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This trip was quite an adventure. We (Chris and I, both 25) go to Disney often, and always have a wonderful time. This trip was supposed to be a quick little getaway for the two of us, planned because there was a concert at House of Blues that Chris really wanted to see (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) We only live about 5 hours away, so we were going to just spend one night at the Swan, then check out the Star Wars Weekend the next day before returning home.
The problems began Thursday night, however, when I developed the migraine from hell. I had had a nagging headache for most of the day and had been taking tylenol that hadn't quite gotten rid of it. I tried taking two Valium and settling into bed for the night, but it wasn't meant to be.
I spent most of the night throwing up, and poor Chris spent most of it cleaning up after me and trying to make me comfortable. Finally around 10:30 am, I took a vicodin and was able to sleep for a bit. Off and on throughout the night I had been apologizing to Chris for being sick and insisting that I'd be okay in time to go and he kept telling me that it was okay, we'll go another time.
Around 1:00 pm, I sat up in bed, somewhat painfree and yelled for Chris. He came in and I asked what time the show started. He told me 8:00, and I replied, well, we'd better go then!
So, I got up, made the bed and got ready, while we threw some stuff into an overnight bag. We grabbed our AP's, and headed out the door. We stopped at the store long enough for me to pick up my paycheck and buy Excedrin Migraine, Immodium and Bonine and a bottle of water. Back in the car, I took a dose of everything and settled in for the ride. We usually listen to an audiobook and the selection for this trip was I Am Spock, by Leonard Nimoy.
After about an hours drive, I had to stop for the bathroom (oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm also battling a bladder infection). So, we stop and I decide that I should eat something, so we buy a couple of chocolate chip cookies at Burger King. I pick at one, leaving the other in the bag, and about 20 minutes later, we have to stop again.
At this point, Chris keeps saying, honey, its okay, let's just go home. I insist that I'll manage and we're going. While waiting for me the whole time, Chris found me one of those nifty pillows that fit around your neck for in the car. We get back into the car, settle down again and he inflated the pillow for me. As we're pulling out of the parking lot, he asks me if I ate both cookies. I tell him no, and that I put the one back in the bag. He checks, and says no you didn't. Where is the cookie? Oops! I was sitting on it! Thank goodness it was in a bag, as the leather seats wouldn't have recovered.
Okay, so all is well, we're on our way to Disney, a few miles down 95, Chris starts playing with the windows. I can't figure out why, after all the AC is on. Then, I realize his window isn't going back up! Oh dear, now what. You guessed it! It starts to rain!!
So, we pull over and Chris plays with the window a bit and finally gets it back up. Back onto the road and all is well. Another five miles or so and wait a minute- where's that draft coming from? The window is down again. We pull off of 95 into a gas station and check out the manual. Nothing, so we call the dealership to see if they can talk us through fixing it. Nope, it's off the track and there's nothing they can do unless we bring it in. Well, I refuse to head back, so somehow Chris manages to get the thing up, and as long as he pushes it up every time we go over a bump, it stays pretty much in place. Good enough for now.
We settle back in, and I promptly fall asleep for most of the rest of the trip. I woke up just as we were turning onto I-4 and then stayed up for the rest of the trip in. We were trying to race the clock, as the concert started at 8 and it was just about 7 pm.
In the end, we were pulling up to the Swan at 7:50, and I went in ahead to check in, while Chris went to the gift shop. I got us checked in and found out that we'd been upgraded to a room with a king bed and a balcony. In the meantime, Chris had gone to the gift shop and bought a package of erasers, using them to hold the window in place.
We headed upstairs to find our room, and it was great. Very big, and the bed was just incredible. The Swan has changed all of their beds over to Heavenly beds and they are soo worth it. I can't even begin to describe how comfortable they are, they just suck you in!. It's a pillowtop mattress, covered with a high thread count fitted sheet. Then there's a flat sheet, a thin down comforter, another flat sheet and a huge, soft duvet. Top it off with 5 of the most comfortable pillows in the world and you'll never want to leave the bed!
After checking out the room, we quickly decided that I just didn't have it in me to go to the concert. Chris settled stuff in for me and then headed out to Downtown Disney alone. I decided that I wanted to arrange a surprise for Chris, since he'd taken such good care of me, and I was thirsty, so I headed down to the lobby.
I was surprised that the gift shop didn't have any soda, but headed to the front desk to see if they could arrange for a special plate of goodies for Chris. I wanted one that is featured on the Swan's site, however it wasn't available, so I settled for 6 chocolate covered strawberries (20.00 plus tax) Then, I headed back upstairs to check out the room service menu.
I finally settled on the kids menu cheeseburger and fries, a piece of strawberry and vanilla cake and two cokes. I called to order this, and was told that my credit card wasn't going through for the strawberries. It seems that they put a hold on the card when I checked in, so it wasn't going through. No matter, I gave them another one and it went right through. Then, I placed my dinner order and was told it would be 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes later, there was a knock at the door and it was my food. It was pretty good. The cake wasn't as good as I had hoped for, but since it had been my first meal in hours, I didn't really care. The total bill was 25.98, and I just charged it to the room.
