TLinden16
Scotty and Ray at Jelly Rolls are the best!
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2002
- Messages
- 16,243
Day 1--Thursday, April 29, 2004
I woke up at 4:15 to get ready for my 6:45 a.m. JetBlue flight to Orlando. The cab had I had arranged to pick me up was right on time at 5:15 a.m., and I was in the airport, checked in, and at the gate by 6:00.
This was my first flight on JetBlue, and I was really impressed by the airline. The ground staff and flight crew were all super nice, and the plane was cleaner and more comfortable than most planes I've been on. The TV screens at every seat were a nice touch--nothing makes a flight fly by (no pun intended) like watching cartoons and games shows. It was nice to get a whole can of soda, and a big bag of chips for my snack instead of just a cup of soda and a tiny bag of peanuts or pretzels. My flight arrived at the gate 20 minutes early, so I was thrilled about that.
I walked to baggage claim to meet my FL Tours driver, but he wasn't there. I walked around a bit looking for him, but still could not find him. I went and grabbed my bags and went back to the bottom of the escalators to see if my driver was there, but he still wasn't there. I finally saw someone with a card with my name on it, and he took me to my towncar. We were off to Publix for a quick grocery stop, and arrived at the Port Orleans French Quarter just a few minutes after 11:00.
Although my driver wasn't waiting for me at baggage claim when I got there, I was overall pleased with the service I received from FL Tours. My driver was professional, courteous, and friendly. The car was comfortable and spotless. I will definitely use FL Tours again.
When I checked into the POFQ, my room was ready. I was in room 4139, which had a connecting door to 4140. I usually prefer not to have a connecting door in my room, as noise can go through the door easier than a solid wall, but I only heard my neighbor once during my stay--a laughing baby at 4:30 one morning. My room overlooked a lovely courtyard and fountain.
I really liked the renovations. I liked having the long dresser instead of the amoire. It really gives you a lot more drawer space--not that I needed it, as I was travelling by myself. I loved the furnishings and the bedding. I also thought the privacy curtain was a nice touch as well. That will be a big help for folks who are trying to get four people ready and out the door in a timely fashion in the morning.
After setteling into the room, I hopped a bus over to Epcot. I was meeting One_Cat and his wife Wendy for lunch at Alfredo's at 1:30. I was at Epcot around noon, so I had some time to kill before meeting the One_Cats. On my way into the park, I saw some pretty bad shoes, and wanted to take a picture for Zurgs bad shoe website, but I wasn't really in a spot where I could get away with taking a picture of someone's feet. The woman was wearing mid-calf high patent leather boots with silver buckles. They were six inch platform shoes. They looked like something KISS would wear. I couldn't imagine walking through the parks in those things!
Once through the turnstyles into Epcot, I went and jumped in line for Spaceship Earth--one of the rides that I have to go on at least once each trip. I then walked to the American Adventure to catch a set by American Vybe. I love American Vybe. They are so much fun to watch, and so talented. I sat on the floor right in front of them, and one of the guys came over and sang part of "Joy to the World" (aka "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog") to me.
After American Vybe, I walked back to Italy to browse around the shops, and check out the street entertainers. I had my picture taken with the living statue. He posed like he was kissing my hand, and then he worked his way down my arm and tickled me. One woman sat on the stoop he was standing on and he kept kicking her. Another woman sat on the stoop, and he knelt down, wrapped his arms around her, and wouldn't let go. She sat like that for a few minutes, trying to get him to let her go, and then she finally crawled out from under him.
I also played photographer in Italy. A woman was taking a picture of her husband by a fountain, so I offered to take one of the both of them. Next thing you know, two more couples came over and asked me to take their pictures as well. I didn't even get a tip.
I then met the One_Cats for lunch. We meal vouchers, so we were having a full meal today. We started off with a meat and cheese tray for our appetizer. It was very yummy. For my entree, I got the sampler with lasagna, alfredo, and gnocchi. The One_Cats both had lasagna. All of us agreed that we made great choices, and enjoyed our entrees. For dessert, I chose the chocolate mousse (I can't resist that). Mr. One_Cat had the profiteroles. Mrs. One_Cat had tirmisu. Our desserts were yummy as well.
An adorable elderly couple sat at the table next to us. I asked them if they were at Disney World on their honeymoon. They laughed and told us they weren't on their honeymoon, but they would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in September. I asked them if we could plan on meeting them right there in 50 years for their 100th anniversary, and they joked that we wouldn't want to see them in 50 years.
After lunch, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We road on all the mountains, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I also made them go on It's a Small World, as it would be closing for rehab in a few days, and this was the only chance I'd have to get there before the rehab.
