Flower Power 2009--Spring Fling with Friends and the Nelsons!

[TLinden16]

Day 1—Monday May 4, 2009

I woke up just about the same time that I normally do on a workday to catch my 9:35 a.m. flight to Orlando. My flight was a bit later than I usually take to Orlando, so I wasn’t scheduled to arrive until nearly 1:00. I took public transportation to the airport, and grabbed a quick breakfast after making my way through security.

When I got on the plane, I stored my bag in the overhead compartment, and took my seat on the aisle. Normally, I fly JetBlue, and I did book JetBlue for this trip, but I thought I mistakenly got on a SouthWest flight because I felt like I was in the middle of taping of “Airline.” It was a bit of a crazy flight, with some people behaving badly.

A few minutes after I took my seat, the couple sitting next to me got to our row. The woman immediately started complaining about how someone put their bag in her overhead compartment. She was complaining loudly about how people shouldn’t put their bags in other people’s overhead compartments. So, I told her it was my bag. She told me that I should have put it in the other way, and I told her that it wouldn’t fit that way. She continued to complain, and I had to stand in the aisle blocking everyone else while they got settled. I mouthed “Sorry” to the woman waiting, and she wished me luck with my neighbors.

Within a few minutes, of sitting, the woman realized that here TV wasn’t working. She was banging on the screen and pulling at it, trying to get it to work (I felt bad for the girl sitting in front of her). The woman kept on complaining about how horrible it was that her TV wasn’t working. She made it seem like it was the end of the world because her TV wasn’t working. Thankfully, there were two seats available a few rows up, so they moved up there.

The plane pulled out of the gate ten minutes early. I was psyched that we were leaving early. Surely that would mean we would get to Orlando earlier. We taxied for a bit and then we stopped. And we sat, and sat, and sat some more. Finally, after about 30 minutes, the Captain came over the loud speaker and told us that they were having trouble with one of the computers, and we would have to go back to the gate so the mechanics could board the plane and try to fix the problem.

We taxied back to the gate, and we sat, and sat, and sat some more. After about 30 minutes, the captain announced that the issue was not resolved, and we would have to switch to another plane. We all exited the plane, and moved to another gate around the corner. Since it was now nearly 11:00, I grabbed a barbecue chicken salad from Wolfgang Puck’s express for lunch.
After another 30 minutes, we were all boarded on the plane, and finally on the way to Orlando. The unhappy lady was back sitting next to me. They said there was a screaming baby sitting near their other seats, so they decided to move back to my row. Thankfully, the woman was in a better mood now.

At one point during the flight, I got up to use the rest room. I walked to the back of the plane because there was one available. When I opened the door, there was a teenage boy standing in there. Oops. Thankfully he had his back to me. The flight attendant actually locked the door from the outside.

The woman sitting in front of me had a Mary Popins bag for her carryon. I think she had everything but the kitchen sink stuffed into her bag. Each time she needed something out of the bag, she pulled out blankets and jackets and threw them across the aisle at her husband. About thirty minutes before the flight ended, she decided that underneath the seat in front of her was no longer the best place to store her bag. She took her bag, hooked the handle on the side of her chair, and put the bag in the aisle. I watched several people trip over it (including one young boy who fell to the ground), and she didn’t move it. Two flight attendants walked by her, and no one said anything to her. When the flight attendants were doing their final run through the plane, one of the flight attendants was walking backwards, so I told him to be careful because she had her bag in the aisle.

We arrived in Orlando about 90 minutes behind schedule. I had been keeping in contact with Edd, the driver from my car service, to make sure that would still be able to drive me to my resort. Thankfully he was able to accommodate me despite the late flight, and he was waiting for me when I got to baggage claim. I only had a carry on (thanks to my Owner’s Locker), so we were on our way within minutes of arriving at baggage claim.

After a quick grocery stop at Publix, I was at the Port Orleans French Quarter before 3:30, about 70 minutes after my flight landed. I definitely beat Magical Express, even with the grocery stop (although I probably would not have beat Magical Express if I had to wait for bags).

I checked in, and they could not accommodate my request to be in my favorite building, Building 4. They offered me my choice of any other building, so I chose building five. My room wasn’t ready yet, so I walked around the resort for about 15 minutes. I have stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter about five times, and it’s my favorite resort on Disney property. The resort looks fantastic. The grounds were clean, and well kept up.

I was in room 5208. It was a great location. My room was on the second floor at the end of a line of rooms, right next to the stairwell, and directly across from the laundry room. It was only about a minute walk to the food court, and two minutes to the bus stop. The room itself was in good shape. It was clean, and the furniture was in excellent shape. The beds were a bit firmer than I am used to but the mattresses seemed to be relatively new.
After getting my Owner’s Locker, luggage, and groceries delivered to the room, I quickly unpacked my things, and headed for the bus stop. I took the bus to the Magic Kingdom. I headed over to Cosmic Ray’s to grab a bite to eat. I got chicken breast nuggets and fries. They were good, but I still miss the old chicken strips. I saw a family eating fried rice and lo mien from Ziploc bags while I was eating, which made me giggle.

I headed over to Fantasyland and started off with Mickey’s Philharmagic. I absolutely adore this show. The 3D effects are incredible (I have a vision condition that keeps me from seeing most 3D, but I can see this really well as long as I’m close to the center of the room).

