 |  |
| Discussion Boards | Reviews | News | Trip Planning | Shop | Travel | Site Map |
| Disney Trip Report Archive An archive of reader-submitted trip reports | |
| Alex Stroup, editor | Search just the Trip Report Archive. |
|
Jeff Lawson -- May 2001 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite)
Preface- This is one of those verbose and epic trip reports. I've included some things that are of no interest to anyone...but I felt that I needed to include much of this information in order to be true to our Disney experience. I've decided to avoid using acronyms as much as possible because, as a newbie myself, I had a difficult time in reading others' trip reports which were fraught with them. Please feel free to E-mail me at the above address if you'd like additional information/advice/details from our perspective as first time WDW family vacationers. As pre-vacation excitement built, we bulked-up on WDW information obtained from following sources (I've not listed mouseplanet.com since you've apparently found your way to this invaluable website).
Saturday- 10:15 flight from Chicago O'Hare airport on United (booked 6months in advance and a steal at $270/person) Arrived in Orlando at 1:30 local time and waited an inordinate amount of time for the baggage to come through. Bags in hand we proceeded to the Avis counter and picked up our vehicle, which was a 2001 Olds Intrigue ($260 for the week including a toddler seat). Our accommodations were booked through an outfit called Beachtree villas and cost a mere $89/night. A few weeks before our trip we received a confirmation letter from them along with some James Bond-like instructions about how to locate the condo. It gave us instructions to a condo complex (where we were NOT staying) and had us drive to the back in search of a not very well marked unit. We then had to approach the outside storage unit and enter a three digit code using only the twist of the doorknob to scroll through the numbers 1-9 and alternating clockwise and counter clockwise until the code specified in the confirmation letter had been entered. Upon entry of this code the LED display was supposed to flash "U" for unlock. I made several attempts at this but kept getting a flashing "L". After referring to the cryptic instructions and trying the code sequence 4 more times, I determined that I'd done everything properly but the LED display was partially burned-out and the "L" was actually a "U". Upon this discovery, I retrieved the envelope bearing our names and containing directions and keys to our rental unit. Being a thick-blooded Northerner and tipping the scales dangerously close to 300 pounds, I had begun to sweat and get rather agitated. I secretly hoped that this hokey key delivery scheme wouldn't be an indicative of how the rest of the rental experience would be. It was then West on I-4 to Lindfields Blvd to the condo. The unit immediately exceeded all of our expectations...at 1300square feet it had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a dining area, and a family room with a TV and VCR. It was about 100 yards to the pool but best of all, just 6 miles from WDW. Being the family chef, I did a quick inventory of the cookware and utensils and we were then off to the Publix store for some provisions. All costs were reasonable except for the beer. My usual brand is Icehouse, which is $10.50/case back home but was $16.70/case at Publix. My thrifty Scottish side made me downgrade this necessity to the $10.99/case Miller High Life. After settling in, we decided to trek over to Disney's Boardwalk so as to not take a day off our park hopper passes. If you are going to the boardwalk on a Saturday night, I strongly recommend priority seating (which we didn't have) after wandering and soaking in the Disney magic for a while we had carryout pizza at Spoodles rather than wait the 75 minutes for a table at Big River Grill. Tired and eyes full of wonder, we retired to the condo to recharge for tomorrows trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom. Sunday- Up and at 'em! We arrived at Animal Kingdom just as the gates were opened and were suitably impressed with the tram service from the parking lot. Upon entering the park, Trevor was delighted to see that a number of the characters were just inside the gate greeting the guests. We managed to get a photo with Chip (or was it Dale?) and almost got to meet Mickey who was mobbed and soon had to leave. The three of us were awestruck with the fabulous grounds and, mouths agape, made our way to Dinosaur, which had no wait. We'd heard that a boy of Trevor's age (and some adults) might find the experience too intense. Trevor took the whole thing in stride and wanted to go again. He kept saying, "We got that dinosaur!" Instead, we hoofed it over to Restaurantosaurus where we had priority seating for the character breakfast. I hate to wait especially when the wait is for a contrived purpose. They had us stand in line in order to have our photo taken (hoping to later sell us the photo) in front of a "dig site" sign. Hungry and agitated over this offensive shakedown, we finally were led to our table. The food was slightly above average but the cost was a bit excessive at around $19/adult (adding insult to injury, they were stingy with the OJ). I rather enjoyed the hash concoction (there's also a straight up