billybaruch1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2003
- Messages
- 455
I was in Walt Disney World October 18 - 25. I went by myself, with no one to please but me. If I didnt completely exorcize the demons of the wife-to-be I had loved and lost, at least I had a lot of fun and made some new memories.
Day 1: Jump Time
I called for a cab to the airport. The dispatcher had my name and address on the computer from a prior trip and said my cab would arrive in 30 minutes. It did and I was very happy to be off to such a good start. I splurged by paying the $12.20 fare with a $20 bill and saying, Keep it. I could tell this older man with a pleasant conversational style appreciated my gesture, just as I appreciated him and his companys service.
While waiting at the airport, a family sat down near me. It was a dad, a mom, and two boys. Later on the plane, the mom was seated next to me and I learned her boys were named Mitchell, age 5, and Taylor, age 8. In the waiting area I noticed the little sandwiches and fruit and candy and toys they had. They were always busy talking or playing. The older one had a GameBoy with extension cords so some of the other kids around there sat on the floor and joined in the fun. There was also another family of four: a dad, a mom, Christopher, age 7, and Nick (probably short for Nicole). The parents were wearing Make A Wish shirts. The baby girl in the stroller appeared to have Downs Syndrome. The boy did play with the other kids, which made me glad, but he seemed a lot less animated. My heart went out to that special family. The contrast between the two families made me wonder once again who gets to be happy in this life and why.
At the Orlando airport I went to the Mears counter and asked for one roundtrip to All Star Movies. I went outside and got the beeper disk. The signal came and I smiled when the guy said to me, Oh, youre the movie star! ASMo was the last drop-off on the van drivers list and I got a chance to ask him about his retirement job. He said he doesnt need a bus driver license to drive the van around all day, a few days a week. After the half hour wait at the airport and the hour-long ride, Im in line at the check-in counter. Woohoo! Yolanda is very nice and Im done in 20 minutes. I ask her about whether I may walk to Blizzard Beach from here. At first she says of course, no problem. But then shes not sure if theres a sidewalk. This convinced me of her sincerity. A few minutes later she remembered some of the resort staff would exercise in the mornings by running all the way to Coronado Springs and back.
DownTown Disney. The weather was perfect as it was all week. 5:30 pm and its sunny and warm. Its a five minute wait for the bus. There are two stops. For the West Side I got off at the second one, Pleasure Island. I got a beeper disk from the House of Blues and checked out DisneyQuest for about a half an hour. Then I had the Creole Seafood Jambalaya with shrimp, chicken, Andouille sausage and roasted green onions. There was enough food there to feed two or three people. Be careful with the habanero pepper in your bowl. My server alerted me to its existence, which was very nice of her, considering its fearsome capsaicin rating as the hottest chili in the world. Unless you know what youre doing, pick up the pretty orange thing with a spoon (do not use your fingers!) and carefully set it aside.
Over at the West End Stage the hard rockers named Stormbringer were pounding away. The Adventurers Club held an Open House and their 1937 Membership Drive that night! The Comedy Warehouse was also a lot of fun - very talented Cast Members. Another highlight of the evening was the Pleasure Island Jazz Company. The act was named Dennis Gruenling and Jump Time. The six-member band featured harmonica, bass guitar, saxophone, guitar, drums, and singer.
I was at the West End Stage for the midnight countdown. I was asked to take pictures for a group of four girls and again for a mixed group of about six other young revelers. Each time I remembered to take off my glasses and ask someone to hold them before taking the picture. If I look in a cameras viewfinder with my glasses on, the pictures come out with peoples heads cut off. The fireworks were puny, maybe two or three bursts and that was it.
After another set of Jump Time tunes at the Jazz Co., I walked to the bus stop and the bus arrived when I did. Next - Day 2.
Day 1: Jump Time
I called for a cab to the airport. The dispatcher had my name and address on the computer from a prior trip and said my cab would arrive in 30 minutes. It did and I was very happy to be off to such a good start. I splurged by paying the $12.20 fare with a $20 bill and saying, Keep it. I could tell this older man with a pleasant conversational style appreciated my gesture, just as I appreciated him and his companys service.
While waiting at the airport, a family sat down near me. It was a dad, a mom, and two boys. Later on the plane, the mom was seated next to me and I learned her boys were named Mitchell, age 5, and Taylor, age 8. In the waiting area I noticed the little sandwiches and fruit and candy and toys they had. They were always busy talking or playing. The older one had a GameBoy with extension cords so some of the other kids around there sat on the floor and joined in the fun. There was also another family of four: a dad, a mom, Christopher, age 7, and Nick (probably short for Nicole). The parents were wearing Make A Wish shirts. The baby girl in the stroller appeared to have Downs Syndrome. The boy did play with the other kids, which made me glad, but he seemed a lot less animated. My heart went out to that special family. The contrast between the two families made me wonder once again who gets to be happy in this life and why.
At the Orlando airport I went to the Mears counter and asked for one roundtrip to All Star Movies. I went outside and got the beeper disk. The signal came and I smiled when the guy said to me, Oh, youre the movie star! ASMo was the last drop-off on the van drivers list and I got a chance to ask him about his retirement job. He said he doesnt need a bus driver license to drive the van around all day, a few days a week. After the half hour wait at the airport and the hour-long ride, Im in line at the check-in counter. Woohoo! Yolanda is very nice and Im done in 20 minutes. I ask her about whether I may walk to Blizzard Beach from here. At first she says of course, no problem. But then shes not sure if theres a sidewalk. This convinced me of her sincerity. A few minutes later she remembered some of the resort staff would exercise in the mornings by running all the way to Coronado Springs and back.
DownTown Disney. The weather was perfect as it was all week. 5:30 pm and its sunny and warm. Its a five minute wait for the bus. There are two stops. For the West Side I got off at the second one, Pleasure Island. I got a beeper disk from the House of Blues and checked out DisneyQuest for about a half an hour. Then I had the Creole Seafood Jambalaya with shrimp, chicken, Andouille sausage and roasted green onions. There was enough food there to feed two or three people. Be careful with the habanero pepper in your bowl. My server alerted me to its existence, which was very nice of her, considering its fearsome capsaicin rating as the hottest chili in the world. Unless you know what youre doing, pick up the pretty orange thing with a spoon (do not use your fingers!) and carefully set it aside.
Over at the West End Stage the hard rockers named Stormbringer were pounding away. The Adventurers Club held an Open House and their 1937 Membership Drive that night! The Comedy Warehouse was also a lot of fun - very talented Cast Members. Another highlight of the evening was the Pleasure Island Jazz Company. The act was named Dennis Gruenling and Jump Time. The six-member band featured harmonica, bass guitar, saxophone, guitar, drums, and singer.
I was at the West End Stage for the midnight countdown. I was asked to take pictures for a group of four girls and again for a mixed group of about six other young revelers. Each time I remembered to take off my glasses and ask someone to hold them before taking the picture. If I look in a cameras viewfinder with my glasses on, the pictures come out with peoples heads cut off. The fireworks were puny, maybe two or three bursts and that was it.
After another set of Jump Time tunes at the Jazz Co., I walked to the bus stop and the bus arrived when I did. Next - Day 2.
