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| Jim Pertierra -- November 2005 - Walt Disney World (PORR)Cast of Characters:
Homes
How This All Happened Needless to say, the fact that Matt was a freshman in high school, Dan in 8th grade and Mark in 6th and now were much older contributed a lot to our extended absence. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to go. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Freshman, JV and Varsity sports of all way shapes and forms cut deeply into our available time. Janet is not one to want to be in Florida when the weather is HOT ruled out a lot of potential dates so, in mid-2004 we started to plot just when we would be going back. Patti, Janet and I had talked about doing a huge trip that would combine celebrations of a lot of family highlights. First off, Janet and I would be celebrating our 25th anniversary in June of 2005. Matt would be graduating from high school later that same month. In addition, Frank and Millie would be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in May of 2005. We thought that we might combine them all with a 4 day cruise and 7 days at the Polynesian right after Matt graduated in late June of 2005. Several things happened after those initial thoughts. First off, it became apparent that, regardless of how much we wanted to do that, we probably could not afford it with college staring us right in the face for Matt and then Dan right after him. Secondly, Mark had turned into an excellent baseball player and would be tied up with travel baseball as well as Babe Ruth All Stars at that time. Thirdly, Janet thought it would be too warm to go any later in the summer, so we started looking at school vacations. With Matt going to college and both Dan and Matt in High School, their spring breaks and Christmas recesses would not coincide so going at those times was also out. Finally it appeared that the only viable time was to go at Thanksgiving. As you know from reading my other trip reports (required reading around here just like Sheri Nieklewski’s, Steve Russo’s and Kim Howe’s are in my household) we are not ones to go to Florida and then come back to winter. But, it was the best option and it would give us a first time look at Walt Disney World all decked out for the holidays which is something we really wanted to see. We ruled out the cruise but have made tentative plans for combining another cruise (our first two were just great) with a WDW vacation probably in 2007 or 2008. So, knowing we couldn’t really afford the Polynesian (still our favorite) we “settled” for our second favorite, Port Orleans Riverside. We had stayed at the former Dixie Landings in 1999, 2001 and 2002 and loved the place. If we couldn’t go top shelf, we wouldn’t be disappointed there. My mother in law, who is perhaps the nicest, most patient person I have ever known, grew very ill in late 2004. It was a mystery illness that no one could seem to diagnose. She bounced from doctor to doctor, from hospital to hospital and she never seemed to get any better. In early December of 2004 she had lost so much strength and energy that we all were becoming very concerned and, frankly, frightened. A week before Christmas in 2004 she went to Boston for a routine evaluation at Brigham’s Women’s Hospital. She was so bad when she got to the hospital that they admitted her immediately. Long story short, they found that she had been misdiagnosed all along and, after a return home on Christmas Eve, she recovered and is back to being her normal self. It was touch and go for a long time, but our prayers were answered. I was diagnosed as a diabetic after returning from our 2001 trip. In July of 2002, after NOT testing myself regularly, I developed an infection and wound up in the hospital for nearly two weeks at the cost of a toe. I was out of work for 2 and a half months while I mended. Never having missed a day of work since 1969, it was an eye opening experience. I also learned that I have to test myself and watch myself regularly. I am fine now and, hopefully, wiser. Many other things had changed for us though. In the past we would go through the Disney Club to make reservations for everything. However, that option had been Eisnerized and I decided to test the waters by using Mousketrips. As a daily reader of Jim Hill’s web site, I knew that they gave excellent service so I made contact with Scott at Mouseketrips in February of 2005 and the ball was rolling. Both Scott and Keith at Mouseketrips have been terrific as the shape of this vacation has changed many, many times. We added people; changed rooms; changed luggage handling; and, finally booked the Disney Dining Experience. They have been very helpful and encouraging each step of the way. Yes, sure, they get paid for it, but service is service and theirs was top shelf. Keith has done his best to discourage us from booking just two rooms at PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE. We know the size of the rooms and we also know very well how crowded we are going to be. I am sitting in the Albany airport right now typing this (as always US Air is late (shut up Steve!)) and, as this unfolds, I will keep you posted. Matt and Heather had become soul mates about a year ago and, at the last minute, she wanted to go with us. This will be the exciting part because she has never been there and it will be the first time since Mark neared 2 during our 1992 trip that we really would not be an all veteran crew. It will be fun to see it through Heather’s eyes. Because of her late addition, the only flight that Janet could get for Heather was on Southwest Airlines. Her flight is leaving on time (while we wait) so there is a moral there, isn’t there. Frank and Millie flew down this morning so we know that we are in building 24 on the second floor. (More on that later – jwp (11/19 5 am). I checked in with Keith at Mouseketrips today because we had only received Magical Express for my family and not for Heather and my in laws. Keith checked with Magical Express and they said that they had sent 3 separate packages to Mouseketrips. Keith had only received two. He assured us that Disney had our flight information and it would not be a problem. (More on that later, too) Friday November 18, 2005 What A Long Strange Trip Its Been, Already I took him to the emergency room to get checked out. The doctor said that she had to take X Rays to make sure that he did not have any rib or lung damage. She also said that if he did, he would not be able to fly. I held my breath for 20 minutes until the diagnosis came back as bruised, not broken. Thank you Lord! We got back home at 10 feeling much better. I got up at 4 AM (as normal) to head to work. I have changed job responsibilities since June (a fellow Supervisor got fired and I inherited her job and 17 people) and I like to be there every hour that my people are working. It is a matter of effecting change for me as the previous Supervisor rarely showed up for a whole day, if at all, thus her being fired. I have been working 5 to 5 each weekday and things are turning around. Nonetheless, I had a conference call this morning with my Director in Dallas and had to ignore Janet’s mild razing about taking the day off. The original intent was to work until noon and then head home. We were being taken to the airport by our (priceless) neighbor Ann Marie Costello (mother of 6 whose husband Dr. Kevin Costello MD is in his second tour in Iraq) and Heather’s mother, Janet. When I left the house the only creature stirring was Janet. She asked me (unsuccessfully) to stay home and I kissed her goodbye. Frank and Millie had driven in the night before from Binghamton and were fast asleep on the convertible couch in our family room. As I do everyday, I kissed the lifeless forms that would eventually generate into my sons and left. On the 15 minute drive into downtown Albany, it finally hit me. We were flying to Walt Disney World today! The conference call went very well and my boss called me up and told me to get the hell out and go home. I stayed for another hour and then left. Finally, we were on the way. We left our home at 3:30 for our 5:45 flight on US Air. Check in went very smoothly and then the wait began. When we got to the gate, we were told that our flight had not arrived and was running late (stop laughing Steve). New departure time was 6:30. We had plenty of time between flights in Charlotte, so we weren’t concerned as we didn’t take off to Orlando until 9:14. Well, we eventually got skyward (at 7:10, this was US Air (the New US Air) after all (stop laughing Steve)) on a smallish (very hot) plane to Charlotte. The flight was smooth and we touched down in Charlotte at 8:50. That left us 25 minutes until the flight to Orlando left so we started the mad dash through the Charlotte airport. You know, you think we would learn. After arriving breathless at a packed gate (my mother in law was in a wheel chair with Matt pushing and I think he did wheelies all the way from terminal E to terminal B) we found out that our plane was late (This was US Air (the New US Air) after all (stop laughing