Rajah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
- Messages
- 9,633
WDW Trip Report -- October 16th through October 21, 2001
(Yes, this report is a year late. But better late than never, right?
)
Cast:
Tammi, "Rajah", primary trip planner and trip report writer. 6th trip to the World. A little behind this trip in planning due to the short notice.
Michael, "VonDrake", as always seriously in need of a vacation. Especially after the disaster our summer vacation (non WDW) turned out to be. 5th trip to the World
Supporting Cast:
Becky, long time friend of Tammi and Michael, CM at outdoor foods at MGM
Randall, "SideShowBob", a friend on the DIS whose "lemonade stand" was close enough to WDW to allow a brief meeting.
Mary and Jerry, two of Michael's coworkers who came down a couple of days early to enjoy the parks as well.
"Stanley" -- Flat Stanley to be exact. A paper doll sent to us for a school project
Trip dates:
Tuesday, October 16 2001 through Sunday, October 21 2001
Stayed at:
The Dolphin
This edition: "Be Prepared?"
While normally we consider ourselves to be Disneyworld Veterans, able to draw maps of the parks in our sleep, this trip seemed to be an "off" trip. Half of the things we normally knew in advance or had ready in advance weren't done until just barely before we left if they were done at all, and so the theme of this trip was "be prepared?" as we kept finding ourselves unprepared for something or other.
---------------------------------------
"Be Prepared?" -- Pre-trip report
March 2001... we return from a trip to Disneyworld that was taken in conjunction with a conference in which Michael was tech staff. Looking ahead to later in the year, knowing we'd like to return again, we discovered that there would be another conference in Orlando in October. I told him at the time that we should try to coordinate our next trip with his conference again. He said no... October would be too hot, he wouldn't be able to take the time off, and he'd rather go in December. I just shrugged and put my attentions to planning December instead.
May/June 2001... our trip to Colorado ends in a medical disaster that sends us home two days early and undoes all the relaxation the first half of the trip had brought. Michael and I were both in more need of a vacation after our vacation than we were before we left. Where did we want to go: Disneyworld of course. Only it was definitely too hot in the summer, and Michael wasn't well enough to go again until August. Neither of us does well in the heat and humidity, so again we focused our attention on December.
September 11, 2001... Terrorists hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon and throw the US into chaos. Vacation plans drop like flies as people are unwilling to either leave home, fly, or both. In reaction, Disneyworld becomes a ghost town. But Michael's conference is still scheduled for mid October.
After hearing about how empty the parks were and how the economy could use a little boost, not to mention President Bush's instruction to the country to go visit places like Disneyworld, we decided that our house could wait a month or three. That's about how far back a trip to Disneyworld would put us in our house savings. So with less than a month to spare, we started planning.
We first started looking at the Wilderness Lodge (WL) or Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL), but AKL was booked and WL was a little more than we wanted to spend this time. Especially when we compared to the Dolphin again. Even the AP rate at the WL was about $50 more than the government discount rate at the Dolphin, and when we got a shot at an even better rate at the Dolphin it became a no-brainer. The Dolphin it was.
As for dining... we usually have our dining selections figured out weeks in advance. This time, it came up to less than 5 days before we left before we finally decided on our dining choices. As a result of waiting so long, our top choice times for breakfast weren't available. We wanted Crystal Palace around 10am, but only 8:20 was available that day. And we wanted about 10am for the Garden Grill, but 9:10 was the best the CM could do for us. All our dinner choices were available within 10 minutes of our requested time, however, so that worked out well.
Another plus about going in the October timeframe was that we would be there for the first of this year's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). We went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) last year and really enjoyed ourselves, so there was no question that we'd try the MNSSHP this trip. When I started trying to do more research on the party, I found there to be much less information out there than was available for the MVMCP, and pictures were almost impossible to find. So I set myself the task of taking enough pictures of the Halloween Party to do a page dedicated to it when I got home.
Just about all the information I was able to find for the MNSSHP was the cost and time, that adults could go in costume too, that trick-or-treating was available, and that we should be on the parade route about 30 minutes early for a surprise. Times of shows, what shows would be available, and pretty much any other details that I was able to find for the Christmas Party were unavailable.
Since it was determined that adults could wear costumes as well, I decided I had to have one. I didn't want anything too hot or heavy, so that meant not getting the official Disney Pooh or Tigger costumes. I didn't want something that everyone else would be wearing, so I decided not to try for either of the princess costumes they had at the Disney Store. I thought about going as the black cat that I used to always go as, but my old ears were getting a little worn and tight (I got them originally in high school about 8 years ago), the tail was who knew where, and the suit I usually wear with that costume was solid black stretchy velvet. Too easy to ruin in a park setting. So after some more thinking, I decided to add on to the theme of my favorite hat to wear in Disneyworld: Safari Tigger.