I then headed over to it’s a small world. I met a really nice family who live in Florida. It was a mom, a dad, and an adorable little toddler named Madison. Madison absolutely loves it’s a small world. She was singing along and bouncing up and down. When the ride ended, she let her parents know that she wanted to ride it again by saying more in sign language (her parents told me that her day care taught her some basic words in sign language). It was really enjoyed riding the ride with Madison.

After taking a ride on the Haunted Mansion, I grabbed a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain, and headed over to the Jungle Cruise. As I got in line, a nice cast member named Josh asked me if I was by myself, and I told him I was. He said it was wrong that a lovely lady like me was alone. What a charmer. He knows me so well.

Samantha was our skipper on the Jungle Cruise, and she was one of the best skippers that I’ve ever had despite the fact that we were in a boat full of people who were probably waiting to take Ned’s deal on shrunken heads at the end of the ride because they showed no sign of life while we were on the ride. Samantha told some jokes that I had never hear before, and had great timing. She even had time to fix her hair into a ponytail when we were riding through the temple.

One thing I want to note is that I was shocked and disappointed by the amount of trash on the ledges of the buildings in the line for the Jungle Cruise. There were cups, bottles, and other trash lined up all over the place. I don't know why people have to litter like that. It doesn't take that much effort to hold your trash until you get to a trash barrel.

I then headed over to ride Big Thunder Mountain, and then took the train over to Toon Town. I walked the pathway to Tomorrowland. It was a bit on the creepy side, as there was no one else walking it at the time. Since Space Mountain was closed, it was a good five minutes before I walked by other people.

I went on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Carousel of Progress. I then started to walk over to Frontierland to use a fast pass for Splash Mountain. There was a very short line for the Tomorrowland Speedway, so I decided to take a spin on that for the first time in about five years.

I headed over to Splash Mountain. I road it with a really nice family from England who seemed to love the ride as much as I do. We were all clapping, raising our arms up, and screaming with every drop. We got drenched from the water cannons near the big drop.

The fireworks were just starting when I got off Splash Mountain. I didn’t have time to head to the front of the castle, so I watched them from in front of Big Thunder Mountain. It wasn’t the best spot to watch the fireworks from, as you could barely hear the music. But the fireworks were right on top of you from here, and they are very loud. After seeing wishes too many times to count, it is neat seeing them from different vantage points.

After the fireworks, I lingered in the hub for a while. I chatted for a while with a nice woman who is a fan of all the podcasts. She was there with her sisters. I stayed in the hub long enough to see the kiss good night, which was a great way to end what was one of my best days ever at the Magic Kingdom.

I slowly walked out of the Magic Kingdom, and headed for the Port Orleans French Quarter bus stop. Since I was the only person waiting for the bus, the dispatcher sent me on the bus to the Port Orleans Riverside. I made it back to the room around midnight, and went to sleep after a great first day of my vacation.

 

[OhMari]

Karen
I'm surprised you like POFQ, I like RiverSide.
But RiverSide is starting to show wear and tear.
You sure did a lot on your first day.

 

[TLinden16]

Karen
I'm surprised you like POFQ, I like RiverSide.
But RiverSide is starting to show wear and tear.
You sure did a lot on your first day.

Marisa, I absolutely love the POFQ. It has always been my favorite Disney resort. I like smaller resorts. The Riverside is just too big for me.

 

[TLinden16]

Day 2--Tuesday, May 5, 2009

I never sleep well the first night of a vacation, so I was up bright and early, and not completely rested on Tuesday morning. After getting ready, I headed over to the food court to get some breakfast. I wound up getting a breakfast platter that included scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and a biscuit. The eggs, bacon, and biscuit were very good, but the potatoes were undercooked and hard.

After brushing my teeth, I headed to the bus stop to catch a bus to Epcot for Extra Magic Hours. I arrived at the bus stop at 7:30, and had a long wait for the bus. The buses in the morning were really my only complaint about staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter. It seemed like any time I got to the bus stop in the morning, I’d have to wait at least 20 minutes for a bus.

Once through security and in the park, I made my way over to the Land to grab a fast pass for Soarin’. I then headed over to Test Track. They sent us right through the line without the preshow. For the first time in a long time, I made it all the way through Test Track without any technical difficulties (it always seems like I stop for a few minutes, or the in car computers aren’t working).

I then took rides on Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth before heading back over to the Land to ride Soarin’, followed by Journey Into Your Imagination.

Since it was Cinco de Mayo, I decided to go on the Gran Fiesta Tour. I arrived in Mexico about 10 minutes before it opened, and saw that there was a line formed to get into the building. Other folks started going on the steps as it got closer to opening time, so I joined them. They opened our area of steps first, so I followed the folks in, and got on the first boat of the day.

I then made my way over to Tutto Italia for an early lunch. Although I think this restaurant is a bit over priced, the food is excellent. I have eaten here three times, and always had a great meal. Davide was the head server, and Lorenzo was his assistant, and they were the best servers I’ve ever had at Disney. They were personable and attentive, especially Lorenzo. Lorenzo made sure that my glasses of diet coke and water were always filled, and made sure that I had everything I needed.

For my entrée, I ordered the lasagna al forno. The lasagna is my favorite dish here. It has a lot of flavor, and is always served piping hot. The noodles are nice and tender, and it’s full of meat and cheese. For dessert, I got the profriteroles, which are puff pastries with a small scoop of vanilla gelato topped with a decadent hot chocolate sauce. This is my favorite dessert on Disney property. Absolutely delicious.

