Florida at last:  Silver Service and the Orlando Area

April 2-11, 2004 By Adam Reich
Part 2 of 3:  The Vacation in and around Orlando

Day 2- April 3, 2004 (continued)

We headed for Interstate 4, and took it to US 192.  From there we turned on to Old Lake Wilson Road, and then into the Westgate Villas complex.  We parked near the welcome center, to a desk outside, where we got our registration card.  From there, we headed towards the clubhouse, getting Orange and Grapefruit samples on the way.  After we finished the check-in, one of the employee's took us to our villa, helping us with our bags and making sure the keys worked.  The room was nice, and the only trouble we had was the carpet being wet, having just been cleaned.  We unpacked, and I took a shower.

Shortly after, we went down US 192 to go food shopping at the Publix.  US 192 for a few miles is very commercial, with large, bright signs for that stretch.  On the way back from the Publix, we stopped at a Subway to pick up dinner.  In the complex, we picked up a Pizza Hut pizza for David.  Once we got back to the villa, we unpacked, then ate dinner.  After dinner, we went to see my aunt, Barbara, who had been staying with a group at one of the Disney All Star Resorts.

We took her with us to Downtown Disney, by the marketplace.  Finding parking was difficult, and a frustrating experience, as we had to circle around the lot several times, before we managed to get a spot.  We walked around, going into the World Of Disney store, and my brother did some pin trading.  We got drinks at the McDonalds, and then returned to the villa.  I watched a little TV, and called my father, as well as updating my trip report.  Around 9:30, my grandfather left to take my aunt back to her hotel.  The group she was with had gone to see fireworks at one of the parks, and was leaving the following day.  While I was watching the news, there was a story about "threats" related to public transportation, and featured at one point a shot of P-42 #94 in Phase III, as well as New York's Penn Station.  Around 11:40, my grandfather arrived back at the room, and I went to bed.

Day 3- April 4, 2004

I woke up after 8:00, and looked through the pictures I had taken on the train.  Afterwards, I had breakfast, and showered.  We went to Walt Disney World for the day.  The day started by taking the monorail from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the Contemporary Resort.  To kill the time before the character breakfast, we looked in some of the stores at the hotel.  round 11:15, we sat down to the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

After Breakfast, we hopped aboard another Monorail, and headed for the Magic Kingdom.  The first thing we did was head to Tomorrowland, in order to get fastpasses for Space Mountain, and the Buzz Lightyear ride.  This way, we could avoid the lines later.  In addition to those rides, the day consisted of visits to Mickey's Toontown Fair, the shops on Main Street USA, and a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad.  In the middle of the day, I got a cookie from the bakery on Main Street.  We left the park around 7:30, and got back to the villa around 8:00.  Once we got back, I had some breadsticks, and a little coffee.  I watched the Simpsons and Sopranos on TV.  The day, whether from all we did, or the time change, left me exhausted.  I went to bed just before 11:00.

Day 4- April 5, 2004

I woke up around 9:30, and made myself eggs, coffee, and toast for breakfast.  Around 11:30, we left the villa for Downtown Disney.  There,  I had to work on an assignment for my photography class.  One of the first places we visited was the Lego Store, were David bought some legos, as well as building/buying an Easter egg.  Afterward, I caught up with my mother, brother, and grandfather at the McDonalds, that we'd stopped at two days earlier.  There I had a Chicken Caesar Salad, and a soda for lunch.  After lunch, I took a few more pictures, including some near the Rainforest Cafe. 

After, we had Ice Cream at the Ghirdelli's.  David and I had milkshakes, my grandfather had a banana split, and mom had a latte.  Accidently, they sent us an extra milkshake, so they didn't charge us for it.  We let my grandfather have it.  I called my father, who was at work.  After Downtown Disney, we headed to Publix to get a few more things.  After Publix, Mom and I picked up Subway for dinner, then we headed back to the villa.  Poppy had a Pizza Hut pizza, which we had ordered at 7:00 the night before, and delivered at 10:00, well after dinner.  My mother and I took a walk to the clubhouse and then returned to the villas.  After we returned to the villa, we made coffee, and I did a little reading for English.  That night, I managed to crack my phone screen, by just brushing against the edge of the table.  I watched the Tonight Show for about half an hour before going to bed.

Day 5- April 6, 2004

I woke up around 9:30, ate breakfast, and showered.  We left the villa around 10:15 am.  We headed for Disney's MGM Studios for the day.  First I got fastpasses for the Star Wars ride.  Afterwards, we went to see "Sounds Dangerous", which featured Drew Carey, and took place almost entirely in darkness.  After the show, I got fastpasses for the Rock 'n Rollercoaster.  For lunch, we went to Mama Melroses', I had a cheese pizza that was a little too cheesy, as well as a delicious Caesar Salad.  After we ate lunch, we saw the Muppet 3-D show.  Personally, my favorite part of that show was when the3-D Character disguised himself as Mickey Mouse.  Afterwards, we took the Backlot Studio Tour, which included being in the middle of an action scene, which was complete with earthquake, fire, and water.  MGM was still great to visit, but had fewer rides than it had in previous years.

