"...We'll thank the little stars that shine..." A GRAND week in WDW *UPDATED 8/1

[Scott MC]

Greetings fellow Mouseketeers!

At the urging of several Dis-ers (ahem...VBsHustla and UncleOrville), and combined with a massive desire to relive the glory that was our '09 Disney trip, I hereby begin my first official TR!

I didn't plan on doing this, so there may be a lack of pictures, and small foggy parts in my memory of places, but I'm going to do my best to put y'all right there with us as we took 1 airport, 3 ME buses, 2 WDW Resorts, 4 parks, several WDW buses and countless monorails by storm.

Ready.......here we go!

Let me introduce the players in our merry band.

Me (on the left) and DPIC (partner-in-crime)

I'm 30 and DPIC is 28. I'll discuss our Disney histories now.
I've been to Disney 8 times at ages 3 (off property, no recollection of where), 7 (off property at Raddison), 18 (Dixie Landings), 20 (Wilderness Lodge), 23 (Dolphin), 28 (off property-Windsor Hills), 29 (off property-Windsor Hills) and most recently at 30 which is the trip we're about to discuss. I'm a certified Mousejunkie and now plan (as long as health and wealth allow) on visiting WDW every year. My favorite parks are MK and Epcot and my favorite movies are Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Aladdin and Lilo and Stitch.
DPIC has been 3 times, once at about 15 (ASM), 27 (off property-Windsor Hills) and on this most recent trip at 28. I'd guess that his favorite movies are The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. He's a big fan of the Disney villains with special soft spots in his heart for Jafar, Ursula and the Evil Queen from Snow White. He longs for an all-villain character breakfast.

Here's DS (sister) and DSBF (sister's boyfriend). They're both 21.
DS has been to WDW 6 times and has stayed at Dixie Landings, WL, Dolphin, and ASMo before this most recent trip. She's a junkie like me and by a mile, her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid. I'd guess she's most fond of MK and DHS.
DSBF has been to The World on several occasions, and I apologize for not knowing more about his Disney history, but I know he has stayed at the GF before and I'd bet money that his favorite park is Epcot, followed closely by MK.

Here's the final member of our troop. This is Mary Willowtree

Why is she "Mary Willow Tree?" Well, DPIC and I have a local dining establishment where we frequently break bread and clink cocktail glasses. It's called "The Willow Tree" and we met Mary there. We instantly loved her, but didn't figure out her last name for the first few weeks. By the time we did learn her last name, it was too late. She would forevermore be known as Mary Willowtree. She enjoys wide open spaces, and by that I mean that she likes a hotel room to herself, so she put herself up at the swanky Dolphin and met us each morning for our adventures.

There we are...
This is already exhausting!
When I get back to this (hopefully in the next 24 hours), I'll detail the pre-trip planning and tell you where we stayed and how we came to that decision.
If you care to keep reading, THANK YE!
I hope my life is as entertaining as I think it is!

 

[lala3291]

Hello! I found your TR over on the GF FAQ thread! I'm really looking forward to reading your report, especially what you thought of the GF...we will be there in December.

 

[coltink]

I'm in. My DPIC and I are going in January. Hoping your TR will tied me over until we go. 104 days to go!

 

[minniebeth]

I followed your pre-trip posts and couldn't wait to hear about your trip when you got back, so I'm in for your trip report! Eagerly awaiting more!

 

[Dizney_Luver]

I'm In !!!

 

[VBsHustla]

So glad you're writing a TR and pleased to have been such an inspiration! I eagerly await all GF photos and references!

-Laura

 

[Scott MC]

THE PLANNING

In 2007 and 2008, I went to WDW first with 6 people and then with 10 people. We rationalized that it would be much cheaper to stay off property and we rented beautiful homes in the Windsor Hills complex. They are located roughly 1/2 mile from the gates to the World, nearest the Animal Kingdom. The houses were lovely, and I daresay, the rooms I stayed in were nicer than any hotel room on Disney property, but I desperately missed the perks and the overall feeling that comes with staying at a Disney resort, so this year with only 4 going, we decided to stay on property, much to my delight.
We began looking at value resorts, and it was amazingly affordable for us when you split the room by four. At that point, sneakily, I started peeking at deluxe resort rates. DPIC was amazed at how inexpensive it would be to stay at a deluxe. What swung him was the free dining offer. I believe we first looked at AKL, which is his dream resort.

