Pluto 4Ever
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2014
I just found the trip report I wrote for our very first trip to WDW in 1997. It was a fun trip down memory lane as I am working on our Dec 14 trip planning. I thought for funs and grins I would post it and see what happens...
September 1997 - Port Orleans & Offsite
Participants: Me (Patti, 41 yo Financial Reporting Manager) and Don (47 yo MIS Director and free spirit) from North Carolina. Our Disney experience was limited. I had the pleasure of performing in front of Cinderella's Castle with my high school chorus in 1973 (I got to walk the utilidors before most people knew they existed!) and a one day visit to Epcot while I was living in Jacksonville in 1986. Don had one forgettable trip at Christmas of 1986, as he says in a "former life". I was determined to give him wonderful memories to erase the bad ones.
This trip was really six years in the making. I had wanted to honeymoon at WDW, but we decided to put all available funds into the building of a new house, so we backed off on those plans and went skiing instead. Since then so many other things have gotten in the way-we have a tendency to either laze in the sun in Hilton Head or Mexico, or dash like mad from one roller coaster to another at bi-annual trips to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Last winter I decided it was time to Remember the Magic.
I used a Christmas gift certificate to buy WDW for Lovers and read the entire book in one sitting. I was particularly fascinated with the descriptions of the resort themes. We chose Port Orleans for a quiet, romantic, New Orleans atmosphere, then chose September hoping for less crowds. There were no MKC discounts for that so we let ourselves be talked into the Fall Fantasy package.
Because I can be obsessive/compulsive about some things, especially vacation planning, my free spirit gave me full control with no questions asked. I became immersed in the internet-particularly in Deb Wills Guide and Brians' trip reports. We watched every episode of Inside Out, and I bought every book I could get my hands on- The Unofficial Guide, Rita Aero, Birnbaum, even the Disney Companion book. The pages are more worn than any of my college textbooks ever hope to be. I have a notebook full of menus, FAQ's, and notes I made along the way. I printed every trip report available, and usually read them to Don on our way to lunch or home from work (except for Mike Scopa's, I made him read those himself -just can't read out loud for that long!) I even made computer simulations of the entire week, taking into consideration length of attractions, travel time, restaurants based on proposed location itineraries, etc. (Ok, so I'm a Capricorn AND an accountant, I can't help it.) In the last weeks I made a very important friend in Dotti Sarroufim who answered a lot of questions for me.
The waiting time actually moved very quickly, and Don was found wrong in thinking that I couldn't maintain the excitement for 8 months. In college we had a "slogan"-TAIEOBTAE (we pronounced it Tay-oh-beh-tay), which stood for "The Anticipation Is Exceeded Only By The Actual Event." In other words, getting there is half the fun! It actually helped us get through some tough times at work-when we got really frustrated or exhausted we would yell out "I NEED MICKY MOUSE. NOW!" Knowing the last week would be the roughest as we had so much to do, we packed almost everything he weekend before we were to depart. Unfortunately, I picked up one of those dreaded "stomach bugs" on Thursday and missed work. I was more worried about missing all the wonderful restaurants I had planned in Florida. Even with all the preparation, we still didn't get to bed until after midnight on Friday, but who needs sleep when you have WDW ahead?
Sat, Sept 13
The alarm went off at 6 am, and after the necessary routine we were ready to roll at 6:50. Well, actually we didn't leave until 7 because I had trouble tearing myself away from our 4 year old Border Collie, Troi. I always cry for the first 10 minutes we leave her. The traffic was light and we didn't slow down until we reached Orangeburg, SC. My Rand Mcnally computer report showed that we were 20 minutes ahead of schedule. After topping off the tanks (our trips to Hilton Head have always proven Orangeburg to have the best gas prices) and grabbing a fast food breakfast we headed south again. It was difficult not turning at the Hilton Head exit, but we knew we had greater plans for this week. Since I love Welcome Centers, we had to stop at the Georgia line at 11:00 for a bathroom and brochure break-still 22 minutes ahead of schedule when we left. Next stop-well of course, the Florida Welcome Center. We took a longer break here because there were so many more brochures. My friends at work consider me their travel agent-I always have brochures for wherever they want to go. Don made the mistake of checking his voice mail to find that there was a crisis at work that no one else could handle-great start to the vacation guys. He spent the rest of the afternoon worrying about how to handle it-it was one of those things even he couldn't fix without getting his hands on the equipment.
Boy, it sure feels like a long way from Jacksonville to Orlando. We cruised through a Wendy's in St. Augustine for a quick sandwich and kept rolling. By 3pm we had made a fueling stop in Daytona Beach and still felt great. Actually, it seemed the closer we got, the better we felt. Does the Magic reach that far? We had reservations in Kissimmee at a Ramada Inn for the first night and were 25 minutes ahead of my schedule. Then the problem began. Computers are wonderful things...when they work. Mine has this neat little Microsoft program called Streets Plus. I had plugged in the address of the Ramada and got a wonderfully detailed map of how to get there. We made our way to 192, then found the first turn on the map. Hmmm, why does this not feel right? Next turn, Hey-this is a residential area, what gives? And another turn, whoa-now we're on a dirt road, something has to be wrong. Instead of backtracking, Don the Explorer decides to find his own way back to 192. We came out about 12 miles below where we had turned off. By simply following the street address on the confirmation form, we finally found the Ramada Inn.
Ten hours since we left, 30 minutes longer than the original schedule. Oh well, we're here, let the fun begin! We got the first floor, non-smoking room I requested, and it had been recently renovated, but you could still tell it was an old, well-worn motel. It's just for one night, we kept saying. Actually, we had planned to spend the last night here to prolong the trip, but we decided we would find another place when the time came. After a shower and change, we were ready to dive into the Disney Magic. Don made a quick call to the night shift at work suggesting how they could circumvent the problem until he returned, which eased his mind just a little. I had made a priority seating 60 days ago at Whispering Canyon Caf for 8pm, but we couldn't wait and drove over at 6:30. We went in the gate off 535 and as we approached the big arch with Mickey, Donald and Pluto Don said, "How can you look at that and not smile?" Suddenly everything seemed all right.
We had both heard of people's reactions to their first sight of Wilderness Lodge, and we now have to be counted in. It was impressive from the parking lot, but as soon as you walk through the front door you just have to stop and stare! Now this is more like it! Don said it was second only to the first view of the bay in Puerto Vallarta from our balcony -it makes a mental snapshot that you carry forever. We went out back to take some pictures before the light faded and spent a lot of time just wandering. I had heard that Meeko's footprints are in the cement near the pool, but we couldn't locate them. And we missed seeing the geyser. Back inside to check in for our PS, I was a little surprised to see how open the Caf is to the lobby-it certainly put out a lot of noise, but with those tremendous ceilings it just kind of disappeared. Don told the hostess we were waiting and he expected good service (he was looking forward to some good-natured harassing). The hostess didn't even blink, just said, "From THIS crew? Ha!". We had a 30-minute wait yet, so we tried out the rocking chairs in front of the big stone fireplace and looked for Hidden Mickeys, but no luck.
We were told they had a very special table for us, but we discovered that meant that since we were 2 adults with no kids that was in the back room away from the action. But we didn't complain, even when we were seated next to a working fireplace! Jeez, 93 degrees outside and I get put 3 feet from a fire? Ok, ok, its part of the ambiance, live with it. Our server was Miss Kitty, and she was pretty good even if she didn't make the tray tables sound like galloping horses like the other guy did. She asked us if it was our first time, and said she would explain how it works. "I bring food, you eat it." "How about you bring beer, we drink it?" I asked. "That'll work too." So we ordered one Lodge House Brew and one Elk Mountain and both were very good. Then the onslaught of the food! Don had suggested leaving off the turkey leg, but I told him to try it anyway. The salad was excellent; I really liked the apple-vinaigrette dressing. Don liked the pull-apart bread, but once I hit a rye seed I backed off. The House Specialty Salads were very good also, especially the tomatoes. The big skillet with the campfire cookout took up most of the table and contained corn on the cob, herb potatoes (very good) apple-rosemary rotisserie chicken (bland) slices of smoked beef brisket (a little dry, but tasty), grilled trail sausage (just ok), maple-garlic pork spareribs (excellent) and the huge turkey leg. We out a small amount of each on our plate started the taste test. Well what do you know, the turkey was great (I got in a good I told you so on that one). Still a little weak from the virus and the heat of the fire, I couldn't do it justice, but Don made up for me. I took a great picture of him "gnawing" on that turkey leg. Miss Kitty noticed I wasn't eating a lot and came to check on me. I told her the fire was getting to me a bit and she winked and said, "Let me show you some Disney magic." She leaned over to an unnoticed knob on the side of the fireplace and cut off the gas-hooray! I just wished I had asked sooner. She asked what we would like for seconds-I just wanted more herb potatoes, and Don asked for spareribs, and more spareribs. She took him seriously and brought more than even he could finish. While he was eating I went to the main room and took some pictures of the kids in the wooden horse races. One little girl broke down and sobbed because she had lost sight of her mommy in the big room. Next time I will insist on being in the middle of the action! Don had wanted to ask for ketchup (he got a real kick out of Dotti's report there) but didn't due to our seclusion.
No room for dessert, so we spent another half-hour exploring the hotel. The gift shop was terriffic-I wanted one of everything. Don settled for a Donald Duck (who else?) pin for his shirt. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor to get the view from the balcony (I love the detail in the elevator-the handrail is held between the teeth of two beavers). Don thinks if you look at the skylights in the ceiling it looks like Meeko's eyes, and I loved the carvings at the top of the poles! We could hardly tear ourselves away, but I wanted to go see The Boardwalk. (As we passed the Swan and Dolphin we both agreed with an earlier trip report that argued that the Dolphin really looks like a giant carp!)
Parking was a real hassle, and a long walk to the action, but it was worth it. I love the Boardwalk at night! At the stage outside Atlantic Dance Hall they were doing the Hand Jive, The ESPN Club was packed due to the De La Hoya-Camacho fight (we watched two of the earlier bouts through the big windows), and the people and lights just made it seem so special. We were momentarily blocked by 4 senior citizens trying to turn their surrey bike around. Once they got headed in the right direction, Don, who was standing at the rear of the bike now, reached down and grasped the back bar with his left hand (realize that Don is built like a football lineman-6'2, 280 and very powerful). They strained for all they were worth, but weren't moving. "Someone must have put the brake on," the lead cycler said. About that time one of the ladies in the rear turned around and saw what was happening and started laughing-then they all caught on and got a good chuckle. Don especially wanted to go to Jellyrolls, but when we stopped to pay the cover he realized he had left the credit card at Whispering Canyon. We stopped in at the DVC model and asked if they could call over there for us, which CM Randy did. They offered to send it to our resort, but since we were staying off property tonight we told them that we would come back for it. The front desk was holding it for us, and one of the girls there thanked us for the new outfit she had purchased. Almost midnight now, so we just drove back (sadly) to our motel for sleep.
