Long story short: It's been a crazy six months. My first novel was released (It's very unDisney-like, but here's the Amazon link nonetheless: http://tinyurl.com/2dkj6eh.) and the book tour was exhausting. Since my boyfriend, Mike, had a conference scheduled at the Swan & Dolphin, we decided that a week in Walt Disney World would be a great way to celebrate the end of a very busy time. Wrong! It ended up being a not-so-great trip, all because of factors beyond our control.
The trip: Monday, 11/29 to Monday, 12/6
The hotel: The Yacht Club, which was one of the spillover hotels for the conferece. We stayed at Beach Club in June and really liked it, so it was nice to stay at Yacht Club, too. That whole area is really growing on me. I love the fact that you can walk to Epcot and that there are so many nice restaurants and shops on the Boardwalk area.
Monday, 11/29: We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately went to Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Artist Point. After that, we took the boat to MK to see The Main Street Electrical Parade. It was a great evening, even though a little boy ended up sitting on Mike's foot for the entire duration of the parade.
Tuesday, 11/30: Mike was in the conference all day so I went to MK again and rode Space, Splash and Big Thunder mountains. I got absolutely drenched on Splash Mountain, but dried out quickly because it was so warm. That, however, was about to change....
I spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel. It was sunny, warm, there was the faint hint of a breeze. It was great sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the Yacht Club's back porch with a book and a drink from the pool bar. The perfect way to spend the afternoon -- with perfect weather.
We orginally had reservations to eat at Kouzzina at the Boardwalk, but they were cancelled weeks before our trip because of restaurant renovations. So we spent the evening at Downtown Disney, shopping, noshing and looking at Christmas decorations. I also bought a WDW fleece at World of Disney. (In the book biz, we call that foreshadowing.)
Wednesday, 12/1: COLD SNAP!
Overnight, it dropped about, oh, 40 degrees. We had been watching the news so we knew it was coming (hence the fleece purchase) but it was still incredibly jarring. It was strange seeing people walking around WDW in winter coats, hats and gloves. Unfortunately, it stayed that cold for pretty much the rest of the trip.
Mike had off from the conference that day so we headed to DHS. The first thing we noticed was that the Osborne Dancing Lights were closed to the public. That was Bummer #1, because we were really looking forward to seeing them and Wednesday was the only night we could do it. The second thing we noticed was that Toy Story Mania was closed. So we went to ToT and I rode RNRC. By that point, TSM was open. But, Bummer #2, Disney had been distributing Fastpasses the entire time it was down. So by the time it was actually up and running, all Fastpasses for the day were gone, leaving us with a 70-minute wait.
Still, we tried to make the best of the day. We had lunch at Brown Derby, left the park and played mini golf at Fantasia Gardens, even though it was a bit too chilly for golf. Afterward, we walked to Flying Fish Cafe and managed to get a seat at the chef's counter. It was fascinating to watch the cooks in the kitchen prepare all the different dishes. Also, it was warm there.
Thursday, 12/2: Mike had the conference again, so I strolled over to Epcot to ride Soarin' and Mission:Space. I don't really like going into the parks by myself. It's OK for a little bit, but after and hour or so I start to get lonely. Little did I know that I'd be spending more time alone in the parks later that trip. (Yep, more foreshadowing.)
It was Mike's birthday that day, so to celebrate I took him to dinner at Bistro de Paris. Great food. Great wine. Great view. Afterwards, we watched Illuminations. I had never seen the holiday tag to the show and, man, was I impressed. Amazing fireworks!
Friday, 12/3: The conference was officially over, so Mike and I went to Animal Kingdom. Ironically, the chilly weather seemed to wake up the animals. The gorillas were running all over the place and even the usually shy and lethargic tigers were out and about.
For dinner, we went to one of our favorite places -- Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge. And that's when the trip really went off the rails. Right before going into the restaurant, Mike said he kind of, sort of wasn't feeling well. When we were seated and I noticed he wasn't eating his appetizer, he said he REALLY wasn't feeling well. Ten minutes later, he admitted he was feeling nauseous and awful. In short, we had to leave the restaurant. Immediately. We got our entrees to go, although they ended up not being consumed. Why? Because Mike was officially sick with a stomach bug.
