jimmiej
I invented the Naked Segway Tour
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2000
- Messages
- 8,395
Cast of Characters:
jimmiej- 44, teacher, longtime DISer, master trip planner
DW- turned 44 on our trip, church office manager and finance assistant
Pre-trip
This was our eighth trip to WDW since 90 and the second in the last year. We took our niece & nephew in June of 04. After I made air ressies with Southwest for that trip, the price went down and I ended up with a $255 credit that expired Feb. 12, 2005. What better way to spend it than on another trip to WDW? We had a winter break in early February, so I started planning. We usually go in June, so we were looking forward to cooler weather & smaller crowds.
Day #1
Left home about 9 am for an 11:40 non-stop flight from San Antonio to Orlando. The weather had been cold & rainy for the past week here at home, but the WDW forecast looked great. Mid to high 70's & little chance for rain. The forecast proved to be right on. We did see a few dark clouds occasionally, but the only rain came on day #3 while we were in Pirates. As we came out of the attraction, we noticed several people wearing panchos and the ground was wet. We never saw a drop though. Many people were wearing shorts during our stay. We didnt pack any. Jeans & a jacket in the morning and evening, and then around 11 am, wed wrap the jacket around our waist.
We saw some folks from our church at the SA airport. They were headed for WDW also. Small world... I had checked us in on-line the night before, so we had A passes (SWA). We actually sat in the second row. That was great for getting out quick, but because the front row is the bulkhead (they put their belongings under their own seat) and the third row passengers put their some of their carry-on under the seat in front of them, that left us nowhere to put our stuff. Wasnt a big deal. We just found a little room under the seat in front of us.
As we started our descent into Orlando, I gave DW her first surprise. Her birthday was coming up on day three of our trip, so I had planned a few surprises. Our original hotel ressies were at POP. I later upgraded to Animal Kingdom Lodge (pool view), but didnt tell her. As per another DISers suggestion, I handed her an empty animal crackers box. No clue yet. Inside the box was a picture of the AKL sign. Is this where were staying? Needless to say, I just scored quite a few points! Non-stop flight to MCO was pleasant and on time.
Our driver from Murray Hill wasnt at the bottom of the escalators like I expected, but we found him quickly over by the baggage claim. He was very friendly and talkative. Maybe too talkative. By the time we got to our hotel, we knew his life story, his childrens names and their stories, and how he stood politically on several key issues of the day. OK, it really wasnt that bad. I guess he gets lonely driving around all day. The car was a little unkempt and cluttered, but overall the service was fine. We would use them again.
AKL is magnificent! We had eaten at Bomas on a previous trip, but actually staying there was a real treat. We stayed in room 2430. Just a short walk to the Arusha overlook, Maras, Boma, the gift shop, and the bus stop. Excellent location, very little hall or neighbor noise. Patio view of the pool area was beautiful without being noisy. After staying at Contemporary last trip, the room did seem rather small, but with just the two of us, it wasnt a problem. I had requested non-smoking and a king bed. Got NS and two queens. No biggie.
We ate at Bomas that evening. It was very busy, but the service and the food were terrific. My faves were the crusted salmon, cole slaw, and the banana bread pudding.
We had thought about playing mini-golf or even going to Pleasure Island. However, DW was recovering from cold/flu symptoms, so we just walked around Downtown Disney for a while before heading back to AKL. Refilled our mugs at Maras and headed back to the room. In our room was DWs second surprise. Her boss/friend had sent a gift basket full of snacks to our room. We were definitely going to gain weight on this trip!
Day #2
We got up early to head to Epcot for our Segway tour. I had booked the early tour and we were supposed to be at Guest Services by 8:15. We arrived a little early due to no waiting for the bus. There were others waiting at the front gate for the princess breakfast in Norway.
According to our tour guides (Michelle and Otto), there were usually ten participants in this tour, but we only had five. The first hour was spent in a room in the Innoventions (West?) building. We saw a short video on how the Segway Human Transport worked and then spent the remainder of the hour practicing. We went around traffic cones, around an oval track, over obstacles, and up and down a hill. At 9:30, we headed out for World Showcase. Most of the cast members we saw prior to opening were on Segways also. Since WS was not open to the public, we had a lot of room to travel in. They took us through each country, occasionally giving some background info. Several times, they took us through tight spaces such as the flower gardens in China. I think we all did really well maneuvering our Segways around. We stopped in Italy for a break, pictures, and some free roaming time. On our way back through Future World, many guests were oohing and ahhing and taking pictures of us. We felt like celebrities! At the end, we were each given a Segway collectors pin. Our tour guides told us this tour is very popular and usually fills up quickly. DW and I agree, this is the best thing weve ever experienced at WDW.
