The drive to Newark Airport was uneventful, and I was pleasantly surprised to find long-term parking, albeit it the farthest lot from the terminal. Our Continental flight left at 4:30 PM and we were in Tampa by a little after 7:00. Tampa airport is a good choice for flying to WDW, especially if you plan on renting a car, because the rates are often quite a bit cheaper and it's actually not much more of a drive from WDW as Orlando.
I went to the Budget rent-a-car desk and was asked if I minded switching from a minivan to a Ford Explorer. I said I didn't care as long as it seated 6. The Ford was a huge black monster truck of a vehicle that I soon nicknamed the Behemoth. Thank God it had a side step and handles to help pull yourself in, otherwise we would all have had trouble getting in (and I don't think my parents would have been able to.)
We were pretty hungry after the piddling little snack on the plane, so we stopped at a Burger King just outside of Tampa. Then we hit the road for Orlando.
I had gone on a business trip to Tampa several years ago. One of my co-workers had recently returned from a trip to Orlando, where he had gone to The Magic Kingdom, Disney/MGM Studios and Universal Studios - but he skipped Epcot. I told him that he missed out by skipping Epcot, so we agreed to stay an extra day in Florida, and he & I would make a side-trip to Epcot. I recalled from this trip that the drive to WDW was surprisingly short, so I was somewhat dismayed and surprised when I saw a sign that read "Orlando - 73 miles". Well, a little over 50 miles later we could see fireworks in the distance and I said "those can't be from The Magic Kingdom - we're too far away". Then the next sign read "Magic Kingdom - 1 mile". So, while it may have been 73 miles to Orlando, WDW was considerably closer. This must have been why I recalled that the trip from Tampa to WDW was surprisingly short.
Well, our destination wasn't WDW but, rather, The Marriott Grande Vista (MGV.) We exited on International drive and the resort was about another 1/2 mile. As we were driving there we noticed a huge tower with cables extending from it to the ground in a Christmas Tree shape that were lit up like an American Flag. We weren't sure what it was, but later discovered that the tower was some sort of observation tower at Sea World, which is right next to the resort. We still haven't figured out what the lights were for. I assume they're part of a nighttime show.
We arrived at the resort at about 9:30. As you first enter the property you see a glass building that resembles a small office building. This is the Marriott Vacation Club International sales office. We drove past this building and down a pretty drive lined with Magnolia trees. Your first view of the resort itself is its signature lighthouse situated next to a small lake. Andie said, "Wow, this is beautiful! I thought this would be just a plain old Marriott!"
When we checked in I asked when the Concierge opened in the morning. I had spoken with someone about getting my free Universal passes and they suggested just buying the tickets from the Concierge and charging it to the room. That way we could pay for it at checkout and use gift coupons that we would get after attending the MVCI preview. The lady at the front desk said that the Concierge would be there at 8:00 in the morning, and since Universal didn't open until 9:00 we could get the tickets in the morning.
The 2 bedroom villa was actually a 1 bedroom with an attached studio (a pretty common configuration that DVC also uses except, I understand, at Old Key West Resort.) The rooms were nicely appointed with a full kitchen, a small stacking washer & dryer and a 2-person Jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom's adjoining bath. There was a king-size bed in the master bedroom, a pullout sofa in the living room, and a queen-size bed as well as another sofa and a separate bath in the studio. The rooms were surprisingly large, with a neo-angle-screened porch overlooking a small pond off the living room and studio. The rooms were decorated tastefully in subdued greens and golds. We were very pleased with the accommodations.
When we arrived, my parents weren't there although their baggage was. I took pictures of the rooms for a travel website I work on before we messed up the rooms. We started settling in and getting the kids ready for bed when my folks showed up. The first thing my mom told me was that she forgot the handicap placard I recommended that she bring. As you will see it ended up not really mattering. Even though they had made a grocery stop on the way to the hotel (they used Atlantis Limo using a discount code I found on The Unofficial Disney Information Station), they decided to walk to the resorts small store, called "The Marketplace". Greetings were exchanged and they visited with the kids for a bit before we put them on our bed so we could sit in the living room and chat. We talked and had a few of the beers that I requested my folks get on their grocery stop. At about 10:30 we transferred the kids to the sleeper sofa in the living room and we called it a night.
Ready for bed, ready for our first big day