Sunday, August 4th, 2002
We got up at 8:00, recorded our recaps from the day before, got dressed, and grabbed a quick breakfast in the concierge lounge. Every day there, we got a perfect seat by the window, and could just sit, relax, and enjoy a wonderful view. We never got used to it it would thrill us every time we put the key cards into the GF elevators. And the maids left carnations and roses in our towels every morning! Truly luxurious
We took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, and got a fast pass to Buzz Lightyear. We rode the TTA, and then went to Space Mountain. A worker there, Mike, gave us a fast pass to ride it right away, which was yet another magical moment! Then when we tried to give the fast pass to the CM at the front of the line, Glenn, he told us to keep it and ride again!
We went onto the Buzz Lightyear ride then, and went to Mickeys Toontown Fair. We only had to wait in line about 5-10 minutes to get our picture taken with Mickey, which was pretty good. We got a picture of him kissing my hands, which was so cute! We rode the Barnstormer, also another ride we could just walk onto. I was worried about what the lines would be like during the summer, and they actually werent bad at all. Certain rides were crowded at certain times, but if we went during the parades, the line was a lot shorter. The weather wasnt bad at all, either. It wasnt as hot as it is here in Charlotte, so it was actually a relief. In the evenings, it felt great; cool, but not cold enough for a sweater. We had fantastic luck!
We went to Peter Pan then, which is my very favorite ride, and there was a 45 minute wait. The CM there saw us walking to the fast pass section, and he just motioned us over and let us into the fast pass lane without the pass!
We went to Splash Mountain then, and there was an hour long line, even though the sign said 40 minutes. Once we got on the ride, it broke, and we were stuck for a bit, so we ended up being about 5 minutes late for our 1:30 priority seating at Cinderellas Royal Table. When we were seated, the CM sprinkled confetti all over our table, to celebrate our wedding! We split crabcakes for appetizers there, and we both had the Major Domos pie, a flaky pastry on top of mashed potatoes and prime rib, with a nice gravy. For dessert, we split an apple bread pudding with walnut ice cream on top and a caramel sauce. It was delicious and very, very filling! (Notice a trend here?). Our server gave us a certificate for our Royal Union, which is a wonderful souvenir! The certificate is for the Royal Union of the Lady Heather & Lord Andrew, and at the top of it, it says, Across the miles and over the years, youll always remember this magical moment at the Walt Disney World Resort. Very special! The lunch service was very slow, because our server had another table behind us, that spoke no English. They made her translate every item on the menu, and would make her read it several times, since they couldnt make up their minds. It was frustrating just listening to them! But the server was very nice to them about it; she didnt seem to mind reading it over and over. Lunch was pretty long b/c of the slow service, though, and it took us almost 2 hours!
After lunch, we were very tired, so went back to the hotel to take a nap. It was so nice, being at the GF, and being able to rest there during the day. At 7:00, we went downstairs to meet up with our families. Andy and my 2 brothers Lee & Peter were going to check into the Contemporary that night, and Andys sister Julie (my MOH) and Lees wife (my SIL) Lindsay were going to stay at the GF with me. Hope thats not too confusing! Anyway, we were all meeting up so that Andys parents could transfer the dress to me, and then we would ride together to the Contemporary to let the guys check in, then the rehearsal dinner at Ohana.
Everyone was on time, miraculously, so we brought the dress upstairs and showed the beautiful GF turret room to our families. Everyone oohd and aahd over it, and we had fun with that. Then we all got on the monorail together. I think that the wedding didnt seem real, until I saw our families there together. Before that, it could have been a regular vacation, but it was so different, having the families there.
I was so disappointed that my family hadnt gone to the parks that day. Instead, they went to a golf shop and the Bass Pro Outlet (?). My mom apparently stayed in the car and took a nap, b/c she didnt want to go in the stores. I really wish they had gone to the parks instead!
The 2 sets of parents got off at the Poly, to check in at Ohana for our 8:20 dinner (they were really early, but wanted to hang out there). Andy, Lee, Peter, Julie, Lindsay & I went to the Contemporary to check the guys in. They were in the South wing, and I wanted to see the room, since I had never been in a Contemporary room before. I didnt like the design at all I kept singing Meet George Jetson.
