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Doug Maden -- February 2002 -- Walt Disney World (BWR)February 6 - 13, 2002 Trip Plan
Cast of Characters:
Introduction I had been to WDW several times (as an 8yo in '76, teenager in '82, and college student in '86) before making the life-changing trip in October of 1999. A friend from work, his girlfriend and I made an incredible trip for a week, staying at Boardwalk Villas. This was, at the time, the biggest and longest trip I had ever done since living on my own. It was just perfect, and I couldn't get enough. I returned for a week-long solo trip in October 2000, staying at All Star Music. Lisa joined me for one day at Animal Kingdom on that trip. Though a great trip, it was not quite as magical as the year before; I think the value resort just wasn't a value for my memories. I traveled back to the Orlando area in March of 2001, vowing to see everything else. I spent three days at Universal, one day at Sea World and two days at Spring Training baseball games. I only ventured to Disney for a couple of meals and one night at Pleasure Island. I really learned the difference in quality control between Disney and the rest of Orlando. The only knock-out meal I had this entire trip was my last night at Fulton's Crab House. The current trip started out as another collaboration with friends at work, but timing and funding could not be worked out with the other interested parties. After weeks of non-committal responses, I decided to cut them loose and go on my own again. I've grown accustomed to this and am not in the least intimidated by going it on my own. Day 1, Wednesday, February 6, 2002 In order to get to the airport two hours before my 7:00 a.m. flight, getting up at 4:00 in the morning was an unwelcome necessity. But, hey, who can really sleep the night before a big Disney trip anyway. I loaded the car, drove to Airport Parking, and made it to the terminal right at 5:00 a.m. The line at the Delta counter was almost empty. YES! Upon checking-in at Delta, I was devastated to learn that my flight had been cancelled. (Insert un-Disney-like comments here about the weather in Atlanta.) The ticket agent initially informed me that they could get me out of Albuquerque on a 3:00 flight, arriving in Orlando around 9:00 p.m. I must have looked really upset (but not angry), because she quickly started punching keys on her keyboard and after a few minutes came back with a flight on American that would arrive only two hours later than my original time. We're back on track, almost. After a three-hour nap of sorts on airport chairs, I was off to Orlando via Dallas Fort-Worth. The flights were uneventful and not as crowded as I would have expected. I was impressed by the extra few inches of room between the rows that American has added to its plane configurations. You don't feel quite as cramped or pinned down when you put the folding tray down. Upon arrival in Orlando, I picked up my Mears tickets while waiting on the baggage claim to start, grabbed my luggage, and headed out to catch my bus. After about a twenty-minute wait, the bus pulled in and I boarded. I love watching the housing and commercial developments progress from trip to trip along the drive from the airport. A small child on the bus was making her first trip to the World, and the driver was having fun pointing out the gateways as we came on property. Soon we were turning off of Buena Vista Drive into DISNEY'S BOARDWALK. This place is great! Figuring that I was arriving late enough in the afternoon and that my room would be ready, I opted to take care of my own luggage. As I entered the lobby, it was virtually vacant. There was absolutely no one in line at check in. That's a first. While the CM was checking me in, I was trying to figure out where she was from (looked Indian). I was disappointed to see the name tags no longer have where cast members are from. Well, at least I didn't think "Pinocchio" was a country. When did they change to character names? I was in my room in no time at all - Boardwalk Inn, second floor, right by the elevators. My room had a view of the front of the hotel and overlooked the guest drop-off/pick-up area. I thought this might be noisy, but it wasn't at all. In fact a couple of nights I slept with the balcony door open. After unpacking and making my priority seating requests for the week, I was off to Epcot to take in a couple of countries and enjoy Illuminations. I meandered down the Boardwalk to the boat dock, and hopped a boat to the International Gateway. I have a new digital camera this trip and spent the boat ride over re-familiarizing myself with the camera's features. It has settings allowing for manual or fully automatic