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Kevin Lillehage -- May 2001 -- Walt Disney World (CBR)May 4-10, 2001 Introduction Who I Am: Kevin, 22 year old full time college student with a full time job; Self-described workaholic; Walt Disney World fanatic; 8th trip to "the World" and my 6th completely solo; need this trip more than I know. 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) and one in 2001 (Jan '01- All Star Movies- 7 nights) I already have trip #9 booked and # 10, 11 and 12 in the works! I am currently in training for the 2002 Walt Disney World Marathon. 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 My last trip to the beautiful Reedy Creek Improvement District was in January 2001. It was really a great trip and actually inspired me to train for the 2002 WDW Marathon! (I'm nuts, I know). I guess it was after I got home that things kind of got crazy. Essentially what it boils down to is a change of heart as it applies to my schooling. I have decided to make a major shift of direction in my field of study, and based on the college divisions at my university, I am forced to transfer to the night division. If it sounds a little convoluted, it is. It's been a nightmare of work trying to figure it all out and get all the necessary arrangements made. My boss picked up on my stress, and asked if I wanted a week off to get away. How could I say no?!? I checked my calendar and decided on May 4-10, 2001. I checked out flights on those dates and booked out of BWI (thank goodness) for $189.50 round-trip through Travelocity. I also booked 6 nights standard view at the Caribbean Beach Resort at rack rate through Travelocity as well. With that, I was ready to go! About a week before departure, I called CRO to make some room requests and confirm my reservation. The reservation was there all right, but I couldn't add my room requests, since CRO "couldn't touch it" and I had to make those requests through my travel agent. Oh well, either way, on April 30th, I sent a fax to CBR requesting that my room be in Aruba, top floor, and building 52, 54, and 55. I figure they have to download the reservation to place it. I also called to make priority seatings for Restaurant Marrakesh for Friday, May 4; Akershus for Saturday, May 5; and the Coral Reef for Tuesday, May 8. I am going to try to make a Fantasmic Dinner Package reservation Sunday, May 6th at the Brown Derby when I arrive. Whew, finally ready to go. This vacation is essentially making my life more hectic before I leave, since I have three major papers that need to be in before I go and promotion interviews for which I am in charge before I leave. It's Disney; I know it'll be worth it. Touring Plan/Itinerary In January, I essentially toured on the fly. Being able to do whatever you want whenever you want is one of the great pleasures of "going solo," but I sure feel like I missed a lot without a plan. So this time around I'm doing a day-by-day plan and during the report, I'll compare the plan with what actually happened. During this trip, there is a Star Wars weekend going on at MGM and of course the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, so I'll want to take full advantage of those. I also want to try visit a couple of the resort hotels to shoot some film, visit Pleasure Island (only been once and very briefly), see Fantasmic again (only seen it once three years ago) and of course watch "my Illuminations" a few times. Here's the plan:
Friday, May 4, 2001 (Day 1) I really don't know why in the world I insist on such early, early flights. (Oh yes, extra hours at Disney World...LOL) So I was up at 4:00am. Mind you, this was the morning after the big Survivor finale and with my general sleeplessness before vacation anyway... I think I maybe got 3 hours of sleep, if that. Somehow I managed to get out of bed, into the car and get to BWI by 5am. Since I wasn't checking any bags, I proceeded right to the gate where I was literally the only person there. At this hour, I could understand why. Slowly but surely, bunches of other US Airways passengers (all bound for Florida) hustled down the terminal to start waiting. I just sat there staring into space for a while... making mental notes to see if I forgot anything that I needed to bring with me. At 5am, I was sure noticing a whole lot of people talking on their cell phones. I know that I can't live without mine, but who in the world were these people calling at this hour?? I sure hope it was important!! We boarded the plane on time and I was seated in a window seat. A family of five took up the rest of the seats in the row and I offered the window to one of the daughters (who were having an argument about who was getting theirs), but their mother declined. As it would turn out, I got the whole row to myself since there was an available row in the very back that the father and other daughter took. Wow... I'm certainly not used to this amount of room on flights, especially in converted 727s. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. The flight was relatively smooth, the crew was very pleasant, I got my usual seltzer water (tradition) and we landed a whole 15 minutes early!! Yee Haw!! I'm HERE!! I'm really beginning to know the ins and outs of this airport...LOL! I don't even have to check a map anymore. My TTC driver was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, right on schedule. The driver actually recognized me from August, when he was my driver as well. We chatted a lot about school on the way to the hotel, which didn't seem to take very long at all. The weather looked just beautiful and the temperature just right. I was thrilled to be here!! We pulled into a vacant Custom House where I settled up with the driver ($80 plus $10 tip) and took my stuff inside. The place was utterly deserted and I jumped in an empty line to check in. I was standing at the counter in five minutes where CM Eduardo from Sao Paulo checked me in. There appeared to be some confusion with my room. I faxed my room preferences in 4 days ahead and hoped for the best. I was apparently blocked into a room with all my preferences which was not ready yet, but I could get a room that was ready now that had most of my preferences. I just decided to take what they were offering and was assigned room 5403 in Aruba. I finished up with the various and sundry details, declined luggage service and waltzed right over to Guest Services where I made a Fantasmic Dinner Package reservation for Sunday at 6:10pm and got copies of my other PS's and headed out to find my room. I knew going into this that the Caribbean Beach Resort is one of the largest hotels in North America. And that was made brutally apparent by my walk to the room. It was long. Very, very, very long. Eventually, I made it over to my room and I was quite happy with the location, which overlooked quite a lot of tropical landscaping. I opened the door and I was instantly impressed. This place was HUGE!!! I'm so used to the size of All Star rooms that this seemed SO plush. The room was one that had been recently refurbished and looked great. The room has two double beds with brightly colored bed spread, really nice tropical green carpeting, a large table with two chairs, an armoire with drawers and a flat screen TV, and a bench which was perfect for setting luggage upon. The bathroom was in a completely separate area with a door separating the sinks from the room proper. The bathroom feels just enormous!! It had two sinks, a shelf area with hangers, and a good sized bathtub. Can you tell I just LOVED this room!?! The room was also stocked with various sundries, such as refillable mugs, ponchos and coffee packets which you could use in the in-room coffee