potato hash brown) which had just a hint of my favorite condiment...Tabasco. We were pleased in that we got to take photos of Trevor hugging Mickey, then Pluto, then Donald and finally Goofy. All in all, we were happy with the experience since we got our character photo safari well under way! At Trevor's request we raced back to Dinosaur for another bumpy and exciting ride. Following the ride we purchased the photo that is snapped of riders as the large dinosaur menaces the vehicle. It was $10.75 but well worth it since we were in the front of the vehicle and all had amusing expressions on our faces. Now from the files of "Nothing bad ever happens at Disney"...Following the ride we paused at the nearby concrete benches in order to apply some sunscreen to our dough-white northern skin. Following the slathering, we walked toward Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures (gift shop) when my wife noticed that her silver and amethyst wristwatch was missing. It seems that she'd taken it off in order to get even lotion coverage. We retraced our steps but the watch was nowhere to be found. Resigned to that fact that it was lost, we proceeded back toward Chester and Hester's and were overjoyed to find that some good little mousketeer had turned it in to one of the cast members who was working a cash register. (wheew!) We then proceeded over to The Boneyard where Trevor cut loose among the caves, slides, and other attractions. We had noted previously the location of the webcam and were certain to stand in front of it at the predetermined time for the semi-hourly photo. The facility is cooled by a number of huge fans and helped make our Boneyard romp into a really fun experience. Afterwards, we gravitated toward the centerpiece of the park...The Tree of Life. The thing truly has to be seen in person to be appreciated. The massive scale and fantastic carvings on the Tree of Life cannot be adequately conveyed by mere words and photos! We headed inside to see "It's tough to be a bug". The sign said that the wait was 30 minutes but in reality couldn't have been more than 10 minutes. The 3-D effects and snappy presentation were wonderful...the best 3-D that we'd ever seen! Next we took the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and experienced Habitat Habit and Conservation Station (where I was grateful for air conditioning and several indoor wildlife exhibits). We rounded things out with a short stint in the Affection Section where Trevor was issued a brush and half-heartedly groomed the goats. We then took the short train ride over to the Kilamanjaro Safari and were pleased with another wait of only around 10 minutes. The scenery seemed realistic and there was no shortage of animals such as lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. The temperature had now reached 92F with high humidity and a blistering sun. We paused for frozen lemonade (head freeze city), a 16oz. Icehouse beer (yes, I realize it's no way to cool off), and Trevor enjoyed a Coke and a delicious Tollhouse cookie ice cream sandwich. We then proceeded to the Asia section of the park intending to go on the Kali River Rapids Ride. The sign said the wait was 45 minutes and the line looked every bit of 45 minutes so we Fast Passed it and proceeded to the nearby Maharajah Jungle Trek to bide our time. The trek was stiflingly hot and there was no breeze whatsoever. The scenery and wildlife were interesting enough but difficult to properly enjoy while sweating like a well digger. Finally we headed back for the Kali River Rapids Ride and got right on. We saw some folks in line taking off their shoes and shoes and elected to do so ourselves. This was a good move since we got completely soaked to the bone. The timing of this soaking was perfect in terms of cooling us off. Soggy (but cool) and tired we trudged around the park drinking in the overall scenery and the grandeur of The Tree of Life. We left the park around 4:00 which was an hour before closing and headed back to the condo for a dip in the pool. Monday- Off to EPCOT after watching the weather forecast...92F and a bit muggy...yuck! Easy access to the park once again via the tram from the parking lot even though we arrived right at the time the gates opened. Once inside we went straight for the Spaceship Earth Ride (the big golf ball looking thing). We walked right on with no wait and enjoyed the hop-skip-jump through history...who was the sponsor again...oh that's right...the big phone company. The wagging of the "corporate johnson" in the face was a bit much for me as the cynic in the group but Sharon and Trevor took it in stride. We passed on the exhibit that you are herded through following the ride and decided to head to The Land. It was beginning to get hot under the sweltering Florida sun so we were happy to see that The Land is an air-conditioned indoor facility. We went on the Living with the Land boat ride and were moderately interested in the unusual agricultural exhibits. Afterwards it was time for a soda and chocolate chip cookie break in the food court which also had a nice fountain and hot air balloon photo opportunity. We proceeded to Test Track and found that the line was already 35 minutes. We Fast Passed it and proceeded to Norway to go on the Maelstrom. Trevor liked the trolls and Sharon and I liked the high-powered air