Day 2: Tuesday, April 27: Travel: Chester, VA to Orlando; Check into the RPR
Weather: Overcast, but no rain. The temperature is in the low 60s when we leave the hotel. It warms gradually as we head south and by the time we hit Orlando, the evening temperature in 75 degrees.
We took advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast in the motel and then hit the road by 8:30. We stopped for an early dinner at a Cracker-Barrel in Georgia and were in Florida shortly after 5:00. We got to the Royal Pacific around 9:00. The trip was nice. We hit almost no traffic. Both my wife and I really enjoy the drive down. It gives us a chance to talk, which we usually need at the beginning of our vacation since the days before are usually very hectic with last minute shopping, packing and dealing with work issues. The kids seem to like it too. We have a portable DVD player that we use for long trips. We packed 20 of their favorite movies, there new game-boy type Leap Frogs and some odds and ends, and they were all set. We also wind them up into a frenzy talking about the upcoming attractions and resorts.
Now, onto the RPR. We didn’t do much when we got there since it was pushing 9:30 by the time we checked in. I’ll review the resort later on the day we checked out, but let me give you my first impression: The RPR an easy comparison to the Polynesian, since they have the Island theme in common. However, it is contained in one structure, as opposed to the Poly’s longhouses. I was pretty impressed right away. The valets and the bellhops were very friendly. They give you a quick rundown about the resort and tell you how to get around. The bellhop is a two-man act, so be careful when tipping. I tipped the first bellhop for getting my luggage out and on a cart only to find out that he was not the one who actually brings it to the room. The second bellhop got the same tip. So moving my luggage cost me $20 instead of $10. And the valet service is more expensive than Disney. It cost $12 a day. If you didn’t use the valet, you still got hit with a parking fee of $6 a day. I generally hate paying someone to baby sit my car and usually forego the service. But, since we would be traveling around a bit, I used the valet. They were excellent through out our stay.
The lobby is grand and well done. When I saw pictures on the resort’s website of the elephant fountains in the atrium, I thought it would be kind of hokey. But it really worked and set a nice tropical mood. Checking in was quick (it was kind of late). My only qualm was that the clerk explained the room charges to me like it was the first hotel I had ever stayed at. She was very nice, though. The room was very nice. We were on the top floor (7th) of Tower I, looking at the pool area. We were also informed that we would have four connecting rooms when my family checked in on Thursday. I had made the request, but assumed that would be difficult to accommodate since we were checking in in the middle of the week and at different times. The bathroom was a little small with a single sink vanity area outside of it. The beds were outstanding. They were far more comfortable than the beds we would get at the AKL and the Poly. We were at the end of the hall with three empty rooms around us (waiting for my family), so it was very quiet. That was nice since we had nowhere to go in the morning and were sleeping in the next day (or so we thought).
Day 3 to follow shortly...
Weather: Overcast, but no rain. The temperature is in the low 60s when we leave the hotel. It warms gradually as we head south and by the time we hit Orlando, the evening temperature in 75 degrees.
We took advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast in the motel and then hit the road by 8:30. We stopped for an early dinner at a Cracker-Barrel in Georgia and were in Florida shortly after 5:00. We got to the Royal Pacific around 9:00. The trip was nice. We hit almost no traffic. Both my wife and I really enjoy the drive down. It gives us a chance to talk, which we usually need at the beginning of our vacation since the days before are usually very hectic with last minute shopping, packing and dealing with work issues. The kids seem to like it too. We have a portable DVD player that we use for long trips. We packed 20 of their favorite movies, there new game-boy type Leap Frogs and some odds and ends, and they were all set. We also wind them up into a frenzy talking about the upcoming attractions and resorts.
Now, onto the RPR. We didn’t do much when we got there since it was pushing 9:30 by the time we checked in. I’ll review the resort later on the day we checked out, but let me give you my first impression: The RPR an easy comparison to the Polynesian, since they have the Island theme in common. However, it is contained in one structure, as opposed to the Poly’s longhouses. I was pretty impressed right away. The valets and the bellhops were very friendly. They give you a quick rundown about the resort and tell you how to get around. The bellhop is a two-man act, so be careful when tipping. I tipped the first bellhop for getting my luggage out and on a cart only to find out that he was not the one who actually brings it to the room. The second bellhop got the same tip. So moving my luggage cost me $20 instead of $10. And the valet service is more expensive than Disney. It cost $12 a day. If you didn’t use the valet, you still got hit with a parking fee of $6 a day. I generally hate paying someone to baby sit my car and usually forego the service. But, since we would be traveling around a bit, I used the valet. They were excellent through out our stay.
The lobby is grand and well done. When I saw pictures on the resort’s website of the elephant fountains in the atrium, I thought it would be kind of hokey. But it really worked and set a nice tropical mood. Checking in was quick (it was kind of late). My only qualm was that the clerk explained the room charges to me like it was the first hotel I had ever stayed at. She was very nice, though. The room was very nice. We were on the top floor (7th) of Tower I, looking at the pool area. We were also informed that we would have four connecting rooms when my family checked in on Thursday. I had made the request, but assumed that would be difficult to accommodate since we were checking in in the middle of the week and at different times. The bathroom was a little small with a single sink vanity area outside of it. The beds were outstanding. They were far more comfortable than the beds we would get at the AKL and the Poly. We were at the end of the hall with three empty rooms around us (waiting for my family), so it was very quiet. That was nice since we had nowhere to go in the morning and were sleeping in the next day (or so we thought).
Day 3 to follow shortly...