settings. Very cool for those hard-to-get shots. As I entered Epcot, I could hear British Invasion rocking away in Great Britain. I've never actually seen this show, so off I went to enjoy it now. They were just finishing their last couple of songs. I listened, took some photos, and strolled through some of the shops. One day I'm going to actually buy one of those St. Andrews Golf Shirts. I hadn't really made any firm plans for dinner, figuring I would just make several stops at street vendors in several countries this night. I was getting hungry (having only had a burger in Dallas), so I headed towards France. Boom! Chocolate Crepes! Delicious! Looked around France for a bit before moving on. Moving on towards Japan, I was still a bit hungry, but didn't really see anything I wanted. I took some great night photos of the Japan pavilions and gardens. The shapes and colors set against the black sky were cool. I got caught in Morocco just as the late parade was coming. More photos. I noticed myself taking shots of Spaceship Earth from every country. Ah, a theme to this. With the parade over, it was time to start hunting a good spot for Illuminations. Illuminations is one of the key experiences that made my '99 trip so memorable. I love this show. I think Germany is my favorite spot to watch. I've always had good luck getting a clear view from there. Tonight was no exception. I had fun watching and photographing the show. After Illuminations, I slowly made my way out of the park and back to the Boardwalk, still looking for some dinner. I decided on Big River Grille and Brewery. Good choice. While not as good as many of the other restaurants in Disney, Big River was definitely better than the average place outside the World. I enjoyed a good steak, several different micro-beers, and reviewed my photos. I can't believe I took over 120 shots in just over two hours! I can remember entire vacations without this many shots when I was shooting on film. I'm really growing to love this digital camera. After dinner I headed back up to the room to download the photos onto my laptop, recharge the camera, and get a good night's sleep. Day 2, Thursday, February 7, 2002 The long day on Wednesday left me extremely tired, so I decided to sleep through my PS at Kona Café. I finally woke up around 10:30 and made it out of the room around 11:30. I figured my alternative breakfast would be a Bear claw and cup of 100% Columbian at the Boardwalk Bakery. The bakery and their coffee were major reasons I decided to stay at Boardwalk, so you understand how thoroughly upset I was to learn that they switched to Nestlé's Instant and no longer served bear claws. (I was surveyed by the resort on my last day, and this is one thing I raked them over the coals for.) I regretfully settled on a cup of the instant and a chocolate croissant. It was nearing noon as I found my way to the bus stop to head for the Magic Kingdom. It started to rain lightly on the ride to MK, and picked up while I was entering the park. I carefully meandered to the right to avoid the rain and into Exposition Hall. Played around with the Disney Trivia game and the Who Wants to be a Millionaire game before moving on up Main Street. The rain continued as I popped in for two scoops at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. While standing outside watching the rain and eating my ice cream, I enjoyed watching the mayor come by and interact with the kids, watching families move through the park trying to stay dry, watching the army of yellow ponchos, and watching two cast members squeegee water on Main Street in the middle of a storm. I don't think they were achieving anything but playing in the water, but they sure weren't letting a little water ruin their day. Enough standing around; it's time for some rides. I made my way through the rain to Tomorrowland (I should have gone through the Plaza Pavilion to stay dry, but I didn't think it went through. It did.) Luckily, many of the Tomorrowland attractions I like are inside. I made my way to Alien Encounter, Buzz Lightyear (X2), TTA, and Space Mountain, deciding to skip the Astro Orbiter and the Speedway. I really missed not being able to enjoy one of my favorites - Carousel of Progress (closed for refurbishment.) I then headed towards Liberty Square through Fantasyland. Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown I will save for when I am at MK with others or until they bring back 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Besides, the Haunted Mansion beckoned. After a haunting good time in the mansion, I made my way on to Adventureland, after confirming that Slash Mountain was down for refurbishment. Adventureland is just cool. Pirates of the Caribbean is another one of my all-time favorites. Today's voyage with my yo-ho buddies was another great ride. Before heading out of the park for the day, I made a trip on the Jungle Cruise. This is still a fun ride, but needs some serious updating to keep it entertaining. Don't get caught sitting in one of the corners in the back of the boat; you will be fighting for leg room with the person across the corner. I headed back to the Boardwalk to rest a bit before heading to Epcot for dinner. Transportation to the BW is usually pretty good, but the trip from MK took us to the Swan, the Dolphin, the Yacht Club, the Beach Club, and then, finally, the Boardwalk. It seemed to take forever. I didn't really spend much time in the room; I just put on some dry clothes and downloaded some pictures. I had 7:00 PS at Restaurant Marrakech in the Moroccan Pavilion. I'm a very picky eater and absolutely hate salads and most fresh vegetables. However, I enjoy every single item on the Marrakech Dinner, which includes appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Don't let Morocco scare you away, this is one of the most enjoyable meals at WDW. The belly dancers teaching the kids makes it fun, too. After watching Illuminations again (near Great Britain), I headed for a short evening at Pleasure Island. I made one show at the Comedy Warehouse, where the cast was incredibly hilarious. During one of the directed stories the characters got to stage their own deaths. One of them had to gracefully die in a portable toilet, while trying to maintain Disney standards. Great! As Mardi Gras was a few days away, I then headed over to the Jazz Club to catch some blues. I spent the rest of the evening enjoying a set of blues/bluegrass, while sipping down a few beers. Back to the room by midnight - in the rain again. Day 3 - Friday, February 8, 2002 Once again the idea of an early rise didn't go over so well. I made it out of the room by 10:30. I headed over to the Business Center in the Convention Hall to ship a letter. They were extremely helpful in setting up my FedEx. After another stop at the Bakery, I walked over to the International Gateway and into Epcot. World Showcase didn't open until noon, and I felt a bit elite being able to walk past Great Britain and Canada with hardly anyone else around. I headed straight for Test Track. This is absolutely one great attraction. It's fun, semi-educational and thrilling when your break through and into the high-speed loop. I'm so glad that they have a special line for single riders. I never have to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes. I'm glad to see that this line now goes inside and around the queue line displays. The last time I was here, the single-rider line went around the outside of the building. Next, I headed down to check out the construction on Mission Space and on to Universe of Energy. I really have mixed feelings about UoE. On one hand, I really like the moving theater effect and the ride through dinosaur land. But on the other, I can't get into the whole Ellen, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Jeopardy story line. I actually dozed off in the final movie segment. At this point it was time to head over to China for my 1:00 PS at Nine Dragons. Upon entering the restaurant, I wasn't quite sure of the setup. I quickly learned that it was an all-you-can-eat lunch. I was just going to order the sweet and sour pork, but the waiter kept saying, "Would you like some .......?" And I just agreed. Now, I eat a lot of Chinese food back home, but, wow, this was really, really good. Everything tasted so fresh and tasty. One thing of interest - there were little birds inside the restaurant, and no one seemed to care. In fact, the wait staff practically bragged about them eating the crumbs on the floor so they didn't have to vacuum. After a terrific lunch, I headed over to Norway to ride Maelstrom. This is always a fun attraction. I stayed for the movie this time, then looked through the shops and took some pictures of the church and the ship. My afternoon plans called for Magic Kingdom, so I headed for the front of the park, but not before stopping at the Ice Station along the way. I tried all of the sodas, and really had to hold myself back from going over to the Italian pavilion to find out how anyone could like that @#$% they were serving from Italy. My better senses took over. I figured that mid-day would be a pretty good time to walk-on to Spaceship Earth, and I was right. That was another quick diversion on my way out of the park. Upon leaving Epcot I wanted to take the monorail directly to the Magic Kingdom via TTC, but the monorail was not running. After some checking around, I learned that all of the monorails