We then took the monorail around to the Polynesian, and met up with our parents outside Ohana. It took about 15 minutes to get seated, and Andys dad was getting a bit antsy, but they put us at a long table for all 10 of us, which was nice.
We both liked the atmosphere of Ohana a lot, though I have to agree with Brooke that the food was nothing special at all. In fact, I got sick later that night, but Im sure there were other reasons contributing! The kids racing around werent as obnoxious as I feared they would be. None of us in the group are big into children making noise, and we werent bothered at all.
Julie (the vegetarian) and I ended up eating mostly the appetizers. The fried rice was pretty good, and the fried shrimp wontons were great! I was not impressed by the meats on sticks, but to be fair, my brother Lee & SIL Lindsay absolutely raved about the turkey; they said it was the best thing theyd ever eaten at a restaurant.
I had a Lapu Lapu in the pineapple, which was pretty strong, but I really wanted the drink in the pineapple. Andy had a great pina colada, and the rest of the guests had other drinks, all on Andys parents tab, thank goodness for them!
There was a singer there, who led the childrens activities, and she waited until we were finished and then had a little fun with us. She told the whole restaurant that it was our rehearsal dinner, and we were getting married the next day. She gave us each a long chain of leaves to drape across the others neck, and she had us dance while she sang a song. She told the diners in the restaurant to click their forks on their glasses when they wanted us to give each other a honi honi (kiss). It was hilarious; Andys dad has the whole thing on video, from us dancing to my mother covering her eyes in embarrassment. We really had a great time, so even though we thought the food was sub-par, we were definitely glad we went to Ohana for the dinner. The fun atmosphere definitely made up for the dryness of the meat.
At 10:00, the fireworks started, and at that point, the restaurant was pretty empty. We stood by the window and watched the fireworks and listened to the music. I had tears in my eyes, and Andy and I had one of those perfect, special moments.
When the meal was over, Andy & my brothers came back to the Grand Floridian with the girls and me. When we got to our room, there was a bottle of champagne and a pink rose from the concierge staff, along with a card for us. I started crying, I was so happy, and Andy was hugging me, and so my brothers and SIL and Andys sister all left to walk around the resort and give us a moment alone. We toasted to our big day coming up, and our new life beginning. Then it was time for Andy and the boys to leave, because the monorails were going to stop running.
Lindsay, Julie & I stayed up until 2:30 talking. We were in bed by midnight, cut the lights off, and then realized how much Lindsay & I missed Lee & Andy. So we gave the guys a call, and they were in the process of trying on their tuxedos and putting on a fashion show. The guys stayed up until 2:30, also, then, oddly enough, both Andy and I woke up at 3:30 am, because we were feeling sick. Andy just lay in bed feeling ill, but I threw up (gross again, sorry!). I think I was just so excited and the food really wasnt sitting well. Weve been eating such healthy food these past few months, that there was a huge fat and grease and butter overload at Disney. Delicious, but not good to eat before so much excitement! I finally went to sleep around 4:00 am, and then was up the next morning at 6:00 am (oddly enough, Andy woke up then also, even though our alarms were set for later).
Next, the wedding day and a near dress disaster!
Andy's Perspective:
The Boys- We hopped the monorail right around closing time and took it over to the Contemporary. We had already checked is, so it was just time to relax. We headed out back just to walk around the marina. We watched the ducks and just talked for a bit. Then we headed into the arcade for a few rounds of air hockey. We spent the rest of our quarters playing the Simpsons game and decided to head back on out. A good nother 20 minutes outside for fresh air and then off to the room.
At the room, we put on a little fashion show and watched Disney cartoons. I had some choices to make about which pants and accessories to wear so we did a good long review and made our decisions. I also gave Lee, my best man, his gift which was a set of Mickey-head cufflinks in silver. Unfortunately, his shirt did not have the appropriate holes, so he was unable to wear them at the wedding. The gals called us and we said our good nights to them and to eacvh other around 2am. The boys prefer to fall asleep with the TV on, so they drifted off while the Duck Tales spun their adventures. I waited for them to fall asleep and then cut it off since it kept me awake.