Steve)) and would not be departing until 9:30. Matt called Heather and she was fine in Baltimore but not leaving until 9:30 herself. We began boarding the plane at 9:30 (This was US Air (the New US Air) after all (stop laughing Steve)) and were airborne at 10:14. The flight into Orlando was uneventful. I dozed and held hands with my bride. We landed in Orlando at 11:30. After not being welcomed to Orlando International Airport (they have changed to tape on the monorail) we got to the concourse to look for Heather’s flight. We had come in at gate 39 and she was at 129. Matt and Janet took off to look for her and the rest of us staked claim to some seats in the deserted concourse to wait. Janet called at 12:12 to day that they had found Heather and were heading back. Our next move was to try to find Disney’s Magical Express for the trip to Port Orleans. All in all the Magical Express was very efficient. Once we had identified ourselves and answered the proper questions we were soon on a very nice bus with about a dozen other people who, like us, just wanted to go to sleep. The driver put on a tape that started off with “Coming soon during the holiday season in 1992” (Aladdin) which put us in a time warp and we instantly flashed back to our wonderful 1992 trip (still not documented) at the Disney Inn. The trip to Port Orleans was very quiet and uneventful and we arrived at 1:10 AM. The lobby was deserted except for Frank and Millie. We were all shocked to see them as we thought that they would be visiting the Sandman themselves. They told us that the rooms were not connected and were indeed on the 2nd floor. We mentioned that to our cast member, Jennifer and she dove right into the computer and found connecting rooms in Magnolia on the first floor AND would get us a couple rollaway beds. I could have kissed her. I wonder why no one told us that rollaway beds were an option! Heather, the boys and I started walking over to our rooms (9549 and 9550) while Frank and the girls went over to Alligator Bayou to grab Frank and Millie’s luggage. We had a wonderful walk through the hushed grounds and found ourselves in Parterre Place (very close to my name). The rooms were great and soon we were all fast asleep with Matt’s phone set for 7 (we have to get our two rental cars). Another wild and wooly start to a Disney vacation. Saturday, November 19, 2005 EPCOT – Space – Reunion Dinner & Unexpected Trip I could live here! When I got back 8 of the 10 bags had arrived but Heather’s were still missing hers. Janet was awake and we figured that we would shower and then head over to the Dolphin to get the cars. Pat had arisen so she went with us. We grabbed a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun at the Riverside Mill. In order to get to the Dolphin we had to take a bus to the Animal Kingdom (the early entry park for the day) and then get from there to the Dolphin. All went smoothly. We had originally rented a mid-size and a compact for this trip but Janet realized very soon that the compact would not do for the size of this crew. We upgraded to a SUV (Pontiac) and also got an Impala (being a GM guy, this was a good deal) and made the pleasant drive back to Riverside. The plan for today was EPCOT. With everyone getting their legs under them and no one being in combat mode, we didn’t actually get in the cars until around 11 AM. We rented a wheel chair from guest services (free unless you lose it) for the week for my mother in law, packed it in the Impala and drove over to the Beach Club to go in through the International Gateway. After parking the cars, Janet took inventory to make sure that everyone had their room key/tickets. Mark didn’t so he and I jumped back into the car to head back to get it. It was a beautiful morning and, in spite of being slightly peeved that my entrance was delayed, the drive to and fro was very pleasant. Mark ran into the room, grabbed his key, found the hard rock station on the radio, and we were on our way back. The Beach Club, as always, was beautiful. We had not seen the completion of the Villas and they certainly looked like they belonged. With the miracle of cell phones (as a manager at Verizon, God bless cell phones) we were able to keep in constant touch with Janet to get their GPA (God help ME). Janet told us that they had gotten Mark and me fastpasses for Test Track so we hurried through the England – Canada side of the World Showcase (almost empty and beautiful as ever) over the Future World. We ran into Dan and Ma waiting outside of Test Track (everyone else was on the ride). I wanted to get fast passes for Mission Space (with Soarin’ the main objective today) but decided to wait to see who else wanted to go. Mark’s and My FPs for Test Track were for 12:15 and it was 11:50 when everyone came off Test Track. We decided to try to get Fast Passes with the remaining tickets for Mission Space and hoofed it over there. There was a 20 minute standby time and our FPs were for 12:24 (perfect!). Matt, Heather, Millie, Frank, Dan, Mark and I decided to get into the standby line and then do the ping pong between TT and MS to use the FP’s ASAP. (I thought Steve Russo would love that sentence!). In a word WOW! In spite of all the warnings, the ride itself was not jarring or unsettling. (Gary Sinise looked good, (Sheri, just thought you’d like to know!) and was very authoritative as Mission Commander). To me the highlight of the trip was the time just before and during takeoff when you were given the illusion of looking back up the launch tower at the top of the tower framed against the empty sky. WOW. Hey, but they leave us on Mars. When do we come back? We ran over to TT for a great ride and the straightaway into the banked turns has lost none of its power for sure. Great rush! In spite of being still stuck on Mars, we went back to Mission Space for another launch to see if we could find ourselves! Janet, Pat and Ma had gone to Spaceship Earth and had done some sightseeing. We decided to eat at the Electric Umbrella and then try to get on Soarin’. Matt, Heather and Mark ran over to get the FPs after lunch but they were not good until 5:10. We didn’t think (with a 5:40 Priority Seating at the Cape May Café for 15) that we would be able to use them. While on that side of Future World, we hit Journey Into Imagination (I looked totally bored and bummed out to go in there and my lovely bride reminded me that Heather had not been there before and that not everyone wanted to do everything. My (mild) argument was that then why should I HAVE to go, but I did because I love my wife. When it was over I reconfirm my wish to put the original ride back in there. They have so many references to it during the show that it would be much better, to these old, veteran eyes, to just bring back Dreamfinder and restore order. We then were herded into Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I agree that the pre-show is dull. Not as a comment on HISTA, but I enjoyed every minute of it. AND, that was about all I saw and Matt had to shake me awake to wake up to leave. Out like a light! <G> Dan had gone over to Norway and was going to meet us at Canada. I had videotaped the film back in 2000 and wanted to shoot it again for posterity on our new digital camera. I realize that, with the exception of the film in France (which I love also) that Oh Canada is probably the last remnant of EPCOT1982. They are the only unchanged attractions in the Park. Have I said that I love Oh Canada? I do. Not knowing when we will be back or whether it will be there, I needed it for posterity. When we headed into the theater, there was bright, brilliant sunshine. In true Florida fashion, it then poured while we were in Canada and had stopped. It looked clearing over Norway, but threatening over the International Gateway. Janet wanted to go back to the car to get the umbrellas and ponchos, so Dan and I went with her. It was now after 4 so we thought that we would just relax waiting for everyone to show up for dinner. We retrieved the rain gear and wound up sitting on the back porch in the rockers, just relaxing and taking in all that rich, scenery. We had always wanted to stay at the Beach Club, but Pat had an aversion to it based on not being able to go outside directly from a room. She had changed her mind, per Janet so that might be in our future. Frankly, I would like to stay at the Polynesian one more time first, but wouldn’t be too upset to stay in the calm, placid surroundings of the Beach Club. The first to arrive were our friends Mark and Linda Campbell. In 1994, Linda had taken an early retirement from RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) where she worked with Janet (and where Matt was now an engineering student) and had moved to Orlando without a job to live. She hooked up at Disney right away and was now working at the Sports Complex. We talked for 10 minutes when the rest of our crew came in from EPCOT. 