SusanEllen
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 24, 2004
- Messages
- 1,717
Awoke after a restful nights sleep. Made a cup of tea and considered the day before me. It was 7 AM, Saturday morning, my last full day. I had a long-ish list of things yet to be done, spread out through all four parks, but I was not worried. I had a park hopper pass, a tube of sun screen, and a plan.
I needed to make a call before leaving the room, a call to the desk at the All Star Music Resort per instructions of the CM there who had accepted our relay box last Sunday. The relay box was, as you may recall from Kevins trip report, an attempt to connect us with two other groups of DIS friends. We had, through cruel circumstance or poor planning, all managed to schedule WDW trips within days of each other, without any of our groups overlapping. Were still not clear on how this happened as we all write each other regularly and all knew there were plans in the making, but somehow, plane tickets were bought, reservations were made and vacation days were secured before it dawned on us that a little coordination might have gone a long way toward getting us all there at the same time. As it turned out, there were only 4 days between our groups final departee (me) and Jackie and Dans arrival and then 7 days between their departure and Dirk and Jims arrival. So near and yet so far! But were nothing if not clever and between us we hatched the relay box idea. The Churchills, the Stringers, and I packed the box (a cute US post office mailer, red with Mickey and Pluto on it) with gifts from our parts of the world for the friends who followed us. It was addressed to Jackie and Dan and left at their hotel to be picked up at check-in. The problem was that the day Matt, Debbie and I dropped it off was 12 days before the arrival date and the hotel system would not allow access to a reservation that far out so there was no way to attach a note to their computer record. But the CM was determined to help us and insisted he could store the box and save us another trip later in the week. We would just have to call closer to the check in date to assure the box was located and the note was made on the reservation. And thats what I was doing on this Saturday morning, calling about the box. Twenty-five minutes I was on the phone as a helpful, but increasingly concerned CM at the All Star searched for the box. Every few minutes she would come back on the line to tell me they were still searching. Finally she suggested that she would continue the search and would call and leave a message just as soon as the box was found. I hadnt asked her to do this, but was so glad she offered to handle it this way as it freed me to get on to a park. And so, just a bit before 8:30 and only a little later than I intended, I was out the door and on my way to catch a bus to EPCOT.
Do you remember the grief Kevin caught from Matt about riding the buses? Well, its for this reason that I dont think Matt will entirely believe the next part of my story. The EPCOT bus arrived at the WL bus stop within minutes. There were four other people onboard. No one else got on anywhere else and we were at EPCOT just before the park opened at 9. Before moving on Id like to say a few words about my four fellow travelers on the bus[and before saying something about them, Id like to say something about my personal Disney history. Since my husband Scotts death five years ago friends and family have been my traveling companions on all Disney trips, except one Disneyland trip that I did on my own. If youre familiar with the size and layout of Disneyland and California Adventure youll know that everything is self contained and close there and buses, monorails or boats are not necessary to get from one park to the other. Theres only a short courtyard walk between the two parks. I stayed at the Grand Californian, the hotel that is for all practical purposes in Disneys California Adventure. Theres a DCA park entrance only a few steps from the hotel lobby, so being at Disneyland for five days on my own wasnt quite (or at all) the same thing as being at Walt Disney World by myself. Until this little extension to the Very British Disney vacation, the longest Id ever been at WDW on my own was four hours a few years back when my friend Lu Beths plane home took off a half day earlier than mine.] Now back to the people on the bussomething to know about Disney places, just in case you havent noticed before, you can talk to just about anybody, anytime, anywhere. And thats how I met two lovely people on the bus, Dave and his 10 year old daughter Emma, from Kansas City, Missouri. Theyd left wife and mom, to lounge a little at the hotel while they returned to EPCOT to do some favorite rides, which they listed for me enthusiastically. They were interested in what Id been doing and what I liked. And when I told them I was on my way to ride Mission: SPACE they told me that was at the top of their list and they invited me to be part of their crew. Isnt that the dearest thing? We said good bye to the other two bus rider, an older couple (and you know I use that word older advisedly now that Ive turned 60) and we thanked the bus driver and were off through the gates and into the park just as it opened. We went right to Mission: SPACE and walked on. I had done the original version with the Stringers in 2004 and though I didnt have such a rough time after as Kevin did, I have to admit it was uncomfortable for me during the ride. So, it was a relief when Dave said he was going to have to ride the new gentler version and would that be all right with me? Oh, you bet. Perfect, in fact. We had a successful launch and landing, debarked, and said goodbye. What a wonderful thing to be able to doshare a few minutes with like minded people, wish each other good fortune, and then go off on our own adventures. Not sure if this is a life lesson that always works so well in the world outside the World, but its a gem of memory. I only saw them once more that morning. We passed close to each other moving in opposite directions. Slowed down but didnt stop as we smiled and asked for reassurance that we were all having fun. We all were.
