Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--The Report

[Aerobics]

Howdy-ho, Adventurers! It's so wonderful to "see" all of you again! We are about to embark on an exciting adventure, as seen through the eyes of yours truly, Nate (Aerobics). Most of you probably know me from my last excursion to Walt Disney World in September 2000, chronicled in the (now apparently infamous) NASTEE Report (http://www.passporter.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=000026). Motivated not only by popular demand, but also by my own desire to share with you my wacky experiences (and resulting warped outlook on WDW), I present to you:

Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew!!!

First, a little background on how this trip was even begotten. As you might recall, last November, I left my partner of 4.5 years, Spencer--it was probably one of the most difficult (and consequently monumental) decisions in my 25 years of existence. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2000 were exceedingly difficult for me; however, throughout the hard times, Joanne (Cruella) and Tim (WildForWD) warmly accepted me as their long-lost "cyber son". The bond we had formed after having met last September at the PassPorter Gathering (also chronicled in the NASTEE) was strengthened and solidified as we began to see more of each other online at the weekly PassPorter trivia games (which still continue to be a blast--mucho thanks and extra snaps for Brant (Jose Carioca) for consistently hosting such a fantastic "escape" for the rest of us!).

When word of a possible PassPorter gathering in December 2001 began to circulate among the moderators, I already knew that I would be going. I had always wanted to see WDW during the holidays--having the opportunity to add the wonderful experience of fellowship with fellow PassPorter Adventurers only intensified my interest. Not long after, Cruella and Tim approached me about possibly vacationing together--I was absolutely tickled! Realizing that it might get awfully lonely staying solo in my own Princess' suite ( :D ) at the Grand Floridian, I immediately accepted.

The rest, as some might say, is history...

Disclaimer--Having been tasked with writing the trip report, I must confess that I have not been given carte-blanche as far as details and story-telling are concerned. Au contraire, Cruella will always be a few steps behind me, basically contradicting and refuting any potentially damaging information that I might share with you. :D But, in all seriousness, keep your eyes open for some clarifications and "add-ons" from Cruella, as there will be times in the report where it will be nice to get another viewpoint on events (such as the now infamous "Just one more time" episode on Kali River Rapids. :eek: )

November 30, 2001--My Journey: I Think I'll Pass On Pittsburgh, Thanks!

I truly believe that there is an inverse relationship between how much time is left before you head to the airport and the number of stupid tasks that are requested and/or required of you at the office. Knowing that I needed to be out of the office by 4:00 p.m., I was not the least bit surprised when, at 2:30 p.m., a colleague shows up in my cube requesting my assistance in completing a project due to a client by 5:00 p.m. that evening (as if the dumb client will do anything with a report on a Friday night! :rolleyes: ).

2 hours later (and quite possibly accompanied by a few gray hairs), I caught the Blue line Metro and was on my merry :D way to Reagan National Airport. Not having flown since 09.11.2001, I was not sure what, if any, extra searches of my luggage and/or person would be necessary. After waiting in line for about 45 minutes, I was off to the main security checkpoint. As I walked through the metal detector, I listened closely, but heard no beeps, boops, or blings, so I continued on to pick up my belongings.

The man in front of me had been stopped to be "wanded"--figuring that the same would be required of me, I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, the man in front of me was finished; however, the employee in charge of wanding either didn't notice me or didn't seem to care, so I politely asked if I needed to be scanned.

His reply: "Do you want me to?" This response caught me off guard, so I retorted with, "Umm, no, I just would rather not get shot by that National Guardsman over there for evasion of security," and walked off. As I passed by aforementioned Mr. Guardsman (that's Mr. Guardsman, sir! to you!), he informed me that, unless they specifically stop you, you can just keep walking.

Although the urge was incredibly great, thinking twice and deciding it not too prudent to offer that if he ever wanted to scan me with a wand, I'd be more than happy to oblige, I thanked him and headed off to my gate. Ladies, what is it about a man in a beret, huh? I think Mr. Wonka named a chocolate bar after the National Guardsmen--Scrumdiddlyumptious!!! (Note--I plan on interspersing throughout this report all sorts of "banter" like that in the previous few sentences. I make no apologies for my repartee, but would like to stress that I approach these reports completely tongue-in-cheek, and I hope that you will be able to see the levity in my prose. In other words, don't take me too seriously, ok?)

Comfortably settled in window seat 8A of US Airways Flight #153 to Pittsburgh, PA (yes, you read that correctly), I pulled out everyone's favorite book for light reading, The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities. Actually, I brought down one of my books for my next actuarial exam (date of impact: 05.10.2002) with the hopes that I would occasionally peek at it during the "down time". (Ha! I have yet to experience "down time" while staying at WDW!)

About 15 minutes after takeoff, I faintly heard the following words, "Coke, Diet Coke, or Sprite?" As the minutes ticked on, the voice got closer and closer (much akin to a very slowly approaching fire engine). After declining a soda and expressing to my neighbor in Seat 8B slight disappointment over the absence of good ol' H2O as a choice, I wondered aloud if that flight attendant ever got sick of repeating those same 5 words (and does she ever accidentally order all 3 beverages for herself while in line, say, at McDonalds? :D ).

As we approached the glorious land of Pittsburgh, my neighbor shared with me about her brother-in-law, who is also an actuary (it truly is a small world after all, since there are only like 20,000 of us in the entire world). She seemed perplexed that I should be flying to Pittsburgh on my way to Orlando.

"Honey, that makes 2 of us!" was my response. :D Since the terrible attacks on America disrupted the flight schedules of many airlines based in DC (at Reagan), my original non-stop to Orlando had been modified to this itinerary. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but it was a little bit cumbersome--but, I got there nonetheless, and safely, and, quite honestly, that's all that really matters.

Since I had about 90 minutes to kill while in Pittsburgh, I perused some of the stores, including everybody's favorite foo-foo shop, Bath & Body Works. For this trip, I had originally set my heart on Fresh Waterfall Mist, but since the Bath & Body Works near me had no more of the body splash, I had to settle for Sparkling Mountain Springs, which is really very nice. Well, wouldn't you know it? This B&BW had like 9 bazillion bottles of Fresh Waterfall Mist body splash...ahhh, c'est la vie. As if it's THAT big of a deal!

Feeling a bit peckish, I decided to stop in at O'Brien's Grille & Pub for a bite to eat. The hostess seated me in a booth big enough for 8 people; she must not have realized I was joking when I asked her if she had anything bigger because she flatly looked me and snottily replied, "Ummm...NO!" (And, honey, if you're out there, I know you may not think it's that big of a deal cuz you work in an airport and all, but you might want to consider investing in a toothbrush, k? K! :D )

My waitress, on the other hand, was an absolute dear and expressed even a bit of her own disappointment when she told me that they didn't serve cider (in a pub?!? What's up with that?). I settled for a grilled chicken and spinach salad. Now, I may be wrong, but that spinach was probably fresh at some point in time (circa 1963). And, let's discern what does and does not constitute "crumbled bacon", ok? But, hey, it was relatively cheap and really not that bad.

30 minutes later, I was sitting in aisle seat 15D of US Airways Flight #1179. Not surprisingly, there were quite a number of families (some rather extended) since this flight was indeed headed for Orlando. On this flight, I opted for crossword puzzles instead of my actuarial textbook--it was a really tough decision! (Yeah, right!) :D

I'm not positive, but I think that every flight has to have at least one person who cannot possibly remain seated for more than 18.7 seconds. As soon as the Fasten Seat Belts sign was turned off, this guy was just up and about, walking here and there and everywhere inbetween. His favorite place to stand was about 0.73 feet in front of me, such that his rear end was in my direct line of sight (quite frankly, it was about the only thing one could see from my vantage point)). Now, I've had situations where having one's buns in my view was actually something about which I would have no need to complain (and yes, that is foreshadowing ;) )--this was not one of those situations, however.

Eventually, the flight attendants came through with their snack trays (but only after asking Mr. Booty-In-My-Face 3 times to sit down); tonight's selection included approximately 3-4 ounces of your favorite bevvy along with a snack entitled "Sky Mix". They really should've called it "Salt Mix", as I think it was 2% pretzels, 1% Cheez-Its, and 97% salt. Not being one to ration my water well, I was pretty close to understanding how the contestants on Survivor must feel in the first few days when they don't have any fire with which to boil their drinking water.

To pass the time, I chatted with the couple next to me, who were on their way to a week on the Disney Cruise line. (Oh, my envy must have been so apparent! :o ) They were rather well versed in the ways of WDW, and the gentleman in the couple even ventured to Mouse Planet (http://www.mouseplanet.com) from time to time. After a quick demo of my PassPorter, we got to talking about how sometimes it's better NOT to know all the ins and outs of an attraction (yet more foreshadowing), as the experience of an attraction in and of itself is a pretty darn enjoyable event.

