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Kevin Lillehage -- January 2001 -- Walt Disney World (ASMoR)My Trip Report: January 6-13, 2001 Introduction Who I am: Kevin, 21 year old college student and part-time aquatics student supervisor; Walt Disney World fanatic; 7th trip to "the World" and my 5th completely solo; wonders why Jiminy Cricket is nowhere to be found at the parks. Disney Background: My 1st visit to the World was in August 1995 with the fam (Fort Wilderness Homes- 7 nights). Repeat visits in 1996: (Dixie Landings- 7 nights), two in 1999: (March 99- Kissimmee Youth Hostel- 7 nights) :(; August 99- All Star Music-7 nights) and two in 2000: (March '00- All Star Sports- 5 nights; August '00- All Star Movies-10 nights). I already have trips #8 and 9 booked and # 10, 11 and 12 in the works! I am a firm believer in staying on-site and think that there is real bang for your buck, even at $400/night in some cases. My goal is to have stayed at all on-site resorts by 2010. Pre-Trip Planning (Or as I like to call it the "On again, Off again, On again debate") I wanted to do this trip badly. In fact, I NEEDED this trip. It actually all started sometime around September. I had taken the fall semester off of school, needing to do some soul searching about what I really wanted to do with school, work... or just my life in general. While doing this, mind you, I was keeping very busy working two jobs. And I knew I needed a break, BAD. Since I would have a little extra money left over after saving money for the next few semesters of school, I decided to bite the bullet and take a trip during the uncrowded month of January, just after the New Year. I was doing some research online one day, when I checked out WDWIG and saw that the Annual Pass rates for January 1-February 15 had opened up. I grabbed the phone and got exactly what I wanted: A Contemporary Resort Tower Room for $209/night! Wow! That's about 35% off rack rate. Shortly thereafter, I sent in my deposit and bought my plane tickets. I also booked a ticket at Cirque du Soliel for my arrival day at 6:00pm. And life went on.... Until I started thinking... (darn brain)... I mean, $209/night for the Contemporary was incredible... but... with such a short trip, would it really be worth it?!? I decided no, canceled that reservation and booked five nights at the All Star Music at $77/night. I was OK with it, since I like the All Stars and think they work for me just fine. And then... a month or two later I had another spasm of thinking... and cancelled the trip. I knew I would go again in August of 2001, so it didn't hurt too bad... I figured I would just work thru January and get ready for school to start. As a consolation, I booked my August trip shortly after I cancelled this one. Which is what makes what happened on December 13 so odd. As I fell asleep the night before, I got to thinking... I mean, the plane ticket is already bought and paid for... so is the Cirque du Soliel ticket... The next morning I whipped out the calculator and... well... booked 5 nights at the All Star Movies resort. Since it was less than 30 days away, they required me to submit a credit card immediately, but that was fine. Hopefully, the deposit from the All Star Music reservation will get here before I leave to add to the spending pool... but either way... I can't wait!! The Extension On New Year's Day, I checked the weather forecasts for both Orlando and Baltimore areas for my flight days. Uh-oh. Orlando looked OK, a little chilly, but much warmer than here. Baltimore was another story. Snow, sleet and rain for Sunday and Monday. Big uh-oh, especially around here. So I decided I'd chance seeing if I could find airfare and a hotel for Saturday and Sunday. Bingo! Rearranged my airfare and the lovely woman from CRO was able to add the two nights on 1/6 and 1/7. So now with 5 days to go, I just hope I don't make any more changes...LOL Touring Plan/Itinerary The beauty of traveling to the world solo is that you can do whatever you want whenever you want. Only a few things are certain: I have a ticket for La Nouba at 6pm on 1/8/01 and I'll buy a ticket for E-Ride on 1/9/01. I hope to do some touring of the various hotels and of course hit the big parks. I have made up a list of must-dos and I'll work off of that for the bulk of the trip. Saturday, January 6, 2001 The alarm went off at 4:00am for my 6:30am flight. Despite the early hour I was up like a shot, since I was off to Disney World!! I arrived at BWI around 5:15am to see a huge line waiting to check in with US Airways. I got through the line in about 30 minutes and went to catch my flight. Boarding was a snap on the very crowded flight. The family sitting next to me was headed on a 7-night Disney cruise, so we talked about that for a little while. After de-icing (yikes!) we took off a little late. The flight was pretty smooth with only a little turbulence in the beginning. We landed in Orlando right on time and I headed straight for the Mears counter. Now, I understand Mears is the service that many passengers take to their hotels, and I understand that the customer service agents must be under a great deal of stress with all the people coming in. However, even with the early hour, and the fact that I was the only person at the counter, I received possibly the RUDEST treatment I have ever encountered anywhere. The woman at the counter basically talked on the phone for five minutes while I just stood there until someone else finally came over to help me. The woman on the phone, after finally getting off, said something to the effect of "I'm trying to eat my breakfast and all these people keep coming in there." I just ignored her, finished buying my ticket ($24.00) and was immediately put on a waiting van (by a wonderful Mears employee) heading to my hotel. We went to pick up one more couple on the way and then we were on the short ride to Disney property. We dropped two women in town for a conference at the Dolphin and the drove over to the All Star Movies. I tipped two dollars for my two bags and then walked right up to an empty check-in line. Check-in was as smooth as could be expected and CM Robert was just wonderful with giving me everything that I needed. To my utter surprise, my room was ready! (and this was only 10:00am). I was in Room 5852 on the 2nd floor of the Fantasia building, facing the Love Bug buildings. I also paid $10.60 for my ticket for Tuesday's E-Ride event. I took all my luggage and walked over to the room. I decided to change clothes and relax for a little while before heading out. I walked back through Cinema Hall to catch my very first Disney bus to Epcot. I was actually quite surprised at the number of people here, seeing as it was January and all.. I waited maybe 5 minutes and arrived at Epcot by 10:45am. I walked through the gates (never had a problem with the AP) and just stopped and stared. I always seem to do this on the first day of my trips. I love letting that "I can't believe I'm actually here" feeling wash over me. Everything just looked so wonderful, the "2000" still twinkling over the enormity of Spaceship Earth, all those happy people having their pictures taken... it was just outstanding. I strolled in and walked over to the tip board and decided to catch the show at the Universe of Energy. This was my very first Disney ride at my very first Disney park 6 years ago, and I haven't missed it on a single trip. We waited about 10 minutes or so to get into the preshow, which actually got quite full when all was said and done. I just LOVE the newer incarnation of this show with Bill and Ellen. I think it's informative, hysterical, and very well done. My personal little tip: try to get a seat toward the front on the far right section. You'll have a slight delay in getting into the dinosaur scene, but at least this way you don't have to listen to the ENTIRE radio report with Willard Scott.... After the show, I intended to walk over to World Showcase for lunch, but I got slightly side-tracked by MouseGear. I really wasn't in here TOO long, so I didn't do TOO much damage, but I managed to pick up a 2001 keychain, 2001 beach towel, and the 2000 disc Christmas ornament. ($ 31.79) Shopping completed, I began my walk over to World Showcase and ran into the Lights Of Winter arches. All I could say was "Wow!" And the lights weren't even on yet! I was SO glad that I was here. I made sure to walk under each and every arch