Day 1 - 6/27 - 6/28/03

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=82 style=" border-bottom: 1px solid #999980;" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="792890903.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Monotype Corsiva" ><I><B>SuiteDisney</B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Walt Disney Script v4.1" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>  </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>  </B></FONT><B>|</B><B>    </B>Day 1 - 6/27 - 6/28/03   |   <A HREF="day_2___629.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 2 6/29">Day 2 - 6/29</A>   |   <A HREF="day_3___630.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 3 6/30">Day 3 - 6/30</A>   |   <A HREF="day_4___71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 4 7/1">Day 4 - 7/1</A>   |   <A HREF="day_5___72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 5 7/2">Day 5 - 7/2</A>   |   <A HREF="day_6___73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 6 7/3">Day 6 - 7/3</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="e8590903.jpg"> <div> <I><B>Day 1 - 6/27 - 6/28/03</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.suitedisney.com/wdwphotos/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.suitedisney.com/wdwphotos/"><B>WDW Photos</B></A></div> <bR> <div>  <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script>  </div> <bR> <div> Well, gang, are you ready to go to Disney World? Gene just got home from work and we're all packed, so hop in the van. We'll be driving all night so you might want to take a nap. But first you have to guess what our mileage will be when we arrive. We always do this. I'm picking 1003 miles.</div> <bR> <div> ***Can you keep a secret? I told Rachel today, but the boys have no idea.... Promise not to tell? Okay, Gene and Justin think that we're staying  at All Star Music the first night and then checking into Old Key West. But I changed our reservation so that we're spending the first night in a cabin in Fort Wilderness. :) I love to surprise Gene, but it's so hard to keep the secret. Meanwhile, we've been talking about checking out boating plans and I read somewhere that you can only do a boating plan at Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness, so I'm going to try to work that in as my cover story.</div> <bR> <div> We always take turns driving and Gene offers to finish driving at Daytona Beach, but I think I'll just keep driving. He expects to get off at the last WDW exit, but I want to get off at the first exit. Rather than let him drive to All Stars and then tell him that we aren't staying there, I'll just drive and make something up...</div> <bR> <div> Okay, I'm getting off at the first exit because I think it will be less mileage. I had the lowest guess at 1003 and I want to be the closest. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >This exit works out great, we wind up at the corner where Old Key West is located. I pretend to goof and go straight instead of turning left to head towards All Stars. </FONT>Gene tells me that I'm going the wrong way. He says he can't believe that as much as we drive around WDW, I still don't know which way to go. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >Little does he know that I'm going exactly the right way! </FONT>He tries to get me to turn left at the next light, which would be correct if we were going to All Stars. I keep insisting that I'm right. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >Because I am!!! </FONT>By the time we pass Port Orleans, I confess that I'm lost. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >Fat chance! </FONT>Then I suggest that our room won't be ready, yet and as long as we're going this way we should stop at Fort Wilderness and I'll go in and ask about the different boat rental plans. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >He actually buys this!</FONT></div> <bR> <div> So we park at  Fort Wilderness and we all walk into the check-in. There's a big sign that says, "Check-In," and I go right up to the counter... <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Arial" >and check-in. Gene still thinks I'm asking about boats! </FONT>Finally, Gene sees me give the cast member my credit card and he begins to suspect something. Rachel tells him that we're really staying in a cabin the first night. I tell the cast member about the surprise and how we drove all night and he tells me that he has a cabin that's ready for us now (it's 10:00 am). Yippee! The Disney magic is kicking in!</div> <div> <IMG SRC="7720d0e00.jpg" border=0 width="720" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> So we head right for our cabin, #2406. Gene and I go in first to take pictures and video and then the kids start bringing stuff in. I packed a separate bag for this first night, so we don't have to take everything out of the car. It doesn't take long to unpack and we quickly decide that we need a dip in the pool to help unwind after the long ride. It turns out that our cabin is very close to both a pool and a bus stop. The pool is bigger than I expected, but plain. There's no slide.</div> <bR> <div> After relaxing in the pool, what could be better to help us get through the day after driving all night than a little nap. Not too long, just a couple of hours. It does the trick and now we're ready to head down to the marina and look into boat rentals.  We decide to rent water mice; this is the first time Rachel was old enough to drive one by herself and Justin has never driven one, either. As soon as Rachel gets going, she decides that she doesn't like the steering and doesn't want to ride alone. She and Gene go right back to the marina and turn in her boat. Then she rides with Gene and we all go boating on Bay Lake and 7-Seas Lagoon. I think Gene and I enjoyed it more than either one of the kids. We finish just in time for an early dinner at Trail's End. There's something here for all of us to enjoy; the food is good and so is the service. We haven't been here for 20 years, but we won't be waiting 20 years before we come back again.</div> <bR> <div> The kids decide that they want to go back to the cabin and relax (that means play video games.) We let them go on the condition that they meet us back at Crockett's Tavern no later than 8:30 because we have a carriage ride scheduled for 9:00 pm and that's where it's supposed to pick us up.</div> <bR> <div> I'm on a mission to take pictures and Gene, being the good sport he is, agrees to join me. We take a boat to the Contemporary and I take several pictures, both inside and outside. Then we take the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and I do the same there. Then we take the monorail back to the Contemporary and a boat to the Wilderness Lodge so I can take pictures there. My goal is to get pictures of the pools and lobbies. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="7721d0e00.jpg" border=0 width="720" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We get back to Fort Wilderness by 8:00 and sit in rocking chairs on the porch of Crockett's Tavern. Within 15 minutes the kids show up and we sit back to wait for our carriage ride. There's a couple who has booked the carriage ride at 8:30, but they're back in time for us to get comfy and on the move by 9:00. Come on up and take a seat. The driver is Chris and Scottie is the horse. He's due to retire in a couple years and Chris is planning on buying him and moving him to her farm. They've been partners for a few years.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="7722d0270.jpg" border=0 width="720" height="551" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The carriage ride ends just in time for us to walk down to the beach and get settled on beach chairs. Then it's time for the Electrical Water Pageant. It's a cute show, but bugs on the beach are eating us alive! We can't get off the beach fast enough when the show ends. I have some stuff you can put on your bug bites as soon as we get back to the cabin.</div> <bR> <div> I don't know about you, but I would like to hop in the pool one more time and cool down before bed. Don't forget your towel.</div> <bR> <div> Can you believe it was such a fun day and we didn't even go to a park? Good night!</div> </td> </tr></table></body>