After lunch, I walked out of the park and took the bus back to the Port Orleans French Quarter to relax for a bit. I then took the boat over to Downtown Disney to do some shopping.

I also made a stop at T-Rex to check it out. I wasn’t overly impressed by the restaurant. While the outside is pretty cool, the inside left a lot to be desired. I describe it as the Rainforest Café’s not as cool cousin.

My friend ILuvDisney was arriving this afternoon. She would be staying at Old Key West, so I decided to head over there to meet her. I took the boat to Old Key West. All of the other passengers on the boat got off at Saratoga Springs, so I had a private ride between Old Key West and Saratoga Springs.

ILuvDisney had not arrived yet, so I grabbed a soft drink, and sat on a bench and read my book until she arrived. Once ILuvDisney was checked in, I helped her bring her bags and groceries up to her room.

We then drove over to the Boardwalk, where we went to see some of our friends who were working in the DVC model. I also chatted with a very nice couple who were looking into buying DVC. We also met up with our friend KarenNY’s friend Ros, who I had met a few years back on a trip to Disney World.

We then walked over to Epcot, and headed to the Land to get some dinner. I got a dinner plate that consisted of sweet and sour chicken and mongolian beef. I was very disappointed in this meal. It wasn’t good at all. It had very little flavor, and wasn’t very warm.

I had grabbed a couple of fast passes for Soarin’ earlier in the day, so ILuvDisney and I went for a ride on Soarin’. Ros waited for us, and we all walked over to the Owner’s Locker Wine Night event in France.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Owner’s Locker, and it’s owners John and Brian. they really have a fantastic service. If you aren’t familiar with the service, basically they store large plastic bins of your stuff at a warehouse in the Orlando area, and they deliver it right to your resort for you. For the first time ever, I travelled to Disney World for a week long trip with only a carryon thanks to all of the stuff I have stored in my Owner’s Locker. John and Brian strive to provide first rate customer service to their clients, and are great guys. It was great to see John, and mingle with other Owner’s Locker clients.

After the wine meet and greet, ILuvDisney, Ros, and I walked over to the Boardwalk to meet KarenNY. KarenNY was in town to celebrate her birthday, and would be staying over at Old Key West with ILuvDisney. We sat in the lobby and chatted for a bit.

I said goodbye to the others, and headed over to the ESPN Club to watch the Vancouver Canucks/Chicago Blackhawks game. Since I had a disappointing dinner, I wound up getting some teriyaki chicken nuggets, which were excellent. My beloved Canucks won the game, but subsequently lost their series.

I took a cab back to the Port Orleans French Quarter after a very busy day at Walt Disney World.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I am enjoying your trip report and look forward to reading more. I, too, can't understand why people can't hold on to their trash for just a bit longer until they can make it to a trash can. Makes you wonder what their house looks like.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay, where's day 3??? Need my WDW fix.

 

[TLinden16]

Day 3--Wednesday, May 6, 2009

After a quick breakfast in the room, I headed to the bus stop to go to Disney Hollywood Studios. I had a long wait for the bus. I got to the stop at 8:20. The bus finally showed up at 8:45, and there were so many people there, it took seven minutes to load the bus! By the time the bus made it to the studios, and I made it through the gates, it was 9:03 a.m. I was very disappointed in the time it took me to get to Disney Hollywood Studios that morning. If you get to the bus stop 40 minutes before park opening, you should be in the park by the time it officially opens.

The longest line I encountered at Disney Hollywood Studios was the line to get a fast pass for Toy Story Midway Mania. I waited about 10 minutes for my fast pass, and headed over to Sunset Blvd. to go on the Tower of Terror and the Rock & Roller Coaster. Both of these rides were walk on, and I road each of them a couple of times before heading over to Toy Story Midway Mania to use my fast pass.

I then headed over to the Great Movie Ride. I continue to have the same complaint about this ride--they need to go back to properly casting the mobster and the cowboy. This time, my cowboy was a pimple faced college program kid, and he just could pull it off. I liked this much better when they actually cast the roles properly.

After the ride, I headed over to the Commissary for lunch. I had been hoping for the Cuban sandwich, but they changed their menu so I wound up with a Chicken Bleu Sandwich. This was the best counter service meal of my trip. It was a thick piece of chicken topped with a delicious slice of ham and blue cheese dressing. The sandwich had a lot of flavor, and was very thrilling.

My sandwich actually made a hidden Mickey on my tray. When they brought me my sandwich, the dressing was dripping off the sandwich, and I watched as the third drop fell and made a Hidden Mickey.

After lunch, I took more rides on the Tower of Terror and Rock ‘N Roller Coaster. On my way up Sunset Blvd. after my rides, I stopped to watch some of the street performers. They were really out in full course, and they were absolutely hysterical. One of the performers was an agent who had a GI Joe doll in a block of ice. He said that the director was looking for a movie idea, and he was going to use the GI Joe doll as the star of a movie that was basically “Encino Man.” When the director showed up, he was absolutely hysterical. He handed me a fake $50 bill to give him a massage, and then said, “Oh, you’re really good at that. You get a bonus.” He handed me another fake $50 bill.

