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Day One – Saturday, January 8, 2005 – Turtles,
Jets and broken toilets
The alarms were set for 4:00 AM but, true to form, we were awake
at 3:30. We proceeded to get showered, dressed and caffeined. Stephanie
showed at about 5:25 and Michelle and Will were there about 5 minutes
later.
I was still worried about Northeast Shuttle but they showed 10
minutes early at 5:50. We loaded up the large van and had an uneventful
trip to the airport. I paid the driver and gave 50% of the tip in
the event we had a different driver on the return. He gave me a
business card and wrote his name and cell number on the back –
I was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with these guys.
We went in to the airport and immediately saw a line of about 50-60
people at the USAirways counter. Barb and Will headed for the end
of the line and we called them back to use the automated kiosks.
I had never used these before but Stephanie has. We had to wait
for one group ahead of us and then I swiped my credit card and…
no luck. I entered my name and flight and it mercifully found the
reservation (I had a single reservation for the 6 of us which simplified
things immensely). I had printed out our boarding passes the day
before so I just needed to confirm the travelers and enter the number
of bags we’d be checking (6). A USAirways employee was behind
the counter and he ticketed our bags, verified our IDs and we were
on our way. Total elapsed time: about 5 minutes. I’m now a
big fan of kiosks.
We rode the escalator upstairs and were greeted with the longest
line at Security that I had ever seen. It stretched from the security
tables, back through the queue, and across the bridge to the parking
garage where it bent and circled all the way back to the terminal.
I was thankful that: 1. the line was moving; and 2. we were early.
In about 25 minutes, we were approaching the x-ray machines. There
was a mother and daughter (about 3 years old) in front of me. As
she was one group away from the belt, she began pleading that she
had a 7:00 flight. I glanced at my watch and it was 6:57. Unfortunately,
the mom and daughter beeped as they went through and had to remove
their shoes and go through again. This little girl did NOT want
her boots off and she put up an admirable fight. I don’t know
if they ever made their flight.
We found some chairs by the gate and chilled. The flight was overbooked
(it is, after all, USAirways) and they were looking for volunteers
to be bumped to a later flight. They were offering a free ticket
but I had my doubts if USAirways would be in business long enough
for someone to take advantage of it.
Once we boarded, I was reminded of one of the reasons I don’t
like flying USAirways. My last several trips have been with Southwest.
Southwest’s seats offer about 3-4 inches between my knees
and the seat in front of me. USAirways must squeeze 1 or 2 more
rows in their seating configuration because my knees are always
wedged against the seat. And, naturally, the person in front of
me ALWAYS reclines their seatback for the entire flight.
The flight left 20 minutes late (it is, after all, USAirways).
We had some rough flying for the first 3rd of the trip. There was
a lot of nasty stuff (thunderstorms, tornados) up and down the east
coast yesterday. I suspected this was the culprit. It smoothed out
some once we got south of Virginia and was relatively uneventful
– as I prefer my flights to be. I did spend some time questioning
my decision to get a minivan after seeing the 6 overstuffed suitcases
and the myriad carry-ons. Will it all fit?
We landed a bit late, hit the monorail to the main terminal and
waited about 10 minutes for all the bags. After the USAirways luggage
fiasco over the holidays, I was just thankful the bags showed up.
We headed downstairs and toward the National counter – then
across to the parking garage. We searched the lot and I found rows
for Intermediates, Luxury, Specialty, Compact… but no minivans.
I finally found an employee who told me the row of minivans were
in the next aisle – labeled ‘Alamo’. Thanks but
they could have let us know or offered a sign informing us.
We saw a Montana and a Dodge Grand Caravan (brand new with 18 miles
on it) side-by-side and decided on the Dodge. After several false
starts, we finally figured out that the best way to load the luggage
would be to lay it flat in the back (the largest one just fit this
way) and stack the suitcases. After a few minutes, we had the van
loaded but there was precious little room left. We had intended
to make a grocery stop on the way and I said it may be better to
do it after check in. The group overruled me saying we could make
it fit. I was skeptical.
I got us to the Publix, by the Premium Outlets, on International
Drive. We spent about 20-minutes filling 2 carts with way too much
stuff – breakfast cereal, bananas, apples, juice, milk, soda,
beer, bagels, chips, pretzels, bottled water (a 3-gallon jug), cheese
(more on the cheese later), etc. I had serious doubts if this would
fit and was mentally deciding which one of my children I could leave
behind. Maybe Will – after all, he’s not a blood relative.
Somehow, we got it all in the van and made the quick trip to the
Boardwalk. I should mention that, as we left the Publix lot, I began
to turn the wrong way. I mention this because my family really enjoys
it when I make a mistake – which, obviously, I rarely do.
This is my first one for 2005 and, actually, it was technically
not a mistake because I corrected before actually making the wrong
turn. Take that.
As we passed through the arch and first saw the purple road signs,
I had Will (my co-pilot) begin shooting video. We pulled in front
of the Boardwalk and one of the bellmen popped over and asked “Do
you need a cart?” Uh, I think we may need three.
This guy was stubborn and had a bit of McGyver in him because he
patiently loaded all our stuff (27 bags including the groceries)
on to a single cart. I was so impressed I videotaped it. While I
was watching this artist work, Barb went inside to check us in.
Once inside, I noticed that the Christmas trees and decorated garland
were still there but the display made from chocolate was missing.