on my way to World Showcase. I got to Showcase Plaza (had another of those "Aah!" moments) and decided to hang a right toward Canada. During every Walt Disney World trip, there are these moments of unadulterated bliss. And this was certainly one of mine. I was in my favorite park, in my favorite place in the world, the weather was beautiful, the crowds were really light, and I was totally happy. I even noticed those little Disney touches: the white flowers in Victoria Gardens in Canada, the hopscotch drawn on the sidewalk in the UK, the kiosk covered with posters in France... By the time I got to Morocco, I was hungry and it was time for lunch. Tangierine Cafe is a favorite, so I stopped here for lunch. I had the Chicken Shwarma Sandwich with a large Diet Coke, which was very, very good ($10.34). I sat inside and was the only person in my seating area until I was almost finished with lunch. During lunch, I sat around, gleaned the information I had with me, and planned the rest of my day. One of the very pleasant surprises I had when I rescheduled my trip was that I found out that a few of the holiday presentations were going on Saturday and Sunday, so I wanted to make sure I included those in my trip. Plans made, stomach full, heart filled with wonderment, I left Morocco bound for Japan. I had about 20 minutes before the holiday storytelling in Japan, so I just wandered around the pavilion. Epcot's World Showcase is perhaps my most favorite place in all of Walt Disney World. I see something new every single time I'm here. The new exhibit in the Bijutsu Gallery was not bad (the current exhibit is on baseball) although this summer's presentation on mechanical toys was better, IMHO. Finally, at 12:50pm, the storyteller appeared. She spoke about the tradition of Daruma dolls in Japan. She was just fantastic! She kept everyone who passed by enraptured until the end of the story and was animated throughout. After giving her a hearty round of applause, I was feeling better and better about changing that reservation. I decided to continue strolling around the lagoon in order to catch the other holiday show in Mexico. I strolled through the shops in Italy and Germany, just to browse for later in the week. I saw a lot of things I wanted (I always do), so I put them on the list to maybe purchase later in the week. I stopped in the Village Traders area where I found a surprisingly good assortment of reasonably priced merchandise. (So I had to break out the list again, LOL). This is where I found the one thing that I had set my heart on picking up: The millennium video featuring Tapestry of Nations and Illuminations 2000. I got lucky, since I almost walked right past them sitting near the floor! The CM who rung me up was a fine chap from New Zealand and my total came to $10.59. Afterwards, I walked through China and then Norway, stopping to ride Maelstrom (5 minute wait) and looking at the hideous $200 sweaters in the Puffin's Roost. I timed it just right and was able to wander through Mexico and get back out front for the Three Kings story. I don't think I should have bothered. It was quite awful and I only stayed a few minutes. These guys were just nowhere near as dynamic as the Daruma doll woman and I lost interest quickly. At this point, I decided I needed a change on venue, so I started walking toward the International Gateway, thinking of going over to MGM. I got a little sidetracked when I decided to go ahead and buy the Haunted Mansion CD at the Image Works store. I walked right in and immediately noticed that it was considerably more crowded in here. Thankfully, no one else was at the WDW Forever stations and I got what I wanted quickly. I took the ticket up to the register, paid up ($21.18) and was told "It'll be about 20 minutes." Huh?!? Oh well, so much for a quick stop. I figured that they'd have some of the special CDs pre-made, but I guess not. Since I had time to kill, I decided to give Journey Into Your Imagination one more try. It was a little better than I remember, which isn't saying a whole lot, but then again, I really hated the old one. I had no wait... in fact, I was the only one in my train. After the ride I still had another 10 minutes, so I just looked around the Image Works (eh) and the store (pretty neat) until it was time to pick up my CD. Afterward, I exited Epcot via the International Gateway and made my way over to the Boardwalk. I browsed the store and looked in the lobby. I this resort has really grown on me over the years. I appreciate the little touches of this place. The Christmas decorations were still up, which looked nice. Impressed, I walked down the dock to catch the boat to MGM. I ended up waiting about 20 minutes for a boat to show up and then about another 30 minutes to get to MGM. I arrived about 4:00pm and once again noticed a surprisingly larger than expected crowd of people in Hollywood Boulevard. I stopped at the Tip Board, but honestly didn't see anything I felt particularly compelled to do at that moment. I made note of two things of interest. First, Fantasmic seating now begins 120 minutes before showtime (yes, 2 hours) and the Osborne Lights (the reason I was there) would start at 6:00pm, not 5:00pm as scheduled. Dang. I just decided to walk around the Studios to kill time until the Osborne Lights started. I must have looked in every single shop in the place before I ended up back near Hollywood Boulevard. (My list was growing very, very long by now, LOL) I didn't buy a thing, save for a soda at Pizza Planet ($2.39). I got a bucket of caramel popcorn at the Fantasmic theatre ($ 5.50) made it back over to New York Street by about 5:40pm and waited for the festivities to begin. As the sun set, it began to get chilly, very chilly. And crowded, very crowded. I got the feeling that if you were at the Studios at 6pm this day, you were either getting ready for the Osborne Lights or waiting for Fantasmic. What can I say about the Osborne Lights?? Well, the spiel before was nice and the snow on New York street was storybook magic. The lights were as ostentatious and as BIG as I expected. But there were so many people and so much to look at... I wasn't all that awed by it at the time. As I write this now, however, I think much more highly of it in my mind. Either way, I was glad to have had the opportunity to see it. After walking through, I bumped into Santa Goofy and Rudolph Pluto in a little secluded back area. Just too cool. At this point, I left the Studios bound once again for Epcot. I caught a bus over to the main entrance, and walked right in. Spaceship Earth had no line, so I walked right on. I really enjoy this ride and this time was no exception. I noticed a cool little change, though. When the cars pitch back for the return to Earth, the TV broadcast was of Christmas around the world instead of the cycling coverage. (You know you've been to Disney too many times when you notice changes like this, lol) Back outside, it was extremely cold. I put on the lightweight jacket I had, but was still not entirely warm. I'm much more used to March and August, so this was a real change! I walked around to keep warm, heading back through the Lights of Winter arches (yeah!) and walked around the promenade. I stopped for a snack of Egg Rolls in China (about $3.50) and picked up some hot green tea in Japan (a little under $2.00). It was about time for the 8:10pm Tapestry of Nations, so I watched a bit, shivering all the while. I almost wanted to throw in the towel and get warm back in the room, but nothing keeps me from my Illuminations! I love this show, always have. I loved the old one, I love the new one (as you shall see). I watched the show from Japan (a little ways back from the railing). There were a couple of small errors (no periphery shots, second shot out of the torch didn't happen), but otherwise it was great!! I walked the slow way around to the front and walked with the utter sea of humanity to the bus stop. I was really surprised at the crowds, including a sizeable number of tour groups. The new load system at Epcot closing works wonders, as I was on a bus and back to the All Stars in no time. Before heading to the room, I stopped in Donald's Double Feature to pick up some donuts from breakfasts and a magazine ($7.42). I grabbed a lovely dinner of chicken fingers and beer from the Food Court and also picked up my refillable mug ($17.68). Back in the room, I ate the chicken strips. However, I