maker. After snapping a few pictures, I decided just to vegetate for a little while, since the flight and really early start were beginning to catch up with me. I had a little difficulty in finding the Walt Disney World information channel; in fact I could only seem to locate the closed caption version of it, which was just fine with me. The beds were just so comfy... I almost drifted off... But soon enough I had that "Hey, I'm at Walt Disney World" feeling and decided to head off to Animal Kingdom. It was a really, really short walk to the bus stop from my room. Two minutes tops to get there from my room. The bus came pretty quickly and whisked us off to Animal Kingdom with a detour to Blizzard Beach on the way. OK, so maybe whisked is too strong a word. Our driver was pretty slow on the gas pedal the whole way there. But hey, I'm on vacation and better safe than sorry, right?! Maybe it was exacerbated by the multiple screaming children on the bus. Not fussy. SCREAMING!! Goodness gracious! On our way into the park, we caught a glimpse of the not-one-month-old Animal Kingdom Lodge which looks really, really good. I can't wait to have the opportunity to stay there!! I walked up to the gates of Animal Kingdom and very quickly got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. The entrance was absolutely mobbed. The lines at the turnstiles stretched back to the ticket booths and I couldn't find a single short line. So I jumped into line and was in the park within about 10 minutes. As I struggled through the Oasis, I came to the realization that things were not going to be easy crowd-wise on this day. And it was only about 11:00am. Even after crossing into Safari Village, it was pretty slow going. Clearly a whole lot of these kids were in town for the Grad Night program held this weekend and were traveling in swarms. (If you've ever seen a group of more than, say, 8 people try to get through any of the parks together, you'll know what I'm talking about). After checking the tip board, I just decided to hit a couple of the walking trails and the shows. With that objective in mind, I headed off for Africa. Pangani Forest Exploration Trail is usually a beautiful, relaxing walkthrough where you can really spend some time taking in the sights and just watching the world go by. Oh, how things can change!! This was bad. Very, very bad. There were people packed in like I have never, ever seen. I wanted to just turn around and go back, but that wasn't about to happen. So I just concentrated on getting the heck out and finally made it there about 15 minutes later. Ugh. I just wandered through the crowds in Africa, trying to take a look at some things in the shops and trying to figure out what to do. I pretty much walked aimlessly from here, getting slightly more agitated the further I got through the crowd. I think the lack of sleep was having a significant effect on my mood. (Which reminds me, why in the world can you not find a map of this place anywhere when you're in the park?!) Still, I was enjoying myself some. On a bathroom stop I happened to glance down at the floor and saw the animals in the tiling. Only at Walt Disney World could I have missed that one for so long. I picked up a little souvenir at Wonders of the Wild ($ 6.36) and decided just to get the heck out of Dodge. I walked out of the park, against the tide of even more people coming in, and headed for the buses. I noticed while I was waiting for the CBR bus that Disney Transport has purchased some brand new buses that look quite similar to some of the buses that the local Metro system has put on some of their routes here in D.C. They look really cool. I've got to love the new digital destination signs. The bus ride back to the Caribbean Beach Resort was uneventful and I was back in the room by noon. In the room, I could already feel my spirits lifting. I went on a little walk around CBR, just to check things out. I was only more impressed. The vistas in this place are just so well designed. I love the look of the place. Unlike the All Stars, this place gives off this amazing, relaxing vibe. The beaches are adequate, the pools are really nice, especially the main pool (though the spa area was under refurbishment) and I really began to enjoy my walks across Parrot Cay several times a day. Parrot Cay really doesn't have too much to do per se, but it's just this amazing little lush tropical island with sand and picnic tables and all this bamboo... just amazing. I decided to grab something to eat at Old Port Royale and of course got my refillable mug. I really didn't think I would like the layout of this food court, but since I'm only one person, it didn't much matter to me. I could certainly see how families would find it somewhat inconvenient, with different menus offered at different windows. I got a cheese steak sub with cole slaw and got it to go ($ 6.14). On my way back to my room, I stopped by Calypso Trading Post and picked up the 2001 Official Walt Disney World album that I neglected to get in January ($ 21.18). I strolled back over Parrot Cay to Aruba and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in my room, while watching a little television. Around 2:15pm, the talk shows were getting to be a little tiring when there's all of Walt Disney World out there, so I decided to make a break for Epcot. I was on the first bus that came by and was very quickly at Epcot. (I really enjoy CBR's overall location when it comes to getting to and from the parks.) I walked through the front gates and noticed... topiary!! Lots and lots of topiary. Belle and the Beast and Mrs. Potts and Chip and Meg and Herc and Phil and Aladdin and Genie and they were all on this big bus... it was just so cool looking! I don't think I've ever seen Epcot look quite so good. I walked right onto Spaceship Earth and rode. I guess some people were having a little difficulty in loading, as the ride stopped a few times. Either way, I still really enjoy the ride. After I exited, I decided just to roam around and see all the Flower and Garden Festival displays. If you've never seen Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival, you've really got to do it!! I have never seen the park look so good. Appropriately, Future World houses different display about agriculture and farming, etc. They've got a bunch of Fantasia-themed topiary throughout Innoventions Plaza and some Dinosaurs/Bugs in Future World East. Two things of note that I thought were really nice were the opportunity garden which reflected the special needs of disabled gardeners and the Sculpture garden in Future World West. I took some serious time looking through these areas. On the walk over to World Showcase, there were great floating gardens in the lagoon from Future World. The walk around World Showcase was great, and I must have taken at least two rolls of film. Be sure to seek out the displays that are noted in the Festival guide, which has most everything you could want to know about the festival. I noticed a whole lot of things for kids to do, as well, including an entire kid's garden area near Germany. Too cool. The best of World Showcase gardens would have to be Victoria Gardens in Canada, the "Citrus Topiary" at International Gateway (essentially a HUGE mound of oranges and grapefruit), the swan topiary in France, the musical wall in Japan, and the topiary in Norway and China. There is just so much to see and do here with the festival. I made some mental notes about what I needed to take a closer look at and photograph later as I walked around just enjoying myself, the weather, and the thankfully moderate crowds. I arrived in Mexico a little parched from my walk around World Showcase, so I stopped off at the