Sunday, Sept 14
Up at 6:30, we hurried through showers and check out in eagerness to get back on property. Driving in we saw 3 hot air balloons in the sky over the Swan and Carp (uhhh, Dolphin. Sorry, it's stuck now, it will forever be the Carp to us). We pulled up to the Port Orleans gate at 7:35 and proudly told the guard we were checking in. He made a poor attempt at a southern accent when he saw we were from North Carolina, which irritated me just for a moment, but once we walked into the lobby all was forgotten. No, its not breathtaking like the Wilderness Lodge, but looking around it just felt right. With no one else waiting to check in things went quickly and smoothly with CM Madelyn. She was very nice but knew very little about other resorts and valet parking (thank goodness for the Internet information exchange!) We parked the van and headed to the bus stop. Well what do you know, we walked right on to the Epcot bus and settled in for the ride. After one stop at Dixie Landings (we found out later that it is usually 4 stops) and we were at Epcot in no time. Smooth system.
We had about 15 minutes before they opened the gates, but we were entertained by The Jammitors. A very good start to the action. Walking straight to Spaceship Earth we hopped right on without any wait at all. I liked it, but I was eager to get over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We cut through Innoventions and I had to drag Don away from the video games. As we walked up to the Imagination Pavilion I turned 360 degrees and counted a total of 11 people in sight! This is my kind of touring plan! We got to sit on the floor to watch the Kodak pre-show at HISTA and then about 50 people entered the theater. We sat about 6 rows from the front and absolutely loved this show. Even knowing as many details as I did, it was a blast. I knew exactly what to expect with the mice, but I still jumped halfway into Don's seat when it happened. We laughed so hard, and it was great fun watching other people in the audience who didn't have a clue what they had gotten into. The 3D effects were great-at times it really looked like the people in the front row were covered up by people/things coming off the screen.
I had to go to Journey Into Imagination next. One of main objectives for this trip was to see all of the older attractions that may not be around the next time we get down here. All of the new stuff at Disney is pretty good, but I still consider the older rides as Real Disney. I go to Busch Gardens for roller coaster rides, I come to Disney to sit back and enjoy the view. And with no lines at the older stuff it's easy to see a lot in one day. We sat down to enjoy a chocolate croissant and watch the Fountains perform. I wish we had more time for this type of stuff, I really enjoy watching the people-especially the kids. We walked right up to a talking water fountain without even thinking about it-it was a good giggle.
Next stop-Body Wars. Now comes an important discussion. Don has always suffered from motion sickness on certain types of rides-anything 3D, spinning rides, and especially "effects" rides like Body Wars. I had joked about borrowing somebody's kid so I could ride the TeaCups. He wanted so much to enjoy everything at Disney, so we inquired about the motion sickness "bands". Our pharmacist said she mostly sold them to pregnant women, but he should try them. The ones we got are called Sea Bands, and are narrow elastic wristbands with a hard plastic bubble on the underside. You have to place them correctly-three fingers back from the palm of your hand and positioned between two tendons. To test them out at home he did the old spin around the baseball bat trick, first without the bands, and got pale and nauseous. He rested until he had recovered, put on the bands, and tried it again. He reported that he got very dizzy, but no bad effects. Grinning like a big kid, he sat down and took off the bands-and the nausea came flooding over him. Whoa! Put those bands back on, they really work. They were the first things he packed for the trip. We had heard that Body Wars would be a big test, but he was ready. It was just an ok attraction, but I spent more time watching him than the screen. He came out laughing, and mumbling something about buying stock in this company. They really, really worked, now the rest of the vacation would be a breeze. Bring on the TeaCups!
To relax after that we tried out Cranium Command. I especially liked Bobcat Goldwaith as the adrenaline gland, and Don's favorite was Hans and Franz (because their chests are almost as big as his). Still plenty of time, and getting to do so much the first day, I love this place.
Ellen's Energy Adventure had the biggest line so far, and I forgot that the theater would hold so many people, so we skipped over that and walked into Horizons. I had expected this to be closed, so I was eager to log one trip for posterity. Again, this is what I look for in Disney-cute, informative, no adrenaline rushes. After a sigh of longing outside Test Track, we headed to the World Showcase.
We stopped outside the empty Odyssey Restaurant to take a picture of sleeping pink flamingos (hey, we must be in Florida!) and took our time strolling past Mexico to Norway. We walked onto The Maelstrom with only 4 people ahead of us. I liked it, but then again I wasn't expecting too much. I forgot to look for the Viking in the mural wearing mouse ears, darn! The shop was very nice, but I wasn't yet in a purchasing mood. I did try on the Viking helmet with braids and Don took a picture. Unfortunately, I wasn't brave (or crazy) enough to belt out the operetta that filled my brain. Ok, the fat lady has sung, time for lunch. We had PS for Akershus at noon but walked in a few minutes early to a nearly deserted restaurant. They are very attentive, taking time to explain exactly what is on the buffet. Admittedly, this lunch was for Don-he loved it from the minute he first read the menu from Deb's page. But I have to admit, even if you don't like herring you can get a good meal there. The koldbord had very good smoked turkey breast, roast beef, cheeses, and salads. My braver husband tried a little bit of everything and liked most of it. He also liked the Rignes beer better than I did, but he likes the European style beers better, anyway. We made another trip up to try the "hot foods' side of the buffet. Other than the roast pork and macaroni and cheese, I didn't find as much there that I could eat. I tried the mashed rutabagas that everyone said I should try. Once was enough. I did have a large serving of a waldorf type salad with marshmallows and coconut from the sideboard that most people didn't notice. All in all, it was a pretty good meal and I would definitely eat there again.
We felt like we were ahead of schedule, so we backtracked to Mexico and did El Rio Del Tiempo. This was one of the few things I remembered from my first trip in 86-and the striking resemblance to It's a Small World. The atmosphere is nice, but it reminds us little of the Mexico we have experienced. Five hours of going strong, its time to see if our room is ready and take a break. Again, no problem with the bus, ready and waiting on us. We got back to the hotel, hot and tired, to find the room is still not ready. We walked down to the pool, but there wasn't enough shade, so we headed back to the lobby and tried to relax on the love seats near registration. By now there were lots of people checking in and the lobby was crowded and noisy-glad we got all that over with this morning. One of the Cm's at the desk said she would come find us when she got a room, so Don snoozed a bit while I people watched. At 2:50 the Cm came over to us with our new cards (we had to exchange the morning cards for ones that would also open the door and well as ticket and charge privileges). We were given room 3329-non-smoking as we had requested. As tired as we were, we decided to go on up and rest awhile before going for the luggage.
The room was very nice-I liked the colors and style. Due to a lack of king rooms, we had gotten 2 double beds, but that was ok this time. I turned on the tv to check out the NFL games (only for Disney would I give up my football) and Don changed his mind and went after the luggage. We usually deal with the luggage ourselves, but the bellstand said that due to a lawsuit no carts are available to guests, you must use a bellman. Ok, we can deal with that (glad that I had remembered the tipping advice in the books). I rushed to get everything out of the suitcases and organized, and we decided we would push our luck of no crowds and see what could be accomplished in the last couple of hours at MGM. Again, the bus was exactly where we needed to be and we had a smooth ride over.
Of course we had to head to Tower of Terror with hardly a glance at anything else. I do remember Don pausing just inside of the gate and saying, "This could be my favorite park here." We took the left side of the line and whizzed past about 30 people all the way to the rope! Just a quick pause and we were ushered into the library to view the story. The long walk through the basement to the service elevator was exciting just in anticipation of what we considered the top thrill of the trip. We got placed in the middle on the right side and as I looked back at "THE SEAT" I was glad it wasn't me. Turned out it stayed empty this trip. The effects were as good as described, but it was all just window dressing to the big event. Taking up on the Floro family tradition (Beth Floro's trip report-it's a good one), Don yelled "We're all gonna die!!!!" We were prepared, but it didn't matter-when the big drop happened I came out of the seat and grabbed Don's arm (another effect of being with a "bear", the lap bars stop on him and leave a good space for me). Without time to consider what has happened we were pulled back up and dropped again, and it was just as effective as the first time. WOW, our kind of ride. We walked out, then hurried back up the walk to do it all over again. Once again, almost no wait. Even knowing exactly what to expect it was a thrill.
Still time left, so we headed over The Great Movie Ride-it was also a walk on. So much so we missed all of the pre-show. I would have enjoyed that because I love old movies. We got the gangster car and he was pretty good. Don again yelled "We're all gonna die!" I am truly amazed at how far animatronics have progressed. Next stop Star Tours-another wonderful motion sickness-free experience. I was so glad because Don is a really big Star Wars fan and I didn't want him to miss it. I was finally able to relax and enjoy the ride myself instead of watching him for signs of problems. It was a very good attraction, I just wish it could have lasted longer, especially the attack on the Death Star. We practically ran from Star Tours to MuppetVision 3D as it was getting pretty close to closing time. Unfortunately again, we missed all but the last little bit of the pre-show, and I was so looking forward to it. I didn't even have time to spot a net full of jell. Once again, we were not disappointed with the 3D effects, although I did get a slight headache from focusing, kinda like when I look at those hidden image pictures too long. I was sad to see that my favorite, the Swedish chef, was at the back of the theater and it was hard to watch both him and what was going on in front. Don had a big laugh in the beginning when he pointed out that Beeker looks like Florida coach Steve Spurrier (can you tell he's not at Spurrier fan?). Now everytime he sees Beeker he starts laughing. Can understand that, because we think one of our co-workers looks like Kermit and it just pops into your head everytime you look at him. Are we warped, or what?
Well, after a very full day of Disney commandos we took our time getting to the front gate (with 15 minutes left to spare) and onto the waiting bus (again!). I was so encouraged by how many attractions we had "knocked out" on our very first day, the rest of the week would be a breeze. Time for this old Capricorn bean counter to relax and enjoy.
Back at the hotel, I took a shower and changed while Don went to the food court for a burger and fries (the old stomach bug was acting up again, and I was still full from Akershus). He was amazed that it was less than $4 and was as good/better than most fast food burgers. Both of us revitalized, we sprayed on the bug spray and trooped down to the bus stop. This is where our whole week changed. Sitting with about 20 other people waiting to go to Pleasure Island, we watched 11 busses for other destinations come and go with no sign of our bus. After the expected 20 minutes went by, Don started getting edgy. Forty five minutes later a bus finally shows up and stops short to be in better position to load a gentleman in a wheel chair that was waiting with us. Not knowing any better, we boarded the bus through the rear door, and the driver started yelling at us. I turned around and got back off, but Don, not knowing what was going on, stood his ground and asked what he did wrong. After a rude explanation, Don said,"Are you telling me to get off?" Another sarcastic reply, to which Don returned, "Can I have my wife back?" It made for a pretty silent ride.