I got this hat in January of 1999 on my first visit to Disneyworld, and I've had the most fun with this hat since. Every trip to Disneyworld and half the trips to Disneyland, I always take the hat. It's a felt/cushioned hat with Tigger ears, and a little Tigger tail coming out the back. I've added a couple of Tigger pins to the brim of the hat, and have tied a little green bow around the tail to identify myself as a member of the online Disney community, the DIS.
In thinking about it, it wouldn't be too difficult to build off of that hat. On a previous trip to Disneyworld, we considered getting our faces painted. I remembered seeing a tiger pattern that looked really neat, and I thought why not get my face painted as a tiger. But Tigger is a cartoon tiger, so that wouldn't quite work. I bounced back and forth between getting my face painted on the Boardwalk (the closest face-painting station to the Dolphin that I knew about) if they had a Tigger pattern or just doing it myself. I ended up doing my own make-up after I got some make-up to test with (make sure it wouldn't run or leave my face horribly broken out). When I showed my mom the test make-up, she instructed me to come over and do another test. She used to do costume or stage make-up back in her college days, and she still remembered some of the techniques. So armed with makeup and makeup-remover pads, I went over to her house for an instruction on how to do my own Tigger make-up. I do admit, it looked a lot better my mom's way.
After face and hat, I needed the rest of my costume. So I hit the craft stores and Walmart. It took several trips, but I was finally able to find a white long-sleeved shirt that was a little tight but not too tight ($8), a pair of white knit pants ($3 on major sale), and a pair of khaki-colored jeans-shorts. Combine that with my dad's khaki-colored camera vest as well as a pair of orange and black socks my mom found at Steinmart, and I had the makings for my costume.
The next 10 days or so were spent rushing to get the shirt and pants painted in a Tigger pattern. I wasn't sure I'd get it done in time, but the night before we left I was just putting on the finishing touches and my costume was complete for packing.
I couldn't, however, get Michael to agree to go in any kind of distinctive costume. The best I could get him to agree to was to look in the Rock 'N Roller shop before going to the party, just in case he could find something he'd be willing to do there.
As the days ticked by, time kept getting more and more hectic. I do have to say, we weren't quite ready for this trip when it came time. We had no qualms about flying itself, but I did have concerns about how pushy and rude the security would be. I'd been hearing some bad stories of people traveling and their problems with rude security. By the time the day came to leave, I was prepared for a 2 hour wait in rude people and to have to deal with security personnel who hated everyone. I was not in a good mood. But we were going to Disneyworld, so I just tried to focus on where we would be, not what it would take to get there. And before we were quite ready, the day came.
(Yes, this report is a year late. But better late than never, right?
)Cast:
Tammi, "Rajah", primary trip planner and trip report writer. 6th trip to the World. A little behind this trip in planning due to the short notice.
Michael, "VonDrake", as always seriously in need of a vacation. Especially after the disaster our summer vacation (non WDW) turned out to be. 5th trip to the World
Supporting Cast:
Becky, long time friend of Tammi and Michael, CM at outdoor foods at MGM
Randall, "SideShowBob", a friend on the DIS whose "lemonade stand" was close enough to WDW to allow a brief meeting.
Mary and Jerry, two of Michael's coworkers who came down a couple of days early to enjoy the parks as well.
"Stanley" -- Flat Stanley to be exact. A paper doll sent to us for a school project
Trip dates:
Tuesday, October 16 2001 through Sunday, October 21 2001
Stayed at:
The Dolphin
This edition: "Be Prepared?"
While normally we consider ourselves to be Disneyworld Veterans, able to draw maps of the parks in our sleep, this trip seemed to be an "off" trip. Half of the things we normally knew in advance or had ready in advance weren't done until just barely before we left if they were done at all, and so the theme of this trip was "be prepared?" as we kept finding ourselves unprepared for something or other.
---------------------------------------
"Be Prepared?" -- Pre-trip report
March 2001... we return from a trip to Disneyworld that was taken in conjunction with a conference in which Michael was tech staff. Looking ahead to later in the year, knowing we'd like to return again, we discovered that there would be another conference in Orlando in October. I told him at the time that we should try to coordinate our next trip with his conference again. He said no... October would be too hot, he wouldn't be able to take the time off, and he'd rather go in December. I just shrugged and put my attentions to planning December instead.
May/June 2001... our trip to Colorado ends in a medical disaster that sends us home two days early and undoes all the relaxation the first half of the trip had brought. Michael and I were both in more need of a vacation after our vacation than we were before we left. Where did we want to go: Disneyworld of course. Only it was definitely too hot in the summer, and Michael wasn't well enough to go again until August. Neither of us does well in the heat and humidity, so again we focused our attention on December.
September 11, 2001... Terrorists hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon and throw the US into chaos. Vacation plans drop like flies as people are unwilling to either leave home, fly, or both. In reaction, Disneyworld becomes a ghost town. But Michael's conference is still scheduled for mid October.
