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Dennis O'Donnell -- November 2002 -- Walt Disney World (ASMuR)Robyn and Dennis’ Walt Disney World Trip Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Winter, 2002 However, as I researched destinations and flight prices, the airfare for such a short trip was way more than I was willing to spend. Still looking for a vacation getaway for our Anniversary, I started thinking about WDW. I looked into the cost of a longer vacation there and the cost was comparable to my inquiries about a shorter island trip. Plus the crowds would be low, work is slow, and warm winds blow at that time of year (all right, so the wind part was a bit of a stretch, but I think the November weather in Lake Buena Vista is much better than it is in Boston!). Spring, 2002 I wanted my newbie wife to share in the anticipation and excitement that planning a trip brings, we went out and bought a couple of guidebooks for her – Birnbaum and the Unofficial Guide. In my opinion, for a novice Birnbaum is much better, since it gives a more objective view of everything in the World. The Unofficial guide holds back no punches in its opinions of certain aspects of the resort; so while it may benefit someone with a short trip looking for the key attractions, I feel a rookie should develop her own views about the different attractions, resorts, restaurants, etc. Since I had been a cast member, I knew the WDW pretty well (the 1996 version at least) but still hungrily turned to the Internet for anything I could read about Disney and trips to Disney. Summer, 2002 After learning from What to Expect When Expecting (as you can tell we like to read the most popular guides on subjects) that air travel was acceptable at my wife’s stage of pregnancy, we knew that we could go, but still weren’t convinced we should go. I knew the major jarring action on Dinosaur would rule that ride out, but what about Splash Mountain? There was no jarring, only smooth acceleration (albeit very rapid and fun acceleration!!), and the Kilimanjaro Safaris from what I remembered were akin to a bumpy car ride. Here’s where Disney message boards really played a vital role in the decision making process. I asked if there were any women out there who had been to Disney while pregnant and if so, did they go on any of the rides with warnings. The responses were a big help, but they varied. They mostly said, ask your doctor. Although, what varied was the responses some of their doctors gave. Some said their doctor told them to obey the signs very strictly. Others said that their doctors recommended that their husbands try first and see how bad the jostling is. One even said the doctor gave the full thumbs up for all rides. So we asked our doctor, and she said to obey the signs. We’ll see when we get there if we actually do that for all of the rides with warnings. A few that I’ll ride first to see if she can do them are the Kilimanjaro safari (I heard it is ok if you sit in the front), Kali River Rapids (has one minor drop similar to Pirates of the Caribbean), and maybe Splash Mountain (the extreme g-forces that come from the rapid acceleration rather than the jostling are what to look out for with this ride). Other than that, the rides seem a bit more traumatic and we can wait until we go back with our cherub to ride them together (I’ll still ride them though! Especially since many of them have the FastPass system in place. She can give her Fast Pass to me and I can ride twice!). A lot of women who had been there while pregnant reminded me that there were so many other things to do there in addition to the thrill rides. And even if I ride them, there are lots of things to do while waiting for me ...people watching (especially people with babies...that'll be us in a few months!), taking in all the detail Disney surrounds us with, soaking up the sun, or singing to our baby (I believe they start to hear things at around 16 weeks, and we’ll be at 18 weeks). So with all that feedback, in addition to thinking that we won’t have the chance to go on vacation until I finish B-school and the baby is old enough, we decided that we should go. YAY!!! Also, we’ll listen to all the responses that said to take a break in the middle of the day (a point firsted (not seconded) by our gracious site host, even if not pregnant). If we plan on hitting the Extra Magic Hour in the park du jour, then when the crowds pickup in that park, we’ll head to another resort for lunch/downtime, or back to ASMuR for lunch/nap/swim. Refreshed, we’ll hit a different part of the World for the evening. Such is the plan. Far from commando, I’ll have to learn to maintain a slow pace for my wife and just enjoy being there with her. That’s all for now (I’m writing this part in late summer). I’ll pickup again when we actually get to the trip…tick tock tick tock tick tock (Hurry up Clock!) Actually, that’s not all. It’s two weeks before the trip, and there’s been a change of plans. With Byrd being pregnant and all, and after reading about how great the Disney transportation system is if you don’t mind a bit of a wait, we decided to rent an economy car. This way, we can get groceries (she snacks more than me now, egads!), not wait in bus lines or have to stand while on the bus, I can show her where I lived when I was a CM, and maybe we’ll head out to Cocoa Beach. Even though it’s a bit more money, I think the flexibility is well worth it. And now back to the countdown… Saturday, Nov. 9th, 2002 Getting up at 4:30am for an 8:45am flight is tough if you only went to bed at 1am. That is, unless you’re going to Disney World! Traffic was light, so we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and grabbed a quick breakfast at one of the airport’s food court stands. Byrd thought they put too much garlic in the eggs, which gave her heartburn – oh the trials of pregnancy. The flights from Boston to Pittsburgh and then to Orlando were quite uneventful. There was some minor turbulence, and a kid who didn’t stop talking about dinosaurs for the whole first leg of the journey. But we landed in sunny Orlando International on time at 2pm. Our excitement was pretty high as we boarded the monorail at the airport (nice segue for Disney…ease into the rides) and gathered our one piece of luggage. We rented a car through Thrifty, so we had to catch a shuttle to their off-airport facility. We were the only ones on the shuttle, which we took as a good sign for the crowd levels at the parks. The driver, Julio, was very nice and informative. He gave us some coupons to the Kennedy Space Center because I mentioned that we might be going out there to see the shuttle launch that was scheduled for the 11th (it was cancelled due to some mechanical problems, but I had seen one up close at night before, so I wasn’t that upset, and Byrd didn’t care). At Thrifty, there was no line, but boy, do they try to upsell! We had reserved an economy car, but they tried to get us to upgrade to an SUV. We didn’t want the extra cost, but decided to go with the extra insurance. Being from Boston, I have great confidence in my