Memories of Hilton Grand Vacation in Orlando

I'm reflecting on this vacation because it is by far my favorite vacation site and the last one that I took with my oldest son.  This is the only timeshare location that he liked to visit.  He didn't travel with us on subsequent vacations to Myrtle Beach.  So here is my story.

Four years ago, We arrived in sunny Downtown Orlando an hour later than expected at the Orlando Amtrak Station.  Getting off the train was fun since we needed a lift for my son's wheelchair and the lift was just on a level to be concerned about wheeling out right into the blades of a ceiling fan.

My other son's family was renting a car and we waited for our ride so that they could follow us to our resort which is on Grand Vacations Way right next door to Sea World.

We were still an hour early for the 4 PM check in so we checked our baggage and went about our business for the hour.  We were expecting to use two three bedroom suites with one being the penthouse.  The second suite was ready early and I sent two younger son's families off to those rooms to settle in.

That left my party waiting for the Penthouse to be ready for use.  As it turns out, the people who were in our rooms left late and we didn't get into our suite until well after 4 PM.  This is unusual and the LP on duty tried to move things along for us since we had been traveling 48 hours to get there and were dog tired.

Bill with a big sandwich

Family lunch

We all landed in the Coral Reef Cafe for a late lunch an relaxation while we waited for our rooms to be ready.

Living room across the dining table

The wait was well worth it though because the Penthouse was every bit as beautiful as I remembered it and I settled in for a much needed night's sleep and the end of Day 2 of our vacation.

Poolside Cafe

Day 3 started with the wheelchair rolling down the path from Building 1 to the poolside area where the Coral Reef Cafe is located on the pool deck.  My son was disappointed because his mouth was watering for their breakfast buffet.  Oops!  They terminated the buffet two years ago so it was order off the menu, but he survived and had a hearty breakfast in his favorite spot.  I followed along about a half hour later and had my breakfast just as he was leaving and my second son joined me for a chit chat.

Waterfall and Pool side view from my table 

I had planned a vacation week of sitting by the pool and lazing in the hot tubs and I spent all day Sunday doing just that.  This is by far my favorite destination for lazing by the pool and spending my timeshare points.

This has got to be one of my favorite vacations because it was spent with family and we all had a good time together even though my younger children were off doing the theme parks.  We spent our evenings together around the table in the Penthouse Suite.

I may never get to travel here again because I sold the timeshare in 2017 but my memories are forever away at this beautiful destination with my loved ones.

Alternate Transportation, Riding the Rails

IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM PAUL DUDAS, JR.
for his birthday, July 13.

In 2014, our family booked a family reunion in Orlando, Florida.  Some of the family went by airplane, but my son and I decided to book onto a train that would take us from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Orlando Florida.  The cost was right and we would be on the upper level with the option of watching the sights go by and not having to keep the foot on the pedal or pull over to see the scenery of our country.

After we booked our trip we told my second son about the great prices and they decided to book the same train for his wife and two children.  The plan was hatched.  Double deck train to Washington DC and then in the regular Amtrak cars from DC to Orlando.

Everything was fine until the my oldest son had a foot amputated and we had to change our e-tickets for handicapped seating.  My son and I sat on the bottom deck and the other son and his family sat in the upper deck.  He boarded with his wheelchair and was seated in a front seat.  This was a shame because he missed the opportunity to get to the dining cars and to the observation car.

Bill relaxing on the way to Orlando

I did the running between cars to get sodas and snacks from the cafe which on the double deck train was a trip up the stairs then cross over from one car to another twice and then down the stairs to get to the cafe.  Remember, I'm the one with the handicapped parking and was hovering just below 70.  But, I made it.  We are a coca cola family so that meant we had to substitute Sierra Mist for our drinks because Amtrak carries only Pepsi products.

I did get to see the observation car it was nicely laid out with seats that faced out the windows and tables for larger groups to sit.

Other than that the trip from Pittsburgh to DC was great.  We left about 15 minutes behind schedule but ended up getting to DC about 45 minutes late which cut us back to a much smaller time to get into the station and onto the platform for the train to Orlando.  The Amtrak personnel were very accommodating by giving us a ride from the upper deck to the lower deck to get onto the next train.

handicapped lift provided at each station

The second half of the trip was overnight.  I think if I were to do this trip again I would consider getting a sleeper.  My son and I were very uncomfortable and needed to switch often.  The only good thing turned out to be a bad thing.  We were seated right behind the bathrooms.  There are two on each car.  The rest of the bathrooms were having customer problems and the two by us seemed to be the choice of the entire four cars that were on this train.  They were lined up constantly for the train until someone did the unthinkable and stopped up the big one.  Then it was locked for the rest of the trip into Orlando.