I then headed over to the Tune In Longue to get an ice cream sundae to beat the afternoon heat. It was absolutely delicious. I took another ride on Toy Story Midway Mania, and then made my way out of the park. I took a bus to the Port Orleans French Quarter for a break.

I took the boat over to Downtown Disney to return a watch I had purchased the previous day, and grabbed some dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Express. I got the barbecue chicken salad. The salad was excellent. It had delicious dressing, and a tangy barbecue sauce.

After dinner, I took the bus to the Boardwalk to go to Jellyrolls. Mike and Michael were onstage when I arrived. I put a request for “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” on the piano, and Mike played it for me right away. Michael did a nice version of on of my favorite songs, Jason Marz’s “I’m Yours.”

Daniel and Tommy were the other piano players for the evening. Tommy did a fantastic version of “Old Time Rock ‘N Roll.”

I wound up leaving Jellyrolls after a couple of hours. Since my favorites Scotty and Ray weren’t working, I decided to make it an early night, and save my late nights for when they were there. I took the bus to Downtown Disney, and then another bus back to the Port Orleans French Quarter.

 

[travelin' tigger]

I want more! I want more!!!

 

[TLinden16]

Was that the day I saw you, Barbara? hehe Or was that day 5?

I have to get more done.

 

[TLinden16]

Day 4--Thursday, May 7, 2009

I skipped breakfast at the resort, and headed straight for the bus stop to go to the Magic Kingdom. Once again, I had a long wait for the bus. I found myself really missing staying in the Epcot area, where I can walk to two parks and not deal with the buses. The buses were fine in the evening, and during the day, but most mornings, I had long waits for buses.

I headed straight to Fantasyland, hoping to take a ride on Peter Pan, but there was already a lengthy line, so I decided to skip it. I went on Snow White instead.

I then headed over to the Main Street Bakery to get a cinnamon roll for breakfast. The cinnamon rolls at the bakery are absolutely amazing. They are big, but light, and very gooey and flavorful. I have to have one on every trip.

After eating my cinnamon roll, I made my way over to Fronteirland, and got in line for Big Thunder Mountain. I was next in line to board the train when the ride broke down. We waited for about 10 minutes to see if it was going to be a quick fix, but it was going to be a while, so they had us all exit the line, and gave us all fast passes to ride it (or any other ride) later.

While I was in line at Big Thunder Mountain, I couldn’t help but notice the family in front of me. It was a mom and dad with a son who looked to be about four or five, and a daughter who looked to be about six or seven. The mom and dad were excellent parents. The dad told the kids that he would by each of them a souvenir that day if they were good. He said that they would each start off with $15, but they would lose a dollar if they misbehaved or whined. He said that they could earn extra dollars for trying rides that they think might look scary.

I wound up in line with this family again at Splash Mountain, and ended up riding in the same log as them. After the big drop, the little boy turned to his dad and said, “Did I earn my dollar back?” I couldn’t help but giggle when I heard him ask that (and wonder what he did to lose a dollar). At one point, the father looked back at me, and I told him that they were great parents. It was great to see parents who were so interactive with their kids.

I took quick rides on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean before heading out of the Magic Kingdom. I took the boat to the Grand Floridian, and then took a bus to the Animal Kingdom. When I arrived at the Animal Kingdom, I road Expedition Everest five times using fast passes and the single rider’s line.

I had been talking to my DIS friend Goofy4Tink while I waited in line for Expedition Everest at one point. I told her I was next in line to get on the ride, and had to go. Then, I jokingly asked if she wanted me to leave my cell phone on, and she said, “Yes.” I put the phone safely in the outside pocket of my bag, and wrapped it around my neck. The woman sitting next to me probably thought I was a nut for talking into my bag. The phone stayed connected for the entire ride, and oddly enough, cut out when I went into the gift shop after the ride.

I had lunch at Anandupar Local Cafés. This is my favorite counter service restaurant on Disney property. I got a pork egg roll and chicken fried rice. Everything was delicious and steaming hot. I highly recommend it.

I took the bus back to the Port Orleans French Quarter for a break. It was very hot, so I decided to take a dip in the pool. Highs were in the mid-90’s the entire time I was there, and they even broke the record a few days. The first few days weren’t humid, so it wasn’t that bad, but on this day, it was very humid, so it started to feel like 95 degrees.

After my swim, I showered, changed, and headed over to the Port Orleans Riverside to meet my friends KristaTX and KayTX and their niece/granddaughter Aymee. We headed to the bus stop to go to Epcot, and had a 35 minute wait for the bus.

Once in Epcot, we went on Spaceship Earth, and then headed over to Test Track. There said there was a 20 minute wait, and we debated jumping in the single riders line, but decided to go in the regular line. Once in the line, we walked right through to the preshow, and were on the ride pretty quickly.

KristaTX headed over to Soarin’ to grab fast passes (which were surprisingly still available late in the afternoon), while KayTX, Aymee, and I headed over to Mission: Space. While we were waiting in line, there were technical difficulties with the more intense training side. After waiting about 10 or 15 minutes, I said, “What do you think? Should we wait or go over to the other side?” We opted for the later. Of course, when we went back to switch to the less intense version, the line for the other one started moving, but we still went on the less intense side.

We then took a quick ride on the Gran Fiesta tour before heading over to Nine Dragons for dinner. I started off with the chicken connesomme soup with pork dumplings. The soup was very tasty, and the dumplings were excellent. For my entrée, I ordered the General Tso Chicken, which was excellent. It had a lot of flavor and a nice kick to it.

