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Kathy Jared -- February 2000 -- Walt Disney World (ASSR, Plaza Hotel, Offsite)Feb 14 thru Feb 20th Note: This is my very first Trip Report. It was not our first trip (nor will it be the last, I hope) to any of the parks except for Animal Kingdom and Islands of Adventure so we were fortunate in that we did not feel pressured to see and do everything yet we learn something new each trip. We lucked out and the weather was beautiful (sunny and 70's) each day we were in Florida. Monday 2/14/00 Happy Valentine Day We delivered Valentine gifts and finished packing. For some reason, the more I travel, the later I wait to pack. Tim had earned enough frequent flyer points for a round trip ticket but because the return dates that we needed had no W class available we used a combination special which allowed us to use the points for both of our free outbound flights and purchase our returns. Our Northwest flight departed on schedule at 240pm. The arrival and departure gates were at opposite ends of the airport and it seemed like our 40-minute connection in Minneapolis was just the right amount enough of time. Arrived in Orlando several minutes early from our scheduled 9pm time. Immediately felt the Florida warmth upon stepping into the jetway and it was a welcome relief from the 12f degree temperatures we had left back home. Checked at the airport gift shop for Valentine pins but they were sold out. Found our way to the Dollar rental car counter and got in a short line. Unfortunately, as the next available agent finished his transaction, he put on his jacket and exited through the back door. His co-worker said something to him and he replied that his shift was over. One impatient gentleman from a group with race car jackets on and cell phones in hand tried to cut in front of the line saying he had reservations but he was told that he had to wait his turn. We had used the $169 KISS code which after taxes, fees, and fuel, ended up being a total of $233.88. We took 528 and followed the clearly marked signs all the way to, I think 417 South which lead us to WDW. Three tolls, if I remember correctly, two $1, and one $.25. We was not sure we were taking the correct exit because hotels are not listed but I knew All Star Sports was near the Wide World of Sports Complex so we followed that sign and took exit 3. This lead us right to the All Star Sports entrance. Another line for check in and, as our night as been going, more agents finishing up with their customers and exiting. We noticed three agents at the Guest Service counter with no customers while our line continued to grow. Hope this isn't a trend. We're now down to one agent with a trainee for about ten long minutes before the welcome sight of replacements arrive. Requested a late checkout and was told 1pm which sounded perfect. The rooms were small but just fine for the two of us. I noticed that the energy cards gave no option of laundering sheets on a less than daily basis, only towels. We went for a walk and purchased snacks at the gift shop and food court. Decided to bring them back to the room to relax and make some phone calls. Again, the tiny table was just right for us but I can't imagine trying to sit more than two there. We had to move it away from the wall to view the television. Everything looked clean but the outside of our bedspread was faded and the underside was torn and falling apart. There is no hair dryer in the room. The remote control is quite basic with no sleep timer. Request for a wake-up call was an automated process. Tuesday 2/15/00 Wake up call of silence. The Mickey voice I have heard about must be at another hotel. Showered but sure did not like the smoky like smell of the towels. We could only find an annoying national weather channel so we guessed at what to wear and headed off to MGM. Didn't have to wait long at all for a bus and was pleasantly surprised that we got to see the opening. Immediately made reservations for the Fantasmic dining experience at the only restaurant left which was Mama Melrose's. Rock N Roller coaster was down so we headed to Tower of Terror. It seemed like there was few more drops then when we rode it last year. Grabbed a fast pass to RnR then caught the boat to Boardwalk. Enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Spoodles. Walked to Yacht & Beach clubs where we caught a return boat to MGM. Noticed people on the walkway and made a note if we had time (which we never did) to follow it and see if it is clear to MGM. The RnR was an awesome ride and we discovered that we definitely like using Fast Passes. What a take off and glad that I remembered to hold my head back and centered, something that I learned the hard way on passenger day at the local race track. Found and purchased a Valentine pin and returned