conditioning. Following this we returned to Test Track with our Fast Passes and waited only 5-10 minutes. This ride was one of our favorite parts of the EPCOT experience. We purchased the photo that is taken just as something dramatic occurs during the ride (cryptic here so as to not spoil the magic) because we happened to be in the front row of the vehicle. Sharon and Trevor also had interesting facial expressions. The fact that I didn't have any real expression on my face must say something about my city driving habits. In the area immediately after the ride-photo area there was some hauntingly familiar music being played...it's looped from the Avalon album by Roxy Music which I highly recommend. After Test Track we went to Mexico and went on El Rio del Tiempo. Sharon and Trevor enjoyed the cute small world-like costumes and I enjoyed the air conditioning. At Trevor's request we then returned to the Maelstrom for more trolls and air conditioning. This time we watched the Norway film that we'd passed on before and also took some photos in the quaint Norwegian town. It was then that we were struck with hunger and rushed back to Mexico. We opted for the indoor San Angel Inn and were pleased with the priced as well as the serving sizes. Sharon had a nacho entrée (yes entrée), Trevor had chicken fingers, and I had a combo platter with a huge side of jalapenos. Now it's time for me to get onto the soapbox...I've read a number of these trip reports and heard many bemoan the cost of food, drink, and souvenirs. These folks must be from rural Arkansas of something. Being from a major metro and realizing the inherent convenience factor on the on-site dining, I feel that the prices are nothing but reasonable. Either quit crying about it or go to your local roller coaster joint instead of Disney! Following lunch we proceeded to Imagination where we had fun E-mailing wacky photo's back home as well as watching Trevor romp his way through the interactive exhibits. We then waited just 10 minutes to see Honey, I Shrunk the Audience which was another dazzling 3-D film with some fun surprises for the audience. The Florida heat (and large lunch) were weighing heavy upon us so we returned to the condo for a refreshing dip in the pool. I caused injury to my right foot and ankle by foolishly doing an atomic cannonball into the 6' pool so we only got to swim for an hour and a half before returning to the condo to watch the swelling and grimace at the prospect of a vacation derailment. We returned to EPCOT around 5:30 and once again walked (or hobbled) right on to Spaceship Earth. We then meandered to The Living Seas for our 6:30 priority seating. Following a 10-minute wait we were seated in a booth on the lower level and directly across from the windows into the enormous aquarium. We delighted in the fact that we could sit in the darkened room and look at the magnificent array of sea life while we dined. Sharon and I shared a shrimp cocktail appetizer while Trevor marveled at the view. Sharon had the beef tenderloin; Trevor had a PBJ sandwich with goldfish crackers and I had a rare pan seared tuna over pasta. Sharon had two Coralritas and I had two Reef Runners. There's an exception to every rule and this is the exception to the statements I made above about the reasonable cost of the on-site dining. We knew (thanks to mouseplanet.com) exactly what was on the menu as well as the cost of entrées but we'd decided that this would be our one fine dining experience during our vacation. We felt that the cost was a bit steep but fully expected that we'd be paying a premium for ambience. After dinner we went outside and watched Trevor and a couple of other children flirt with a soaking by standing near the area where the "waves" crashed on the rocks. After some near misses and lots of laughs, we went into The Living Seas. Afterwards we went into the Mousegear store and got some souvenir's...a few T-shirts, a couple of mouse-ear car antenna toppers (which I'd coveted), and Trevor's new favorite toy which is a spinning Fantasia Mickey with 3 lighted stems. After the Mickey love-fest, we realized that we'd missed the Tapestry of Nations parade and were only minutes away from the kickoff of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth show which caps of the day at EPCOT. We rushed over and found crowds 3-4 deep along the edge of the lagoon. We took a spot on the far side of the sidewalk between Norway and Mexico and still managed to get a decent look at the show. I tried to put Trevor up on my shoulders but he seemed most interested in playing with his spinning lighted Fantasia Mickey. We hung out for a while and watched the crowds shuffle by and then headed (hobbled) back toward the exit. We marveled at the creativity of the Disney folks as we watched the light patterns swirl and flash in the pavement we'd unsuspectingly walked over a few hours earlier on the West side of the Innoventions Plaza. It's just these types of touches that set Disney apart from the rest. Tuesday- Ahhh Magic Kingdom...the hub of the Disney empire. We arrived just as the park opened and took the tram from parking to the ferry, which would take us to the park. Upon entering the park we found it a necessity to take a couple of pictures of Trevor in front of the Mickey Mouse floral planting near the entryway. We then hoofed it (ha-ha) to one of the