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November 29, 2003 – Day One
Last night I set the alarm for 4:30 and woke up promptly at 3:15.
I have one of those hi-tech alarm clocks that allows multiple alarm
settings, will wake you to a buzz, music, South American waterfalls,
etc. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it actually go off.
We get ourselves caffeined, showered and dressed. I loaded my car
last night so we just need to load up the carry-ons and my camera
bag. Earlier this year, my 27 year-old Minolta SRT-102 finally went
belly up. I hemmed and hawed over purchasing a digital but eventually
opted for a Maxuum 5 – I’m still partial to film. Anyway,
the SRT-102 was like an old friend. I knew exactly what I could
do with it and how to do it. I’ve shot so much with it that
everything was instinctive. The Maxuum is a much different animal.
Totally automatic with the ability to program overrides that will,
hopefully, allow me to take some of the risks for those special
shots. Unfortunately, the manual reads like an un-translated Japanese
origami guide. I’ve shot about 6 rolls so far with mostly
good results but I’m still learning. My goal on this trip
is to capture some special photos of the main park icons to use
in a display planned for my soon-to-be implemented Disney-themed
office. We’ll see.
Daughter Stephanie drives us to the airport and we give hugs and
say goodbye. It’s about 40 degrees and breezy. The forecast
is calling for a drop in temperature, some precipitation and very
high winds (gusts to 40-50 mph). It should be a fun time today in
this area. We hit the Southwest desk and, after a 15-minute wait,
we check our 2 bags and receive ‘B’ boarding passes.
It takes about 5 minutes to get through security and we make our
way to the gate – after Barb stops for coffee, of course.
Now it’s 6:40 AM and the flight leaves at 8:10. There are
around 20-30 people camped out on the floor at the front of the
A and B boarding lines. 90 minutes before the flight. This never
ceases to amaze me. Can anyone explain the rationale?
The flight goes off on schedule. I think you realize you’ve
got a bad Disney-jones when the reading materials you bring for
the flight are trip reports. There’s some mild turbulence
along the way but we land in Orlando just about on schedule. One
of our flight attendants is particularly, er… flamboyant.
At touchdown he announces over the PA, “aiight, we’re
here”. As we’re pulling up to the gate, he asks everyone
on the left side of the plane to press their faces to the window
so the folks at Delta can see what a full flight looks like. The
pilot announces that it’s 54 degrees – a full 14 degrees
warmer than Albany. Woo Hoo!
We tram to the terminal and are greeted by our Tiffany Driver,
Bel. I tell him he can go for the car while I retrieve the luggage
– usually a time saver. He decides to wait saying he “parked
close”. Our luggage comes off quickly, he grabs both bags
and leads us downstairs and outside to the curb. He then darts across
the street and retrieves the car that is parked, illegally I’m
sure, in an area outside the garage. He’s back in 30 seconds
and we’re on our way.
In 20 minutes, we’re checking in at the Courtyard by Marriott,
across from Downtown Disney. Our King room won’t be ready
until 4:00 but there are rooms with 2 double beds available now.
I check with Barb and she agrees we can do the ‘Rob and Laura
Petrie thing’ for one night (any child of the 60s should get
that reference). I ask for a room that’s as high as possible
hoping for a fireworks view.
We head up and do some minimal unpacking – we attempted to
keep the bathroom stuff and a change of clothing in a single suitcase
for this 1 night of ‘off-site’. The room is reasonable
but nothing fancy – 2 double beds, table with 2 chairs, etc.
I notice it doesn’t have the desk that is offered in most
Courtyard rooms. I step on the balcony and discover we have a lovely
view of… I4. Yessir, a gorgeous view of the never-ending stream
of 2-way traffic accompanied by all those sounds we’ve come
to know and love. I’m already questioning this decision.
After freshening up, it’s time for a resort tour so out
we go. We begin to walk to Downtown Disney when I realize it’s
colder than I thought. I’m wearing a golf shirt with a pullover
rain slicker. It’s between 55-60 and very breezy so I hoof
it back upstairs for another jacket. We head off to find our way
to Downtown Disney. We’re looking to start the tour at the
Wilderness Lodge (WL) so we make our way to the Marketplace bus
stops and, as I’m reading the signs to select our stop, the
WL bus pulls up in front of me (this would be a recurring theme).