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel room with him feeling awful and me feeling bad because he felt awful.
Saturday, 12/4: Mike was still sick, so I cancelled our dinner reservation at Tokyo Dining in Epcot. I stayed in the room with him all morning until I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out and do something while he rested, so I again went to Epcot.
I tried, but I just didn't have much fun. Walking around World Showcase, I felt guilty. And disappointed. And lonely. To kill time, I rode Maelstrom, saw the movie in China, which I hadn't seen since 1986, (Have they changed it since then? I have no idea.) and took in a showing of The American Adventure. After a few hours, I went back to the hotel to see how Mike was feeling.
It turns out, not that great. He could move around, but not eat, and he gamely tried to go to Epcot with me that evening. We rode Spaceship Earth and roamed World Showcase for a little bit, but his heart just wasn't in it. But he got props for trying.
Sunday, 12/5: Our last day. We had planned for breakfast at Kona Cafe, followed by a day at MK, dinner at California Grill and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that night. Well, Mike was still feeling bad, so it ended up being no Kona Cafe (and no Tonga Toast
) a few hours at MK in which we didn't ride very much and no dinner at California Grill (although I was charged $40 for cancelling at the last minute. Thanks, Disney.)
We did manage to get to MVMCP, but it was cold. I mean, bitterly cold. The wind chill made it pretty unbearable. Ironically, Mike was feeling better by that point, but it was too late. The cold and the sick had taken all the wind out of our sails. Halfway during the Christmas parade, our faces numb from the bitter wind whipping down Main Street, we gave up and called it a trip.
This was the first trip to WDW in which I was actually happy to come home. It's hard to remain upbeat and have fun when your best-laid plans are laid to waste. There were some nice moments (Tuesday was still perfect) but it was just one of those bum trips. The bright side is that we've been there many of times before and we'll be there many times again. The downside is that both of us could have used a nice, relaxing trip in tropical weather. It didn't happen.
But there's always the next trip, which we're planning right now. We're like the post office that way: Rain nor cold nor stomach flu can keep us away from Walt Disney World.
Now, some random photos, most taken during my solitary roaming at Epcot:
The trip: Monday, 11/29 to Monday, 12/6
The hotel: The Yacht Club, which was one of the spillover hotels for the conferece. We stayed at Beach Club in June and really liked it, so it was nice to stay at Yacht Club, too. That whole area is really growing on me. I love the fact that you can walk to Epcot and that there are so many nice restaurants and shops on the Boardwalk area.
Monday, 11/29: We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately went to Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Artist Point. After that, we took the boat to MK to see The Main Street Electrical Parade. It was a great evening, even though a little boy ended up sitting on Mike's foot for the entire duration of the parade.
Tuesday, 11/30: Mike was in the conference all day so I went to MK again and rode Space, Splash and Big Thunder mountains. I got absolutely drenched on Splash Mountain, but dried out quickly because it was so warm. That, however, was about to change....
I spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel. It was sunny, warm, there was the faint hint of a breeze. It was great sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the Yacht Club's back porch with a book and a drink from the pool bar. The perfect way to spend the afternoon -- with perfect weather.
We orginally had reservations to eat at Kouzzina at the Boardwalk, but they were cancelled weeks before our trip because of restaurant renovations. So we spent the evening at Downtown Disney, shopping, noshing and looking at Christmas decorations. I also bought a WDW fleece at World of Disney. (In the book biz, we call that foreshadowing.)
Wednesday, 12/1: COLD SNAP!
Overnight, it dropped about, oh, 40 degrees. We had been watching the news so we knew it was coming (hence the fleece purchase) but it was still incredibly jarring. It was strange seeing people walking around WDW in winter coats, hats and gloves. Unfortunately, it stayed that cold for pretty much the rest of the trip.