From Mission: SPACE I moved in as direct a line as possible to The Land for Soarin. (Have you noticed that direct lines are often difficult to maneuver in EPCOT? It was a park designed for ambling and rambling.) Board quickly. Nothing remarkable. First time to ride in Florida, but same pleasant ride Ive ridden on trips to DCA. By the way, have you spotted the hidden Mickey in the Soarin film? If youd like to know where it is send me a PM so we dont spoil the fun for people who want to look for it.
Next a ride through Journey into Imagination but didnt spend anytime with the activities at the end. Walked in and out of Club Cooldidnt need to stay long as I didnt spot anything new but the entrance. And though it wasnt exactly a forced march, I was mindful that time was slipping away and I had lunch time soon and another park to get to and I needed to move on. Sashayed through Mouse Gear and as it wasnt the first time this trip I had some ideas of what I was going to buy and where things were in the store. I did spend some time looking for gift ideas for friends on my What Did You Bring Me? list. As I walked out of the store with two good sized bags, it did cross my mind again that I should organize my purchases with receipts and talk to the folks at the Mercantile about boxing and mailing a lot of this stuff Id been accumulating. Instead I did my Scarlett OHara imitation and thought, Fiddle-de-de. Tomorrow is another day! And with a just a hint of foreshadowing, let me tell you those words came back to haunt methe very next day.
Off then for an 11:40 ADR at the Coral Reef, a favorite lunch spot for two reasons: 1) the charming little restaurant (If you havent been there since they remodeled 6 or 7 years ago, you need to go. Its so much nicer than once it was.) and 2) at lunch, the least expensive lobster in all of WDW. Id had a Coral Reef lobster in mind for some time so was disappointed when the server told me that the only lobster available that day was in the lobster bisque and a lobster salad. Well, ok, Ill have one of each, please. Both were excellent and were certainly enough lobster to last me awhile. I was entertained throughout the meal by the aquarium dwellers and a diver who was feeding some of them. By the way, I never order anything at the Coral Reef that I think might have a family member swim by while Im eating. All these years, Ive never seen a lobster in that tank so thats always safe to order. A word here about dining alone in case its not occurred to you--dinner conversation is limited to exchanges with the server and talks with yourself (preferably silent talks so as to not alarm the people at surrounding tables); therefore, a lunch can be ordered, consumed and paid for in less than an hour. No doubt these waste-no-time dining skills have been sharpened through years of eating school lunches in 20 minutes or less. So, at 12:30 with a fun filled morning and a lovely lunch behind me, I headed for the front gate and the bus back to the Wilderness Lodge.
I needed to make a call before leaving the room, a call to the desk at the All Star Music Resort per instructions of the CM there who had accepted our relay box last Sunday. The relay box was, as you may recall from Kevins trip report, an attempt to connect us with two other groups of DIS friends. We had, through cruel circumstance or poor planning, all managed to schedule WDW trips within days of each other, without any of our groups overlapping. Were still not clear on how this happened as we all write each other regularly and all knew there were plans in the making, but somehow, plane tickets were bought, reservations were made and vacation days were secured before it dawned on us that a little coordination might have gone a long way toward getting us all there at the same time. As it turned out, there were only 4 days between our groups final departee (me) and Jackie and Dans arrival and then 7 days between their departure and Dirk and Jims arrival. So near and yet so far! But were nothing if not clever and between us we hatched the relay box idea. The Churchills, the Stringers, and I packed the box (a cute US post office mailer, red with Mickey and Pluto on it) with gifts from our parts of the world for the friends who followed us. It was addressed to Jackie and Dan and left at their hotel to be picked up at check-in. The problem was that the day Matt, Debbie and I dropped it off was 12 days before the arrival date and the hotel system would not allow access to a reservation that far out so there was no way to attach a note to their computer record. But the CM was determined to help us and insisted he could store the box and save us another trip later in the week. We would just have to call closer to the check in date to assure the box was located and the note was made on the reservation. And thats what I was doing on this Saturday morning, calling about the box. Twenty-five minutes I was on the phone as a helpful, but increasingly concerned CM at the All Star searched for the box. Every few minutes she would come back on the line to tell me they were still searching. Finally she suggested that she would continue the search and would call and leave a message just as soon as the box was found. I hadnt asked her to do this, but was so glad she offered to handle it this way as it freed me to get on to a park. And so, just a bit before 8:30 and only a little later than I intended, I was out the door and on my way to catch a bus to EPCOT.
