Wednesday, March 9
Day 3. We arose leisurely. Well, I arose leisurely. When I gained consciousness, I realized my Bride had been up for a while. The aroma of coffee was wafting from the little kitchenette, and Nancy was at the table deep into cyberspace. I mustered up enough coordination to achieve a standing position, made the bed (my daily hommage to Feng Shui), robed up, and prepared a coffee with one of those little flavored creamers. Not exactly the way Juan Valdez takes it, but it gets me going.
After a little morning java, Nancy and I suited up for a long walk, which is what a theme park day mostly is. But first we needed food. We made it over to Captain Cook's, the poolside eatery at the main building of the resort. Here at an outside umbrella table we shared an excellent breakfast combo plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, potato wedges, French toast, and more coffee.
I note that we shared this breakfast plate because in recent years Nancy and I have rarely been able to finish any standard menu item in one sitting. Not unless we restrict ourselves to only a side dish or two. We usually end up taking half of our orders home for a second meal. I'm not normally a conspiracy nut. But I've become highly suspect that there's a terrorist cell of Weebles out there trying to render the country immobile by discreetly blowing up portion sizes. You've felt it, too, right?
After breakfast we had one more chore before heading to Hollywood Studios. That was to check out the digs for our planned Disney outing the following week with our friends, the Dyles and the Wyatts (or as we like to refer to them, the Dyatts). That meant a trip across The World to the Treehouses. So we grabbed our gear and hopped on a Disney bus.
We had never stayed at the Treehouses, a rather recent addition to the Disney Vacation Club portfolio, and wanted to familiarize ourselves with the layout before entertaining guests. After reviewing check-in procedures, sizing up parking options, assessing dining and souvenir shopping facilities, and confirming the location of the pool nearest to our preassigned vacation home, we felt prepared for basic hosting duties. With this chore completed, we were finally ready to play.
Now, I know what you're thinking. What is their problem? If they are really going to a theme park today, with the outrageous price of theme park admission, what are they doing wasting time fiddling with a leisurely breakfast and a resort tour? You're supposed to get to a theme park at the crack of dawn and stay until they kick you out, right? I mean, are they nuts? Has all that Canadian whiskey finally taken its toll? Are they senile? Well, in the not too distant past, I would have wondered the same thing about our nonchalant pace. But no longer. Because my Bride and I now have these.
After a little morning java, Nancy and I suited up for a long walk, which is what a theme park day mostly is. But first we needed food. We made it over to Captain Cook's, the poolside eatery at the main building of the resort. Here at an outside umbrella table we shared an excellent breakfast combo plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, potato wedges, French toast, and more coffee.
I note that we shared this breakfast plate because in recent years Nancy and I have rarely been able to finish any standard menu item in one sitting. Not unless we restrict ourselves to only a side dish or two. We usually end up taking half of our orders home for a second meal. I'm not normally a conspiracy nut. But I've become highly suspect that there's a terrorist cell of Weebles out there trying to render the country immobile by discreetly blowing up portion sizes. You've felt it, too, right?
After breakfast we had one more chore before heading to Hollywood Studios. That was to check out the digs for our planned Disney outing the following week with our friends, the Dyles and the Wyatts (or as we like to refer to them, the Dyatts). That meant a trip across The World to the Treehouses. So we grabbed our gear and hopped on a Disney bus.
We had never stayed at the Treehouses, a rather recent addition to the Disney Vacation Club portfolio, and wanted to familiarize ourselves with the layout before entertaining guests. After reviewing check-in procedures, sizing up parking options, assessing dining and souvenir shopping facilities, and confirming the location of the pool nearest to our preassigned vacation home, we felt prepared for basic hosting duties. With this chore completed, we were finally ready to play.
Now, I know what you're thinking. What is their problem? If they are really going to a theme park today, with the outrageous price of theme park admission, what are they doing wasting time fiddling with a leisurely breakfast and a resort tour? You're supposed to get to a theme park at the crack of dawn and stay until they kick you out, right? I mean, are they nuts? Has all that Canadian whiskey finally taken its toll? Are they senile? Well, in the not too distant past, I would have wondered the same thing about our nonchalant pace. But no longer. Because my Bride and I now have these.