were down this day for their annual inspection. Bummer! Now, how do I get to the Magic Kingdom? They should have added a direct bus for the "monorail" customers. Instead, I had to take a bus to a resort, and then transfer to a Magic Kingdom bus. This took over an hour to do, and I was not at all happy about the wasted time. I tried to make the most of it by going to a resort I'd never been to before. I chose Coronado Springs, but didn't really see much. In hindsight, I could have bused to one of the Magic Kingdom Resorts and taken a boat from there. Anyway, I finally made it to Magic Kingdom by 4:00. I took the railroad over to Frontierland, and then jumped in line for Big Thunder Mountain. This is a fun coaster with some great theming. After my coaster fix I walked past Splash Mountain (still closed for refurbishment), and then over to Pirates. There was actually a 30-minute wait for Pirates and no fast pass; oh well. From Pirates to Hall of Presidents (just in time) to Haunted Mansion. The Mansion had about a 20-minute wait. From HM through Fantasyland, past the Speedway (40-minute wait - too long) to Space Mountain. Another great coaster fix on Space Mountain before jumping into Alien Encounter. I came out of Alien Encounter just a the fireworks were exploding over the castle. More great fireworks pictures, followed by some shades of the castle pictures. The fireworks went up at 8:00 and the park was now closed. I plenty of time to slowly make my way up Main Street taking pictures and still make my 9:00 PS at 'Ohana at the Polynesian. As the monorails were down, I had to wait on a boat to go over to the Poly. These boats are much smaller and affected by choppy water than the Friendship boats at the Epcot Resorts. We stopped at the Grand Floridian before heading over to the Polynesian. I only had about a five-minute wait on my 9:00 reservation at 'Ohana. For the second time today, I wasn't quite sure what to make of a restaurant's set up, but was thoroughly amazed. Everyone calls you "cousin." They bring out a Lazy Susan of appetizers, before the onslaught of grilled pork, shrimp, beef, and turkey. Delicious! I even managed to try a few pieces of pineapple dipped in caramel for dessert. The only real challenge now was getting back to Boardwalk, and the only real way to get there is to transfer at Downtown Disney. Forty-five minutes later I was back at the Boardwalk. I had planned to meet Lisa and Anna at Big River Brew at 10:00, but it was now pushing 11:00. Luckily, they were still there. Of course, they had to be, because they had no place else to go. They were staying with me. We chatted for a while at Big River over a few beers, Lisa and I caught up on things, and Anna and I made introductions, getting along quite well. . We headed up to the room about midnight. We talked some more until falling asleep around 1:30. Day 4 - Saturday, February 9, 2002 After a couple of long days in a row, I wasn't ready to jump into another park first thing in the morning. I offered to meet Lisa and Anna later in the day, giving me a couple of hours of Jacuzzi time, but they didn't seem to be in a rush to get to the park either. So, while I spent a half-hour or so in the Jacuzzi, they did a couple of loops around the lake, before we all met back in the room for some Bakery breakfast. We headed over to the Disney-MGM Studios around 11:30 via boat, and we were in line for Tower of Terror by noon. Anna is not a thrill ride maniac like Lisa and I are. She held on to my arm for dear life as our elevator bounced up and down. She had a bit more of a ride because there was a lot more wiggle room for her because the restraint bar didn't come all the way down on her because of me. We all had a great ride, and almost bought the picture. Next it was over to Rockin' Roller Coaster. Again, Anna nearly freaked out as our limo pulled into the tunnel at warp speed, only to endure what must have been one major car crash with all the loops, twists, and corkscrews. At the end she just kept asking, "Is it over? Is it over?" Yes, Anna, it's over! Lisa and I rode one more time (we fast passed while getting in line the first time) while Anna called 911. Lisa wanted to do Star Tours next, but I suggested Sounds Dangerous on the way. Anna still looked a bit pale to jump right on Star Tours. I enjoyed Sounds Dangerous as usual, but the girls didn't think much of sharing headphones with every park warrior in the world. They listened to the people behind us make out during the show. Of course they couldn't understand the water at the end. It was now time for Star Tours, and we had a wonderful trip with no casualties. Lucas and Eisner need to suck it up, make up and produce an updated movie. We then