick up a very special delivery package that was waiting there! ), shop for groceries that we were bringing, get maps, get traveller's checks, visit Dad and make sure he would be OK for the 11 days, get the oil changed in the car, get my nails done and pick up a few last minute things at Walmart. I had scheduled myself lightly for the week, and one of my co-workers offered to work the night before we were leaving for me. I took her up on her generous offer, since I was supposed to do a night shift on Wednesday and leave Thursday night. If we had been out all night Wednesday, I would have been in bad shape to drive!

The day we left, I slept in, took the dogs to "camp", dropped the cat off at my friends, went to the bank, paid some last minute bills, washed the car, packed and cleaned the house. Steve got out of work a little early and got home by 5. We packed, put the lights on timers, and by 7, we were ready to get on the road!!

OK, here comes the disclaimer/explanation part of our story:
Steve and I grouped our days like this: "The Drive", which started Thursday night and ended Friday afternoon. That was followed by "Day Half", which was Friday. "Day 1", our first full day, was Saturday. Therefore, that is how I am going to write the TR. It's how I have my notes broken down and how our video tape is broken down, so I can reference both for details.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me...oh no, wait that's what I put on Ebay! Sorry!

And now, onto "The Drive"....

[rescuesk]

Who: Steve, 46, and Sue, 44, 11th trip to WDW



When: 9/30 till 10/10



Where: Old Key West/Hilton Head



Why: We own the perfect Florida car now, so LET'S GO!



September 30th was a nice day in the Poconos. No rain in the forecast, no hurricanes headed up the coast, everything seemed good to go. I must admit that Jeanne, Charley, Ivan and Frances had me more than a little nervous. I was less concerned about being at the World during a hurricane that I was about driving through one. I watch enough episodes of "Storm Stories" to know that hurricanes and cars don't mix. So I would be lying if I said I was not a little apprehensive. But we had planned this trip a long time, and we were on a mission!



I was actually looking forward to the drive. We had driven in May 2003, and we left at noon and intended to drive all night and arrive at WDW in the early morning. BIG mistake! By 3:30 AM we were so tired we were all over the road and ended up stopping at a hotel in Jacksonville rather than risk wrecking on the road. This time, we talked to other friends (not the ones who told us to leave at noon) and they all said the same thing: Drive at night. Hmm...that made sense. I am a night person, and I work nights (swing shift) so I am used to being up at night. The original plan was to leave at midnight and arrive around 6 PM. Steve kept pushing up that time, and we planned to leave around 8 or 9.



Now, I was really excited about the drive. Steve, on the other hand, was apprehensive about the long road ahead of us. About 4 weeks out from the trip, he started saying that it really wasn't too late to fly. I asked him how we were supposed to get to Hilton Head for 2 days? That quieted him for a while, but then he would start again. This went on about every 5 or 6 days, right up until the day before we left. On that day, he FINALLY admitted that, yea, he was kinda excited about driving the convertible, too!



He got home from work a little early that day, and we finished packing. I had loaded some things in the car, and we put the rest, including our new, soft-sided collapsible cooler. (Side note: I would highly recommend one of these for a long car trip. Takes up less room then a regular cooler, kept everything cold and fresh, and had wheels and a handle like a suitcase!) We brought our own half-and-half, since we always have problems finding that on property. We also brought snacks, coffee grinder and coffee, wine, water, cereal and laundry stuff. I threw a roll of paper towels in as an afterthought (this would come in handy later, but not for what you might think! ) We put our luggage in, our cameras, and we were ready to go! We were off at 7 PM! Steve, the video guy, taped us leaving the driveway and heading South!!



We stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel about an hour away from us, where we had a lovely dinner. The waitress was ready to pack up and go with us when she found out where we were heading. We drove down the PA turnpike to 95, which we took and crossed our first state line: Delaware! We continued down 95, through Maryland, where ther was construction. We were playing music, talking, and really having a great time. We made our first gas stop, where I got a really good coffee! At about 11:30, Steve decided to get some sleep, as we would need to switch drivers in the morning and he needed some rest. He slept through some of Virginia and a part of North Carolina, where we hit a little rain. He woke up when I stopped again for gas and bathroom break, about 3 AM. He took over the driving and I dozed on and off. I really wasn't tired...to me, this was like a night shift! At about 6 AM, we stopped in Florence, SC to get something to eat. We were bound and determined to eat at a Waffle House, something we had never done. There were alot of firsts this trip, I'll try to point them out as I go! We had waffles (what else?) and Steve had grits. He eats them "The Northern Way" with milk and sugar, but he loves them and we can never find them (other than the instant kind) here in Yankee country! I took the wheel again and we were headed back south! Steve went back to sleep for a bit.



