sarge56

Hi all. Recently returned from wonderful mini-vacation to Florida, with the express purpose of seeing the Shuttle launch.

DAYS 1-2

Flew AirTran for the first time. Flight from DFW to Orlando was practically empty! (bonus!) I arrived Orlando on Tuesday morning, picking up the rental car at Enterprise. I am always annoyed that Enterprise is never "on site", but their service is always so good, that I deal with it. Had a free upgrade and drove away in a Kia Rondo. Lots of room, great pickup. Agent explained the "no fault" insurance laws in Florida and I opted to take the $80/week "it covers everything" insurance rider. (I joked that I'd get my sister to pay for it.)
When I turned the car in on the following Saturday afternoon, they didn't charge me for the rider! Awesome! Total charges for the car for a week: $266. That included all taxes and fees.

Drove into Celebration (after sweating not having change for all the dang tolls on 417) and checked into the new Mona Lisa Suites Hotel. Very friendly staff. Two-bedroom suite was gorgeous and looked just like the photos. Two bedrooms with king-size beds (huge bedrooms!) and two full baths. (One room is the "master" and not only had a tub, but also a separate shower.) Full kitchen, dining table for four, couch and lounge chair. Flat screen tv's in both bedrooms and "living room". Balcony was awesome for morning coffee and overlooked the beautiful circular pool. I got an incredible rate for the 2-bedroom suite- $119/night (promotional rate).

I unpacked and went back out to pick up my DS (Dear Sister in this case, not Dear Son) and her DH at airport (they arrived from Chicago). Found that the hotel was in a great location. Two minutes to 417 and I-4, 10 mts to Epcot.

We talked about our schedule the next day and I dragged them off to find the Cafe TuTu Tango in Orlando. I had read some pretty good things about this tapas place. My DS and her DH had never eaten tapas before and there was miscommunication with sister- she thinking it was a buffet. So, she was on the verge of fuming after we sat down and before the waiter arrived.

The waiter arrived just in time to witness the tail end of the snit. But he was great. Explained everything to DS and her DH about the plates, etc. My DS seemed to calm down quite a bit when she saw the menu. I think she was afraid I was going to force her to eat goat head and snail rump. But she quickly settled on a spicy shrimp dish to start, and then a skewered beef over couscous.

I started with an indescribably-good roasted pear and goat cheese on pecan crackers and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. BIL started with an arugula salad with goat cheese, balsamic reduction and duck.

Everyone was happy. We all shared (as you should in a tapas bar) and my sister's tune changed immediately thereafter. We then went through a steak w mushrooms, asparagus with orange and a couple other dishes. We were feeling full, but my sister just needed to taste the scallops Rockefeller. I thought that was the only unsatisfactory dish of the evening. Too much garlic and it overpowered the delicate scallop. Finished up with a coffee flan that was creamy and delish. Highly recommend this tapas place. All food made fresh there daily. DS and her DH were really happy at the end of the evening.

The next day, before heading out, we headed down to computer to get some directions. We decided since breakfast buffet was still active, we would just eat there. All I can say is, save your money.

We headed out to Tarpon Springs, about an hour-and-a-half ride. I didn't have much input on this day trip, but I was on vacation and so didn't really care. But my DS wanted to go see the former "sponge capitol" of the world. We took a couple of boat rides that were relaxing and educational. But the best part of the day was our visit to what is surely the smallest aquarium in the world. The Tarpon Springs Aquarium is owned by Scott and he employs a couple of other folks.

Scott got into the big tank to feed the fish and assorted nurse sharks. He seemed to have a good relationship with two of those sharks; one, he laid on its back and rubbed it's belly. The other lay her head over his shoulder and gave him a "big hug". We fed the rays in the petting tank and went back for the eel feeding later in the day. It was fun for a tiny place.

We ate at Rusty Bellie's there in Tarpon Springs and the food was really good. (Scallops, pasta, burger, crabcakes and a Greek salad between us- all very good.) Picked up a few souvenirs (many options in this small coastal town), took an easy ride into the Gulf to try to catch some wildlife (unfortunately, nothing seen but a few cranes, a scad of pelicans and the usual seagulls). We did manage to see a couple of dolphins playing in the mangroves while we were eating dinner on the canal.