After dinner, we went on the Maelstrom. While we were in Norway, I noticed that Krista had a striking resemblance to the topiary troll.

We then headed over to Soarin’ to use our fast passes. For some reason, we started talking about the kid straps on the ride, and I said to Krista that we should use them. Krista put hers on, but I was having trouble getting the seatbelt through the strap so I gave up on it. But Krista using the strap had Kay laughing, and sent me into the giggles, which is never a good thing. I kept giggling throughout the ride.

After the ride, I said goodbye to the others, and walked over to Jellyrolls. Tommy & Daniel were onstage when I arrived. Scotty and Ray took the stage next. I put up a few requests, and Ray said I had one for him, one for Scotty, and one for all of them. They took care of my requests very quickly. Ray sang “Saw Her Standing There.” Scotty sang, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” At the top of the hour, they all took the stage to perform “Drift Away,” which is my favorite song to hear all of the guys sing.

I wound up leaving Jellyrolls around 10:30, and took a bus to Downtown Disney, and then switched to a bus to the Port Orleans French Quarter.

 

[fairyfan]

Great report, I'm subscribing!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Haven't read day three yet but am cracking up at the fried rice in the baggie!
The trash is disgusting, what the heck is wrong with people?

Going back to read day three......

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Great trip report, sounds like you had a great time! Looking forward to more!

 

[travelin' tigger]

Was that the day I saw you, Barbara? hehe Or was that day 5?

Awaiting my entrance on Day 5!

 

[goofy4tink]

Loved being on EE from 1300 miles away!!! I just closed my eyes and imagined.
Can't wait to get back.

 

[travelin' tigger]

Loved being on EE from 1300 miles away!!! I just closed my eyes and imagined.
Can't wait to get back.

That must have been fun. I've never gotten a phone call from EE, but have had a few from JRs!!

OK Karen, where's Day 5?? Ever so patiently waiting...

 

[TLinden16]

Day 5--Friday, May 8, 2009

I grabbed some beignets at the food court for breakfast. Oddly enough, one of them was undercooked, one of them was overcooked, and one was perfect. They were very yummy.

I then took the bus over to the Magic Kingdom, where I would be meeting Krista, Kay, and Aymee. We headed immediately to Fantasyland, where we rode Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, and it’s a small world. We then went on the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain.

I had mentioned to Krista that I had never been over to Tom Sawyer Island in my 30 plus trips to Disney World, and was hoping to go there this time, so we all headed over there. I have to say it was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. I spent most of my time exploring the island with Kay. We went through tunnels. The Escape Hatch was so dark and narrow that it was a bit scary. We also climbed up the fort, and shot guns at the folks riding on Big Thunder Mountain. I was in hysterics as I crossed over the barrel bridge. Going to Tom Sawyer Island was quite a work out. But, I had a blast! I felt like I was six years old again.

When we were back on the mainland, we headed over to Tomorrowland to get a snack at the Lunching Pad. Much to my disappointment, they no longer have spicy cheese pretzels here. They only had cream cheese pretzels. So I had to settle for a frozen coke instead.

We took a journey through time at the Carousel of Progress, and then headed over to the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. While we were waiting to get in, I texted one of Krista’s jokes to them (What time is your dentist appointment? Tooth hurty). They used our joke, and said it was sent in by Karen, Krista, Kay, and Amy from Massachusetts.

We then headed over to the Polynesian for lunch at the Kona Café. I got the beef teriyaki salad. The salad was excellent. It had a lot of beef in it, and the dressing was very tasty.

We then made a stop back at the Magic Kingdom, where I purchased Mickey Ears for a co-worker’s daughter, and we all got some candy. I headed out of the park and took the bus to the Port Orleans French Quarter. I took a quick break, and got ready for a night filled with great music.

I took a bus to Epcot. I met a really nice family with three adorable little girls. The baby started playing peek-a-boo with me around her baby stroller, and the oldest daughter was telling me all about her birthday. The kids were very sweet (the middle daughter was the spitting image of one of my nieces when she was that age).

Once in Epcot, I walked back to the American Gardens Theatre, where I planned to spend the evening watching The Nelsons (Ricky Nelson’s twin sons Matthew and Gunnar). I have been a fan of the Nelsons since I was in college (as Matthew would say, back in the day when they looked like hot Swedish chicks). I grabbed a seat in the sweltering sun in the first row behind the split between the front and back halves of the theatre. My DIS friends Bob Richmond and Coriander were also at the concert, so I chatted with them for a few minutes.

There was a couple sitting behind me who were obviously Nelson fans. The woman kept on screaming “Love and Affection,” requesting over and over again Nelson’s 1990 number 1 hit song. The woman was screaming so loudly that I turned back and said, “Am I going to have to duck out of the way of flying underwear?” The guy said, “I’m not wearing any underwear.” The Nelsons didn’t play the song at that set, so the woman was a bit disappointed, and vowed to catch every set until they did.

I have to say that Matthew and Gunnar are looking and sounding better than ever. Matthew mentioned that they are now 41, and they definitely don’t look it. I don’t think it’s fair that they have barely aged in the almost 20 years since their first CD came out and I have aged. With all that they have been through in their lives, if ever there were two people with an excuse to be messed up, it would be Matthew and Gunnar. But they seem so grounded, positive, and happy. They seem to enjoy performing their dad’s music, as well as their own. I’ve often thought they must be incredibly strong people, and beyond that they are just good people.