We were interrupted by a flight attendant on the loudspeaker, who inquired, "Does anybody have change for a $100 bill?" This struck us as incredibly hysterical, as I could just see some poor sap, wishing he were in First Class, ordering a Bloody Mary and loudly announcing to the rest of us "hoodlums" in Coach, "Oh, the smallest bill I have is a $100"--Whatever! :rolleyes:

As the flight continued, the heating/air conditioning system began to rear its schizophrenic side(s). One minute, we were like Chilly Willy (the penguin), folding our arms across our chests to conserve body heat; the next minute, we were panting and sweating, begging for any sort of circulation that they could provide.

We finally landed around 11:15 p.m., and the excitement level within me spiked dramatically. Up until that point, it hadn't been "real enough" for me to actually grasp, but realizing that I was finally in Orlando, my heart rate accelerated as I exited the plane. All of the gates, in fact, the entire airport seemed virtually empty, but I still paused long enough to peek through the windows of the Disney Store in the main terminal (which was obviously closed by this time).

As I waited for my luggage, I placed a call into Tim, who had arrived a few hours earlier with the rest of the Cru Crew and was already resting at the resort. After I completed my call, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something sparkly and pink--answering the call of my inner diva, I simply had to investigate. The source of the sparkly pinkness were 2 Mickey-shaped antenna balls attached to springs which were, in turn, attached to a headband--the owner of said headband was a middle aged woman wearing a 100 Years of Magic pin (a pin I would learn more about later in the week) and a big grin.

She was very flattered when I asked if I could take her picture; she even pretended to pose dramatically for me, as I encouraged her to "Work it!" and "Own it!" (much to the shock of a woman nearby :D ). That experience helped in my transformation from the hectic city to the fantasy-world utopia that awaited me.

A few minutes later, luggage in hand (and arms, and shoulders, etc.), I headed out to wait for Tim. I watched a minivan slowly meander past which contained 3 guys, all scrutinizingly staring out of the vehicle in an attempt to locate yours truly. After a hug from Tim and an introduction to his two sons, David (Grumpy) and Andrew (Goofy), we were on our way.

Tim and I caught up on life and chatted about our respective trips; I also chatted it up with David and Andrew as we asked each other questions about favorite parks, attractions, restaurants, etc. In a seemingly incredibly short amount of time, we had arrived at the Hawthorn Suites, an off-property hotel in which we were staying for the first 4 nights of our trip, since we weren't planning on fully attacking the parks until Tuesday, 12.04.2001.

Announcing my arrival, I walked in to find Cruella and Joan (Cruella's Mom) watching TV--many hugs were administered all around and a wave of relief washed over me. After enduring so much heartache and tragedy this year, not only in our personal lives, but also as a nation and a world, it was amazingly evident how much life really means to me and how thankful and incredibly fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends in this world.

We spent the next 30 minutes or so catching up, but it was obvious that we were all rather exhausted from our respective trips, so we eventually hit the sheets around 12:30 a.m. Besides, we needed all of the rest and reserve we could get because, from this point forward, we knew we would be going non-stop. Excitedly, I tossed and turned for awhile before finally falling asleep...

Notes from my PassPorter:

The weather was warm and humid with gray skies when we left and unseasonably warm and mild when we arrived.

The best thing about our journey was the mounting excitement as I approached Orlando.

The worst thing about our journey was flying north to go south.

The funniest thing about our journey was "Does anybody have change for a $100 bill?"

During our journey we tried O'Brien's Grille and Pub and the result was mediocre.

The most magical moment during our journey was seeing the Disney Store in the airport and realizing I was finally HERE! :D

[nativetxn]

I love reading your trip reports. You are so funny. This is a great beginning and I'm really looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip. Thanks for taking the time to post this for us.

Katholyn

[swankybeth]

Great start to the report...I can't wait to read more! :D

[Poohbear123]

Hi Nate! I use to read your reports on the "other" board you use to be on! Glad to hear you went on another trip, as I love reading your Trip Reports!:D

[dan-tot]

You might want to try Southwest. They have strightin flights.

Dan-tot

[wld]

National Guard HMMMM. I've always had a preference for a full dress Marine. Even expressed my desire to drag one in the car on a sub base during a sub christening but my sister wouldn't stop!!!!

[cocit]

I think the same can't-sit-down-guy has been on a few plane trips with me!
Only my view was more of an under-the arm-so-I-can-stand-and-read-in-the-aisle-view.
Welcome back Nate! It hasn't been the same without you!
You take me there better than any other reporter and I can't wait for your next post:)

[kathymc]

So glad to see another of your reports - they always make me smile. Looking forward to reading more!

[Marla Hellwig]

Welcome back Nate - can't wait to read more!

[Aerobics]

nativetxn

Thanks for your kind words--I always love sharing my trip reports with fellow DIS-ers. I'm glad to see that you're keeping "busy" on the boards! :D

swankybeth

Thanks! I hope you like the next installment!

Poohbear123

Thanks for the compliment! Since I'm a moderator on the PassPorter boards, I don't get to "get out" too often, but it's always nice to come to the DIS...everyone here is so friendly! :D

dan-tot

That's a good idea--I tend to prefer to fly out of National so that I can just Metro to the airport, but BWI might be feasible. Thanks for the recommendation!

wld

Ain't it just like a sister not to stop for our objects of affection? :D You have my solemn oath that if ever we see a hottie (*especially* in a beret), we are allowed to stop and gawk, k?

cocit

Thanks for the encouragement! That can't-sit-down-guy sure gets around, doesn't he? :D Hope you like the next installment!

kathymc

It's great to be back--thanks for your kind words! There are many more installments to come! :D

Marla Hellwig

Ah, a message from the resident Trip Reporter herself! I'm so honored! :D Thanks for your kind words!

[Aerobics]

The following is Cruella's "addendum" to my initial installment.

Hi Nate!

Well, I can't refute too much in this first installment, since it's mostly about your flights, but I will let everyone know how the trip to Pittsburgh affected your sense of direction. For the next 10 days we learned that when Nate told you to go in one direction, you should always go in the opposite! He, of course, blamed this misdirection on the fact that he had to fly north to go south and this might possibly have damaged some inner working in his mind (yeah, right! ) that just had him all turned around!

Anyway, just to bring you all up to date on our journey, Tim picked the kids up at school around noon and they arrived back at the house at the same time as the limo, who was about a half hour early. Tim had brought back lunch, so we gulped our food while Carlton tried to fit our luggage in the car. With that out of the way, we started off for the airport, arriving in plenty of time. We quickly found the super-porter of all time, who loaded our bags onto his cart and then walked us past the extremely long line outside the Delta terminal to another door where we showed our tickets and our IDs and walked right in! (He got a great tip, too!)

I thought we were scott free, but, alas, it was not to be. In my mother's luggage, the x-ray machine found a pair of nail clippers, which the guard wanted to see. I tried to get him to let me get it out, but he said he had to find it himself. 15 minutes later he finally found it and confiscated it along with a pair of nail clippers from my bag. These two items were taped together and thrown into a box of similiar items while we were instructed to go to the ticket counter.

After getting to the front of the line and once again showing all the IDs, the attendant marked all our bags and sent them on their way, keeping one back. She then walked me back over to the box of confiscated items where we spent another 15 minutes looking for the two pairs of nail clippers. Once we found them, she took them to place in the bag she had kept back and the last bag was on it's way. Don't ask me why they did this - I have no idea - but I, too, was glad not to be shot by the guardsmen standing all around us! (BTW Nate, if I had known how you feel about men in berets I would have gotten one for you in France! )

We had requested that Delta provide a wheelchair for my mother and Tim had gotten this while I was doing the nail clipper waltz. Unfortunately, the wheelchair came with an attendant who had some trouble understanding and speaking English. She also appeared to be deathly afraid that we would walk off with the wheelchair, so she stuck with us like glue while we went to order food, collect the food and find the gate where we could rest and eat while we waited for the flight to board.

After eating, Andrew did some homework and the rest of us just rested and read. Finally it was time to board. We got to our row on the plane to find that a family had booked seats in the exit row and they had two car seats for babies, which are not allowed in those rows. So everyone was shifted around until the two kids and their mother were behind my mother, Andrew and me. Fortunately the plane wasn't full, so Andrew took his homework to another seat and my mother and I stayed. Unfortunately, the two darlings behind us derived great joy from kicking the back of our seats. After I politely asked the mother to take their shoes off, it wasn't so bad.

I was a little nervous about flying, but I tuned into Mozart on my CD player most of the way and he kept me calm and cool!

We arrived, picked up the mini van, and headed to the Hawthorn Suites. I would recommend this place to anyone. We got a two bedroom suite with a king bed in one, two queen beds in the other and a pull-out sofa in the living area. It also had a full kitchen. It was very comfortable and the rate was $129 a night plus taxes.

It was a definite pleasure to see Nate again and it wasn't long before we were all acting like one big family! Nate and I vowed once again that we would keep our type A personalities in check during this trip and try to rest a little (HA!). We retired shortly after, looking forward to a day at Blizzard Beach on the morrow.

Can't wait for your next installment, Nate! Remember, I'll be watching!

[Aerobics]

Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--Day 1, Part 1: "At First You Think Cruella Is A Devil..."

