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Jennifer Reall -- December 2000 -- Walt Disney World (ASMoR)I don't know. Should I write one or not? It's not like I have anything better to do since the ankle incident has put me out of commission (more on that later). Okay, here goes.
Day 1, Thursday, 12/7/00 My plane left Rochester an hour late due to the de-icing truck having to refill and my plane having to wait on the tarmac while it refilled. Hey, I'd rather be de-iced and late than not de-iced and dead. I had my usual barf bag experience landing at Dulles since it was a small plane. Fortunately, since we were late, I had missed my connection so I had time to get myself together in the bathroom before visiting United Customer Service and getting rebooked on the next flight out. I arrived at MCO around 3:30 (2 hours late) and went straight to the Budget counter. This was my first Budget experience as I usually rent from Dollar. It was okay. The guy tried to upsell me by telling me that although the Ranger was the cheapest vehicle to rent, it used the most gas so it would really cost me more money. Now, I'm no Kenny but let's do the math: 4 days x $19.99 = $79.96 + $12.11 (gas) = $92.07 (Ranger). 4 days x $29.99 = $119.96 + $8.00 (gas) = $127.96 (economy). Yeah, whatever buddy. No thanks. I got in my trusty Ranger with mag wheels and made for the Greeneway. I got off at Orange Blossom Trail and made a stop at Albertson's for some bananas, water, and some cold medicine. FYI, there is a Starbucks inside Albertson's for those of you needing a fix. I headed on to ASMusic and checked in around 5:00 PM. I already knew from my special CRO (now, under normal circumstances I would use the word "fairy" here but I don't want to offend so I'll say "gnome" instead) that I would be in Calypso. Sure enough, building 10 on the backside which was good because the pool was overrun with football players and cheerleaders. I quickly threw my stuff in my room and tried to get back on schedule. I headed to MGM in the Ranger because I wanted to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. I made my way through the virtually deserted park to the Backlot where there were huge crowds. There was snow on NY Street and holiday decorations everywhere. The lights themselves were amazing. I knew they were going to be huge but nothing prepared me for seeing them upclose and personal. There were many CMs handing out the snowflake glasses so I got a pair and made my way through the lights. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I left MGM and headed to the Wilderness Lodge to see the decorations there. I love this place and hope to actually stay there someday. I hit the pin cart in the lobby and made my first purchases of the trip. I'm don't really trade; I just buy what I like and display them at home. I took many pics at WL and went up to the top floor to take some more from up there. It was now time to head over to the Grand Floridian for the Villains Dinner. I arrived a bit early so I would have time to check out the decorations here. A CM was handing out roasted chestnuts outside the door. Yuck. I took some photos of the lobby and then ran into Bruce (Zazu) who was circling the lobby looking for people. Everyone started gathering and I got to meet a bunch of fellow RADPers. I had met Deb, Bruce, Paragon and Passporter Dave and Jennifer before but not anyone else. I was especially looking forward to meeting Rob and he did not disappoint : ). After a delay in the seating, we finally got to eat. There were about 29 of us plus the Passporter group plus MickeyMom's group which made about 40 RADPers total throughout the restaurant. My table included Mitch, Laurie, Dan, Mac, Jack, and the Evil one herself (Paragon). The food was great and the characters were so so. I was more interested in meeting people than the characters. Afterwards, I headed back to ASMusic to get some sleep as I had developed a cold the day before. Day 2, Friday, 12/8/00 The day started much earlier than anticipated when I awoke at 4:30 AM in the throes of the dreaded cold. I was supposed to get up at 7:00 for the Safari Meet but decided then and there to stay in bed all day in hopes of being able to make the Authors Dinner and MVMCP that evening. Mickey had a completely different idea when he called as scheduled at 7:00 AM. I couldn't resist, I was up and at 'em shortly thereafter. I made my way to the food court for a mug refill and ate a banana from Albertson's. I looked around the lobby to see if Sean and Pamela were checking in yet but didn't see them so I went to the Ranger and drove to AK. As I was parking, I noticed that Deb Wills and party were a few cars over so I glommed onto their group and made our way to the park entrance. The Safari