All of the shows kind of blend together, so I can’t remember which songs they did at each set, but some of my favorites that they did were their dad’s songs: “Garden Party” (which was performed at each set, and had a section where they had the audience sing along), “Poor Little Fool,” “Travelin’ Man,” and “Hello Mary Lou.” They also performed one of their songs at most of the sets, either “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection,” “After the Rain,” or “Just Once More,” a beautiful song they wrote about their father.

After the first set, I walked towards Canada with Coriander and Bob so they could see Off Kilter, stopping along the way to get slushies in France. Krista, Kay, and Aymee met us in Canada. We said goodbye to Coriander and Bob, and started heading back to the American Gardens Theatre.

Along the way, we ran into Iluvdisney and KarenNY. They were on their way to see the Nelsons, just like Kay and I (Krista and Aymee decided to go shopping instead). We arrived just a few minutes before the show started, and were able to get seats in the second row on the end of the row.

The couple who were sitting behind me at the first set were back on the other side of the theatre. As soon as the Nelsons took the stage, the woman screamed “Love and Affection” again. I think Matthew realized that if they didn’t play it right away, they’d be listening to this woman scream for it the entire set, so he said that they had a request, and they played it as their first song. The couple stood up and danced with their beers the entire song (I think they had a lot of those beers that night).

There was a little girl sitting in front of me who had made a picture for the Nelsons, with a note saying that she enjoyed watching them, and asking them to play “Garden Party” again. She walked so she was right in front of the Gunnar, and held the sign up. Gunnar came over and took the picture, and handed her a guitar pick. The girl came running back to her family with an excited smile showing off her guitar pick. She was just beaming.

Near the end of the set, Matthew held up the picture and read the note. He said, “Ask and you shall receive. This one is for Abbi.” The little girl was so excited. It was really adorable.

After the second set, I grabbed some dinner at the Liberty Inn. The service was extremely slow. I think to keep with the era of the American Adventure, every cast member working in the restaurant was from the revolutionary period. I don’t think anyone was under 60. It took forever to get my food. I ordered buffalo chicken tenders, which came with celery and ranch dressing (which they didn’t give me, and I didn’t bother going back for as it was so slow). I also got a side of fries. The chicken tenders were excellent, very spicy (I could have used the ranch dressing to neutralize the spice).

I then headed back to the theatre to watch the third Nelson set. I really enjoy the banter between Matthew and Gunnar onstage. I always giggle when they introduce each other like this:

Matthew: On guitar is my little (or younger) brother by 45 minutes, Gunnar Nelson.

Gunnar: On bass is my big (or older) brother by 45 minutes, Matthew Nelson.

It just is sweet, but silly to hear these 41 year old guys referring to each other as the big and little brother. It’s great to see that they can play around with each other like that, and it’s great to see that they are still playing music and writing songs together.

At one of the sets, after Gunnar introduced Matthew to the crowd, Matthew said, “I’m just glad you didn’t call me Ellen DeGeneres. Although, you look more like Ellen than I do now that I’m growing my hair out.” Gunnar responded, “She’s more of a man than I’ll ever be.” The crowd moaned a bit, and Gunnar said, “That’s family friendly.”

I was a bit disappointed that the Nelsons weren’t able to sign autographs after the last set this year. The Nelsons are really great about meeting their fans, and always spend as long as it takes to sign autographs and pose for pictures for people. But Disney discouraged the artists from having autograph signings this year.

After the third set of the night, I headed over to Jellyrolls. Mike and Michael were onstage when I arrived. I took a seat off to the side, and watched. My DIS friend Travelin’Tigger was there, so I wound up sitting with her and her friend for the rest of the evening. There was also a group of ladies from the DIS Adult and Solo travelers board, who I introduced myself too.

I decided to mess around with Mike at one point in the evening. The first time I ever saw him play at Jellyrolls two years ago, when I sat down, he asked me what I wanted hear. I didn’t know what he knew, as I had never saw him play at Jellyrolls. I had seen him play at the House of Blues with his brothers, and the only song I remembered him playing was “Charlie on the MTA” by the Kingston Trio, so I requested that, but he didn’t remember how to play it that night. He told me that he was going to go back and learn it on his break, and I told him that he didn’t have to, but he went it learned it that night anyways.

When I had seen him a couple days earlier in my trip this time around, he told me that he was going to refresh his memory of that song so he could play it for me again. I told him he didn’t have to, as I really don’t particularly like the song. But when I got to the bar this night, I put a $5 on his piano with the following request: “Charlie on the MTA. Just kidding. I don’t even like that song. How about Volcano by Jimmy Buffet instead?” Mike came over to me later in the evening and told me that he actually played “Charlie on the MTA” for me before I got there that night. He knew I was coming, but didn’t realize I hadn’t gotten there yet when he played it.

My beloved Scotty and Ray were the other piano players that day. Scotty played “Save the Last Dance for Me” for me. I also put a request on the piano to hear all four guys perform “Callin’ Baton Rogue,” which is one of my favorites, and a must request on each trip.

