Sue's Hurricane Idalia Trip

Wow - I bet that was your cancellation that I was able to pick up for tonight (8/30)!  What a small world!!!


DAY 1 – Wednesday 8/30/23

Who: Sue (64), DVC Member



Plan: Drive to WDW, Concierge Lounge



Actual: While this trip looked very much “at risk” not too long ago, I am thrilled that it all worked out the way it did. At work if a storm is threatening, I’m part of the team who is there for the duration. My only hope was for Idalia to fizzle out, move really fast, or move away. If it hit us, then I might not be able to leave as we begin recovery and the bazillion things related to that. While it looked dire just a few days ago (and last night when it became a category 4 storm), it all worked out thanks to a shift in the path and much milder than expected wind and rain. In a major stroke of luck the emergency really only lasted 2 days – but I worked 30 straight hours on Tuesday into today, leaving work and driving straight to Jambo House. Leaving at noon wasn’t feasible, but I was able to get on the road by 1:30 and arrive at Jambo House by 3:30.



The drive was easier than I expected! Weather was mostly perfect and hardly anyone was on my side of the highway. Going north I saw a steady stream of power company trucks, ambulances, trucks towing boats for search & rescue operations – all headed to the areas hit hard by Idalia. Just a year ago Ian all but wiped out several areas near my home (Ft Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva) and now this year a whole new set of people are seeing their homes and livelihoods destroyed. It really sucks.



Pulling into the Jambo House parking lot I found a row with the first space available. My luck pretty much quit there however, as it was raining. I was able to manage my stuff and an umbrella while hiking up the accessible walkway (to avoid stairs). Two cast members were standing outside so I approached them and asked for someone to take me upstairs to the Kilimanjaro Club (concierge lounge). Once they checked my name on the list of reservations one of them took me inside and up to the lounge. We discovered my magic band wasn’t working, so the cast members in the lounge fixed that. The original cast member then took my magic band to the elevator to test it and returned saying it worked. My studio has a view of the pool and it’s one I like for convenience but also because the connecting door is down by the doorway from the hall rather than next to the sofa.



I got my computer and phones out and took them to the lounge. After dropping them on a table I got a small amount of trail mix (spiced nuts, goldfish & chocolate peanuts). A glass of sparkling wine completed the “welcome” ritual! The African drums were playing downstairs, and since it was raining outside they had a couple characters in the lobby to do meet & greet. The cast member alerted me to that – one was the penguin from Mary Poppins and I forget who the other was. I wasn’t interested in going down to see them.



I updated the report and took care of the work emails. Around 4:30 I took the laptop back to the studio, unpacked quickly, then went out to the lounge with my kindle. The food offerings at 5pm tonight included drunken goat and toma cheeses, chorizo and the braseola (sp?), lamb stew with rice, pork rib, ham & cheese pinwheels, Disney chicken tenders, various hummus varieties, assorted crudite, dips, crackers, blue cheese, etc.



Before I got any food or drink, I had a nice long conversation with a delightful cast member from Namibia. I’ve never been there but follow a number of HAL cruisers who have been there, and she learned a few things about the USA that she didn’t know. Mostly our conversation centered around how we’re really all more similar than different. Also English is the official language in Namibia (although many refuse to give up their other languages – there are 30 over there) so communicating was very easy!

In the lounge typically weekdays are less busy than weekends for some reason I don’t understand. Tonight, it was the least crowded I’d ever seen it. At no time were all the table occupied, and often at least half were empty. There was never a line for anything. The cast was able to keep up with clearing tables and socializing with guests. I had some of the cheese (like Toma the best but drunken goat is good), rye crisps, cucumbers & dip, a few chicken nuggets and a pork rib. The chenin blanc is now Fairview rather than Indaba and frankly I prefer Indaba. They do have the Indaba chardonnay but I don’t care for chardonnay.



I did some reading on my kindle, in between talking with Chris and arranging for SB to bring something I can wear up here to stay warm over to Holli’s. It’s so humid outside you can’t see out the windows, and it feels chilly in the air conditioning. Today I was wearing a shirt with sleeves that went below the elbow and I was a little cool. The rest of the trip I have tank tops or spaghetti strap tops – I’ll need a light hoodie to be comfortable!



I chatted briefly with one of the cast members I’d met last trip. She said “long time no see” but it’s only been 3 months, lol! I have one more trip booked and it’s 8 months away! Just before 7 I took my kindle back to the studio and brought the laptop back out to the lounge. There’s a 2-top table in the corner looking down the hallway where my room is, and there are several electrical outlets there because they used to have 2 big desks in this area used by cast members to check us in (now they use a podium off the elevators). I had the rest of my wine and settled down to update the report.



It had finally stopped raining, so I spent some time doing online stuff and then around 7:45 put away the laptop and wandered around outside to see the animals before dessert was put out at 8pm. It is so humid outside! You literally cannot see out the windows or sliding glass doors. Once outside cameras fog up. There were some zebras and a few other animals hanging around by Arusha Rock but that’s about it. At the overlook by the pool, I spotted one white addax by the fence but nothing else.



I was back inside by 8:15 and went up to the lounge. Tonight they had zebra domes, something with chocolate & passion fruit, blueberry cinnamon bars and chocolate cake – along with assorted cookies and more ham & cheese pinwheels. Instead of beer & wine being put out they had various cordials. Beer & wine (and I think pretty much anything) are available at any time by request.



I got a blueberry cinnamon bar, chocolate cake and some oatmeal raisin cookies (one for tonight, another for some future time). Back in the studio I put the extra cookie in a ziplok bag then got changed for bed and settled in with the other treats. The blueberry cinnamon bar was new to me and I liked it! The chocolate cake was a skinny rectangle with chocolate frosting on top – also very good. The oatmeal raisin cookie is one of the things Disney does very well, so no surprises there. Right or wrong, I enjoyed all of this while watching My 600 Pound Life – hope that’s not a sign of what’s to come!



I probably won’t get to see how the 600+ pound guy does unless the caffeine in the chocolate cake keeps me awake 😉 Today ended up being a great day! It started with the very real possibility I would not be arriving today. I’m so happy Idalia cooperated to make my trip happen. I wish she’d not caused so much damage & destruction for other people, though. Despite not sleeping for 2 days I felt great arriving here and have enjoyed every minute. The concierge lounge staff are great and the service is wonderful. Having the cultural ambassadors back is a big plus – it enhances the experience. I didn’t get to enjoy the animals much due to the rain but there will be time for that. The food and ambiance sitting in the lounge is wonderful as always – that’s what these trips are all about. Holli appreciates and enjoys that, as do Chris & his family. That’s why I keep inviting them back!



Tomorrow, I had hoped to enjoy the pool in the morning, but the weather forecast is cloudy and rainy. That’s somewhat disappointing, but overall, I’m so happy to be here nothing else matters. I decided to book a park reservation for Epcot since I won’t be at the pool. If it’s raining, I’ll cancel. If not, I’ll get an early preview of the Food & Wine Festival in advance of our real trip at Boardwalk in October. Holli will arrive during the afternoon, and we’ll enjoy a delightful evening in the lounge.