12 of the 15 of us were there and it was close to PS time, so we checked in and got the beeper which went off in 25 seconds. Mark and I decided to wait in the lobby for Brian and Janice Toth (our friends from Cape Cod who retired in the late 90’s, moved to Orlando and are now working at the Polynesian and Celebration Health respectively) and Mark’s fiancée, Saioa de Urquiza. Mark and Saioa had become great friends (she is 28) at my nephew’s wedding last year and I have been writing to her for the past year. She is like the daughter that I never will have. We kid about Mark and her getting married, but I am ever hopeful. Saioa, however, is both too beautiful and too sweet to be single long enough for Mark. Eventually everyone showed and we had a GREAT meal and a GREATER time just catching up with everyone. Our dinner with Mark and Linda has been a regular each trip since 1998 and Brian and Janice had joined us in 2002 (our last trip). Poor Saioa had wound up in the Dolphin lot and had walked over to the Beach Club. It seems that a certain person who shall go nameless had told her the restaurant name but not the resort name. Supid Jim! Couple notes, the food and service were great. The clam chowder was superb and even the hard core New Englanders were really impressed with the chowder. I have always maintained that this meal is one of the great underappreciated pleasures in WDW. I had a long talk with Saioa and it was so great to see her after a year. Perhaps one day she will be my daughter in law! I can dream can’t I? Ironically both the Toths and the Campbells were going to be flying to New Hampshire on Wednesday and there is snow in the forecast! That will be a shock to their systems! When we finished dinner we went to the lobby to take a group picture. When we went out there we noticed that something was wrong with Mark. He was in terrible pain and was having a difficult time breathing. With our baby suffering, we said very hurried goodbyes knowing his rib situation, Janet and I took him right away in search of Celebration Health. We got lost. I am sure that much of that was due to the panic of seeing a child in pain (that is a 6’, 210 pound, 15 year old child, but still our son) but we eventually got there by the great circle route. Celebration Health was (if this word can be used) wonderful. The staff was very caring and attentive AND busy. Lots of people in the waiting room but they were all handled with equal sensitivity. There was a young boy (around 10) who might have been in an accident (bandaged head) which always breaks your heart. Mark’s X-Rays came back negative and the doctor gave him a prescription for a muscle relaxant and let us go. We knew he was feeling better because, when we got back Matt and Heather were at the pool, so Mark headed over there and we went to bed and were soon sleeping. In spite of the late run to the hospital, it was a wonderful day that violated every touring rule in the book, but hey, that was us! Sunday, November 20, 2005 – We Scatter but I hope my Wishes come true!) We are going to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and to Tony’s Town Square for dinner. I will let you all know later what happened in between. It is now 11:35 PM and I am seated in the food court again writing. I thought I would write it tonight rather than get up early tomorrow. Of course, odds are that I will be up early tomorrow anyhow! We made our way to the Contemporary for breakfast at Chef Mickey’s on a cloudy morning. Rain was in the forecast but I, by nature, do not trust weathermen other than my friend Mike Landin. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor and soon were seated at a (too small) table close to the Concourse Steak House. Breakfast was nothing unusual. Food was good and there was plenty of it. Typical Disney buffet. I think the Crystal Palace might be better but this was fine. We had no set plan for today. With the possibility of rain for the next 3 days, most everyone wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Normally I would never pass up Typhoon Lagoon, especially with the Crush Gusher now open, but Dan wanted to meet two of his classmates at the Disney-MGM so I volunteered to keep him company. Typhoon Lagoon was a big hit today. The weather held the crowds down and even Janet got her hair wet! <G> The did all the raft rides and all three chutes of the Crush Gusher as well as spending a lot of time in the 80 degree water of Castaway Creek. Only bad part of the day was that my Mother in Law forgot her glasses in the room so she couldn’t get any reading time in. Dan and I took the bus to the MGM and headed straight down to the Tower of Terror where Dan was going to meet his classmates, Joe Duffy and Mari McGrath. Mari’s family belongs to the Vacation Club and come down every year at this time to stay at the Old Key West. We decided to get a fast pass for Rock N Roller Coaster while we waited but the ride was down. Someone gave Dan a fast pass for 11:45 and Dan gave it to me. We waited in the exit area of the Tower for the troops to come out and, while we waited, the rain started and stopped and started and stopped. When Joe and Mari came out, Dan took off with them and we agreed to meet at 4 at Sid Cahuenga’s to catch the bus over to the Magic Kingdom for our dinner at Tony’s. I grabbed a fast pass for the Tower and decided to cash in the fast pass at RnR. The ride was still down and the cast member said that they would honor the fast passes all day, so I decided to walk over to catch Millionaire. My timing was good as the audience was just being let into the studio when I got there. Nothing much happened. I thought I did great in the fastest finger round but didn’t make the top 10. I also butchered a couple easy questions that kept me off the board. Oh well. I think that this is still a fun experience. After Millionaire, I checked out the NY Street to see all the lights (unlit) and then went over to the Muppets. One note here, there was contemporary (non-religious) Christmas music playing all day in the Disney-MGM. Only park we have heard it in thus far. The Muppets are great. Still love it and never grow bored watching it. It was raining again when I came out so I went over to try to cash in both fast passes. I got into the Fast Pass line in RnR and was soon nearing the studio. Everything came crashing to a halt as the announcements started about slight delays. I looked at my watch and I had entered into my Tower window. Timing was everything here as I needed to get back to the gates by 4 to meet Dan. I decided that I would stay until 2:45. If the ride wasn’t running, I would skip it and go to the Tower. This would give me plenty of time to stroll around and wait for Dan. I thought I would get some reading (Double Play by Robert Parker) in while I waited. At about 2:30 the announcement was made that they were shutting down RnR and everyone had to leave. They were giving out fast passes to everyone on the way out, but I declined because I probably wasn’t going to be able to use it. From there, it was right over to the Tower. I have ridden the Tower many, many times and I must report that this was the all-time best. The last time here, the elevators were still using the safety bar and only 1 seat belt. What a different experience. I know at least twice that I was in mid-air as we were randomly dropped 6 times, including 3 visits to the open doors. What a ride. I cannot wait to ride it again this week with the boys. Pure rush! After leaving the Tower, I walked through the drizzle to look at hat the Television Hall of Fame busts in the courtyard. Very impressive and I could spot Andy Griffith a mile away. It was now 3:20 so I took a chance on Sounds Dangerous which I hadn’t been in for a long time. Pretty enjoyable and I would do it again. One snag hit upon leaving Sounds Dangerous, the Christmas Parade was running. It was a good parade but I was stuck on the wrong side and couldn’t get to Dan. Eventually I did and we hopped a bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center. We decided to go there and then to walk though the Polynesian grounds (love the Polynesian) to catch the monorail to the Magic Kingdom where we were going to meet everyone else in front of Tony’s at 5. I must tell you again that we love the Polynesian. Walking into that lobby and smelling that unique scent almost buckles my knees. I always hope that we are staying there, but not this time. There have been some changes on the main floor since we last were there and the place looked great. Dan and I hopped on the monorail for the first time and were quickly at the Magic Kingdom. We cleared security and stood in front of Tony’s (after a quick trip to the confectionary for some fudge) waiting for my best half and the rest of the family. Everyone soon showed up and we compared notes on our days. Dinner at Tony’s was very good. We had not eaten there this Century (sounds imposing doesn’t it!) and will probably eat there again. All 10 of us got the same entrée which was worth a laugh and we all finished. Good solid food and a really nice atmosphere. From there we split up again. Heather, my sons and I headed to Splash Mountain while everyone else was going to the Carousel of Progress and Its A Small World. We had a great trip on Splash Mountain and