horse drawn trolley cars, which took us to Cinderella's Castle. We briefly admired the mosaic inside, but were in a bit of a hurry to get to the attractions in Fantasyland. Somehow the wait for the Dumbo ride was already 35 minutes. We couldn't rationalize the long wait for a 3-minute ride so we instead raced into Snow White's Scary Adventures for some classic Disney imagery. We then fast passed Winnie the Pooh and proceeded directly to Mad Tea Party, which had only a 10-minute wait. I had the teacup spinning so fast that Trevor looked as though he was plastered into his seat. I was careful to alternate the rotation a couple of times so as to avoid dizziness and/or hurling. Trevor and I then got in the 35-minute line for Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Trevor steered (with occasional help from the car) while I handled the accelerator pedal. He was quite pleased with himself and Sharon was happy to snap a few photos of Trevor in his moment of glory. We then returned to Pooh for the fast pass. I sat this one out inasmuch as I never could stand Pooh. He always seemed like such a mope. By now the temperature had begun to rise so we paused for a water and frozen lemonade at Enchanted Grove. Even though it was only 11:30, we were feeling a bit peckish, we decided to beat the lunch rush by having burger & fry fare at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café. Feeling recharged by the air conditioning, we got in line for It's a Small World. It was only a 15 minute wait and we all enjoyed (I with a bit of nostalgia in my heart) the costumes and scenery. Our momentum then carried us on to The Haunted Mansion where we delighted in the cast members handling of our entry to the mansion. He had a stony gaze and really defined the role of the creepy host. Caution...if your child is a pantywaist, think twice about taking he/she on this one. Trevor took the whole experience in stride...possibly because of his penchant for the ghostly tales of Scooby Doo. Next was the raft to Tom Sawyer's Island. We explored the island, caves, mine, etc for a while in the 93F heat and then enjoyed a pickle and soda at Aunt Polly's Dockside Inn before taking the raft back to Frontierland. We then hopped aboard the WDW railroad and rode it all the way around the park. Trevor enjoyed the scenery and steam powered locomotive while Sharon and I enjoyed the cool breezes of the open-air car. Following the ride we made a beeline to Pirates of the Caribbean which had only a 10-minute wait. We all had great fun and afterwards were frequently heard uttering such things as "arrrrgh matey", "hoist the mainsil and trim that jib", "pieces of eight", etc. (all in exaggerated pirate voices). Next we were on to the high adventure of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad where the wait was around 20-minutes. This was a delightfully bumpy and unpredictable ride that the three of us all liked a great deal. Then it was back to the WDW railroad for the short trip to Mickey's Toontown Fair where we first visited Donald's Boat. I'm told that due to the drought conditions in the area, the WDW management has shut down the water that normally makes this a much more interesting attraction than we experienced. We then did a walk through of Mickey's House and paused several times to get the obligatory pictures or Trevor in this wonderfully decorated home. We then lined up for a Mickey photo opportunity at the Judge's Tent which had a 25-minute wait. I didn't mind the wait as the air conditioning cooled us off quickly. Naturally we then had to walk through Minnie's house and were again impressed with the creativity of the Disney folks. Trevor and Sharon then rode on Barnstormer, which had a wait of around 30-minutes. Feeling the need to get off our feet for a bit, we then stopped back at Cosmic Ray's where we drank huge quantities of Diet Coke, split a sandwich and pondered the condition of a few people who appeared to have passed-out from the heat. Feeling recharged once again, we headed for Buzz Lightyear, which had a 15-minute wait. We had so much fun that we had to go around and take the ride again. Trevor was rather proud of the fact that he got the red robot as well as the robot that "looks like this" (using his index fingers to simulate horns coming out of his head). Realizing that this ride would be tough to top, we chose to shift gears and climbed aboard the Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride for a brief but enjoyable tour of the area. We wanted to experience Space Mountain but the ride was shut down due mechanical problems. It was then that we were struck with the reality that the park was soon to close. We all felt the need for more high adventure so we boarded the WDW Railroad for a ride back to Frontierland where we immediately headed back to Pirates of the Caribbean which had no wait. Feeling that the fun would be over soon, we resolved to make the most of what little time we had left before closing. We raced over to the Jungle Cruise, which had no wait. Our tour guide delivered some wacky (sorry but wacky is the most appropriate word) one liners as he steered us clear of the hippos and angry savages. Following this ride we admired the Swiss Family Treehouse from below but opted to pass on this stair climbing adventure in favor of another trip through the Haunted