headed over for the back-lot tram tour. I love watching the unsuspecting get drenched, and Catastrophe Canyon is always cool. We had 4:30 Fantasmic Dining PS at Brown Derby. Anna and I really enjoyed our meals, but Lisa found a hair. I didn't think it was as big a deal as it got made out to be, but I was surprised the restaurant didn't do more to make up for it. An apology from the manager on duty would have been appropriate. I am glad the drama ended when we left the restaurant. The problem with 4:30 Fantasmic reservations is that you finish dinner with some time to kill, but not enough to really ride anything. Next time I'll check how early they offer the deal. We loitered around a few stores as we slowly made our way to the "magic gas station" for our secret entry into the stadium. We arrived with about a 30-minute wait before the show. There were no pre-show performers, but we enjoyed conversing with a couple from Pakistan and their two young, well-behaved children. Fantasmic was awesome as usual, and the crowd, though not to capacity, responded enthusiastically. I once again had fun taking no-flash pictures with the digital camera. It was a much tougher shoot than Illuminations because of all the quickly moving sets and characters. I still got a few really good shots. After the show we headed back to the Boardwalk via a Friendship boat with the intention of changing clothes and heading to Pleasure Island. Lisa wasn't excited about paying the cover charge, but Anna and I were hip. We never made it. We went down to the Belle Vue Lounge for a few beers and a few hilarious games of Backgammon. We had so much fun taking on different ethnic accents while playing the game. After a couple of hours, the girls were hungry; so, we headed over to the ESPN Club for more beer and a snack. We ordered several appetizers, and I was really disappointed in the food. I guess it was late and the staff wanted to go home. Hey, the Olympics are on...... Day 5 - Sunday, February 10, 2002 I think we were all tired and lazy this morning. I finally woke up around 9:00 a.m. to find Lisa already awake and ready to go. (She bought ear plugs the night before, but my snoring ruled!) Anna and I tried to get moving and ready for the day. I think it was around 10:30 before we finally made it down for breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. Around 11:15 we were gathering the girls belongings and heading for Lisa's car for the drive over to Animal Kingdom. Our plan was to park at Animal Kingdom Lodge, enjoy the day at Animal Kingdom, and then return to the Lodge for dinner. All we needed was the cooperation of the AKL Security Booth. No Problem! It was pushing noon by the time we arrived at the Animal Kingdom entrance, and it was pouring down rain. We took refuge in the Rainforest Café Gift Shop until the rain let up. Note: If you are already damp or wet, this is not the best place to be as their air conditioning was on full blast. Can you say cccccccollllldddddd! Once in the park we headed straight for the safari, and had a good ride. The lions were out, but a bit hard to see. Good giraffe views on this trip. After the safari, we took our time on the Pangani Forest Trail. Next over to Asia, where Anna and I took in the Kali River Rapids (twice) while Lisa water-bombed us and took pictures. Anna and I were absolutely soaked. I'm talking about a drought-ending soaking. Did I mention we got wet? After a little snack of some amazingly good egg rolls, we took a very leisurely Maharajah Jungle Trek. Lisa and I enjoyed the walking trails, but Anna fell completely in love with them. These were much more her pace than the Rockin' Roller Coaster. Lisa and I would enact revenge later. We spent over an hour on the trek, and I had to practically drag the girls out of the bird cage. With only a half hour left before park closing (5:00 p.m.!) I managed to get us on the move to Dinoland USA for DINOSAUR. Luckily, it was a walk-on, and we were one of the last excursions of the day. The only other time I'd been on this ride, I'd just eaten and was a bit hung over. That was not a very pleasant experience. This time was much, much better. The ride still bounces you around quite a bit, but I didn't feel sick this time. Anna managed to do OK as well. With the park now closed, we slowly made our way to the front, taking-in the sights along the way. The new rides in Dinoland look almost ready to open. Hey Kids, the carnival has come to Bedrock! I still think they need to do something with this river. This was my third visit to Animal Kingdom, and I have yet to visit Camp Minnie-Mickey. Not sure I'm really missing anything. Mickey's Toon Town isn't really my hang-out, either. The wait for the Animal