Margarita Bar and got myself one of the fabled Fiesta Margaritas. ($ 6.89) Wow, this thing was good! Just what I needed. I happily sipped my way back into Future World. I decided to head over to the Land to complete the "agricultural" mood of the day and hit the attractions inside. Living with the Land had a posted 25 minute wait, but I maybe waiting 10-15 minutes tops. I hadn't done this tour in quite some time, and I really, really enjoyed it. The tour guide was great and seemed to enjoy giving his spiel. I think this attraction is done in great Epcot style: its educational while at the same time entertaining enough that no one gets bored. After disembarking (and noticing that the dinner crowds were beginning to descend on the Land Food Court) I headed into the little shop next to Food Rocks and picked up the Official Flower and Garden Festival poster ($ 15.90) and had it sent back to my room. It's a watercolor scene of the China pavilion that looks very nice. I entered the waiting area for Food Rocks with 3 minutes to spare to see the show. The show was funny as usual and sparsely attended, as usual. There were another group of Grad Night teens in the theater, but they really were not too bad at all. They were just really into the show. I decided to leave the Land after the show and begin slowly heading up toward Morocco for my 5:30pm PS. I stopped over in MouseGear briefly to look around, but didn't see anything that I just had to have right at that very moment. I headed back over to World Showcase and decided to see O, Canada!, or as I like to call it "O, Canada, eh? I waited about 5 minutes before being let into the theater to see the show. Now, I understand the controversy over this film and how it seems to be dated, but some of the pictures are just stunning. All they really need to do is update some of the people scenes and replace the stereotypically Canadian announcer. After the show, I walked the rest of the way up to Morocco for my PS. I was about 5 minutes early, but was seated immediately at a little table for two sort of tucked away. It took a little while before a waiter came over to help me, but he was looking a little rushed so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I perused the menu and honestly had the hardest time deciding what I wanted. I finally settled on an appetizer of Chicken Bastilla, Vegetable couscous and a Berber Oasis juice drink which I had in the Restaurant Marrakesh souvenir glass. While waiting for my dinner to come out, I just let my eyes wander around this unbelievable restaurant!! What a gorgeous dining room!! The tile work and the lanterns were just amazing!! Having never tried Moroccan food in my life, I was quite impressed by how great this meal was. The chicken bastilla was wonderful (cinnamon and chicken, who knew?!) and the couscous was great and very filling. Grand total including tip was $35.00, but for an hour of relaxation and great food, it was a good investment. After dinner, I decided to shop a little bit. My first stop was Mitsukoshi, which is one of my favorite spots in all of Epcot for shopping. Unfortunately, they appear to be rehabbing the back half of the store, so their selection was a little limited. I had a moment of panic when I realized that I didn't have the poster that I had bought back at the Land, until it suddenly dawned on me that I had it sent back to the room (duh). I picked up some batteries at the camera stand near the American Adventure ($ 5.83) and looked for some Mozartkuglen in Germany, but they didn't have any loose one's (dang). After hearing about their wonders in another trip report, I knew I just had to try some. When I came out of the candy store, they were announcing that the 6:25 performance of Tapestry of Nations had been cancelled due to the wind. This would eventually become a common refrain as the trip continued. I took a minute or two to regroup and figure out what to do with the rest of the evening. I decided to just continue my tour of World Showcase and by the time I got back around toward Japan, it would be almost time for the second Tapestry showing. I stopped in Norway to do some shopping. Or not. I still think those sweaters are ugly.... I decided to ride El Rio del Tiempo in Mexico next. I was in a boat with two other women and we headed off. OK, I know it's not particularly showy, but this ride confuses the heck out of me. Unlike Maelstrom, El Rio just has no flow, no story at all to connect the various scenes you see. I still like the fireworks at the end, though. After the ride, I headed out of Mexico bound for the always funny Universe of Energy where I had about a 10 second wait before entering the preshow. If you've never seen this before, definitely come in time to see the whole preshow. It's hysterical. I notice they really play up the fright factor here during the announcements, which I suppose is a really good thing if you have easily frightened kids. Forty-five minutes later, I was back out of the Universe of Energy and was feeling.... Cruddy. No other word for it. My energy was low, my body felt like it was about to give out, and I just was not all that pleased with the crowd of people around me. I think my day finally caught up with me. I suppose a smarter man would have just given up and gone back to the hotel, but I was determined to see "my Illuminations." So I trudged back over to Japan, thinking that I would just sort of half-watch Tapestry of Nations and then Illuminations from here. Just as the parade begins to wind it's was toward the pagoda, I realize that I'm still having no fun. Now, I have no idea how this popped into my head, but some inner voice said "I'd really like a Kaki-Gori right now." So I went over, stood in line and got my traditional honeydew Kaki-Gori. ($ 2.25) This was exactly what I needed. It was great!! I watched the remainder of the parade in a really pleasant mood and then got ready for Illuminations. Illuminations is hands-down my favorite thing in all of Walt Disney World. I'm just completely enamored by the show. There is nothing about it I don't like. I even love the music that they play all around the World Showcase Lagoon between the end of the second Tapestry of Nations and the start of the show. It's not a day at Walt Disney World without this show. And yes, most nights I make my way completely through the crowds to the front gate to catch the crowded bus home. And it's all worth it. Illuminations was completely perfect tonight. None of the fireworks were missing. Nothing misfired, the globe worked like a champ. It was perfect. And a wonderful way to end my first day at my favorite place. The crowds walking to the exit were the worst I had seen in a really long time. PACKED with people, especially toward Canada and Mexico where large school groups apparently had decided to meet at the end of their day. UGH! I know it's got to be darn near impossible to find that many people in one place at the end of the day, but wouldn't it be smarter for your group and the people around you to have chosen a spot a little less in the way of the general flow of traffic?! (In hindsight, I realized that it was EE day at Epcot and thus the crowds had swelled. Adding these school groups certainly didn't help too much.) I made my way to the CBR bus stop (SO much closer than the All Star stops) and was on a bus by 10pm. I was back in the room by 10:15 (no kidding) and got showered, made some phone calls and sacked out before 11pm. Saturday, May 5, 2001 (Day 2) I was supposed to get up this morning and run. HAHAHA! I slept until 7:30, in spite of Mickey's 6am wakeup call. I had breakfast in the room, got showered, dressed and ready to go. The whole time I was getting ready this