We board and make our way to the WL.
Previously, I’ve only seen the WL from outside. I am impressed
with the lobby. I can see the similarities, which others have discussed,
with the Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby. The Xmas decorations are fantastic;
particularly the large tree that is the focal point. We wandered
around, shooting pictures of the decorations, pool area, waterfall,
geyser, etc. We checked out the restaurants and menus. Satisfied
with our mini-tour we head to the docks where there are two waiting
boats. We opt for the boat to the Magic Kingdom.
We spend a few minutes viewing some of the 75 Mickeys displayed
around the front. Some are well done. Others, like Rosie O’Donnell’s,
are … well, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We hop the Resort Monorail and exit at the Contemporary. I know
some folks love this resort and it’s certainly convenient
to the Magic Kingdom but I find it a bit sterile – almost
austere. Just not my taste. We attempt to get up to the California
Grill (CG) to check out the view. The elevator button for 15 does
not light and, I assume, only operates when the restaurant is open.
We exit at 14 and I ask a passing maintenance CM if there’s
any way to get to the 15th floor. He suggests asking at the Front
Desk. I quickly pull out my personal WDW tip sheet; garnered from
RADP and other TRs, indexed and printed out in a handy size that
fits neatly in a camera bag pocket (did I mention I’m somewhat
anal?). Somewhere I remember reading about a ‘secret’
path to the observation deck using the 11th floor.
We elevator to 11, take a right and a left, and go through the
exit door (Mission Impossible theme music here) – after carefully
checking that no one was watching. Outside, we go up 3 flights to
the Observation Deck outside the CG. OK, we started on 11, went
up 3 flights which should put us on 14 not 15. Is the Contemporary
one of those hotels without a 13th floor? I didn’t notice.
The view is spectacular and I agree with some previous comments
that the Magic Kingdom looks a lot smaller from here. Of course,
I also think everything looks smaller from any high rise so…
I shoot several pictures in all directions. We make our way down
to 11, stopping at each floor to try the door – locked. Is
it only the 11th that’s open?
We hop the next monorail to the TTC, which is teeming with people
making their way to the Magic Kingdom, and stay on to the Polynesian.
Again, this is a first for us. The lobby is nicely decorated but
much more subdued than the WL. We venture outside to the pool and
beach. I shoot pictures while Barb tries a swing and a hammock.
Back inside, we decide it’s finally time to wash off the dust
of the trip so we grab a seat in the Tambu Lounge for a coupla brews
– Bud Light for Barb and a Sam Adams for me. We sip, chat
with the bartender and watch a little college football. I think
here is where it finally settled in that we’re at WDW and
on vacation.
We settle the bill and catch the next monorail to the Grand Floridian.
We have toured this resort previously, although we have not stayed
here. As you enter the lobby, you’re greeted by a fantastic
view – decorated trees, wreaths, chandeliers, etc. Beautiful.
We took the stairs down to the first level and checked out the gingerbread
house (I resisted the urge to eat a shingle or two) and take some
photographs. My last time here, I was amused at the number of folks
(seniors mostly) dozing on the sofas and easy chairs. It has kind
of a surreal effect. This was no exception as there were 6-8 people
spread out through the lobby - sleeping.
We wandered out to the bus stop, pausing to take my picture with
one of the vintage automobiles out front. There was a waiting bus
to Downtown Disney so off we went. I don’t think I’ve
ever spent a day like this when every mode of transportation was
so available.
It was getting close to 3:00 and, other than the bagels we carried
on the plane, we hadn’t eaten yet. We decide on the Rainforest
Café (RFC). As I walk up to the counter, the man in front
of me is given a slip of paper and told to return at 4:00. I ask
for a table for 2 and we’re immediately brought into the Elephant
Room. Our waitress, Stacy, delivers the menus and takes our drink
order – ice tea for me and coffee for Barb. I notice Stacy
is wearing a pin that says something like ‘Ask me how to save
10%’, so I ask. She goes into a long spiel about paying $15.95,
getting a free appetizer, discounts in the gift shop, first born
males… I stop her and ask if they accept the DVC card, which
I’m pretty sure they do. They do and we get our 10% that way.