forgot to open the bottle of beer, so that had to wait for some other day. I made a couple of phone calls, showered, watched Britcoms, thought about tomorrow a little, set a wake up call and sacked out. Aaahh... what a wonderful (and very long) day. Total cash expenses: $146.99 (Food: $ 41.41) Sunday, January 7, 2001 (Day 2) "Howdy folks! Up and at 'em!" Oh goodness, it was 6:08am. I really didn't get moving until about 6:45am, though. I had a wondrously nutritious breakfast of a donut and diet Coke in the room while I got ready to go. This was the day of the Walt Disney World Marathon, so that played a part in what I decided to do. I picked Animal Kingdom to start the day, since I figured it would be easier to get there than anywhere else. I grabbed a bus and was at the turnstiles about 7:45am. As we were waiting, the first marathoners came through to great applause while we were waiting to be let in. And rightly they should have been. It was FREEZING out. No more than 35 degrees, perhaps. This is my favorite park opening with the Lion King soundtrack... very stirring. I headed straight back over to Africa to ride the safari. This was one of the best rides I have ever had on this attraction. Everything was out and about, save for the cheetahs, and both lions were sitting regally atop their rock. Wowee!! Afterwards, I took a walk through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where once again everything was out in full force, especially the incredibly playful gorillas. I guess the old advice about coming to Animal Kingdom early to get the most out of the animals is right on the money. I decided to give Asia a try, but it wasn't to be. The marathon course cuts right through this area and by this time, the masses were pouring through. I had to stop a minute and watch them. These people looked just like me.... and they were running a marathon!! It got my mind working... I switched gears and headed back toward Safari Village where I found a bench and updated my notes. That mind of mine got me in trouble. I resolved to do this marathon next year. Yep, little ole me. What have a gotten myself into??? I started on my way to Dinoland and ran smack dab into the marathon again. The race does make a muck of things logistically. It took me about 3 times as long as it usually does to get over to Dinosaur. The path took us all the way over to Chester and Hester's (lots of construction over here) and finally to Dinosaur, which had no wait. This was fun as always, and I didn't notice any changes in the roughness of the ride since last time. I browsed Chester and Hester's but nothing caught my eye. Afterwards, I headed back through the marathon crowd (Oye!) to Safari Village. At Wonders of the Wild, my penchant for browsing turned into shopping. I found a great duffel bag for transporting all my stuff home with "2001" on it and the "Making of Disney's Animal Kingdom" book was on sale. I plunked down $57.23 for the goods and had them shipped back to the room. Maharajah Jungle Trek was next on the agenda and I made it over to Asia without too much trouble this time. MJT is really amazing in it's theming and structure, which I pay more attention to than the animals here. The bats were not out due to the still very chilly temperatures but all in all, it was a nice walk. Afterwards, I tried to head over to Rafiki's Planet Watch, but was floored with the HUGE line for the train. Due to the marathon, this area had a delayed opening, but I really didn't expect this! Since I was just going to do the rainforest booth and look at the candles at the store there, I jumped out of line. And started making my way toward the front on the park. I stopped for lunch at Pizzafari. I had a very good cheese pizza and diet coke (about $10.00). I have never been let down by quick service at Animal Kingdom, it's always very, very good. After lunch, I got my hand stamped and headed out of the park. One of my major goals on this trip was to visit all of the resorts, so I caught a bus to Port Orleans. I was the only person on the bus and struck up a conversation with the driver. I would later come to find out that CM Herb was originally from Upper Marlboro, MD, just about 10 miles from my home!! Everyone now "It's a Small, Small World...." We had a detour off property (marathon) but made it in one piece to Port Orleans. Port Orleans is styled after a New Orleans French Quarter-style setting and is the smallest moderate resort. I checked out the lobby, food court, and store; even picking up a Port Orleans glass with Mickey on it and a magnet ($12.72). I was floored with Port Orleans. It was beautiful and carries the theme off very well. It really doesn't feel all that small and seemed calm and serene compared to boisterous All Star Movies. Another thing I noticed is that the rooms look so much bigger from the exterior than at the All Stars. I mean, these things looked plush! I am going to have to try and stay here in the near future. I worked my way up to Dixie Landings to check this out once again. I stayed here 5 years ago and not much has changed. As compared to Port Orleans it just seems enormous. I still have fond memories that were rekindled while walking through the lobby area and while looking at the buildings. There seemed to be many more kids here then any other resort. I saw and I overheard a woman at Guest Services attempting to switch her room due to a large group rooming near her. I know that must be rough. At Fulton's General Store, I picked up a Dixie Landings beach towel and magnet ($27.56). As it was time to head out of there, I caught a bus to MGM, transferred to a waiting All Star resort bus and was back in my room around 1:30pm. I spent some time just relaxing in the room for a while, catching up on trip report notes, watching women's pool and "Sumo Digest" on ESPN2, and started thinking about tomorrow's plan. Around 2:30pm, I decided to walk over to the All Star Music just to look around. It sure was much quieter over here as compared to the Movies. I picked up the resort magnet I had been looking for ($ 4.28) and headed back to the room for some more R & R. I got moving again around 3:30pm and headed of toward Epcot. Upon arriving, I made a beeline for Test Track and rode using the singles line, which maybe took me 15 minutes tops. I really do enjoy this ride, despite the delay in getting it up and running. I checked out the cars in the showroom downstairs and headed out again. I just decided to stroll the World Showcase Lagoon for a while since the weather was nice and I was beginning to feel very tired. The crowds here were much more noticeable than yesterday. The marathon starts and finishes near Epcot and it was clear that a lot of these people were overflow from that. I caught Impressions de France at 5:00pm, which was just as wonderful as usual. I decided on Yakitori House for dinner. I had the Yakitori (chicken on skewers), Inari-sushi (deep fried rice wrapped in tofu), and a Diet Coke ($8.80). I really think this place is a gem that is often overlooked (if the crowds are any indication). I decided during dinner that I wanted to check out the Epcot Resorts, so I strolled out International Gateway. My first stop was the Beach Club. Now this is nice! Stormalong Bay is just huge (although closed at 6:00pm when I was there) and the interior is beautiful. I checked out the shops and picked up a Beach Club magnet ($ 6.36). I really like that most stores in the resorts have some form of resort logo merchandise and the selection and quality was really very good here. After the Beach Club, I continued over to it's sister, the Yacht Club, which I enjoyed as much if not more than the Beach Club. Once again, this resort looked amazingly good, although I did notice a good number of conventioneers strolling about the lobby. I think this place is even more inviting than it's sister (just a feeling). I stopped by the gift shop and grabbed a magnet ($ 4.24). I continued around the lake, passing the Swolphin complex (ick) and reaching the Boardwalk again. I enjoyed the lobby again, and ESPN was jumping because of the football games tonight (go Ravens!) I finally did find my Boardwalk magnet ($ 4.24). I decided to grab a bench and watch the boats on the lake while updating my notes. All of a sudden, I heard... fireworks! I lifted my head and watched the entire Fantasy in the Sky fireworks right from where I was sitting. I just stopped writing and