On schedule, Barb left for work just after 6:00 AM . I busied myself with some last minute packing, loaded the car and did a few household chores. I also checked the weather on line and re-confirmed that the week ahead looks warm (88-91 degrees) with a chance of thunderstorms each day, although the probability seems to decrease each day.

Barb got home around 12:00 . Our son, Stephen, would be between classes and graciously offered to drive us to the airport – and pick us up on the return trip. Stephen showed about 12:15 , wolfed down lunch, and got us to the airport by around 1:00 .

I had printed our ‘A’ boarding passes last night (a very nice feature when flying Southwest) so we just needed to check our luggage. There was no line at the automated kiosk so this process took all of 3 minutes. Getting through security was also pretty quick so, as expected, we had some time to kill. We hit the Coffee Beanery for lunch. We had done this on a trip several years ago and I remember commenting on the quality of their sandwiches. Unfortunately, things must have changed. The last time, I had a freshly prepared turkey sandwich on whole grain bread. This time it was pre-made in a plastic wrapper and had the consistency of, and tasted like, cardboard. Barb’s tuna salad was equally bad. The bread was actually crumbling and she wound up picking at it with a fork.

After that less than satisfying lunch, we headed to the gate to read and wait. True to form, there were people sitting on the floor in front of the A, B, C, and Pre-Board signs. The time passed quickly and we began boarding right around 2:50 – the flight was scheduled to depart at 3:10 . I understand there are only a couple of airports in the country that offer this (and surprisingly, Albany is one of them) but Southwest utilizes a dual gate. As you enter the jetway, there’s a fork and you can board from the front or the rear. It seems that 75% of people use the front so we headed to the rear. My trailblazing bride breezed up the aisle, dodging the occasional carry-on being loaded into the overhead, and snagged us the 2-seat row by the emergency exit. Ah, leg room.

We left a couple of minutes late and were treated to a symphony of several screaming children for a good part of the flight. The flight was also a bit turbulent, not terrible but noticeable, due to weather up and down the east coast.

As the pilot informed us we were about 100 miles out of Orlando , he also indicated we may need to circle. The airport had been closed earlier by a thunderstorm and, I imagine, traffic was a bit backed up. Unfortunately, we were circling within a cloud cover that just enhanced the turbulence and, apparently, at least one screaming child. It was a fun-filled 20 minutes.

We landed approximately 15-minutes late and, as we exited the plane, it was amusing to see the screaming child fast asleep on his Dad’s shoulder. I thought I saw several passengers attempt to pinch him awake on the way out. As I exited, I glanced into the cockpit and saw the pilot and co-pilot smiling and giving each other a congratulatory handshake. How scary was this landing? I’m glad I didn’t know.

We headed to baggage claim and met Carlos, our Quicksilver driver. Our bags were off quickly and Carlos had parked directly across from the doors so we were loaded quickly and on our way. I did see several ME buses parked at the curb.

I asked Carlos about the effect ME has had on companies like his. He estimated that most had lost 50-75% of their business – some more. Quicksilver had 11 drivers – they now have 3. He indicated that that was ‘good news’ because several other companies had gone belly-up. He also said the taxi drivers had staged a mini-strike two days earlier. Something I had not thought of was the effect on baggage handlers. Carlos indicated that many of his passengers had been upset with a shortage of Sky Caps at the airport and, in some cases, baggage handlers at the resorts. “Too many people are handling bags instead of dealing with customers.”

We made good time to the Boardwalk, opting not to make the grocery stop I had scheduled. With just the 2 of us, we figured we could buy what little we needed at the Screen Door General Store. We rolled our bags in and I checked in with Olga who was Earning Her Ears. Things went smoothly until I asked if we could somehow arrange to keep the same room for all 4 nights. She indicated that should not be a problem but would need to confirm with a manager. She left and returned a few minutes later indicating the manager was busy but she would check with him later. I asked if there were any problem, that they contact me and let me know. She assured me they would. Can you see it coming?

We took our own bags to room 3133 – up one floor from the lobby and a long, long walk. We were 3 rooms away from being the most distant from the lobby. Our view was the parking lot (behind some trees) to the left, a pond/lagoon in front and the waterway to MGM off to the right. We could see the Tower of Terror quite well.

We unpacked quickly and Barb noticed a problem with the bathroom door. On the inside, the handle had been jammed into the down position and would not operate the latch. If the door were closed, it could only be opened from the outside. I found it interesting that the previous guests either never closed the bathroom door or broke the handle on the way out. We made a quick call to maintenance and Barb changed into shorts before we headed out to Epcot.

A quick word on the weather… It seems that, at least in the Northeast, we’ve had a very warm summer. In the Albany area, we surpassed last year’s number of 90-degree days before the end of June. It also seems that summer has crept into autumn. September was absolutely balmy and we were still in the 70-80 degree range in October. In Albany , that was about to change as rain was predicted with a high for tomorrow of mid-50s - a bit more seasonable. The temperature in Orlando at 7:00 PM was 82 and the humidity was 94%. I had never visited in the summer before but I was about to experience it.