Yes, that is a picture of an annual pass. That means we can come and go as we please for a whole year. That also means we don't have to go early and stay late. We can run with the kids through Fantasyland for a few hours and then retire to the pool. We can go just for breakfast at the Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace or pop into Hollywood Studios at the last minute for the fancy new fireworks. We could hit EPCOT for a lunch in Norway on our way to miniature golf at Fantasia Fairways, then drop by the Animal Kingdom for the last performance of The Lion King. In short, our mood can now drive our activity, rather then the other way 'round.
Okay. That explains why we didn't feel pressured to hurry the morning's agenda. But, I can hear your next question. How can that be even remotely feasible from an economic perspective? Annual passes can't be that cheap. You're right. They're not. But, you forget my 40 years of government service. With only a smattering of inspiration, I can rationalize with the best of them. Here's how the decision to purchase annual passes evolved.
Disney's theme park pricing scheme has always favored multiple-day tickets. And the best deal was a 10-day ticket, which brought the price of admission to about half the going single day rate. This approach worked for us for a number of years due to two factors. One, we knew we would be making recurring visits to theme parks because of our Vacation Club membership. And two, the unused portions of multiple-day tickets never expire.
But, this past February, just as we needed to buy new 10-day tickets, Disney pulled a fast one. They ceased selling theme park tickets that never expire. So to get any break on price you had to buy at least a four or five day ticket and use all the days within two weeks. This was bad news for us, as we never go to a theme park more than two or three days during a typical week's stay (after a full day of theme park trudging, seniors require at least 24 hours of downtime to recuperate and update their blood work).
So after moping a bit about increased theme park costs, it hit us. We remembered our basic fractions. If you can't reduce the numerator, increase the denominator. In other words, the only way to beat Disney at their own game was to - GO MORE! Brilliant. I've been waiting my whole life for a problem where the solution was to have more fun. Enter the annual pass. By fixing our costs with the purchase of annual passes, we could drive the cost-per-day down by adding theme park days to our schedule. And with the frequent Florida visits already in our lifestyle plan, we have plenty of opportunity to bring our average daily theme park admission cost down to maybe even below our traditional savings of 50%.
Granted, with our slower pace the total hours we would be at a theme park in a year's time might not be much different from five opening-to-closing marathon sessions like the old days. But it might. And the pace will definitely be more suited to our current cruising speed and, as such, the visits should be more enjoyable.
This of course leads to the ultimate question that you have been too polite to ask - why would any reasonably intelligent adult want to spend that much time at Disney theme parks? I'm glad you asked. But I'm going to save my discussion of that issue until later in this chronicle, to give you a little time to digest the material I've already presented. But, not to worry. I'll get back to it. It's a good question, and it deserves a worthy rationalization. Now, on to the rest of March 9.
After the recon of the Treehouse Villas, we finally headed off for a little time at Hollywood Studios to try out our fancy new passes. After unzipping our bags and offering our index fingers to security, we strolled up Hollywood Boulevard to the plaza in front of the Great Movie Ride. We took the ride again, just to get the juices flowing, then hit the Commissary for lunch (yes, we split another entree).
We then went on the updated Star Tours ride (a thrill ride in a flight-simulator setting). The new features include rotating adventure scenarios (you won't necessarily experience the same story as you did on previous rides) and updated sequences using scenes from Star Wars - the Force Awakens.
As we exited the ride we stumbled onto this happening. Kids from I'd guess as young as five or six up through their early teens were learning fighting skills from two Jedi knights.
I was about to check into the availability of a seniors class when a large door rumbled open, there was a loud woosh, and this guy popped out.
With light sabers flashing in the background, we inconspicuously moved on to the safety of the Disney animation studios. There we saw a preview of their recently released Zootopia, a story about a bunny cop trying to prove her worth in a rough and tumble animal metropolis. I know it's on my must-see list. Seriously. It is.