driving ;-), but with the parking lots, etc. I was concerned that something might happen while we were away from the car. So with the extra insurance, the Thrifty rep upgraded us to the SUV anyway. Sweet! We loaded up and we were off to check in. Instead of driving straight to the ASMuR, we got off I-4 a few exits early and drove through WDW property at a leisurely pace. So much had changed since we had been there last, but navigating was easy thanks to the signs and my CM memories shaking off their dust. Check-in was a breeze, and since we got there a few minutes after 4pm, our room was ready. I had faxed in our room requests to the room controller at ASMuR a few days early and got pretty much what we wanted (first-floor, quiet, but near the food court). Unfortunately, there were no more king size beds left so we had to make due with two doubles. We dropped our gear on the beds and headed out for a quick tour of the resort. This landed us at the food court. There we bought two refillable mugs (what a great idea!) and I had to get one of the Mickey-shaped rice crispie treats on a stick (the ones with his ears dipped in chocolate…mmm…mouse crispie treat…mmm). A quick fill up of the mugs and we were back off to the room to unpack. After unpacking, we decided to go grocery shopping at the Goodings at the Crossroads near Downtown Disney. Stuff was pretty expensive there, so we stuck to some basic staples, i.e. bread, PB, indy cereal boxes, and assorted breakfast bars. Other than a few full service dinners, this food was plenty for just the two of us, and also very helpful for the budget and wastelines!. Since we didn’t have any perishables and were getting a bit hungry, we decided to stop by Disney Quest to get some food at The Cheesecake Factory Express. I had the chicken finger basket, and Byrd had the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever seen (I knew that if we went back at some point, that I’d have to have one of those). We were hoping to catch the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks and Spectromagic at the MK, but got sucked into playing old school arcade games like Ms. Pac Man and Donkey Kong (made it to the pie factory!). So by the time we left Disney Quest, we knew we’d miss the fireworks, but still had time to catch Spectromagic. We were right about missing the fireworks. As we were on the monorail from the TTC, we could see them ending as we neared the MK station. Security was thorough but efficient. Ah! Town Square and Main Street! Part of the reason that we wanted to hit the MK first, even if it were just for the parade, was for the feeling of seeing Cinderella’s Castle for the first time down Main Street. It is quite exhilarating and we feel that it’s the only proper way to begin the parks. And even though it was a low crowd season, it was, and the Saturday of a long ABC Super Soap weekend. So Main Street was already packed. Our savior whistled above us. We hopped on the train to Frontierland and garnered a couple of front-row seats right before Liberty Square. Spectromagic was just as I remembered it. It was good, although I prefer the timeless Main Street Electrical Parade. Robyn thought it was ok as far as parades go (she’s more of a roller coaster gal…sorry, darling…doctor’s orders!). So with the park hours extended until 11pm, we didn’t have to shuffle out with the rest of the guest just then. Being near Liberty Square, we decided to check the Haunted Mansion line. The standby line read 25 minutes, but we could see that it was much shorter than that. So we queued up for the 10 minutes it actually took and got delightfully spooked. It had been a long day and we knew we’d have ample time to see everything else so we headed back past the super-long ice cream line and back to our room. I ran to the food court and refilled the mugs before we turned in for the night. The next day we were planning on getting up early and taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hour Version 2.0, but with the traveling and extra time we spent in the MK, Robyn wanted to sleep in a bit. We readjusted our plans and hit the hay, dreaming of what was to come over the coming week. Sunday, Nov. 10th, 2002 Sleeping in when you’re at Disney World is some work of magic that I have yet to grasp. I think what really woke up my wife was not her internal clock saying, “wake,” but rather something deeper back in her brain telling her that someone is sitting with his face about 3 inches from hers with a giant smile (hey, I’m all about sharing the excitement). So after I picked myself up off the floor, I re-filled the mugs again while Robyn showered. Here’s a little tip for those staying at any of the All-stars, especially if you buy/bring cereal and don’t have a cooler to keep milk. The food court sells 8 oz milk cartons for $1.29. You knew this already though, huh? But! – did you know that around the corner, in the gift store, they sell 16 oz. plastic bottles (read: closeable) of milk for $1.00?!! (plus tax). Ok, so we’re rested, clean, and fed. Epcot, get ready, here we come! We got there a bit after rope drop, but early enough that we could walk to the gates from our car rather than take the tram. On our walk to the gates, I had two quick observations about going to WDW in November before Thanksgiving. Number 1: the weather was perfect (it would get a bit warm during midday – mid to upper 80s, but nary a cloud in the sky). Number 2: the low crowds make getting up early, using Extra Magic Hour (EE from now on because it’s easier to type), hitting a non-EE park, etc. any park touring strategy that much more effective because there are less people. Which leads to more time enjoying the parks at a more leisurely pace, and ultimately a better trip (in my humble opinion). Even if we have to pull our kids from school early, we’ll definitely go again at this time of year. After winding through the fading images on those monoliths and under Spaceship Earth, we made a beeline for the Test Track FastPass (FP). For every FP I got, Robyn got one too because for most rides with a FP, she couldn’t ride the main attraction, but could still wait with me in line to see the pre-shows. While waiting for our FP window, we went to the Wonders of Life pavilion. The Making of Me was extra nice given our tag-along little buddy. No lines for that nor Cranium Command. So we quickly buzzed through the shows and the little exhibits scattered about with a dozen or so other people. Upon exiting, we were going to go to the Universe of Energy next, but the line was getting longer, so we hoofed it to the Imagination pavilion to get a FP for the next Honey, I Shrunk the Audience show. It was starting to heat up, so we made a quick pit stop at Coke’s refreshment station and sampled different soft drinks from around the world. We both liked the one from Brazil best, but after I tasted and spat out the one from Italy, Robyn decided she was done (we decided that we would still rather have US Coke or even Pepsi, over any of the others). As we neared the Imagination pavilion, I realized we might not need a FP