Mansion. Trevor and Sharon rode in one car and I in another. They were vastly amused when I appeared to have my arm around the shoulders of the hitchhiking ghost. Following the haunted mansion we hotfooted it back to Fantasyland where Trevor requested another trip through It's a Small World, which had no wait. It was then that our no-wait luck ran out. We got in the 25-minute line for Peter Pan which then developed a mechanical problem when we were 2/3 of the was though the line. We ended up waiting 35+ minutes for this ride and found it mildly amusing although we were a bit disheartened to find that the park was soon to close and this would be our last ride of the day. Truth be told, I was a bit relieved since we'd been at the park for a bit over 11 hours. Back to the condo for some well deserved rest. Wednesday- Typhoon Lagoon and EPCOT We arrived at Typhoon lagoon just as it opened and parked right near the entrance. We headed inside, got a locker, a huge mug that came with free soda refills (quite a bargain the way I suck down soda) and got situated on some beach chairs in the shade near Let's go Slupin' Now. Trevor and I headed immediately for the wave pool while Sharon went snorkeling at Shark Reef. She met up with us in wave pool and we had a fantastic time being bowled over by the sizable waves. Later, Sharon and Trevor went to Ketchakiddee Creek while I tried by hand at snorkeling at Shark Reef (I was grateful that they had Elvis-sized wet vests). After getting back together, we took the unremarkable trip down the Gang Plank Falls family tube ride. We then opted to try the Castaway Creek lazy river tubing experience. This was a relaxing and scenic trip that we all enjoyed immensely. Lunch followed and consisted of foot-long hotdogs and smoked turkey legs. Then it was back to the wave pool for some more enjoyable punishment. There were several water slides but I passed in favor of romping with Trevor in the wave pool. Big Fun! ;oP We'd only planned to spend half a day at Typhoon Lagoon so we went back to the condo to change clothes and prepare for our return to EPCOT. Upon our arrival we were shocked to find that it was snowing in the 93F Florida heat. Well...kind of snowing...a sizable brush fire was burning West of WDW and the falling ashes looked a bit like snow flurries. More on the "snow" and brush fires later. We walked right on to Spaceship Earth (yes, again) and then proceeded to Test Track which we fast passed. Our fast pass return time conflicted with our plans to view the IllumiNations show from a yet-to-be-determined prime location, so we decided to skip the ride this time. We proceeded instead to casually stroll through the nations and soak up the ambience stopping in Outpost for some drinks (including an enormous beer). Refreshed, we backtracked slightly to the bridge near China to wait for the Tapestry of Nations Parade. The mellow, hypnotic music set the stage for the impressive array of costumes, enormous rotary multi-drum instrument/float, giant human powered "puppets", and other oddities. Next we wandered through Germany, Italy, and over to The American Adventure where we feasted on standard burger and fry fare. While enjoying dinner in the outdoor seating area, we were entertained by some live classic rock songs performed live on the nearby stage by The New Rascals (whose sound was indistinguishable from the "old" Rascals). It was then that we decided we must stakeout our position in order to get a prime spot from which to view IllumiNations. The muse was upon Trevor and he performed a wild but strangely coordinated dance much to the delight of passers-by. Looking to score points with the little woman, I hobbled off to France to find the source of the flutes of fine champagne that I'd seen folks with. This was achieved with a nice Cordon Rouge which Sharon was so pleased with that I soon had to make another visit to the champagne kiosk. Quick note for the guys...pony up the $7.50/flute for the bubbly...Sharon looks back on this moment and the ensuing show as one of her most memorable moments of the trip. This show is really worth the effort and time needed to camp out on a spot while the countdown to the show ensues. The fireworks, lasers, music, flame and globe effects are all very well choreographed and we were all delighted with the show. Since this show signals the close of the park, we meandered past Japan, Morocco, France, International Gateway, UK, and Canada while conspiring to schedule our next vacation to include this part of EPCOT. Thursday- Brush fires...I mean Disney MGM Studios. For the past two days I'd taken note of a growing plume of smoke from a brushfire which was directly North of our condo and straight West of WDW. The local TV and radio stations all seemed to be in denial of this event and didn't even give the fire a mention until it began to consume 3 acres/hour and billow smoke over WDW. Disney MGM Studios may well be a fabulous place but we had difficulty enjoying it due to the rather thick smoke, which enveloped the park. The smoke lessened a bit toward the noon hour but the early going was rough, as the smoke was as thick as a moderate fog. Our first stop was Tower of Terror, which already had a 35-minute wait. We got our fast passes and wandered over to The Great Movie Ride, which had a 15-minute wait. We enjoyed the movie scenery and