by bus to the All Star Sports to finish packing. Bought a cute toddler cheerleader outfit for one of our granddaughters at the gift shop. Checkout was smooth and we were soon on our way to the next hotel. The following three nights at the Hilton on Plaza Blvd. were earned by redeeming points. Check-in was quick and we were informed that they do have Early Entry privileges which they refer to as Surprise Entry. The room was spacious and very nice. I noticed that they also had a hair dryer, iron, and sleep timer. Made the horrible mistake of not breaking in shoes and my feet were beginning to blister so we hunted for a store that sold sandals. Also met another person looking for the same. We discovered that there was no shoe store near-by which sold anything other than tennis shoes so I decided to just try the same style of soft Reeboks that I usually wear at home. Because we were unfamiliar with this hotels Disney transportation, we decided to walk to Downtown Disney and catch the bus back to MGM. BIG MISTAKE. After waiting and waiting we finally decided to hop on one heading for the Swan and Dolphin and catch the boat to Epcot. It was getting very close to our reservation time and we were a bit in a panic when the bus driver pulled into the transportation center, unfastened his seat belt, and lowered his seat. Just our luck, another shift change. We told the next driver our dilemma and he explained that none of the buses go directly to the parks because of the parking situation. He also assured us that we would still be accommodated at despite missing our reservation time. He was correct. We apologized, were told that it was not a problem, and were seated immediately. Mama Melrose has a wonderful atmosphere but the menu is limited and the food a little on the expensive side. We had decided that since our children are grown and it is just the two of we would rather pay a little extra and have the comforts of restaurant style dining on this trip. I ordered a wood-fired pizza and Tim the prime rib, both of which were delicious. After a 25 years marriage, we have gotten into the habit of each ordering something different and sharing. Finished dinner and headed off to Fantasmic. Again, it was great not having to stand in line. Did not notice any type of pre-show at all. Fantasmic was amazing and well worth waiting for. Flowed with the crowd at the end of the show until we branched off to the left and caught the boat to Epcot. Although there were stops at S&D, Y&B, and BW we still made it in time to view the TON. Visited the Millennium Village and purchased a musical instrument on a necklace from Peru for our daughters daycare. Was not sure where to then view the IllumiNations and ended up in a spot near Mexico that was not the greatest. Stopped at a gift store on the way out and purchased a couple of CD's. Decided to take the hotel bus home and got totally lost. Last year when we stayed at the Ramada we caught an actual Disney style bus at the curb that stopped at each hotel on the Blvd. Finally discovered that we were suppose to find a motor coach style bus somewhere in the parking lot at a spot with the number 26 painted on it. It is dark and here we are searching the aisles on foot until we finally locate a very faded 26 with a group of anxiously waiting passengers. It was almost comical. The buses were very comfortable. We weathered the traffic jam and after only one stop, arrived safely at the hotel. Purchased some snacks before retiring to our room. Wednesday 2/16/00 Tim loaded the ponchos into our backpack and a very short wait before the 7:30 hotel bus arrived and took us to AK. Suprisingly, we caught another opening. Headed directly to Kilimanjaro Safaris. This was a nice tour and because the animals had just been fed so they all could be seen. Walked through the Safari Village Trails then headed to the Rainforest Café for breakfast. Returned to Asia and grabbed a fast pass for Kali River Rapids. Purchased "I Don't Do Mornings" PJ's as a gift for our daughter and donated $1 to the Wildlife Conservation fund. We then got in line to see Its Tough to be a Bug. I found this to be an interesting wait because it is tied to the tree of life and time is quickly spent finding hidden animals. This is a very cute 3-D show with a few suprises. Off to Camp Minnie where we saw the "Festival of the Lion King" show. What a great production. I could watch it over and over and still see something I missed before. It is just amazing how smoothly and quickly the stage is put together and taken apart. My heel is not good and I remember seeing a First Aid so we decide to find it. This is a wonderful feature in the park and was sure appreciated by me that day. Getting from one area to another seemed easy by using the Tree of Life, which is located in the center of the park, as