My sons are smokers and the younger boy was able to hop off the train on the longer stops and grab a quick puff or two from a cigarette.  If he lucked out and there was someone being loaded by the lift then it took longer and he got two cigarettes.  The oldest boy though was confined to the inside of the car and was not able to get out for a cigarette.  The conductor offered to get him out at one station because they had four people who were going to need to be lifted onto the train.  That was very nice of them since they are not obligated to offer that service.  He refused the courtesy though because we were so close to Orlando by this time and we were well over an hour behind schedule.

We were behind schedule because we had to sit on sidings and let freight trains pass by.  That is because Amtrak uses Conrail tracks and Conrail has preference if there is a conflict on a one track section.  At one point the freight train passed us and then another Amtrak train whizzed past us going like the wind.  That held us up from getting into the next station even longer.

Homward bound

Coming home the conductor explained to us that they let already late trains wait if they have one that is on time go first to stay on time.  This picture show us so much more relaxed on the way home since the son had two massages that gave him two and a half hours of therapeutic massages.  I got a half hour Swedish massage while I was in at the timeshare.  We traveled home by way of train from Orlando to Washington DC where we rented a minivan for the rest of the trip home.  We decided to do this because there was going to be an eight hour layover in DC while we waited for the next train into Pittsburgh and then a seven hour train ride.  Even though we had to wait for the car rental office to open we were home in Pittsburgh before the train left Washington DC.

Even with the cost of the car rental my round trip only cost the two of us $750 total.  That was the full train ride from Pittsburgh to Orlando.  The Train ride back from Orlando to DC and the car rental.  I don't think we could have flown for that price and at least I had the opportunity to get up and walk around.

All in all, I enjoyed the ability to move around during the ride and even though it took a longer time to get where we were going, I got to see places and things I would never see from the air.

It is my recommendation if your travels allow enough time for taking the train to give it a try.  Our check in was for Saturday at 4 pm.  We left Pittsburgh on Friday at 5 am and arrived in Orlando well before our check in time at around noon on Saturday.  Of course, coming home was more of a hassle but would have gotten us home by train before the end of day on Sunday.

Reflections of a Gold Star Mother

May is Gold Star Month dedicated to those families who have lost someone while on active duty.

It's been nine years since the call came and I returned home from church on Father's Day morning to find my children waiting for me.  They had known since before I left for Mass that my son wasn't coming home again.  They took me into the house and sat me in my lazy boy before they told me.

I banged my fist and I cried but it was something I could not change.  It was something I had to accept.  My son's wife and two children returned to the states and the sensitivities between siblings and in-laws was something that had to be overcome.  Everyone's emotions were raw.  We had to wait for the Navy to make the arrangements to get him home to us so that we could take him to his final resting place in The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.

Later in the day, two uniformed officers from the Navy came to tell me what I had already heard through a telephone call from my daughter-in-law in England to an older son.  They informed me that I would be contacted to sign paperwork since I was second beneficiary.  Of course, I knew that my daughter-in-law would be the first contact but I was grateful to be recognized.

Headstone

I didn't go to the cemetery until his headstone was put up.  I didn't want to go visit an upturned earthen spot in the ground.  I go from time to time to put fresh flowers on the grave.  Each year the Veterans put Christmas Wreaths on the graves for Christmas.  One year my daughter, granddaughter and I went to the wreath laying ceremony and took care of his grave with a wreath.

It's been a topsy turvy few years going between days of deep depression and days of doing what needed to be done for the rest of the remaining family.  As a member of the BPOE, Elks, I continue to proudly serve our Veterans at luncheons and services held in their honor.

The Navy investigation into the incidence that took my son's life concluded that he died from accidental causes and that he died while on active duty.  I had proudly flown a blue star pendant in my window while he was serving and now a gold star pendant replaces it for special days such as Memorial Day, The Fourth of July and Veteran's Day.  At our home Old Glory flies from May to November between Memorial Day and Veterans Day to lend support to our troops and this great nation. 

I applied to the Department of Defense for my Gold Star Pin and have received it to wear proudly on all National Holidays.  All in all, I have accepted the fact that my son isn't coming home but I can't help feeling emotional every time I hear a patriotic song or see a commercial concerning worthy veterans who have returned in need of help.