had a lot of fun with Heather as this was her maiden ride. We bought the picture because Mark and I did an exaggerated sleeping pose. While everyone else was screaming, we were fake dozing. We further split up as Mark, Matt and Heather were going to use their fast passes on Space Mountain while Dan and I wanted to see Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Dan and I both agree that MP is just special. What a movie and what a presentation. It was a lot of fun and is a must see now forever. One tiny complaint from an old Disney fan, weren’t there other movies before The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin? Yes I know that Peter Pan and Fantasia were used (and I am not complaining about the big 4, trust me) but sometimes I think that the Corporation thinks that their animation history started in 1989! From there we headed over to Tomorrowland (after a cursory look at the Peter Pan lines) for the Carousel. We always see the Carousel of Progress if it is open as it is very special to me being the first Disney attraction I ever saw live. This East Coast kid didn’t ever think while at the World’s Fair in New York in May of 1964, that I would ever visit a Disney Park so seeing the Carousel was as close as I was going to come. I know that it creaks sometimes, but it is still very special. Leaving there Dan and I did Buzz a couple times and took a spin on the Transit Authority. It almost made us forget how upset we were that the Timekeeper seems to have disappeared. I miss that attraction! Now it was time for Wishes, which we had never seen. Dan and I camped out on the Tomorrowland bridge and it was perfect positioning to video tape the show. Best Disney fireworks show I have seen outside of Illuminations (still THE One!). With that we met up with everyone else (Matt, Mark and Heather had gone back to the room) and drove back to Port Orleans Riverside on some wet streets. It had rained off and on all day but it didn’t detract from the great day we all had. It is now 12:30 and it is officially Monday. I am going to shut down and head back to the room for a long winter’s nap. (Bet I am up by 5!) Thanks for sharing my day and it was another great day in Walt Disney World! Monday, November 21, 2005 EPCOT – The Rain Comes and We Run and Hide Our Heads It was a brilliant, sunshiny day with thunderstorms in the forecast. Hard to believe that the forecast was correct based on how it looked at 9! The Epcot parking lot was filling rapidly when we parked in Imagine 67. I had the Pertierra boys and Heather with me. Game plan was to check in and send Matt and Heather for fast passes for Soarin’. Other than that our touring plan was again that we did not have a touring plan. Heather, Matt and Mark took off for the Land while Janet, Ma, Pat, Millie and Frank headed over towards Test Track. Dan wanted to go on Spaceship Earth so we went off together. We were going to try doing Spaceship Earth as well as Living With the Land. Matt called while we were in Spaceship Earth to say that the fast passes were for 3:36 (in 6 hours). Spaceship Earth has changed subtly. Now, I am assuming subtly or else the bills haven’t been paid. For example, the cartoon image of the Roman jumping into his chariot and heading towards the horizon “as all roads lead to Rome” is gone as well as the Mona Lisa. There also seems to be some missing components of the trip back to Earth at the end of the ride. I still like it, but really, really miss Tomorrow’s Child. After Spaceship Earth Dan wanted to go to the Living Seas, but it was closed. Hmm. Didn’t bother me because I am not a big Living Seas fan. We decided to do Living With the Land and see the Circle of Life movie in the Land. The Land has gotten not only extremely busy, but extremely crowded with people stumbling over each other to rush here and there. What used to be the most placid of pavilions was now the most hectic. I cannot say that I was in love with the makeover of Sunshine Terrace either. But, as long as it is busy, the suits must be happy, so who am I to complain. Living With the Land was fine as was the Circle of Life. Janet called and said we were going to rendezvous at 12:30 at the Christmas tree at the end of the Avenue leading into the World Showcase on the promenade. Dan and I figured that would give us enough time to go see Oh Canada again, and it did. Still love it. While inside, and being the aging flirt that I am, I had a conversation with two of the 3 cast members (Holly and Rose) who were both from Winnipeg. I won’t insult you with the line I used, but it did involve the beauty of the Winnipeg women! They humored me (or should I say humoured me) and we all left with a smile on our faces. While I was in Canada I got a call from my Melissa Martuscello in my office. Somebody needed something right away so it was back to the real world for a bit. We got the problem straightened out and it was back to vacation. Mark called to say that they were in Mexico and asked that Dan and I meet them over there. We did and the three of them had bought semi matching sweatshirts. We strolled back to the promenade to await the rest of the crew. They had decided to eat at the American pavilion. After lunch we went right into the American Adventure to catch the 2:15 show. It was as great as always and, believe it or not, I had tears in my eyes. Mr. Sentimental! Just as we got out of the show the rain came. It came down hard for about 55 seconds, less hard for another 55 and then settled into a drizzle. The breeze had picked up considerably and papers were flying all over. We were fast approaching our Soarin’ window so we made our way out clockwise towards Canada and then through the shortcut that came out in front of the Land. Soarin’ was wonderful. I counted at least 4 times that I was grinning from ear to ear. Frank (Mr. Golf) was thrilled to see the PGA West course that he and Millie had played 5 years ago. I can understand the popularity of the ride. It was great. So now, in the space of just over 48 hours, we had hit the 3 new attractions since our last visit. All 3 were great with high points and no lows. If I had to rate them it would be 1) Mickey’s PhilharMagic, 2) Mission Space 3) Soarin’. We were having dinner at ‘Ohana tonight so, once again, it was back to our favorite hotel and the aromatic lobby. Dan, Matt and Heather had taken the monorail from Epcot. When we arrived, Matt and Heather were there (they had walked from the monorail) but no Dan. Dan switched monorails and was en route. When our table was called, there was still no Dan. He had gotten onto the Express monorail by mistake and was now, literally, stuck at the Magic Kingdom because the monorail had broken down. We told the front desk to put us back on the clock and Dan soon showed up from his adventure. The menu had changed slightly at ‘Ohana and it was a delightful dinner. Only bad part was that they had taken the pineapple with caramel off the menu and replaced it with bread pudding. While disappointed, the bread pudding was great and we had a very pleasant meal with a very attentive wait staff. Frank, Patti, Matt, Heather and Mark have gone to Disney Quest. Millie and Ma are back in their room watching TV and Janet has just left me working on the trip report at my customary sport in the Riverside Mill. Dan is over on the other side working on some artwork and the place is bustling. We had another primo Disney Day and, although we hardly saw any attractions, it didn’t matter as we were all hanging out together and enjoying each other’s company. Matt said after dinner that he was really enjoying this vacation. I know that some of it had to do with Heather being here and her experiencing everything for the first time, but the other part is that we haven’t been here for nearly 4 years and the things we took for granted for years, are very special to us. Like that unique fragrance in the Polynesian, there are so many of our memories associated with Walt Disney World that we do feel like we are home. Not rushed, we are taking it at our own pace. Older and, theoretically, wiser really does make a difference. In looking around, there are a lot of younger teenage girls here. My guess is late 8th grade or, as Mark would say, too young for him. Not a lot of boys of the same age and a LOT of younger children and young parents. I look at them and wonder if they will have the joy later in life to have their grown up family along with them to share the fun and the memories. That is what makes this place so special. It is so timeless. It changes just enough to keep you honest, but stays the same to reinforce all the old memories and feelings. So that is it for tonight. I have no clue where we are going tomorrow, but we are heading for the Hoop De Doo for the first time in nearly 5 years and I know I cannot wait for that. I think I am going to watch some football and just relax. Another great day in Disney and tomorrow will no doubt be another one! Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Disney-MGM – There And Back Again, A Father’s Tale Christmas decorations have materialized in the Mill and there was now a Christmas tree in the lobby area. If one of our main objectives was to see the resort all decked out for the holidays, we were doing fine. I did my thing until around 7 (when I knew Janet would be in the shower) and then headed back to the room over (still) peaceful grounds. We had decided to go the Studios today. It was a bright, crystal clear morning with not a cloud in sight. It is a delightful anachronism to see the Southerners bundled up for a 50 degree morning whiles those of us from snowier climates (and it was snowing in Albany today) were in cutoffs and tee shirts. After we had cleared the main gates of the Studios, the group split up. Heather, Millie, the boys and I headed towards the RnR, ToT doubleheader while Janet, Patti, Ma and Frank were going to Sounds Dangerous and the Muppets. We were hoping to do a ToT, RnR, ToT triple, but the wait time at standby for ToT was already 60 minutes and climbing. We grabbed Fastpasses and went over to the RnR. There was a 40 minute wait but it was an interesting queue as Mark fell in love with a girl that we passed each time we wound through the maze. He has good taste! Anyway, after a two day delay, the studio doors finally opened and we were soon in the limo! To the tune of Sweet Emotion, we blasted off. This is such a great experience and I don’t think I have ever had a better trip to the Aerosmith Concert. The picture was worth it! One of the great experiences in Walt Disney World is entering the Fastpass return line at the Tower of Terror and walking past half of the people in the Park to get to the library of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I hope that doesn’t sound elitist, but I have been in that line watching the fastpassers fly by and grumbled under my breath many a time. I don’t know if it is because the queue winds so much but the line always seems endless. We all enjoyed the ride and all 6 of us were in mid air during the final drop. A Wow! Janet called during the drop sequence so I called her back from outside. She said that they were at the ABC Commissary for breakfast so we headed over there to meet them. It was 10:20 and the restaurant was about to make the changeover from breakfast to lunch. We stuck with the breakfast and it was pretty good. The pancakes were at least! Frank, Mark and I were going to try to get on Millionaire while everyone else was going to Star Tours. The MC (Jim) from Sunday was stage manager today. Both of the show’s contestants made it to the 11th question with (more) than a little help from the audience. When the final buzzer rang ending the show, I stood 5th on the list. Another question and I would have been on top!! But….. Frank and I came right back in for another show and neither of us fared as well. I love Millionaire and, frankly, could stay for every show if I could. Both shows were full as the Studios were pretty crowded today. I called Janet after leaving the second show and they were in Beauty and the Beast. We waited for them and enjoyed the picture perfect day. It really was dazzling. Temperatures were in the high 60’s with a mild breeze and no humidity so it felt (at least to me) much warmer. When they came out (after enjoying the show) Janet said that Heather and Matt had gone back to the room and were going to the Marketplace. We decided to join them. Frank and Millie stayed behind as they wanted to go on the Great Movie Ride and Little Mermaid. We were going to meet back in the room by 4 to get assembled for the 5 PM Hoop De Doo show. Dan decided to stay in the room to work on his portfolio. Ma, Pat and Janet drove over while Mark and I took the boat from the Riverside dock over to the Marketplace. As we got to the Port Orleans launch, the boat with Heather and Matt was just casting off, so Mark and I sat at the dock area and just enjoyed the quiet. Another boat soon arrived and we had a pleasant trip to the Village. Approaching the entire West Side/Downtown/Marketplace from this direction you can’t help but be amazed by not only how big it is, but (like the Boardwalk area) think what it must have looked like back in 1965 when Walt first bought the land. As late as 1994, when Fulton’s was still the Empress Lily, it was really another place not like the one it is today. We helped the Florida economy out a lot in the World of Disney and then spent some time (again) just doing nothing but catching the aromas and sounds as we people watched. Matt and Heather took the launch back to Port Orleans Riverside while Mark and I joined the girls in the car. Everyone assembled right on time to head over to Pioneer Hall for the Hoop De Doo. I think we were all very disappointed in our seats. I had made the reservations in January but then changed them to add some seats in August which, I think, put us way in the back. Perhaps it was because we were spoiled in always being up front, but where we were was way back! The show was still a lot of fun and the cast had turned over totally since 2001. I could hear some differences in the script so things had not become stale. Mark still roared at the antics of 6-Bits although our favorite 6-Bits was from in the 1996-1999 vintage. A quick bus ride back to the parking lot and we were headed back to the room. Janet and Pat wanted to go back to the Studios to see the Osborne Family lights, so the 6 oldest piled into Pat’s car for the trip over. What can I say that has not been said about the Osborne Family lights? Nothing, I guess! They were stunning. I videotaped as much as I could but I know that it won’t translate to 1/3 of the power of that visual experience. Disney really layers it on too with the fake snow. If you didn’t know where you were, you would be looking for a heavy coat and gloves to get ready to shovel the driveway. Janet called Mark (the King of Christmas lights) to tell him that he had blown his chance. Maybe we can get back over one more time at night to see them. We then headed over for Fantasmic! This was another show we had never experienced as we had never been in the Studios after dark. Trying to get through the crush of people (with a wheelchair) was very difficult as this was one time when I would have to give low marks for access. Perhaps it was because it was dark and not well-defined, but it was a struggle getting into the theater. Although I had certainly read about it, I was not prepared for the sheer immensity of the theater. The place is huge! We had mixed reviews on the show. Everyone but Patti really liked it. Pat thought that there were too many villains. It was a dark show but the triumph of that Mouse was a lot of fun. So, it was one of the best days we have ever spent on the property. We have had many, many, many great days here over the course of the last 32 years, but this was a wonderful day. Again, a lot of it has to do with the age of the boys (their being pretty self-reliant); a lot of it had to do with the weather (perfect); but it was the total package that made the day so memorable. One thing that we are not this trip is rushed. Given the number of times we have been here, we have developed our own rhythms as far as touring. We don’t mind criss-crossing if we have to and also have no real need to see everything at once. Small bites fit us very well right now. All in all, one of the great days in Walt Disney World and tomorrow promises to be another one. Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Magic Kingdom/Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom I stopped to see JoJo at the main desk and she said that she would make sure 6 rolls were sent over. It is now 7:03 and the resort is coming to life very quickly. I am heading over to the room to see if the delivery has been made. I know that the troops are heading to the Animal Kingdom today. I will probably not as I am not a big fan of the Animal Kingdom. It is too crowded (regardless of crowd size) for my tastes. I am not sure what I will do today but I suspect that I might do some monorail park hopping. We are eating at Boatwright’s tonight but want to get to the Extra Magic Hour(s) 2 AM closing of the Magic Kingdom tonight. Mark and I want to ride Splash Mountain until we conquer it. It is now Thanksgiving Day and I have some catching up to do about Wednesday and today. Dan, Mark and I went to the Magic Kingdom Wednesday while everyone else went to the Animal Kingdom. Reports from the Animal Kingdom were that they had a great time. They did the usuals (Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids, Tough To Be A Bug and Legend Of The Lion King). Janet said that the crowds were large and navigation was even harder than usual. They waited over an hour for a pizza from the Pizzafari but it was worth the wait. Frank and Millie left around noon to go to play golf at Lake Buena Vista and everyone else left around 2ish to meet back at the room. Mark, Dan and I got the Magic Kingdom around 9:30. Main Street wasn’t overly bustling so we went over to Space Mountain to see what kind of wait there was. It was 55 minutes already so we fast passed it and went over to Splash Mountain. The posted time on Splash Mountain was 20 minutes