But what can cure the blues better than Pleasure Island? I absolutely love this place. At home, I'm not much of a go out person (much to my fun loving husband's dismay), but this place just clicked with me. I remember having a good time at Church Street Station in 86, but this was a lot better. The odd thing was the size of the crowd-after a day of half empty parks it was quite a shock. Since it was already past nine and we were pretty tired from our commando attack, we didn't get to many places. Of course, now I start getting hungry, so we picked up a couple of hot dogs (big mistake! Don said they were ok, but not on top of my stomach bug.) then went straight to the Adventurer's Club. We had been looking forward to this for 6 months-just the kind of place for Don.
We made our way to the lower level and luckily found 2 chairs facing the platform where Pamelia Perkins was officiating. We ordered one canteen of Kungaloosh (I wasn't up to it yet) and Don pronounced it one of the best-frozen drinks he has ever had. Now, this is an extreme compliment, because our resort at Hilton Head has Pool Bar Jim, world-renowned frozen drink mixologist and author. But I have to admit, I think he's right, and I'm not a tremendous fan of frozen drinks. The entertainment here was exactly what we enjoy most. We had noticed that the majority of people we had encountered all day were British, and it was no exception here. The Colonel asked a lot of people where they were from, and everyone he asked was a Brit. Don got very excited to find out that the foursome across from us were from Cambridgeshire, where he had lived for two years while in the Air Force. Unfortunately, we were ushered into the library and he didn't get a chance to chat. Samantha Stirling put on a great show and we had a fun time watching her "victim", another Brit who was to be married the next day. She had that poor boy so embarrassed. It was very crowded in the main salon when we exited, but we stayed long enough to be inducted into the club. Then exhaustion finally took over and we headed back to the bus stop. While waiting 15 minutes for the bus we could see the fireworks for the New Year's Eve celebration that they perform every night. Back at the hotel we decided not to try for early entry at MK and get some much-needed recovery time instead.
Monday, Sept 15
We slept until 8:30, and decided to keep our PS at Crystal Palace at 10:30. I had made the Ps 60 days ago, then was told it wasn't on Fall Fantasy package, but when we got our list at check-in, there it was. Of course the original plan had been to hit early entry and then have breakfast, but sleep was more important. I wanted to check out the gift shops in the Contemporary, so we did the valet parking thing. No problem at all, just waved through at the guard shack and dropped it off. The Contemporary is interesting architecturally, and the location is pretty good, but I still wouldn't want to stay there for a whole trip. Someday I would like to stay at several different hotels on one trip, but I would definitely want to stay in the tower section here. The monorail trip is longer starting here because the Magic Kingdom is the last stop, but we enjoyed the ride and the view.
We had plenty of time before breakfast, so we went to check out Fantasyland. I didn't want to try anything that would be on the E-ticket express tonight, so Fantasyland was a good place for this morning. I really expected it to be crowded by now, but all but a few rides were walk ons. We started with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, specifically looking for the naked lady, which we found without problem. Not a great ride, but it had to be done for the sake of having done it. I carried a pocket tape recorder for making notes for this report, and I made the comment "It was everything people said it was, and wasn't". Next up, Snow White, again a walk-on. Again, at least we've done it. It was nice not having to wait in line for rides with low expectations. We walked up in time for the next ride on Cinderella's Carousel. I would have like to have done this at night like they suggested in the WDW for Lovers book. I was more interested in checking out the hand-painted horses after seeing that segment on Inside Out. It was time to start walking toward the Crystal Palace when a tragedy happened-the back came open on our camera and ruined quite a few pictures. The little latch on the back seemed loose, and for some reason the film wouldn't advance properly. Oh well, no pictures at the character breakfast.
The crowd outside the Crystal Palace at 10:20 was like a zoo! Kids were hot and cranky, you couldn't move for the strollers, and there was absolutely no where to sit. To make matters worse, I was feeling quite ill (must have been those hot dogs last night). Don checked in to find that they were running 15-20 minutes behind schedule, so we knew we were in for quite a wait. Everyone had priority seating; they were not accepting walk-ins at all. They did tell us it was ok to go inside to the restroom. Now here we had a stroke of luck-just outside the restroom was a love seat or chairs in a quiet little alcove away from the madding crowds, and the air conditioning felt so good! I must admit we lingered here for about 10 minutes before returning to our wait outside. Luckily, the crowds had lessened somewhat, and I found a seat on the bench.
At 10:47 we were shown to our table and I drank a huge glass of orange juice before I put it back down. Alberto promptly filled it while we were at the buffet. Feeling better, I selected several small croissants, more bacon than I intended, and a small selection of other items that I have since forgotten. It was ok, no better, no worse than the breakfast buffet at Shoney's. Winnie the Pooh holds court in the center of the room, and Eeyore and Tigger make the rounds. Don got a big hug from Eeyore when he explained that our camera had broken. I returned to the buffet for a danish and noticed the second line was being taken down. Our server Alberto explained that they were setting up for lunch, and we could help ourselves to that line too if we liked. Ready to escape the crowds, we declined and made our way to the front. Tigger was finally making his way around the room, and even though he is my favorite, I just couldn't wait to see him.
We returned to the Contemporary via monorail and decided to check out the 15th floor view as others have suggested. While there, Don inquired about Priority seating at the California Grill for Wednesday night and decided on 8:15 so we could watch the fireworks. That decided we headed back to the room.
Feeling even worse, I thought it wise to lie down and read for awhile. Don happily headed off to the pool (he's part sea otter, you know, must be immersed in water at every opportunity). After an hour or so, feeling somewhat better, I thought I would join him at the pool so our room could be cleaned without me in the way. The pool is very cute with the musicians spraying water and the slide down the dragon's tail for the kids (and quite a few dads along with them). I found an even better use for the dragon-shade! I parked myself under his belly and just floated for 30 minutes. It was quite lively around me, but not too crowded. We found two lounges in the shade, and Don went to Mardi Grog's pool bar for a frozen margarita and a pina colada for me. The margarita was from a machine and not as good as Pool Bar Jims', and the pina colada was quite a bit sweeter than I am used to. Don stayed to snooze in the shade while I returned to the room. It was all clean and organized looking again. I was very glad I had brought a good book, and I read for over an hour and rested well.
Ready for our E-Ticket Express, we decided to go back to the busses at 7:20pm. Another bad experience! Once again, the wheelchair lift (or the driver) malfunctioned and everyone was left standing around for over 20 minutes. Due to the upcoming stops at Dixie Landings, the bus was still crowded and we had to stand until the last stop. Finally seated, Don calmly made the announcement that the ride back would be the last time he would step foot on a bus. Undaunted, we charged back into the Magic Kingdom to hit some of the less crowded attractions before e-ticket time.
We exchanged our cards for the magical wristbands in front of town hall, (they told us only 1,000 had been sold for tonight) then hopped on the train to ride over to the next stop. While waiting I thought I was going to be seriously sick-then we had the brilliant idea for me to try Don's wristbands. Well, it took about 15 minutes, but they worked better than the Alka-Seltzer I had earlier. The train was relaxing, and it was interesting going through Splash Mountain. For some reason, I just had to go to Hall of Presidents first. This was one of my strongest memories from the trip in 73, mostly due to Lincoln slumping over and sinking almost all the way to the floor during his speech. We had to fight our way through the crowds lined up for SpectroMagic, but made it just in time for the show. Not exactly stirring, but interesting. I was amazed at how few faces I could put with the names, and I was a history major my first two years of college. I really think the enjoyment was heightened by the background information I had picked up, such as how all the costumes are handmade with period-correct fabrics and techniques. We spent more time studying the figures than listening to what was being said.
As we exited, we saw the last few floats of the parade, and I really wished we had stayed and watched that instead. Oh well, we had originally said we weren't interested in parades and fireworks, but I could see we were wrong. We scurried (at least that's how it felt) to The Haunted Mansion. Even though it was on e-ticket, I wanted to go through early so we could concentrate on Tomorrowland and the Mountains. We walked right up, got to pause just long enough to read the tombstones, and into the mansion. This was another distant memory, but only bits and pieces. Don teased CM Donovan about singing, and he promptly broke into Mellow Yellow. Pretty good considering I figured he was too young to even know who it was. The mansion was a fun diversion, especially the holograms and the hitchhikers.
On to Tomorrowland, with a vengeance! Let the E-Ticket begin! To save energy (developing a heck of a sore foot problem, in spite of all the precautions) we took the skylift from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Boy, did we ever time that right-as soon as we sat down the fireworks began. What a great view. First stop-Space Mountain. Even with no crowds, it's a L -O-N-G- walk from the entrance to the loading area! Pretty good ride, but definitely not like the roller coasters we adore at Busch Gardens. I did enjoy the view of the planet-outstanding, but not enough to make that long trek again. Next up-Alien Encounter. We had the longest wait of the night here. I think we had just missing entering the last show. Frankly, I was terribly disappointed. Guess I knew too much, and after the mice incident at HISTA, I was over-compensating staying calm. Not something I would want to do again, pity, I was so looking forward to it. From there we dashed to Astro Orbiters because I had heard they would be shutting down for a week tomorrow. Yes, it's a slow loader (not made any better by the screaming 3-year-old who finally had to be taken down the elevator), and it's a very short ride, but by golly we can add it to our list! We got another picture of Don with his pal Goofy (this time in a space suit) while we waited. Strange, our jet didn't climb quite as high as some of the others, wonder why? Don, do you know why??? The Timekeeper was on the list, but not open. They had trashcans barricading the doorway.
Tomorrowland conquered, we hiked across the park, took a wrong turn through a very dark and deserted Adventureland (very eerie with so few people), and made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean. Ahhh yes, this is Disney, politically correct or not. We both got the biggest kick out of "We wants the red head!" After that nice rest we were ready for.....dum-da-da-dum.....Splash Mountain. Boy, was I ever ready for the Laughing Place. Lots of stuff to look at here, and longer than I expected. I kept waiting for the big drop and got fooled more than once. When we finally hit THE spot, Don yelled "We're all gonna die!" as we plunged over the edge. I got pretty wet, but it was a fun kind of miserable.
On the way to Big Thunder we ran into frontier Mickey and Minnie and I got my picture taken. (I didn't realize how wet I got on Splash until these pictures came back!) By now my foot was killing me and I barely made the even L-O-N-G-E-R walk from entrance to loading spot. Jeez, I would hate to be in this line when it was full, you could be here for days! Riding BTMR in the dark is very strange-you can't see hardly anything, you just feel the rush of wind. Not bad for a junior coaster, but I need to ride it during the daylight to make a decision on the full effect.
We limped up to the Country Bear Jamboree-another old time memory. Don swore he had never seen it, but when Big Al started Blood on the Saddle the light bulb went off. I stopped to take pictures of the gang on the wall over the doors, but that picture fell victim to another camera door incident. Almost midnight now and Don was extremely hungry (I wasn't). We went to Main Street where there was still plenty of action, and he got fries, a Coke, and a quarter pound hot dog with sauerkraut and tomatoes at Casey's. Meanwhile, I stopped in at the ice cream place and got a single scoop of chocolate (not feeling very adventurous yet). He liked the dog, and that $2 single scoop of ice cream was twice as big as anything you get in the mall for that price. We sat at the table and took our time eating, watching all the people. I was amazed at the little kids still going strong at this time of night. I almost needed a wheelchair to get to the bus stop, and was very glad to see the elevator at Port Orleans. It was a very good day. (Snore).
