Since most of my trips are short and boring, I've spared you all reports to date. But here are some ff highlights from my recent encounter with the disney empire:

5pm IAD-MCO departure Jan 2: Storm-of-the-century-of-the-week-day, but my plane (I checked) is scheduled for an LAX-SEA-IAD-MCO run that day..So I am justifiably confident..get to airport 2 hours early JUST IN CASE...regular check-in line is out the door, premier (C class) checkin is about 40 people long, but 1st/1k is aaaahhhh empty (thank goodness for the upgrades!!!)

The checkin lady is incredulous about the upgrades ("It says ok to upgrade without miles or certs, but its not "flagged" for an upgrade...oh well, enjoy the flight") I have a certain very special telephone CS rep who I have already thanked (with thank-you cert) to thank for this "free" upgrade.

Off to D-gates rcc with plenty of time to spare. RCC has extra snacks (for stranded travellers, I suppose) and FREE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS! This is a first for me in a rcc...

Flight is uneventful, with 1st of 757 full and with 3 or 4 kids in addition to my two. Orders taken in order of premier status; FA takes my order 3rd and my wife's with mine. The "filet mingnon" runs out quickly and one gent protests, "but I am a premier member" and FA explains policy: full fare 1st, then 1k, then premex, THEN premier. This tells me that there were only 2 full-fare customers (or 1ks) in first..this does not surprise me considering the destination.

Hertz #1 Club Gold works like a charm, as sweet as I remember it. Even relatively long bus ride is made pleasant by bus driver giving detailed directions to hotel and giving disney tips. BTW, the car was a GODSEND. THanks, NJDavid et al who advised to get the car.

Hilton HHonors free 4 day cert (SC6) is accepted without comment and VIP Gold gets me upgraded to "tower" room. Best benefit of this is free breakfast including cereal for kids and fruit and pastry for mom and dad ($8 and $12 pp per day respectively on room service menu!)

Disney ok despite unseasonably cool weather.

MCO checking in through ORD to IAD (don't ask, it had to do with free tix for the kids, upgrades for me and wife...not to mention the extra miles). Again with incredulous reaction as to "free" upgrade. Exhaused check-in clerk sighs and waves me on. MCO rcc has separate room for kids with kids books and tv tuned to Nickalodian...SMART!

MCO-ORD: SAME food situation, similar grumbling from premiers (this time I was asked fourth out of a full 757 cabin).

ORD: 2 hour layover: walk from arrival at B3 to rcc at C17 (for ORD-IAD departure from C-25). Daughter realizes backpack (full of disney memoribilia) is gone. Dad walks back to bathroom at B3 and asks nice lady to go in and look for it(daughter being female and dad being male): no luck. Dad asks agent at B2 if anything was turned in from the plane (which, apparently is done flying for the night). He says the cleaners just went on and says follow him. He opens B3 and takes me back on the plane!!! The crew found a book my daughet ALSO left but not the backpack. Kudos to the gate agent for letting me back on. It was fascinating to get on the plane like that after everyone was gone...kind of spooky and wierd.

Anyway, after checking with Chicago PD and security, Dad checks with all gates surrounding the bathroom. The Backpack is recovered at gate B-7 (after an hour of searching), where a lady turned it in after finding it in the bathroom!

Back at the rcc, mom is pulling hair out with two tired kids.

ORD-IAD: 9:15 flight is last of night and, in my experience, often very full. But that night (wednesday) there are 26 souls aboard: 2 pilots, 4 crew, 2 deadheading pilots and 4 deadheading FAs...14 PAYING PASSENGERS on an A-320!!!! Maybe its fuller on thursdays and fridays, which is when I'm usually coming home. Anyway flight was a blur 'cause dad was TIRED after 4 disney days and one frantic hour running around ord!!!

Anyway, overall very nice trip, made all the nicer by advice rec'd on this Board and all the perks a ffer deserves!

Great trip report Matt and I'm glad your daughter found her backpack. I did the same thing with my Sharp Wizard 64K organizer, left it on the sink in the Men's room at O'HARE. Got to the other terminal at the side of the airport, checked my briefcase and sure enough-- had to run back to get it (luckily still there, probably because it's outdated!)

Wondering if UA has adopted that "meal ordering" rule on all flights. My IAD-DFW flight had the attendant start with the second person seated in front (first was a baby) who was NOT of any elite status. I think it's a good idea, if we work to earn the elite status we should get the early choice of meal.

DId you get to wear your Goofy hat on your flight? Some old lady complained that I was wearing my Red Green ballcap inside the plane. But my head was cold! CATMAN

Matt, would you mind telling a bit more about the Hilton at WDW? (either here or even better, under the Hilton forum)

I'm planning to stay there in a few months for the first time.

Thanks.

Dave

Great report Matt. glad you found the backpack. Cannot understand why Catman had his organizer on the sink in the restroom. Does he have to check to see what to do?

Drinks are free at the Phoenix RCC -- I don't think there is enough traffic to justify a bartender; it was self-serve last time I was there.

Phil

OMNI for JAWS: I took out my organizer to get at my Tylenol to deal with a DELAY RELATED Headache. I keep Tylenol in my bag, and it was a dumb thing to put my organizer on the sink.

I did not have time for my real DELAY RELATED
HEADACHE REMEDY: SAM ADAMS BEER! CATMAN

NJDavid, the Hilton at Walt Disney World Village is a John Portman designed hotel and while not actually a "Disney" owned and operated hotel, it is an "offical" hotel of WDW. Among the 6 independently owned and operated hotels in the Village, it is by far the best. The facilities and staff are good. Transport to the 4 major Disney theme parks if provided by Mears Transport, and it is a short walk from the hotel to the Disney Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and Disney's West Side entertainment/dining area. The transport buses can be pretty full in the morning hours, so depending on how long you are staying and what you want to see, a car rental my be advisable. Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] if you have any specific questions.

See my post under Hilton.

Thanks for all the info.

I'm familiar with the area and WDW issues, but I've never actually stayed at the hotel - just passed-by a number of times.

I'm planning my conference attendance for this year, and I have an Orlando one (Infocom) second week of June. Now the hotel is nowhere the convention center, but the HHonors points and my upgrade capabilities are worth the 40 min drive. (Bringing my wife for some Epcot time was also a factor.) I just wanted someone who stayed at that hotel to agree.

Dave

Boy NJD, you're the kind of person these loyalty programs really look to create! There's lots of hotels right there by the convention center on International Drive that are a lot closer, but you're willing to brave the 40 minute drive to get your Hhonors points!

No, I'm willing to brave the 40 minute drive on the days that I feel like going to the conference.

But, in the odd, outrageous, nevergonnahappen situation where I wake up one morning and DON'T feel like walking on cheap carpet over concrete and swapping cards, but instead I look around for something else I might possiblly be able to do that's a little closer.........