Afterwards, we went to the front of the park to sign up for Leave A Legacy. Since we go so often and enjoy the magic of WDW, we wanted to leave a part of ourselves there. Its really an easy process. We bought two tiles for a total of $45. Even though our children werent with us this trip, we wanted our whole family listed on one of the tiles. We all love Disney. Our picture will be on the other. Cant wait to see it next trip. On the way back into the park, we rode Spaceship Earth, my favorite attraction at WDW.
We had a PS for Chefs De France at noon, so we rode the boat over. Had a nice talk with a man from Tennessee while we were waiting. He was familiar with the area where we live. This turned out to be our best dining experience. I just love those French accents! We both had the French Menu. A delicious hot roll w/butter, French onion soup, a ham and cheese sandwich, and creme brulette.
We spent the next few hours roaming through World Showcase, something we never get to do in the summer because its so hot. Afterwards, we walked over to Test Track, but the line was too long. Went over to Mission Space, saw the singles line was no wait, so I went in. DW is a definite no on this ride. Shed be ruined for the rest of the day after this, so she waited outside for me. I walked right on, no wait. I had tried MS last trip and became mildly nauseous. I thought this time might be better. Nope. Still came off nauseous. My age is starting to show. On the way to Future World, a cast member asked us if would mind answering a few questions for Disney research. No problem. He asked where we were staying, what kind of tickets we had, how long since our last trip, etc. It only took a few minutes and was kind of fun.
That evening, we ate dinner at Yakatori House in Japan. Were not picky eaters, but this really wasnt very good. I had the shogun combo and DW had some sort of noodle soup. Glad we tried it, but wont go back any time soon.
Scoped out a good spot for Illuminations in front of China. There are several benches along the water. We snagged one about 90 minutes ahead of time. We were tired, so sitting that long wasnt a problem. The show was great as always.
After the show, we made our way back to the bus stop and AKL. Got a drink refill, and sat out on our patio for a while before crashing.
jimmiej- 44, teacher, longtime DISer, master trip planner
DW- turned 44 on our trip, church office manager and finance assistant
Pre-trip
This was our eighth trip to WDW since 90 and the second in the last year. We took our niece & nephew in June of 04. After I made air ressies with Southwest for that trip, the price went down and I ended up with a $255 credit that expired Feb. 12, 2005. What better way to spend it than on another trip to WDW? We had a winter break in early February, so I started planning. We usually go in June, so we were looking forward to cooler weather & smaller crowds.
Day #1
Left home about 9 am for an 11:40 non-stop flight from San Antonio to Orlando. The weather had been cold & rainy for the past week here at home, but the WDW forecast looked great. Mid to high 70's & little chance for rain. The forecast proved to be right on. We did see a few dark clouds occasionally, but the only rain came on day #3 while we were in Pirates. As we came out of the attraction, we noticed several people wearing panchos and the ground was wet. We never saw a drop though. Many people were wearing shorts during our stay. We didnt pack any. Jeans & a jacket in the morning and evening, and then around 11 am, wed wrap the jacket around our waist.
We saw some folks from our church at the SA airport. They were headed for WDW also. Small world... I had checked us in on-line the night before, so we had A passes (SWA). We actually sat in the second row. That was great for getting out quick, but because the front row is the bulkhead (they put their belongings under their own seat) and the third row passengers put their some of their carry-on under the seat in front of them, that left us nowhere to put our stuff. Wasnt a big deal. We just found a little room under the seat in front of us.
As we started our descent into Orlando, I gave DW her first surprise. Her birthday was coming up on day three of our trip, so I had planned a few surprises. Our original hotel ressies were at POP. I later upgraded to Animal Kingdom Lodge (pool view), but didnt tell her. As per another DISers suggestion, I handed her an empty animal crackers box. No clue yet. Inside the box was a picture of the AKL sign. Is this where were staying? Needless to say, I just scored quite a few points! Non-stop flight to MCO was pleasant and on time.