I don't care if it's 9 minutes or 9 hours--it never feels like I've slept enough. Right on schedule at 7:30 a.m., Cruella peeked into our room (which contained 2 queen-size beds; Joan & David slept in one, I had slept in the other (notably, I had worn to bed my Target pajama pants--a pair of comfy white cotton pants with red Tar-Zhays all over them--yes, they did make me the coolest person that I knew at that moment...but the feeling was fleeting! :D )).

Anyway, as I was saying before I got on a Tar-Zhay Tangent (I'm sure to go on a few more of them before this trip report is complete), Cruella woke me up and I headed into the shower for my official initial christening of the Sparkling Mountain Springs foo-foo stuff--it really is a very pleasant-smelling scent, and any disappointment over not being able to foo-foo a la Fresh Waterfall Mist was quickly dissipating. 30 minutes later (yes, I realize that that's longer than most of you ladies take in the bathroom, but, hey, in my defense, today was Shaving Day, which can easily add 15 minutes to anyone's morning routine), I emerged, Sparkling clean (just like a mountain spring :D) and ready to face the World.

Today's plans included trips to the following locales:

-> Downtown Disney (to purchase Annual Passes)
-> Goodings (to purchase groceries)
-> Blizzard Beach (to get wedgies from Summit Plummet)
-> Magic Kingdom (to watch SpectroMagic and Fantasy In The Sky fireworks)

One of the perks of our off-site resort was a free breakfast buffet of which we partook on a daily basis. The food quality was nothing about which I'd write home (but, apparently, it did have enough of an impact to make it into the trip report!); they definitely had the basics covered, though--scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, bagels, muffins, and (Thank Goddess!) coffee.

Although most guests chose to eat indoors, we opted to dine in the glory of a sun-splashed, perfectly-in-the-70s Floridian December morning. Near the end of the meal, an exchange between Cruella and me provided a glimpse of the non-stop (but always playful) banter which was to come later on in the week:

Cruella: Can I have that plate?

Me: I don't know--can you? :D

Cruella: Oh, shut up, and give me the plate!

MEOW!!!

As everybody gathered together their "things" for Blizzard Beach (which, in retrospect, we didn't need to do right away, as we had to return to the resort to drop off the groceries before heading to "the Beach"), I wrote out a list of items that Joan wanted from Goodings (Joan only accompanied us to the parks on a few select days, and spent the remainder of her time at the resort(s) watching trashy TV and doing crossword puzzles--sounds like a little slice of heaven to me! :) ).

Of particularly humorous interest, I learned quickly that Fleischmann's Rye is not in any way a type of bread, but is in fact a whiskey. I also added "Trashy Novel For N8" to the shopping list, since I just didn't think that The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities was gonna get me going (if you know what I mean).

Once everybody was ready, we were on our way to Downtown Disney--the excitement level in the minivan increased exponentially as we finally drove through the WDW welcome "gates". We excitedly talked about the Cirque du Soleil tent, DisneyQuest, the Virgin Megastore, etc. as we neared the Marketplace. We were most impressed by the proximity of our parking spot to the actual marketplace.

Mustering every ounce of willpower I had inside me, I boldly walked into the World of Disney, narrowly focusing my eyes on the sign which read "Information". I knew that, even if I were to only glance away for 0.0002 seconds, I would be a goner. The cheerful Cast Member at the info desk gave me directions to Guest Services (it was back towards the front of the Marketplace, somewhat hidden amongst Ghirardelli, Team Mickey, etc.), and we were on our way.

On the way to Guest Services, a CM at the DVC stand struck up a conversation with Tim and Cruella, who are seriously considering buying into DVC in the next few years. Knowing that we still had a lot to accomplish before we could even hit the Beach, Cruella wisely thanked the CM for her time, but expressed that it was only our first day, and that we would definitely come back for more info.

Upon finding Guest Services, we boisterously walked in (as if there were any other way to behave moments before purchasing a Premium Annual Pass! :D ). The CM quickly began processing our monumental order (5 Premium Annual Passes and a 4-day Park Hopper :eek: ) while the rest of us excitedly browsed the many maps and displays contained in the Guest Services office.

10 minutes later, PAPs in hand, we turned around to see a line had formed--not just a lil' bitty line, but a full-on big ol' honkin line that stretched all the way out the door (Oops!). I was tempted to take a photo of the monstrosity, but thought that those involved in said line might not appreciate my finding humour in their predicament.

Having completed Task #1, we were back in the Chrysler SPORT Caravan (this minivan kicked booty) on our way to Goodings. As referenced in Cruella's addendum to "My Journey", the flight north to Pittsburgh to eventually arrive in the south had seriously messed up my internal compass, as I offered out to Tim the first of many (many, many) wrong directions.

As we started to pass Port Orleans, we realized I had indeed sent us down the wrong road; a few wrong turns and subsequent U-turns later, we were finally at the Crossroads. As I mentioned in the NASTEE, I was not impressed with Goodings last time I was here. For one, their prices are out-freakin'-rageous; secondly, what's up with those stupid carpeted aisles? :rolleyes:

Anyway, we quickly grabbed everything on the list (plus a few extra canisters of Pringles, which would become the official snack food of the Cru Crew 2001 WDW Trip). I also picked up my trashy novel: From The Corner Of His Eye by Dean Koontz, which I know is not at all trashy, but nothing else was grabbing me, and this seemed pretty good. (Since I'm now about halfway through the book, I can definitely state that it was a good buy!)

With Task #2 now under our belts, it was time to head back to the resort--as it turned out, we completely forgot about the Fleischmann's Rye, so Tim, Andrew, and I headed back out to the nearby liquor store in which, as Tim was making his purchase, "Big John" (or "Big Ed" or "Big Somethin'", I forget who, but his nametag said “Big -----“) inquired if I was Tim's son. I responded that I was not; Big Whoever curtly retorted with "I need some ID, then".

Not following his drift, I informed him that I wasn't making any purchase; he forcefully responded (with a little too much of a queeny lisp, mind you--honey, you need to work on that, ok?) with "It's the law!" and pointed to a sign on the counter (which, up until this point, had been covered by said bottle of whiskey), which basically stated in so many words that all members of the party had to be 21 or over in order to purchase any alcohol. Apparently, this is a state-wide law; quite honestly, I think it's absolutely brilliant, and hopefully it helps cut down on a lot of underage purchases of alcohol.

However, Big Whoever could've handled it a little bit better, don'cha think? Anyway, I headed out to the van to get my ID (it's a good thing I even brought with me my wallet!) and all was good in the world, at least at that brief moment in time.

With Joan now fully stocked with groceries (and lest we forget, Fleischmann's Rye), we were ready to depart. We all piled back into the van and 10 short minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot of Blizzard Beach. It was much less crowded than the last time I had been there (on a hot, cloudless Wednesday in September). I got chills as I stared up in awe at Summit Plummet, remembering the thorough flossing my booty had received the last time I climbed its peak.

After a brief pause at the security baggage checkpoint, we were scanning our fingers and voila, our PAPs were activated, and we were in! We paused at Beach Haus to browse for a few moments; one of us (I can't remember who) spotted some springy antenna-ball Mickey-head headbands (similar to the one I saw at the airport the previous night). These Mickeys were black like the regular antenna balls, but each Mickey head also had a tiny Santa hat attached to it.

Not sure if these would still be available at any of the major theme parks, we scooped up all 5 that were left, thus marking the beginning of an amazing 14-day shopping spree for us (I'm not sure I want to see that credit card bill roll in!--actually, I was very good, and paid for all of my purchases in cash, Disney Dollars, or with my debit card...go me! :D ). As we applied sunscreen/oil (the same Banana Boat SPF 15 oil that I used last time), Tim picked up a locker for us (appropriately in the pink section). :) This decision was also convenient as the pink lockers are near the exit point for the Downhill Double Dipper, a good meetingplace if you get separated from your group.

After storing some of our stuff in our locker, we set out in search of a location that would provide both shade (for Cruella) and sun (for me); we settled on a spot somewhat near the "Sneezer Section" of the lazy river (the house from which you can hear the crocodile sneezing; when he sneezes, water shoots out of the chimney onto unsuspecting passersby).

Our plan was to take the Chair Lift to the top of Mount Gushmore and ride Teamboat Springs before heading off to our respective preferred activities. After a 2-3 minute ride, we were on our way up to the top. As I rode with Cruella and Andrew, I told them the general area in which to look for the Hidden Mickey--within seconds, Andrew had spotted it (good eyes on that boy! :) ).

I was amazed at how empty the park was, considering the temperature was a most pleasant 80 degrees and not a cloud could be seen in the beautiful blue sky. After almost no wait whatsoever, we were loaded into our own family raft and we were off! Smiles and laughs abounded as we slushed and swished our way down Teamboat Springs. We had a most dramatic exit from the slide, causing our raft to fill with nearly a foot of water.