Do you remember the grief Kevin caught from Matt about riding the buses? Well, its for this reason that I dont think Matt will entirely believe the next part of my story. The EPCOT bus arrived at the WL bus stop within minutes. There were four other people onboard. No one else got on anywhere else and we were at EPCOT just before the park opened at 9. Before moving on Id like to say a few words about my four fellow travelers on the bus[and before saying something about them, Id like to say something about my personal Disney history. Since my husband Scotts death five years ago friends and family have been my traveling companions on all Disney trips, except one Disneyland trip that I did on my own. If youre familiar with the size and layout of Disneyland and California Adventure youll know that everything is self contained and close there and buses, monorails or boats are not necessary to get from one park to the other. Theres only a short courtyard walk between the two parks. I stayed at the Grand Californian, the hotel that is for all practical purposes in Disneys California Adventure. Theres a DCA park entrance only a few steps from the hotel lobby, so being at Disneyland for five days on my own wasnt quite (or at all) the same thing as being at Walt Disney World by myself. Until this little extension to the Very British Disney vacation, the longest Id ever been at WDW on my own was four hours a few years back when my friend Lu Beths plane home took off a half day earlier than mine.] Now back to the people on the bussomething to know about Disney places, just in case you havent noticed before, you can talk to just about anybody, anytime, anywhere. And thats how I met two lovely people on the bus, Dave and his 10 year old daughter Emma, from Kansas City, Missouri. Theyd left wife and mom, to lounge a little at the hotel while they returned to EPCOT to do some favorite rides, which they listed for me enthusiastically. They were interested in what Id been doing and what I liked. And when I told them I was on my way to ride Mission: SPACE they told me that was at the top of their list and they invited me to be part of their crew. Isnt that the dearest thing? We said good bye to the other two bus rider, an older couple (and you know I use that word older advisedly now that Ive turned 60) and we thanked the bus driver and were off through the gates and into the park just as it opened. We went right to Mission: SPACE and walked on. I had done the original version with the Stringers in 2004 and though I didnt have such a rough time after as Kevin did, I have to admit it was uncomfortable for me during the ride. So, it was a relief when Dave said he was going to have to ride the new gentler version and would that be all right with me? Oh, you bet. Perfect, in fact. We had a successful launch and landing, debarked, and said goodbye. What a wonderful thing to be able to doshare a few minutes with like minded people, wish each other good fortune, and then go off on our own adventures. Not sure if this is a life lesson that always works so well in the world outside the World, but its a gem of memory. I only saw them once more that morning. We passed close to each other moving in opposite directions. Slowed down but didnt stop as we smiled and asked for reassurance that we were all having fun. We all were.
From Mission: SPACE I moved in as direct a line as possible to The Land for Soarin. (Have you noticed that direct lines are often difficult to maneuver in EPCOT? It was a park designed for ambling and rambling.) Board quickly. Nothing remarkable. First time to ride in Florida, but same pleasant ride Ive ridden on trips to DCA. By the way, have you spotted the hidden Mickey in the Soarin film? If youd like to know where it is send me a PM so we dont spoil the fun for people who want to look for it.
Next a ride through Journey into Imagination but didnt spend anytime with the activities at the end. Walked in and out of Club Cooldidnt need to stay long as I didnt spot anything new but the entrance. And though it wasnt exactly a forced march, I was mindful that time was slipping away and I had lunch time soon and another park to get to and I needed to move on. Sashayed through Mouse Gear and as it wasnt the first time this trip I had some ideas of what I was going to buy and where things were in the store. I did spend some time looking for gift ideas for friends on my What Did You Bring Me? list. As I walked out of the store with two good sized bags, it did cross my mind again that I should organize my purchases with receipts and talk to the folks at the Mercantile about boxing and mailing a lot of this stuff Id been accumulating. Instead I did my Scarlett OHara imitation and thought, Fiddle-de-de. Tomorrow is another day! And with a just a hint of foreshadowing, let me tell you those words came back to haunt methe very next day.
Off then for an 11:40 ADR at the Coral Reef, a favorite lunch spot for two reasons: 1) the charming little restaurant (If you havent been there since they remodeled 6 or 7 years ago, you need to go. Its so much nicer than once it was.) and 2) at lunch, the least expensive lobster in all of WDW. Id had a Coral Reef lobster in mind for some time so was disappointed when the server told me that the only lobster available that day was in the lobster bisque and a lobster salad. Well, ok, Ill have one of each, please. Both were excellent and were certainly enough lobster to last me awhile. I was entertained throughout the meal by the aquarium dwellers and a diver who was feeding some of them. By the way, I never order anything at the Coral Reef that I think might have a family member swim by while Im eating. All these years, Ive never seen a lobster in that tank so thats always safe to order. A word here about dining alone in case its not occurred to you--dinner conversation is limited to exchanges with the server and talks with yourself (preferably silent talks so as to not alarm the people at surrounding tables); therefore, a lunch can be ordered, consumed and paid for in less than an hour. No doubt these waste-no-time dining skills have been sharpened through years of eating school lunches in 20 minutes or less. So, at 12:30 with a fun filled morning and a lovely lunch behind me, I headed for the front gate and the bus back to the Wilderness Lodge.
Lovely morning report 