said "Aaaaah!" After the end of the show, I walked back over to Epcot. This was a gigantic mistake. I should have just grabbed a table at Spoodles for dessert or something. I walked right in on Tapestry of Nations as it made it's way past. I tried to stall by looking in the International Gateway store, but pretty much had gotten trapped in the United Kingdom. After I eventually got out of there, I realized that I was cold, very tired and getting cranky. I wanted crème brulee. I made it over to a totally deserted Fountainview Cafe and had a nice relaxing snack of crème brulee and espresso ($ 6.13). I considered how I felt and decided to hightail it out of there afterwards. I made one more stop for a couple of postcards (from the marathon... I'm using them as inspiration) ($ 1.28). I walked out and onto a waiting All Star bus. Back at the resort, I found a cute keychain bottle opener ($ 5.35) and relaxed in the room, enjoyed my beer from yesterday and did some work. I probably crashed out by 11:00pm Total cash expenses: $ 148.19 (Food: $ 24.93) Monday, January 8, 2001 (Day 3) When the alarm went off at 6:30am, I didn't move at all. I finally got moving around 7:45am and had my usual breakfast in the room. I must have really hustled, since I was on a bus to the MGM Studios by 8:20am. That must be some kind of record! I stopped off on my way down Hollywood Blvd to get a locker at Oscar's. I have never done this at a theme park, but I think I will begin to much more in the future. The cost was $ 5.00, two of which you get back when you return the key. Also, you get a voucher you can use for a locker (put a deposit down again) at any of the 4 theme parks. I just took what I needed and took off. It was cool this morning, but not nearly as cold as it has been. Rope drop on Sunset is always so much more civilized than at, say, the Magic Kingdom. I walked with the rest of the masses down to Rock n Roller Coaster. I really like this ride :-) I was on in no time... in the Front Car!! Too Cool!! It's a little discombobulating the first couple of rides, but it's smooth as silk on the track and it's over before you know it. After making it to the concert, I headed over to the Tower of Terror and rode that with very little wait. I think that this is quite possibly the best single attraction in all of Walt Disney World and I really enjoyed it as usual. I decided against another ride in favor of something a little more sedate. I checked the map real quick and headed off to Star Tours. While in line for Star Tours, I ran into this really strange man. He struck tried to strike up a conversation, but I really couldn't understand what in the world he was saying. But he was quite insistent. He was put in another row at boarding with a family from Raleigh (thanks family) who I guess understood him. Star Tours is great fun, though I think it would be great if they changed the movie. I walked right into the next showing of MuppetVision 3-D, which I enjoyed very, very, very much as always. Silly Bean Bunny... I had about 40 minutes before the Hunchback of Notre Dame show, so I took a little walk around the Studios. I found a MuppetVision 3-D poster that I picked up ($ 3.18). While walking back on Mickey Avenue, I happened to be walking by as Tigger bounced out of his trailer. He sauntered right up to me and we had a (literally) "bouncy" moment. I think I smiled about this all day long. I managed to get back to the Backlot Theater for the 11:00am Hunchback show. Matt the Juggler did his usual preshow, which was great! The show was good as always, although I did notice a small change, in that the Festival of Fools no longer comes out from the audience. They just sort of appeared on stage from the wings. I was hungry after Hunch, so I swung by the ABC Commissary for lunch. (Hey, that rhymes!) They have changed the menu significantly here since my last visit. I had the Stir Fry Vegetables and Noodles and a small Diet Coke ( $8.17). This was really very well done and a big improvement over the usual fast food at MGM, which I think is usually mediocre at best. I'll be back! I hadn't been on the Animation Tour in about 5 years, so I headed there next. Unfortunately, I just missed the 12:00pm tour, so I had to wait 20 minutes for the next one. While waiting in line, I was pretty much surrounded by.... Brazilian tourists. Yes, there were a lot of them on this trip. No, I really didn't see any major problems outside of some misunderstandings of language, which were usually easily remedied. For the vast majority of the time, these groups were very well behaved. The tour was interesting, but I really enjoy the movies more than the tour part itself. We saw the new projects in production which, if I remember correctly, were Lilo and Stitch, Atlantis, and something new from the Pixar folks. The Atlantis stuff looks outstanding. The movie of Disney animation clips at the end gets me every single time (sniffle, sniffle). I looked around the Animation Gallery (and updated that shopping list of mine) and hustled over to the 1:30pm showing of Beauty and the Beast. I found "My Seat" in the Theater of the Stars and enjoyed the show. Yes, it's a little simplistic, but I still think well done. And the complex itself is just beautiful. No preshow here, though. I was surprised at the number of people who ended up in the show. The crowds weren't quite as bad as August, but I would hardly call the place empty by any stretch of the imagination. After the show, I walked down to the entrance, returned my locker key, retrieved my stuff and jumped onto a waiting All Star Movies bus. I think we waited about 15 minutes before taking off and I got back to ASMo around 2:15pm. I stopped in the Food Court and noticed someone making fresh sushi! This was certainly new! In talking with a CM later in the week, I found out that this debuted during the fall and was so well received they kept it on as a permanent thing. I grabbed a container of Tuna Rolls ( $ 4.92), filled the mug and headed back to the room. I lounged for a while, showered, ate the sushi (Fabulous, by the way), and got dressed for Cirque du Soliel. I left the room around 4:15pm, caught a bus and made it in plenty of time for when the turnstiles opened at 5:15pm. The facility for Cirque du Soliel is absolutely stunning. It is more a thrust stage than a theatre in the round. They have people around selling drinks, popcorn, soda in mugs, CDs, etc. before the show. The reservationist reminds everyone to be in your seats 30 minutes before showtime to see the whole preshow, but there really wasn't one to speak of. I was in section 203, row AA, seat 18, which was right on the middle walkway and just perfect for viewing the show. What can I say about the show itself?? It was amazing!! It just keeps coming at you. There were these people on the highwire and the Diablo girls (WOW!) and then the trampoline guys and the clowns, and dancers and singers and guys on bikes.... It was 90 minutes of pure exhilaration. I was lucky enough to have a lovely woman from California (also traveling solo) sitting next to me whom I enjoyed talking with before the show. Admittedly, it's VERY pricey, but well, well worth it. After the show, I strolled down to the Cirque store and picked up a program and a set of postcards ($ 27.72) and added some things to the shopping list for later. I shopped my way up the West Side stopping in Virgin and a couple of other places, but not buying anything (but that list keeps getting longer). I skirted around Pleasure Island and headed to the Marketplace. I grabbed dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Express over here. I got the four cheese pizza and a mango iced tea ($ 10.49) which was awesome as always. I shopped around for a while, hitting most of the major stores, thinking about what I wanted to pick up later in the week. I did however pick up a shower curtain, candle, candle holder, bath cup and soap dish at the (wonderful) Disney at Home store ($ 58.30) and a bunch of ornaments from the Christmas store ($ 68.90). After my shopping, I had a mental argument and decided to head back to the room in favor of going over to PI. I caught a crowded, slow bus back to the All Stars, did some work, set the alarm, and crashed before 11:00pm. Total cash expenses: $ 184.68 (Food: $ 23.58) Tuesday, January 9, 2001 (Day 4) Mickey joyfully woke me up at 6:30am, but I didn't actually get moving until 7:40am. One big thing