Tuesday, Sept 16
Another day with no alarm (I really hadn't planned to sleep this much), another change of plans. We used our Fall Fantasy breakfast at Bonfamille's in the hotel. With the package you get 2 beverages (we both had oj and decaf coffee), 1 "starter" (We ordered the bakery basket which contained 1 very large croissant, 1 muffin, and 1 blueberry danish and the fruit medley which was very prettily arranged with greenery) and 1 entre (we both had sirloin steak, home fries, and 2 eggs over medium, which also came with a large croissant). And with all breakfasts you had fresh, hot beignets dripping with powdered sugar. The server asked if we needed ketchup and Don asked her if she moonlighted at Whispering Canyon. Obviously, she was not aware of this stunt there, so we explained. Just a few minutes later we had 3 bottles of ketchup from 3 different servers. And we hadn't even asked for ketchup! I guess they figured they were due some fun, too. The food was very good, it was all Don could eat, and I finished less than half. Again, I drank almost 3 full glasses of orange juice. At home I almost never drink orange juice at all. We waddled back to our room and changed clothes to go to Typhoon Lagoon.
I really didn't expect it to be so crowded, being the middle of the week in the off season. Maybe because it was so hot. So far every day had been about 93 and very humid, no rain in sight. Don dropped me off at the entrance and went in search of a parking spot. The size of this property was astounding. I've been to water parks before, but what made this one special was one of the unique things about Disney-the rides do not overlap in view. We picked two chairs in the shade on the upper side of the wave pool, then hiked across to the shark reef. Mr. Sea otter had decided he wanted to swim with the sharks, so I handed him the underwater camera and waved goodbye. I took a look through the sunken observation port, then climbed the deck to watch him from above. In his eagerness, he charged in without a lot of instructions and promptly "fell" off the ledge into the deep water (he was busy fiddling with the mask to get good suction over his mustache but wound up with a snorkel full of sea water and a slightly sprained ankle). The equipment just didn't work as well as he is used to, and the pain in the ankle bothered him, so he didn't take a very long time to make it across the pool. This checked off the itinerary, we decided a float down the lazy river was in order. It was rather crowded, especially at the entrance locations, but not too much of a bother. I took a lot of pictures of the sights, and I particularly like the dripping effects and the deep shade in spots. It was quite a long trip all the way around but made faster by the bulldozer pushing me (Don gets impatient in traffic jams).
Fighting through the crowd to get out, we went to the wave pool. The waves were very gentle and rhythmic at first, and I enjoyed this the most. I love lazing around in the waves, but I like it best when you can see through clear water and no creepy crawlys on the bottom, so this was great for me. We wondered when the big waves would hit, and it was about 20 minutes before we found out, but the water was warm and comfortable and we were relaxing. Then that sound hit - WHOOSH - then the screams. OH MY GOD. I've been to wave pools before, but this was amazing. I was almost neck deep anyway, and I almost started backing up, but thought, there's no way to outrun it, and they say it's rougher on you in the shallow part. OK, I'll just jump it like I do at Hilton Head (forgetting that our end of Hilton head doesn't get waves half this big!). I lost sight of Don as I concentrated on that wall of water (and people) barreling down on me. I took a big gulp, then JUMPED for all I was worth. It still went over my head and knocked me about five feet forward, ripping off my hat and sunglasses and tossing them in different directions. Well at least it wasn't a lung full of saltwater! Wow! Don had panicked when he saw my hat and no me because he knows my fear of being underwater (ok, so I'm a wimp, but I almost drowned when I was 6 and I just panic when my head is underwater). I retrieved my hat and glasses from the 2 nice people and went into the four-foot section to recover. Oddly, that was the only big wave on this rotation, but that was ok with me. After a few more minutes of slowing my heartbeat, I decided to leave the waves to the big boys and head to the chair. Don came with me.
My biggest complaint with Typhoon Lagoon is the sheer numbers of chairs crammed together make it nearly impossible to get from the pool to the back row without stepping on people or going a 100 yards out of the way. After resting a bit, we decided to explore the hidden slides and the Forgotten Grotto. Another pack your lunch hike. We saw the lines backed up to the "45 minutes wait from here" signs and decided that definitely wasn't worth hanging around for. We spent a few minutes on the observation deck watching (and listening to) the wave formation and subsequent wild screams. We fought our way back to the chairs one more time, but decided after a few minutes to head back to the room. All in all we spent about 2 and a half-hours there.
After a shower and bandaging my poor battered foot (didn't get the moleskin on fast enough, and then I accidentally kicked a table leg at Typhoon Lagoon that felt like broke a toe), we took the car over to Downtown Disney at 3:30 for some shopping and looking. We started out in the big Disney store. We both loved it, but I had left the 10% coupon from my Fall Fantasy package at the room, so we decided to just look today. We wandered though some more shops, but after the big one, we just didn't get into the others. I stopped to watch some kids in diapers playing in the fountains. Then we wound up in front of the Rainforest Caf at 4:30. We hadn't eaten since breakfast, and I was finally getting my sea legs, so we decided to go on in, and they took us immediately. We sat in the gorilla room, against the wall next to the pouring rain of a "window". We ordered a couple of Killians and while Joel, our safari guide, was gone Don discovered he had left the credit card in the room (I need to put it on a chain to go around his neck! We had enough cash to cover the drinks, but not dinner. Don explained to Joel that he had only picked up the room card, and Joel said, "No problem, I can put this on your room bill." Great! I thought that since it wasn't a Disney owned restaurant that they wouldn't be able to do that, but I was happy to be wrong.
There was a lot to see. I had read the menu numerous times and had planned on ordering the Mojo Bones that I had heard so much about, but when the time came I had one of those attacks that makes me order something totally off the wall and wonder why on earth I did that. I ordered the Jamaican Me Crazy- pork chops with red beans and rice and apple chutney, and Don ordered the Maya Pastalaya (which I hadn't seen on the Internet menu) which consisted of linguine with chunks of spicy chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, onions and peppers. Both dishes were pretty spicy and largely plentiful. About halfway through we both stopped and took a deep breath-looked at each other, and swapped plates. Hmmmmm, this was even better-two for one! Even though we really didn't have room, we just had to try a dessert, so we ordered a Gorilla's in the Mist. Heavenly! Banana cheesecake topped with chocolate and a whole banana split and drizzled with chocolate on the side. Excellent, Don says it might be the best cheesecake he ever put in his mouth (and that's a lot of cheesecake). The entire bill with tax and tip came to $54.70. We browsed through the store afterwards, but didn't buy anything.
We left our parking space and drove to the West Side area and parked again. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but I did want to check out Gloria Estefan's Bongo Caf. I liked the giant pineapple part of the building. The people were very nice and told us to look around inside. We walked all through, including upstairs, and checked out a menu. Prices are better than expected in this area, and we considered coming back for our last night. They presently are not taking reservations, but expect to in the future. There is, of course, a gift shop out front, and I wanted a t-shirt but thought I would wait until we came back.
We left Downtown and drove over to the Beach Club and valet parked. I really like the Beach Club a lot, and hope to stay there next trip. Storm-a-long Bay is impressive, and the location is superb-I especially love the view of the Boardwalk from here. We made the short stroll to the International Gateway and entered Epcot. Our timing was off and we missed the British Invasion, so we checked out all the shops and sights. We pretty much skipped Canada and walked the rim towards Mexico, making a brief stop to enjoy the Junkanoo band performance. Easing through the crowd without stopping at Mexico or Norway, we caught just the last 5 minutes of the Pu Yang acrobats. These children are amazing, and I would like to see the entire performance. It was almost time for the movie to start and we joined the procession inside. This would be absolutely marvelous if only you didn't have to stand! I felt like a flamingo trying to keep the pressure off my sore foot, but I enjoy 360 theaters enough to put up with the inconvenience.
We stopped at the Refreshment Outpost for a coke-that visual effect really works. Lots of people were making pictures with the old car in the rain and fog. Next up was Germany-our ancestral homeland. I made a quick peek looking for the entrance to Trimobia, but it was too dark. I wish there were more to this pavilion-I would love to see a 360 film with Bavaria, the Black Forest, etc. As a collector of steins, I was looking forward to the shopping and Don was intent that my collection would grow. But the shop didn't really have as much variety as Busch Gardens, and nothing caught my eye. I did spot a crystal Oktoberfest mug on the cart outside that I liked and went off to call home to check on the pup while Don made the purchase. He came back frustrated-the man with the cart was not affiliated with the inside store and would not charge it to the room, and was rather rude as well. We noticed that there was quite a bit of theft of small crystal occurring at the front of the cart while he sat far behind ignoring everything.
While calming down we somehow missed Italy all together! Out timing was again off as we approached the American Adventure so we joined a sparse group at the theater in front where a live performance of Latin music was taking place. We went almost all the way to the front and enjoyed the 20 minutes of music and rest. The dancers were exceptional, and for the finale came out into the audience to bring volunteers up on stage to dance. Wouldn't you know it, the best looking male dancer grabbed my hand! No, no, no, no. no. Number 1, I'm too shy for this sort of thing, number 2, my foot is still killing me and I'd probably wind up on the floor writhing in agony. I must say, one of the volunteers was so good he HAD to be a professional dancer. Don caught him coming off stage for a high-five congratulations.
Next stop-Japan, and Don was thrilled to see most of the Cirikili performers. Still in pain, I sat on the wall around the Pagoda where I could still see most of the act. Afterwards, Don described in detail what the story line was and how well they performed. He sometimes surprises me with the breadth of his interests, but that's why we get along so well. It's hard to find another person who enjoys sports and the arts equally passionately. Since it was almost time for Illuminations 25, Don joined me on the wall to wait. It was really a pretty good place to watch-once it started we stood on the wall and had a good view over everyone. True to the trip reports I read, the wind blew a tremendous amount of smoke toward the International Gateway. I was very glad we had stayed where we were. I can't compare it to the older versions, but I enjoyed this one. I'm not all that impressed with the lasers though, and I laughed when I recognized the song from the commercial, "Beef, its whats for dinner." (I studied music for 12 years and find it hilarious how many songs are borrowed for commercials and no one ever knows the difference).
We took our time walking out, stopping in France to rest my foot for a moment. Back at the Beach Club we had to ask for directions to Beaches and Cream so Don could get a milkshake. The line was out the door! I parked at an outside table and waited and talked to a family from Madison, Wisconsin. Don was very disappointed in the milk shake we had heard so much about. It wasn't thick at all, more like chocolate milk. Maybe we just caught them at an off time. It was nice to have the valet bring the car to us, and the trip back was uneventful. To add to my physical difficulties this week, I found a rash on both legs underneath my athletic socks. I believe it was a reaction to the heat, so I put cold cloths on it and went to bed.