morning, all I could think about was "Wow, this bathroom is HUGE." (Hey, I think I could get used to this). I was on a bus to MGM around 8:25 or so, arriving around 8:40am. I was right on the rope for rope drop on Sunset where I made a beeline for the Rock n Roller coaster right at 9 o'clock. I was a little slower than I usually am in getting down there, but I still managed to get into the first group of people allowed into the soundstage area. I had pretty much no wait getting into the coaster, and the ride was wonderful as always. (Gotta love that third loop... Yee Haw!) I waltzed right on over to the Tower of Terror from there, where I pretty much walked right into an open library. One of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World, IMHO. A funny thing actually happened on this particular ride. There was a couple with their young son who were riding in the row behind me. The kid must have just barely made the height requirement to ride. He seemed surprisingly unconcerned about the whole ordeal.... Until the ride ended. The lap bar came up and the kid looks at his parents, and asks "Was that it?" When informed that it was, he was devastated. He claimed he didn't enjoy the ride, but I dunno... he seemed to be more upset that it was over :) After my 13 stories of fear, I walked down Mickey Ave and got a Fastpass for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-Play It for the 11:15 show and continued the long way around to Muppet Vision 3-D, where I got to watch the ENTIRE preshow before being let into the theater. Wow, that's a long preshow. The show is just wonderful and I always get to thinking about what incredible vision Jim Henson must have had to create this madcap genius. (Jim Henson also graduated from my alma mater, where he is something of an institution.) After the Muppets, I walked through the Star Wars area just to check out the Star Wars weekend activities. Honestly, it was one of the things that drew me down here when I made the reservation. But it just wasn't me. I'm sure it would have all made more sense to me if I had seen one of the Star Wars movies before, but since I hadn't, it was all a little lost on me. However, I will say that there were many people there for the event that appeared to be truly enjoying themselves. There were several character greeting areas, a special Star Wars arcade, and a big stage area where they were holding trivia contests and the like. After my quick walk-though, I headed back over to Sunset and bought a pair of much needed sunglasses (I somehow broke mine during dinner last night at Marrakesh.) ($ 21.20) and sat down and had a cherry Danish, sugar cookie and bottle of water from Starring Rolls ($ 6.21). I updated my notes and checked my schedule, deciding to forgo the 11:15 WWTBAM-PI, and instead catch the 11:15 showing of Beauty and the Beast. I was able to get "my seat" on the far right hand side of the theater and watched Four For A Dollar perform their preshow, which I'd never seen before. They are really quite good, though the set was only two songs long. After witnessing the reaction of the folks in the audience, I dubbed this performance "hunka hunka burning a capella." The show was really good and I recognized several of the performers from the last time I saw this show. When the show was over, I decided just to stroll around and look into the shops to see if anything caught my eye. I still think the Animation Gallery is amazing and maybe someday after I graduate and make something of myself, then I'll actually be able to buy something in here. Browsing completed, I decided to make a break back for the hotel. I arrived back about 12:15pm and immediately went to grab lunch at Old Port Royale. I got the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad ($ 6.35) which I ate in the food court. It's amazing how much quieter this place is than the All Star Food Courts, which always, always seem to be bustling. I headed back to my room after lunch and just relaxed, even taking time out to enjoy the weather and do a little sunbathing on Aruba beach. One of the reasons I really wanted to stay over in Aruba was due to the fact that it had the largest beach of all of the villages and I wasn't disappointed with this one. I headed back to the room sometime around 2:15pm or so to get changed and went to catch a bus to Epcot. It took almost 40 minutes for the bus to arrive, which was a notable, yet truly single transportation snafu of this entire trip. The bus was packed to the gills and thankfully took off for Epcot after the Barbados stop. There were a group of (very) loud teenagers on the bus who really were not as bad as some I had seen last night, at least. Arriving in Epcot, I strolled around a little bit, noticing that the Fountain of Nations was turned off today, which meant no fountain shows :(. The wait times for attractions seemed a little high, so I just decided to take a few more pictures of the topiaries and then head over to tour the Epcot Resorts. I crossed over through International Gateway and took the "long walk around the little lake." I really like these resorts, even the Swan and Dolphin have grown on me somewhat, but the Yacht Club is still my favorite. This is another one of those "someday when I graduate" places that I just can't wait to stay at. I headed back to Epcot maybe an hour or so later and made my way back to Future World. I made a beeline for the Wonders of Life and rode Body Wars with no wait and tried out some of the interactive stuff for a little while. The lack of a wait for Body Wars kind of got me thinking. While in the Magic Kingdom, crowds always seem to mob their favorite attractions. However, when these same people get over to Future World in Epcot, the logic fails to hold. Body Wars used to be the big ticket attraction in these parts, then Honey, I Shrunk the Audience had the long lines. Now it's Test Track. I'm sure when Mission Space opens; it'll be the same thing. I wonder why the crowds seem to be so fickle in these parts... Anyhow, hunger called a short time later and I headed off to Morocco to grab a bite at the Tangierine Café. I had the Chicken Shwarma Sandwich, fries and a diet coke ($ 11.93). The meal was quite good, expect for the fries which were burnt, cold and entirely too salty. I followed up dinner at Tangierine with dessert from the bakery in France, where I opted for the Carmel Soufflé and espresso ($ 5.57). I ate at the tables set up in the Marketplace area and enjoyed this treat tremendously. After dessert, I walked right into the 7:00pm showing of Impressions de France, which I think is my favorite of all the Epcot films. The way the film is scored is amazing, in my book. After the film, I browsed some more of the shops, finding a whole lot of stuff in Les Halles that I would love to pick up if I were on an unlimited budget. I sort of casually strolled around World Showcase over to Japan, where I picked up Matsuriza's CD and a small Daruma doll, which I failed to find when I was here in January. ($ 32.33) I was thrilled to find the Daruma, and it now sits right next to my computer watching me type. I had the entire thing sent back to my room, since I was planning on going out to Pleasure Island this evening. I sat around updating my notes and relaxing until just before Illuminations started. Right before the show, I walked over to the wine tasting kiosk in France to get a glass of champagne to toast my wonderful evening ($ 7.50). The show was just amazing as always. Instead of fighting traffic on the way out, I headed toward the International Gateway and the Beach Club in order to catch a bus Downtown. The plan worked like a charm and I was on a bus heading to Pleasure Island within 10 