[Disneyfever]

or..."Adventures in Orlando"
We left for Orlando on Friday night. The flight was less than two hours. We rented a car from National, so the car was right at the airport. Since we arrived at 11:00 pm, we were able to get to the Nick Hotel quickly. (Special thanks to our GPS unit!!)

We were pleased with the room. It had a small living room with a couch, flat screen TV, frig, microwave and table. The bathroom had one sink. The first bedroom had a queen bed, night stand, desk, room safe, chest of drawers and closet. The second room had two single beds, night stand, chest of drawers and a closet. We loved the privacy of our own bedroom!

Since we arrived on Friday night, the parking lot was packed. The Hotel was full. It was hard to find a parking space. The next morning, we went straight to guess services and signed up for a show. Then we went to the buffet. There are two buffets. One costs more and is with characters. The other does not have characters, but kids are free. So, it was only $20 for DH, DS and myself. The buffet was ok. DS loved it though.

Then we went to the pool. There are two sets of buildings. One has a large pool with huge water slides. The other has a smaller pool with smaller water slides. The main building with the restaurants and mall area separates the two. We swam in both areas. Since it was crowded, chairs were hard to come by. We were able to find some every time though. DS got to participate in a poolside Nick game. He had fun. The show we saw was very entertaining too.

We went to Medieval Times that night. That was the time our GPS just stopped working. We panicked. We are so dependent on that thing! I did have a Mapquest backup, but it was too confusing. We were very lucky and stumbled upon the place. We enjoyed the show alot. It is DS's favorite thing to do. However, there were some people behind us that obviously had a bit too many beers. One man kept yelling, "H*ll yeah" throughout the show. Just when I thought that was the only thing he could say, he yelled, "What the h*ll." It was very annoying, but we enjoyed the show anyway.

[Disneyfever]

So, we finally left the show. Getting back was an experience. Our GPS was stop and go. I had to wiggle the cord to get a connection. Just when I would have the address up, it would disconnect. Sadly, it took us almost an hour to drive 6 miles. Oh well... that's not the end of it. We have to get that GPS fixed or we will surely die.

This morning we got up early, checked out of the Nick. We thought we knew the right direction to the Poly. We got to a toll booth, paid the dollar and asked the lady where WDW was. She pointed in the other direction. So, we get off at the next exit, get on going the other way, pay the toll again, and we are on our way. We need to get off at exit 3. We were laughing so hard about getting lost again that we missed exit 3! So, we get to another toll. It is 50 cents. As we pull up, we notice we don't have change. We have about $100 in twenties. The sign says, "correct change only." I am digging in my purse. I find 47 cents. I am still digging. Cars are backing up behind us. I can't find the change. We are afraid to pull up and off to the side because I thought they might have a camera that will take a picture of our car. Finally, the lady behind us walks up and asks us if we need 50 cents. We say yes and she tosses it in the machine. OMG!!!!

[Disneyfever]

We get off at the next exit. Turn a couple more times, get lost some more and end up at McDonald's. DS is hungry, so we pull through and ask for directions. We finally make it to the Poly. It was still early and we got a room right away. I could have waited for a room in Samoa, but there was one ready in Rotunda (sp?). We really like the room. It is just steps away from everything.

The room is beautiful. The grounds are beautiful too. We went to the AK today and rode Expedition E. 4 times. It is a great ride!!! AK was crowded though. I am hoping that it was crowded because it is Sunday and there won't be any crowds tomorrow. We went around AK and then took a bus to Ft. Wilderness for our 5 pm ADR for Hoop Dee Doo. The dinner show was great. We laughed so hard. The food was very good too. We really enjoyed it. When we got back to the hotel, DS went for a swim and then we watched the fireworks from the beach. To us, there is no better place to watch the fireworks. It was awesome!

So, here we are at the Poly. I will right again in a day or so. We are having a wonderful time so far. The only bad thing is that DS's and DH's feet hurt already. They are both talking about buying some Crocs! So, I guess we will make a quick trip to a store to get some.

I'll try to post again soon.

The dining plan is wonderful. It is so easy to use. We used our snack credits for drinks.

[Dopey]

That is so funny. You had to take a "hand-out" from a stranger. I have been there and experienced the search for exact change around Boulder,Colorado a few times last year. We were lost a lot
Great start....keep it coming

[DisneyTeacher]

Originally Posted by Disneyfever

So, we get to another toll. It is 50 cents. As we pull up, we notice we don't have change. We have about $100 in twenties. The sign says, "correct change only." I am digging in my purse. I find 47 cents. I am still digging. Cars are backing up behind us. I can't find the change. We are afraid to pull up and off to the side because I thought they might have a camera that will take a picture of our car. Finally, the lady behind us walks up and asks us if we need 50 cents. We say yes and she tosses it in the machine. OMG!!!!

[lovemysons]

Great start so far. The room at the Nick hotel sounds pretty nice! Hope you had a chance to find some crocks for your men!

[BDavis932]

Sounds like y'all are making some great memories! Can't wait to read what happens next!