September 1997 - Port Orleans & Offsite
Participants: Me (Patti, 41 yo Financial Reporting Manager) and Don (47 yo MIS Director and free spirit) from North Carolina. Our Disney experience was limited. I had the pleasure of performing in front of Cinderella's Castle with my high school chorus in 1973 (I got to walk the utilidors before most people knew they existed!) and a one day visit to Epcot while I was living in Jacksonville in 1986. Don had one forgettable trip at Christmas of 1986, as he says in a "former life". I was determined to give him wonderful memories to erase the bad ones.
This trip was really six years in the making. I had wanted to honeymoon at WDW, but we decided to put all available funds into the building of a new house, so we backed off on those plans and went skiing instead. Since then so many other things have gotten in the way-we have a tendency to either laze in the sun in Hilton Head or Mexico, or dash like mad from one roller coaster to another at bi-annual trips to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Last winter I decided it was time to Remember the Magic.
I used a Christmas gift certificate to buy WDW for Lovers and read the entire book in one sitting. I was particularly fascinated with the descriptions of the resort themes. We chose Port Orleans for a quiet, romantic, New Orleans atmosphere, then chose September hoping for less crowds. There were no MKC discounts for that so we let ourselves be talked into the Fall Fantasy package.
Because I can be obsessive/compulsive about some things, especially vacation planning, my free spirit gave me full control with no questions asked. I became immersed in the internet-particularly in Deb Wills Guide and Brians' trip reports. We watched every episode of Inside Out, and I bought every book I could get my hands on- The Unofficial Guide, Rita Aero, Birnbaum, even the Disney Companion book. The pages are more worn than any of my college textbooks ever hope to be. I have a notebook full of menus, FAQ's, and notes I made along the way. I printed every trip report available, and usually read them to Don on our way to lunch or home from work (except for Mike Scopa's, I made him read those himself -just can't read out loud for that long!) I even made computer simulations of the entire week, taking into consideration length of attractions, travel time, restaurants based on proposed location itineraries, etc. (Ok, so I'm a Capricorn AND an accountant, I can't help it.) In the last weeks I made a very important friend in Dotti Sarroufim who answered a lot of questions for me.
The waiting time actually moved very quickly, and Don was found wrong in thinking that I couldn't maintain the excitement for 8 months. In college we had a "slogan"-TAIEOBTAE (we pronounced it Tay-oh-beh-tay), which stood for "The Anticipation Is Exceeded Only By The Actual Event." In other words, getting there is half the fun! It actually helped us get through some tough times at work-when we got really frustrated or exhausted we would yell out "I NEED MICKY MOUSE. NOW!" Knowing the last week would be the roughest as we had so much to do, we packed almost everything he weekend before we were to depart. Unfortunately, I picked up one of those dreaded "stomach bugs" on Thursday and missed work. I was more worried about missing all the wonderful restaurants I had planned in Florida. Even with all the preparation, we still didn't get to bed until after midnight on Friday, but who needs sleep when you have WDW ahead?
Sat, Sept 13
The alarm went off at 6 am, and after the necessary routine we were ready to roll at 6:50. Well, actually we didn't leave until 7 because I had trouble tearing myself away from our 4 year old Border Collie, Troi. I always cry for the first 10 minutes we leave her. The traffic was light and we didn't slow down until we reached Orangeburg, SC. My Rand Mcnally computer report showed that we were 20 minutes ahead of schedule. After topping off the tanks (our trips to Hilton Head have always proven Orangeburg to have the best gas prices) and grabbing a fast food breakfast we headed south again. It was difficult not turning at the Hilton Head exit, but we knew we had greater plans for this week. Since I love Welcome Centers, we had to stop at the Georgia line at 11:00 for a bathroom and brochure break-still 22 minutes ahead of schedule when we left. Next stop-well of course, the Florida Welcome Center. We took a longer break here because there were so many more brochures. My friends at work consider me their travel agent-I always have brochures for wherever they want to go. Don made the mistake of checking his voice mail to find that there was a crisis at work that no one else could handle-great start to the vacation guys. He spent the rest of the afternoon worrying about how to handle it-it was one of those things even he couldn't fix without getting his hands on the equipment.
Boy, it sure feels like a long way from Jacksonville to Orlando. We cruised through a Wendy's in St. Augustine for a quick sandwich and kept rolling. By 3pm we had made a fueling stop in Daytona Beach and still felt great. Actually, it seemed the closer we got, the better we felt. Does the Magic reach that far? We had reservations in Kissimmee at a Ramada Inn for the first night and were 25 minutes ahead of my schedule. Then the problem began. Computers are wonderful things...when they work. Mine has this neat little Microsoft program called Streets Plus. I had plugged in the address of the Ramada and got a wonderfully detailed map of how to get there. We made our way to 192, then found the first turn on the map. Hmmm, why does this not feel right? Next turn, Hey-this is a residential area, what gives? And another turn, whoa-now we're on a dirt road, something has to be wrong. Instead of backtracking, Don the Explorer decides to find his own way back to 192. We came out about 12 miles below where we had turned off. By simply following the street address on the confirmation form, we finally found the Ramada Inn.
Ten hours since we left, 30 minutes longer than the original schedule. Oh well, we're here, let the fun begin! We got the first floor, non-smoking room I requested, and it had been recently renovated, but you could still tell it was an old, well-worn motel. It's just for one night, we kept saying. Actually, we had planned to spend the last night here to prolong the trip, but we decided we would find another place when the time came. After a shower and change, we were ready to dive into the Disney Magic. Don made a quick call to the night shift at work suggesting how they could circumvent the problem until he returned, which eased his mind just a little. I had made a priority seating 60 days ago at Whispering Canyon Caf for 8pm, but we couldn't wait and drove over at 6:30. We went in the gate off 535 and as we approached the big arch with Mickey, Donald and Pluto Don said, "How can you look at that and not smile?" Suddenly everything seemed all right.
We had both heard of people's reactions to their first sight of Wilderness Lodge, and we now have to be counted in. It was impressive from the parking lot, but as soon as you walk through the front door you just have to stop and stare! Now this is more like it! Don said it was second only to the first view of the bay in Puerto Vallarta from our balcony -it makes a mental snapshot that you carry forever. We went out back to take some pictures before the light faded and spent a lot of time just wandering. I had heard that Meeko's footprints are in the cement near the pool, but we couldn't locate them. And we missed seeing the geyser. Back inside to check in for our PS, I was a little surprised to see how open the Caf is to the lobby-it certainly put out a lot of noise, but with those tremendous ceilings it just kind of disappeared. Don told the hostess we were waiting and he expected good service (he was looking forward to some good-natured harassing). The hostess didn't even blink, just said, "From THIS crew? Ha!". We had a 30-minute wait yet, so we tried out the rocking chairs in front of the big stone fireplace and looked for Hidden Mickeys, but no luck.
We were told they had a very special table for us, but we discovered that meant that since we were 2 adults with no kids that was in the back room away from the action. But we didn't complain, even when we were seated next to a working fireplace! Jeez, 93 degrees outside and I get put 3 feet from a fire? Ok, ok, its part of the ambiance, live with it. Our server was Miss Kitty, and she was pretty good even if she didn't make the tray tables sound like galloping horses like the other guy did. She asked us if it was our first time, and said she would explain how it works. "I bring food, you eat it." "How about you bring beer, we drink it?" I asked. "That'll work too." So we ordered one Lodge House Brew and one Elk Mountain and both were very good. Then the onslaught of the food! Don had suggested leaving off the turkey leg, but I told him to try it anyway. The salad was excellent; I really liked the apple-vinaigrette dressing. Don liked the pull-apart bread, but once I hit a rye seed I backed off. The House Specialty Salads were very good also, especially the tomatoes. The big skillet with the campfire cookout took up most of the table and contained corn on the cob, herb potatoes (very good) apple-rosemary rotisserie chicken (bland) slices of smoked beef brisket (a little dry, but tasty), grilled trail sausage (just ok), maple-garlic pork spareribs (excellent) and the huge turkey leg. We out a small amount of each on our plate started the taste test. Well what do you know, the turkey was great (I got in a good I told you so on that one). Still a little weak from the virus and the heat of the fire, I couldn't do it justice, but Don made up for me. I took a great picture of him "gnawing" on that turkey leg. Miss Kitty noticed I wasn't eating a lot and came to check on me. I told her the fire was getting to me a bit and she winked and said, "Let me show you some Disney magic." She leaned over to an unnoticed knob on the side of the fireplace and cut off the gas-hooray! I just wished I had asked sooner. She asked what we would like for seconds-I just wanted more herb potatoes, and Don asked for spareribs, and more spareribs. She took him seriously and brought more than even he could finish. While he was eating I went to the main room and took some pictures of the kids in the wooden horse races. One little girl broke down and sobbed because she had lost sight of her mommy in the big room. Next time I will insist on being in the middle of the action! Don had wanted to ask for ketchup (he got a real kick out of Dotti's report there) but didn't due to our seclusion.
No room for dessert, so we spent another half-hour exploring the hotel. The gift shop was terriffic-I wanted one of everything. Don settled for a Donald Duck (who else?) pin for his shirt. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor to get the view from the balcony (I love the detail in the elevator-the handrail is held between the teeth of two beavers). Don thinks if you look at the skylights in the ceiling it looks like Meeko's eyes, and I loved the carvings at the top of the poles! We could hardly tear ourselves away, but I wanted to go see The Boardwalk. (As we passed the Swan and Dolphin we both agreed with an earlier trip report that argued that the Dolphin really looks like a giant carp!)
Parking was a real hassle, and a long walk to the action, but it was worth it. I love the Boardwalk at night! At the stage outside Atlantic Dance Hall they were doing the Hand Jive, The ESPN Club was packed due to the De La Hoya-Camacho fight (we watched two of the earlier bouts through the big windows), and the people and lights just made it seem so special. We were momentarily blocked by 4 senior citizens trying to turn their surrey bike around. Once they got headed in the right direction, Don, who was standing at the rear of the bike now, reached down and grasped the back bar with his left hand (realize that Don is built like a football lineman-6'2, 280 and very powerful). They strained for all they were worth, but weren't moving. "Someone must have put the brake on," the lead cycler said. About that time one of the ladies in the rear turned around and saw what was happening and started laughing-then they all caught on and got a good chuckle. Don especially wanted to go to Jellyrolls, but when we stopped to pay the cover he realized he had left the credit card at Whispering Canyon. We stopped in at the DVC model and asked if they could call over there for us, which CM Randy did. They offered to send it to our resort, but since we were staying off property tonight we told them that we would come back for it. The front desk was holding it for us, and one of the girls there thanked us for the new outfit she had purchased. Almost midnight now, so we just drove back (sadly) to our motel for sleep.
