SeaCastle's August-September 2011 Pre/Post Trip Report

It's that time of year again...when the SeaCastle clan heads down to the Disney mecca to spend a week of eating, riding, and shopping in the Vacation Kingdom of the World.

The three of us are departing from Atlantic City International Airport on August 27th. We'll be staying at the Contemporary until September 3rd, and at that point we'll be back in the Armpit of the Nation, also known as New Jersey.

We've been visiting quasi-regularly since 2004. Our first visit was in 2000, with subsequent visits in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, and now 2011. The three of us love Disney, with me being the "nut". This will be our third time in a row going to WDW in August, with the first in 2008 from the 21st to the 28th. During the first half of our visit, Tropical Storm Fay dumped rain throughout the region, which made our visit very interesting and very low on crowds. During the week, we never waited more than a half hour for any attraction. The temperature was never too bad, and we managed to have an absolutely wonderful time. We then went last year from the 12th through the 19th. The weather was much hotter and much less rainy and the crowds were larger, though we had just as much fun as we always do. Who knows what this visit will bring!

We have made all of our reservations and ADRs. We'll be eating at Mama Melrose's, the Yachtsman Steakhouse, San Angel Inn, Via Napoli, the Kona Cafe, and the Nine Dragons Cafe. We've never eaten at the Yachtsman, Nine Dragons, or Kona Cafe, so we are anxiously awaiting those meals.

I'll also be traveling with my relatively new Canon Rebel XS, and I'm expecting upwards of 2,000 pictures by the time the week ends.

Check back for more updates. :)
 

mickeysshoes

Well-Known Member
We will be there just before you....19th - 25th and I also will be traveling with my new Canon Rebel!!! I cant wait to take lots of pictures!!!! :wave:
 

SeaCastle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We will be there from 8/20-8/27. First time in late Aug. Does anyone know the crowd levels during that time?

Crowd levels drop precipitously as August moves on. In my experience, that week is a pretty slow time. Most of the crowds would have been gone by then.
 

SeaCastle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm back! :wave: Time for the trip...report of a lifetime!

August 30th- September 5th, 2011

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

It was a year of transition for our family- with another year following that looms over us like a raincloud. After we came back from Disney World last year, we almost immediately decided to go back the following year. Our last trip, from August 12th-19th, was a smash hit, though a bit crowded for our tastes. It was with this aversion to crowds that we remembered our late August 2008 trip, one hampered by a tropical storm. Both vacations were exceedingly fun, and we looked to enjoy this trip, perhaps our last visit to WDW for two or three years. As the trip grew closer in countdown, I became more and more eager for this hectic summer to pass, so on August 28th, I could wake up at four in the morning, drive to the airport with my family, and board an early-morning flight for Orlando, and be in the Magic Kingdom by 11AM. It was the perfect plan.

Then along came a hurricane named Irene. We had first heard of Irene when it was ravaging the Caribbean and Bahamas, but it wasn’t until forecasters had its path heading towards the northeast did we become worried. “But it’ll probably make a hook to the east and miss us completely,” we thought, as The Weather Channel preached doom and gloom, and the National Hurricane Center’s charts had it crawling up the northeast coast. “At least it won’t be over New Jersey when our flight takes off,” we re-assured ourselves. This optimism was short-lived, as it soon became evident that Miss Irene would become inescapable. Stressful days followed. Would we cancel our flight? Move our reservations? Not go to WDW altogether? The decisions weighed on us like a mid-afternoon turkey leg, until we finally decided to bite the bullet and take preventive measures.

By this time, all of the local news organizations and local governments were scrambling to evacuate people and make necessary precautions. We had joked previously that “the one time there’s a hurricane in NJ and we’re in Florida…” but this was no joke. We thought carefully, and made the decision to cancel our Spirit flight going out of Atlantic City on the 28th. Flights on the following days were booked, so we gave up our notion of flying out of Atlantic City, and decided to book a Southwest flight (having never flown them before) from Newark. We then pushed our vacation back two days, and proceeded to lose a day of park touring because we would be getting into Orlando around 9PM on the 30th. We were a bit bummed, but we figured it would all work out in the end. Thankfully, Spirit refunded our flight, and we only lost a few dollars in the re-booking process (between Disney and the airlines.)

Disheartened but determined, we decided to wait out the storm here in Central Jersey. We’re about five minutes away from the nearest mandatory evacuation zone, but on high ground. Our biggest fear were the winds, but it became evident as the day and night dragged on that the storm (at least for us) wasn’t going to be anything major. We lost power for a few hours and emerged with a handful (or truck-full) of broken branches, but that was easily cleaned up. I understand that this wasn’t the situation for much of the northeast, and we are very grateful that we were not badly damaged by the storm. My thoughts and prayers are with those who suffered losses during the storm.

The days dragged on slowly, until finally, it was the night before we left. The rest of my family went down south to drop off our dogs at a family member’s house in South Jersey, whilst I packed and attempted to tire myself out so I could sleep that night. It barely worked, and I woke up relatively early with great anticipation. The car didn’t pick us up until 1PM, so I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde until the car came and picked myself and my family up. And we locked the house, and drove off towards the horizon…only to emerge 45 minutes later in scenic Newark, NJ waiting for our flight to come.

The good thing about airports and airplanes (without internet access) is that they allow plentiful time for reading. I read a considerable amount that day. Our flight left slightly late, and took off for Baltimore-Washington International, supposedly the shortest flight Southwest offers. With not much to do in the meantime, we hung around the airport for a while. It was a nice airport, but that’s a relative term when your Disney vacation is so close in grasp, but oh-so-far.


IMG_7226 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr

In-flight:


IMG_7235 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr


IMG_7258 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr


IMG_7280 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr

We landed in an empty Orlando International Airport.


IMG_7310 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr


IMG_7315 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr

It had been remodeled since our last visit, and was looking sharp. However, it was odd to see the airport so empty (and at nighttime)…as we had been accustomed to getting into Orlando early in the morning. We proceeded to pick up our luggage, and then navigate ourselves to the Magical Express (easier said than done). And once on board, we drove off…


IMG_7329 by EchoLakeSC, on Flickr
.:End Part One:.
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Booooo to Irene!!! At least you guys got to go on your vacation though. Better late than never right? I had a friend get married on Saturday the 27th and Irene hit here in Maine on Sunday the 28th so they were unable to fly out to go on their honeymoon in (where else?) Florida :(

Can't wait to read the rest! :wave:
 

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