the Audio-Animatronics and were impressed (and a bit surprised) by the indoor use of fire. The last stop on this ride is an unimpressive movie clip montage that seemed to be a bit of an afterthought. We headed back toward the Tower of Terror where we walked right on with our fast passes. The Twilight Zone themed story is well represented on the first stop of the "elevator" car. We were very impressed by the effects when the hotel corridor darkens to become a field of stars and finally total darkness. After a few seconds of breath holding in the silence and void of space, the fun begins. This ride was wonderfully unpredictable and I reached over for Trevor's hand to see if he was frightened. I think I was gripping his hand more tightly than he was mine. Next we proceeded to the Bear in the Big Blue House-Live on Stage show. The show was enjoyable and the high-energy cast member who interacted with Bear seemed to genuinely delight in her role in the production. I found myself wishing that we weren't seated on the floor due to the cannon ball incident that occurred on Monday. Next we were off to the Voyage of The Little Mermaid show, which had a wait of around 20-minutes. This was a well put together show which creatively blended a live stage show, laser lights, soap bubbles, movie clips, as well as some cleverly handled puppets in black light. I highly recommend this show even if you don't have youngsters in the group. We then went straight to the Backlot Tour (which had no wait at all) and were rather impressed by the effects in Catastrophe Canyon. We also were amused by the odd collection of white elephant props from various blockbuster films. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set was our next stop. This is a great place for the children to run off some excess energy that they may have after all of the sitting during the various shows and tours. There are caves, giant scale blades of grass, huge Lego pieces, a massive Kodak film roll as well as several other great photo/frolic opportunities. After this romp, we were all thirsty and since lunchtime was nearly upon us we headed for Pizza Planet. The lines were huge (Had no one turned back when they saw the smoke?) and the seating a bit scarce. The pizza was a bit light on flavor (Or were our senses dulled by all of the smoke?). Trevor played a couple of video games and then had to be pried loose in order for us to move along. We then proceeded to Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D. The theater looks very much like the theater that the Muppet Show on TV was performed on (including the two puppet geezers in the balcony). The 3-D effects seemed a bit dated as compared with the spectacular effects of the other 3-D shows that we'd seen elsewhere in WDW. The film also seemed rather old and scratched up. It was a bit like watching a stale-release movie at the $1.00 theater. My summary of this park is that it's designed for the age 50-and-over set with a few attractions for the kids. This perception is probably quite flawed and is most certainly skewed by the dry contact lenses and scratchy throat from all of the smoke. We decided to go back to the condo to take a dip in the pool, change into some non-smoky clothes and then head over to the Magic Kingdom. Since Magic Kingdom was to close at 8:00, we decided to go for high adventure and pack in as much fun as possible in the few hours that remained of our vacation. We boarded the WDW Railroad and soon found ourselves in Frontierland. We then went on Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, and Mad Tea Party. We decided to hurry to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and, to our horror, discovered that it was closed (as were the rest of the rides since it was now 8:00). Determined to stretch out the final minutes of our vacation, we casually strolled toward Main Street USA pausing several times for photo opportunities. We further stalled by getting ice cream from one of the street side vendors who was trying to close up shop. Finally, we unenthusiastically boarded the ferry for the trip back to reality. Friday- We packed up and headed off to the airport. While we were standing in line to check our bags, I noticed that Trevor's Mickey Mouse pirate hat was missing (Horror of horrors...would our trip end on a sour note?). After check in Trevor and I raced back to the Avis section of the parking garage and were informed that the vehicle had been taken off site to be washed and made ready for the next customers. The manager made a couple of phone calls but made no promises. Our flight was to leave in about an hour so I took Trevor back to where Sharon was waiting and instructed them to head to the gate while I try to retrieve the hat. I checked the airport Disney store but was disappointed to find that they didn't carry this obscure item. I then proceeded back to Avis to wait and voila...they had found the hat and made a special trip to return it to the manager. Hat in hand, I rushed to the gate where I was one of the last people to get on the plane and we were off to Chicago. I was certain to e-mail Avis to commend them for their heroic efforts to locate the invaluable $6 piece of plastic and felt. The trip was a success! Jeff Lawson spanky_mcfarland@hotmail.com (don't forget the underscore between y and m) Mail a Comment to Jeff Lawson |
|