We also took an interesting ½ hour trip with one of the oldest sponge-divers still living in the area. He didn’t dive, but he was the boat captain and his reminiscing of the “olden” days and information on sponge diving was quite educational. The man that did dive managed to come up with a sponge after 5 mts. Interesting trip and probably worth the $8 ticket.

Back in Celebration, we wandered down the main drag (192) and found Old Town (which I think is officially in Kissimmee). It is kind of like a permanent little amusement park. But there is nothing little about two of the rides we witnessed. I’m not sure you could actually call them “rides”. Torture chambers might be closer to the truth. The “Sling Shot” has you harnessed into a sling-type contraption and then you get sling-shotted into the air- 365 feet up, at 100 mph. We thought those people were nuts until we saw them harnessing people into the “Super Shot”. That one has you harnessed in a prone position and then you are pulled up backwards by a rope near your feet. When the rope has pulled you to the top of a 150-foot tower, they just…let you go!! DS and I screamed like little girls- and we weren’t even on the ride!!!!! [-o< Terrifying! You gotta be nuts!!!

When we got back to the hotel, I went down to use the free computer in the lobby to check the flight status for the Shuttle (weather was up and down). On my way past the pool, I noticed it was empty and there were signs posted on the pool ladder handles. Stated that the pool was closed by the Health Department for unsanitary conditions. (This problem was not fixed by the time we checked out on Friday morning. Front desk claimed a pump broke on Tuesday. I found it suspect that the Health Dept just happened to visit the pool on the same day the pump broke?)

sarge56

Days 3-4

Thursday, we headed out to Epcot to be there when they opened at 9am. I must say, I just didn’t think it was worth the money. We enjoyed the ride up into the Globe (world of tomorrow?) and the boat trip through the hydroponic gardens. We then paid to take the behind-the-scenes tour of the gardens (around 15 bucks) and that was fun, especially the “sensitivity plant”. But after that, not so much. And must point out two negative things.

One, very few places to sit. Several of us waiting for family members who were on rides and we were stuck sitting on the damp cement barrier of the gardens. There were some benches scattered throughout the back (international) section, but not nearly enough in my view.

Two, the map is not very good and there wasn’t enough signage when you came out of buildings to tell you where you were, or which way to head for the next bldg number. They have so many places they could have put info (large purple poles) and how much creativity does it take to maybe put pink mouse ears on the pavement to bldg 2 and green mouse ears on the pavement to bldg 8, etc. Hello, Disney! We found it really difficult to figure out where we were and wondered if it was worse if you didn’t speak English. Sorry to say, we will not visit Epcot again.

Friday morning, we checked out early to head on over to the Kennedy Space Center. Coming from Texas, it boggled my mind that you could get from one side of Florida to the other in less than 3 hours.

We located our hotel in Titusville, the Fairfield Inn. Boy, were we happy we booked in Titusville for that night instead of heading back to Orlando. (You’ll see why-later!) We couldn’t check in, but we got some valuable information from the desk clerk who’d worked at Kennedy Space Center for 3 years.

We made the tactical mistake of not picking up some cheap camp chairs in Orlando. When we got to the Target in Titusville, there was slim pickins on the camp chairs. We ended up paying triple what we should have. But none of us really wanted to sit in the grass for 3 hours. Our backs were already sore from three days of non-stop walking. So we sucked it up and bought the more expensive chairs that were left. (FYI- You can find small camp chairs for sale in the NASA gift shop on site at KSC- $20.)

We arrived KSC about noon. There were really not that many people there at that time. (Of course, by the time 5 o’clock rolled around, it was packed.) I have to say, we loved this place! (OK, so we’re geeks!)

The Rocket Garden was our first stop. It was so nostalgic to read all the informational plaques about the early space program. (This is NASA’s 50th anniversary!) I was just 13 when we landed on the moon, but the excitement came back to me when viewing the assorted rockets and capsules.

The exhibit hall right off the garden has all of the Mercury program information and paraphernalia. This was also quite enjoyable. My sister commented how incredibly brave these men were to head up into the unknown. I assured her, having been married to a pilot for 7 years, that it wasn’t so much bravery as ego combined with insanity.