We got up at 8:00, recorded our recaps from the day before, got dressed, and grabbed a quick breakfast in the concierge lounge. Every day there, we got a perfect seat by the window, and could just sit, relax, and enjoy a wonderful view. We never got used to it it would thrill us every time we put the key cards into the GF elevators. And the maids left carnations and roses in our towels every morning! Truly luxurious
We took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, and got a fast pass to Buzz Lightyear. We rode the TTA, and then went to Space Mountain. A worker there, Mike, gave us a fast pass to ride it right away, which was yet another magical moment! Then when we tried to give the fast pass to the CM at the front of the line, Glenn, he told us to keep it and ride again!
We went onto the Buzz Lightyear ride then, and went to Mickeys Toontown Fair. We only had to wait in line about 5-10 minutes to get our picture taken with Mickey, which was pretty good. We got a picture of him kissing my hands, which was so cute! We rode the Barnstormer, also another ride we could just walk onto. I was worried about what the lines would be like during the summer, and they actually werent bad at all. Certain rides were crowded at certain times, but if we went during the parades, the line was a lot shorter. The weather wasnt bad at all, either. It wasnt as hot as it is here in Charlotte, so it was actually a relief. In the evenings, it felt great; cool, but not cold enough for a sweater. We had fantastic luck!
We went to Peter Pan then, which is my very favorite ride, and there was a 45 minute wait. The CM there saw us walking to the fast pass section, and he just motioned us over and let us into the fast pass lane without the pass!
We went to Splash Mountain then, and there was an hour long line, even though the sign said 40 minutes. Once we got on the ride, it broke, and we were stuck for a bit, so we ended up being about 5 minutes late for our 1:30 priority seating at Cinderellas Royal Table. When we were seated, the CM sprinkled confetti all over our table, to celebrate our wedding! We split crabcakes for appetizers there, and we both had the Major Domos pie, a flaky pastry on top of mashed potatoes and prime rib, with a nice gravy. For dessert, we split an apple bread pudding with walnut ice cream on top and a caramel sauce. It was delicious and very, very filling! (Notice a trend here?). Our server gave us a certificate for our Royal Union, which is a wonderful souvenir! The certificate is for the Royal Union of the Lady Heather & Lord Andrew, and at the top of it, it says, Across the miles and over the years, youll always remember this magical moment at the Walt Disney World Resort. Very special! The lunch service was very slow, because our server had another table behind us, that spoke no English. They made her translate every item on the menu, and would make her read it several times, since they couldnt make up their minds. It was frustrating just listening to them! But the server was very nice to them about it; she didnt seem to mind reading it over and over. Lunch was pretty long b/c of the slow service, though, and it took us almost 2 hours!
After lunch, we were very tired, so went back to the hotel to take a nap. It was so nice, being at the GF, and being able to rest there during the day. At 7:00, we went downstairs to meet up with our families. Andy and my 2 brothers Lee & Peter were going to check into the Contemporary that night, and Andys sister Julie (my MOH) and Lees wife (my SIL) Lindsay were going to stay at the GF with me. Hope thats not too confusing! Anyway, we were all meeting up so that Andys parents could transfer the dress to me, and then we would ride together to the Contemporary to let the guys check in, then the rehearsal dinner at Ohana.
Everyone was on time, miraculously, so we brought the dress upstairs and showed the beautiful GF turret room to our families. Everyone oohd and aahd over it, and we had fun with that. Then we all got on the monorail together. I think that the wedding didnt seem real, until I saw our families there together. Before that, it could have been a regular vacation, but it was so different, having the families there.
I was so disappointed that my family hadnt gone to the parks that day. Instead, they went to a golf shop and the Bass Pro Outlet (?). My mom apparently stayed in the car and took a nap, b/c she didnt want to go in the stores. I really wish they had gone to the parks instead!
The 2 sets of parents got off at the Poly, to check in at Ohana for our 8:20 dinner (they were really early, but wanted to hang out there). Andy, Lee, Peter, Julie, Lindsay & I went to the Contemporary to check the guys in. They were in the South wing, and I wanted to see the room, since I had never been in a Contemporary room before. I didnt like the design at all I kept singing Meet George Jetson.