After a little more cruising around the shops and some top-drawer people watching, we'd had enough for the day and took the bus back to the Polynesian. When we arrived in our room, we very much appreciated its creature comforts as we settled in to recover from hours of walking and to catch up on the day's news. We also took a few pics of the room for the archives. Here is the entry corridor which provides a kitchenette and access to the two bathrooms, one with a tub and the other with a shower. Very convenient.
And a few shots of the sitting and sleeping areas, including a sofa-sleeper and under-bed storage drawers. The ottoman is also a storage area. It's good to keep things tidy on the road.
Here's the entertainment center. The panel with the Polynesian art work is actually the bottom of a fold-out bed, making the room a rare five-person sleeper. This was also a feature of the original Polynesian rooms, and is what drew us to this location in the first place back in 1994 as we had three kids to accommodate.
Finally, here is our favorite part of the room - the balcony overlooking the Lagoon. Perfect for morning coffee and evening cocktails.
After returning to Captain Cook's for a light supper of Polynesian nachos (two kinds of chips, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, cheese, onions and pineapple - and yes, we shared it), we dragged ourselves back to our room and crashed for the night. Another routine day of retirement life in the books.
Day 4. A getaway day, which I define as any day when you will go to bed someplace other than where you got up. It almost always involves packing, lugging, driving, lugging again, and unpacking. This was a mini-getaway day because we had only unpacked a little (for the two night stay) and were just driving an hour to my mother's place. Nonetheless, there was pressure involved. Could we with our retirement metabolism clear the room by the check-out deadline? Would I remember where the car was parked? Would we leave anything important behind in the room? It was typically brutal.
To ease the tension, we returned to Captain Cook's for another of their fabulous breakfast platters. Food always helps in these situations. And this time we had the presence of mind to take a few pictures of this beautiful and refreshing spot. First the table area between Captain Cook's and the pools.
And the big pool and kids' play areas.
Once clear of The World, we drove the one hour down I-4 and Florida Route 39 to my mother's place, to unwind from the rigors of resort life and catch up with the family. But in order to do justice to the intricacies and eccentricities of life in a Florida retirement community, I need to wrap up this post and move on to a Part 3. See you in Zephyrhills.
Grosse Pointe Charles
Okay. That explains why we didn't feel pressured to hurry the morning's agenda. But, I can hear your next question. How can that be even remotely feasible from an economic perspective? Annual passes can't be that cheap. You're right. They're not. But, you forget my 40 years of government service. With only a smattering of inspiration, I can rationalize with the best of them. Here's how the decision to purchase annual passes evolved.
Disney's theme park pricing scheme has always favored multiple-day tickets. And the best deal was a 10-day ticket, which brought the price of admission to about half the going single day rate. This approach worked for us for a number of years due to two factors. One, we knew we would be making recurring visits to theme parks because of our Vacation Club membership. And two, the unused portions of multiple-day tickets never expire.
But, this past February, just as we needed to buy new 10-day tickets, Disney pulled a fast one. They ceased selling theme park tickets that never expire. So to get any break on price you had to buy at least a four or five day ticket and use all the days within two weeks. This was bad news for us, as we never go to a theme park more than two or three days during a typical week's stay (after a full day of theme park trudging, seniors require at least 24 hours of downtime to recuperate and update their blood work).
So after moping a bit about increased theme park costs, it hit us. We remembered our basic fractions. If you can't reduce the numerator, increase the denominator. In other words, the only way to beat Disney at their own game was to - GO MORE! Brilliant. I've been waiting my whole life for a problem where the solution was to have more fun. Enter the annual pass. By fixing our costs with the purchase of annual passes, we could drive the cost-per-day down by adding theme park days to our schedule. And with the frequent Florida visits already in our lifestyle plan, we have plenty of opportunity to bring our average daily theme park admission cost down to maybe even below our traditional savings of 50%.
Granted, with our slower pace the total hours we would be at a theme park in a year's time might not be much different from five opening-to-closing marathon sessions like the old days. But it might. And the pace will definitely be more suited to our current cruising speed and, as such, the visits should be more enjoyable.