but there was no visible line anywhere. As we got to the door the cast member told us that is was 5 minutes tops. We moved quickly through the waiting area and were soon in our own log. Couple notes….the animation had reappeared where Brer Fox and Bear are chasing Brer Rabbit over the hill but the Brer Rabbit figure has disappeared on the opposite bank from where Brer Bear is stuck in the tree just past there. Also, the Laughin’ Place must have sprung a leak because the fountains of water weren’t as evident as before. Nonetheless, we had a great ride and Mark and I had our best pose ever going over the falls. Ernest would be proud. We got off the ride and there was still no line so we got right back on for a second spin. Hey, two rides on Splash the day before Thanksgiving 2 hours after park opening! Not a bad deal. After the second ride, we went back over to Space Mountain to cash in the fast passes. While cutting through the hub, we entered by Timekeeper. I was talking with a cast member about how much I missed Timekeeper. I was stunned to find out it was operating as there is no visible evidence that the ride is even open. I told her that we would be back as we had fastpasses for Space Mountain. Approaching Space Mountain we were met outside and told that the ride was being shut down and all fastpasses would be honored later. Back to Timekeeper… I don’t think I have been on this since March of 2000 (but it might have been April of 1999) and, after going on it again, I cannot understand why it isn’t more popular. You get to lean on the carefully produced and named lean rails and watch a fun movie. The corporation hasn’t upgraded it because the present is still 2000 (what a gentler world it was then) and that was magnified by the beautiful nighttime shots of New York City with the World Trade Center prominently in evidence. Seeing the Towers sent chills up my spine. I have spent many a day down in that area before and after 9/11 and seeing them stretching to the sky again brought a lot of mixed emotions. Bravo Timekeeper. We decided to take a leisurely stroll through the Tomorrowland/Fantasyland/Frontierland corridor and eventually eat at the Pirate and the Parrot (one of our favorites). En route we managed to hit Mickey’s PhilharMagic, The Country Bears Christmas Show, and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as the Hall of The Presidents. Being Liberal Democrats, Dan and I were very restrained during W’s speech. We knew we were coming back after dinner so we shopped our way down the Emporium side and out of the Park. I got Janet a new hooded, zippered sweatshirt marking the 50th anniversary and hope that I last another month to surprise her for Christmas. We met up back at the room after bussing it back. One note about the Magic Kingdom... We had dinner tonight at Boatwright’s and let me say it right now; this was the best meal we have had so far. Not even close. We were waited on by the lovely Cecilia (who turns 24 on Sunday) and no one left unsatisfied. Janet, Matt and I all had the pot roast and it was just GREAT. I would go back in a minute!!!! Janet and Pat were going with us back into the Magic Kingdom for the Extra Magic Hours (open until 2 AM) but didn’t plan to stay past 11. Frank, Millie, Ma and Dan headed back to the room for the night. We went in through Tomorrowland. Mark and I used the fastpasses for Space Mountain and everyone else went to Buzz Lightyear. After a spin on the Transit Authority, Mark and I watched the rest of the crew on the Speedway. During the wait, Wishes started but most of our view was blocked out by the terrace over the grandstand. We did get a really good look at the finale though. Heather, Patti and Matt went on the Mad Hatter while Mark, Janet and I safely watched. Too close to dinner for us. Mickey’s PhilharMagic was next followed by the Haunted Mansion and then over to the Country Bears followed immediately by the Pirates. Pat and Janet were going to head back as it was now 12. I told them we wouldn’t be too late as we were starting to run out of steam. We got right on Splash and Mark and I were both tired and we couldn’t come up with anything original this time. We passed on a second trip because the lines were getting long. We cut over to Tomorrowland to see what kind of lines there were for Space Mountain. There was a 20 minute wait so we decided to head back to Port Orleans Riverside. Extra Magic Hours are great. The crowds were much larger than those for E Night. I chalk that up to a couple things. First off, the time of year. Crowds were much, much larger today than they were yesterday and they were larger yesterday than they were on Monday. Secondly, because Extra Magic Hours are free to Resort guests, a lot more people take advantage of it. E Night cost you (and was worth it) but there weren’t nearly as many people in the Park after hours during E Nights. We got back to the room at 1:15. Janet told me that there was a message from Magical Express saying they did not have any of our Flight information. Somehow I was not surprised. I told her that I would check on that in the morning. Another great day at Walt Disney World. Thursday, November 24, 2005 Thanksgiving – Magic Kingdom and Epcot The airport people in the lobby pointed me to the front desk. James, the cast member on duty, called Magical Express for me and I was talking with Princess. She had our names (the Pertierras) and no one else. Why oh why am I not surprised? The fact that USAir does not participate in the program (stop chuckling Steve) I am sure has something to do with it. I spent a half hour on the phone making the arrangements for our party. First pickup would be Patti and Ma at 4 AM (they fly at 7 AM); followed by everyone else at 5:30 (we fly at 8:30 AM). After hanging up, I realized that they didn’t say anything about the luggage so I went to the bell captain to set up luggage pickup which would happen ½ hour before each people pickup. I told Janet that I would go over to the airport with Patti and Ma to handle luggage and just stay there until they left and/or everyone else got there. It was going to be a long day Saturday already. It would not give us much of an opportunity to really start to miss WDW until we were in the air. We got some things to eat (light as we were having lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern) and then piled into the cars to go back to the Magic Kingdom. Frank and Millie went back to the Animal Kingdom as they wanted to do Dinoland some more. We got to the Magic Kingdom parking lot and there were no handicapped spots left in the lot at 10 AM. We parked in the Diamond Lot (hope we don’t get towed) and headed in on a stunning morning. It was supposed to be in the 70’s and sunny. Not the kind of Thanksgiving weather we were all used to for sure. We called my brother in law Chris back in North Adams and he reported that 3” of snow was on the ground and it was snowing already this morning. I also gave my parents a call to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. My Dad answered as my mother was at Mass. Everything was fine there so I hoped they had a good day. Matt, Heather and Mark went to get fastpasses for Splash Mountain and the rest of us went into Timekeeper. Super again. We met at Splash and (except for Ma) we all hit the Mountain. Great ride and greater picture. This was number 3 of the week. And, unfortunately, it was also the last. Patti, Ma and Janet went over to Country Bears; Mark, Matt and Heather to Thunder Mountain; Dan and I went over to Pirates before our 1 PM seating at the Liberty Tree. We did our rides and then met up with Millie and Frank at the Liberty Tree. I went to check in and our worst nightmare had come true. The Thanksgiving priority seating at 1 PM was the very first reservation I had made. There was no record on the sheet. I went over to Carmen at the computer and she found the reservation, but it was for 11:40 AM which was not the time I had asked for or had been given. It was the dreaded computer glitch! She did some quick work and said (against all odds) that she could fit us in about 15 minutes. It was actually 10 minutes and we were seated at 2 tables. Our server was Karen (a 29 year vet who started at WDW when she was 5!) and the dinner was really good. Traditional Thanksgiving and the only thing that was missing was the cranberry sauce. It was topped off with pumpkin pie and was well worth the price. It is now 4:15 PM and the youngsters (and Dad) are back in the room. Everyone else is at the Magic Kingdom. We will be heading for Epcot later on for a 7 PM seating at Alfredo's and a viewing of Illuminations. We drove over to the Beach Club at 5:30 for our dinner at Alfredo’s. There had been an enormous gingerbread house built in the middle of the Beach Club lobby since we had last been there on Mark’s fateful night. It seemed like so long ago to be honest, but it had only been Saturday. Dan and I wondered if it was edible. I guess I am going to have to ask that question of someone. The house was made up of 2,000 individual pieces of gingerbread among a bunch of other ingredients. It