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Published: January 23rd 2014
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"You are here"
[From WDW Facebook] Saturday, January 18, 2014
After months - actually, years - of anticipation, today marked the beginning of my Walt Disney World dream vacation with one of my favorite travel companions, my sister, Jennifer. Since our 2006 dual-graduation trip to Disneyland, we’ve been plotting a WDW trip together. Something would always disrupt actual vacation plans, and last year Jen put her foot down. We are going in 2014 and that’s that. From my years of extensive park research (proud Disney geek), I knew that the month with lower attendance and comfortable weather was January. We had the details figured out in no time and booked the trip.
I kissed and hugged my boyfriend goodbye at the airport drop-off. Of course I would miss him, and my emotional cat. But I also disclosed this was going to be the kind of vacation where I might forget about the outside world while I‘m away. It’s Disney!!!!
Getting through the security checkpoint was comparable to herding cattle, where the TSA were disorganized cowboys and the travelers were disoriented cows. The plane was full, but to my delight I found a window seat. The flight path took us over the Grand Canyon, which
was an amazing view. After that I buried my nose in a book and cranked up my music. About half way through the flight, the passenger next to me was sick. Multiple times. I was so happy when the plane landed and I could escape.
My sister was having issues during her travels as well. She was supposed to arrive at Orlando an hour before I did. But her flight, which was to connect in Chicago, was diverted to Milwaukie and remained grounded for several hours. Apparently it snows a lot in Chicago. Jen finally made her connecting flight and arrived at the hotel after 11pm.
Knowing she would be tired and hungry, I ordered a pizza and a couple beers for us to enjoy. It really hit the spot after such a weird travel day. We excitedly discussed our itinerary for the next day and tried to get to sleep.
* * *
Using the Disney Magical Express service was really great. All I did was check my bag at my departure point and it was delivered to my room about an hour after I got to the hotel. At the Orlando airport, I followed
the signs to the Disney transportation center. They scanned my voucher and personally walked me to the bus which would deliver me to the hotel. Perfect!
Hotel check-in was a breeze. We actually checked in online a few weeks ago, but I still needed to stop by the lobby upon arrival. While exiting the bus, I received a red carpet greeting. Literally, they had a red carpet rolled out at the entrance, and a cast member greeted me with, “Welcome home!” The representative at the front desk was equally pleasant. The hotel room was everything I expected it to me. Clean, modern, simple (this is a value resort after all) but infused with Disney detail. They even laid out a towel and washcloths on the bed in the shape of a Mickey head. Purely delightful.
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