Now, let me tell you about me and the Grand Floridian.
I first saw the Grand Floridian (loser moment coming up here), on Disney's Easter Parade when I was about 10. It was the grand (no pun intended) opening and it looked dazzling. Right then and there, I decided that I wanted to stay there. On subsequent trips in my late teens and early 20's, I made a point of begging parents, and then friends to reserve meals at the GF and while they all thought it was lovely, it was always made known that it was way too pricey. My adoration of the GF became a running joke amongst my loved ones. Everyone knows that I have a minor obsession with the place.

So....
Once we saw that value resorts were easily in our price range....I made the leap to AKL and then........the Grand. DPIC was pretty surprised at how affordable it all came out to be and then asked how much it would be to stay at the Contemporary (another favorite of his). As it turns out, a MK view at CR was only pennies more than a garden view at GF, and though I was a little disappointed, I agreed to make an argument for CR when we approached DS and DSBF.
They were a bit reluctant to make the leap to deluxe, seeing as they are still in college and I understood that, but my argument was that with the dining, and the small group, this may be the one time we can afford a monorail resort. I also pointed out, that were the large group to go again in 2010, they'd very likely insist on the house again. After some minor resistance, they agreed, but at that point, DS threw the Poly into the mix, so we were left with an enviable dilemma....which monorail resort would we stay at?
I'm sure you've guessed the answer already, but I need to step away again for a bit. I'll pick this up again soon...
TTFN

 

[UncleOrville]

Yay, a TR! Obviously I'm in!

 

[UncleOrville]

P.S. love Mary Willowtree's name! We also assign everyone a last name if we don't know their full name. For example, that handsome fellow in my avatar is John Carousel.

 

[Scott MC]

Ok, I've got a few more moments to myself, so I'll continue...

So we were torn between the CR, the Poly and the GF. Price-wise, we'd get the best view for our money at the CR, where we could book a MK view room. At Poly and GF, only garden views were in our range. When asked their opinions, here's what the crew said...

Me- GF is first pick, then CR, then Poly (but I still love the Poly)
DPIC- CR is first pick, followed by GF, then Poly.
DS-Poly is first pick, followed by GF, then CR
DSBF-CR first pick, then GF, then Poly- Actually, he said that he had no desire to stay at the Poly in any way, so that eliminated the Poly from being in the running.

So between the CR and the GF there was a minor price difference and DS misunderstood (easy mistake) the price difference, and since the GF was cheaper, started to push for that. DSBF went along with that (good move on his part) and my DPIC had no issues with the GF and as he put it, "If we stay at the Grand, you'll finally shut up about it."

So........
WE PICKED THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!

We picked a garden view and settled on 4 nights with a 5 day park-hopper and the free dining plan added on. I made the magic phone call and after about 45 min. on the phone, we were booked!

Shortly after booking this, DPIC and I figured out that to add a 6th day on to our park pass would cost us less than $10, and with little more than a shrug, we decided to stay one extra day. Unfortunately, due to work demands, DS and DSBF had to depart after the 4 nights at the GF. DPIC and I decided quickly that affording the GF on our own for that last night would be a big expense, so with his AAA rate, we made a room-only one night reservation at Coronado Springs because I saw pics of the newly refurbished rooms there and they looked beautiful! Though they did turn out to be beautiful, DPIC and I lived to rue our decision to leave the Grand, but that's a story for later.

 

[LMO429]

subscribing

 

[Scott MC]

I'll jump back on this with a very minor update tonight. I promise, lots of pictures and Disney action are coming soon.
There are 2 people that I forgot to introduce you to.
They are 2 people who were not happy about my trip to The World. In fact, each year when we prepare for our trip, the following two people show nothing but disdain and contempt for all things Mouse.
I'd like you to meet, Grace and Henry.

