Jennifer and Dave's Disney Adventure ReportDates: 10/18 - 10/27, 1999 (10 day trip) Adventurers:
Copyright 1999-2006 |
Our Tenth Day:
Wednesday, October 27, 1999 Our last day began with getting up a little later than usual. We then checked our e-mail, put away the computer, and packed up the rest of our bags. We called Bell Services, who picked up our luggage and stored it for us. We'd need to return for our luggage at 6:15 for our Town Car. We set off for Typhoon Lagoon. We decided a few trips ago that our last day at Walt Disney World had to be relaxing. If we used our last day for last-minute stuff, we were invariably stressed and unwilling to return home. Relaxing on the last day makes a real difference, and allows us to return home rested and happy. Now while we intended to go to Typhoon Lagoon, we never actually got there. Once we were on the bus, we decided to get off at the Polynesian first. The buses that visit Wilderness Lodge also visit the Polynesian and then the Grand Floridian before going on to their destinations. Why the Polynesian? We'd read yesterday on the rec.arts.disney.parks newsgroup that the Polynesian buildings were changing names and we wanted more information. At the Polynesian, a helpful cast member gave us a map with the new building names, which pleased us to no end. We can now include that information here on the Web site and in our next edition! After our stopover at the Polynesian, we decided to visit the Grand Floridian. If you've read the trip report from ImAlisMom, you'll know that the Grand Floridian is completely redoing their guest rooms. When we asked about this at Grand Floridian's Guest Service, we were told that there was a tour at 4 pm. So we signed up for it and set back out for Typhoon Lagoon. As we were approaching the Grand Floridian bus stop, we saw a Blizzard Beach bus arrive. Did we want to do Blizzard Beach instead of Tyhpoon Lagoon? Sure! So off we went to Blizzard Beach. There we ate sandwiches at Lottawatta Lodge (counter-service). Blizzard Beach has virtually no shade, so Jennifer picked up 45 SPF sunscreen as well as a new bathing suit (her Mickey one had seen better days). We changed and hopped in the creek... brr! The water was cold. After a turn around the creek in inner tubes, we got out and took the chair lift to the top of Mt. Gushmore. There we stood in line for almost 25 minutes for a ride down in a raft (Teamboat Springs). The raft ride was great fun! Blizzard Beach isn't nearly as relaxing as Typhoon Lagoon, but it has its charms. too. We took a (slow) bus back to the Grand Floridian in time for the 4pm tour. Jayson showed us around and we had the opportunity to visit a new room in Sago Cay. We found it whimsical and comfortable, with all the bells and whistles you'd expect. We also learned that Summerhouse is closed (the bar near the beach), but a new pool bar opened (the Grand Floridian Pool Bar). We were also pleased to note that the Grand Floridian had many new children's programs, which we'll detail later. After the tour, we met with Chaz, who wore a suit and had the air of someone who worked in management at the Grand Floridian. He was very helpful and answered more of our questions. We'll report on more of the information we're allowed to share later! To get back to the Wilderness Lodge, we took the monorail from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom, and then a water launch from there to the Wilderness Lodge. We arrived in time to visit the shop (Jennifer bought a new pullover, Dave bought a polo shirt). At 5:30, we went to Artist Point for dinner. We requested and received a window table and had wonderful dinner. Artist Point has long been one of our favorites. And our server brought out our order promptly after we explained a Town Car would be picking us up at 6:15. With full bellies, we walked out of the Wilderness Lodge to find Ian of Tiffany Town Car waiting for us. We chatted about PassPorter and Tiffany all the way back to the airport (Ian is a funny guy and we also recommend him as a driver). Everything went smoothly at the airport and during the flight home. We arrived home around 11:00 pm and promptly went to work... we had (and still have) much to catch up on! We are happy to be home and we're looking forward to sharing more of our discoveries with you through the Web site and our new edition. As already noted, we'll be going back through this trip report to fill in more details and opinions, so please revisit the trip report. We'll send a note to our announcement mailing list when the trip report is fully updated. Thank you for following along with us on our trip!
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