for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, as the show just ended. We waited about 3 minutes to get into the pre-show and then got a great seat in the main theater. This is one of my favorite attractions in all of WDW, so I was eager for Robyn to experience it too. She loved it and got really freaked out by the mice (heh heh heh). After that we didn’t have any time to play with the jumping fountains outside because our window for our Test Track FP was just about over. Even with the FP, we still had to wait about 5 minutes. I was very eager to ride Test Track because when I was a CM, Test Track was beginning construction. When I returned in 1998, they were putting the final touches on it. For all that wait, I wasn’t “wow-ed.” The acceleration and section outside was terrific, but I think they could have put more into the theming inside the ride. Also, I wish it lasted longer. So my report to Robyn lessened her disappointment for not being able to ride. The line for Universe of Energy was non-existent so we headed there next. I really liked the changes they’ve made to it by adding Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy (I’m a big fan of his). Robyn agreed even though she didn’t remember the original. It’s a long ride, so we were looking for energy of our own when it was over. We headed to the World Showcase for lunch. The Epcot Food and Wine Festival was wrapping up at the end of the week so we had all sorts of treats to supplement the peanut butter sandwiches that we packed (by the way, we packed lunch with us every day…which can be a substantial amount for a pregnant woman, and not once did security say anything about it). So for appetizers, we stopped at the Fresh from Florida tent. Robyn had the grapefruit slushie, and I had the orange slices. After that we strolled through Mexico, found a shady spot behind the San Angel Cantina, ate our lunch and cooled our feet. We took our time so we could rest a bit too before the afternoon push. From there we meandered through Norway and China, stopping to ride Maelstrom (this always makes me want to visit Scandinavia, more than any other pavilion and it’s respective country) and get some Toasted Oatmeal and Whiskey Flan at the Ireland tent. We stopped in China to watch some acrobats. This was a huge mistake. While the entertainment lived up to its billing, we were sat on the ground with the sun beating directly down us, sapping our energy. Even the kielbasa and pierogis from the Polish tent didn’t rejuvenate us. We dragged our butts through Spain, Germany and Italy, hoping that the ice cream cookie sandwich would get us through the American Adventure. In all my time at WDW, I had never seen this (nor the Hall of Presidents). Both were on my definite to-do list so I had to make it through. I know now that I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been so tired. I still enjoyed it, but my eyelids started to malfunction. As we sluggishly made our way to the gate, sweet Robyn asked, “Are you tired and grouchy?” Which led to my now infamous, “No, but if you ask me one more time, you might get the answer you’re looking for” (and has since entered normal usage in our conversations). However, my mood reversed itself on seeing an empty Spaceship Earth line. So we walked right on, and the relaxingly slow ride through the air-conditioning revived me enough to get rid of that cranky monkey riding my back for the ride home (here is where I was very happy that we had rented a car and didn’t have to wait for a bus back to ASMuR, nor stand on said hypothetical bus). Before we hit napland, we got a bite to eat at the food court. I had a burger and Robyn had a salad and some pasta. We mugs refilled, we went back to the room for a nap. An hour later, we got up and headed to the Disney Marketplace @ Downtown Disney. Neither of us is into the pin trading, but I wanted to get a plain Mickey Mouse pin (the old school Mickey), so I bought one of those and pinned it to my baseball hat. We browsed through a few more stores and only bought a Christmas ornament. The one thing we probably would have bought a lot of is baby stuff if we only knew what sex the baby were to be (two weeks too early!). After checking out all the stores and enjoying some of Ghiradelli’s finer concoctions, it was Robyn’s turn to give the tired and cranky monkey a ride…our cue to hit the road. A quick mug refill and we were back in our room. Sunday Night Football was on so I started to watczzzzzzzzzzz…. Monday, Nov. 11th, 2002 We woke to another beautiful day and went through the morning ritual, showers, breakfast, mugs, car. The ASMuR is pretty close to the AK, so we didn’t have to get up as early, but still made EE right after rope drop. We avoided the mad dash to Kilimanjaro Safaris, and instead walked around Discovery Island to It’s Tough to be a Bug. We hit the first show of the day with no line. Because it’s similar to Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, we both enjoyed it immensely. We exited and went to get a FP for the safari. Standby was only 20 minutes, so we waited in the quickly moving line. At the normal point of departure for expectant mothers Robyn stayed with me. She rode the safari, and to be honest, the turbulence on the flight down was the worse than the bumpiness on this ride (although we sat up front, and I think it would have been worse if we were in back). We saw all sorts of animals being active because it was still early enough in the day that it wasn’t hot. Of special note were the two rhinos play-fighting (finally, some action - not just animals sitting around digesting breakfast!). After that, we skipped the Pangani Forest Trail to get some FPs for the Kali River Rapids. Again, no need for a Fast Pass, so I immediately got on and again, I was riding solo. I donned my poncho, traded my sneakers for flip-flops, and queued up to the next raft. I like the loading mechanism for this ride, but could see how a slow group of people could slog up the process. As for the ride itself, Holy Wet, Batman! I enjoyed the water aspects of the attraction, but felt that the theming was slapped on as an afterthought. I highly recommend a poncho, unless your M.O. is a thorough soaking. Flip flops were extraneous, as the covered compartment the raft offers would be adequate for your belongings. I exited to find Robyn waiting with a towel for me. Once comfortably back in touring garb, I regaled her with tales of the raft while we headed towards the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We both liked the pace of this trail, (you set your own), but were a bit disappointed that most of the animals, read: tigers, were sacked out in the scraps of shade they could find. My favorite spot was watching the bats…the HUGE bats…spreading their wings like solar panels, enjoying the sun. When we had had our share of Asiatic fauna, we headed back to Africa to check out The Pangani Jungle Trek. We both liked the animals in the Pangani trek better, but the layout of the exhibits was not as well planned out as the Maharajah trek (I guess they learned their lessons), as there was a