They highly object to all things Grand Floridian as it draws Daddy away from their loving arms. When I leave, Henry has been known to attempt to convince cat-sitters that he is never normally fed enough. As you can hopefully see, Henry has plenty to eat at all times. In my absence, Grace takes solace under the bed, only emerging to remind Henry that this is all his fault.

Upon news of my most recent trip, Grace did what she had to in order to cope...

...and Henry couldn't hide his rage....

When asked about their Disney preferences, Henry claims to be an Epcot fan with a particular desire to eat his way around the world rather than drink his way around the world as so many have. If given a chance to choose a WDW resort, he'd pick the Contemporary and pray that one day, the CMs at Chef Mickey's would forget to put away the buffet.

Grace says that her favorite park is DHS because, she has the Diva thing down pat, and she envisions herself laying in a hammock at the Polynesian and as you can see, she's been practicing in case the opportunity ever arises.

That's it for tonight kiddies, we should be getting officially underway soon.

 

[VBsHustla]

What photogenic cats! My fav is the one where Henry is outraged.

 

[Scott MC]

What photogenic cats! My fav is the one where Henry is outraged.

It's the little things that outrage poor Henry. He tends to roam around the house cooing like a pigeon when he's not pleased.
In this particular picture, I will let the cat out of the bag (get it? CAT out of the bag? Do ya? Huh?), and admit that he actually was not outraged at the time, but rather, in mid yawn.

 

[UncleOrville]

In my absence, Grace takes solace under the bed, only emerging to remind Henry that this is all his fault.

Upon news of my most recent trip, Grace did what she had to in order to cope...

Grace is a girl after my own heart. Fabulous pic!

Any, my, that pic of Henry is frightening!

Great names, btw!

 

[Scott MC]

Grace is a girl after my own heart. Fabulous pic!

Sadly, that picture is not posed. I can't leave the sauce out or her face is in it. She's truly Daddy's girl.

 

[Scott MC]

So where was I?
Booked the Grand....H & G weren't pleased.......oh yes!
Then came the summer of fear on the Dis.
It seems as if as soon as we made our reservations at the Grand, the entire resort fell under a giant tarp and was ripped stem to stern apart.
That's what the Dis would have you believe.
On the GF FAQ thread, horror stories kept popping up by the day. It started with the flooring in the main building, and then spread to all the work being done with cranes on the outer buildings. It was enough to almost scare me to the Poly or CR. I made countless phone calls to Disney, Guest Services and (apparently) to the Grand Floridian itself, and no one could give me a straight answer. One person I talked to said that there was no construction going on whatsoever. One person said that yes, the entire resort was torn up. One person said that all the work would be done the day before we got there. It was pretty infuriating. I felt like a jerk for complaining so much, as I realize that it's a privilege to be able to afford to stay at a monorail resort in the first place, but those I was traveling with were paying a lot of money to stay at the resort that I had always wanted to stay at and I didn't want them to be let down and or feel like they hadn't gotten their money's worth.
In the end, I wrote a very polite email to Disney Guest Services explaining that this was my dream resort, and that I didn't want 3 people who had put their faith (and money) into my dream to be disappointed. I didn't ask for anything except to be as far as humanly possible from the construction. From what I'd read here, it seemed that a GV room in Big Pine Key would be the most likely to be unaffected, so this is what I was hoping for. Strangely, about 2 weeks before our departure, I woke up one morning, completely at peace with our reservation. I can't explain where the calmness came from, but I suddenly felt like everything was going to be all right. This feeling would later turn out to be an omen.
Quickly, so I can get into the real details of the trip, we had very little trouble getting the ADR's we wanted(I can't recommend the online system enough). Here's what we booked....

The Wave..........lunch.......Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF
'Ohana..........breakfast..........Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF
Citrico's..........dinner..........Me, DPIC
Crystal Palace..........dinner..........Me, DPIC, Mary Willowtree
Rose and Crown..........dinner..........DS, DSBF
Chefs De France..........dinner..........Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF, Mary Willowtree
Le Cellier..........lunch..........Me, DPIC, Mary Willowtree

Ok....I think now we can begin.....THE OFFICIAL TRIP REPORT

 

[Scott MC]

THE OFFICIAL TRIP REPORT

...TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DISNEY...AND ALL THROUGH WAL-MART.....