Meet was at 8:15 AM and there were about 40 people there. Some had closed the Adventurer's Club the night before and you really have to admire that kind of dedication : ). We ended up in two jeeps. I did not take notes and really can't remember who I sat with. The animals were very cooperative. The highlight was seeing not just one but two Cheetahs awake and roaming around. Afterwards I broke off from the group and went to do some shopping until Pizzafari opened at 10:00 AM. I love this place and ate an early lunch/late breakfast of a cheese pizza and a caesar salad. Yummmmmmm. I went back out to the Ranger and headed over to Epcot. Since I only wanted to do the World Showcase, I parked at the Boardwalk and walked through the International Gateway (don't flame me, I did it, get over it). I took some pictures of the Boardwalk Lobby and tree on my way through. My first stop was the Voices of Liberty. I have missed them on my last three visits and was intent on seeing them this time around. They did a round of holiday songs and were very good. I backtracked to Japan and purchased some rice bowls I'd been wanting at the department store there. I had them sent back to my room and I must say that the CM packed them very well in tissue and then in a taped up box. I continued on around after getting a Cherry Kaki Gori. I took pictures of the various holiday decorations and realized when I got to China that I had never gone into any of the buildings there. I perused the shops and looked at the menus of the restaurants. Definitely worth eating here in the future. When I got around the the World Showcase Plaza the Holiday Character Bus was there so I got some photos of the characters in the Holiday Wear. Santa Goofy was my favorite. I headed off to Mousegear to see what interesting stuff they had. I bought a t-shirt. I then went to the Holiday tent to purchase my Holiday Poster with the AP discount. This I carried since I was heading back to the Ranger soon. One more stop in Canada to pick up the new Off Kilter CD and I was on my way back to the room for a rest before dinner. Dinner was scheduled for 5:20 at 'Ohana's. I was fairly excited since I hadn't ever eaten here before. Plus, I was going to MVMCP afterwards. The guests of honor at the dinner were Passporter Authors Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx. I had the privilege of sitting next to Jennifer (I guess they wanted to keep the Jennifers together). We were seated around 5:55 PM and since MK closed at 6:00 PM we had a grand view of the fireworks. The music is piped into the restaurant. Definitely a highlight of the trip. The food was once again great. Boy, those skewers of meat are huge! I had beef, turkey, and lots of shrimp. I topped it off with Key Lime Pie for dessert. YUM. Terri and her family sat on the other side of me. After dinner, those of us going to MVMCP waddled to the monorail and into MK. Again, I glommed onto Deb and her group (Linda, Sue, and Todd). We headed for Adventureland for a photo. Deb, Linda, and Todd then went on Big Thunder while Sue and I waited for them. Haunted Mansion was next and let me tell you, you haven't experienced the Haunted Mansion until you've ridden it with Deb. Man, can that woman scream! Although I had planned to go to the 2nd parade, it was close to the time for the 1st parade and there were many good spots left in Frontierland. We found a spot with the appropriate camera angle and only had to wait about 15 minutes. I think I took a whole roll of film on this one. Excellent parade. After the parade, it was time to meet up with other RADPers for the fireworks. We met by the Liberty Bell which was a great view. I have no idea how many people were there but it was crowded. I left the group and went over to Tommorrowland to see Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas show. Very cute. I then went back to the Castle to see Kenny's bellringing group. The whole bellringing thing always fascinates me. After this it was back to Tomorrowland for a ride on Buzz. The ride got stuck right at the beginning so I was racking up points left and right but right before it started up again it wiped out all of my points and I had to start over. In the end I was a Planetary Pilot...again. I bought a Buzz t-shirt for my friend's little boy who loves Buzz. I then noticed that Astro Orbiter had no line. I've never been on this before so I gave it a try. Once was enough. It goes around fast. That's all you need to know. It was now time for the Midnight Jungle Cruise Hijacking in conjunction with the Compuserve group. Those people are crazy! We had 50 people in one Jungle Cruise boat and it was moving S L O W. The CM, Rebecca, thought we were wacko (and she was right). We managed to go around three times straight