From Newsgroup: rec.arts.disney.parks

Who/When/Where:
Who: Sue (64), DVC Member
SB (65), my husband
Chris (36), my son
Amanda (34), my daughter-in-law
Ari (6), my grandson
Dates: November 10 rCo 14, 2022
Resort: DisneyrCOs Beach Club Villas Resort
Experience: Very Experienced rCo 57th stay at BCV
INTRODUCTION:
This was booked as an extra trip rCo for Food & Wine purposes. Our main Food & Wine trip ended up being at Old Key West due to being planned with friends from Massachusetts (who later backed out), so I knew my time at Food at Wine would be more limited and not convenient. I booked a dental appointment for Thursday morning and Friday is a work holiday since 11/11 is Saturday, so this trip wonrCOt cost me much vacation time. The main Food & Wine trip (late October) didnrCOt include any full weekends, so bringing ChrisrCO family up then didnrCOt make sense. However, with this trip Ari has no school on Friday, so they can come up Thursday after school and IrCOll actually get to spend time in the parks with them Thursday night and Friday. Saturday they can do a park and we booked lunch at Terralina together, then Sunday theyrCOll do a park before heading home while IrCOll enjoy the pool & then do something at a resort or Disney Springs. Normally including SB on a trip in a studio is not something IrCOd consider, but in this case since his days off are Thursday & Friday I invited him to meet me there Thursday and spend Thursday/Friday at Food & Wine. Ari being here is the sole reason he agreed to come, and thatrCOs fine. If it wasnrCOt for him getting to spend time with Ari IrCOd prefer to have the studio to myself the entire time.
So all of the above was thrown into chaos with the expected arrival of hurricane or tropical storm Nicole! The last thing we need is another freakinrCO storm!!! Plus, I donrCOt like driving in the rain, driving in traffic, or driving in the dark rCo call me a fuddy duddy if you will, but it is what it is. To get from my Gainesville home to SW Florida itrCOs 4 hours minimum, assuming no traffic or weather issues. From there to get to Disney itrCOs 3 tough hours, having to deal with potential traffic on I-75 and a greater risk on I-4. I decided to reschedule my dental appointment (to the following Thursday) to eliminate having that portion of the drive during crappy weather. Changing the Disney portion of the trip is not possible, since BCV studios have been booked up for at least 7 months now and both rooms were booked with banked points. It sucks that lots of rain & wind are expected Thursday & Friday, which are the only days I have access to the parks (only interested in Epcot, for Food & Wine). IrCOd planned on Saturday & Sunday to have time by the pool but now Sunday is expected to have a high in the low 70rCOs. Sometimes plans just donrCOt work out, and this trip is a classic illustration of that!
Besides SB & ChrisrCO family, my cruise buddy Fran was supposed to be here at Beach Club Villas with her daughter and son-in-law from NJ so IrCOd looked forward to seeing her and having her meet Chris & family. Unfortunately, Nicole ruined that. Her daughter & son-in-lawrCOs flight was canceled due to the airport closing, so she canceled the entire trip.
On September 28th hurricane Ian roared ashore and destroyed much of the area near my home in Ft Myers. Amazingly, mine seems to be the only street for miles that didnrCOt flood, meaning our homes didnrCOt flood even though so many others (many without flood insurance rCo I have carried flood insurance since buying there in 1986) suffered great losses. Of the 30 homes in our homeownerrCOs association there was serious damage to around a third of them, but not mine. That said, the costs (building exteriors, non-home structures) not covered by insurance will be passed along to all of us, so I opened a claim with my insurance and FEMA to hopefully cover some/most of what IrCOll eventually be hit with. Still, IrCOm thankful to have my home and only experience very minor damage to my place. ItrCOs heartbreaking to see entire neighborhoods devastated, places we enjoyed wiped away, etc.
Back to this trip - generally, the weather should have been nice in November, which is another big reason in booking this trip. I hate Disney when itrCOs hot or hot & humid rCo if IrCOm going to sweat in the parks I donrCOt want to be there. November is usually pretty ideal in terms of weather, except when a hurricane/tropical storm is blowing through. Given that Thursday is supposed to be rainy & windy to the point Epcot makes no sense I looked for a lunch reservation to satisfy SB. Beaches & Cream would have been his pick (IrCOm just rCLehrCY on that one) but nothing was available. Instead, I booked Ale & Compass since we can get there without going outside. The latest lunch reservation I could get was 1:35 so thatrCOs what I booked. Hopefully our studio will be ready by the time we finish lunch rCo ideally it will be ready when we arrive (haha). ChrisrCO family wonrCOt get in until later that evening rCo my guess would be close to 9pm. The big unknown at this point is whether the storm causes me to delay the drive down rCo I keep hoping a window of better weather will open up but thatrCOs probably not likely.
After tracking hourly weather both in Gainesville and Orlando I wasnrCOt seeing any obvious rCLbestrCY window of travel. IrCOd canceled the Ale & Compass reservation when SB thought the Beach Club Marketplace menu was better, so without having to arrive by any specific time werCOll play Thursday by ear. ThererCOs obviously a big benefit to arriving when the studio will be ready, and when the forecast has dropped from rCLrainrCY to rCLshowersrCY. It looks like Food & Wine may be on the table for Thursday evening, so Beach Club Marketplace will be the backup plan.
Friday may still have a shower or 2 in the morning but for the most part it looks like a mostly sunny, comfortable day. I really would like to enjoy Food & Wine one last time this year.
I have $25 birthday credits from a couple restaurant groups. One includes Terralina and Amanda also has the same credit since her birthday was 11/1. I booked lunch for us there on Saturday. My other one is with Landry, which is Rainforest Caf|-, T-Rex and Yak & Yeti at WDW. IrCOll plan to use that on Sunday either at the bar in T-Rex or at Lava Lounge (outside Rainforest Caf|-).
The plans so far are:
Thursday 11/10: Drive to BCV, Food & Wine
Friday 11/11: Epcot, Food & Wine
Saturday 11/12: Pool/Beach, Terralina lunch
Sunday 11/13: Pool/Beach, T-Rex or Lava Lounge
Monday 11/14: Drive to Gainesville
Sue/WDW1972
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