I went to the Memorial Day Service a few years ago at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies as I had observed the Veteran's Day Service the previous November from a spot on the hill near my son's grave who is buried in a direct line with the huge flag pole in section 1.  

This year we visited on the Saturday before Memorial Day to bring flowers and a flag.

Hiroshima Cherry Tree planted at American Legion Post 77

My son's wife and children planted a Cherry Tree in the side yard next to our American Legion Post 77 in memory of my son and his years of residence in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania before leaving to join the Navy.

my favorite picture of Rob aboard CVN65, the USS Enterprise.

This is a society that I never wanted to join even though I always knew the possibility was looming in the background.  I grew up to honor Gold Star Mothers as my family was always linked to our Legion Post and I knew many of them personally from World War II.  My heart is healing but there will always be a spot there that longs to have my son home again so that I can hug him as I did when he was a child.

Mother Mary Come To Me

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin; and, as a tribute to Mother Mary, Catholics set up May Altars.  In August we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  I thought I would resurrect this post in honor of that feast day.

In Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, Madonna of Jerusalem is one of our three churches.  The parishioners do an excellent job of setting up a May Altar.

2014 May Altar at Madonna of Jerusalem Church

Before each morning mass whoever is in attendance recites the rosary invoking the Blessed Mother's continued compassion on all for peace in our world.

I grew up attending St. Scholastica School and we were also taught to set up our May Altars, which I have attempted to do.  A long time ago I asked my Aunt where she had gotten her stone statue of the Blessed Mother.  She went out into her yard and gave it to me.  That statue has moved with me to 5 locations until I finally settled in my present home.

Madonna in 2013

My son-in-law painted her at one location with white paint which wore off over the years.  The year my husband died, I bought blue, white and green paint to paint her.  That coat of paint lasted 10 years and started to flake and peel off for the next two years.

Madonna in June 2014

A few years ago my neighbor offered to paint the statue after he painted his mother's.  I was so grateful because now she stands on her stone overseeing my garden which I have tried to keep up with flowers that will bloom in May.  There are currently no blossoming flowers in my little grotto  except the Lily of the Valley have started to bloom a bit early.  None of the Day Lilies have grown big enough to bloom yet.  I'm hoping they will during the month as I continue to say my daily rosary.

My old neighbor, who owned a greenhouse, taught me that isn't safe to plant flowers in the ground until Mother's Day because of the chance of a freak frost.  I will be purchasing flowers for the planters between now and Memorial Day.

My new Madonna was a gift from a neighbor when the one above was stolen from in front of my house. 

Old Fashioned Penny Candy and Fudge

In years gone by, I remember penny candy that we would buy from the corner store.  Don Kahn, our local grocery store owner, and many like him across the country had glass cases just lined with these delightful candies that sometimes sold two for a penny.  After Don came Ruth's Store and she was known to shut down the candy sales during the dinner hour so that the children would not ruin their supper.

glover320.blogspot.com

I have searched the Internet but cannot find a picture of one of my favorites which was the tiny pie tin that had chocolate fudge in it with a tiny tin spoon to eat it.  The poster I borrowed from another blog has the closest picture I could find.  They sold for a penny each and they came in chocolate or vanilla fudge.  The link is to Old Fashioned Fudge Recipes.

Of course, everyone remembers the licorice whips which you can still buy in the candy section in bags sold as Strings.

Along the same line, was the red jelly candy coins.  These were normally cherry flavored.

During holiday seasons, you might find some of these treasures in the candy case.  They were chocolate medallions covered with gold foil.

When I had more than a few pennies to spend I would buy the candy balls that would change colors as you sucked on them.  In and out of your mouth you would pop them to see what color they had turned into.  Then there were the fireballs that were red hot as you sucked away at the sweetness.

I remember those waxy little bottles that were filled with just a drop or two of sugary flavored syrup that we called soda pops.

Tootsie Rolls and Daisies

Who could forget the Tootsie Pops that are still popular today

Tootsie Rolls that come in various sizes and bags of the bits in your local candy aisles.

In this selection you have your Mary Jane that were peanut butter flavored and a Bit-O-Honey another hard candy.  Banana Flips were popular too.

Fruit slices were not among my favorites but you could buy them in various flavors.  The most popular being the orange slices.  You can still buy these by the bagful at the grocery store.

The day of the penny candy is gone but not from my memory.  Candy has become a big business and most of these candies are still sold in various containers and sizes of bags.