did look good. Lots of new Christmas lights up since we were last here. The Boardwalk sparkled across the way also. If one of our objectives in coming this time of year was the see the resort all decked out, then we achieved our objective for sure. We made the leisurely stroll to the International Gateway and, for the first time ever, encountered a mob of people at the turnstiles. The man in security said that people were having a hard time with their finger scan. Inquisitive Dan asked me what was being looked at on your fingers. The line was too long to ask. Perhaps later. We headed right for Italy not knowing whether we might be able to be seated early or not. The exterior of Alfredo’s had changed a lot as they had put in a café area with another check in desk just outside the main entrance to the restaurant. I checked us in and then rounded up all of us into the lobby. We were called in 3 minutes and escorted to a table for 12 (Cool! There was room to stretch out) on the far left side of the main dining room. Our server was Roberto from Rome. Now, I know that most (and I do mean most) of the cast members you meet are very attentive to your needs, but Roberto was outstanding. Janet and I were drinking unsweetened ice tea and a new glass was usually waiting as we were swallowing the remnants of our existing glass. Over the years, (and even being Italian I am NOT partial) I have found that the waiters and waitresses at Alfredo’s were the best on the property. I still remember during our visit in 1985 (when we were on the Gold Passport dining plan and all gratuities were included) that my nephew Tim was so enthralled and entertained by our waiters that we tipped them 10% on top of the tip. We all ate very well although some were disappointed that you couldn’t get spaghetti and meatballs. I told them that if they asked I bet that they could, but no one did. We finished right around 8 and then went out to stake out a good spot for Illuminations. The World Showcase did not seem too filled tonight and we found a tremendous spot between Italy and America. No one was really lining the lake yet so we felt pretty lucky. Matt, Heather and Mark were heading over to Mexico to do some shopping while Frank and Millie were going to look to see if they could get a comparable view nearer to the International Gateway. It was a gorgeous night. It was not chilly and there was no breeze so it felt very comfortable. The wait went very quickly. About 8:55 we spotted Matt and Mark. They were hard to miss because they were both sporting HUGE sombreros. All they needed was lights on them and they could have been Christmas decorations. Mark was wearing his over his trademark Yankee hat worn backwards with sunglasses on. Where did Janet and I get these nuts! <G> Illuminations was wonderful. I hope the video came out well. I have been trying to capture a lot of things that I already had on videotape using the digital recorder to see if there was a major difference in picture quality. We took our time leaving Epcot. The World Showcase had gotten pretty crowded during Illuminations and it was slow going. People were in very good moods and there was a lot of laughter all around. As we were walking towards the Beach Club on the International Gateway, I was struck (as always) by the beauty of everything. Everything was just sparkling and it brought a huge grin to me even while I was feeling pretty sad. The next to the last night is always the worst because you know that tomorrow will be the last day. It has been a splendid vacation thus far, but the real world is sitting right outside the gates and soon it will be back to that. That return eventually will make us all appreciate this even more than we do. We have had several discussions among us over where we will stay the next time. While we would love to stay at the Polynesian or the Beach Club, staying back at Riverside would make so much sense as it would lengthen our stay. If we decided not to rent a car, that might make the Polynesian more feasible, but the convenience of the car is just too much to ignore. Inevitably, we will be back and that makes us all very happy. The sooner the better is the consensus, so it looks like 2007. Heather, Matt, Mark and Frankie decided to go swimming. Pat wanted to go to the hot tub, but came back very quickly because there was not a square inch in the hot tub for her. It seems like a lot of people had the same idea. Dan headed over to the Mill take charge of his table and to do some more drawing. Janet and I turned on Who’s Line Is It Anyway but soon we both were dozing. Another great day in Walt Disney World. For an untraditional Thanksgiving, it was a great one! Friday, November 25, 2005 – Last Full Day – Didn’t we just get here? That was a go, so we will have to do that later. Lot’s to do today. Dinner is at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore tonight. Tentative game plan was to hit Epcot this morning to go on Mission Space and Test Track one more time. Dan and I want to head over to Canada (one more time) to watch Oh Canada and also to pick up some Off Kilter CDs at those discount Disney prices! <G> The other must do was to see Impressions de France which we hadn’t seen yet and is among my favorites. We also want to get Mark, Frank and Millie over to MGM after dinner so that they can see the Osborne Family lights. We will also have to return both vehicles to the Dolphin We had put the lights out on our house (trees and bushes) the Sunday before we left, so I told Mark that, in spite of what he saw tonight, we weren’t changing them this year! After we all ate at the Riverside Mill. While there I asked if anyone had any problem with eating at Boatwright’s again tonight. With the park hopping we were going to do (and knowing that the Magic Kingdom would be very crowded) it would make sense to stay away from the Magic Kingdom. Everyone agreed so I went back to Guest Services to see if there were any reasonable seating times for a party of 10. We were in luck as they had a 7:40 PM. Now, if Cecilia was working, my day would be complete. With that we jumped into the cars to Epcot. There was a line at the toll booths which did not bode well. After clearing security, the lines were long at each of the entry points. It was going to be a busy day in Epcot. Heather, the boys and I went over to Mission Space. Matt and Heather ran over to Test Track for Fastpasses as Mission Space only had a 10 minute wait. The Fastpasses were for an hour away so everything was well within our time constraints. Mission Space was wonderful even when there were no surprises. I continue to love the takeoff and the ground breaking away after the landing on Mars. We went over to Mouse Gear to meet up with everyone else. They had gone for Fastpasses at Soarin’ which wouldn’t be in effect until 2:30. We all split up again as the sons, daughter in law and I went to Test Track and everyone else was going to head towards Mexico where we would next meet up. After waiting in the Fast Pass Return line for 10 minutes at Test Track, the attraction was closed down and all the Fastpasses were handed back. Bummer. Matt and Heather decided to run over to the Magic Kingdom while Dan, Mark and I went over to the Cool Zone. Ice Station cool was (literally) cooler but Beverly continues to be Beverly. We did some sampling and then headed over to Mexico to meet up. Janet bought Mark another piece of Mexican apparel to complete his new look. Janet joined us as we strolled around the World Showcase. It was another stunning day and Epcot was very crowded. The World Showcase was starting to fill up as lunch neared. Dan and Mark went into Japan to do some shopping while Janet and I relaxed on a bench outside. It was a fine day to just do nothing but look at people and there was no lack of people to watch. Again, it would be a great time to be a teenage boy!!! Janet was meeting up with Patti, Millie, Ma and Frank to watch the World Showcase Players perform in England and then have fish and chips, so she continued with us to France. When we arrived at France, the movie had just started so we walked over to England to watch the show for awhile. They were doing King Arthur and the Grail and, as always, it was corny and funny. Mark, Dan and I walked back over to France to watch the movie and I tempted my fate with the Disney Police. The gorgeous French cast member, Camille, announced that there would be no videotaping or flash photography. I must not have understood what she was saying (her accent was so alluring that she could have sold me a Ford!) because I proceeded to tape the entire movie. I did it so covertly that Dan, who was seated right next to me, never knew what I was up to. We exited France and walked down towards our final viewing of Oh Canada. Much to my delight, Holly from Winnipeg was on duty and even more to my delight, she not only remembered me but the line of BS that I had used on her and Rose on Monday. She was leaving in March. I asked my standard question about the shelf life of Oh Canada. Like I said earlier, along with France, it is the last of the original, unchanged