a focal point. There are also very friendly employees to make suggestions or point you in the right direction along the way. It was now the time to use our fast pass so we retrieved our ponchos and boarded the Kali ride. Thanks for the RADPers for the tip. Having two skin cancers already under my belt, I am extra cautious about not baking in the sun. Next adventure, a bus to MK where we grabbed a fast pass for Pooh. Rode one of my favorites, the COP and TTA. Journeyed with the Timekeeper and relaxed for lunch at the Harbor House. Found it to be a nice cool hideaway. Rode It's a Small World. Didn't see any significant difference than before the rehab. Headed to Main Street for ice cream cones. Enjoying just sitting and watching the people when we heard the announcement for the flag ceremony. I had never seen this before and it was very moving. Tim wanted to hop on the railroad ride before returning to Pooh. Did I mention how much I liked fast passes? We still had not seen Tim's favorite "Spaceship Earth" so we caught the Monorail to Epcot. Rode "Spaceship Earth" and visited Innovations. We had planned on getting our photos taken for the Legacy wall but it was just too eerie for our taste. Think the pictures on granite reminded me of a tombstone. Checked out the land hoping to ride Living with the Land but the line was too long. Headed toward Mexico and rode the El Rio del Tiempo. Was so in hopes that this had been updated, especially the picture screens, but unfortunately it had not. On to Norway and the Maelstrom. I was thinking that at one time the top used to be open and seen from outside. Something just did not seem the same on this ride. Skipped the movie and continued on to Canada where we planned on relaxing and dining. WRONG. Discovered upon asking that the restaurants are closing. Darn. We find a curb in front of Japan to explore the barge with the IllumiNations world that we had missed the evening before. Got to talking with a family from Connecticut and they said this will be a great spot to view both TON and IllumiNations so we decided to stay there for the rest of the evening. Will have to try the cheese soup on another visit. They were right, we had excellent front row seats for both events. Did not feel like scouting the parking lot for number 26 and we were starving so we exited to Boardwalk and hustled to catch a Downtown Disney bus. Saw the bus that we needed just pulling up to the stop in front of us but could not get around a group of four women walking shoulder to shoulder and taking up the whole sidewalk and we just can not get around them. Darn, we just reached the front walk as the bus pulls away. The WIB continue their leisurely stroll to the parking lot. It is the times like this when I wish we had driven a car too. Waited for the next bus to Downtown Disney and purchased a dress for our other grandaughter that I spotted at a shop enroute to Captain Jacks. We arrived at the restaurant and noticed three people reading the menu and another couple entering the lobby. Unfortunately, we all quickly discovered that Captain Jacks had already closed for the evening. Had I known that Planet Hollywood was open I would have tried that. Instead we walked to our hotel and found that restaurant closed as well. We were told, however, that the bar was open so we found a small table and ordered a couple of sandwiches. Very good food but there was also a group of very drunk conventioneers to contend with including one man who rudely discarded his empty beer bottle down on our table as we were eating. Felt sorry for the waitress who was having a tough time with them as well. Thursday 2/17/00 We awake to discover that there is no hot water in our hotel room. Called the front desk and they report that a pilot light had gone out in the middle of the night. Watch a little TV until the water is finally warm enough to shower. Today we have decided to take a day off and Visit Cocoa Beach. The roads were clearly marked and, I think we had three toll stops of about $2.50. We accidentally got in the wrong line (E-Pass?) for the first one and were flagged through. The toll collector must have seen the look of horror on our faces when we realized our mistake. It seems to me like all of this stopping and starting at these tolls wastes a lot of gas and creates bottleneck traffic jams. The only vehicle back ups we encountered were at the tolls. Discovered that there is a new Traveler Information Station for central Florida visitors that can be found by tuning to 1680 am. It was about a 45-minute drive to Cocoa Beach. We stopped at Ron Jon Surf Shop and purchased shirts for ourselves and our dear our son-in-law who come tomorrow will be shoveling 10 inches of snow out of our driveway. We then headed to the beach just several blocks away. It felt wonderful to stroll