minutes of the fireworks ending. The bus stop for the Beach Club has moved considerably far away as work on the new villas is well underway. I walked into Pleasure Island a little before 10pm and it was absolutely mobbed. There were a whole bunch of people there not only for Cinco de Mayo, but also for some special event for employees of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The first time I went to PI back in August, I really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. After this visit, I know for sure. I had a fabulous time!! I got to chatting briefly with Bartender Ray at the Laffer's Cantina who was really very nice and then proceeded to spend the great bulk of the night in Mannequins. OK, so not most people's cup of tea, but I loved it. There are a couple of clubs in DC sort of like it, so I guess I can relate to the vibe the place puts out. I spent about 2 hours in here just listening to the music, and totally missed the New Year's celebration because of it. I left Mannequins about 12:15 and stopped in the Jazz Company and the Adventurer's Club before heading out about 12:45am. I did a little math on the way home and realized that I had dropped $ 16 for two imported beers and one mixed drink, including tips. Honestly not too much more expensive than any nightclub/bar back home, but still pricey. I was on a waiting bus and finally home by 1am. I set the wake up call, got changed and fell asleep faster than I ever have before while on vacation. Sunday, May 6, 2001 (Day 3) I had a rough time waking up for the alarm at 7:07am this morning, yet somehow I managed to do it. I showered, got things together, ate a little breakfast in the room and made myself look halfway presentable before heading off to the food court for some caffeine. While there, I decided to pick up my poster that I had sent back from the resort at the gift shop. This little task took quite a lot longer than anticipated because someone wrote the wrong room number in marker upon delivery, even though they managed to call the proper room to tell me to pick it up. No harm, no foul, didn't really take that long at all. I dropped the mug back in the room and caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom, which, before all was said and done, was packed to the gills. I managed to make it into the park a little bit before rope drop and set myself up to make tracks into Tomorrowland as soon as they let us go. Promptly at 9am (and not a second before) they let us through and I was off to Space Mountain. I waited about 5 minutes before being put in a rocket (right side) and blasted off. This was a fun ride as always, though always a little nerve racking at the very beginning. After Space Mountain and making sure that the package had been received by the "lab retriever," I headed over to Buzz Lightyear where there was no wait. The no wait thing was great, considering how terribly I did in terms of my score. OK, not terrible, but I've certainly done a heck of a lot better in my day. After Buzz, I walked through Fantasyland, which already seemed packed. I noticed that the roof of the carrousel is being rehabbed and therefore looks very, very odd. I took a quick bathroom break near Pinocchio's Village Haus (I thought the stained glass in there was a nice touch) and proceeded to ride Peter Pan with no wait. Doing a little extra walking, I made it over to the Haunted Mansion in due course, which I rode with very little wait and a group of cast members who thankfully seemed really, really into their jobs. (It's always more fun that way.) Down in Frontierland I caught the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where I waited about ten minutes before boarding a train. I rode with a wonderful bloke from Manchester who was here with his wife and young son, who was exceedingly careful, though not always successful, about sliding into me on the turns. Finishing my loop of the Magic Kingdom after my ride, I hit the Pirates of the Caribbean with no wait, jumping on a boat right before it pulled out of the station. Walking through Adventureland afterwards, I noticed that the Aladdin ride looked almost completely done and the new merchandise was out. I was hoping to perhaps catch a soft opening during my stay, but alas, it was not to be. I grabbed a bench near where the Adventureland Veranda used to be (I think. My first trip was after it closed.) and updated my trip report notes. I grabbed an early lunch at Casey's Corner ($ 11.24) where I had 2 hot dogs, fries and a soda. It felt a little odd to be eating lunch this early outside when half of the people around me were still working on their breakfasts. After lunch, I walked through the park to Mickey's Toontown Fair. So many small children back here!! I glanced through the County Bounty tent and then caught the train to the front of the park, where I caught a bus back to the hotel. I relaxed back at the hotel for until about 1:45pm, when I caught a waiting bus to the Disney-MGM Studios. The trip only took about 5 minutes or so, which I just loved (This hotel location is GREAT!). Being a Sunday and all, MGM was packed solid full of people, making it exceedingly difficult to make my way up Hollywood Boulevard. Nothing on the tip board looked particularly exciting, so I decided to pick up a Fastpass for Voyage of the Little Mermaid for 3:50pm-4pm and made my way over to Star Tours. My voyage to the moon of Endor only required about a 10 minute wait, instead of the posted 25, which was just enough time to take in all the details of the amazing queue area. After my ride, I decided just to stroll around and take in the sights and sounds of the Studios while waiting for my Fastpass time. I grabbed a bottle of water at the Studio Catering Co. ($ 2.25) and checked out a bunch of shops in the Backlot area. I was back over to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid in plenty of time, and grabbed a seat toward the back and far stage right side of the theater. Unfortunately, this was also right in front of some VERY chatty teenagers from MA on a band trip (all this I gleaned from their conversation during the show. The show was just OK, a little disjointed as usual, but I still love this theater!! After returning to the surface, I decided to bag my reservation for the Brown Derby and head back to CBR for some rest and dinner. I was running out of steam pretty quick and didn't think I was in the mood to wait around for Fantasmic! this evening. I had a great turkey dinner with rice and cole slaw at the food court ($ 8.47) and decided to head to Downtown Disney to check out DisneyQuest. I looked through all the shops in the Marketplace on my way over to the West Side (didn't see anything I had to have right then, though). After getting my AP retrofitted with entry abilities for DQ, I headed in. The elevator ride was pretty neat on the way up, I have to admit. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed DisneyQuest, although I was only there for an hour or so. I tried Cyberspace Mountain, where I made a "5" coaster and rode it (pretty neat) and also tried the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam (where I did terribly). The crowds were not bad at all, surprisingly enough. I made some mental notes about what I wanted to come back and try in the future, and took off out of there. I walked up the West Side and decided to check out Pleasure Island. Unfortunately after last night, this place looked like a ghost town. No one was on the island and I wasn't having all that much fun, so after one $ 5 Corona, I headed to the bus stop. The ride home was crowded, but uneventful. As we approached CBR, I glanced at my watch. 