attractions in Epcot so I know that it is an endangered species. Holly said that they get mixed reactions from guests and both sides are very passionate. Canadians want the movie changed; non-Canadians love it and get emotional about the possibility that it might be replaced. I know the feeling. We leaned on lean rail number 1 and took it all in one last time. Hopefully we will see it again, but I suspect that we won’t. Through the magic of recording we will always be able to watch it but the effect will never be the same. The booming chords that mark the beginning of “Canada” only sound great in the theater. It is much like hearing “Tomorrow’s Child” on Spaceship Earth and then on CD at home. It is never the same. When the show was over, I asked Holly if she would stoop to new lows and consent to having her picture taken with us. She said that she would be delighted and so were we! Off Kilter was not playing today, so it looked like another trip without seeing them. I did buy their first CD and also their live CD so I will know what I have been missing all these years. (As I edit this portion a week later, I have had a really good chance to listen to Off Kilter and now regret not buying all four CDs. Great stuff! Janet called to say that they had purchased Dan an order of fish and chips, so we walked back up to England to meet the troops. While on the way, I heard “All My Loving” coming from the depths of England, so Mark and I made our way over to watch the British (English?) Invasion. They weren’t bad, but there were having trouble hitting the high parts. No complaints. It brought back a lot of memories especially with the 25th anniversary of the senseless murder of John Lennon just around the corner. It still befuddles me as to what motivates idiots as hearing Howard Cosell make the shocking announcement on Monday Night Football still resonates. I remember walking into our bedroom and breaking the news to Janet. We had been married barely 6 months at the time. How our lives had changed since that moment! Mark, Dan and I made one last walk through the England/Canada section of the concourse and exited the park to catch a bus back to Port Orleans. There were a couple of tasks to be performed. We had to pick up our 3rd (and final) Splash Mountain picture (another Mark/Dad classic) and the shop and I had to print up all of our boarding passes at Guest Services. So, we were bidding farewell to Epcot for this trip. The picture was there and it WAS classic. Truly Mark and I are the masters of Splash Mountain and worth successors to Jim Varney! While printing out the boarding passes I got into a nice discussion with Carmen at Guest Services. I told her that this was the absolute worst day of the vacation, even worse than departure day. She asked me if there was anything she could do and I told her that she could add 10 more days to that all powerful card I had been carrying for the past 7 days. I told her that we were going back to snow. She said that she would do anything to be able to play in the snow. I told her that it was easy enough, 10 more days on the card and she could spend the winter with us! It didn’t work. On the way back to the room, I stopped in Boatwright’s to see if Cecilia was working tonight. They checked and, alas, she was not. With that, it was back to the room for the worst job of all, packing to go home. Patti and Ma were going to be picked up at 3:30 AM and that was going to come very early. Frank, Heather, Matt and Mark were going to the pool for one last dip while Patti, Millie, Janet and I started to get our mess situated. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. We decided to take some more group pictures in front of our Mansion. Another family helped out and took some of us and we did the same for them. We piled in the cars for the last time. Millie and Frank went to Downtown Disney to get in some last minute shopping. We were going to drop everyone off at the Studios and then take the cars back to the Dolphin. The exchange went fine. Janet, Patti and I took the launch over to the MGM. It was our first look at the Boardwalk Villas and they were very impressive. If I could ever get Steve and Barb Russo over to the house, perhaps they convince Janet of the value of buying into the Vacation Club. After seeing the Boardwalk Villas, I would be easily convinced to buy in either there or at the Beach Club. I like both locations. We met up with everyone at the Muppets. The sun was setting and we all moved over to the end of the New York Street to watch the Osborne Lights being ignited. I just wanted to watch Mark’s face when they powered on. He is the light man and he was impressed. There were big, big crowds tonight to stroll the street. The crowds were much larger than they were on Tuesday night. Of course it was easily 35 degrees warmer tonight than it was then too. Seeing the Osborne lights made this last trip worthwhile. We made our way out of the Studios and caught the bus back to Port Orleans Riverside for our last dinner. Dinner was as good as it had been on Wednesday night. The boys disappeared as they were done but the grown ups stuck around just to talk and reminisce. We got all the bags situated and the clothes for tomorrow all laid out. I was out by 11. Even for a last day, it had been another wonderful day in Walt Disney World. Saturday, November 26, 2005 – Home and a wrap! Ma, Pat and I got picked up at 3:20 and we actually made the 3:30 (ish) bus to the airport. I was amazed that the bus was full at that hour. No one on the bus looked either awake or happy. The bus stopped at the French Quarter and then Old Key West and soon we were pulling into Terminal B. We got through security with no problem. Ma and Pat’s flight was leaving from gate 55 and our flight was leaving from gate 58 so we weren’t far. Soon they boarded and were on their way. I went down to gate 58 to await the arrival of the Sombrero Brothers. Before too long Janet called to say that they were on the way but, of course, there were hitches. Somehow the note at the Bell desk that we had double-checked yesterday had disappeared and their pickup was not on the schedule. After some frantic phone calls, they were all taken care of but the entire Magical Express experience was a minor thumbs down. Major thumbs down until you actually got either to the desk at the airport on the way in or on the bus in Walt Disney World to go back to the airport. That part was fine. Everything else was not. I hope that it is a matter of getting the kinks worked out but, considering how long Magical Express has been operating, you would think that the edges would have been smoothed out by now. I only wish I could describe the next sight that awaited me. My youngest and oldest sons came strolling into the waiting area wearing their serapes and HUGE sombreros. They continued to wear them through each airport on the way home and turned heads all the way. What a couple of nuts we had! Soon we were on the plane and heading home. Everything went without incident and soon we were back in Albany. There was snow on the ground and it was lightly snowing when we got back so Frank and Millie decided to spend the night. My brother in law Chris and our friend Ann Marie Costello picked us up at the airport and we were soon back in our home. After a dinner of Chinese food, we all went to bed fairly early as it had been a long day. Reflections – While all of us were veteran Disneyites; having Heather with us and watching the light in her eyes as she experienced things that we, frankly, take for granted made the difference. Our accommodations turned out to be excellent. The location in Magnolia Bend was ideal. Seeing the parks all dressed up for the holidays was a real treat for us. We had been there at Easter time several times, but Christmas (I have chosen to eschew the more PC correct Holiday season and to reflect my age) is much more of a celebratory time. The first night we saw the Osborne lights (Tuesday), even the fake snow gave the illusion of being real when the temperature was in the 30’s. There are no trips on the planning boards right now. We have talked about 2007, but it is purely that, talk. We cannot get back to Walt Disney World soon enough but it would appear that we won’t be back soon. Until then, I will entertain myself reading of your experiences in this truly magical place. I was 23 the first time I was in Walt Disney World and I am now 56. What this trip confirmed for me was that I have not grown up yet. Certainly my life has changed immeasurably since then, but as long as I can continue to come here with my wonderful wife, my ever growing sons and the rest of my family, then the chances of growing up will stay the same. Walt Disney World does sprinkle pixie dust over you whether you realize it or not. People are kinder while they are there. People are more considerate while they are there. People are more human and humane while they are there. I wish we all could be there! Thanks for the time and I would love to hear from you if you have comments. Jim Pertierra
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