Poohshoney
<font color=6666CC>Ya-ya sister!<br><font color=gr
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2001
Carol (40, British) dangerously Disney obsessed.
Roland (35, German) puts up with me somehow.
Mickey our beanie, on his first trip `home´.
Monday 29 April 2002
Kennedy Space Centre today. We didnt feel like rushing, so we didnt. Roland got the drinks, coming back happy after his stroll.
The drive there was easy it was signposted almost from the point of leaving WDW. Roland found the drive very boring. I must have too as I had to fight to stay awake all the way there and I didnt always win. Good job it was easy then wasnt it I was supposed to be navigating.
A shock when we got there we werent allowed to take any bags in. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind lurked the memory that Nancy had told me this. Whoops. I transferred all my essentials to a small plastic bag. Because I didnt like having to do it I used a Disney one and hoped it annoyed them. And then once wed got in we saw people with enormous camera cases and equally large bags! I wasnt happy .
There was a very nice woman (only one of two we encountered) walking round the ticket booths, trying to sell the Up Close tours. Roland wasnt sure about doing it; I thought if we didnt, Roland would regret it. We talked about it with the woman, then with each other, then the man in front joined in. Roland was still undecided so he asked the big question What did Nancy say? She said we should do it. And that settled it Nancys advice had been so good, even Roland now thought of her as the oracle!
We went to Robot Scouts before the tour but we didn't linger. To be honest, we were disappointed with it. Roland was/is a scientist and we watch a lot of space/technical documentaries (the BBC ones especially are excellent) so that might be why we found it lacking.
We went to the Rocket Garden next. We liked this more its so strange to think where these bits of metal have been! The info round the sides has some interesting facts I enjoyed reading about but it isn't what you'd call an imaginative presentation. We were lucky that there was hardly anyone else there I wouldnt have relished crowding round the relatively small print and so would have got a lot less out of it.
There wasn't really time to do much else so we headed for the shop. The woman at the cash desk was the other nice lady we met. (I keep wanting to call then CMs!) Unfortunately, we didnt see anything we fancied.
I knew Id be starving by the end of the tour but we couldnt see anything I could eat. I ended up with a bag of crisps from a stand with a woman whod have been perfect as an extra on The Addams Family. I reckoned crisps were a healthy snack as I needed the salt. (Fat content what fat content?) We were sweating buckets the humidity was so oppressive and although there were drinking fountains around, they werent as numerous as at WDW. We'd bought a bottle of water in the shop as we were worried wed die of thirst on the tour. The bottles were the same price as WDW but bigger I later found out they were bigger still but the same price at the snack bar by the Imax. Not exactly customer friendly that, is it.
They scanned our passes when we got to the queue for the bus. Roland didn't like the security at KSC. Ok, its a functioning institution not a theme park as such, but hes used to being at high security institutions and he felt theirs was intrusive and unnecessarily unfriendly. It's obvious that you're being constantly monitored so is their any need for the unsmiling omnipresence we felt around us? The answers a big no from Roland.
Now this is the point in our holiday where Nancys word became absolute law the Up Close tour was by far and away the very best thing at KSC. And it was solely thanks to our guide and driver they were excellent! I cant tell you (or KSC regrettably) their names: even though the guide told us them over and over again I've still forgotten them. Sorry chaps, you deserve better. The two of them made the tour come alive with their anecdotes and their gossip. The drive down the empty roads became opportunities for wildlife spotting; a boring office block is more exciting when you know that the flag on its side is as big as a baseball field; a doors something special when they show you the extra bit for the wing tips. They even made scrap metal sound interesting!
I revealed myself to be the non-techy I am when we got out to view the Endeavour Shuttle (from a long way away). Everyone was excited because of how lucky we were that it had been brought out that very morning. But when everyone else rushed out with their cameras pointing up at the shuttle, I had mine trained on the floor. I've never seen a gopher tortoise before they're so sweet and amazingly fleet of foot! I thought that place was just beautiful. The whole area was alive with butterflies and love bugs. Who needs a stationary shuttle when theres a bush full of natural beauty wavering in front of you? I know, I'm in the minority again.