It was now officially "official"--we were indeed at WDW! Months and months of planning, phone conversations, and online discussions were finally paying off--we quickly squeezed together so that the CM could take our photo (which turned out really well, by the way, as you might have seen it posted on the PassPorter site (http://www.passporter.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=8&t=000974)). A few members of the Cru Crew (not me, mind you :) ) had a bit of difficulty exiting the raft, as it's not the easiest thing to exit--somehow, we all made it out uninjured, and were ready to move on.

At this point, we decided to take the lazy river back to our stuff and subsequently move it to a sandy section of the park (I had originally mentioned that I wasn't aware of any sandy areas, once again proving that the trip to Pittsburgh did more damage that we had originally thought). The entrance to the lazy river was right before the infamous cave through which one passes as a complete circuit of the lazy river is made. Consistent with my previous report on this element, the initial waterfall through which you pass as you enter the cave is the same temperature as the water in which you are floating.

However, if you know what's good for you (you do, don't you? :D ), you'll avoid the rest of the "leaks" in the cave as they are ice cold! :eek: (Of course, if you're with Cruella, chances are she'll push you under the leaks anyway, so perhaps it's a moot point--and, I do believe that the following words are appropriate in this case:

At first you think Cruella is a devil... :D

As we floated by one of the lifeguards, we inquired if the little cabinet-lookin'-like thing next to her was indeed a wet bar--sadly, it wasn't. :( But, it certainly didn't stop Cruella and I from debating which bevvy we thought would best go with our journey down the river o' laziness.

Once we reached the Sneezer Section, we hopped out, gathered our belongings, and headed off in search of a sandy sunny spot amidst the snow...

And, stay tuned for Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--Day 1 Part 2: "Just Throw Me The Baby!"

[Barbi]

Nate,
I can't wait for the installment, you paint an amazing picture with your reports.
Thanks :D

[Curly Q]

Hey Nate! I'm glad you're taking time to write this report:) Your last one was the greatest and this one is starting off great!!!! My DBF and I read your report last time, and while we were at Disney World in December we were always saying "hey that's what Nate was talking about"! Thanks!

[debster812]

Nate,

You really have a gift. I can totally picture everything so far. Thanks for taking the time to do these, and I really like the way you keep all the reports in the same thread, makes it way easy for computer dunder heads like myself to keep up. ;)

Looking forward to day 2.

Debbie

[kellyla]

Nate,you have great writing skills.I always enjoy your trip reports.Cant wait for the next installment.

[Aerobics]

Has it already been approximately 2 months since I posted my last installment? Oy! Sometimes I wonder where the time goes! Anyway, I knew you guys were getting a little antsy (myself included) but, again, it's *incredibly* difficult for me to find a block of 6 hours in which I'm not doing anything and am therefore able to put together an entire installment. In fact, I wrote this particular installment in 3-4 separate sittings--hopefully, it won't be TOO disjointed! :D

P.S. I'm in love!!! :love: Remind me sometime to tell you all about Nathan (No, not me! HIM!!! Isn't that freakin' hysterical that we have the same name??? Hee hee!)

Day 1, Part 2: "Just Throw Me The Baby!"

One of Cruella's major goals to accomplish on this trip was simply to relax (which is much more easily said than done for us Type A-ers (you KNOW who you are!), so, once we had relocated to a group of chaise lounges and "low-riders" (as I like to call them) in the sand near Meltaway Bay (that same sand that I had said was not at Blizzard Beach! :rolleyes: ), she took a break while us boys headed back to the mountain. Foolishly putting their trust in me, Tim and the boys allowed me to (attempt to) lead the way back up to the top (assuming that I'd be capable of such a feat since I had in fact been to Blizzard Beach once before).

Of course, I took us on the ultra-ultra-scenic tour of Mount Gushmore--at least you can't say that we didn't get our workout while we there! Our goal was to respectively attack our biggest fear-inducing slides first so that everything else after that wouldn't be nearly as stressful. For Tim and the boys, this meant a trip down the Slush Gusher; for me, the wedgie-a-la-Summit Plummet was once again calling my name (you'd think I'd have learned my lesson by this time, no?)

Once we finally reached the top of Mount Gushmore (like, 926 hours later), we split up--for some totally random reason (and one that I couldn't now justify if my life depended on it), I eagerly bounded up the steps (2 at a time to get that bonus gluteal workout--you know us aerobics nuts never take a day off! ;) ).

When I arrived at the top, suffering from the lack of oxygen at such an insanely high altitude, I glanced around and realized that I was the only one up there. "Am I it?", I asked the seemingly rather bored lifeguard. "Looks that way", was his response, so I bit the bullet (as it were), and dropped onto my buns and back before the rational side of me could prevent me from doing so. (Incidentally, I'm a little bummed that I didn't take at least a few seconds to "survey the scene" from the top of the Plummet--at such a height, one can probably see nearly all of WDW's landmarks. Heck, from that height, one could probably see the freakin' Washington Monument! Oh, well--next time, I suppose...)

I know I gave a pretty thorough description of the sensation of experiencing the Summit Plummet in my last trip report, but I wonder if anyone has ever ridden it so many times that it loses its edge? If so, I would recommend that such an individual should attempt something really intense...like bungee jumping without a cord or something. I think the thing that makes taking the plunge so freakin' scary is that, once you lie down, you really can't see much of anything. The grade of the slide seems practically vertical from your vantage point and, as the gate is lifted and your toes precariously dangle over the edge, you wonder, ever-so-briefly, if you'll even be able to live to tell about your experience post-Plummet.

Fortunately, I did indeed live through my 2nd plummet from the upper stratosphere of Blizzard Beach--smartly (if I may say so myself), I chose to wear a swim suit much more conducive to that sort of activity; my square-cut "boxer Speedos" (please, you know I'd never traipse around WDW in a REAL Speedo--honey, I ain't THAT flamin'...I think :D ) prevented my booty from sustaining any long-term damage. Also, because I could remember so vividly from my previous plummet how easily one's legs can come apart when traveling vertically at the speed of light, I somewhat psychotically crossed my legs on the way down which, of course, led to causing both of my feet to cramp up something severe. (It's bad enough trying to "walk out" one foot cramp, but attempting to walk out 2 at the same time was rather laughable.)

In retrospect, though, I'm glad that I took the plunge; there are not really too many opportunities that I have in life to do something like that, so I do try to take advantage of them when they are present. Not too long after I exited the slide, David, Andrew, and Tim all came slushily gushing down the mountain. Now I've never actually done the Slush Gusher due to an irrational fear that I'll "fall off" of the track--unlike the Summit Plummet, which is a straight vertical drop, Slush Gusher has 2 humps in it which, according to David, cause one to fly "5 feet in the air" off of the slide--thanks, but I think I'll pass on that (I'm not sure my delicate hiney could withstand that kind of a beating, anyway!).

Our next step was the Downhill Double Dipper. Now, the last time I was at Blizzard Beach, you had to wait at the exit of the slide to pick up a tube which you would then carry up to the top of the slide. Since that last visit, they installed a conveyor belt which sends the tubes up somewhere near the top--you still have to carry the tube up a few sets of stairs, but it's really not that bad.

This is another double-humper (my, that sounds inappropriate! :eek: ), but I don't think you pick up enough speed to worry about flying off the track; besides, the slide is enclosed for the first half, anyway. Remembering my very graceful method of stopping last time (i.e., putting my foot in the water and flipping forward face-first in the catch pool--I think the lifeguard gave me a 7.6 Technical and 9.3 Artistic on that landing), I kept my feet WAY up in the air as I exited from the bottom of the slide. This action, of course, caused my booty to sink way down into my tube so that, when my tube hit the water, I still flipped forward out of the tube into the pool--my marks this time were much less impressive (3's and 4's), but the ride was still a hoot. I can't remember who I raced down (I think it was Andrew), but I know that he beat me, so kudos to the winner!

We then moseyed on over to the rear of the mountain which is rather sparse except for the lazy river and the Runoff Rapids. Out of all of the slides at Blizzard Beach, I think the uphill climb to get to the top of Runoff Rapids is the most physically demanding; I'd seriously consider doing this set of slides early on in your day before your calves and quads start pitching a fit.

When we got to the entrance, we noticed that the lifeguards were forcing all patrons to go down either of the two "open" (i.e., not enclosed) flumes and were not allowing anyone to go down the enclosed center tube. We came to realize that they were doing this because they feared that someone was "stuck in the tube"--apparently, one does not need to possess brain cells to work as a lifeguard at WDW. As a former flume lifeguard, I can confidently tell you that there is practically no way that someone could get stuck in an enclosed flume. For one thing, the current is too strong; secondly, the walls are too slippery to "hold on" to, so, I'm not really sure under what circumstances these brilliant CM's were assuming one could get stuck, but I highly doubt it possible. Regardless, I didn't want to ride in the enclosed tube, so I took one of the side routes, as did Tim and the boys.

By this time, I was starting to become a little fatigued and since I, like Cruella, also placed Rest and Relaxation at the top of my "To-Do" list, I informed the guys that I'd ride the lazy river with them as far as our chairs, and then would exit, while they planned on exploring more of the park. I caught up with Cruella who, by this time, was itching to go back in and play, so I told her to walk the circuit of the lazy river to see if she could find the guys.