Kingdom Lodge Bus was about five times as long as the ride there. We had about 45 minutes before our PS at Boma. Lisa headed for the gift shop, Anna went to change into some dry clothes, and I took my damp self out on the Savannah to look at some more animals. Good zebra pictures! Boma was incredible. I wanted to try some new dining experiences while on this trip, and Boma did not disappoint. The soups and meats were out of this world. OK, at least off of this continent. People on diets should not be allowed anywhere near the dessert bar in this restaurant. Boma, I will be back! For Lisa and Anna it was time to head back to Gainesville. I had Lisa drop me off by the Cirque du Soleil box office so that I could get a ticket for Monday Night's late show. It was cooling off and I was still damp, but I had to have a fix of Comedy Warehouse. After one show I carried my damp, chapped self out to the bus stop for the ride back to Boardwalk. Tired, I crashed hard. Day 6 - Monday, February 11, 2002 It's probably not a surprise that I slept in. I took my time getting ready and headed over to Epcot for the afternoon. I made my way to Test Track for a spin, before making my 1:00 PS at San Angel Inn. Having lived in New Mexico for five years, I wanted to try Disney-Mex. I really needed a Chile fix. The atmosphere at the San Angel is great, as you watch the river roll by. Unfortunately, the food was bland. Now, I wasn't expecting (nor do I ever enjoy) a heat fest, but there was just no real flavor to the food at all. One sauce tasted like it was ketchup-based. I headed back for another Test Track experience (the single rider line is great), and then over to the Life pavilion for Body Wars. Nothing else in the Wonders of Life was of much interest today. Next was The Living Seas. Refurbish! Please Refurbish! I can remember when I'd spend at least two hours in this pavilion, but it just seems to lack the magic on this trip. In and out in twenty minutes. The Land has one attraction that I enjoy, but I wasn't in the mood to wait almost an hour in line for Living With The Land. Believing that The Circle of Life and Food Rocks are shows that one only needs to experience once every ten years or so, and I was past my quota, I kept moving towards Imagination! Journey Into Your Imagination was down for rehab, but Honey, I Shrunk the Audience is always fun. It was a walk on. After being re-enlarged I was feeling a bit of park burn, and I needed to cure this for my night out at Cirque. So, I headed back to the Boardwalk to relax. I found my way to the quiet pool on the Inn side, and I set up camp in the hot tub. I could just hear British Invasion invading the quiet of the area. Hot Tubbing to the Beatles music; this is the life. Most of the time I was the only one in the area. After an hour or so I headed back up to the room to get ready for the evening. My original thought was to have dinner at Port Orleans and take a boat to Downtown Disney, but I never could verify that transportation option. Not wanting to risk blowing away an $80 ticket, I opted to find something to eat in Downtown. I have eaten at Bongo's a couple of times on previous visits, but I wasn't feeling that formal. I opted for the window service, and was very pleased with what I ordered. The meat pies ( I forget what they're called) were excellent. I made it over to Cirque du Soleil. I never drink coffee at night, but that hot tub had really relaxed me, so I bought some coffee at the snack bar. YES! Fresh-brewed Colombian - The Coffee to Die For. Ahhhhh! I headed into the theater and found my seat. I've had wider seats in coach. This seat was really tight, cramped and uncomfortable. The performance was outstanding! I've seen Blue Man Group in Vegas, and really enjoy both performance art shows. I'm really glad that I broke down and saw Cirque du Soleil, but I don't think I'll do this every trip. Maybe once ever five or six years. Feeling pretty good after the show, I headed over to Pleasure Island for an evening of Comedy Warehouse, the Adventurers Club and Pleasure Island Jazz. I knew this would be my last night at PI, so I made the best of it with multiple shows at CW and AC. It was 1:00 a.m. before I headed to the bus stop. Day 7 - Tuesday, February 12, 2002 I feel much more rested this morning and awoke around 10:00. I think that time in the pool Monday afternoon really helped. I headed down to the bakery around 11:30, on my way over to World Showcase. I made a right turn at the International Gateway, and headed towards France and Impressions. The pastries smelled wonderful, but I'd just had breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. I didn't spend much time in the pavilion at Japan. There's only so much Japanese