We finished our tour at the Apollo Saturn 5 Centre this is where you go if you do the regular tour. We liked this, especially the way the spacecraft were presented and the films. It took us a while to find the piece of moon rock but we did. I hope it really is from the moon as the idea that we were touching something from all that way away, somewhere we can see every day (night!) but will never ever be able to get to was one of the highlights for me.
Back at the Visitor Centre we watched a 3D Imax film about the space station. I'd seen it before (though I'm not sure if that was in 3D or not). Good job too I needed the loo half way through and you cant get back in again. I spent my time waiting for Roland looking at some very good artwork and an unimaginative presentation on the Hubble telescope. Then we shared a pretzel. We think it was even bigger than the Disney ones!
Our drive back was uneventful and we spent it discussing KSC. We were glad wed seen it but we wont be going back in a hurry. Roland felt very strongly about the overt bias in most of the presentations. I noticed it too but it really irritated Roland. We both felt that so much of it could have been done better and more imaginatively. It turned out wed both been thinking the same thing all day wonder how Disney would have done that? Maybe KSC should poach a few imaginers.
The twilight on the mansions when we got back to Riverside was so pretty. We tried to walk a different way to our room every time and this time we walked up the stairs and along the top floor of one of the wings. That meant I could see our window before we got there and the blind was up. Strange. Well who do you think was sunning himself on a towel when we got there Mickey! We only took him with us when we went round Disney. Thanks to our Mousekeeper, hed spent his day off topping up his tan!
Wed called at Goodings on the way back and stocked up on munchies (including the inevitable bagels and cream cheese) so we had a nice leisurely feast and then a wander round the moonlit resort. Very romantic and pure bliss - we were so glad to be back!
Next, Day 10 Obviously a very happy whale.
Roland (35, German) puts up with me somehow.
Mickey our beanie, on his first trip `home´.
Monday 29 April 2002
Kennedy Space Centre today. We didnt feel like rushing, so we didnt. Roland got the drinks, coming back happy after his stroll.
The drive there was easy it was signposted almost from the point of leaving WDW. Roland found the drive very boring. I must have too as I had to fight to stay awake all the way there and I didnt always win. Good job it was easy then wasnt it I was supposed to be navigating.
A shock when we got there we werent allowed to take any bags in. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind lurked the memory that Nancy had told me this. Whoops. I transferred all my essentials to a small plastic bag. Because I didnt like having to do it I used a Disney one and hoped it annoyed them. And then once wed got in we saw people with enormous camera cases and equally large bags! I wasnt happy .
There was a very nice woman (only one of two we encountered) walking round the ticket booths, trying to sell the Up Close tours. Roland wasnt sure about doing it; I thought if we didnt, Roland would regret it. We talked about it with the woman, then with each other, then the man in front joined in. Roland was still undecided so he asked the big question What did Nancy say? She said we should do it. And that settled it Nancys advice had been so good, even Roland now thought of her as the oracle!
We went to Robot Scouts before the tour but we didn't linger. To be honest, we were disappointed with it. Roland was/is a scientist and we watch a lot of space/technical documentaries (the BBC ones especially are excellent) so that might be why we found it lacking.
We went to the Rocket Garden next. We liked this more its so strange to think where these bits of metal have been! The info round the sides has some interesting facts I enjoyed reading about but it isn't what you'd call an imaginative presentation. We were lucky that there was hardly anyone else there I wouldnt have relished crowding round the relatively small print and so would have got a lot less out of it.
There wasn't really time to do much else so we headed for the shop. The woman at the cash desk was the other nice lady we met. (I keep wanting to call then CMs!) Unfortunately, we didnt see anything we fancied.