on this particular trip seems to be my general exhaustion. I'm just really tired, especially in the morning. I struggled to get ready, wolfed down breakfast in my room and jumped on a waiting Magic Kingdom bus. I arrived at MK about 8:45am, and was at the Tomorrowland rope drop in plenty of time. This is where I really noticed a change in the crowds from the summer, as the number of people seemed really down. The weather had finally perked up, I imagine it was in the upper 40s or so. Rope drop went quite calmly (more so than Fantasyland, at least), and I was on and off Space Mountain (right side) in less than 15 minutes. I don't quite know what it is about the cars of this ride, but I feel much more comfortable on Rock 'n' Roller and Tower of Terror than on this thing. I still love it, though. After my ride through space, I headed up to Fantasyland. Sounds very strange for this early maybe, but it works for me (I call it my "Lesser Magic Kingdom Tour" email me if you have questions). First stop was Winnie the Pooh (no wait), which I really just love, which was followed by Peter Pan with no wait. Next stop was the Haunted Mansion, which is always a hoot. I swear I see something new every single time I ride. I noticed the new Fastpass machines here, but I didn't see anyone using them. I'm actually a really big fan of Fastpass for two reasons. First, of course, is that it cuts down line time. Secondly, I think it cuts down on "commando mode" for a lot of people. It really forces a lot of people (myself included) to stop and smell the roses. I continued through Frontierland, heading to the Country Bear Jamboree, but it was down :-( So, I consoled myself with a ride on Big Thunder Mountain (less than five minutes wait). I was literally in tears because of the cold after the ride. But hey, it was only 10am!! (Told you my plan works!) I wandered over to Adventureland and hit Pirates (no wait at all) and looked through the shops and glanced into the construction area. There is ALOT of construction around WDW right now (the new Aladdin ride, the new hub bridge, new resorts, Chester and Hester's, changing the 2000 on Spaceship Earth, etc., etc.) I didn't see much of anything through those tiny holes, but I have a good feeling about what it will look like when it's done. After Pirates, I headed back to Tomorrowland and picked up a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear good from 11:05am-12:05pm. I then decided to shop my way around the Magic Kingdom, adding a lot of things to my list, but not actually doing any shopping. Shopping is a great pleasure of mine period, and you really can find some great things at WDW. I'd never been in the King's Gallery before... what a store!! While wandering through Frontierland, I decided to grab lunch at Pecos Bill's. I got the chicken wrap with fries and a diet coke ($ 9.81) which is one of my favorite Magic Kingdom meals. I sat it a room virtually all by myself and figured out what to do with the rest of my day and actually for the next few days. After lunch, I used my Fastpass at Buzz, where I didn't do too well and the hit Timekeeper. Both of these attractions were just great as usual. Here's a little tip for you: when entering any of the CircleVision theaters, hang a hard left and enter one of the last rows. You'll get a better overall view of the screens and you'll be virtually alone. After spending time with Jules, Timekeeper and Nine-Eye, I wandered down Main Street, making sure to listen to the Party Line in the Main Street Market House (just pick up the phone in the corner) and headed out of the park. I waited a little while for the Resort Monorail and trekked over to the Contemporary. For some reason, I really like this resort. Since I originally was supposed to stay here for this trip, I wanted to take a look. I picked up a magnet at the gift shop ($ 6.36) and sat and watched the pool and Bay Lake from the big windows for a while. (Not much going on). The Polynesian was my next stop and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, when I entered the resort from the monorail my first thought was "Magnum P.I.!" But the longer I stayed and looked around, the more I liked it. I took a look at the restaurants and picked up a towel and magnet from the gift shop ($ 27.56). Rather than get back on the monorail again, I decided to walk over to the Grand. This was rather complicated by the fact that the new pool construction (aka "big patch of dirt) blocks a bunch of the interior pathways. So I walked all over heck and hereafter, but eventually found the path. I passed exactly zero people during the walk over, which was quite pleasant. They had already zoned off the area on the beach for the new pool at the Grand Floridian. I really don't mind the construction over here, as both of these pools really needed an upgrade. Now, as for the Grand.... I really like the place. It's so plush, so opulent, so expensive. Some day, some way, I'm gonna stay here. I picked up a magnet at the shop ($ 6.36), checked out the other stores, and caught the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. When the train was pulling into the station, I noticed that the boat headed to the Wilderness Lodge was pulling into the dock. I rushed as fast as I could and got down there just in the nick of time. The ride maybe took 10 minutes or so and was really pleasant, as the temperatures had risen and it was really quite warm out. The Wilderness Lodge is really quite unbelievable. I walked in and just had to say "Wow!" I was utterly amazed at the architecture, the theme, and the overall feel of the place. They had quite a selection in the gift shop, but I just decided on a magnet ($ 4.24) and put a whole bunch of things on my list. I decided just to sit for a while and update my trip notes and read a little (the book I was reading: Last of the Mohicans..LOL). All nice and relaxed, I headed back to the dock and to the Magic Kingdom. What a difference a few hours make!! The place was 100% mobbed!! It was about 2:30-ish, so Main Street was crazy with people lined up for the parade. I jostled my way down to the tip board and saw that the wait for some rides were longer than most I have seen during August! At this point, I decided just to get out of Dodge, so I made my way out, stopping first at the penny arcade machines in the train station. I caught a bus and was back in my room by 3:15pm or so. I got moving again about 4:30pm and caught a bus to Epcot, with the intention of riding the monorail up to the Magic Kingdom. For some strange reason, I made the decision to enter Epcot. I guess I had decided to pass of E-Ride and instead do some rides here and watch Illuminations. I say "I guess" because about 30 minutes into this endeavor, I realized that I shouldn't let E-Ride go to waste. I hurried like I've never hurried before, but I made it to the Magic Kingdom around 6:10pm. I got my E-Ride bracelet and slowly walked up Main Street to find a spot for the fireworks. Fantasy in the Sky started around 6:30pm and was very nice, although I do prefer Illuminations much better. I decided to try for some dinner before E-Ride started, since it's slim pickings after it starts. Unfortunately, most everywhere was closed already!! Columbia Harbor House, Pinocchio's, Plaza Pavilion... closed, closed and closed. I finally found that one of the counters at Cosmic Ray's was open, so I stopped in for a chicken Caesar salad and a Diet Coke ($ 8.70). Dinner was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't wolfing it down fast to get out of there. E-Ride had just started by the time I got out of there. The first thing I noticed was that it was COLD!!! Very, very cold!! The second thing I noticed was that I was tired. Very, very tired. I knew right then that this was going to be a short night. I dragged myself over to Splash Mountain and rode. Literally no line on this one. I guess the cold was keeping people away. And after one ride, it was keeping me away too. I love the ride, but I don't much like the cold. After freezing my way through Splash, I headed back over to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear a couple of times (OK, four times), and then rode Space Mountain (back seat). By this point in the evening, these long days finally caught up to me, and I decided to head back to the room. I caught a bus around 8:10pm and was back at the resort sometime around 8:45pm (that sure is a long ride