The Boardwalk ( Inn and Villas) was at capacity – and would be for the next 3 weeks according to a Front Desk CM. I’m not sure what the reason was for the crowds (probably the holiday weekend and F&W?) but they were here. As we began our walk to Epcot, I commented that I had never seen the Boardwalk so crowded. You needed to weave your way through the crowds to get through. We also encountered a line at the International Gateway (IG) – both at Security and at the turnstiles.

OK, here comes a rant. Our last trip was in January, shortly after the Magic Your Way (MYW) tickets debuted. At that time, I noticed no problems getting though the turnstiles. This trip? A completely different story. It seemed that 75% of the guests needed to insert their fingers multiple times, required CM assistance, or otherwise just had a problem with entry. Barb and I had no problems with our APs so I don’t think it’s the equipment but… It appeared to often take 20-30 seconds for a guest’s entry. If you’re behind 10 people that could be a 5-minute wait. I noticed this at every park. In my opinion, WDW needs to address this.

Finally through the turnstiles we began our walk as we normally do, clockwise around World Showcase (WS). Our plan was ‘dinner’ at the kiosks followed by Illuminations. We had talked about possibly getting fish & chips at Harry Ramsden’s but there was a line of about 30 people there so we decided the appropriate way to start would be with a cold beverage at the Rose & Crown (R&C). The place was mobbed (as was most of WS) and it took me 5-10 minutes to get near the bar where I ordered us two Stella Artois (after waiting while the guy next to me ordered and received ‘Four Jack and Diet Cokes’). We took the beer in plastic cups so we could carry them with us. By the way, I guess you know you’re at WDW when you shell out $14.91 for 2 draft beers and it doesn’t ruin your evening.

We sipped as we walked and made the Poland booth our first stop for Kielbasa and Pierogies, which we took to a bench by the Off Kilter stage. Both were very good but the Kielbasa serving (3 small slices) could have been a bit larger.

We wandered a bit more and hit the Cocina de Tortilla ( Spain ) booth and each had a chicken and peach salsa wrap – very tasty. Further on we stopped at the Singapore booth where I had a Spring Roll which I offered to share, but Barb declined.

We continued walking, discussing various spots where we could stop and view Illuminations. For me, it was a bit too early to set up camp although the park was very crowded and a lot of prime areas were already 2-deep. I know this is an upcoming Holiday weekend but I was surprised at the crowds and also the number of school-age children around. It’s not something I’m used to on our typical January trips.

A bit further and I stopped for a Sam Adams Black Lager. I sipped while we listened to the last strains of the Edgar Winter Group from the American Pavilion. This is our 3 rd trip during the F&W Festival and I can never seem to time it to be here while there’s a group I like playing. The price I pay for such a discerning musical taste.

We walked back toward China and took a seat on a bench away from the lagoon. Illuminations began and we actually had a very good view. It was possibly the closest we’ve been to the globe. I had read recently that there was an accident with an airborne launcher on the propane barge and it was taken out of service until the problem was diagnosed and corrected. Sure enough, there were no flames during the show – but I’m not sure I really missed them. I always enjoy Illuminations and this was no exception.

I should mention that it was still very hot and humid. It was that very uncomfortable humidity that caused everything to feel damp and clammy. A short stroll of 100 yards would have you perspiring.

When the fireworks ended, we strolled slowly around – just chatting and listening to the music – and exited through the IG. We made a stop at the Boardwalk Bakery and picked up 2 banana nut muffins for tomorrow’s breakfast. From there, we hit the Screen Door for bagels, coffee creamer, butter and beer (sounds like my normal diet).

During our last 2 visits, I’ve seen a DVC Member jacket that I was committed to buying this trip. Unfortunately, it had been replaced with a similar jacket with a hood – one I did not like. Further proof that when you see something you like, buy it. Chances are it won’t be there on your next visit.

The Boardwalk was still very crowded. The ESPN Club still had a significant line out the door. We headed back to the room and found a maintenance CM finishing installation of a new door latch for the bathroom. He demonstrated it to me to convince me it was new (I guess). I took a beer out to the balcony and listened to ESPN on the TV. The Red Sox had lost and were eliminated (no tears here). Unfortunately, the Yankees also wound up losing. After having trailed 0-5 and been ahead 6-5, they lost 11-7. Off to bed.

Things I Think I Think – I think I enjoy having the extra legroom of the exit row. I think I can handle 90-degree heat fairly well but not when it’s coupled with 90+% humidity – I’m pretty sure my ears were sweating and that’s not happened before. I think it’s going to be very crowded for this trip – not summer/Xmas crowded, but crowded. I think I could end every day of my life by viewing Illuminations.

Day 2...

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