before they forced us out of the boat. By this time it was 12:45 AM and I figured I'd gotten my money's worth so I headed for the bus stop and ASMusic. Day 3, Saturday, December 9, 2000 Got to sleep in a little this morning as I wasn't meeting Paragon and Ronnie until 9:15 for a Spoodles breakfast buffet. The Mouse awoke me at 8:30 AM and I quickly showered and was on my way via the food court and a mug refill. I drove to Boardwalk and parked. Paragon and Ronnie were waiting for me outside the entrance to the restaurant. We gave our name (we had a PS) and were seated immediately in a small circular booth. The food was outstanding and we all agreed we would return when we had the chance. There was a large group of RADPers in the back area making a lot of noise : ). I can see why they stashed them back there out of the way. While we were eating a guy at the next table started talking to us about our group and what we did etc. We told him all about RADP and the big meet. Ronnie gave him a pocket guide and I went to get Deb to give him the welcome speech. His dining companion was mortified that such people existed but his Disney Freak friend kept saying "I've found my people." It turned out that he went to the same high school in the Bronx as Ronnie's husband so there was a bonding moment. They ended up showing up for the big meet and were in the picture with all of us. Very cool. Oh, and for the record, Paragon gets the credit (and the free toaster) for this particular convert. We have to keep her happy you know. After breakfast we wandered around the Boardwalk wasting time until we needed to go set up for the big meet. We met up with Deb and Bruce in the lobby of the Beach Club and hauled everything over to the International Gateway. The Beach Club staff let Bruce use a dolly which made everything much easier as there was a lot of crap to haul. People started showing up around 12:30 for the 1:00 meet. Nametags and cards were handed out. Thanks to Craig Cohen for handing out the cards. People were chatting and mingling and meeting and it was truly a sight to see. The photographer and his assistant arrived around 1:00 and we discussed where exactly the photo would be taken. Most of the area he wanted was on the grass but since you had to jump a curb to get there I suggested that it only be partially on the grass to accommodate ECV and wheelchair folks. After the photo, everyone picked up their goody bags from Bruce. And then it was time for the LIB meet. Registrations were given to several sets of loins. I can't remember them all. Some loins also received an upgrade. The DeLIBerator was taken out of it's sealed container and the men cleared the area. Everything was packed up and people gradually went their seperate ways. Somehow I ended up in the Yacht Club bar with a bunch of yahoos. Around 3:45 we went over to Wonders of Life to award loin registrations to Dr. Tony and (Male) Nurse Danny. There act was hilarious and Ronnie presented to them when it was over. It was like a press conference. Sean had a video of the entire thing and we all had cameras. They seemed very honored to be recognized. I don't think they thought we were psycho but you never know. After this it was time for the Pin Trading meet. I don't pin trade but I went along anyway. When I got there, Kevin (50) and I went on Spaceship Earth instead since he doesn't really trade either. We have chatted on #radp-friends and we live somewhat close to each other so it was good to meet him in person and talk with him further. After the ride, I decided to go back to the room and rest since I still had a cold. After my rest, I got into my Grumpy gear and went back to Boardwalk in anticipation of hosting the Grumpy Boat on the Illuminations cruise. I snooped around the Boardwalk and found the quiet pool and hot tub which was deserted. I decided to soak my feet for about ten minutes which felt great. I then made my way to Beaches & Cream for a milkshake before heading to the boathouse to meet up with my boat wrangler, Pam. I found some delinquent RADPers along the way (two Debs, Sue, Todd, and Linda). My boat was the first one out of the marina so according to Scott our captain, we got the best spot. They all seemed pretty equal to me. My boat had Peggy and Dick, Aven, Kim, and Amanda, and JD. Illuminations was wonderful but a bit smoky as the wind was heading right for us. We all tried to be grumpy since it was the Grumpy Boat but people kept smiling. After returning to the dock, I headed back to ASMusic since I had to get up very early the next morning. Days 4 & 5, Sunday 12/10/00 (leading unsuspectingly into Monday 12/11/00) I was up bright and early Sunday morning so that I could make my way over to Ft Wilderness for Randy's breakfast meet at Trail's End. I