[WEDINDISNEY]

That was so nice of the lady to give you the 50 cents I dont know what I would have done if we didnt have the change and noone would be nice and help out. Sounds like your having a great time and cant wait to read what happens next.
Iagree the POLY is so beautiful and we loved sitting on th docks or lying in a hammock on the beach and watch the fireworks.

[Disneyfever]

Well, we found the Crocs at an outlet mall just a few miles away from WDW at a store called Journeys. DH and DS LOVE them. They aren't complaining about their feet anymore. I can't believe their feet hurt after just one day! So, the shoes saved a week of pain for the guys.

After we got the shoes, we took the monorail to the MK. Space Mountain had a 20 minute standby sign, but it was really less than five. We rode it two times in a row, no need for fast pass. We rode splash about 6 times that day and only used a fast pass once. There were a lot of people walking around, but the lines for the rides weren't bad at all. We walked on Pirates several times and the Haunted Mansion too.
We went back to the hotel in the afternoon so DS could swim and I could do a quick load of clothes. I really like the location of our building. It is near everything. The laundry, counter service and arcade are on one side, and the Great Cermonial House (store, monorail...) is on the other. The busses are right in front of our building. It is a perfect location for us because we are always coming and going.

Have I mentioned that I love the dining plan???? We ate at Liberty Tree Tavern. It was great!! The food was perfect. The characters came to our table several times. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Chip and Dale. DS (11) feels like he is too old for the characters, but when they came around he really enjoyed them. We will definitely do the Liberty Tree Tavern again on our next trip.

The weather was great again today. It did get hot, but no rain at all. I can't believe we walked on Space Mountain. I never thought that would happen.

We watched the fireworks at the park today. They were great, as usual. Then we took the monorail back to the hotel. Oh, and another comment about the dining plan. When we went to the little store at our hotel, we saw someone buy a box of nine doughnuts using one snack credit on their dining plan. The doughnuts were $3.95, so as long as the item is under $4.00, then you can buy just about anything.

[Disneyfever]

Originally Posted by Dopey

That is so funny. You had to take a "hand-out" from a stranger. I have been there and experienced the search for exact change around Boulder,Colorado a few times last year. We were lost a lot
Great start....keep it coming

We will NEVER drive in Florida without quarters again! We laugh about it now, but it was horrible when it happened.

[Disneyfever]

Originally Posted by lovemysons

Great start so far. The room at the Nick hotel sounds pretty nice! Hope you had a chance to find some crocks for your men!

The room was better than I thought it would be. DS liked having his own room and we liked having ours. We did find the Crocs. The guys want to wear them every day now. DS and DH both said that they were the most comfortable shoes they have ever worn.

[Disneyfever]

Originally Posted by WEDINDISNEY

Iagree the POLY is so beautiful and we loved sitting on th docks or lying in a hammock on the beach and watch the fireworks.

It really is nice! It is so peaceful because you are not in the middle of a crowd of people fighting for a view. Very relaxing.

[Dana]

See that's the reason I never drive at WDW...I would be lost the entire time..lol Loving this real time report.

[Pooh Fan]

I am loving your trip report. It sounds like you are having a wonderful vacation. Enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to reading more as it happens.

[Disneyfever]

We got up around 8 am this morning. DS got a mickey waffle from Captain Cook's. He really liked it. We then went to MGM. We rode RnR without a fast pass. Then again with one. The wait was approx. 15 minutes. We rode ToT twice. We saw a few things for the first time: Stunt Show (liked it), The Great Movie Ride (another good ride), Drew Carrey's show (fairly funny) and Narnia (we thought there would be more to it). We also rode Star Tours and saw the Indiana Jones show. The weather was great until late afternoon when there was a light rain a couple of times. Oh, and we had lunch at the Sci-Fi.

The rides are not walk-ons, but the lines are not long either. There aren't wall-to-wall people walking around like on spring break. I have noticed a lot of people being turned away at the table service restaurants because they don't have an ADR. So, be sure to make your reservations! You can always cancel if you decide not to use them.

I am still amazed at the free dining. Every time we finish our meal, we get a receipt to sign with the total price, including tip. Here are some of the prices we would have paid for three people:
Hoop Dee Doo : $150
Sci-Fi: $100 (If we were not on the plan, we would not have ordered appetizers)
Liberty Tree Tavern: $104
Lunch at MK counter service & counter service at AK: Between $35 - $38
We are using our snack credits for drinks. Since we get dessert with our meals, we are not really hungry for between meal snacks. The people at the restaurants and counter service places seem very knowledgeable about the plan. It we order only two desserts, they remind us that we can get a third. Same with the appetizers. If a family eats a table service meal once a day, then the dining plan is definitely the best option. Since it is a lot of food, I have been having salads for lunch.

DH had to get a new room key today. His stopped working when we got to MGM. We were sent to guest services, which was right by the entrance. They gave us a temporary pass. When we got back to the hotel, they replaced his key quickly.

So far, we have had a wonderful trip. We are going to Universal tomorrow. I think we will only have to pay for one meal because I was able to get three coupons from the Entertainment books that are for a free movie & a meal. I think we can use those for dinner at the Hardrock Cafe. We shall see. DS LOVE Islands of Adventure. They have a lot of wet rides, so I am bringing my poncho (I got ponchos "two for a dollar" at the dollar store).