I wound up leaving the bar around midnight, and took a cab back to the Port Orleans French Quarter. I had the nicest cab driver, and really enjoyed chatting with him on the ride. He was teasing me because I told him I was too old to stay out until 2:00 in the morning every night on my trips anymore.

Once back at the French Quarter, I went right to bed so I would be well rested for another busy day at Disney World.

 

[TLinden16]

Day 6--Saturday, May 9, 2009

I woke up bright and early to put on a load of laundry. While my clothes were washing, I headed over to the food court and got a Mickey Waffle with bacon for breakfast. The waffle was excellent. It was surprisingly light and fluffy.

After finishing breakfast, and folding laundry, I took a bus to Disney Hollywood Studios. I grabbed a fast pass for Toy Story Midway Mania, and then got in the stand by line. A cast member was serving as a post for the line to curve around, and I joked with her, asking her if she knew that she would be a post when she took her job. I then took rides on the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror.

I met up with Krista, Kay, and Aymee after the Tower of Terror. Krista ran to get fast passes for Toy Story Midway Mania while Kay, Aymee, and I jumped in the single riders line. Cast member Darren, who was just 19, was complaining about the school groups, and even joked about the Brazilian tour groups. I told him he was too young to complain about groups of kids. As he let us into the single riders line, I jokingly told him to watch out for the young whippersnappers.

After our ride, we met up with Krista and headed over to the Great Movie ride. We had an excellent guide on the ride. His name was Devin, and he was probably the best great movie ride guide I’ve ever had. He was articulated and projected well so that you could follow what was going on, and he was very animated throughout the ride.

We had a really annoying family sitting behind us. They were talking loudly in a foreign language, snapping gum, and taking flash pictures throughout the ride. At the end of the ride when they were showing clips of movies, we heard them saying the only English words we heard come from their mouths, “Charlie Chaplin.”

Well, that sent me and Krista into a fit of laughter. I started pointing out actors, and saying their names. At one point, Bette Midler was on the screen, and I blurted out “Barbara Striesand.” Krista corrected me, and for the remainder of the film, Krista and I were pointing out actors and saying the wrong name. At one point, they showed Barbara Striesand and Krista said, “Bette Midler.” There is nothing like Disney to make two 30-something year old women act like they are 12 again.

After our ride, we headed over to “One’s Man Dream.” It’s really neat looking at the models of the parks, and all of the artifacts in the display cases. The movie is really interesting, and definitely a must see for Disney fans.

We then headed over to the 50’s Prime Time Café for lunch. Cousin Mark was our waiter, and he was excellent. When we sat down, he asked our names, and he did a great job of remember most of them--he always called me by name. He introduced us to our cousins at the nearby tables as well.

For lunch, I started off with the mixed green salad, which was in an excellent citrus vinaigrette. For my entrée, I ordered the pot roast, which is always one of my favorite meals when I go to Disney World. It’s just so tender, and has so much flavor. Kay and Krista shared the pot roast and a turkey sandwich, and enjoyed both dishes. Aymee got meatloaf, which she enjoyed.

Aymee wasn’t enjoying the beans that came with her meal, and she was afraid that Mark would feed her a bite. She was moving them around, and hiding them under her napkin. I told Mark what she was doing, hoping it would get Aymee in trouble, and Mark would feed her, but it didn’t work.

We decided to split some desserts. The S’mores were top on our lists. We were going to order the bread pudding. Mark actually brought us a sample so we could try it, and it wasn’t the best, so we got a second order of s’mores instead. We also got Dad’s Brownie Sundae. The desserts were excellent.

Now that our bellies were full, we headed over to the Tower of Terror and rode it twice. On the first ride, we tried to get everyone to scream when the doors opened at the end of the ride. Not everyone heard us, and only a few people joined us screaming. But everyone loved it. They were all laughing, and one person said they thought it was part of the ride. We road it a second time, and got a few people to scream with us again.

We then walked along Hollywood Blvd. We ran into one of the street performers, down near the front entrance. He was looking for directions to Hollywood Blvd. So I went over to him and told him I would give him directions. I pointed at the round gift shop at the park entrance and said, “You have to go around this building five times, and then walk up this street,” as I pointed up Hollywood Blvd. He said, “My mother told me that I should watch out when I got here because there would always be people trying to take advantage of me, and lead me in the wrong direction, but this woman seems very nice and honest.” I then told him, “And just so you know, you’ll get there faster if you skipped. He thanked me, and off he went, skipping around the building.

We then headed over to Toy Story Midway Mania to use our fast passes. After the ride, I said goodbye to the others, and headed out of the park. Along the way, I saw the cast member I gave directions to doing a skit with another cast member and some guests. When he saw me, he waved and said hello. I said, “I’m glad you found your way. I guess I gave you good directions.” He said, “Yes, they were very good.”

I then walked out of the park. I took the bus back to the Port Orleans French Quarter, where I packed up some things I would need for the evening, and got lots of liquid to keep myself hydrated (darn, it was hot that week).

I headed over to the bus stop to hop on a bus to Blizzard Beach, where I planned on going to play a round of mini golf at Winter Summerland, as I had never been there before. When the bus for the Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach arrived, I hopped on it. The bus went to the Animal Kingdom. I went over to the driver to confirm that he would be stopping at Blizzard Beach. He told me he was going to the All Stars, and I would have to go there, and then transfer to another bus to Blizzard Beach. I asked him why his bus said that he was going to Blizzard Beach if he wasn’t going to stop there, and he told me they only go there in the mornings. He told me to stay with him and switch to another bus at the All Stars. I told him I wasn’t interested in going to the All Stars to wait for another bus, so I got off the bus.