tendency for crowds of people 3-4 deep at most of the viewing areas. And this was a low volume season! I can only imagine how crowded it can get during peak season. The other point of comparison we liked better about The Maharajah trek was the Aviary. Speaking of birds, our next stop was the Flights of Wonder show that had just begun. We’re not big on the shows, but this one was quick, fun, and informative. At show’s end, we headed to the nearest spot of shade off the main path and had lunch at a picnic table by the river. Refreshed from our little siesta, we headed over to Dinoland USA. We didn’t really do anything here except look around. I didn’t feel like riding Dinosaur, as I had ridden it on a prior trip and thought that it was too dark and jarring (even for me). So, at 12:35pm we had seen everything we wanted to see at the Animal Kingdom. As a side note, this park is not to be dismissed so easily. It is truly a work of agricultural and landscaping art. In a fast-paced vacation, if you have a whole day set aside for the Animal Kingdom (and you’re not toting a pregnant wife), take the whole day to just meander and hit the attractions at your leisure. It will seem like a vacation from your vacation. Since we didn’t have a whole day planned for this park, and wanted to relax before we went out for our Anniversary dinner, we headed over to the Boardwalk Resort. As a child, Robyn summered on the Jersey shore and was interested in seeing the theming at this resort, so we each grabbed a Coke and strolled around the lake to the Yacht and Beach clubs. We decided that the next time we return to WDW with kids in tow, we’d stay at either the BW, or the Y&B. They’re all really nicely themed, and the proximity to Epcot (thus monorail), and available water shuttles make the location of these resorts ideal in our estimation. After completing the circuit of the lake, we took that water shuttle from the BW to the International Gateway near Epcot’s World Showcase and entered the park. We were planning on seeing what we missed the day before, but again, we were zapped. Since we were in France, we took full advantage of the AC in Impressions of France. I had never seen it before, and chided myself for not seeing it earlier because I now think it’s one of the better travel movies at Epcot. Robyn liked it too, and we both decided to take a trip to France at some point in our lives (most likely after the kids are done with college). Anyway, we exited the show still a bit groggy, and looked to the ever-popular “chip” in the UK for a recharge. I felt ready to go, but Robyn wasn’t, so we headed back to the ASMuR for a swim and nap before dinner. Our Priority Seating at the California Grille was for 8pm and Fantasy in the Sky was scheduled for 7pm. So we left early and arrived about 10 minutes before the show. We had a great view of the fireworks from the observation deck of the Contemporary. We then dined on the CG’s fine cuisine. Robyn had the field greens to start and pumpkin raviolis for the main course. I had pork egg rolls and oak grilled salmon for my apps and entrée, respectively, and several glasses of Merlot. Robyn drove us back, and I used her toothbrush “by accident.” The cast at the CG was superlative, as was the view. The food was nice, but a bit pricey. It was well worth it because we had a very special 2nd anniversary. Tuesday, Nov. 12th, 2002 Today greeted us with fog outside our door. But after breakfast in our room, our trip to the MK was sunny and warm. We missed rope drop by a couple of minutes so it was a quick walk up Main Street to Fantasyland where there were NO lines. I would definitely use this strategy again, since the rides in Fantasyland don’t have pre-shows and unless you have kids, aren’t worth the long waits in the afternoon. We started with Winnie the Pooh, (saw the secret picture of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to Owl) and quickly got on Snow White right after. Just in case, we got fast passes to Peter Pan, and got on the next boat for It’s a Small World. It turned out that we didn’t need our FP for Peter Pan, and zipped through line there too. It was barely 10am and we were already done with Fantasyland, and without running frantically from one ride to the next. Since we were right next to Liberty Sq., we headed over to The Haunted Mansion and rode it again so I could show Robyn the wedding ring in the asphalt at the end of the ride (one of my favorite Disney details) because it was too dark the first night we rode it to see it. The wilds of Adventureland called to us next. Robyn wasn’t daunted by the myriad of steps in the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house, and led the charge to the canopy. We remarked at how different this tree house would be if they used what they learned in making AK’s Tree of Life in remaking this attraction, and for that matter how all the rides would be different if newer technologies, etc. were used. Would there be a loss or gain of Magic? Too tough to debate here; so on to the Tike Lounge – Under New Management. I don’t really remember the old show, so I couldn’t really compare the two, but we both enjoyed the show (Flight of Wonder is better though). We skipped the long lines of the Jungle Cruise, because after the Animal Kingdom Safari, how could we settle for this substitute (captain jokes aside, that is!). So we took our mirth to the Pirates of the Caribbean, which is always good for a hoot. The Tuesday crowds at the MK were still shockingly low, so we pressed on into Frontierland. I was hoping that Robyn could join me on my favorite ride, Splash Mountain, because the water smoothed out the bumpiness. However, the rapid acceleration on the dive into the briar patch increases the g-force several times and could possibly harm the baby. So, once again, I rode solo. I really like the theming, the music, and the ride itself. Even the queue is nicely done. They all come together. Plus, it was the first ride in the MK where you got to see your reaction to the thrill via digital picture. Other rides come close, but none top it. When I finished, and had given Robyn the details, she said she couldn’t wait to come back when she wasn’t pregnant to ride it. I heartily concurred. We were nearing the next show time for the Hall of Presidents, so we hoofed it over there just to miss it by a minute. We were getting hungry so we took the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island and ate the lunch we brought at Aunt Polly’s. It’s nice, quiet, uncrowded place to unwind and get away from the lunch crowds. The pavlovian birds can be a bit of a nuisance, but it’s not their fault they’re that way. We finished our snacks and since it wasn’t time for the next Hall of Presidents show yet, we toured the rest of the island before heading back to the “mainland.” We still had a couple of minutes to kill so I grabbed a FP for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and then went to see the Hall of Presidents. Very moving, and that’s all I have to say about that. My BTMR FP timeframe was open when we exited, so I rode that, while