I think I can safely say that for this trip, I was more prepared than I've ever been to go. The condo was clean, the bags were packed, the ticked-off kitties were fed. My plan for the day before was to depart my condo around 3 P.M., Head up to DPIC's apartment, drive down to the Boston area (about 30 min away) to check out his friend's wedding gown. That's right, we played "Say Yes to the Dress." My dreams were already coming true. The dress was stunning on the bride, though I couldn't help but wonder if she wouldn't have found a more perfect dress if Keisha were involved. (Does anyone else get that?)

After the dress try-on, we met with a co-worker of DPIC's for dinner and cocktails, which has become our habit the night before a Disney trip. Same co-worker, same restaurant. The cocktails were a good choice, as I'm a very nervous flier and get very anxious the night before I have to fly. Dinner was great, and the cocktails took the edge off. DPIC wanted to take a quick whirl around Walmart for last minute t-shirts. He didn't have much success, and I didn't find Walmart to be particularly magical. I kept telling myself, "You'll be at the Grand Floridian in 12 hours." That helped.

Remarkably, I feel asleep pretty easily and slept through the night.

DAY ONE 8/19/09
Our flight was out of Manchester NH at 8:15 A.M. and was a non-stop flight, scheduled to arrive in Orlando around 11:15. We all live closer to Boston's Logan Airport (DPIC goes to school in Boston...so he is quite close), but we'd had such a pleasurable experience at Manchester last year that we decided that whenever possible, we'd fly out of "Manch-Vegas."
Check-in was a breeze, security was a breeze, and the plane boarded right on time. Another beauty of Manchester, is that from the moment you take your seat until the plane is actually in the air, is usually less than 7 minutes. Those planes take off exactly when they're supposed to. A little something my doctor perscribed helped make the flight go by quickly. Beyonce also helped. One of these days, I'm going to learn the "Single Ladies" choreography. (VBsHustla? UncleOrville? We should get on that!) We actually landed 25 minutes early which would have been outstanding except that because we were so early, there was no gate for us, so in the end, we only got off the plane about 5-10 minutes before we were supposed to.
I'm going to try to post some pics that DS took from the plane, but they're from Snapfish....let's see if they work....
http://images2c.snapfish.com/232323232fp53666>nu=3345>677>27;>WSNRCG=33334;98<:336nu0mrj
Guess not.
Can anyone help me get Snapfish pictures into posts here? I'm going to halt progress at this point until we can figure this out.

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hi I have been lurking on your report and I am so excited to be able to see pictures of the GF soon!


Oh about the single ladies choreography Idk if you watch Glee but a last week they had the single ladies choreography on there and it's sort of slowed down a bit so that might help

 

[Scott MC]

Hello! I found your TR over on the GF FAQ thread! I'm really looking forward to reading your report, especially what you thought of the GF...we will be there in December.

I will tell you ALL of what I thought about the GF! The good, the bad and the elegant.

I'm in. My DPIC and I are going in January. Hoping your TR will tied me over until we go. 104 days to go!

It'll be here before you know it.....I'm jealous!

I followed your pre-trip posts and couldn't wait to hear about your trip when you got back, so I'm in for your trip report! Eagerly awaiting more!

Eeeek, I'm sorry you had to read through all my worrying about the construction. In hindsight, I really should have just cast my fate to the wind.

I'm In !!!

Excellent! I'll try to be entertaining!

Hi I have been lurking on your report and I am so excited to be able to see pictures of the GF soon!
They're coming...I promise! I'm just getting organized, and I'm waiting for a few pictures from Mary Willowtree. I am going to try to get day one finished tonight though, as I think I have all the pics from that day.

Oh about the single ladies choreography Idk if you watch Glee but a last week they had the single ladies choreography on there and it's sort of slowed down a bit so that might help