As she left, I took my low-rider chair and book up to the edge of Meltaway Bay and kicked back to read. After about 10 minutes, this one group of people started pulling their chairs close to the water's edge, too. Wow, I didn't think it was THAT crowded, and I must admit that I did feel slightly infringed upon when this one woman moved her chair so close to mine that our chairs were, in fact, touching. This group then got into a heated discussion about something which, of course, made me lose my concentration on what I was reading. So, I finally picked up my chair and moved--but I wanted to say something really childish and bratty, like, "You know, I was here first! :p )

After about 30 minutes, having been unsuccessful in finding the boys, Cruella returned; deciding that we could definitely go for another round in the lazy river, we headed over and hopped in (oh, I could *most definitely* get used to this sort of recreation on a frequent basis!). Not surprisingly, as we went through the frigid cave, Cruella attempted again to guide my tube towards the ice-cold waterfalls; fortunately, I was a bit more prepared this time and only suffered minor goose bumps from the attack.

After a full circuit, we again returned to our chairs; Cruella spotted the boys cavorting in Meltaway Bay, so we headed over to join them. Admittedly, while still enjoyable, Meltaway Bay just doesn't compare to Typhoon Lagoon's Surf Pool (does anything, really?). Nonetheless, we floated and bobbed around for awhile before deciding that we'd all ride Teamboat Springs one more time, which eventually became two more times. On our first of these two trips, we picked up so much speed (don't ask me how cuz I have no clue) that we actually rear-ended the raft in front of us. Of course, we apologized for the intrusion; fortunately, the bumped weren't at all upset.

Realizing that we still needed to get back to the resort, shower and change (all 5 of us, that is), and make it back to the Magic Kingdom by 5:15 p.m. to meet Brant (Joe Carioca) for Spectromagic, we set our rears in gear, gathered up all of our stuff and made our way towards the entrance. I give our visit to Blizzard Beach a 9 (out of 10, of course! :) )--the only thing that could've made it a 10 is if it were Typhoon Lagoon (which it isn't so I guess it can't be a 10, eh?).

As we approached the entrance, we were stopped by one of those survey-takin' CM's. Thinking it would be about 3, maybe 4 question about our visit to Blizzard Beach, we obliged to taking the survey. As question #9,426 rolled around, "How would you rate the authenticity of the sand near Meltaway Bay?:

a) Oh-so-faux

b) It'll pass

c) Funkier than Atlantic City, New Jersey

d) The softest, most fluffiest stuff you've ever stepped on?",

we realized that Disney surveys kinda suck sometimes.

Eons later, we were finally on our way back to the resort. As we merged onto I-4, I noticed something hanging rather conspicuously from the trunk of the car in front of us.

Me: Is that a hand?

Cruella: [incredulously] Where?

Me: Hanging from the car in front of us!

Sure enough, we were the most recent of probably countless victims who, for an ever-so-brief microsecond, believed that the car in front of them was transporting a corpse in its trunk. Kudos to that driver for making us all crack up rather boisterously at such a prank.

Even though we all showered and changed with lightning speed, we still didn't make it out of the resort until 5:00 p.m. The chances of our making it to the Partners statue by 5:15 p.m. were pretty slim--that probability dropped to a big fat goose egg when, 5 minutes into our trip, we came to a complete stop on I-4. Unbeknownst to us at the time, a rather serious accident had occurred a few miles ahead of us on the interstate.

Due to some quick thinking on Tim's part, we hopped off I-4 and onto some side streets hoping to find another route to the Magic Kingdom. We did eventually make it and parked in Dopey 109, but by the time we had reached the ferry, it was already past 6:00 p.m. Thus, we had experienced our first "miss" of the trip.

However, once the castle came into view and Joan (Cruella's mother), who had never before been to the Magic Kingdom, gasped in surprise and remarked how beautiful it was, we knew that, in the grand scheme of things, missing SpectroMagic really wasn't that big of a deal. In fact, we did get to catch the tail end of the parade and, if anything, we all now had something to add to our "Must Do" list for our next return trip.

After SpectroMagic, we headed down to the Partners statue to look for Brant (and even called out his name a few times, but to no avail); feeling bad for standing up our co-moderator, we decided to just cut our losses and secure decent seating for the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks. (Incidentally, both Brant and Michnash (and her son, Todd) were in the Partners statue general area, but even that can accommodate a good 100-150 people, so it's not terribly surprising that we missed each other--fortunately, we'd be seeing so much of each other in the coming days that perhaps it was good that they got to spend one night without the sometimes boisterous (but always in a good way) Cru Crew (myself included, of course)).

Since it was nearing 7:00 p.m. (and since most of us had skipped lunch), we were (not surprisingly) rather hungry. To hold us over until after Fantasy in the Sky, Tim picked up a few boxes of yummy, salty popcorn, the smell of which permeates Main Street and almost instantly evokes (for me, at least) memories of baseball games watched from the stands of the glorious Memorial Stadium (gotta represent my B-more Orioles, hon!). We ravenously munched on popcorn as we awaited Tinkerbell's flight.

At approximately 10 minutes after 7:00 p.m. (perhaps she was getting "cold wings"? :D ), Tinkerbell emerged all bright and sparkly, sprinkling pixie dust and lighting the way for what I still believe to be one of the best fireworks shows ever. Having purchased the official 2000 WDW Album on my previous trip, I knew the entire Fantasy in the Sky suite by heart, and happily entertained myself by bopping, dancing, and cabbage patching (churnin' butter, as they like to say in the South), much to the amusement of a few European pre-teens to my right. Occasionally, Cruella and I would sing along (I recall our rendition of "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" was pretty darn good). All in all, our view of the fireworks was absolutely perfect so, if you're looking for a good viewing spot and you don't mind the crowds, the Partners statue cul-de-sac (we were actually directly across from the Tomorrowland breezeway) proves an excellent location.

Even though we had all snacked on popcorn, we were still pretty hungry, so, after the fireworks, we headed over to the Plaza Pavilion where I was finally able to do what I never did in my previous trip to WDW--partake in a pepperoni personal pizza. "Huh?", you ask. "Why don't you just drag your sorry butt to Pizza Hut?" I hear you--really, I do! I can just recall, though, 3 separate instances on my last trip where I experienced some serious pizza envy (and, no, don't you dare even think about going there!).

So, was the realization as good as the fantasy that I had built up? Eh, probably not, but it was still pretty darn good. I think David also partook of the pizza and was rejoicing in its fabulocity (do you like my new made-up word?). Cruella ordered a chicken garden salad, and I quote, "This is the best salad I've ever had at a counter service place" (so, all you healthier eaters out there, take note--Plaza Pavilion, Chicken Garden Salad...'nuff said).

By the time we had finished eating, it was approximately 7:55 p.m., just enough time for a quick Tomorrowland teaser via the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Cruella and Joan opted out, so the 4 boys headed over (well, I kinda bolted there for fear that they might close it as we approached). Thankfully, the TTA was still running, so up the rather steeply sloped conveyor belt thingy we went (by the way, that thing is great for stretching out your calves--just step forward with one foot and place your weight on that front leg; extend your other leg back so that your heel touches the floor...ahhhh, what a great stretch!!! :D ).

I'm not sure I could've asked for a better first taste of WDW--sure, we had gone to Blizzard Beach earlier in the day, but I mean, this was the Magic Kingdom--one of the "Big 4"! And we were here!!! After 11 months of planning, preparing, and a lot of stress all around, we were gloriously here! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Oh, happy day! :)

After disembarking from the TTA, we thought we'd try to sneak onto Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, but, alas, the gates had been shut (which, I suppose, was ok, since I totally suck at Buzz Lightyear!). So, only slightly dejectedly, we headed back to Partners with the hope that we could still catch the Goodnight Kiss. Unfortunately, one must not be able to have his TTA and his Goodnight Kiss, too, for we had missed it. Oh, well--there's always next time (and, while I'm at it, how awesome is the PassPorter for recording "Next Time" items? This thing is the bomb!)

Rather content with the happenings of our first day, we blissfully headed towards the exit, each of our minds dancing with the possibilities that lay in the days ahead of us...

Since we had ridden the ferry boat over to the Magic Kingdom, we opted to take the resort monorail (so that we could go through the Contemporary) back to the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC). As we boarded onto the tram, a group of couples (with a few youngins in tow) all attempted (rather unsuccessfully) to crowd onto the tram. It turned out that some of the adults would have to wait behind for the next tram, so the men offered to get on the tram w/the kids, leaving behind their wives (with their strollers). Through this whole little "show", we were treated to such dialogue as, "Don't worry, kids--we can get a new mommy later", and "Just throw me the baby!" (In retrospect, I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny or not, but I didn't think we found any humour is his banter.)