Robyn grabbed some shade. When we rejoined, we heard the approaching whistle of the MK railroad. Since our next stop was Tomorrowland, we decided to complete the loop we started on the night we first arrived and hopped aboard to Main Street rather than walk back through lands we’d already seen. A quick walk up Main Street and we were in Tomorrowland. First priority, FP’s for Buzz Lightyear. In the meantime, we got the heebie jeebies scared out of us in Alien Encounter and relaxed a bit on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (I’ve always liked that ride for some strange reason…). Before we turned in our FPs for Buzz, I grabbed another FP for Space Mountain. Once secure in our space vehicle, I proceeded to beat the asteroids out of Robyn to earn 87,600 points and a rank of Level 1 Space Ranger. My beloved garnered a mere 2,200 points (she “claims” to not have known that we were really trying to shoot all the bad guys). Sorry, Cadet, but this Level 1 Space Ranger ain’t buyin’ what you’re selling. I celebrated by gloating to myself on Space Mountain and came to the realization that roller coasters aren’t as much fun alone as when you share the ride with someone else…true for most things in life (except a bad hair cut). So that was the Magic Kingdom and it was only 3ish. We grabbed a dolewhip and ice cream at the Plaza before riding the monorail back to the TTC. Before we boarded, we asked if we could ride up front. The next monorail slid into the station and the front was empty, so we got in. At the next resort, the door opened and two kids jumped in. The boy and girl looked to be about 5ish, and we assumed that they were brother and sister. However, as the conductor got us underway, the little boy turned to us and corrected our assumption quite matter-of-factly, “We’re in love.” I responded, “So are we.” It would get even sweeter, as the little girl attempted a whisper to the boy, “You are sooo cute.” It was the most supercalifragelisticexpialidocious moment I’ve witnessed to date. We gushed all the way back to the ASMuR. Our intentions of swimming and napping were halved to just napping as thunderclouds were moving in, so we grabbed some refills and nachos and headed to our room for a nap. Rested, I made some quick Priority Seatings for breakfast at the Grand Floridian Café, and dinner at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge for later in the week. It was still early, and we had no plans for dinner so we decided to head to Epcot to check out some of the stands at the International Food and Wine Festival. Arriving at Epcot at 7pm, we just missed the closing of The Land. Besides Journey Into Imagination, it was the only attraction we hadn’t seen in Future World yet. Journey was still open, so we took the trip. What a great time! I liked it much better than the original version – especially the interactive stuff at the end. Upon exiting, with just about two hours to catch some dinner and the rest of the World Showcase before Illuminations, we were caught in the middle of an infamous Central Florida downpour. Thank goodness we went to Wal-Mart and got those 89 cents ponchos before we left! The only negative part about the ponchos is that everything knee down gets soaked, including shoes. But as poncho-less people and water were pouring out of the World Showcase, we were bravely heading in. We started counterclockwise for Canada, and the first stop was the Cheddar Cheese Soup stand. It was nice and warm in the cool rain. O Canada beckoned us as a respite from the rain; and it was ok. We both thought Impressions of France was better though. To stay out of the rain, we meandered through the connected UK shops, and by the end the rain had stopped. The small amount of soup we had wasn’t enough for our rumbling tummies, and we had seen the rest of the pavilions, so we trekked over to Italy for the Sausage and Rigatoni, which was followed by Apple Strudel in Germany. It was nearing time for Illuminations so we continued towards Mexico to find a spot. We were both getting tired so as we neared Mexico, I found the perfect remedy (for me that is) Tacos al Carbon! Robyn had a Coke. We found a spot on the bridge after Mexico to eat and watch the show. Unfortunately, it started to rain again, just as the show was getting underway. Added to that, the wind was blowing towards us, so all the smoke from the pyrotechnics were in our faces. The final nail in the coffin was that it wasn’t the same Illuminations that I remembered. And unlike Journey Into Imagination, I much preferred the original. We both had had enough. We were both again reminded how nice it was to have a rental car as we drove by the wet people waiting in line for the bus in our nice dry SUV, listening to our own CDs with the heat on. Fifteen minutes later, we were sawing logs. Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 2002 The rain from the night before had cleared out and took the humidity with it; so again, we were blessed with sunshine. It was a bit cooler though. I got us our morning mug refills and we had our routine breakfast. After such a hectic night, we took our time that morning, and got to the Studios at 9:15am. There was no wait at the Tower of Terror, which was just as exhilarating as I remembered it. Robyn, of course, will have to wait until next time to ride. We went to get our Fast Passes for Aerosmith’s Rock-n-Roller Coaster (good to see the hometown boys at Disney) and were met by a Cast Member who explained that the coaster was having technical difficulties. However, the FPs would be honored at any point during the day. No skin off our backs as it was still early in the day. The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was our next stop, but on our way my senses corralled me to the foot long hot dog stand. I had one with cheese, and Robyn had an apple (she’s so good to our baby). We got to Indy as they were picking the volunteers for the show. I always enjoy this show, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. This was the first time I saw something go wrong. The ladder that Indy and Marion’s stunt doubles were supposed to hang off and drop to the ground on, didn’t detach from the wall. I’m not sure if this were a true mechanical failure or part of the show. The crew was very professional and picked up at the next station without missing a beat. I don’t think the audience who hadn’t seen the show before even noticed. Robyn picked up on the shill, which I had been waiting for her to be fooled (she’s so smart). We exited happy and hopeful that the RNR Coaster was operational. It wasn’t. So it was off to Muppetvision 3D. I had read a few guest comments on the internet that more could be done with the pre-show here. As I recall, it was one of the earlier preshows, and still holds up great. We’re both Muppet fans, we both liked the show immensely (even if I had seen it a number of times already). Robyn was getting hungry, so we moseyed into Pizza Planet for lunch. We had brought our own lunch in with us, but the pizza smell was overbearing so we queued up. The lines weren’t that long, but