Around 7:30, we hit the Georgia border. It was foggy! I don't know if it was the fact that I was tired or the weather, but the fog was racing past the car and it was actually disorienting me! I didn't feel safe driving, so I pulled into the next rest area. Steve woke up and asked what was wrong. I told him I just wanted to rest until the fog let up. He said he was fine and would drive, I should get some sleep. I didn't think I would be able to sleep (the car is great, but a little smaller than the Pathfiner!) But, I climbed into the passenger seat, cuddle up and used...let's see, what to use...AH HA!! The roll of paper towels! what a great pillow! I was out in about 3 minutes, slept for a little over an hour (can we say, Power Nap?) and woke feeling at least 110% better! We were still in Georgia, it was warm, the sun was trying to break through, it was time....THE TOP CAME DOWN!! WooooHoooo!! I honestly believe that everyone should own or at least drive a convertible once in their life! There is nothing like it! We blasted the tunes, I put my sunscreen on, and we rolled into Florida!!!



We stopped at the welcome center to take some pictures. I got a really cool shot of the car with Steve behind the wheel, looking very cool! Then it was onward. As we got deeper into Florida, we began to see hurricane damage. As thrilled as we were about this vacation, this was a very sobering moment. It brought it all home. It's one thing to see it on TV and feel bad for the people, but it is a totally different thing to be in the midst of the devastation. It hit us hard. First, we saw trees bent over. Then we saw trees gone, stripped of leaves, just sticks. Then, we saw buildings with no windows. Then we saw buildings with blue tarps where their roof was supposed to be. There were stretches of roads that had absolutely no billboards left...NONE! We would drive by a seemingly untouched area and right next to it would be an area with no vegetation yet. The radio station was asking people to come down and help unload food at the Humane Society, and we almost went, but we weren't sure what city they were in. The thing that really impressed us was that almost every commercial on the radio had a message designed to help the hurricane victims. Insurance companies advertising to call, Home Depot offering free financing till 2006, some furniture company offering furniture at cost...it was truly a warm message in the midst of catastrophe.



Soon, we were on I-4, an hour away!! Past the exit for Sanford Airport, past the road for Orlando Airport, past Universal...there it is!!! Our exit for Downtown Disney!! WE ARE SOOOOO HERE!!! As we drove in we noticed still more damage. Lots and lots of vegetation destroyed. It will take WDW and Florida many years to recover from the damage. We pulled up to Old Key West, and heard those words we had driven 1107 miles and 18 hours to hear:



"Welcome Home!!"





Next....Oh, this is a REALLY nice villa, Coconut shrimp and "I think I'm finally tired now!"

[Cheriemek]

Can't wait to read more! I love Trip Reports!

[goofy4goofy]

Sue, I'm loving your trip report!!!!!! I can't wait to read more!!!!!!!!

I cried reading about how you noticed the devastation in Florida. We've actually have guests who say, "I don't see how they keep saying Central Florida was hurt so bad by the hurricanes...doesn't look so bad to me." ugh. It hurts my heart when I hear that and it takes everything in my power not to burst into tears. But when I have guests who show so much sympathy for us..well, that brings me to tears too. Sue and Steve, you are two wonderful people! Thank you for caring so much!

Kelly

[BritDisFan]

What a great journey, I really wish we could drive to WDW but I think we would get wet . I can't wait to read more.

Karen

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Sue Hurry back with more

[LizardCop]

Great Report!!!!!

MORE!!! [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_31_4.gif[/img]

[luvnwdwgal]

Awesome start Sue!! Hurry back with more!!

[katspjs]

Great Trip Report. Looking forward to reading more, especially the special delivery!

It was very sad to see all the hurricane damage - blue tarps, missing windows and you wonder how the people are there. When I see damaged trees it always strikes me how easily mother nature can destroy something that could have been standing for centuries.

[chezp]

It sounds like you guys had a wonderful drive down to Disney. I can't wait to read more.

[reiner]

Keep it coming Sue
I also love driving Convertibles

[rescuesk]

Who: Steve, 46, and Sue, 44, 11th trip to WDW

When: 9/30 till 10/10

Where: Old Key West/Hilton Head

Why: We own the perfect Florida car now, so LET'S GO!