We then sat through the most awesome 3-D movie at the 5-story Imax theater. The film was shot entirely by Shuttle astronauts on the space station. Incredibly interesting footage, including how the station was put together, how they eat, sleep, work and store stuff. The 3-D effect was great. We really felt like we were up there with them! Loved this film. (Narrated by Tom Cruise!)

I was disappointed that we had missed the last bus to the Saturn 5 building, but we had tickets to launch, err… I mean “Lunch” with an astronaut. Lunch certainly wasn’t worth the $22, but the astronaut was. He was fun and funny and entertaining. And shared some great stuff. Jon McBride last rode the Shuttle in 1986. He reminded me of a cross between Charlton Heston (the Ben Hur Charlton Heston) and a character actor from the 70’s- Gary Collins. We had our pic taken with him afterwards and he was warm and engaging. Much fun.

It was then about time to stand in line to catch the bus out to the launch site. The first buses left at 5pm, we got in line at 5:20. We did not get on a bus until 5:45. The last bus was scheduled to depart at 7pm for the 7:55pm launch.

We discovered a number of astronaut family and friends in line and on the buses. Apparently, each astronaut gets xx number of specially-colored ribbons (brown, green, orange, purple, yellow, etc) with their names on them and the designation of family or friend. We paid for these “NASA Causeway” tickets and were under the impression that they are the best seat you can buy. Seemed to be true.

We arrived at the causeway around 6:00pm. Where you sit is a very narrow strip of grass between the two-lane highway and the water. (I’d say it’s maybe 50-60 feet of land.) We walked straight up to the rope and pulled out our chairs. Great seats. You are about 6 miles from the launch pad.
There are speakers on poles and there were various voices that came on and off with updates of the launch. Some were from someone there at Kennedy Space Center and then they would plug us in to Mission Control in Houston. I found one of the most goose-bumpy moments (besides the actual launch) was letting us listen to the launch teams being asked, one by one, if they were “go” for launch. It was quite reminiscent of the scene in “Apollo 13” where Ed Harris goes around the room…

“OTC.”
“OTC is go for launch.”
“TBC.”
“Tank and booster is go for launch.”
“LRD.”
“LRD is go for launch.”

It just made me all tingly!!!

Around 7pm, a beautiful full orange moon appeared above the northeastern horizon. We snapped a few pictures and just enjoyed the gorgeous breeze and starry sky.

The launch went off at 7:55pm, without a hitch and we had the most exciting 8-1/2 minutes of our lives!

Unfortunately, this was followed by 2-1/2 hours to travel the 8 miles off the KSC property. And, turns out the film in our camera had been defective and all pictures on that roll came out solid gray. (Thank heavens we bought postcards and posters.)

sarge56

Day 5

I dropped my sister and her DH at the airport at 10am for their flight back to Chicago. But I still had 8 hours to kill before my flight back to Dallas.

I thought about heading back to KSC because we hadn’t had a chance to see the Saturn 5 rocket and I really wanted to, but decided otherwise. I knew I loved my time at KSC so much, I’d be back some day… maybe for a day launch.

Instead, I decided to visit the Charles Hosmer Morse museum in Winter Park, just a 20-mt drive from downtown Orlando. http://www.morsemuseum.org/home.html

This museum is a private museum and the entrance fee was only $3.00. No public funding goes to keep this museum open. It was fabulous! They claim to have over 5000 pieces of Tiffany glass and, of course, this was my reason for visiting. The museum is located on the north end of a beautiful little boutique area with cobblestone streets and lots of cute shops. The area was packed with Saturday-afternoon locals.

One of the museum’s unique features is a chapel. It is the completely rebuilt chapel that Tiffany built for Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition. It was painstakenly cleaned and restored, and rebuilt right here at the Morse. It was lovely.

It was wonderful to see all the different forms of art at which Tiffany tried his hand. Some of my favorites were the gorgeous glass patio doors he designed and built for some wealthy patrons, as well as windows, vases, jewelry and of course- lamps. Fabulous. If you are in the area and have a few hours, don’t miss this little Florida gem!