Barb orders the Turkey Wrap with Caesar dressing and I opt for
the Blue Mountain Chicken Breast. Tracy takes our order and my DVC
card and disappears. Our food is delivered by another waiter. We
nosh through several thunderstorms and God-knows-how-many “Volcano”
servings. If you’ve never been, a Volcano is a dessert that
is very large, consists of a brownie (or brownies), ice cream, syrup,
etc. Every time one is served, a waitperson walks it through the
restaurant yelling “Volcanoooo”. Every other waitperson,
upon hearing this, is obligated to repeat “Volcanoooo”.
It’s cute the first 2 or 3 times it’s done. After the
5th one, not so much.
Food’s eaten, drinks are drunk. No Stacy. We sit. We sit some
more. Finally, Stacy shows and apologizes and offers to take our
dessert order. I’m tempted to yell “Volcanoooo”,
but resist. We get our check and, after discount, it comes to just
over $30 before tip.
We make the walk back to the Courtyard. There is a crosswalk at
the intersection where you cross from the Marketplace area to the
Downtown Disney hotel side. It’s very wide with lots of travel
and turn lanes but it’s also well lighted (stop lights, turn
signals, pedestrian signals). We got our ‘Walk’ signal,
complete with the 45-second countdown timer, and began across –
as did a group coming from the other side. This other group was
almost run down by two cars (yes, two) that moved through the red-light
signal as if it were barely a caution. I’m wondering how many
pedestrians are killed here each week?
We chill in our room for a bit. We call home and are informed
that it was very cold, snowing, and 45 mph winds. It’s a bit
cool here but I’ll take it.
Around 6:00 we decide to head back to the Marketplace. It’s
very crowded. We stroll through taking in the Xmas music, all the
decorations, and the many window displays. It’s just chilly
enough to get that Xmas feel.
We’re browsing the stores but not buying anything –
that’s for later in the week. We come upon a small shop where
you can buy things for pets. They have a red bandana with the inscription
‘My human went to Disney World and all I got was this lousy
bandana’. We decide we’ll buy that later for our dog,
Gunnar. Barb was looking at a set of Mouse Ears that fit on the
dog’s head but, if you knew Gunnar, these would be impossible
to put on and/or he’d eat them.
We stroll through the Marketplace and decide to head through Pleasure
Island (PI) to the West End. Unfortunately, PI is blocked off. Is
this new? You used to be able to walk through until 7:00. I notice
signs indicating they’re offering a ‘Sneak Preview’
of PI from 7-9 PM (no clubs included) so maybe that’s the
reason. We backtrack and take the path to the West End. We’re
looking for a couple of coffees to cut the nighttime chill –
preferably decafs. Can’t find any. We finally settle for the
cart outside Wetzel’s Pretzels and get a decaf mocha (Barb)
and decaf latte (me). These take about 5 minutes to prepare and
it comes to $8 plus – a stiff price when all we wanted was
a Styrofoam cup-o-joe. Barb’s mocha is better.
We sip and stroll back through the Marketplace. We stop quickly
at Ghiradelli’s for a free sample. The Marketplace is packed
and there are a ton of not-so-happy children (read screaming). Parents,
get a clue. It’s late. It’s cold. You’ve been
on the go all day. Your child’s banshee screams are their
way of communicating to you that they are not happy.
It’s time to head back to the Courtyard and take advantage
of our free drink coupon. We have a cocktail at the lobby bar, which
Barb accompanies with a complimentary decaf coffee (sheesh). It’s
off to the room to rest up for our first Disney day.
Our first 2 trips (1984 and 1990) were spent off site. I know
there are tons of people that prefer to do this for lots of reasons
– primarily financial. I have to say that I really do not
feel that I’m truly at WDW in this hotel. Maybe it’s
me, maybe it’s the Courtyard, but it just seems to be missing
something.
One last thing before I turn in. We’ve always wondered exactly
how much walking we do at WDW. For this trip, I decided to wear
a pedometer each day. Now, it’s not a high tech laser guided,
plutonium calibrated, kryptonite driven model, so it probably has
a margin of error. At least it should be close.
Musings and Observations- I’ve stayed on-site for 14 trips
since 1992 and will probably never stay off-site again. It’s
a personal preference but it’s mine. It’s damned hard
to find a simple cup of decaf at the West End.
Miles Walked Today – 8.1
Day 2...
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