9:56pm. Much earlier than last night. As I walked back toward my room from the Aruba bus stop, minding my own business... KABOOM!.... I must have jumped 4 feet in the air. It seems that the travel industry event that closed Epcot down tonight had scheduled Illuminations for 10pm. So I stood in the parking lot and watched the fireworks for 15 minutes, reveling in one of those "only at Disney" moments. I got back into my room at sacked out sometime around 11pm. Monday, May 7, 2001 (Day 4) Despite setting my alarm for very early, I couldn't seem to get out of bed until after 8. I hurriedly showered, dressed, ate breakfast and headed to the bus stop, quickly enough to be standing at the gates to Animal Kingdom sometime before 9am (not bad). My first item of business upon arriving at DAK was to secure a Fastpass for the Safari, which I did, with a return time of 9:40-10:40. I decided to walk through the Pangani Forest trail (which was much less crowded than on Friday) and the Maharajah Jungle Trek before returning for my Fastpass time. I was slightly disappointed with my walks through the trails, as there were not all that many animals out, but I guess it was just a little warm for them. My ride on the safari was actually quite nice, and my guide was Shoal (sp?) from South Africa, who was very, very into his job and made the entire trip most enjoyable. Unfortunately, there were not too many animals to point out, as everyone was either hiding or on the far side of the reserve out of view. I'm just glad Shoal was along for the ride to make it worthwhile. After exiting the Safari, I decided to check out the line at Dinosaur. The line was totally non-existent (although the Fastpass time was for a few hours out) and I virtually walked right on. I love the preshow here. I think it's very well done. Unfortunately, I saw a couple of parents make a bad decision (one on my jeep and one on another) and dragged their kids on in spite of the warnings that the ride might be a bit intense. Many tears followed. The kids seemed to shore up pretty quickly, though, so that was pretty good. After Dinosaur, I roamed through a couple of shops and headed back for CBR. Of course, as luck would have it, the bus to CBR was just leaving as I arrived, so I had to wait for the next one, but luckily it was only about ten minutes or so. I got off at the first stop back at CBR (Jamaica) and waited another 5-10 minutes for a bus to Downtown Disney. I was on a major mission this afternoon, and made a beeline to Wolfgang Puck's Express at the Marketplace. IMHO, Wolfgang Puck's Express is one of the top 3 counter service restaurants in all of WDW. I was served quickly in spite of it being prime lunch hour, and had the Chinois Chicken Salad, Tortilla Soup and Mango Iced Tea ($ 15.26). The weather was very nice and I sat out and enjoyed the afternoon while enjoying my wonderful meal. Afterwards, I decided to go on a shopping spree. I picked up the "Add a Little Magic" book at 2 R's ($ 13.77), 3 mugs on sale at the Rainforest Café store ($ 10.60), 3 Christmas ornaments on sale at Disney's Days of Xmas ($ 23.29), and a hat, toy, pin, little Mickey ears for my cell phone and a snow globe for my Mom for Mother's Day at World of Disney ($ 87.30 with DC discount). Shockingly, I did not see anything in Disney at Home this time around. (OK, so I don't know if it was so much that I didn't see anything as much as it was that I didn't pick it up.) My sweet tooth made me walk through Gourmet Pantry and pick up 3 mocha Tigger truffles ($ 1.28) which were wonderful. Loaded down with packages (I had the snow globe shipped back to the room, though), I headed over to the West Side. I hit Virgin Megastore (almost too big, IMHO) where I picked up 3 CD singles that I couldn't find in D.C. ($ 24.35) and then I hit the Cirque du Soliel store where I got one of the two glasses that I wanted from last trip ($ 13.25). Shopping complete, I stopped in DisneyQuest to check my email (nothing important, of course) and took off back for CBR. Continuing with my run around day, I dropped my packages in my room and took off again for Epcot. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon finishing my photo shoot of the Flower and Garden Festival. I had dinner at Yakitori House (Kushiyaki, Inari-sushi and bottled water -- $ 11.81) and an almond pretzel from Kringla Bakeri in Norway for dessert ($ 3.13). I had intended to stay for Illuminations this evening, but decided against it and headed early for Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island was thankfully busier than it was Sunday night (yeah!) and I had a great time. I hit the Adventurer's Club and Rock and Roll Beach Club before heading into Mannequins. It was a CM night on the island, so the crowd was enthusiastic. I made eyes at a few people to no avail and just listened to the music until about 12:25am, when I headed out. The bus ride back was quick enough. A couple of people were very, very tipsy and were a little louder than necessary, but hey I love good stories about WDW at 200 decibels. I was in bed before 1, with an early wake-up call scheduled for the morning.... Ugh..... Tuesday, May 8, 2001 (Day 5) Believe it or not, I was up and out of bed before 7AM this morning. I got ready and hit breakfast at OPR. It was certainly an experience. I managed to make it to the food court before the crowds hit, but the edibility of the food could be called into serious question. I think I ate about half of my Western Combo platter ($ 5.29), updated my trip report notes and headed back to the room. After dropping off my mug, I jumped directly onto a waiting Magic Kingdom bus and was off. I was in the gates of the Magic Kingdom around 8:30am and the place was absolutely deserted. I strolled around the Hub, taking it all in when it started to rain, and I took cover in Cinderella's Castle. Luckily, the rain lasted all of 5 minutes and I wouldn't see it again for the remainder of the trip. I positioned myself for rope drop at Tomorrowland and waited, and waited.... Finally, they let us go and I was on the first wave of people onto Space Mountain. I was somewhere in the middle of the car, which was fine and was back out in the sunshine by 9:20. I hit Buzz Lightyear with no wait before heading up to Fantasyland. Unfortunately, Winnie the Pooh was 101 (down) and therefore the rest of Fantasyland was packed, so I headed to Frontierland to see what I could get into. Surprisingly, Splash Mountain was open with absolutely no wait. They must have had the jets on good this day, 'cause I got soaked something awful. I enjoyed the ride as much as always, although the people who rode with me (first-timers all of them) enjoyed it even more. Afterwards, I headed into Adventureland and hopped in line for the Tiki Room. It was a surprisingly full show and the crowd really got into it, despite the person who insisted on taking flash pictures throughout the show. I have no idea why people insist on snapping these pictures in places where they are almost certain not to come out. Ugh... After Iago shoved us out of the Tiki Room, I decided to take one of my patented strolls around the park, glancing into shops and the like all the way around to Tomorrowland. I bought a Wonka Bar ($ 2.00) which really hit the spot (considering it was before 11am...LOL) In Tomorrowland, I rode the TTA and caught a showing of the Carousel of Progress, which played to a full house. Considering the Timekeeper's closing (sniff), I wanted to make sure I hit CoP. After the show, I decided to head back out of the park and back to the hotel. I felt like a salmon swimming upstream trying to get out of there, but I made it safely to the bus stop and hopped on to a bus back to the Caribbean Beach after about a 2 minute