Sunday, Sept 14
Up at 6:30, we hurried through showers and check out in eagerness to get back on property. Driving in we saw 3 hot air balloons in the sky over the Swan and Carp (uhhh, Dolphin. Sorry, it's stuck now, it will forever be the Carp to us). We pulled up to the Port Orleans gate at 7:35 and proudly told the guard we were checking in. He made a poor attempt at a southern accent when he saw we were from North Carolina, which irritated me just for a moment, but once we walked into the lobby all was forgotten. No, its not breathtaking like the Wilderness Lodge, but looking around it just felt right. With no one else waiting to check in things went quickly and smoothly with CM Madelyn. She was very nice but knew very little about other resorts and valet parking (thank goodness for the Internet information exchange!) We parked the van and headed to the bus stop. Well what do you know, we walked right on to the Epcot bus and settled in for the ride. After one stop at Dixie Landings (we found out later that it is usually 4 stops) and we were at Epcot in no time. Smooth system.
We had about 15 minutes before they opened the gates, but we were entertained by The Jammitors. A very good start to the action. Walking straight to Spaceship Earth we hopped right on without any wait at all. I liked it, but I was eager to get over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We cut through Innoventions and I had to drag Don away from the video games. As we walked up to the Imagination Pavilion I turned 360 degrees and counted a total of 11 people in sight! This is my kind of touring plan! We got to sit on the floor to watch the Kodak pre-show at HISTA and then about 50 people entered the theater. We sat about 6 rows from the front and absolutely loved this show. Even knowing as many details as I did, it was a blast. I knew exactly what to expect with the mice, but I still jumped halfway into Don's seat when it happened. We laughed so hard, and it was great fun watching other people in the audience who didn't have a clue what they had gotten into. The 3D effects were great-at times it really looked like the people in the front row were covered up by people/things coming off the screen.
I had to go to Journey Into Imagination next. One of main objectives for this trip was to see all of the older attractions that may not be around the next time we get down here. All of the new stuff at Disney is pretty good, but I still consider the older rides as Real Disney. I go to Busch Gardens for roller coaster rides, I come to Disney to sit back and enjoy the view. And with no lines at the older stuff it's easy to see a lot in one day. We sat down to enjoy a chocolate croissant and watch the Fountains perform. I wish we had more time for this type of stuff, I really enjoy watching the people-especially the kids. We walked right up to a talking water fountain without even thinking about it-it was a good giggle.
Next stop-Body Wars. Now comes an important discussion. Don has always suffered from motion sickness on certain types of rides-anything 3D, spinning rides, and especially "effects" rides like Body Wars. I had joked about borrowing somebody's kid so I could ride the TeaCups. He wanted so much to enjoy everything at Disney, so we inquired about the motion sickness "bands". Our pharmacist said she mostly sold them to pregnant women, but he should try them. The ones we got are called Sea Bands, and are narrow elastic wristbands with a hard plastic bubble on the underside. You have to place them correctly-three fingers back from the palm of your hand and positioned between two tendons. To test them out at home he did the old spin around the baseball bat trick, first without the bands, and got pale and nauseous. He rested until he had recovered, put on the bands, and tried it again. He reported that he got very dizzy, but no bad effects. Grinning like a big kid, he sat down and took off the bands-and the nausea came flooding over him. Whoa! Put those bands back on, they really work. They were the first things he packed for the trip. We had heard that Body Wars would be a big test, but he was ready. It was just an ok attraction, but I spent more time watching him than the screen. He came out laughing, and mumbling something about buying stock in this company. They really, really worked, now the rest of the vacation would be a breeze. Bring on the TeaCups!
To relax after that we tried out Cranium Command. I especially liked Bobcat Goldwaith as the adrenaline gland, and Don's favorite was Hans and Franz (because their chests are almost as big as his). Still plenty of time, and getting to do so much the first day, I love this place.
Ellen's Energy Adventure had the biggest line so far, and I forgot that the theater would hold so many people, so we skipped over that and walked into Horizons. I had expected this to be closed, so I was eager to log one trip for posterity. Again, this is what I look for in Disney-cute, informative, no adrenaline rushes. After a sigh of longing outside Test Track, we headed to the World Showcase.
We stopped outside the empty Odyssey Restaurant to take a picture of sleeping pink flamingos (hey, we must be in Florida!) and took our time strolling past Mexico to Norway. We walked onto The Maelstrom with only 4 people ahead of us. I liked it, but then again I wasn't expecting too much. I forgot to look for the Viking in the mural wearing mouse ears, darn! The shop was very nice, but I wasn't yet in a purchasing mood. I did try on the Viking helmet with braids and Don took a picture. Unfortunately, I wasn't brave (or crazy) enough to belt out the operetta that filled my brain. Ok, the fat lady has sung, time for lunch. We had PS for Akershus at noon but walked in a few minutes early to a nearly deserted restaurant. They are very attentive, taking time to explain exactly what is on the buffet. Admittedly, this lunch was for Don-he loved it from the minute he first read the menu from Deb's page. But I have to admit, even if you don't like herring you can get a good meal there. The koldbord had very good smoked turkey breast, roast beef, cheeses, and salads. My braver husband tried a little bit of everything and liked most of it. He also liked the Rignes beer better than I did, but he likes the European style beers better, anyway. We made another trip up to try the "hot foods' side of the buffet. Other than the roast pork and macaroni and cheese, I didn't find as much there that I could eat. I tried the mashed rutabagas that everyone said I should try. Once was enough. I did have a large serving of a waldorf type salad with marshmallows and coconut from the sideboard that most people didn't notice. All in all, it was a pretty good meal and I would definitely eat there again.
We felt like we were ahead of schedule, so we backtracked to Mexico and did El Rio Del Tiempo. This was one of the few things I remembered from my first trip in 86-and the striking resemblance to It's a Small World. The atmosphere is nice, but it reminds us little of the Mexico we have experienced. Five hours of going strong, its time to see if our room is ready and take a break. Again, no problem with the bus, ready and waiting on us. We got back to the hotel, hot and tired, to find the room is still not ready. We walked down to the pool, but there wasn't enough shade, so we headed back to the lobby and tried to relax on the love seats near registration. By now there were lots of people checking in and the lobby was crowded and noisy-glad we got all that over with this morning. One of the Cm's at the desk said she would come find us when she got a room, so Don snoozed a bit while I people watched. At 2:50 the Cm came over to us with our new cards (we had to exchange the morning cards for ones that would also open the door and well as ticket and charge privileges). We were given room 3329-non-smoking as we had requested. As tired as we were, we decided to go on up and rest awhile before going for the luggage.
The room was very nice-I liked the colors and style. Due to a lack of king rooms, we had gotten 2 double beds, but that was ok this time. I turned on the tv to check out the NFL games (only for Disney would I give up my football) and Don changed his mind and went after the luggage. We usually deal with the luggage ourselves, but the bellstand said that due to a lawsuit no carts are available to guests, you must use a bellman. Ok, we can deal with that (glad that I had remembered the tipping advice in the books). I rushed to get everything out of the suitcases and organized, and we decided we would push our luck of no crowds and see what could be accomplished in the last couple of hours at MGM. Again, the bus was exactly where we needed to be and we had a smooth ride over.
Of course we had to head to Tower of Terror with hardly a glance at anything else. I do remember Don pausing just inside of the gate and saying, "This could be my favorite park here." We took the left side of the line and whizzed past about 30 people all the way to the rope! Just a quick pause and we were ushered into the library to view the story. The long walk through the basement to the service elevator was exciting just in anticipation of what we considered the top thrill of the trip. We got placed in the middle on the right side and as I looked back at "THE SEAT" I was glad it wasn't me. Turned out it stayed empty this trip. The effects were as good as described, but it was all just window dressing to the big event. Taking up on the Floro family tradition (Beth Floro's trip report-it's a good one), Don yelled "We're all gonna die!!!!" We were prepared, but it didn't matter-when the big drop happened I came out of the seat and grabbed Don's arm (another effect of being with a "bear", the lap bars stop on him and leave a good space for me). Without time to consider what has happened we were pulled back up and dropped again, and it was just as effective as the first time. WOW, our kind of ride. We walked out, then hurried back up the walk to do it all over again. Once again, almost no wait. Even knowing exactly what to expect it was a thrill.
Still time left, so we headed over The Great Movie Ride-it was also a walk on. So much so we missed all of the pre-show. I would have enjoyed that because I love old movies. We got the gangster car and he was pretty good. Don again yelled "We're all gonna die!" I am truly amazed at how far animatronics have progressed. Next stop Star Tours-another wonderful motion sickness-free experience. I was so glad because Don is a really big Star Wars fan and I didn't want him to miss it. I was finally able to relax and enjoy the ride myself instead of watching him for signs of problems. It was a very good attraction, I just wish it could have lasted longer, especially the attack on the Death Star. We practically ran from Star Tours to MuppetVision 3D as it was getting pretty close to closing time. Unfortunately again, we missed all but the last little bit of the pre-show, and I was so looking forward to it. I didn't even have time to spot a net full of jell. Once again, we were not disappointed with the 3D effects, although I did get a slight headache from focusing, kinda like when I look at those hidden image pictures too long. I was sad to see that my favorite, the Swedish chef, was at the back of the theater and it was hard to watch both him and what was going on in front. Don had a big laugh in the beginning when he pointed out that Beeker looks like Florida coach Steve Spurrier (can you tell he's not at Spurrier fan?). Now everytime he sees Beeker he starts laughing. Can understand that, because we think one of our co-workers looks like Kermit and it just pops into your head everytime you look at him. Are we warped, or what?
Well, after a very full day of Disney commandos we took our time getting to the front gate (with 15 minutes left to spare) and onto the waiting bus (again!). I was so encouraged by how many attractions we had "knocked out" on our very first day, the rest of the week would be a breeze. Time for this old Capricorn bean counter to relax and enjoy.
Back at the hotel, I took a shower and changed while Don went to the food court for a burger and fries (the old stomach bug was acting up again, and I was still full from Akershus). He was amazed that it was less than $4 and was as good/better than most fast food burgers. Both of us revitalized, we sprayed on the bug spray and trooped down to the bus stop. This is where our whole week changed. Sitting with about 20 other people waiting to go to Pleasure Island, we watched 11 busses for other destinations come and go with no sign of our bus. After the expected 20 minutes went by, Don started getting edgy. Forty five minutes later a bus finally shows up and stops short to be in better position to load a gentleman in a wheel chair that was waiting with us. Not knowing any better, we boarded the bus through the rear door, and the driver started yelling at us. I turned around and got back off, but Don, not knowing what was going on, stood his ground and asked what he did wrong. After a rude explanation, Don said,"Are you telling me to get off?" Another sarcastic reply, to which Don returned, "Can I have my wife back?" It made for a pretty silent ride.