along in the sand with the waves at our feet. Stayed awhile and watched the peaceful sights until it was time to return for our evening at Pleasure Island. We had originally planned on going to PI last night but ran out of time. Had a nice dinner at Captain Jacks except that I did not care for the flavor of the house dressing. Tim had the prime rib and I had the potato soup and salad. Caught a glimpse of the pot roast dinner on the way out and it looked delicious. Thinking I will have to try that next time. Pleasure Island was a blast. First, we went to the Comedy Warehouse where they have improv routines then visited the Adventures Club and enjoyed the skits along with fun group of employees from Animal Kingdom. OK, I don't want to hear any flames about it but next we took a break and went back to the hotel at 10PM so I could watch ER. I can't help it, that is the only show I am addicted too. Returned to PI where we had a few cocktails at Mannequins and Rock N Roll Beach Club before "bringing in the New Year". Friday 2/18/00 Packed up the luggage and had a fast and uneventful check out. After breakfast at IHOP, we were on the road to our final hotel, the Holiday Inn at Universal Plaza. We found Universal but could not locate this hotel which was suppose to be just across the street from the park. We drove around and around until we accidentally ended up in the entrance to the Universal parking lot where a sympathetic employee pointed us in the right direction. Evidently, we were not the only souls without a sense of direction because we were told to follow the red painted line to the exit. Our room at the Holiday Inn was huge but not near as clean looking as the one at the Hilton. There were very visible stains on the carpet. It did, however, have the weather channel but no sleep timer on the remote control. We purchased Escape Passes in the lobby and caught the shuttle bus to IOA. This shuttle service also stops at the Raddison Twin Tower and another resort. They seemed to run fairly often and on schedule. We decided that since it is late afternoon, we would start off to the right and leave the water parks for tomorrow when, hopefully, we are more familiar with the park. Very little wait for The Cat In The Hat which was a cute ride but, because of the spins, I was thinking might be a bit rough for toddlers. Headed for The Lost Continent where we stood in a very long boring ride for Poseidon's Fury: Escape from the Lost City. This line was so dull that there were people actually laying down and napping. The show itself had some cool effects but they really need to put TV screens or something to keep people occupied while waiting. Next stop was Dueling Dragons. The backpack had to be checked in a locker (complimentary for the first 45 minutes) at the entrance of the ride. We chose Fire and hoped that maybe we could return to ride Ice tomorrow. Just a word of caution, be sure you carefully read all of the signs because there are no employees to point you in the right direction and many people were accidentally getting in the front car line. Often, the signs are small and at eye level so if there is a large group or distraction in front of you, it can easily be missed. This coaster was SMOOTH. Took the Island Skipper Tours boat ride back to the Port of Entry. I noticed that several parties wanted to stay on the boat for a round trip and, unlike the train at MK, they do not allow this if there are people waiting to board. Had a nice dinner at Hard Rock Café and headed into Universal Studios for Mardi Gras. Found a spot on the corner of I think, Hollywood Blvd. Whatever the name, we were on an incline and facing the stage with Mels Diner across the street to our left and the Voodoo Lounge to our right. It turned out to be perfect for watching the Mardi Gras parade, catching beads, and enjoying the KC & The Sunshine Band concert. It was a great turnout. The people next to us were locals who had seen the advertisements and commented that they were surprised it was so much fun and glad they came. The area to catch the shuttle was the same as where we were dropped off which was very well lighted. Just a reminder that AA members get discounts in IOA and US so don't forget to show your card before dining or making purchases. Saturday 2/19/00 Drove to Cracker Barrel for Breakfast, which was within site of our hotel. The french toast was excellent. Found a Harley shop in the plaza at Universal Drive and Kirkman where we purchased shirts and got a pin and key chain for Tim's sister and husband who were bringing in our mail and feeding the cat. Returned to the hotel to catch the shuttle. This time we took a left after entering Islands of Adventure and headed to Toon Lagoon for ride on the Ripsaw Falls but it was down for a maintenance problem. Popey & Bluto's Barges had a