home). I stopped in the food court for a Mickey Premium Bar ($ 2.56) and headed back to the room. I pretty much lounged around for the rest of the evening, getting some work done, watching Nightline, Designing Women and the Golden Girls; finally sacked out around 12:30am (so much for getting some rest.) Total Cash Expenses: $ 65.59 (Food: $ 21.07) Wednesday, January 10, 2001 (Day 5) The phone rang at about 7:00am this morning, but I didn't get up 'til 8:30am. I guess I really needed the rest after all. I'm never usually like this on these trips, though. I showered, watched some television, had breakfast and finally made it out of the room around 9:05. I had about 12 minutes wait for a bus the Animal Kingdom. On the bus I was treated to a VERY loud conversation by a very Southern family, of whom there were about 10 members. They were sitting right next to each other, but I guess felt the need to share their conversation with the rest of their fellow riders. One funny moment occurred when the patriarch of the group attempted to simultaneously load three strollers onto the bus. Yep, he tried to haul three strollers at the same time. By himself. It didn't work. Not at all. We all arrived safely and a little harder of hearing around 9:40. Upon entering the park, I made a beeline for Festival of the Lion King, which was to start at 10am. When I arrived, they were turning folks away, as the first performance was cancelled due to the cold. I figured I would come back a little later and try again (famous last words) and headed off. Animal Kingdom is a great park for just strolling around and taking in the sights, so I did that for a little while. I finally ended up in Harambe and decided to catch the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. The train was a little more crowded than I expected, but it was really no big deal. I was actually quite surprised at the number of people in the main building. I hung around for a little while and watched the vets work on a monkey (lots of people watched this, too.) and listened to "Songs of the Rainforest." There were a group of kids who were opening the doors to the booths during the Rainforest shows when I first arrived, so I waited for them to find an empty booth before selecting mine. I skipped the Affection Section, took a gander at the little shop outside and headed back. Arriving back in Harambe, there was a huge crowd waiting to board the next train, so I'm venturing a guess that this place is more popular than before. I checked my guide map and realized there was a Flights of Wonder show starting in a few minutes, so I hustled and made it. Once again, it was surprisingly full, especially considering that it was January. The show didn't have the greatest cast (the Guano Joe was better last time), but it was nice just the same. I was a little hungry after the show, so I headed over to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. I had the Smoked Chicken Breast Sandwich and a Diet Coke ($ 9.27). I think this place is just great and make a point of stopping here every trip. After lunch, I looked in a couple of shops, but I didn't find anything. I decided that I didn't want to dodge the Animal Kingdom crowds any longer, so I headed back to ASMo about 12:30pm. I just sort of hung out at the resort for a few hours. I wandered over to the All Star Music to look around. It was really very quiet here when compared to the Movies. I found a bowling game based on the TV show "The Simpsons" in the arcade, so I wasted $ 2.00 playing. After a quick freshening up, I headed for Epcot, arriving about 2:45pm. I didn't really have a plan when I arrived at Epcot, so I just strolled around Future World and Innoventions for a while before moving up to World Showcase and strolling around there some. I really like the little touched in World Showcase, so if it seems like I spend a lot of time just walking around the promenade, it's because I do, LOL! Around 3:45pm, I got hungry, so I stopped in Sussigkeiten in Germany for a snack. After much careful consideration, I settled on a Ritter Marzipan-filled chocolate square ($ 2.65). Oh what a very wonderful selection! This was just excellent and I made a mental note to come back here again before the end of the trip to have another one of these. After my snack, I decided to catch the Wonders of China movie. I had about a fifteen minute wait, so I checked the exhibit out next door until the show started. Please don't miss these exhibits, they are really well done and I think really add something to the Epcot experience. The movie was good as always (it's really grown on me over the years). I headed out and watched an ongoing performance of the acrobats. These kids are amazing!! Unfortunately, I couldn't see too well, so I moved on, vowing to come back later (those famous last words again). I thought it was time to grab some dinner, so I stayed in China and ate at the Lotus Blossom Café. I had the Shanghai Grilled Chicken and a bottle of water ($ 9.39) and slowly ate while watching the world go by, just thinking about how much I enjoy this place and how lucky I am that I can come here so often and will probably continue to be able to. I noticed that there were a bunch of people waiting for tables, so I cleared out and continued my tour. I popped down to MouseGear to take another look at the "2000" merchandise. I saw a lot there, but I didn't pick anything up at this particular time. I realized that I should get back to World Showcase before Tapestry of Nations made it darn near impossible. I lucked out and ran into a performance of Off Kilter in Canada, which I stayed and watched for a while. These guys are really very good, but their sets are too short!! I sure hope they extend them. Right about this time, Tapestry of Nations was getting underway, so I ducked into Great Britain for a while. I noticed that the dialogue has changed for Tapestry somewhat, I tried to write it down, but my pen doesn't quite work that fast. I decided to grab a bench and update my trip notes and found a great one in the square in back. For almost a half hour, I had the whole place to myself. It was an amazing experience. I just sat there, updated my notes, wrote a little bit, and had a nice long think. Aaaaahhhh! I walked around some more after Tapestry had passed. It was quite cold this evening, but not crowded in the least. I headed over to Morocco, where I picked up a Tangerine Tart from the café ( $ 4.19) which was just OK, watched a performance by the Houzlai Troupe (very good) and caught the second performance of Tapestry of Nations. I meandered over to my spot for Illuminations by Japan, which was excellent as always. I left with the masses, and made it back to the All Star Movies by 10:00pm. I hung out in the room and was in bed by 12:30am. Total Cash Expenses : $ 27.50(Food: 27.50) Thursday, January 11, 2001 (Day 6) I woke up around 7:50am this morning and quickly showered, dressed, and had breakfast. Headed out of the room about 8:50am. When I got to the bus stop in front on Cinema Hall, the line for the MGM Studios stretched on forever. So, being the quick thinking lad that I am, I dashed over to the All Star Music and caught a waiting bus to the Studios. We finally arrived at MGM around 9:15am and I made a beeline for the Rock and Roller Coaster, where I got the front seat once again!!! This ride is such a thrill!! It has to be one of my favorites in the World. After getting off the ride, I shopped my way up Sunset, seeing a lot, but buying nothing. I decided to check out the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, so I wandered over to grab a Fastpass. Mind you, it was before 10am at this point, but the Fastpass was more than an hour and a half out!! I strolled around for a bit, but nothing really caught my eye to do. I have honestly been just so exhausted this whole trip. I don't know if it's the weather or the time of year or what, it I'm beat! It hasn't ever happened in March or August, so I don't know what's going on. I finally decided to grab a little something from Starring Rolls and people watch for a while. I had a very good croissant and coffee (a little less than $ 5.00) and sat for a while. I got in a good update of my notes (it's amazing what you remember a few days later) and watched everyone rushing around. It was finally time for my Fastpass at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and I got in with no problem. I thought