We then took the monorail around to the Polynesian, and met up with our parents outside Ohana. It took about 15 minutes to get seated, and Andys dad was getting a bit antsy, but they put us at a long table for all 10 of us, which was nice.
We both liked the atmosphere of Ohana a lot, though I have to agree with Brooke that the food was nothing special at all. In fact, I got sick later that night, but Im sure there were other reasons contributing! The kids racing around werent as obnoxious as I feared they would be. None of us in the group are big into children making noise, and we werent bothered at all.
Julie (the vegetarian) and I ended up eating mostly the appetizers. The fried rice was pretty good, and the fried shrimp wontons were great! I was not impressed by the meats on sticks, but to be fair, my brother Lee & SIL Lindsay absolutely raved about the turkey; they said it was the best thing theyd ever eaten at a restaurant.
I had a Lapu Lapu in the pineapple, which was pretty strong, but I really wanted the drink in the pineapple. Andy had a great pina colada, and the rest of the guests had other drinks, all on Andys parents tab, thank goodness for them!
There was a singer there, who led the childrens activities, and she waited until we were finished and then had a little fun with us. She told the whole restaurant that it was our rehearsal dinner, and we were getting married the next day. She gave us each a long chain of leaves to drape across the others neck, and she had us dance while she sang a song. She told the diners in the restaurant to click their forks on their glasses when they wanted us to give each other a honi honi (kiss). It was hilarious; Andys dad has the whole thing on video, from us dancing to my mother covering her eyes in embarrassment. We really had a great time, so even though we thought the food was sub-par, we were definitely glad we went to Ohana for the dinner. The fun atmosphere definitely made up for the dryness of the meat.
At 10:00, the fireworks started, and at that point, the restaurant was pretty empty. We stood by the window and watched the fireworks and listened to the music. I had tears in my eyes, and Andy and I had one of those perfect, special moments.
When the meal was over, Andy & my brothers came back to the Grand Floridian with the girls and me. When we got to our room, there was a bottle of champagne and a pink rose from the concierge staff, along with a card for us. I started crying, I was so happy, and Andy was hugging me, and so my brothers and SIL and Andys sister all left to walk around the resort and give us a moment alone. We toasted to our big day coming up, and our new life beginning. Then it was time for Andy and the boys to leave, because the monorails were going to stop running.
Lindsay, Julie & I stayed up until 2:30 talking. We were in bed by midnight, cut the lights off, and then realized how much Lindsay & I missed Lee & Andy. So we gave the guys a call, and they were in the process of trying on their tuxedos and putting on a fashion show. The guys stayed up until 2:30, also, then, oddly enough, both Andy and I woke up at 3:30 am, because we were feeling sick. Andy just lay in bed feeling ill, but I threw up (gross again, sorry!). I think I was just so excited and the food really wasnt sitting well. Weve been eating such healthy food these past few months, that there was a huge fat and grease and butter overload at Disney. Delicious, but not good to eat before so much excitement! I finally went to sleep around 4:00 am, and then was up the next morning at 6:00 am (oddly enough, Andy woke up then also, even though our alarms were set for later).
Next, the wedding day and a near dress disaster!
Andy's Perspective:
The Boys- We hopped the monorail right around closing time and took it over to the Contemporary. We had already checked is, so it was just time to relax. We headed out back just to walk around the marina. We watched the ducks and just talked for a bit. Then we headed into the arcade for a few rounds of air hockey. We spent the rest of our quarters playing the Simpsons game and decided to head back on out. A good nother 20 minutes outside for fresh air and then off to the room.
At the room, we put on a little fashion show and watched Disney cartoons. I had some choices to make about which pants and accessories to wear so we did a good long review and made our decisions. I also gave Lee, my best man, his gift which was a set of Mickey-head cufflinks in silver. Unfortunately, his shirt did not have the appropriate holes, so he was unable to wear them at the wedding. The gals called us and we said our good nights to them and to eacvh other around 2am. The boys prefer to fall asleep with the TV on, so they drifted off while the Duck Tales spun their adventures. I waited for them to fall asleep and then cut it off since it kept me awake.