there was this one gentleman who seemed to be out of his mind with impatience took his frustration out on the Cast Member. Robyn and I exchanged glances, and when we were back at our table, remarked at how happy we were that we weren’t like that guy. At the risk of sounding callous, I like to see other people get angry, because it reminds me that getting angry is usually over something silly. From that point on, Robyn and I had a more relaxed, carefree aura about us (we’re just sorry that it had to come at the expense of an innocent cast member). We also thought that Disney should open a pizza planet chain or franchise. I’d take the kids to one. Heck, I’d go by myself. I played some Star Wars game, and I’d have played it again, if Robyn weren’t eager to find a restroom. Sated from our sup, we strolled to the Studio Backlot tour. We didn’t think Catastrophe Canyon was enough to jostle Robyn around, so on we went. Even though the Holiday festivities weren’t scheduled to begin for another week or so, the lights were already put up around most of the attraction. This got Robyn really excited to come back in the future during the Holidays. Fan of the low crowds that I am, may have to veto that, or at least go at a time where the two overlap (hmm, a two week stint at Disney’s ok by me…especially since we’ll have kids in tow then!). Eager for more interaction, Who Wants to be a Millionaire was next on our list. As Ivy League grads, we entered feeling pretty confident of ourselves. We regularly battle each other watching Jeopardy and the show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, so when we started to play we thought we’d see our numbers on the screen. Oh the downfall is so hard for those with great hubris! A lot of those questions were tough!! Bagavad Gita? C’mon how about a nice meatball like, who invented the lightbulb? Yeesh! Needless to say, we left with no prizes, and with egos much deflated. The 100 Years of Magic pavilion, One Man’s Dream, detailing Walt’s life was just what we needed as a pick up. I really liked this exhibit, and was inspired by the courage Walt displayed throughout his life. Of special interest to me were all the scale models of the different parks and icons, i.e. Spaceship Earth, all the castles, the Tree of Life; those and Walt’s office. If I am fortunate enough to one day have the financial freedom to reconstruct Walt’s office, then I will. I liked the clean efficiency of it, and the art deco vibe it had, yet from that simple office, Walt created his empire. I was so inspired by this exhibit that I later bought the Bob Thomas biography of Walt at Downtown Disney. I’m not sure Robyn was as impressed, but she did enjoy it all. We followed that exhibit up with the Animation Studio Tour. The animators there were working on three new films. One on American folk hero John Henry (not the owner of the Boston Red Sox…sssss), one about cowboys called Home on the Range, and a third one called Bears. I’m sure our expected little cherub will want to see that last one since the characters look very cute (akin to Bear in the Big Blue House). We felt a need for more action in our next ride so we hit the Great Movie Ride. We got the Western variant. I think I like the gangster variant better, but both are great when the Cast Member is comfortable and into their performance. Unfortunately, our cast member was kind of glazed over having done this show all day. Bummer, but we’d soon forget it because we headed back to the RNR Coaster to find good news! The technical difficulties were fixed and FastPasses were being accepted. Robyn went through the preshow with me, and then left at the chicken out door. What a cool ride. I definitely think it was worth the wait. I liked the soundtrack and the ride was smooth, but fast. The acceleration in the beginning is what makes this ride so great. I can’t wait to take Robyn on it in the future. We figured we’d leave on a positive note. Robyn couldn’t ride the Star Wars ride, and even though I’m a Star Wars junkie, I’m not a big fan of the herky jerky motion simulators. So it was back to the ASMuR for R&R before our 6pm PS at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I made the PS at Boma’s mainly as an excuse to check out the resort itself. We really liked it, but got lost trying to find Boma’s. It’s like the Wilderness Lodge moved to Africa – grand and natural. If it weren’t so far away from everything except the Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach, then we’d probably stay there in the future. It would be perfect for families with children who love animals. Boma was good, but not as nice as I had heard. The variety is nice, and the food is full of flavor due to the exotic spices used (not hot spicy though). The one sour note was the hunk of metal I chomped down on after filling my plate from a second trip up to the buffet. I probably should have mentioned it to the server, but didn’t want to cause a fuss. Looking back, I probably should have – there could have been more metal in that dish, and swallowing it could have hurt someone. I guess this is my warning to you now. Aside from that one incident, we had a great meal. The zebra domes were everything I had heard about them. Definitely save room for them if you can. We finished our Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort tour by checking out the animal pens right outside the lobby. We saw some ungulates scratching each other with their horns, but that was about it. We headed back to the room for an early bedtime. Thursday, Nov. 14th, 2002 Today was warm and sunny again, and our day to do all the things we missed in the prior days at the parks and finish the “necessities” of a WDW trip. As part of our package, we had a flex option to make a choice of several options. We chose a breakfast at the Grand Floridian Café. What a charming restaurant. We both had the Grand American breakfast. The butter and honey biscuits were phenomenal. Plus I took a picture there of Robyn and the pink rose they had at the table that has become one of my favorite pictures of her (she’s so beautiful…my Victorian lady). After breakfast, we checked out the rest of the resort. Similar to the Studio Backlot tour, the Holiday decorations were going up. The huge tree was up and decorated and the most enormous gingerbread house was just being assembled. They really use frosting to construct it! Still in awe, we boarded the monorail to the TTC to catch the connection to Epcot. We arrived and made a beeline to The Land. The line for Living With The Land was probably the longest line we waited in all week, since it was already mid-morning. We also saw the Circle of Life film, which to our surprise was hosting a local group of school kids on a field trip. What a fun field trip, but for the regular guests, a herd of middle schoolers can be a bit, um, loud. Everyone still enjoyed the show and learned a good deal about the Circle of Life. We went back to the Grand Floridian to get the car and headed to Downtown Disney. We still wanted to do some things in DisneyQuest, so that was our first stop. We