Mike had off from the conference that day so we headed to DHS. The first thing we noticed was that the Osborne Dancing Lights were closed to the public. That was Bummer #1, because we were really looking forward to seeing them and Wednesday was the only night we could do it. The second thing we noticed was that Toy Story Mania was closed. So we went to ToT and I rode RNRC. By that point, TSM was open. But, Bummer #2, Disney had been distributing Fastpasses the entire time it was down. So by the time it was actually up and running, all Fastpasses for the day were gone, leaving us with a 70-minute wait.
Still, we tried to make the best of the day. We had lunch at Brown Derby, left the park and played mini golf at Fantasia Gardens, even though it was a bit too chilly for golf. Afterward, we walked to Flying Fish Cafe and managed to get a seat at the chef's counter. It was fascinating to watch the cooks in the kitchen prepare all the different dishes. Also, it was warm there.
Thursday, 12/2: Mike had the conference again, so I strolled over to Epcot to ride Soarin' and Mission:Space. I don't really like going into the parks by myself. It's OK for a little bit, but after and hour or so I start to get lonely. Little did I know that I'd be spending more time alone in the parks later that trip. (Yep, more foreshadowing.)
It was Mike's birthday that day, so to celebrate I took him to dinner at Bistro de Paris. Great food. Great wine. Great view. Afterwards, we watched Illuminations. I had never seen the holiday tag to the show and, man, was I impressed. Amazing fireworks!
Friday, 12/3: The conference was officially over, so Mike and I went to Animal Kingdom. Ironically, the chilly weather seemed to wake up the animals. The gorillas were running all over the place and even the usually shy and lethargic tigers were out and about.
For dinner, we went to one of our favorite places -- Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge. And that's when the trip really went off the rails. Right before going into the restaurant, Mike said he kind of, sort of wasn't feeling well. When we were seated and I noticed he wasn't eating his appetizer, he said he REALLY wasn't feeling well. Ten minutes later, he admitted he was feeling nauseous and awful. In short, we had to leave the restaurant. Immediately. We got our entrees to go, although they ended up not being consumed. Why? Because Mike was officially sick with a stomach bug.
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel room with him feeling awful and me feeling bad because he felt awful.
Saturday, 12/4: Mike was still sick, so I cancelled our dinner reservation at Tokyo Dining in Epcot. I stayed in the room with him all morning until I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out and do something while he rested, so I again went to Epcot.
I tried, but I just didn't have much fun. Walking around World Showcase, I felt guilty. And disappointed. And lonely. To kill time, I rode Maelstrom, saw the movie in China, which I hadn't seen since 1986, (Have they changed it since then? I have no idea.) and took in a showing of The American Adventure. After a few hours, I went back to the hotel to see how Mike was feeling.
It turns out, not that great. He could move around, but not eat, and he gamely tried to go to Epcot with me that evening. We rode Spaceship Earth and roamed World Showcase for a little bit, but his heart just wasn't in it. But he got props for trying.
Sunday, 12/5: Our last day. We had planned for breakfast at Kona Cafe, followed by a day at MK, dinner at California Grill and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that night. Well, Mike was still feeling bad, so it ended up being no Kona Cafe (and no Tonga Toast
) a few hours at MK in which we didn't ride very much and no dinner at California Grill (although I was charged $40 for cancelling at the last minute. Thanks, Disney.) We did manage to get to MVMCP, but it was cold. I mean, bitterly cold. The wind chill made it pretty unbearable. Ironically, Mike was feeling better by that point, but it was too late. The cold and the sick had taken all the wind out of our sails. Halfway during the Christmas parade, our faces numb from the bitter wind whipping down Main Street, we gave up and called it a trip.
This was the first trip to WDW in which I was actually happy to come home. It's hard to remain upbeat and have fun when your best-laid plans are laid to waste. There were some nice moments (Tuesday was still perfect) but it was just one of those bum trips. The bright side is that we've been there many of times before and we'll be there many times again. The downside is that both of us could have used a nice, relaxing trip in tropical weather. It didn't happen.
But there's always the next trip, which we're planning right now. We're like the post office that way: Rain nor cold nor stomach flu can keep us away from Walt Disney World.
Now, some random photos, most taken during my solitary roaming at Epcot:
DD13 got sick this past trip for a day...she and I spent the day at First Aid at SeaWorld 