As the tram pulled away, one of the men called out to his wife, "We're in Chip & Dale" (parking section). Well, wouldn't you know it--there ARE no Chip & Dale parking sections; incidentally, I wouldn't have been surprised if these morons had parked in OUR section (i.e., Dopey). Oh, well--I'm sure they eventually all found their car(s), but, ladies, I'd still make sure I wrote down the actual parking lot in which you are located, just in case your wonderful husband pulls a "Chip & Dale" (even unintentionally--you know us guys are bad at directions as it is--throw in the sensory (and character) overload of WDW, and we're practically helpless!).

As we sleepily drove back to the Hawthorn Suites, I noticed a few hotels on the "strip" advertising a $2000 coupon book as an incentive to get you to stay there. I wondered aloud if that meant that in this supposed coupon book, there was a coupon for $1,995 off of a $95,000 Porsche, with the other $5 distributed evenly among the other coupons a la $0.50 off a Big Mac. Hmmmm....anything they can do to get you to stay there, huh?

Even though it was only 9:30 p.m., we all were rather pooped--while the boys readied themselves for bed, Cruella and I took a few moments to write in our respective PassPorters. Even now as I write this, I wonder what her recollections of this day are like, and I'm curious to see how they parallel mine (or don't parallel, as the case may be).

Since we needed to be up at the booty crack of dawn, we turned in pretty early. Thankfully, slumber found me very quickly and not before too long, I was off in dreamland (or was it Neverland?) :)

Notes from my PassPorter:

The weather today was absolutely perfect.

The best thing today was riding Teamboat Springs and running over the group in front of us.

The worst thing today was the traffic jam that caused us to miss SpectroMagic.

The funniest thing today was the hand sticking out of the back of the car.

Today we tried Plaza Pavilion and the result was pretty darn good (Cruella LOVED her chicken garden salad).

The magical moment today was watching the fireworks and hearing Joan expressing her excitement.

And, please stay tuned for the next installment of Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew: Spider-Man Sure Has A Nice Set Of…

[zurgswife]

I loved reading your report...can't wait for the next installment. You had me laughing out loud...

[Nanajo1]

Nate,
I love your reports, thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed post. I'm so glad I stumbled on you most recent trip. Keep 'em coming!
P.S. PD for your new relationship.

[Eeyoregal]

Nate - I just read your trip reports - they are great! :D Can't wait for more!

BTW, I always try to stretch my calves on the TTA conveyor belt :o :o Really, I do! :o

[Suedrews]

Nate, this report is making me CRACK UP! I love the details......your sides must have been splitting the whole trip.....can't wait for the next installment!

[WDW Poly Princess]

Woohoo, cant wait for the spiderman day! ;-)

[danacara]

Nate, I completely love these reports. They make me want to run right over to the Passporter site and sign myself up. :)
Working it! Owning it!,
Dana

[Mimi70]

WE MISS YOU on Trivia Sundays!! Will you show your darling face again?? Also, your trip reports are really FAB!! Take it easy! :)

[cocit]

I was getting a little bit worried. "What happened to Nate?!" But now you're back and writing again. And I can stop worrying and start enjoying your wacky-but-oh-so-true-tale-telling-talents. Looking forward to your next post.

[debster812]

*chanting* MORE MORE MORE MORE

Keep 'em coming Nate, you truly have a talent, and paint a great picture.

And..congrats on the new relationship!

Debbie

[Aerobics]

Hi, all you crazy Disney nuts! No, not the kid in the Mickey ears behind you! YOU!!! :) Sorry to make you wait so long between installments--as if I needed to expound on exactly what (or WHOM?) has been keeping me busy! But, the good news is that Nathan and I have decided to make a mini-jaunt to WDW in late August to celebrate both of our b-days and his first official trip--Woo hoo!!! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the next installment!

As always, you guys are the best! I must confess to rereading (more than twice) all of your comments and compliments--honestly, you really know how to make a guy feel proud of his efforts, so THANK YOU!!! :D

Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--Day 2, Part 1: Spider-Man Sure Has A Nice Set Of...

Before I begin this installment, I need to give a few disclaimers.

First of all, on this day, we visited Universal Studios--Islands of Adventure. If the mere mention of that name makes you retch and/or break out in hives, perhaps this installment's not "the one" for you. :) However, if you're curious to hear a certified Disney aficionado's take on the competition, read ahead.

Additionally, Brant (Joe Carioca) has already done an incredible job on describing this day's activities, so please do expect a bit of overlap. As usual, he's been THE MAN w/the details, whereas I just kinda ramble until something materializes...somehow, it's a rather good tandem for us, eh, Joey? :D However, it does make me wonder what sort of worth my trip reports provide when one can easily read a report like Brant's or any of the other wonderful reports on the PassPorter forum (and the other forums, too!) and get the same quality information (if not better) without all the tiresome chatter about sexy buns, berets, Speedos, World Showcase Cast Members in lederhosen.......

Hmmm? The trip report, you say? I have no idea what came over me! :D

Anyway, since we needed to (as usual) maximize our time in the parks, we were up at the booty crack of dawn (also known as 6:30 a.m. in some cultures). After a few of us had begun our morning scrub-up (foo-fooing included, lest we forget), Tim, David, and I hopped in the van to head over to Port Orleans--Riverside, where Brant would (hopefully) be waiting for us.

I think it's time to set a new decree from this point forward--DO NOT, under any circumstances, listen to a word I say when it comes to directions while driving around WDW. As those old Nike(tm) commercials used to say, "Nate don't know diddley!" For some reason, though, Tim and Cruella were all-too-patient with me, and actually humoured my suggestions (while probably secretly rolling their eyes and saying something along the lines of, "Why on earth did we invite this moron?" :D ).

Nevertheless, we found our way to Riverside (but only after we turned into the French Quarter--guess whose suggestion THAT was!). Sure enough, as we pulled up, Tim said, "There he is!" ("He" being Brant, of course.)

Now, don't take this personally, Brant, but while we were pulling up, I happened to notice a few other individuals standing outside of the main lobby--I'd know those shirts anywhere!!! What on earth were Dave and Jennifer (yes, THE Dave and THE Jennifer) doing here?!? I quickly bounded out of the van and bolted over to say "Hi" (fortunately, pausing long enough to introduce myself to Brant so he wouldn't think I was a complete jerk! Ha ha!).

After a hug from Jennifer and a hearty handshake from Dave and a round of "Oh my God!"s and "What are you doing here?"s, I realized that there was a possibility that Brant had not met the esteemed authors and so, being true to my former-social-chair-of-Alpha-Epsilon-Pi self, I attempted to introduce all involved parties to each other. Of course, they already had met, and all of my social-chair-y-ness was for nought. :)

As it turns out, today was the day for the big 4-park, umpteen-resort, 20-hour (or so it seemed) RADP Scavenger Hunt, and, not at all surprisingly, Dave and Jennifer were going for the gold! (I never did find out how you guys did...or even if you finished it, for that matter!)

By this time, Tim had joined the party and, even though it was only 7:30-ish, we were all excitedly chatting as though we had been up for hours. Soon after, we said our goodbyes to Dave and Jennifer and headed back to our resort for a quick breakfast at the actually-not-that-bad buffet breakfast (Hey, it was free, so you ain't gonna hear much complainin' from me, y'hear?).

Not long after, we were on our way to Universal (thankfully, for the sake of everyone's sanity, I sat rather mutedly in the back seat perusing my PassPorter--wouldn't you know it? Not a single wrong turn! Anyone see a trend here? :D). One thing that's a little different about the setup at Universal is that, regardless of which park you're going to (i.e., IoA or Uni Studios), you have to park in the same ol' big-butt honkin' parking garage.

Recalling the previous night's "Chip & Dale Drama", I made a point to note in our PassPorter that we were parked in King Kong 109 and we began our (seemingly endless) trek to the Islands of Adventure. As you approach the point where you "split", depending on which park you're going to visit, you pass through CityWalk, Universal's (rather wimpy) mimic of Pleasure Island. I guess it might be cool (and, hey, I think admission is free), but we snottily turned up our noses (no doubt dreaming of Kungalooshes to come!).

Due to some sort of discount thingy at my work, I was able to get a rather decent discount on 2-day passes, so we already had our admission media. Once Brant had purchased his ticket, we were in.

Now, I have to say, the theming and detail at IoA was rather impressive--very impressive, actually. The majority of the attractions were also rather enjoyable. The park is separated into 6 areas (somewhat like MK, I suppose). They are:

* Port of Entry
* Marvel Super Hero Island
* Toon Lagoon
* Jurassic Park
* The Lost Continent
* Seuss Landing

Since Brant was the only one in our party who had already been to IoA once, we all nominated him to be our guide (and what a good guide he was, too! You all should consider renting him for your next IoA excursion!).

By his recommendation, we bypassed the Hulk rollercoaster (which looked freakishly daunting, anyway, and so you heard no complainin' from us on that deferral) in favor of the The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.