I started to walk toward the little building where the bus dispatcher is to complain about the bus not going to Blizzard Beach even though it said it would go there. I ran into another driver along the way, and his bus said, “Blizzard Beach” so I asked if he was really going there. He told me he really was. He said the other driver should have told me that he wasn’t going to Blizzard Beach, as all buses are supposed to stop there after the Animal Kingdom. This driver was really nice, and he even asked where I was going after I was done at Blizzard Beach and told me the bus number.

Once the bus arrived at Blizzard Beach, I walked over to Winter Summerland. There were more people on the snow course, so I decided to do the sand course. The course was really cute, and easy. It was fun seeing how some of the holes worked, and it was a really easy course. I buzzed through it in about 30 minutes. I also quickly walked through the snow course to see the holes, and read the little poems at each hole. I like the theme over at Fantasia Gardens better, but Winter Summerland was fun.

I then headed back to the bus stop, and took a bus to the Beach Club, as I was planning on spending the evening at Epcot watching the Nelsons again. I walked over to the International Gateway, and walked right over to the American Gardens theatre to get in line for the concert.

Once again, Matthew and Gunnar put on three high energy and entertaining sets. Again, the sets kind of blend together, but with music so good, you don’t mind hear the same songs over and over. I could sit and listen to Matthew and Gunnar harmonize all day.

They continued their funny banter between songs. At the end of one of the sets, Matthew and Gunnar were trying to decide if they had time for one or two more songs. Matthew said he thought they had time for two, but Gunnar said that he thought they could only do one because of the talking. Matthew is quite a talker when he introduces the songs (not that I mind that, he’s usually interesting). Gunnar finally said, “Well, let’s have less yakking, and more rocking.” So, Matthew shut up, and they sang two more songs.

They also joked about Gunnar wanting to play on his own, with Matthew saying, “You’ve always wanted to break out on your own.” Gunnar replied, “I’ll be half Nelson. What do you think?”

At the second set, I met some really nice locals who usually spend their evenings going to the shows. I wound up hanging out with them the rest of the evening, and met up with them again the next the night.

At some point, I ran over to China and got a counter service meal. I got the orange chicken, which was excellent. It was all white meat, and piping hot with a slight kick. It had a lot of flavor. I’ll definitely be going back there on future trips.

After the last Nelson show, I headed over to the Boardwalk to go to Jellyrolls. Michael K. and Michael W. were finishing up their first set of the night when I arrived. I wound up grabbing a table with Travelin’Tigger. Camcolt and her husband Peter joined us shortly there after.

Michael K. was in rare form that night. He is really fantastic, and has grown so much as a performer in the two years he’s been playing at Jellyrolls. It’s absolutely hysterical to watch him dancing along to the songs. At one point, they were doing “Pink Cadillac” and everyone was up dancing along, and when they got to the line “waving to the girls” Michael K. moved around until he could make eye contact with me so he could wave to me, which is funny. He is a sweetheart. I adore him and his brothers Scotty and David.

At one point, Scotty and Ray were playing “Sweet Caroline.” As often happens at Jellyrolls, a bunch of people started screaming “This song sucks” during the refrain. Ray commented that when Boston people are at the bar, they always seem to find a way to say that things suck.

Later in the evening, I put a request for “Dirty Water” and added the note: “Boston thinks Ray and Scotty are wicked pissah.” So, Ray read the note, and he said, “I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to take it as a compliment.” At the end of the night, I explained it to Ray, and told him it was a compliment. Camcolt and I were laughing at the fact that I was able to get Ray to say “Wicked Pissah” from the stage.

The crowd seemed to be incredibly drunk this evening. There was an extremely plastered wedding party that made for a lot of amusement that night. They also got a guy to stand on the piano to do “I’m A Little Teapot”, which is always amusing.

At the end of the evening, I said goodbye to Scotty and Ray, as I wouldn’t be seeing them again on the trip. I headed out to get a cab to the Port Orleans French Quarter. When I opened the door, I heard the driver say, “Well, Hello Miss Karen.” It turned out to be the same driver that I had the previous night. It was funny to get him again (although he could have stopped by because I had told him that I was going to stay at Jellyrolls until 2:00 a.m. that night). It was nice to chat with him again.

Once back at the Port Orleans French Quarter, I headed to my room and went right to bed, as I was planning on getting up early to go to the Animal Kingdom.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Sounds like you had some great days! I would have loved to have seen the Nelsons! Lucky you!
We usually miss the concert series. One time I do think Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits was there though and then Jon Secada was there another time. We just walk by and sing....... and it's not pretty...

 

[TLinden16]

The Nelsons are really great, wigd. They sound really fantastic. The singers of most of the bands I liked back when I was in high school and college sound horrible now, but the Nelsons sound great. I never heard them miss a note. (But I think they lead a healthier life style than most of the other bands I liked back then--stayed away from the bad stuff that can affect the vocal cords).

I did plan my spring trip around when they would be there (and I plan to always plan my spring trips around them in the future--they are just so much fun to watch because they are having so much fun onstage. Matthew Nelson is constantly smiling. It's very infectious.

I'm going to see them in Connecticut in August. I can't wait