(During the week, we noticed Xmas decorations everywhere and watched
as much of it came down).I joined Barb at the desk and got a “Welcome
home” – I never tire of that. The CM asked for all of
our names – he personalized each room card. This seems like
a change because in the past they all had either my name or Barb’s.
He also told us our room was ready. I do the happy dance.
Once I got the room numbers (our 2-BR villa was 4073 and 4075 –
right next door to the 2-BR we had in 2001) I gave them, with our
luggage claim check to Bell Services. They said they’d meet
us there.
We found the room and, in about 10 minutes, the luggage showed
up. The CM got the cart to the door but it would go no farther.
He told me that when he found it in the luggage room, they had just
finished unloading it (all 27 bags). He loaded it all on to a new
cart and got it to the elevator when he realized the cart had a
flat tire. Thank God we were only a short walk from the elevator.
He got a little extra tip for his tribulations.
Before we left, I had purchased several of the new ‘TSA Approved’
luggage locks. They each have a number on them and the idea is that,
from the number, Security can open the lock without destroying it.
One of our bags had a broken zipper end thanks to TSA snipping off
the last lock, so I had threaded a sturdy key ring through it, and
used the TSA locks on both bags. Sure enough, on that bag, the key
ring and TSA lock were gone. There was a note inside the bag that
it had been ‘checked’, but no evidence of the lock.
Sheesh!
We unpacked quickly, changed into shorts (it was sunny and 80)
and headed to the ESPN Club for a late lunch. Lunch was a mix of
sandwiches (The Dinger is Stephen’s favorite) and sodas/water
– and a couple of Sam Adams for me.
After ESPN we headed into Epcot, via the International Gateway
(IG). Michelle, Stephanie and Will had the new Magic Your Way (MYW)
tickets and there were signs at each turnstile instructing guests
on how to use them: 1. Insert your ticket; 2. Insert your fingers;
and 3. Take your ticket and enter the park. I wondered if they really
needed to include Step 3.
We walked by the UK and Canada and into Future World (FW). Our
first stop was Test Track (TT), which had a 40-minute wait. We picked
up FastPasses (FP) for 5:00-6:00 and headed for the Living Seas.
We don’t visit the Living Seas every trip and it certainly
has changed over the years. Now, after passing through the queue,
you are held in the circular room. Once there’s a big enough
crowd, they instruct you to head to the right for the film or the
left for the Hydrolaters. Why hold people here at all? It makes
little sense.
We headed toward the Hydrolaters and endured the ‘descent’.
IMO, this made sense when it was part of the show’s sequence
– the film, the ride-through, the Hydrolaters, the aquariums,
etc. Now, it’s just a nuisance.
We wandered around and spent some time with the newer Finding Nemo
exhibit. The jellyfish tank is new and very interesting. We then
found the ‘Turtle Talk’ room and waited about 5-minutes
for that. It was nicely done and is definitely worth a stop –
especially if you have young children. Crush is a very entertaining
dude – er, guy – er, turtle.
We then went to Mission: Space (M:S) which had a 20-minute standby.
The kids rode. Barb and I felt a bit too full from lunch to risk
it so we found a bench and a bottle of very cold water. The kids
were off the ride in about 15-minutes. Only Stephen had ridden before
and they all liked it a lot.
The FP window was open for TT so we entered and were in the pre-show
in about 3 minutes. We all rode in the same car. We had it up to
64.8 mph on the outdoor run. Has anyone ever topped 65? After TT,
we walked over to Imagination and entered the pre-show for Honey,
I Shrunk the Audience (HISTA). The pre-show was, mercifully, almost
over. I’m lobbying to bring back True Colors. We all enjoyed
HISTA, as we always do.
Fatigue was starting to set in, so we strolled back to World Showcase
(WS) through the Lights of Winter (that is the name for those arches,
isn’t it?). I was surprised it was still up and, as I found
out later in the week, it wouldn’t be up for long.
We walked back to the BW and to our room. Barb and Steph headed
to the quiet pool for a swim and a Jacuzzi while Stephen and I settled
in to watch our Jets take on the Chargers in a Playoff game. Just
before game time, Michelle and Will indicated they were heading
to Epcot to catch Illuminations – Reflections of Earth (IROE).
Before they left, one of them had used the bathroom and informed
me that there was a problem with the toilet – it flushed but
the tank was not refilling. I fiddled with it a bit and speculated
it was a faulty fill-valve so I called Maintenance.
The Jets game was an exciting one. They actually had the game won
twice before finally sealing it with an overtime field goal for
a 20-17 win. At several points during the game, I heard noise coming
from the second bedroom and went over to find a female CM working
on the toilet. She did need to replace the fill valve.
Unfortunately, the game took forever, finally ending at 12:30.
Stephen, Steph and I lasted to the bitter end – true fans.
Our day began at 3:30 AM Saturday and ended at about 1:00 AM, Sunday.
A very long day. We retired for some much-needed sleep.
Things I Think I Think – I think Northeast Shuttle provides
very good service – so far. I think USAirways planes are uncomfortable
if you’re over 6’ tall. I haven’t rented a car
in 5-6 trips (since 2000) but, as long as the rates are competitive
with Tiffany, I think I like the flexibility. I think I never tire
of hearing “Welcome home”. I think Crush is way cool,
dudes. I think the Jets are still in it. I always seem to have a
problem with Boardwalk toilets.
Day 2...
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