Day "Half"

I forgot to add one very important detail to our drive. Steve and I have a lucky song: "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright. It started out as lucky for me in the early 80's. Now every time we here that song, something good happens. Doesn't have to be a big something good...it can be something as little as having a good day at work or coming home to find a letter you are expecting has arrived. We don't own a tape or CD of this song because we want to hear it randomly and not tempt fate. Steve had been commenting a few weeks ago that we hadn't heard it in a long time. Well, guess what was playing as we rolled over the Florida border? We both knew right then and there that we were going to have a great vacation!

We drove into the parking lot at OKW. It was HOT! Steve had worn shorts but I had jeans on. I couldn't wait to put on shorts! We went to Conch Flats to check in, where we were assisted by Richard. When I made the ressie, I had requested buildings 45 or 46, which were right on the canal and were very nice. Richard researched but sadly they were not available. What?? What to do now!! He went through what was available while we looked at the map. He pointed out villa 4811, overlooking the golf course. Luckily, I had my trusty Passporter with me, so I pulled it out and read the review of OKW, which stated that building 48 offered real seclusion! OK, we were there. Plus it was a first floor...no dragging up the stairs! Richard was very funny and had only been in this particular position for a month. He was definitely in the right position...he was very much a people person and even dragged his supervisor over so that she could say "Welcome Home" to us, too! After check in we headed to the villa, which was everything Richard promised and more. We walked in, it was cool, big, clean and had a lovely view of the golf course. We went into the bathroom and noticed we were in a disabled access room. This concerned us because we didn't want to take this room from someone who needed it. Steve called the front desk and explained that we loved the room but didn't feel right taking it if someone else needed it. They assured us that OKW had many such rooms and we were fine. OK then it was time to settle in!

Steve laughs at my packing organization, but he didn't laugh when we were unpacked and settled in in less than a half hour. After that, it was a nice shower and a change into shorts. We had coffee and then decided to take a little rest. We woke up about 2 hours later feeling refreshed and ready to go!

Our first stop was dinner. We hadn't eaten lunch, and other than snacks, our last meal was that long-ago Waffle House breakfast. So we walked over to Olivia's Cafe. I had been dreaming of coconut shrimp for weeks, and I was not disappointed. This was another first: We have been at Olivia's for breakfast and lunch, but not dinner! We ordered the house specialty drinks: Steve had a Turtle Krawl and I had a Sultry Seahorse! He had the Prime Rib and I got my Coconut Shrimp. Mmmmm... From there, it was off to Epcot, since the MK was closing early that night for MNSSHP. We got to Epoct and the first thing we did was find our legacy. Then we rode SSE and walked around a little. We went to the pavilion that had the information for the F & W festival, and Steve bought a print of Italy (his favorite World Showcase country). We talked for a while with an artist who does Disney/Mickey portraits and really loved one that depicted a Mickey Snowman. I can't find the card with his name on it right now (I think it's with my scrapbooking stuff) but he told us it will be available in late November. It's so cool!

From there, we walked back to World Showcase and browsed all the food booths. We were pretty stuffed from dinner, but I always love WS. At about 8 PM, we realized we were still pretty tired, so we decided to call it a night. We hopped on the bus and were back home in no time. Steve tried to watch TV, but he was dozing in a few minutes. We were asleep after our first "half" day in WDW in no time! But, tomorrow was another magical day!!

Next....Missing Rope Drop, "Arnold Palmers", and some more hurricane damage...

[whoSEZ]

[ QUOTE ]
Steve and I have a lucky song: "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright. It started out as lucky for me in the early 80's. Now every time we here that song, something good happens.

[/ QUOTE ]

How cool that your song was playing at that moment!! And that's a great "lucky song" -- I'll think of you guys every time I hear it now.

I'm so glad you're posting a report; looking forward to more!!

[Jillybean]

Sue,

This is a wonderful report - - I'm reading it like a novel.

I just can't imagine what the Floridians have been through this year. May they be spared from a hurricane season like this for many years to come.

DH and I rented a convertible on our honeymoon 4 years ago and I told him then that I wanted one for my 40th birthday. Well, that's coming up next year and I don't think I'm getting one. I'll make do with my minivan and wish for one for my 45! I love reading about you and Steve enjoying yours - - you guys know how to do it right!

I love reading these reports because I feel like I really to get to know the author. Keep'em coming!

Jill

[LizardCop]

Glad the trip went well, and the 1/2 day was so much fun...

Now, we're patiently waitng for the "rest of the story"...

[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_31_4.gif[/img]