wait of 75 minutes so we decided to head over to Jurassic Park. Explored the Discovery Center and rode the River Adventure. Purchased a Jurassic Park top for our daughter at the gift shop on our way out. The Pteranodon Flyers are limited to parents traveling with children so we passed on those. We then got in line to see the Triceratops Encounter despite discouragement from an employee that there was a very long wait. Although it did take quite awhile, it was interesting because of all the beautiful greenery and the various campsites. Those of us escaping from the north can never tire of that greenery. Found our way back to Toon Lagoon and the line was no better for Popey & Bluto's Barges so we joined the crowd. I would estimate that it took about 90 minutes. We figured that the delay, again was due to maintenance as one side of the ride was not even operating. Upon exiting, we walked over and noticed that Ripsaw falls was up and running. We spent around 30 minute in this line and observed quite a few very young children in the park unattended and line jumping. Did I mention how much I miss fast passes? Anyway, back to the ride, this is one where you get drenched even with ponchos but at least, like AK Kali River Rapids, you can keep your shoes and socks dry by placing them in the center container. Our next venture was The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Another very long line and I wish I would have done like many others and sent Tim for an ice cream cone. The ride itself was awesome and this is coming from someone who got queasy from Body Wars and beat up on Back To The Future. We passed on Doctor Doom's Fearfall and this is only ride that Tim refused to go on. Last but not least, we checked our backpack in a locker so we could ride the Incredible Hulk Coaster which was, what can I say, nothing less than incredible. Another very smooth coaster with several surprise moves. By this time we were very hungry and headed over to the Hard Rock Café. I like this restaurant not only for the atmosphere but also because of the food. We have always had a good meal there. Strolled to our spot in US and caught the end of the Kansas concert. Not ready to call it a night, we stopped at the Cinemas and took in a movie. We strolled through City Walk before heading to our shuttle stop. It was very late and we hurriedly packed for our return. Saturday 2/20/00 Our wake up call was at 5am and by the time we showered and finished the last minute packing it was already close to 6am. I am getting worried because because our flight is scheduled to leave at 7:40am and we still have to drive to the airport and return our rental car. On the way there, we see a car stopped directly in a lane of the 528 with its hood up and flashers on. A bus almost goes in the ditch to avoid hitting it. This looks like such a dangerous situation. I say a prayer and hope that there is not an accident. Thank goodness our rental return is right in the airport. Although we were not sure which signs to follow at first, once we decided which terminal we needed, it was more clearly marked. Jumped out of the car and were hurriedly on our way when I heard a horn honking. Fortunately, the rental car agent had spotted our coats in the back seat and was trying to get our attention. I didn't catch his name but I sure am thankful to him for being so observant. The check in lines at the counter were way backed up so, because we each had one small roller bag and it was getting close to departure time, I made the decision to go directly to the gate. Good choice because it was 7:20 when we finally arrived there and the agents had already released our seats. This meant that we did not get to seat together but I felt blessed that we made it on the aircraft. We also had to gate check our bags because there was no more room in the overhead bins. I took the risk and requested to have them short-checked to Minneapolis because I was aware that handwritten tags have a greater chance of going to the wrong city (MLI mistaken for MCI) and I also knew that we had time to claim them at the carousel. I love the created word dyspunctual that I read in someone else's post to describe people such as ourselves although I am not proud of this as it causes a lot of unneeded stress. Good flight and a long enough connection time where we could recheck our bags at the ticket counter and hop on a city bus to spend an hour at the Mall of America. Volunteered to stand by for a free ticket because our connecting flight was oversold but there were two no-show passengers so we were not needed. Arrived home on schedule. The End Hope you enjoyed reading my Trip Report and feel free to E-mail me if you have any questions. Kathy Jared tmnkat@aol.com Mail a Comment to Kathy Jared |
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