After hearing about how empty the parks were and how the economy could use a little boost, not to mention President Bush's instruction to the country to go visit places like Disneyworld, we decided that our house could wait a month or three. That's about how far back a trip to Disneyworld would put us in our house savings. So with less than a month to spare, we started planning.
We first started looking at the Wilderness Lodge (WL) or Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL), but AKL was booked and WL was a little more than we wanted to spend this time. Especially when we compared to the Dolphin again. Even the AP rate at the WL was about $50 more than the government discount rate at the Dolphin, and when we got a shot at an even better rate at the Dolphin it became a no-brainer. The Dolphin it was.
As for dining... we usually have our dining selections figured out weeks in advance. This time, it came up to less than 5 days before we left before we finally decided on our dining choices. As a result of waiting so long, our top choice times for breakfast weren't available. We wanted Crystal Palace around 10am, but only 8:20 was available that day. And we wanted about 10am for the Garden Grill, but 9:10 was the best the CM could do for us. All our dinner choices were available within 10 minutes of our requested time, however, so that worked out well.
Another plus about going in the October timeframe was that we would be there for the first of this year's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). We went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) last year and really enjoyed ourselves, so there was no question that we'd try the MNSSHP this trip. When I started trying to do more research on the party, I found there to be much less information out there than was available for the MVMCP, and pictures were almost impossible to find. So I set myself the task of taking enough pictures of the Halloween Party to do a page dedicated to it when I got home.
Just about all the information I was able to find for the MNSSHP was the cost and time, that adults could go in costume too, that trick-or-treating was available, and that we should be on the parade route about 30 minutes early for a surprise. Times of shows, what shows would be available, and pretty much any other details that I was able to find for the Christmas Party were unavailable.
Since it was determined that adults could wear costumes as well, I decided I had to have one. I didn't want anything too hot or heavy, so that meant not getting the official Disney Pooh or Tigger costumes. I didn't want something that everyone else would be wearing, so I decided not to try for either of the princess costumes they had at the Disney Store. I thought about going as the black cat that I used to always go as, but my old ears were getting a little worn and tight (I got them originally in high school about 8 years ago), the tail was who knew where, and the suit I usually wear with that costume was solid black stretchy velvet. Too easy to ruin in a park setting. So after some more thinking, I decided to add on to the theme of my favorite hat to wear in Disneyworld: Safari Tigger.
I got this hat in January of 1999 on my first visit to Disneyworld, and I've had the most fun with this hat since. Every trip to Disneyworld and half the trips to Disneyland, I always take the hat. It's a felt/cushioned hat with Tigger ears, and a little Tigger tail coming out the back. I've added a couple of Tigger pins to the brim of the hat, and have tied a little green bow around the tail to identify myself as a member of the online Disney community, the DIS.
In thinking about it, it wouldn't be too difficult to build off of that hat. On a previous trip to Disneyworld, we considered getting our faces painted. I remembered seeing a tiger pattern that looked really neat, and I thought why not get my face painted as a tiger. But Tigger is a cartoon tiger, so that wouldn't quite work. I bounced back and forth between getting my face painted on the Boardwalk (the closest face-painting station to the Dolphin that I knew about) if they had a Tigger pattern or just doing it myself. I ended up doing my own make-up after I got some make-up to test with (make sure it wouldn't run or leave my face horribly broken out). When I showed my mom the test make-up, she instructed me to come over and do another test. She used to do costume or stage make-up back in her college days, and she still remembered some of the techniques. So armed with makeup and makeup-remover pads, I went over to her house for an instruction on how to do my own Tigger make-up. I do admit, it looked a lot better my mom's way.
After face and hat, I needed the rest of my costume. So I hit the craft stores and Walmart. It took several trips, but I was finally able to find a white long-sleeved shirt that was a little tight but not too tight ($8), a pair of white knit pants ($3 on major sale), and a pair of khaki-colored jeans-shorts. Combine that with my dad's khaki-colored camera vest as well as a pair of orange and black socks my mom found at Steinmart, and I had the makings for my costume.
The next 10 days or so were spent rushing to get the shirt and pants painted in a Tigger pattern. I wasn't sure I'd get it done in time, but the night before we left I was just putting on the finishing touches and my costume was complete for packing.
I couldn't, however, get Michael to agree to go in any kind of distinctive costume. The best I could get him to agree to was to look in the Rock 'N Roller shop before going to the party, just in case he could find something he'd be willing to do there.
As the days ticked by, time kept getting more and more hectic. I do have to say, we weren't quite ready for this trip when it came time. We had no qualms about flying itself, but I did have concerns about how pushy and rude the security would be. I'd been hearing some bad stories of people traveling and their problems with rude security. By the time the day came to leave, I was prepared for a 2 hour wait in rude people and to have to deal with security personnel who hated everyone. I was not in a good mood. But we were going to Disneyworld, so I just tried to focus on where we would be, not what it would take to get there. And before we were quite ready, the day came.