But what can cure the blues better than Pleasure Island? I absolutely love this place. At home, I'm not much of a go out person (much to my fun loving husband's dismay), but this place just clicked with me. I remember having a good time at Church Street Station in 86, but this was a lot better. The odd thing was the size of the crowd-after a day of half empty parks it was quite a shock. Since it was already past nine and we were pretty tired from our commando attack, we didn't get to many places. Of course, now I start getting hungry, so we picked up a couple of hot dogs (big mistake! Don said they were ok, but not on top of my stomach bug.) then went straight to the Adventurer's Club. We had been looking forward to this for 6 months-just the kind of place for Don.
We made our way to the lower level and luckily found 2 chairs facing the platform where Pamelia Perkins was officiating. We ordered one canteen of Kungaloosh (I wasn't up to it yet) and Don pronounced it one of the best-frozen drinks he has ever had. Now, this is an extreme compliment, because our resort at Hilton Head has Pool Bar Jim, world-renowned frozen drink mixologist and author. But I have to admit, I think he's right, and I'm not a tremendous fan of frozen drinks. The entertainment here was exactly what we enjoy most. We had noticed that the majority of people we had encountered all day were British, and it was no exception here. The Colonel asked a lot of people where they were from, and everyone he asked was a Brit. Don got very excited to find out that the foursome across from us were from Cambridgeshire, where he had lived for two years while in the Air Force. Unfortunately, we were ushered into the library and he didn't get a chance to chat. Samantha Stirling put on a great show and we had a fun time watching her "victim", another Brit who was to be married the next day. She had that poor boy so embarrassed. It was very crowded in the main salon when we exited, but we stayed long enough to be inducted into the club. Then exhaustion finally took over and we headed back to the bus stop. While waiting 15 minutes for the bus we could see the fireworks for the New Year's Eve celebration that they perform every night. Back at the hotel we decided not to try for early entry at MK and get some much-needed recovery time instead.
Monday, Sept 15
We slept until 8:30, and decided to keep our PS at Crystal Palace at 10:30. I had made the Ps 60 days ago, then was told it wasn't on Fall Fantasy package, but when we got our list at check-in, there it was. Of course the original plan had been to hit early entry and then have breakfast, but sleep was more important. I wanted to check out the gift shops in the Contemporary, so we did the valet parking thing. No problem at all, just waved through at the guard shack and dropped it off. The Contemporary is interesting architecturally, and the location is pretty good, but I still wouldn't want to stay there for a whole trip. Someday I would like to stay at several different hotels on one trip, but I would definitely want to stay in the tower section here. The monorail trip is longer starting here because the Magic Kingdom is the last stop, but we enjoyed the ride and the view.
We had plenty of time before breakfast, so we went to check out Fantasyland. I didn't want to try anything that would be on the E-ticket express tonight, so Fantasyland was a good place for this morning. I really expected it to be crowded by now, but all but a few rides were walk ons. We started with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, specifically looking for the naked lady, which we found without problem. Not a great ride, but it had to be done for the sake of having done it. I carried a pocket tape recorder for making notes for this report, and I made the comment "It was everything people said it was, and wasn't". Next up, Snow White, again a walk-on. Again, at least we've done it. It was nice not having to wait in line for rides with low expectations. We walked up in time for the next ride on Cinderella's Carousel. I would have like to have done this at night like they suggested in the WDW for Lovers book. I was more interested in checking out the hand-painted horses after seeing that segment on Inside Out. It was time to start walking toward the Crystal Palace when a tragedy happened-the back came open on our camera and ruined quite a few pictures. The little latch on the back seemed loose, and for some reason the film wouldn't advance properly. Oh well, no pictures at the character breakfast.
The crowd outside the Crystal Palace at 10:20 was like a zoo! Kids were hot and cranky, you couldn't move for the strollers, and there was absolutely no where to sit. To make matters worse, I was feeling quite ill (must have been those hot dogs last night). Don checked in to find that they were running 15-20 minutes behind schedule, so we knew we were in for quite a wait. Everyone had priority seating; they were not accepting walk-ins at all. They did tell us it was ok to go inside to the restroom. Now here we had a stroke of luck-just outside the restroom was a love seat or chairs in a quiet little alcove away from the madding crowds, and the air conditioning felt so good! I must admit we lingered here for about 10 minutes before returning to our wait outside. Luckily, the crowds had lessened somewhat, and I found a seat on the bench.
At 10:47 we were shown to our table and I drank a huge glass of orange juice before I put it back down. Alberto promptly filled it while we were at the buffet. Feeling better, I selected several small croissants, more bacon than I intended, and a small selection of other items that I have since forgotten. It was ok, no better, no worse than the breakfast buffet at Shoney's. Winnie the Pooh holds court in the center of the room, and Eeyore and Tigger make the rounds. Don got a big hug from Eeyore when he explained that our camera had broken. I returned to the buffet for a danish and noticed the second line was being taken down. Our server Alberto explained that they were setting up for lunch, and we could help ourselves to that line too if we liked. Ready to escape the crowds, we declined and made our way to the front. Tigger was finally making his way around the room, and even though he is my favorite, I just couldn't wait to see him.
We returned to the Contemporary via monorail and decided to check out the 15th floor view as others have suggested. While there, Don inquired about Priority seating at the California Grill for Wednesday night and decided on 8:15 so we could watch the fireworks. That decided we headed back to the room.
Feeling even worse, I thought it wise to lie down and read for awhile. Don happily headed off to the pool (he's part sea otter, you know, must be immersed in water at every opportunity). After an hour or so, feeling somewhat better, I thought I would join him at the pool so our room could be cleaned without me in the way. The pool is very cute with the musicians spraying water and the slide down the dragon's tail for the kids (and quite a few dads along with them). I found an even better use for the dragon-shade! I parked myself under his belly and just floated for 30 minutes. It was quite lively around me, but not too crowded. We found two lounges in the shade, and Don went to Mardi Grog's pool bar for a frozen margarita and a pina colada for me. The margarita was from a machine and not as good as Pool Bar Jims', and the pina colada was quite a bit sweeter than I am used to. Don stayed to snooze in the shade while I returned to the room. It was all clean and organized looking again. I was very glad I had brought a good book, and I read for over an hour and rested well.
Ready for our E-Ticket Express, we decided to go back to the busses at 7:20pm. Another bad experience! Once again, the wheelchair lift (or the driver) malfunctioned and everyone was left standing around for over 20 minutes. Due to the upcoming stops at Dixie Landings, the bus was still crowded and we had to stand until the last stop. Finally seated, Don calmly made the announcement that the ride back would be the last time he would step foot on a bus. Undaunted, we charged back into the Magic Kingdom to hit some of the less crowded attractions before e-ticket time.
We exchanged our cards for the magical wristbands in front of town hall, (they told us only 1,000 had been sold for tonight) then hopped on the train to ride over to the next stop. While waiting I thought I was going to be seriously sick-then we had the brilliant idea for me to try Don's wristbands. Well, it took about 15 minutes, but they worked better than the Alka-Seltzer I had earlier. The train was relaxing, and it was interesting going through Splash Mountain. For some reason, I just had to go to Hall of Presidents first. This was one of my strongest memories from the trip in 73, mostly due to Lincoln slumping over and sinking almost all the way to the floor during his speech. We had to fight our way through the crowds lined up for SpectroMagic, but made it just in time for the show. Not exactly stirring, but interesting. I was amazed at how few faces I could put with the names, and I was a history major my first two years of college. I really think the enjoyment was heightened by the background information I had picked up, such as how all the costumes are handmade with period-correct fabrics and techniques. We spent more time studying the figures than listening to what was being said.
As we exited, we saw the last few floats of the parade, and I really wished we had stayed and watched that instead. Oh well, we had originally said we weren't interested in parades and fireworks, but I could see we were wrong. We scurried (at least that's how it felt) to The Haunted Mansion. Even though it was on e-ticket, I wanted to go through early so we could concentrate on Tomorrowland and the Mountains. We walked right up, got to pause just long enough to read the tombstones, and into the mansion. This was another distant memory, but only bits and pieces. Don teased CM Donovan about singing, and he promptly broke into Mellow Yellow. Pretty good considering I figured he was too young to even know who it was. The mansion was a fun diversion, especially the holograms and the hitchhikers.
On to Tomorrowland, with a vengeance! Let the E-Ticket begin! To save energy (developing a heck of a sore foot problem, in spite of all the precautions) we took the skylift from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Boy, did we ever time that right-as soon as we sat down the fireworks began. What a great view. First stop-Space Mountain. Even with no crowds, it's a L -O-N-G- walk from the entrance to the loading area! Pretty good ride, but definitely not like the roller coasters we adore at Busch Gardens. I did enjoy the view of the planet-outstanding, but not enough to make that long trek again. Next up-Alien Encounter. We had the longest wait of the night here. I think we had just missing entering the last show. Frankly, I was terribly disappointed. Guess I knew too much, and after the mice incident at HISTA, I was over-compensating staying calm. Not something I would want to do again, pity, I was so looking forward to it. From there we dashed to Astro Orbiters because I had heard they would be shutting down for a week tomorrow. Yes, it's a slow loader (not made any better by the screaming 3-year-old who finally had to be taken down the elevator), and it's a very short ride, but by golly we can add it to our list! We got another picture of Don with his pal Goofy (this time in a space suit) while we waited. Strange, our jet didn't climb quite as high as some of the others, wonder why? Don, do you know why??? The Timekeeper was on the list, but not open. They had trashcans barricading the doorway.
Tomorrowland conquered, we hiked across the park, took a wrong turn through a very dark and deserted Adventureland (very eerie with so few people), and made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean. Ahhh yes, this is Disney, politically correct or not. We both got the biggest kick out of "We wants the red head!" After that nice rest we were ready for.....dum-da-da-dum.....Splash Mountain. Boy, was I ever ready for the Laughing Place. Lots of stuff to look at here, and longer than I expected. I kept waiting for the big drop and got fooled more than once. When we finally hit THE spot, Don yelled "We're all gonna die!" as we plunged over the edge. I got pretty wet, but it was a fun kind of miserable.
On the way to Big Thunder we ran into frontier Mickey and Minnie and I got my picture taken. (I didn't realize how wet I got on Splash until these pictures came back!) By now my foot was killing me and I barely made the even L-O-N-G-E-R walk from entrance to loading spot. Jeez, I would hate to be in this line when it was full, you could be here for days! Riding BTMR in the dark is very strange-you can't see hardly anything, you just feel the rush of wind. Not bad for a junior coaster, but I need to ride it during the daylight to make a decision on the full effect.
We limped up to the Country Bear Jamboree-another old time memory. Don swore he had never seen it, but when Big Al started Blood on the Saddle the light bulb went off. I stopped to take pictures of the gang on the wall over the doors, but that picture fell victim to another camera door incident. Almost midnight now and Don was extremely hungry (I wasn't). We went to Main Street where there was still plenty of action, and he got fries, a Coke, and a quarter pound hot dog with sauerkraut and tomatoes at Casey's. Meanwhile, I stopped in at the ice cream place and got a single scoop of chocolate (not feeling very adventurous yet). He liked the dog, and that $2 single scoop of ice cream was twice as big as anything you get in the mall for that price. We sat at the table and took our time eating, watching all the people. I was amazed at the little kids still going strong at this time of night. I almost needed a wheelchair to get to the bus stop, and was very glad to see the elevator at Port Orleans. It was a very good day. (Snore).