After I finished eating, I decided to take a shower. I went into the bathroom, put the bathmat on the floor and found a wet washcloth on the tub. Ick!! I promptly pitched it into the corner of the bathroom and then took my shower. After I got out, I called the guest services line and told them what I had found. They were very upset and offered to send someone up to clean the room immediately.
The bathroom was actually clean, so I declined, and then they offered me a choice of their "amenities" My choices were a box of chocolates, a 50.00 credit to the room, or 2500 Starwood Points. We aren't Starwood members, so that choice was out. I thought for a second and then opted for the 50.00 credit.
After that, I hopped into the wonderful bed and watched Bundle of Joy on Turner Classic Movies. Just as it was ending, Chris returned from the concert. We shared the strawberries, and then he ordered a club sandwich from room service.
After that, we just settled in for the night. At some point the next morning Chris woke up and started puttering around the room and checked the bill. I stayed happily asleep until around 12:30. I had been able to arrange a late check out for 2:00 pm, and was planning to make the most of it.
We took our time getting up and ready, and checked our folio on the television. The credit had shown up, and they actually owed us 7.44 at that point after the room service and valet parking charges were added in, however, the statement that was put under the door didn't reflect that, so while Chris went to get the car, I went to the desk to get a new statement for our records.
They gave me a new statement and explained that the credit wasn't a refundable one, but suggested that I do a little shopping in the gift shop. So, I picked up some postcards and a Princess antenna topper.
Then, I headed out to meet Chris and we set off for MGM. Chris is a Star Wars fan. I am not. I haven't seen the movies, and have no desire to. He loves them, and was thrilled that we were going to be here for part of the event.
We parked and took the tram up to the gates. Then, we went through security, stopping to take a picture of the Star Wars sign. Then it was into the park. We headed over towards Star Tours, since it seemed the best place to start. There were several characters walking around, most of which I (wrongly) called Ewoks. There were two actual Ewoks, and some cockroach looking people too. We went into Tatooine Traders where Chris decided to purchase a shirt (Mickey and Yoda, basically the logo for the event) and a Pez Dispenser (some Fett guy). And then we got out of there as it was really crowded.
We wandered around in that area for a while, seeing some different characters, Luke, Chewbacca, a Fett guy, and some lady with a red face, and then we headed out to see what else there was. Chris hadn't been on Tower of Terror since they changed it, so we set off in that direction. We stopped in one of the stores to get some drinks, and then I headed to my customary spot, while Chris went to check out the lines. He was back in just a little while, since the lines for ToT and RnR were both over an hour, and we decided to check out the stores.
As usual for this trip, I was feeling very unwell, in fact at times I could barely stand up. We debated heading over to Epcot for a while, but I just couldn't handle it. Instead, we took our time leaving the park and decided to head to Downtown Disney.
When we got to Downtown Disney, I decided I wanted to put my Princess antennae topper on my car. There was one small problem, though, apparently my car doesn't have an antennae! Oh well.
We checked out World of Disney for a while, then headed out to see the other stores. We went into Basin, one of my new favorite stores. I walked around smelling everything and decided to buy a bar of Tahitiian Vanilla soap (5.73) and then we headed off to shop some more. Next stop was Arribas Bros, where Chris insisted on buying me some damascene. I agreed to get the Beauty and the Beast plate (125.00) but wouldn't let him buy me the box he wanted to. He kept insisting that it was Limited Edition and that I should get it, but I coulnd't justify spending the 195.00 on it, so I just got the plate. I have a feeling I'm getting the box on my birthday trip, though.
After Arribas Bros, we wandered around and went to Once Upon a Toy. There Chris found some Muppet Playsets. One of them was Beaker's Lab, which he wanted solely because one of the included features is a gorilla detector. Then, however, he spotted the Swedish Chef's kitchen, which he had to buy because it comes with "removable kitchen mess" The playset is actually pretty elaborate and well worth the 25.00. The only problem is that he walked around for the rest of the day saying,"Bork, Bork"
After Once Upon a Toy, we checked out the Pin store, but the only one we were interested in wasn't available, as it was the Father's Day pin. So, we headed out to Pooh Corner. Then, we decided it was time to eat, so we went over to the Gourmet Pantry. We opted for club sandwiches, with drinks, and some fruit. (20.50) We relaxed and enjoyed the food before heading out to Days of Christmas. Then we checked out the scrapbooking store and the gallery, before going to Disney at Home.
At this point, I managed to get something on my shorts that necessitated changing. Since we were only going to be there for a night, I hadn't brought extra clothes. So, we went to World of Disney, where I couldn't find a pair of shorts that fit. I opted for a cute Pooh pj set, which we bought along with a trivia game for me. I ducked into the bathroom and put on my new jammies, and then we headed home.
Other than the erasers jammed in the window, the trip was uneventful. All in all, the trip was fun, just not the best one we've had, due to me being sick. But, it was time in Disney, and it can never be totally bad. I just can't wait for our next trip in August.
Jessica
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