I headed off to grab a bite and then drop my car at the rental office. I found my trip home to be the exact opposite experience on AirTran that I’d had going to my destination. The flight was packed- and full of ill-behaved, non-parented, screaming obnoxious children. I wondered where the good ones were sitting- surely there had to be some good kids SOMEWHERE on this plane! Nope- not that night.

I kicked myself for the next 2 hours and 40 minutes for forgetting to bring my soundproof headset. I paid an awful price for it. Was never more happy to get off of a plane in my life!

All in all, a great trip. Very relaxing, Shuttle went off without a hitch and the weather was great the entire time.

Thanks to those on this site who helped with information and recommendations! And I hope some info here might help someone else planning a trip to the area.

Paula

5alive

Great trip report--I'd love to see a shuttle launch someday!

SamH

Hi Sarge. I really enjoyed your trip report. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

I got to watch my first shuttle launch, but from the beach in Cocoa Beach. The weather and full moon made it spectacular. Luckily I only had to walk across the street to get home when it was over.

Looks like I can check out a few more places in Florida thanks to your report.

furledleader

<I'd love to see a shuttle launch someday!>


Better hurry. There are only 7 more shuttle launches (possibly 8 if a contingency mission is needed) before the entire shuttle program is retired. At present, the last definate launch of any space shuttle will take place on April 8, 2010. If a contingency launch is needed after this final launch, it is scheduled for somewhere around the end of May, 2010.

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/05...ssions-remain/


sarge56,

Great trip report. Concise. informative. Loved it. How easy was it to get your launch day tickets? Were you on the website or phone the instant they went on sale?

sarge56

furledleader-

Not only was I online at the beginning of the sale- I had one of my sisters and one of my daughters online and on the phones, too.

My sister was lucky to get our three tickets. It took all of 45 seconds. When I and my daughter hit "send", we got a "sold out" reply.

So, literally, the causeway tickets were gone in less than one minute. And we were warned that they went fast. And they sure did.

I can't wait to go back! I hope we'll be as lucky as this time and manage to get causeway tickets.

furledleader

<So, literally, the causeway tickets were gone in less than one minute.>


CRIPES!!!!

I figured they probably sold out really fast, but had no idea they'd be gone in less than a minute!

Thanks.

thereyet

Hi Paula,

Fun trip report, I would love to see the shuttle launch, especially at night! Six miles sounds so far though, could you *feel* and hear the launch. I love really loud noises and bright light, so you feel the noise on your clothes. Imagine that?

I loved the rocket garden when I visited.

<<Boy, were we happy we booked in Titusville for that night instead of heading back to Orlando. (You’ll see why-later!) >>

What was the the reason you were glad you didn't return to Orlando?

I love LC Tiffany! That museum sounds awesome.

Semper Fi,

thereyet

321go

I don't know how I missed your TR, sarge, but I'm glad I got to read it and glad you enjoyed your trip to my corner of the world!

"I started with an indescribably-good roasted pear and goat cheese on pecan crackers and drizzled with a balsamic reduction." sarge, I adore that dish; it's one of my favorites there.

thereyet, the Morse is a jewel of a museum and practically unknown to most tourists. Many of the items on display came from Tiffany's Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall.

sarge56

thereyet-

Yes, you could "feel" the launch. The reverb was awesome and hit about 10 seconds after liftoff. Make your plans now! Not many left!

The reason we were glad we booked in Titusville is because it took us 2-1/2 hours to go the 8 miles just to get off of the KSC property! I can't imagine how much more traffic was headed west. We were happy to be just another couple miles after we hit Hwy. 1.

321go- loved Cafe TuTu Tango and the Morse! Will return!

Kristinesonja

Great report, thanks for sharing.

We watched a launch May 31, 2008 from across the river. Great view from a park.

This w/e we're having a sleepover under the Saturn 5, including behind the scene tours, etc with a Cub Scout event. I can't wait to report back on this event.

How do you find out when launch tickets go on sale? Was this through the NASA site? TIA.

Kristine

321go

Kristinesonja, there used to be a link here to an email sign up to be notified about tickets:
http://www.ksctickets.com/ltt.html

sarge56

yes, that will work. You sign up for the email and they tell you about a week or so before that tickets go on sale and the date and time.

Remember, they go fast!