The park guide describes it as follows: Don your 3-D Spider-Vision glasses for an eye-popping, pulse-pounding, first-of-its-kind, high-tech 3-D thrill ride. (Is that enough hyphens for you? :D)

Heed the guide's words--this ride was in every way as fulfilling and enjoyable as the map suggests. And, let's just get one thing perfectly straight here: The map should really make a point of explaining exactly WHY one's eyes will pop, pulse will pound, and thrills will spill on this ride. Look no further than the title character--I have found my new crush. Ladies, I'd almost say that the, um, eye-candy is worth the admission price.

As we exited the ride, the "boys" (i.e., everybody but me and Cruella) excitedly chatted and gushed about the special effects, the thrills, and the animation. The first words out of my mouth (to Cruella)? "Girl, did you see those..." Not surprisingly, Cruella was already there filling in the blank, "...buns? Oh, yes, honey! Let's ride it again!" LOL!

Oh, well--to each his/her own, eh? Needless to say, this ride gets an absolute 12 thumbs up from the 5 of us (I think one of us voted twice). And, thankfully, even though we got to have 2 back-to-back encounters with the man with the web, that wasn't the last we'd see of him that day.

Since the only rides in Toon Lagoon are (appropriately) water rides, we simply strolled through on our way to the Jurassic Park area. If I recall (Cruella, correct me if I'm wrong), since it has a drop at the end similar to Splash Mountain, Cruella decided to sit out the Jurassic Park River Adventure, so the rest of us walked on (with no wait, by the way, which was more the rule than the exception on this day).

This is also a well-done ride; a sort-of Alien Encounter-meets-Splash-Mountain with a sprinkling of Dinosaur!, I think. Of course, our happy-go-lucky tour boat steers down the wrong path into the VelociRaptors area (you'd think we'd have learned our lesson after watching the movies, no?).

Probably in an effort to protect himself, Brant made a point of pointing 2 or 3 of the more terrifying moments--it's a good thing he did...I just don't handle those "freak you out" moments very well. Definitely a must-do for those of you keeping score on the attractions so far.

As we emerged from our river adventure, we noticed these odd 2-seater suspended "swings" moving around on what looked like a monorail track. To us, these "Pteranodon Flyers" seemed awfully cool--of course, they're restricted to those individuals 56" and under. Phooey!!! (How come they never had this stuff when I was a kid? :p )

Once we all regrouped, Brant led the way to what would turn out to be my (and probably a few others') favorite "island", The Lost Continent...

And, still to come: Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--Day 2, Part 2: "Hey, Isn't That Thing Dos?"

[Nanajo1]

Nate,
I was so happy when I got the notice that there was a new installment.
You've done it again. Thanks for a great report. I am anxiously waiting for your next post.
Spiderman, eh? Who knew?

[flower71]

Everyday I peruse the Trip Reports Board...hoping that this will be the day that the next installment from Nate is posted. And TODAY is it! Thanks for another great report.

Hoping you'll finish this report before you leave on your trip in August (just kidding!)

:D Looking forward to your next report!!!

[luvpooh]

OMG! Another Nate installment!!! :)

Nate, you have the funniest trip reports I have ever read! :jester:

BTW - your TR's have inspired me to buy "foo" for my next trip - Green Apple from Bath and Body Works!

[Poohbear123]

WOW! Nate is BAACCKKK! YIPPEE!:D Okay, anyway, Love your reports, and YES Spidey does have a nice set of.....****!:o ;)

[Bunchkin]

Great reports....as ususal!:)

[TigrLvsPooh]

Anxiously awaiting another installment Nate!!! :) :) :) ;)

I enjoy reading your trip reports soooo much!! :D :D The first time someone sent me the link to the NASTEE report I read the whole thing in one day!!!! ;) I just couldn't stop. :) :) You are an amazing writer. ;)

I'm so glad to hear that you found a *new love*!! ;)

[Hettie]

Yay, another Nate report!!! Glad to see you're back. Enjoying your report immensely.

[Aerobics]

First things first: You all are the best! Thanks so much for all of your kind words re the trip report. I just love this community so much!!! :D

Secondly, here I *FINALLY* find myself with about 3-4 hours to spare, able to write another installment, and all I want to do is read the other 9,754,365 FABULOUS reports that have been posted. So, I've let myself read just snippets here and there (still in shock over the surprise, Steve--you are the MAN!!!). I'm so glad for the holiday on Thursday--my booty is going to be way sore from sitting on this chair reading all of the reports!!!

Thirdly (is "Thirdly" a word?), I do apologize for taking so long between installments. I always make up excuses, so this should come as no surprise, but I really just have not been able to devote enough mental energy to the task (those of you who've written or who are currently writing a report can most definitely relate)...

Fourthly, an update on Nathan (for those who inquired)--we ended things a few months ago. It was truly for the best, and I'll sum things up just by saying that I learned A LOT about what concessions one can and cannot make in a relationship and still remain "true" to himself...

Fifthly (is the Grammar Police going to come after me for all of these awful made-up words?), enjoy the next installment!!! :D

Day 2, Part 2: "Hey, Isn't That Thing Dos?"

(I had to go back and reread my last installment just to remind myself where I was in the story--it really has been THAT long since I last was able to think about this trip. I'll have to have a serious conversation with my Day-Planner real soon about freeing up some of that overbooked time...)

As we made our way over to The Lost Continent (which, in my opinion, is one of the coolest looking areas in all of Universal...very unique detailing), we were cautious not to be TOO commando (who, us? :D), and tried to pause every now and then to drink in the atmosphere. For those who haven't been to Islands of Adventure, it's a bit hard to put into words the theme in this land. My impression of it is a hybrid of old-world mythology (think The Odyssey and The Iliad) and fantasy fiction (a la Piers Anthony). Maybe I'm like way out in left field on this, but I thought it was put together magnificently, so definitely take the time to enjoy the beauty of this world.

Ok, old-fart oohing and aahing time is over--get thee to a roller coaster! And, boy, does IoA have one that will thrill the socks off of you (and if you aren't wearing socks, you best keep an eye on those toesies of yours...). Its name--Dueling Dragons. Its claim to fame--2 suspended roller coasters on separate tracks (Fire and Ice) which "charge" at each other 3 separate times, giving one the impression that (s)he is about to collide with the oncoming traffic (in actuality, this really wasn't THAT much different than your every day drive around the Capital Beltway).

The verdict--Oh my God! (Becky, look at her butt...oops, you'll have to forgive me. I just got a new aerobics music CD which has on it "Baby Got Back"--awwwww, yeah! :D) The guidebooks all recommend riding this one shotgun (that is, in the front row).

Now, being the semi-chicken that I am, I never did brave it in the front row (apparently, only the bravest (i.e., Joey Carioca, Tim, etc.) can do the front row).

However, the middle row was just fine by me. If there's one thing that IoA's got over Disney, it's their thrill rides (although Tower of Terror and Rock 'n Roller Coaster are the bomb in their own right). Also, you can still catch a glimpse of the "near-miss" if you look down at your feet as you're charging at the other train--just beware of the aforementioned flying socks.

Apparently, the Fire Dragon is supposed to "ravishing the town of Merlinwood", while the Ice Dragon stalks Merlin's Castle. All I remember is a bunch of screaming, flying socks, and unattended toes. Oh, well--now I have something to look for next time.

What's also cool about this ride is that once you depart, you don't have to walk through the 10-mile long queue again to experience the other side (my vote, both thrill-wise and aesthetically (i.e., the "prettier" colors) goes to Ice), but both sides are worth riding. However, as mentioned, walking through the queue(s) takes just as long, if not longer than the actual ride; so, if you've got people waiting for you outside (e.g., Cruella), make sure they bring along a good novel (might I suggest The Iliad? :D), as chances are, they'll be waiting a few eons or so for ya.

Once we had all departed from Dueling Dragons and regrouped, we backtracked slightly to a much tamer rollercoaster, The Flying Unicorn. This one ranks up there with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on a "scariness" scale, but BTMRR definitely wins in the theming department. All in all, though, this one's a sleeper hit--and Cruella wins major bonus points for screaming so loudly that people walking by couldn't help but draw closer to see what all the drama was about.

As we made our way through the rest of The Lost Continent, we came upon a stone fountain surrounded by a swarm of little kids all yelling at it at the same time. Upon closer study, we were quite surprised to find that this fountain was talking back to these youngins, each time eliciting another round of questions and comments from them (not unlike the talking trash can in Tomorrowland).

As no surprise to anybody in our travel party, Cruella took an instant liking to Ms. Fountain, and began involving her (it?) in a rather lengthy dialogue; all I can say is major snaps to the witty woman who was able to banter with Cruella. Of course, being that I'm quickly approaching old age (I'll be 26 in less than 2 months!!! :eek: ), I can't remember any of the particulars of the conversation, but this fountain definitely had us howling...

Again, another small attraction which, at first glance, would be easily "passable", but upon further inspection, turns into a great memory for anyone willing to take a chance.

Our final stop in The Lost Continent was supposed to be Poseidon's Fury, but we had missed the cut-off time and the next show wasn't for another 45 minutes or so, so we headed on to the only land that we had yet to visit, Seuss Landing.