drove over and tried to figure out where the bus stop was that I needed. I finally found it and saw two delinquents waiting for the bus (it was Bruce and Marta). We made our way to Trail's End and no one else had arrived yet nor was the place even open so we sat in the rockers on the porch awaiting our host's arrival. Sure enough a pack of three wayward RADPers shortly arrived (Randy, Paragon, Ronnie). It was just the six of us until Mike and Jan stopped by for coffee a little later. The buffet was good and I will definitely go back. Randy was infamous amongst the CMs here. They seemed surprised that he had friends : ). Afterwards we walked down to the dock to catch the boat to the MK for the Splash Meet. We had 40 people for the meet and this is where my trip took a turn for the worse (no pun intended). As I was standing on a bench outside of the entrance trying to count the number of people getting into line, I stepped off the bench wrong and twisted my ankle. I pretty much knew it was toast but thought maybe I could walk it off. Amanda asked if I needed help and I said no. Splash was great. Amanda and I were in the front of one log and she was determined to keep her arms up on the big drop which was something she had never done. I was more than happy to be her partner in crime. We got pretty wet being in the front but it was a lot of fun. After I got off the ride, some people went over to BTMRR but I didn't want to ride so Marta waited with me while the others rode. Next was the Pin Meet near the Exposition Hall where we were also going to purchase our official RADP photos. We got our photos and I decided to leave the group and go to First Aid. They gave me an ace bandage and some ice. I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to do any more of the parks so I took the boat back to Ft. Wilderness to pick up my car and drove to Downtown Disney to do the Christmas shopping that I hadn't done yet. I got what I needed and headed back to All Star Music. Since I was leaving early the next morning anyway, I decided to call United and see if I could get my flight changed. There was one seat left on the 6:45 PM flight out of MCO and I paid $75.00 to change my ticket. I packed everything and went to the front desk to check out. I didn't really expect a refund because it was now 4:45 PM. I explained the situation and asked if there was any way I could get a partial refund on that night. The CM checked in the back with someone and said that they would credit my card. They didn't offer a receipt or anything so I assumed it wasn't really going to happen. I was wrong. They did it that same day. I checked when I got home and the last night was refunded to me. I made my way back to MCO and turned in my car. I limped over to the United Desk to check in and asked for a wheelchair to get me to the gate. The plane was over booked and they were offering $600 in vouchers and a stay at the MCO Hyatt to anyone giving up their seats so I volunteered but they ended up having enough seats for everyone. We left MCO and hour late and it became evident that I was going to miss my connection in Dulles which I knew was the last plane to Rochester that night. At IAD, I made my way from the C terminal to the A terminal without a wheelchair to find out that yes, my plane had left. I was told that I should go to the United Desk to get my hotel/meal vouchers and that my suitcase would be on carousel #2. Ha. The time was now 9:30 PM. I asked for a wheelchair. The gate attendant called and I was told that the wheelchair people were off duty (at 9:30???). She wheeled me herself to the shuttles and I walked from there. To make a very long story short, I left Dulles at midnight without my suitcase which meant sleeping in my contacts. I had meal vouchers but no place to use them. I slept in a very nice room at the Dulles Hyatt for five hours and then went back to IAD for my flight out. In the end I paid $75.00 to get home 2 hours earlier than my original ticket. I am currently trying to get a refund from United. They can take your money over the phone but they certainly won't give it back over the phone. After all of this, my ankle was the size of a balloon so I went to the ER. I have to say that my ER experience was very positive; quick, efficient, friendly. I was on crutches for a week and am still limping around. The other day, a cashier asked a customer if he found everything okay and he told her "yes, the limpy girl helped me." Now everyone at work calls me the Limpy Girl. Even after all that happened, I am very happy I went to RADP-V. It was so great to meet so many of you in person! I had a wonderful time! Jennifer Reall jreall14@earthlink.net Mail a Comment to Jennifer Reall |
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