I knew Id be starving by the end of the tour but we couldnt see anything I could eat. I ended up with a bag of crisps from a stand with a woman whod have been perfect as an extra on The Addams Family. I reckoned crisps were a healthy snack as I needed the salt. (Fat content what fat content?) We were sweating buckets the humidity was so oppressive and although there were drinking fountains around, they werent as numerous as at WDW. We'd bought a bottle of water in the shop as we were worried wed die of thirst on the tour. The bottles were the same price as WDW but bigger I later found out they were bigger still but the same price at the snack bar by the Imax. Not exactly customer friendly that, is it.
They scanned our passes when we got to the queue for the bus. Roland didn't like the security at KSC. Ok, its a functioning institution not a theme park as such, but hes used to being at high security institutions and he felt theirs was intrusive and unnecessarily unfriendly. It's obvious that you're being constantly monitored so is their any need for the unsmiling omnipresence we felt around us? The answers a big no from Roland.
Now this is the point in our holiday where Nancys word became absolute law the Up Close tour was by far and away the very best thing at KSC. And it was solely thanks to our guide and driver they were excellent! I cant tell you (or KSC regrettably) their names: even though the guide told us them over and over again I've still forgotten them. Sorry chaps, you deserve better. The two of them made the tour come alive with their anecdotes and their gossip. The drive down the empty roads became opportunities for wildlife spotting; a boring office block is more exciting when you know that the flag on its side is as big as a baseball field; a doors something special when they show you the extra bit for the wing tips. They even made scrap metal sound interesting!
I revealed myself to be the non-techy I am when we got out to view the Endeavour Shuttle (from a long way away). Everyone was excited because of how lucky we were that it had been brought out that very morning. But when everyone else rushed out with their cameras pointing up at the shuttle, I had mine trained on the floor. I've never seen a gopher tortoise before they're so sweet and amazingly fleet of foot! I thought that place was just beautiful. The whole area was alive with butterflies and love bugs. Who needs a stationary shuttle when theres a bush full of natural beauty wavering in front of you? I know, I'm in the minority again.
We finished our tour at the Apollo Saturn 5 Centre this is where you go if you do the regular tour. We liked this, especially the way the spacecraft were presented and the films. It took us a while to find the piece of moon rock but we did. I hope it really is from the moon as the idea that we were touching something from all that way away, somewhere we can see every day (night!) but will never ever be able to get to was one of the highlights for me.
Back at the Visitor Centre we watched a 3D Imax film about the space station. I'd seen it before (though I'm not sure if that was in 3D or not). Good job too I needed the loo half way through and you cant get back in again. I spent my time waiting for Roland looking at some very good artwork and an unimaginative presentation on the Hubble telescope. Then we shared a pretzel. We think it was even bigger than the Disney ones!
Our drive back was uneventful and we spent it discussing KSC. We were glad wed seen it but we wont be going back in a hurry. Roland felt very strongly about the overt bias in most of the presentations. I noticed it too but it really irritated Roland. We both felt that so much of it could have been done better and more imaginatively. It turned out wed both been thinking the same thing all day wonder how Disney would have done that? Maybe KSC should poach a few imaginers.
The twilight on the mansions when we got back to Riverside was so pretty. We tried to walk a different way to our room every time and this time we walked up the stairs and along the top floor of one of the wings. That meant I could see our window before we got there and the blind was up. Strange. Well who do you think was sunning himself on a towel when we got there Mickey! We only took him with us when we went round Disney. Thanks to our Mousekeeper, hed spent his day off topping up his tan!
Wed called at Goodings on the way back and stocked up on munchies (including the inevitable bagels and cream cheese) so we had a nice leisurely feast and then a wander round the moonlit resort. Very romantic and pure bliss - we were so glad to be back!
Next, Day 10 Obviously a very happy whale.
It was too late to do anything, thanks for sharing it...