Our driver from Murray Hill wasnt at the bottom of the escalators like I expected, but we found him quickly over by the baggage claim. He was very friendly and talkative. Maybe too talkative. By the time we got to our hotel, we knew his life story, his childrens names and their stories, and how he stood politically on several key issues of the day. OK, it really wasnt that bad. I guess he gets lonely driving around all day. The car was a little unkempt and cluttered, but overall the service was fine. We would use them again.
AKL is magnificent! We had eaten at Bomas on a previous trip, but actually staying there was a real treat. We stayed in room 2430. Just a short walk to the Arusha overlook, Maras, Boma, the gift shop, and the bus stop. Excellent location, very little hall or neighbor noise. Patio view of the pool area was beautiful without being noisy. After staying at Contemporary last trip, the room did seem rather small, but with just the two of us, it wasnt a problem. I had requested non-smoking and a king bed. Got NS and two queens. No biggie.
We ate at Bomas that evening. It was very busy, but the service and the food were terrific. My faves were the crusted salmon, cole slaw, and the banana bread pudding.
We had thought about playing mini-golf or even going to Pleasure Island. However, DW was recovering from cold/flu symptoms, so we just walked around Downtown Disney for a while before heading back to AKL. Refilled our mugs at Maras and headed back to the room. In our room was DWs second surprise. Her boss/friend had sent a gift basket full of snacks to our room. We were definitely going to gain weight on this trip!
Day #2
We got up early to head to Epcot for our Segway tour. I had booked the early tour and we were supposed to be at Guest Services by 8:15. We arrived a little early due to no waiting for the bus. There were others waiting at the front gate for the princess breakfast in Norway.
According to our tour guides (Michelle and Otto), there were usually ten participants in this tour, but we only had five. The first hour was spent in a room in the Innoventions (West?) building. We saw a short video on how the Segway Human Transport worked and then spent the remainder of the hour practicing. We went around traffic cones, around an oval track, over obstacles, and up and down a hill. At 9:30, we headed out for World Showcase. Most of the cast members we saw prior to opening were on Segways also. Since WS was not open to the public, we had a lot of room to travel in. They took us through each country, occasionally giving some background info. Several times, they took us through tight spaces such as the flower gardens in China. I think we all did really well maneuvering our Segways around. We stopped in Italy for a break, pictures, and some free roaming time. On our way back through Future World, many guests were oohing and ahhing and taking pictures of us. We felt like celebrities! At the end, we were each given a Segway collectors pin. Our tour guides told us this tour is very popular and usually fills up quickly. DW and I agree, this is the best thing weve ever experienced at WDW.
Afterwards, we went to the front of the park to sign up for Leave A Legacy. Since we go so often and enjoy the magic of WDW, we wanted to leave a part of ourselves there. Its really an easy process. We bought two tiles for a total of $45. Even though our children werent with us this trip, we wanted our whole family listed on one of the tiles. We all love Disney. Our picture will be on the other. Cant wait to see it next trip. On the way back into the park, we rode Spaceship Earth, my favorite attraction at WDW.
We had a PS for Chefs De France at noon, so we rode the boat over. Had a nice talk with a man from Tennessee while we were waiting. He was familiar with the area where we live. This turned out to be our best dining experience. I just love those French accents! We both had the French Menu. A delicious hot roll w/butter, French onion soup, a ham and cheese sandwich, and creme brulette.
We spent the next few hours roaming through World Showcase, something we never get to do in the summer because its so hot. Afterwards, we walked over to Test Track, but the line was too long. Went over to Mission Space, saw the singles line was no wait, so I went in. DW is a definite no on this ride. Shed be ruined for the rest of the day after this, so she waited outside for me. I walked right on, no wait. I had tried MS last trip and became mildly nauseous. I thought this time might be better. Nope. Still came off nauseous. My age is starting to show. On the way to Future World, a cast member asked us if would mind answering a few questions for Disney research. No problem. He asked where we were staying, what kind of tickets we had, how long since our last trip, etc. It only took a few minutes and was kind of fun.
That evening, we ate dinner at Yakatori House in Japan. Were not picky eaters, but this really wasnt very good. I had the shogun combo and DW had some sort of noodle soup. Glad we tried it, but wont go back any time soon.
Scoped out a good spot for Illuminations in front of China. There are several benches along the water. We snagged one about 90 minutes ahead of time. We were tired, so sitting that long wasnt a problem. The show was great as always.
After the show, we made our way back to the bus stop and AKL. Got a drink refill, and sat out on our patio for a while before crashing.