This of course leads to the ultimate question that you have been too polite to ask - why would any reasonably intelligent adult want to spend that much time at Disney theme parks? I'm glad you asked. But I'm going to save my discussion of that issue until later in this chronicle, to give you a little time to digest the material I've already presented. But, not to worry. I'll get back to it. It's a good question, and it deserves a worthy rationalization. Now, on to the rest of March 9.
After the recon of the Treehouse Villas, we finally headed off for a little time at Hollywood Studios to try out our fancy new passes. After unzipping our bags and offering our index fingers to security, we strolled up Hollywood Boulevard to the plaza in front of the Great Movie Ride. We took the ride again, just to get the juices flowing, then hit the Commissary for lunch (yes, we split another entree).
We then went on the updated Star Tours ride (a thrill ride in a flight-simulator setting). The new features include rotating adventure scenarios (you won't necessarily experience the same story as you did on previous rides) and updated sequences using scenes from Star Wars - the Force Awakens.
As we exited the ride we stumbled onto this happening. Kids from I'd guess as young as five or six up through their early teens were learning fighting skills from two Jedi knights.
I was about to check into the availability of a seniors class when a large door rumbled open, there was a loud woosh, and this guy popped out.
So I reconsidered. But the ominous presence of Darth Vader didn't phase this young Padawan, who took his turn exchanging thrusts and parries with the bad man himself.
With light sabers flashing in the background, we inconspicuously moved on to the safety of the Disney animation studios. There we saw a preview of their recently released Zootopia, a story about a bunny cop trying to prove her worth in a rough and tumble animal metropolis. I know it's on my must-see list. Seriously. It is.
After a little more cruising around the shops and some top-drawer people watching, we'd had enough for the day and took the bus back to the Polynesian. When we arrived in our room, we very much appreciated its creature comforts as we settled in to recover from hours of walking and to catch up on the day's news. We also took a few pics of the room for the archives. Here is the entry corridor which provides a kitchenette and access to the two bathrooms, one with a tub and the other with a shower. Very convenient.
And a few shots of the sitting and sleeping areas, including a sofa-sleeper and under-bed storage drawers. The ottoman is also a storage area. It's good to keep things tidy on the road.
Here's the entertainment center. The panel with the Polynesian art work is actually the bottom of a fold-out bed, making the room a rare five-person sleeper. This was also a feature of the original Polynesian rooms, and is what drew us to this location in the first place back in 1994 as we had three kids to accommodate.
Finally, here is our favorite part of the room - the balcony overlooking the Lagoon. Perfect for morning coffee and evening cocktails.
After returning to Captain Cook's for a light supper of Polynesian nachos (two kinds of chips, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, cheese, onions and pineapple - and yes, we shared it), we dragged ourselves back to our room and crashed for the night. Another routine day of retirement life in the books.
Thursday, March 10
Day 4. A getaway day, which I define as any day when you will go to bed someplace other than where you got up. It almost always involves packing, lugging, driving, lugging again, and unpacking. This was a mini-getaway day because we had only unpacked a little (for the two night stay) and were just driving an hour to my mother's place. Nonetheless, there was pressure involved. Could we with our retirement metabolism clear the room by the check-out deadline? Would I remember where the car was parked? Would we leave anything important behind in the room? It was typically brutal.
To ease the tension, we returned to Captain Cook's for another of their fabulous breakfast platters. Food always helps in these situations. And this time we had the presence of mind to take a few pictures of this beautiful and refreshing spot. First the table area between Captain Cook's and the pools.
And the big pool and kids' play areas.
Before heading out, we snapped this shot of our home away from home - the place it all began for us in 1994,
And this final pic of the map of the Polynesian grounds, just in case we needed a little help navigating our exit. Oh, like that's never happened.
Once clear of The World, we drove the one hour down I-4 and Florida Route 39 to my mother's place, to unwind from the rigors of resort life and catch up with the family. But in order to do justice to the intricacies and eccentricities of life in a Florida retirement community, I need to wrap up this post and move on to a Part 3. See you in Zephyrhills.
Grosse Pointe Charles
LOL another awesome post! :)
ReplyDelete"I've been waiting my whole life for a problem where the solution was to have more fun"
ReplyDeleteAmen, Brother.