wait. I hopped off at Aruba, got some lunch (chicken tenders and a banana- $ 7.09) at the food court, watched some TV and relaxed. Around 2:00pm, I decided to head out again, this time catching a waiting bus to Epcot. My goal in coming to Epcot this afternoon was to finish photographing the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. So from the minute I got there, I started to shoot, shoot, shoot, managing to shoot all the way to Japan by 3:30pm. I finished walking around the Lagoon; I noticed that the Disney Character bus had just pulled into the World Showcase Plaza. I stopped to talk a look and was really taken aback. Pretty much every character (including the elusive Daisy herself) was there. I shot some pictures of the cute little song and dance routine they did on the bus and then took off out of there before the kid invasion took over. I decided to go looking for a large duffel bag afterwards, so off to Mousegear. I actually found something that I thought would work, but I just wasn't sure yet, so I decided to hold off until I was sure it was the one I wanted. Although it was only about 4:30pm, I decided to grab a quick early dinner, so I headed over to Sunshine Season Food Fair in the Land Pavilion. One great thing I like about this food court is that it is remarkably low priced by Disney standards. I grabbed a Fajita Chicken baked potato and a diet coke ($ 6.84). I was surprised that I wasn't the only person eating this early. The food court was filled with a bunch of families that looked like they were having a really long day. And little 'ole me. After dinner, I decided to grab my favorite crème brulee at the Fountainview bakery ($ 3.49), which was wonderful as always. I watched a couple of fountain shows (love these) and then just decided to stroll around. I ended up in the back of the UK pavilion, where I had a good long think. I get really reflective about life back home on my trips, and this day was no exception. With all the craziness with school and work back home, it was nice to be able to get away and not deal with it for a while. It was refreshing just to sit back and allow my mind to just wander and gain a little perspective on everything. While I was sitting there, Mary Poppins came out in all her Sunday finery and was essentially all alone for the longest time. She really spent a lot of quality time with the kids who did come over and was really great. About 5:30, a musical group called Ceol Binn came out and began to play their set. The British Invasion usually plays back in the gazebo, but they were on vacation while I was there (dang!). Ceol Binn was sort of minstrels playing flutes and recorders and the like. Sort of like you would see at a Renaissance Fair. It sounded OK, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I headed out of the UK and decided I wanted another one of those fabulous Mango Margaritas from Mexico ($ 6.89), so I made that my next stop. If you like Margaritas, this one was great with sugar on the rim. Something strange, though... I didn't get carded by the woman working there. Now, I am only 22, and definitely do not look over 30, so this was strange. The drink was great while I walked around World Showcase. I made it as far as Germany and decided to grab a bench to just sit and watch the world go by. It was a nice little respite. The crowds were light; everyone seemed in a good mood, no screaming children. Aahhh... I continued my stroll and came upon a HUGE crowd at the American Gardens Theatre. I stopped for a second and heard something that sounded, well.... Out of place. The strains of Iron Butterfly were filling the air and sounded great. Iron Butterfly at WDW... that was a first for me. I checked the map and realized that I could finally catch one of Miyuki's sets if I hustled, and I made it over there in plenty of time. I have been trying to be here at the beginning of a set so that I could see the whole thing, and I was not disappointed. These pieces of rice candy she sculpts are truly works of art. Funny thing happened while I was watching the show, though. Miyuki completed sculptures for two children and their VERY appreciative mother attempted to slip Miyuki a ten spot!! After dropping the bill, the woman tore out of there like crazy while Miyuki tried to get her to take the bill back. I don't quite know how she got the bill back to the woman, but she did. For the remainder of the evening, I pretty much strolled around taking in the sights of Epcot, continuing to shoot pictures of the Flower and Garden Festival before taking up my position for Illuminations. Illuminations was perfect as always and I had to fight the early entry enlarged crowds out to the bus stop. The line for the bus back to the Caribbean Beach resort was HUGE, but they really worked hard to get the buses in and out of there, so I was back to the hotel in no time. I relaxed in the room for a little while and fell into bed about midnight Wednesday, May 9, 2001 (Day 6) My last full day. Sigh--- I was woken at 7:40am by Mickey's cheery voice recording. I wish I could take this home and plug it into my alarm clock so I could hear it every morning. I got ready for the day and headed to Old Port Royale where I got a big 'ole "Island Bounty Breakfast" ($ 7.41). Breakfast this morning was much better than the stuff from yesterday, actually quiet good. I was back in my room about 8:10am and started to watch television. Honestly, I really was having trouble willing myself out of bed. I was so relaxed. I decided to hang in the room for a while and then head out to Downtown Disney. After a couple hours of old sitcoms, I left the room about 10:30am. The first bus to the stop was bound for Downtown, where I arrived about 11am. Since I didn't have very much on my agenda for the day, I grabbed a table by the waterfront and read the paper. Seriously. I was nice. There were not that many people out and about this morning, so I was perfectly content to stare out at the water, read the paper, and just relax. I decided to drop in on DisneyQuest next, just to check my email. There wasn't anything exciting or pressing that I needed to attend to. (I can't access my big personal account from DQ, only my web mail account). Feeling parched, I headed over to Wonderland Café and had the most wonderful Iced Blended Vanilla drink ($ 3.82) and sipped on that while playing a couple of arcade games and leaving. My next stop was the Marketplace where I picked up two posters at the Art of Disney ($ 53.00) and a large duffel bag at the World of Disney ($ 38.16 after DC discount) before going back to CBR. I got back to the resort about 1:30pm, dropped my purchases in the room, loaded up the camera and went to shoot pictures of the resort. I walked all the way around the place (it sure does fell huge when you walk all the way around it) and took an entire roll of film. I noticed that they were doing rehab on a couple of buildings in the Trinidad North section of the hotel, which looked like it was coming along well. On my way past Centertown, I picked up a postcard portfolio and a hurricane glass at the store ($ 19.61) and went back to the room where I hung out until about 3pm. At 3 I left the room bound for Epcot, figuring on catching my last showing of Illuminations this trip. I arrived at Epcot and realized that I was ravenously hungry. It was well after 3pm and I hadn't had lunch (duh), so I made it all the way around to the Lotus Blossom Café where I had the Lotus Blossom Combo- sweet and sour chicken ($ 9.39). I always really like whatever I get at Lotus Blossom, but maybe that has something to do with the fact that every time I eat here, it's because I'm starving. I strolled around for a while, watching a few