played a car racing game and each won a race against the other, but decided against running the rubber match, so we could both leave winners. I played some really cool Star Wars game, and Robyn played the old school arcade games before we hit the Virtual Reality area. I had never tried virtual reality, so I was eager to try. Robyn couldn’t ride them so she went to play some more arcade games. Now, I usually consider myself to have an iron stomach and rides don’t make me queasy. Well, Aladdin’s Carpet Ride succeeded where all others had failed. Woozily, I attempted to make my own roller coaster next. That made me even dizzier than before. I needed to stop my head from spinning, so Robyn and I tried our hand at song writing. We didn’t do too well so we didn’t get it burned onto a CD. That quick break from the virtual reality gave my confidence a boost, and I tried the Jungle Cruise raft. It was yet another foolish attempt to try to trick my mind into thinking it wasn’t really that dizzy. No more virtual reality for me. I needed something to settle my stomach. The Cheesecake Factory Express was just the place to find it. I had one of those grilled cheese sandwiches Robyn had had on the first night, and she had a slice of pizza before we moved on to the rest of Downtown Disney. We stopped in Virgin Records and I bought the new Foo Fighters CD (two thumbs up if you’re looking for a suggestion!). We also checked out the Candy Cauldron and the Magnet store before heading to the Disney Marketplace. Stopped in most of the stores, but ended up only buying food, a Nightmare Before Christmas t-shirt, and the Walt Disney Biography that I mentioned before. Then it was back home to rest up for dinner and Fantasmic. We arrived at 6:30 for a 7pm show. I can now see why people line up an hour and a half before the show starts. We got seats on the far left. It was still a good view because the set is huge, but the middle would be best. I had seen a debate on the internet regarding whether or not to use the meal package to secure a seat for Fantasmic. Here are my two (or more) cents. In low crowd times, it’s not worth it – unless, of course, you want to dine at those restaurants regardless of seeing the show. Then it would be worth the combination and timesavings. Otherwise, I’d say get there 45 minutes – an hour before and you’d be fine. In peak times, I’d do the combo, or park my keister out front for 90 minutes or more. The show itself was wonderful, but beforehand, the cast member users got the crowd to start the wave. It was fun the first 10 times, but then it was like playing with a 2-year-old. It wouldn’t stop. Luckily the show started and the wave stopped. The action scenes were really well done. At the end, we were swept out with the masses. Not wanting to return to our room just yet, I took Robyn on a tour of where I used to live when I was a cast member. There has been so much development in Kissimmee since 1996, but I found my old haunts and they were pretty unchanged. Engorged with memories, we went back to the ASMuR for dinner at the food court. A quick refill and then bed. Friday, Nov. 15th, 2002 On our last full day, we planned to take it easy. We had our in-room breakfast, and set out for Blizzard Beach at 8:45am, thinking that it opened at 9am. Well, it actually opened at 10am so we had an hour or so to kill. As part of the pre-trip planning, we had written a list of all the things we wanted to see. We had hit pretty much everything on the list except the Port Orleans resort. That’s where we went to pass the time until Blizzard Beach opened. We walked from the French Quarter to Riverside. I liked the theming at the French Quarter better than riverside, and liked the resort overall. It wouldn’t be my first choice of accommodations, but I would enjoy it if I did stay there. By the time we got back to the FQ, it was near to 10. We hoofed back to Blizzard Beach and made it for rope drop. The crowd wasn’t too heavy because it was overcast and there was a slight chill in the air. It was beautiful compared to Boston, but it wasn’t ideal Florida swimming weather. We braved it anyway. We got lockers and towels and did a few laps in the lazy river, and then I headed to the Summit Plummet to find no lines. After that atomic wedgie, I opted for smoother rides. I caught air on the Slush Gusher, and enjoyed the mat racers, and all the tube slides. I found Robyn and we went to have lunch at the wave pool. After lounging and digesting for a bit, we left, but on the way out, we got a bag of those great smelling donuts and a pair of frozen drinks. We went back to the ASMuR for showers and to check the times for the newly released Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at Downtown Disney. There was a showing starting shortly, so we got tickets and watched it. We’ve read all the books and saw the first movie. We both liked this one better than the first movie, but it was a bit long. We next saw the bright Florida sun at 4:30 when the movie was over. From there, we decided to take a last walk through the Magic Kingdom and if time permitted, get Robyn promoted from Cadet to Level 1 Space Ranger. Unfortunately, standby was 25 minutes and our Priority Seating at Artist point was due in 15 minutes. So we walked down Main Street one last time and caught the Wilderness Lodge water launch outside the MK. We made it right on time, although, I don’t think we needed our PS’s and we probably could have done that last ride on Buzz Lightyear because Artist Point had just opened up, and we were 1 of only 2 groups of people eating then. Business did pick up later, so it did work out well. Dinner was phenomenal. I had the field greens with goat cheese toast and their signature salmon dish with a glass of chardonnay. Robyn opted for the Vegetarian plate that was a combination of all the sides from the other entrees. For dessert we had the chai tea cheesecake with hazelnut brittle. What a nice meal it was. We had a lovely view of the lake behind the resort too. We walked around the resort a bit afterward. The Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort in regard to its theming. I’d probably rather stay at the Boardwalk or Y&B clubs for their convenience, but if theming were most important, it would have to be the WL. When we were done touring, we tried to catch the launch back to the MK, but missed the last one and had to take a bus back to the TTC. As the bus pulled into the TTC station, we could see lights flashing and sirens wailing. There were several security vehicles and police cars positioned around the station. As the bus slowed to a stop an officer came to our bus and told us we couldn’t disembark. It was kind of scary after 9/11. It wasn’t anything major, I heard that there had been a fight, but we still couldn’t disembark, so the driver hooked us up and took us to the nearby Contemporary where we caught the monorail to the TTC and our car. Resortbound, we caught one last swim and a couple more refills before we packed up and went to bed for the last time at Disney. Saturday, Nov. 16th, 2002 Instead of our routine