shopping that a single, adult heterosexual male can do. I do enjoy the swords. The American pavilion was next, but I just missed the show, so I headed on to Italy to kill some time watching street performers before heading back for the American Adventure. There is something about the American Adventure that makes me dangerously patriotic. By dangerous, I mean that it may not have been such a good idea to flank the American pavilion with Japan, Germany, and Italy. Back to the 21st Century, as those thoughts aren't "Disney." I walked over to admire the trains that run between Germany an Italy. I could watch these for hours. Since I don't get much German food in Albuquerque, so I grabbed a beer, a braut, and a pretzel in the German Pavilion and took a short break. As I passed by the Outpost, there was some African storytelling which I stopped to enjoy for a few minutes. There was a bit of a line to get into film on China. I believe that they have rerouted the entrance through the exit while doing some refurbishment. While still a good film, this one does need an update. Actually, you might start to say that about most of Epcot. I watched the acrobats for a bit before moving on to Norway. One more ride on Maelstrom. Having 7:00 PS at Le Cellier, I made my way over to Canada. I'm happy my table wasn't immediately available, because for a beeper, they handed me a Palm Pilot-type device with games and trivia about Canada. This is a great interactive way to help guests learn about a host country. Once inside I splurged with the cheddar soup appetizer and the Filet Mignon. Mmmmm. Fabulous. After dinner I made one last run on Test Track before scooping out a spot for Illuminations. This is always enjoyable and moving. I ended the evening having several different beers a Big River Grille. I was in bed by 11:00 p.m. Day 8 - Wednesday, February 13, 2002 Sad to be leaving today, but all good things must come to an end, I guess. Motivated by a need for a few more thrill rides, I actually packed and made it out of the room by 10:00 a.m. I took my bags down to the bellhop for storage and headed for the boat to MGM. I love not having to physically check out at the front desk. Knowing that everything is automatic with my credit card takes away one more hassle. My priorities at MGM were to take in Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and the Walt Disney: One Man's Dream attraction. Tower of Terror didn't have much of a line, and I made it on and off the ride fairly quickly. I got a fast pass for Rockin' Roller Coaster with the intention of riding once from stand-by, and using the fast pass to ride again right away. Well, the stand-by line took a lot longer than the posted time, and I only got to ride once. I headed over to One Man's Dream and was surprised to learn how long it would take to see this attraction. This being a priority for me, I bit the bullet, gave up any thoughts of lunch on site, and headed into the attraction. I'm glad that I did, as I really enjoyed this attraction. I think my favorite part was the history on the early days and construction of Walt Disney World and the original designs for Epcot. I remembered some of this from my first trip to WDW as an eight-year-old back in 1976. I casually made my way out of the park, over to the boat landing, and back to the Boardwalk. The Mears folks the day before had given me a pick-up time around 2:30 p.m., and my flight didn't leave until 6:30 p.m. I know that we are living in times of heightened security and long lines at airports, but this is ridiculous. The arrived on time, and we made it to the airport by 3:15 p.m. There were lines at the airport, but not very long. I was all checked in by 3:30 with a three-hour wait ahead of me. I was getting hungry and found a Burger King. In hindsight, I should have explored the main terminal for something more sit-down. After lunch, I headed out to the gate and cat-napped for a few hours until flight time. The flights were uneventful, and I was home by 11:30 p.m. Summary and Conclusion All things considered, this was a great trip. Being my third trip on property in three years, I've come to really appreciate the Disney Magic. I've learned that magic doesn't mean perfection, though, as even magicians make mistakes. After all, even they are human. Being tolerant of Cast Members as human beings helps me keep the magic alive. If I were to get upset over every little mistake or tarnished detail, I wouldn't feel like I was on vacation. I'm glad I've learned to go with the flow and enjoy myself. Cheers, Jeers, Deviations and Lessons-Learned,
Breathe! Doug Maden mackdaddyrocker@yahoo.com Mail a Comment to Doug Maden |
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