Tuesday, Sept 16
Another day with no alarm (I really hadn't planned to sleep this much), another change of plans. We used our Fall Fantasy breakfast at Bonfamille's in the hotel. With the package you get 2 beverages (we both had oj and decaf coffee), 1 "starter" (We ordered the bakery basket which contained 1 very large croissant, 1 muffin, and 1 blueberry danish and the fruit medley which was very prettily arranged with greenery) and 1 entre (we both had sirloin steak, home fries, and 2 eggs over medium, which also came with a large croissant). And with all breakfasts you had fresh, hot beignets dripping with powdered sugar. The server asked if we needed ketchup and Don asked her if she moonlighted at Whispering Canyon. Obviously, she was not aware of this stunt there, so we explained. Just a few minutes later we had 3 bottles of ketchup from 3 different servers. And we hadn't even asked for ketchup! I guess they figured they were due some fun, too. The food was very good, it was all Don could eat, and I finished less than half. Again, I drank almost 3 full glasses of orange juice. At home I almost never drink orange juice at all. We waddled back to our room and changed clothes to go to Typhoon Lagoon.
I really didn't expect it to be so crowded, being the middle of the week in the off season. Maybe because it was so hot. So far every day had been about 93 and very humid, no rain in sight. Don dropped me off at the entrance and went in search of a parking spot. The size of this property was astounding. I've been to water parks before, but what made this one special was one of the unique things about Disney-the rides do not overlap in view. We picked two chairs in the shade on the upper side of the wave pool, then hiked across to the shark reef. Mr. Sea otter had decided he wanted to swim with the sharks, so I handed him the underwater camera and waved goodbye. I took a look through the sunken observation port, then climbed the deck to watch him from above. In his eagerness, he charged in without a lot of instructions and promptly "fell" off the ledge into the deep water (he was busy fiddling with the mask to get good suction over his mustache but wound up with a snorkel full of sea water and a slightly sprained ankle). The equipment just didn't work as well as he is used to, and the pain in the ankle bothered him, so he didn't take a very long time to make it across the pool. This checked off the itinerary, we decided a float down the lazy river was in order. It was rather crowded, especially at the entrance locations, but not too much of a bother. I took a lot of pictures of the sights, and I particularly like the dripping effects and the deep shade in spots. It was quite a long trip all the way around but made faster by the bulldozer pushing me (Don gets impatient in traffic jams).
Fighting through the crowd to get out, we went to the wave pool. The waves were very gentle and rhythmic at first, and I enjoyed this the most. I love lazing around in the waves, but I like it best when you can see through clear water and no creepy crawlys on the bottom, so this was great for me. We wondered when the big waves would hit, and it was about 20 minutes before we found out, but the water was warm and comfortable and we were relaxing. Then that sound hit - WHOOSH - then the screams. OH MY GOD. I've been to wave pools before, but this was amazing. I was almost neck deep anyway, and I almost started backing up, but thought, there's no way to outrun it, and they say it's rougher on you in the shallow part. OK, I'll just jump it like I do at Hilton Head (forgetting that our end of Hilton head doesn't get waves half this big!). I lost sight of Don as I concentrated on that wall of water (and people) barreling down on me. I took a big gulp, then JUMPED for all I was worth. It still went over my head and knocked me about five feet forward, ripping off my hat and sunglasses and tossing them in different directions. Well at least it wasn't a lung full of saltwater! Wow! Don had panicked when he saw my hat and no me because he knows my fear of being underwater (ok, so I'm a wimp, but I almost drowned when I was 6 and I just panic when my head is underwater). I retrieved my hat and glasses from the 2 nice people and went into the four-foot section to recover. Oddly, that was the only big wave on this rotation, but that was ok with me. After a few more minutes of slowing my heartbeat, I decided to leave the waves to the big boys and head to the chair. Don came with me.
My biggest complaint with Typhoon Lagoon is the sheer numbers of chairs crammed together make it nearly impossible to get from the pool to the back row without stepping on people or going a 100 yards out of the way. After resting a bit, we decided to explore the hidden slides and the Forgotten Grotto. Another pack your lunch hike. We saw the lines backed up to the "45 minutes wait from here" signs and decided that definitely wasn't worth hanging around for. We spent a few minutes on the observation deck watching (and listening to) the wave formation and subsequent wild screams. We fought our way back to the chairs one more time, but decided after a few minutes to head back to the room. All in all we spent about 2 and a half-hours there.
After a shower and bandaging my poor battered foot (didn't get the moleskin on fast enough, and then I accidentally kicked a table leg at Typhoon Lagoon that felt like broke a toe), we took the car over to Downtown Disney at 3:30 for some shopping and looking. We started out in the big Disney store. We both loved it, but I had left the 10% coupon from my Fall Fantasy package at the room, so we decided to just look today. We wandered though some more shops, but after the big one, we just didn't get into the others. I stopped to watch some kids in diapers playing in the fountains. Then we wound up in front of the Rainforest Caf at 4:30. We hadn't eaten since breakfast, and I was finally getting my sea legs, so we decided to go on in, and they took us immediately. We sat in the gorilla room, against the wall next to the pouring rain of a "window". We ordered a couple of Killians and while Joel, our safari guide, was gone Don discovered he had left the credit card in the room (I need to put it on a chain to go around his neck! We had enough cash to cover the drinks, but not dinner. Don explained to Joel that he had only picked up the room card, and Joel said, "No problem, I can put this on your room bill." Great! I thought that since it wasn't a Disney owned restaurant that they wouldn't be able to do that, but I was happy to be wrong.
There was a lot to see. I had read the menu numerous times and had planned on ordering the Mojo Bones that I had heard so much about, but when the time came I had one of those attacks that makes me order something totally off the wall and wonder why on earth I did that. I ordered the Jamaican Me Crazy- pork chops with red beans and rice and apple chutney, and Don ordered the Maya Pastalaya (which I hadn't seen on the Internet menu) which consisted of linguine with chunks of spicy chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, onions and peppers. Both dishes were pretty spicy and largely plentiful. About halfway through we both stopped and took a deep breath-looked at each other, and swapped plates. Hmmmmm, this was even better-two for one! Even though we really didn't have room, we just had to try a dessert, so we ordered a Gorilla's in the Mist. Heavenly! Banana cheesecake topped with chocolate and a whole banana split and drizzled with chocolate on the side. Excellent, Don says it might be the best cheesecake he ever put in his mouth (and that's a lot of cheesecake). The entire bill with tax and tip came to $54.70. We browsed through the store afterwards, but didn't buy anything.
We left our parking space and drove to the West Side area and parked again. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but I did want to check out Gloria Estefan's Bongo Caf. I liked the giant pineapple part of the building. The people were very nice and told us to look around inside. We walked all through, including upstairs, and checked out a menu. Prices are better than expected in this area, and we considered coming back for our last night. They presently are not taking reservations, but expect to in the future. There is, of course, a gift shop out front, and I wanted a t-shirt but thought I would wait until we came back.
We left Downtown and drove over to the Beach Club and valet parked. I really like the Beach Club a lot, and hope to stay there next trip. Storm-a-long Bay is impressive, and the location is superb-I especially love the view of the Boardwalk from here. We made the short stroll to the International Gateway and entered Epcot. Our timing was off and we missed the British Invasion, so we checked out all the shops and sights. We pretty much skipped Canada and walked the rim towards Mexico, making a brief stop to enjoy the Junkanoo band performance. Easing through the crowd without stopping at Mexico or Norway, we caught just the last 5 minutes of the Pu Yang acrobats. These children are amazing, and I would like to see the entire performance. It was almost time for the movie to start and we joined the procession inside. This would be absolutely marvelous if only you didn't have to stand! I felt like a flamingo trying to keep the pressure off my sore foot, but I enjoy 360 theaters enough to put up with the inconvenience.
We stopped at the Refreshment Outpost for a coke-that visual effect really works. Lots of people were making pictures with the old car in the rain and fog. Next up was Germany-our ancestral homeland. I made a quick peek looking for the entrance to Trimobia, but it was too dark. I wish there were more to this pavilion-I would love to see a 360 film with Bavaria, the Black Forest, etc. As a collector of steins, I was looking forward to the shopping and Don was intent that my collection would grow. But the shop didn't really have as much variety as Busch Gardens, and nothing caught my eye. I did spot a crystal Oktoberfest mug on the cart outside that I liked and went off to call home to check on the pup while Don made the purchase. He came back frustrated-the man with the cart was not affiliated with the inside store and would not charge it to the room, and was rather rude as well. We noticed that there was quite a bit of theft of small crystal occurring at the front of the cart while he sat far behind ignoring everything.
While calming down we somehow missed Italy all together! Out timing was again off as we approached the American Adventure so we joined a sparse group at the theater in front where a live performance of Latin music was taking place. We went almost all the way to the front and enjoyed the 20 minutes of music and rest. The dancers were exceptional, and for the finale came out into the audience to bring volunteers up on stage to dance. Wouldn't you know it, the best looking male dancer grabbed my hand! No, no, no, no. no. Number 1, I'm too shy for this sort of thing, number 2, my foot is still killing me and I'd probably wind up on the floor writhing in agony. I must say, one of the volunteers was so good he HAD to be a professional dancer. Don caught him coming off stage for a high-five congratulations.
Next stop-Japan, and Don was thrilled to see most of the Cirikili performers. Still in pain, I sat on the wall around the Pagoda where I could still see most of the act. Afterwards, Don described in detail what the story line was and how well they performed. He sometimes surprises me with the breadth of his interests, but that's why we get along so well. It's hard to find another person who enjoys sports and the arts equally passionately. Since it was almost time for Illuminations 25, Don joined me on the wall to wait. It was really a pretty good place to watch-once it started we stood on the wall and had a good view over everyone. True to the trip reports I read, the wind blew a tremendous amount of smoke toward the International Gateway. I was very glad we had stayed where we were. I can't compare it to the older versions, but I enjoyed this one. I'm not all that impressed with the lasers though, and I laughed when I recognized the song from the commercial, "Beef, its whats for dinner." (I studied music for 12 years and find it hilarious how many songs are borrowed for commercials and no one ever knows the difference).
We took our time walking out, stopping in France to rest my foot for a moment. Back at the Beach Club we had to ask for directions to Beaches and Cream so Don could get a milkshake. The line was out the door! I parked at an outside table and waited and talked to a family from Madison, Wisconsin. Don was very disappointed in the milk shake we had heard so much about. It wasn't thick at all, more like chocolate milk. Maybe we just caught them at an off time. It was nice to have the valet bring the car to us, and the trip back was uneventful. To add to my physical difficulties this week, I found a rash on both legs underneath my athletic socks. I believe it was a reaction to the heat, so I put cold cloths on it and went to bed.