breakfast in our room, we ate at the food court. We had egg and bagel sandwiches. I also got one more of those delicious rice crispie treats shaped like Mickey. As we checked out, I felt bad for all the groups that were coming in on the beginning of their trips. It was pouring out, and the forecast called for much of the same for a majority of the coming week. We had been so fortunate with good weather. We packed up the car in the rain and headed to the rental agency. Security was cleared, and we were on our way home, sad in our knowledge that our vacation was over and that we wouldn’t be back to Disney for quite some time (until the little ones were old enough to walk on their own). However, we were happy because exactly 5 months from this day, April 16, 2003, our beautiful daughter, Anne Elizabeth O’Donnell, would be born (which is why this has taken so long to write…I’m writing this part in late April 2003 because I wanted to come full circle). Anne has already listened to my Disney CDs and we bought the Toy Story movies before they go out of circulation. I look forward to the time when I can take my little princess to meet the Disney princesses at their home and I look forward to sharing that trip report with you then as well! Happy days to all! Epilogue Lessons Learned Rental Car vs. Busses: I’m so glad that we got a rental car while staying at the ASMuR. However, if we were to stay at the Boardwalk, or Y&B Clubs, then perhaps, we’d take a town car so we could stop at the grocery store first and then use the Disney transportation from that central location. Any other resorts, I’d go for the car. Food: Buy non-perishables for breakfast and pack your own lunches. That way, you save $$$, calories, and if you do want to splurge for a dinner here or there, it can be at a full service restaurant, not counter service. I think this also helped in our decision to get the rental car, both in needing to get the food, and the $$we saved in paying for the car. Water bottles: Buy a water bottle at the first cart you see. Then use fountains to refill it throughout the day. Buy a new one every few days or so. It’ll keep you cool, hydrated (and thus less tired and cranky), and save you $$. Shoes: Forget fashion. Bring at least two comfortable pairs in case one pair gets soaked in a downpour. Shade and AC: Are your best friends in the late afternoon. Catch as much as you can early on because the heat will wear you down over the day and over the week. Rest/Siesta: Definitely put aside the time to have some downtime, whether it’s to take advantage of a bench in the shade, or heading back to the resort for a swim, snack, and nap. This is invaluable, even if you don’t have kids. It will make you less cranky, and hence, you’ll enjoy what you do see more. And if you do happen to miss something, the chances are good that you’ll be back at some other point, in this trip, or in the future, and you can see what you missed then. Money: Start saving early. I started withdrawing $20 from each paycheck and storing it away as cash for the trip. By the time we left, I had about $700 in cash, and for the two of us, this was plenty for souvenirs, meals, snacks, and sundries. And when the vacation was over, we didn’t have the credit card payments to “remind” us of our spending. Pre-trip Planning: Have at least one person in the group know the location of pretty much everything in each of the parks and around the resort at large. This will help in the planning, as well as with making decisions with those on the spot plan changes (which everyone has!). Have everyone in the group write down a three-tiered list of things they definitely want to see, would like to see, and don’t care if it never existed for attractions, shows, parades, resorts, and others. Gather all the lists together and try to have touch points for each day rather than an hourly (or worse) minutely schedule. Combine what you can and make do with the rest. I would budget the following: 2 days for Epcot, 1.5 days for MK, 1 day for MGM, and 1 day for the Animal Kingdom. Coupled with getting to the parks as early as possible, this should allow you to take a siesta midday and see everything at a leisurely pace, plus leave an extra day (if you’re going for a week) to fill in the spots, or go to a water park, whatever. Fast Passes: We didn’t use them that much, but we always had one. Go with the attitude that you should get and use as many as possible, and then if the standby isn’t too long, you can give them away when you get off the ride. How nice it is to make someone smile at such fortune! But if the standby is too long, use your fast pass, and go do something else until it’s time slot is ready. Cast Members: Still the best part about WDW. Interact with them as much as possible. Occasionally you’ll get the bad apple, but the vast majority of them are there to make your vacation special, whether it’s a friendly greeting or assistance with a special request, they’re happy to do it…it’s their job. All you have to do is ask and/or be friendly to them as well. Cameras: Take pictures, but take them judiciously. Our eyes are the best lens to see events through. Case in point – I took a whole role of the Safari at the Animal Kingdom. BORING when viewing them later, “Oh, and here’s another sleeping gazelle.” My favorite pictures aren’t of the attractions, or a show, but of all the times Robyn was exiting the ladies room. Being pregnant, there are quite a few of them, and in the later ones, you can tell she’s expecting the flash. I like them, because they tell a story. A picture of a cud-chewing ungulate doesn’t. Save your film for the really good shots, and keep your eyes open for everything else. Expectations: There have been a lot of negative writings about Disney’s cutbacks in the parks and the resulting “cleanliness”/upkeep of the parks. Having been a Cast Member during the mid 90’s when cash was flowing like Kali, the upkeep and cleanliness of the parks was pretty well near perfect. This trip, I did notice a chip in the paint here, a wrapper that stayed on the ground for 5 minutes longer than it should have there, but it didn’t detract from my vacation (I picked up the wrapper and threw it out, which made me feel good). My message is to all those who feel slighted by Disney because of the “dirtiness” of the parks now. My guess is that they’re adults who go to the parks (often) to feel like a kid again. Well, when was the last time you saw a kid complain about chipped paint or being dirty (in fact I think most kids complain about getting cleaned up!). So if you really want to be like a kid, pay attention to the fun you’re having and the fact that you’re on vacation – not the less than ideal paint job on a bench. With that said, expect to have good time, and to roll with the punches, because no matter how well you plan your vacation, you’re gonna have snags. A backup plan to smile and enjoy yourself regardless is the best plan of all. Have a great trip! Dennis O'Donnell dennisodonnell@ma.deltek.com Mail a Comment to Dennis O'Donnell |
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