Oh, how I loved Seuss Landing (and what kid-at-heart wouldn't?). It was Christmas time in Seuss Landing and every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, "Fah-Who For-Aze", as snow fell down on our slightly scorched heads. All was merry and bright (especially that stupid sun)...oh, wait, there was one who wasn't particularly merry or bright. In fact, he was a downright Grinchy old soul.

Both Brant and Cruella were wearing red and white checkered shirts, and that crafty (and rather witty) Grinch instantly harped on their "picnic table" fashion statement, drawing a bunch of chuckles and giggles from the crowd (myself included). Had we not been so wilted from the heat, we probably would've tried to diss him back, but I have a feeling that someone in that position could out-putdown us any day...

One thing that made Seuss Landing so neat was that nothing was a "straight line", including sides of buildings, window frames, all the way down to the poles in the queues for rides such as One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (basically a wetter version of Dumbo), and the Caro-Seuss-el, which was an absolute hoot to ride.

It was time to queue up for Poseidon's Fury, so we walked back to The Lost Continent. We were all kinda curious as to the specifics of this attraction, but Brant was appropriately vague in describing it.

Us: Is it scary?

Brant: Uh, not really.

Us: Will we get wet?

Brant: Uh, not really.

Us: Will it be dark in there?

Brant: Uh, not really.

(You get the idea...)

This show was kinda cool. The crowd control inside is a bit of a nightmare actually as you get ushered from room to room. The special effects, however, are awesome, and there are definitely times when I was a wee bit startled, but I wouldn't bill this attraction as an absolute Must-See (is there such a thing as a Yeah-It'd-Probably-Be-Good-If-We-Saw-It-But-We-Won't-Die-If-We-Don't attraction?).

By this time, we were getting pretty hungry, but thought it best that we experience the remaining high-thrill (translation: possibility of losing your lunch) attractions, so we headed back over to Marvel Super Hero Island, where all of us sans Cruella and David experienced the Incredible Hulk Coaster.

This coaster, like many of the newer era ones, is of the linear-induction family (i.e., the 0-60 in 0.0000003 seconds type). What makes it stand out, though, is that rather than catapulting you on a straightaway (as in the Rock 'n Roller Coaster), you are catapulted up a hill (while in a tunnel, mind you), and when you emerge you're already 100 (or so) feet in the air AND upside-down. Thank Goddess we did this one BEFORE lunch!

On this ride (and a few others), they require you to place ALL of your personal belongings in a locker (which are free if used on a short-term basis). It's slightly annoying, but it's one way to ensure that you don't lose your favorite Mickey Mouse hat on the ride (and what are you doing wearing a Mickey hat at IoA, anyway, huh?).

I forget the number of inversions on this coaster, but it was certainly up there...definitely a must-do for any coaster fanatic. Also, the design of the restraint system is incredibly comfortable--I usually walk away from most high-tech roller coasters feeling as though I had climbed into a washing machine and hit the Spin cycle button, but this one hardly banged me up at all (and no, we aren't touching that one with a 59 and a half foot pole).

Next up--Dr. Doom's Fearfall, which looks a lot worse than it is. 4 riders sit in a little thingy (sorry, can't think of a better word for it), and are catapulted straight up about 150 feet or so, and then gently brought back down to the ground. The worst part is the waiting for the stupid thing to take off (which seems to take FOREVER), but it's worth it. Unfortunately, due to the "only 16 people can ride at a time" (4 people x 4 thingies = 16 people, unless my math is wrong :D ) design, the line moves agonizingly slowly. You could probably skip this one and not lose any sleep over it.

Our final ride before lunch ended up being a slight disappointment. It had a really cool name that I can't remember now (something about an Accelatron or something?), but it starred Storm (the way-cool goddess from the X-Men) and was basically the Mad Hatter's Tea Party with some pretty rockin' industrial music in the background. I think the "theme" (if you can call it that) was that you had to spin your little Accelatron-y thingy to gather energy so that Storm could go kick some bad guy's butt...or something. Whatever it was, it was lost on me.

However, we did get a cool pic of Brant in the middle of a full-fledged spin (I think he posted it on his site)--check it out if you get the chance.

For lunch, we chose to eat at the Comic Strip Cafe, which was really cool, as it had 5 or so separate queues, each offering a different type of food. I don't really remember what anyone else got (boy, am I the worst note taker or what?), but I ended up getting a really yum vegetarian noodle bowl, which was basically a cold Asian noodle salad in an edible bowl (think tostada), with just enough spices in it to give it a nice kick.

Unfortunately, about 0.46 seconds before they processed my order, the computer crashed. Not just the one at which I was standing, but THE ENTIRE food court's system...so, out came the paper receipts (but only after about 10 or so minutes with a bunch of employees standing around staring at each other with "Ummmm...what do we do now?" looks on their faces...).

Poor Tim, who was ordering for 4 people, apparently had to wait forever while the employees searched high and low for a calculator ("Is there an actuary in the building?" :::raising hand::: :D ).

After lunch, the boys, for some reason out of Cruella's and my grasp, wanted to hit Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls (Warning: One square inch of your entire body MAY stay dry on this ride...but probably not).

When the boys returned 20 minutes later, all sloshy and soaked, we knew that we had definitely called that one right...

One more trip through Jurassic Park, as we paused one more time at the Pteranodon Flyers to see if perhaps Cruella could ride with Andrew, but no dice... (Cru, if it makes you feel any better, the Unofficial Guide claims that this ride is, like, one of the lamest rides in the entire universe... :) )

Back through the Lost Continent one more time and over to The Cat in the Hat ride. I found this dark ride to be eerily similar to The Many Adventures of Winnie-The-Pooh, except that the individual who designed The Cat in the Hat ride must've thought that people wanted to spin around 32 times every time they turned the corner. Honestly, the spinning was a little too much that soon after lunch.

Thankfully, though, my stomach worries were quickly forgotten as I saw my all-time favorite Dr. Seuss character, Thing Dos (pronounced "Dose"). He's actually Thing 2 (and, yes, there is also a Thing 1), but for some reason, ever since childhood, I've had this, um, Thing, for Thing 2. Throw in my inexplicable obsession with the number 2 (in Spanish), and you've got an obsessive-compulsive's dream come true--Thing Dos.

I really can't explain, when Thing Dos looks exactly like Thing 1, why I prefer Thing Dos more...it's just one of those Things, I guess. :D

So, after we exited the ride and headed back over toward Super Hero Island for one more spin on Spider-Man (I'll keep it clean since this is a family board), I froze in my tracks. Straight ahead of me, in the flesh (fur?), were The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and THING DOS!!!!!!

Forget patiently waiting my turn--I needed my picture with them!!! Thankfully, only one child was in front of me, and as soon as he departed from them, I ran straight over to Thing Dos to tell him that he was my favorite, that I've always wanted to meet him (in retrospect, I probably sounded just like all those teenage girls when they bum rush Justin Timberlake).

Unfortunately, in all of this fray, Thing 1 overheard my unending gushing, and quickly came over to give me a raspberry and a noogie for not showing him any love (I suppose even a Thing 1 can feel dissed every now and then, eh?).

Once the drama subsided, we all happily posed for photos and all was well in the world (I need to remember to scan in all the pictures from this trip as well, and post them for you all to see...let's see, I'll add that to the Day-Planner for 2007, how's that? :D ).

Sadly letting go of Thing Dos so that some other kid could have her turn with him, we headed off toward The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, when something (someone?) blue and red caught my eye... ;)

And, hopefully coming sooner rather than later: Nate Goes Cuckoo With The Cru Crew--Day 2, Part 3: Ummm, I Don't Hear Crap!

[TigrLvsPooh]

Hey Nate! It's about time you got back here!! ;) You know everyone is waiting to be entertained. :cool:

Sorry to hear about Nathan, but it sounds like it was a good decision. ;) You are going to have to find more time in your schedule for writing and posting!!! ;)

[hunnypotmama]

Hey Nate! I'm a recent reader of all your reports (I even went back in time and read The NASTEE!) and I've enjoyed the heck out of them!

So glad you got to see Thing Dos! I don't think I would've recognized him...did he have a sign on his belly or something?

Keep 'em coming! when is your next trip planned?

hunnypotmama

[debster812]

tapping her foot, looking at her watch (err, Dayplanner)
It's about time you got back here!!!!

Great installment, I would like some more

Please, sir, may I have another???

Keep 'em coming Nate!!!!

[WDW Poly Princess]

Nate! Its so good to hear from you! Great tale of IOA, looking forward to the rest! :)

[Nanajo1]

All good things are worth the wait. But...... I'm impatient for the next installment. Thanks for posting!

[SamanthaL]

Sorry to hear about Nathan.:( . I just love the report! Thanks for taking the time. Hope to hear the nxt installment soon!;)

[Jennyfyar]

You are hilarious!

I'm glad I just found this trip report and was able to read the first few days all at one sitting. It will probably be a few months before you have the time to finish another one, huh? I will anxiously await each and every installment patiently. But I won't be happy about it.

(What is an actuary?)