different live acts along my way, including the Character Masquerade at Italy, which is not to be missed. I caught the 5:10pm showing of the American Adventure, which began with a set by the Voices of Liberty in the Rotunda. They sound great! However, I like American Vybe and the music they perform better. The show was great, albeit more crowded than I expected. It was such a beautiful day. I wandered about World Showcase a little more before deciding to head out of there and back to Downtown Disney. I walked over to the Beach Club where I waited about 5 minutes for a bus. Downtown Disney seemed to have a lot of large groups wandering about, especially at the restaurants, so I decided to try dinner at the Cheesecake Factory Express in DisneyQuest. I had the Chicken Quesadilla which was marvelous (though messy) ($ 9.23). I hit a couple of attractions in DisneyQuest for the last time this trip before heading back out onto the street. I did a little extra shopping at the Virgin Megastore, where I bought a book on Yoga, "Memoirs of a Geisha", and a video of highlights from the first season of "Survivor" ($ 46.30) and looked through the Magnetron store. Some of the magnets were really neat looking but the prices were a bit much for what you were getting. I did a slow stroll through the Marketplace after that and headed back to the resort about 8:30pm. I was walking through the parking lot the clock struck 9 and for the second time this trip, I had the opportunity to watch the fireworks from Illuminations from the Aruba parking lot. Just too cool. I made a swing by the very busy Calypso Trading Post to pick up some Gummi Mickeys ($ 2.65) and refill my mug before going back to the room. Once there, I let out a big sigh and got to packing. I was surprised everything fit as well as it did. I watched American High on PBS, finished a third of the Mickey Gummies and lay down in bed by 11:30pm. Notice that I didn't say fell asleep. Usually when I head out on vacation there is one night where I get terrible insomnia, and this was it. Somehow, someway, I managed to drop off around 3:30am. At least my last full day was a nice long one... Thursday, May 10, 2001 (Day 7) My last Mickey call was at 7:30 this morning. I wasn't nearly as thrilled with it as I was yesterday, but hey, I only had 4 hours sleep. I grabbed a Mickey waffle (a tradition) and coffee at Old Port Royale for breakfast , which I took back to the room to eat while I packed the last few things up and watched a little more of the Walt Disney World resort channel. I checked the bill on the door, and everything was in perfect order, so I dropped my bags at the main building and headed for the Barbados bus stop. I was fully intending on heading to Animal Kingdom this morning, but it took a long while for a bus to show (it must have been 20 minutes at least). At last, I had to make an emergency pit stop at the Barbados pool area, and by the time I got back, 3/4ths of the people who had been standing there were gone.... To Animal Kingdom. So a quick change in plans and I was on a bus to the Disney-MGM Studios, where I arrived a little after 10am. Honestly, I really did nothing this morning outside of a little shopping. I picked up a stuffed Beaker and a Pluto head pen at the Stage One Company Store ($ 14.31). For a while, I sat back in the seating area of Studio Catering Company and started to write down all the things I needed to get done once I got home. Alas, I knew my vacation was beginning to wind down. I left MGM not to long after I arrived and walked the path to Epcot. While I was on it, I realized that 7 months from now, I would be running between mile 23 and 24 on this very path during the Walt Disney World Marathon. Wow. I arrived at Epcot around noon and just strolled about, not really needing to hit any attractions or see any shows. I grabbed lunch at the Cantina de San Angel where I had the wet burrito platter ($ 9.54), which was not great, but did the trick. After lunch, I hit the Living Seas for a few minutes, strolled through MouseGear and finally ended up at the 2:30pm Pu Yang acrobat show. These kids are just amazing with what they can do. Unfortunately, during this performance, one of the children was hurt doing one of the routines (the one where they jump through the hoops) and was bleeding pretty good. The kid was unaffected, but the CM who took him offstage sure looked a little flustered. After the show, I was just really tired. I decided to head over to the Wilderness Lodge after all to see if I could fine that Mickey totem pole figure in the gift shop. I hit Spaceship Earth before I left the park for the last time (another tradition) and caught a bus to Wilderness Lodge after not too long a wait. I love this resort and can't wait to stay here someday. I checked out the figure in the gift shop, which I didn't like as much as I thought I did, so I didn't get it. I sat in the resort for a little bit updating my trip notes before catching the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. As the boat pulled up to the Wilderness Lodge dock, I noticed that one of the red safety boats was tearing behind the Friendship boat pulling in. The captain on the red boat jumped onto the dock holding a white towel in his arms. The captain then handed the towel, which contained a boy's stuffed Pluto, to his family who was most appreciative. Apparently, according to the captain, Pluto wanted to go for a little swim and fell overboard. Too cute. It really shows just how far Disney CMs will go in order to ensure that guests have a perfect trip. As the boat pulled away, the geyser erupted at WL which looks just like the postcards and really set me in a good mood. I know I was tired and a little cranky, but this just lifted my spirits. I caught a bus from MK back to Caribbean Beach which I had intended to take around to Centertown, but had to get off by Martinique because of the HUGE crowds getting on the bus. Spectromagic was showing at the Magic Kingdom tonight and apparently everyone and their mother wanted to go. I grabbed dinner at OPR and updated my trip notes. I wandered along the promenade staring at this beautiful resort that became my second home for a few short days. I sat in a hammock on Martinique beach for a few minutes, thinking about what a wonderful time I had on this trip. I slowly walked over to Custom House and picked up my bags and at 7:15pm, right on schedule, my driver from Tiffany Towncar was there to pick me up. The ride to the airport was quick and easy. I tipped 5 bucks at the terminal and went in to find absolutely no line at check in. I wandered through the Disney Store in the main terminal and then went to my gate for a nice 90 minute sit. My flight left on time and was relatively uneventful, except maybe for the angry flight attendant who was in the section in front of me. (Yikes, she was mean). The flight landed right on time at BWI and finally I was home sweet home. Summary, Highlights, Lowlights and More This was an incredible trip. It was an extremely relaxing vacation where I definitely did not push it to do everything. Here are some things I'll never forget and a very few I would rather forget. Highlights
Lowlights
Having to come home. Sigh... So I suppose that's all he wrote. Trip number 9 is scheduled for September 11-15, 2001, when I'll be staying at the All Star Music resort. If you've hung in there with me for this long, thanks for reading. If you have any questions about my report, my trip, solo touring or even my marathon training, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Until next time, Kevin Lillehage Travlnman20768@yahoo.com Mail a Comment to Kevin Lillehage |
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