After the tour, we went on the Great Movie Ride, which took us through anamatronic scenes of some classic films.  After that, we killed time in the stores near the entrance on Hollywood Avenue.  Finally, it came time to go on the Rock 'n Rollercoaster, which was an indoor ride, that started by going at a very high speed, and taking us upside down.  We left the park, and looked in a store just outside of the park before returning to our car.  We got back to the room around 7:15 and I watched a little TV before dinner.  At 10:06, I heard the City of New Orleans had derailed near Jackson, Mississippi, which claimed 1 life, and 15 injuries.  It was unfortunate, because just as Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops were beginning to make progress on repairs, a setback occurs.  I went to bed around 11:30.

Day 6- April 7, 2004

I woke up after 8:00 and had coffee and cheerios for breakfast.  My mother got me a copy of the Orlando Sentinel.  The paper, which had great coverage of the Auto Train derailment years earlier, made no mention of the derailment that had occurred.  After breakfast, I worked on my photo shoot, and was done by 12:00.  I felt a little back pain, which would change our plans for the day.  Instead of Walt Disney World, we went to outlets in Orlando.  It took us a while before we managed to find the Orlando Premium Outlets.  We were there only briefly, however.  It did give us a chance to shop at stores like Cole Haan and KB Toys.  After we visited those shops, we got a snack at the food court.  David got fries from the A&W, while my mother and I got soda's.  Once we left, we headed back on I-4 to US 192 and the villas.  On the way back, we made a stop at the Dunkin Donuts to get some Iced Coffees, and a muffin.  Once we got back to the Westgate Villa's Complex, my grandfather took a walk over to the clubhouse, my mother and David went to the pool, and I went to the room.  A while later, I joined my mother and brother at the pool.  At 7:00, we went to the clubhouse, so I could check my e-mail at a kiosk they had there.  Afterwards, we picked up Pizza Hut for dinner.  I watched a little TV, and went to bed at 11:00.

Day 7- April 8, 2004

I woke up after 8:00, and watched the testimony of Condoleeza Rice while I had breakfast.  After Breakfast, I went to the clubhouse so I could once again check my email.  We picked up lunch at the mini-mart/deli in the clubhouse, and then headed back to the room.  After we had Lunch, we left for Epcot around 2:05.  As soon as we got to Epcot, it began to rain.  Despite that I tried unsuccessfully to get Fastpasses for Mission: Space and Test Track, but we were too late.   Instead, we rode Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land.  After we had a snack at the land, we walked around the World Showcase.  We started by Canada, where we got a few Maple Moose's, which are Lollypops made from Maple Syrup.  David made a mask, which he got stamped in each country.  In Japan, I got a snow cone,  and by the time we got to America, it began to rain again.  We stopped there for dinner, where my grandfather and I got burgers, while David got chicken.  We walked the rest of the showcase, stopping in Norway for dessert.  My grandfather and I had rice cream's while my brother had Oreo Dirt.  Once we finished walking through the World Showcase, we stopped in a Gift Shop to kill time before Illuminations, the firework and laser light show.  It was a spectacular ending to the Disney part of our vacation.  After, we left Epcot arriving at the villa around 9:45.  I watched TV till falling asleep around 11:30.

Day 8- April 9, 2004

Our last day in Florida was spent mainly at the Westgate Villa Complex.  I woke up around 8:30, and made my breakfast.  I watched TV until 12:00 when I went with Mom and David to finish my photo shoot.  After that was done, we went to get lunch in the clubhouse.  The woman working at the Deli was nice enough to prepare a Chicken Caesar Salad for me, even though there wasn't any that had already been prepared.  Once we left the clubhouse, we dropped the film off to be developed, then I went back to the room.  After lunch, we went to the pool.  For a while I stayed near my little brother, then I headed off on my own.  For a while I talked with a kid from New York, as well as a girl from Iowa, her sister, and another guy from Michigan.  The girl told me about her home town and we talked for a while.  Around 4:30, we went back up to the room.  David managed to lock one of the bathrooms from the inside, and one of the dresser doors managed to break, so we had to make a call to maintenance.  For dinner, my mother, brother, and I went with family friends to the West Side of Downtown Disney.  We walked around while we waited for our reservation at Planet Hollywood.  The meal, and the music were great, and relaxing.  After dinner, we bought some merchandise to bring home.  On the way out of Downtown Disney, we were able to see the fireworks from Epcot.  I watched the news for a while, before going to bed.

Day 9- April 10, 2004

I woke up around 8:00 and had breakfast.  By this time my mother had already gotten the check out in order.  A piece bent on the sofa, meaning it couldn't be folded back into a couch, until someone fixed it after we left.  After breakfast, I watched the news for a little while.  My father called around 9:30 to tell us that Train 98 the Silver Meteor was basically running on time.  We left the Westgate Villas around 10:30 and headed towards the station.  Again, we took US 192 to Interstate 4, until we got to the station exit.