the show was alright, if not a bit disjointed, but the facility is just marvelous!! The film clips looked a bit dirty, I thought, but the interior of the theater is super!! I shopped my way down Hollywood, picking up a magnet and license plate from Celebrity 5 & 10 ( $10.60) and headed out. I decided to continue my resort tours, so I caught a waiting bus to the Caribbean Beach resort. I got off in Jamaica and walked around some. I thought the place looked pretty nice, but the drought has hit this place hard, as the water levels looked really low. The main pool looked pretty small, but the resort itself was HUGE! I feel sorry for the people out in the boonies. I checked out the main area, where I bought a magnet at the gift shop ($ 4.24). There was a large group getting ready to leave on the cruise setting up in the Food Court area, and they all looked rather excited. I had a little trouble figuring out where to catch the bus to Downtown Disney, but I wandered over where I needed to be (somewhat by accident). The trip to Downtown Disney was very short and we passed by the Pop Century construction. Personally, I am very pleased that they are increasing the amount of value resorts on property, especially one with such a central location. Arriving at Downtown Disney, I went on a spree at the Marketplace. First stop was the World of Disney store, where I bought a Sorcerer Mickey Dangler, a 2000 magnet, a 2001 Christmas ornament and the WDW Pictorial Souvenir 2000 book ($ 40.02 with AP Discount). Next stop was Ghirardelli's, where I just HAD to have a strawberry malt. I ordered my malt, paid ($ 4.23), and waited. I got my malt, went outside, tasted it... and realized that it was chocolate, not strawberry. Not that I minded. This was better!! I sat on the dock by the margarita bar and had my malt, watching the boats on the lake. After my snack, I picked up some things at the Gourmet Pantry (Lady and the Tramp S &P shakers, a magnet, and 2 ice cube trays: $ 24.91) and 3 ornaments at the Christmas shop ($ 34.98). I headed back to the All Star Movies around 2-ish. I grabbed another container of Tuna Rolls at the Food Court for lunch ($ 4.92) and hung out in the room. The sushi was just amazingly good. I watched some TV and finally left the room again around 4:15pm. We finally arrived at Epcot around 4:45 and I immediately jumped on Spaceship Earth with no wait. I wanted to go check out those acrobats that I missed yesterday, so I made a beeline over there and caught a whole show. It was really quite nice and the crowd just swelled during the performance. I grabbed dinner a very healthful dinner of chicken strips and diet coke from Liberty Inn ($ 8.64). Most of the rest of the evening was spent strolling around the promenade, catching performances by Off Kilter and the British Invasion and Tapestry of Nations. I grabbed a Red Bean Ice Cream from Yakitori ($ 1.86) and while walking another circuit I saw, or rather heard, something... well... loud. Loud in the form of singing pre-teen Brazilian girls. Singing, laughing, dancing along the promenade. Some people looked annoyed, but it really didn't bother me. I noticed that the crowds certainly seemed to be increasing on this day. With a holiday weekend approaching, I should have expected it. I decided to catch the 8:10pm American Adventure show, which was quite nice. They made us enter through the exit since the main hall was closed off for a special event. As we strolled in, the first seven rows were packed full of those special event people, seeing the show. I really don't see how anyone could fall asleep in this show. The attention to detail is amazing and the storyline moving. Do I think it glosses over the ugly underside of American history?? Heck yes!! But I'm sure they went for "crowd-pleasing" over some of the more complicated moments. Illuminations was getting ready to start when we exited, so I hustled over to my spot in Japan and watched the show. It was very nice, though they missed one of periphery fireworks. After the show, as I made my way out, I noticed something: Crowds!! Lots of them!! We're talking no fewer than 5 tour group flags in the midst and more and more small children. The bus was packed on the ride home, but I was back by 10:00pm. I grabbed some (bad) Jell-O in the food court ($ 1.71), went back to the room, watched the Katherine Harris interview on 20/20, caught some other TV, tried plan my last full day (sigh), and sacked out. Friday, January 12, 2001 (Day 7) I really wanted to get an early start this morning, seeing as it was my last full day this trip, but it wasn't to be. I finally managed to get out of the room by 9. I made some spectacular time, as I walked right on to a waiting Magic Kingdom bus that left right after I got on. I was in the turnstiles at MK by 9:20am. For the first few minutes, I just strolled around to check out the crowds and plot my course of action for the rest of the day. I honestly felt like I had missed out on a lot because I was so tired this trip, so there was a lot I still wanted to get to. Rather than further exhaust myself by running to and fro, here and there all day, I decided to just take it easy. I figured that I would be much better served by relaxing and NOT doing it all. (Ah, the pleasures of touring solo.) I finally ended up in Tomorrowland where I jumped in line for Buzz Lightyear and rode with less than five minutes wait. I scored less than 100,000 :(, so I consoled myself with a ride around the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I can't believe I hadn't ridden this yet on this particular trip, as I usually cover it several times. After the ride, I just strolled around some more. The crowds sure looked larger than I had anticipated, but not too bad at all. The crowds have definitely picked up from earlier in the week, likely due to the holiday weekend coming up. Checking my guide map, I noticed that the 10:45am performance of the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue was starting, so I decided to give it a shot. In my 7 trips, I had actually never stopped to take in this show. How silly I was!!! This show was just wonderful, and was a real find on this trip. The show is a revue in three parts which includes a singing cowboy, a magician and of course, the famous Can-Can girls. The show is gold and I don't think anyone moved from their seats the entire show. I sat upstairs so as to avoid too close scrutiny and really had a great time. I certainly won't be making the same mistake of missing this one again. It was about 11:30am when the show ended, so I decided to grab some lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. I had the Anchor's Away sandwich, fries and a lemonade ($ 10.50), which was wonderful. I noticed that for the first time in a very long time the upper floor of the seating area was open, though I didn't venture up there. After lunch, the throngs were getting to be a bit much, and I was feeling just really out of it, so I left for the hotel. I took a really short nap, after which I woke up and started my packing. I was surprised that all the stuff that I bought took up so much room. I literally had to lay down on one of the cases to get it to close. I guess all that small stuff when put together makes big stuff...LOL. I finally left the room again around 2:15-ish, and caught a bus to Epcot, where I promptly caught another bus to Coronado Springs. I had a reservation here for August, so I wanted to scout room locations. Coronado Springs' buildings are quite appealing, especially in the Ranchos section and pool area. When I got back around to the main building, I took a look inside and noticed a considerable convention presence here. Maybe it was just me, but there just seemed to be a whole lot of people dressed nicely, smoking cigarettes in the bar and networking in the lobby. Something I'm not entirely used to at a Disney resort, though I don't think it would bother me too much if I stayed here. I picked up my (you guessed it) magnet ($4.24) and caught my bus back to Epcot. I think I circled the promenade fourteen times this evening, just walking and thinking and shooting pictures, etc, etc. I will often get very broody at the end of my trips and this was no exception. I just got quite and thoughtful and thought about my life at home and school and my job, blah, blah, blah. I find that I actually make a lot of important realizations/decisions while I'm here. I guess that's why I love it so much... it centers me. I picked up dinner at the Cantina de San Angel. I'm not a particularly big fan of the Cantina, but it served it's purpose this evening. I had chicken tacos and diet coke ($ 8.22) which was OK, not great, but I wasn't in the mood for anything else. I got up to leave and my mind turned to dessert. I figure that since I hadn't had anything from the bakeries in Norway or France, that I would go there. France won out and I had a WONDERFUL cream puff and coffee ($ 4.14) which I ate at a little out of the way bench while watching the crowds line up for Tapestry of Nations. I headed over towards Germany and sat down to make some phone calls when the fireworks started over the Magic Kingdom. I had a great view and watched the whole thing while I talked to a couple of friends. After they were over, I did another World Showcase circuit, popping down to Innoventions to mail another internet postcard. I must have walked quite fast, as I managed to catch a performance of Miyuki in Japan and do some writing in the empty America Gardens Theater before claiming a spot for Tapestry of Nations. The parade was wonderful, with some extra puppets thrown in for good measure. A slight bit of unpleasantness occurred when a very drunk conventioneer decided that he just HAD to dance in the parade and generally make a fool of himself. This held up the parade for a little while, but the CMs finally moved him along. Thankfully, his buddies didn't seem too impressed. Illuminations was wonderful, as usual, though I felt a little bit sad at the fact that I wouldn't see the show for quite a while. I caught a bus back to the resort, where I grabbed an ice cream sandwich from the food court ($ 2.56) and set about the ugly business of packing. While I was getting everything together, the preview for Atlantis: The Lost Empire came on, which looks very, very cool. I collapsed into bed and fell asleep within seconds. Saturday, January 13, 2001 (Day 8) Mickey woke me up for the last time at about 7:30am. I was up, dressed and ready to go by 8, but there was still no bill on the door, so I walked down to the desk, where everything was in order, and I stowed my bags. I caught the next bus to Animal Kingdom where I basically just wandered around making a point of hitting all the walking trails. A lot of the animals appeared to be out, but they were far outnumbered by the humans, who were just about everywhere today. I really didn't feel like waiting in line or battling the crowds, so I decided to complete my tour of the Disney resorts and left Animal Kingdom for the last time this trip. I caught the 10:40am bus to Old Key West, which I was the only passenger on. The bus, for some reason, took forever to get where we were going, so I jumped off when we finally arrived at the first stop. I honestly hate to say that I wasn't all that impressed with this resort. It just looked like any old condo development you could find anywhere. I think that it could grow on me if I stayed here a while, it just didn't wow me straight off. On top of that, it seemed like there were a LOT of people checking in and taking care of business in the main building, so that just made things seem extra crowded. I took a look in the shop, but didn't see anything I really liked. I waited about 10 minutes for a bus to Downtown Disney. While on the bus, something rather odd happened. As we pulled into the next bus stop, we rounded the turn and heard this enormous BANG!! I was the only one on the bus and the driver looked rather freaked out by the whole thing. Another couple got on at the stop while the driver checked things out. There was no apparent damage and nothing appeared to be wrong with the bus, so we continued on to Downtown Disney without incident. On our way into the Pleasure Island stop, there was a HUGE street hockey tournament set up in the parking lot. There must have been a dozen courts set up, and the sign said that the event was going to last until the end of the long weekend. The crowds at Downtown Disney really weren't too bad considering it was Saturday afternoon. I checked out a couple of stores at the Marketplace and Pleasure Island before heading over to the West Side. In the Cirque du Soliel store, I checked out a couple of glasses I had seen earlier in the week, but decided against them. In hindsight, I really wanted them. Guess I'll have to pick them up on the next trip. At the Virgin Megastore, I picked up a CD single and Steven King's "On Writing" for the flight home (~ $ 33.00). I decided to check out Wolfgang Puck's Express for lunch, but it was mighty chilly to think about eating outside and awfully crowded there, so I decided to take off for Epcot. I caught the next bus to pull up, which headed for the Swan and Dolphin. I got off at the Dolphin and hoofed it on over to Epcot. The interior of the Dolphin was really quite pleasant, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. I walked into Epcot about noon and began a frantic search for food. It was nice and warm out and the World Showcase was a lot more crowded than it had been all week. I decided on the path of least resistance and headed to the Land Food Court. I picked up a Fajita Chicken baked potato and a large diet coke ( $ 7.16). This was really very good and hit the spot. While I was enjoying my meal, I realized that I was pretty much melting down at this point. I had walked all over kingdom come this morning, it was warm out, my backpack was ungodly heavy... it short, I was exhausted. I vowed to take it really easy for the remainder of the day. For most of the rest of the afternoon, I just strolled the World Showcase, watching the live entertainment, taking in the sights, snapping a few pictures. At some point, I stopped off at Fountainview and had a crème brulee (~ $ 5.00). Around 4:30pm, I strolled past Showcase Plaza for the last time. I sat there for a few minutes, just staring. I wanted to burn this image in my head for as long as I could. I never, ever wanted to forget it. I don't think I ever shall. With that, I started my way out of Epcot for the last time, but not before making stops to watch a fountain show, pick up the 2000 disc ornament ($ 12.72) and riding Spaceship Earth. I finally walked out around 5:00pm and caught a bus back to the All Star Movies. I was about 90 minutes early for my airport pickup, so I spent some money in the arcade and had dinner in the food court ($12.29). I updated my trip report notes and my journal and got ready for my 6:30pm Mears pickup. Of course, something goes horribly wrong. A party of 14 plus some were standing waiting for buses. Some of them had been waiting since 6pm. A couple of vans pulled up, but no one really knew what was going on. I had to speak up that I was even there and squeezed onto one of the vans that was there heading to the airport. I know that Mears transports hundreds of people a day, but gimme a break!! I certainly felt like I was heading back to the real world. The guy even knocked one of my bags out of the back by accident when another couple got off. Thankfully nothing was broken (it had all those Xmas ornaments in there.) Shockingly, there was NO line at US Airways check-in (unlike every other time I've been there) and I had my choice of seats. Check-in was smooth and my bag was checked with no problem. After sitting around for a long time, we boarded and the flight took off on time. Back in Baltimore on schedule and met my friend who was kind enough to meet me at the gate. I fell asleep that night with a heavy head and a heavy heart. Total Cash Expenses: $ 70.17 (Food: $ 24.25) Summery, Highlights, Lowlights, and More This was a great trip. They always are. Below are some of my favorite moments, not so favorite moments, tips for future travelers, and maybe more. Highlights
Lowlights
So I guess that's a wrap. Next trip is May 4-10, 2001 and I'm staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Can't wait to see the Flower and Garden Festival and Star Wars weekend! If you have any questions about my report, my trip, solo touring or just want advice, please feel free to email me. PS: I am training for my first marathon now!! Guess I got inspired while I was on this trip. So if anyone is in the World on January 6, 2002, be sure to wave :). 'Til I see you again, Kevin Lillehage Travlnman20768@yahoo.com Mail a Comment to Kevin Lillehage |
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