We then headed over to Peco's Bill's Cafe to grab a bite to eat, and sit on the rock wall to watch Spectromagic. We dined on burgers and wraps while we waited for the parade to start. After the parade, we made our way to the front of the castle to watch Wishes, which was fantastic.
After Wishes, we quickly walked towards the buses. We were planning to head over to Jellyrolls. The Swan/Dolphin bus was there, so we hopped on it, and walked to the Boardwalk from there.
As soon as I walked into Jellyrolls, it sure felt great to be home again
There is no place I'd rather park my butt in the evening then on a bar stool at Jellyrolls. Much to my disappointment, Drew (my least favorite piano players) was filling in for Ray (one of my favorite piano players) that night. I thought I would only have to look at Drew one night during my trip, but wound up seeing him three of the four nights I was at the bar.
But I still had fun at Jellyrolls. It's always great to see Tommy, Jason, and Scotty banging on the keys. The One_Cats left shortly before midnight, but I hung around for a while. Scotty dedicated "You've Got A Friend In Me" to me.
I was pretty wiped, so I decided that I would leave the bar before closing. I mentioned to Scotty that I had been up since 4:00 a.m., and he was surprised I was still functioning. I also touched base with Scotty to discuss a very special event that would be celebrated at Jellyrolls the following evening. A plan had been concocted
I then went back to the room and crashsed. I had a busy Friday planned with the One_Cats and some other DISers, and needed at least a few hours of sleep.
I woke up at 4:15 to get ready for my 6:45 a.m. JetBlue flight to Orlando. The cab had I had arranged to pick me up was right on time at 5:15 a.m., and I was in the airport, checked in, and at the gate by 6:00.
This was my first flight on JetBlue, and I was really impressed by the airline. The ground staff and flight crew were all super nice, and the plane was cleaner and more comfortable than most planes I've been on. The TV screens at every seat were a nice touch--nothing makes a flight fly by (no pun intended) like watching cartoons and games shows. It was nice to get a whole can of soda, and a big bag of chips for my snack instead of just a cup of soda and a tiny bag of peanuts or pretzels. My flight arrived at the gate 20 minutes early, so I was thrilled about that.
I walked to baggage claim to meet my FL Tours driver, but he wasn't there. I walked around a bit looking for him, but still could not find him. I went and grabbed my bags and went back to the bottom of the escalators to see if my driver was there, but he still wasn't there. I finally saw someone with a card with my name on it, and he took me to my towncar. We were off to Publix for a quick grocery stop, and arrived at the Port Orleans French Quarter just a few minutes after 11:00.
Although my driver wasn't waiting for me at baggage claim when I got there, I was overall pleased with the service I received from FL Tours. My driver was professional, courteous, and friendly. The car was comfortable and spotless. I will definitely use FL Tours again.
When I checked into the POFQ, my room was ready. I was in room 4139, which had a connecting door to 4140. I usually prefer not to have a connecting door in my room, as noise can go through the door easier than a solid wall, but I only heard my neighbor once during my stay--a laughing baby at 4:30 one morning. My room overlooked a lovely courtyard and fountain.
I really liked the renovations. I liked having the long dresser instead of the amoire. It really gives you a lot more drawer space--not that I needed it, as I was travelling by myself. I loved the furnishings and the bedding. I also thought the privacy curtain was a nice touch as well. That will be a big help for folks who are trying to get four people ready and out the door in a timely fashion in the morning.
After setteling into the room, I hopped a bus over to Epcot. I was meeting One_Cat and his wife Wendy for lunch at Alfredo's at 1:30. I was at Epcot around noon, so I had some time to kill before meeting the One_Cats. On my way into the park, I saw some pretty bad shoes, and wanted to take a picture for Zurgs bad shoe website, but I wasn't really in a spot where I could get away with taking a picture of someone's feet. The woman was wearing mid-calf high patent leather boots with silver buckles. They were six inch platform shoes. They looked like something KISS would wear. I couldn't imagine walking through the parks in those things!
Once through the turnstyles into Epcot, I went and jumped in line for Spaceship Earth--one of the rides that I have to go on at least once each trip. I then walked to the American Adventure to catch a set by American Vybe. I love American Vybe. They are so much fun to watch, and so talented. I sat on the floor right in front of them, and one of the guys came over and sang part of "Joy to the World" (aka "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog") to me.
After American Vybe, I walked back to Italy to browse around the shops, and check out the street entertainers. I had my picture taken with the living statue. He posed like he was kissing my hand, and then he worked his way down my arm and tickled me. One woman sat on the stoop he was standing on and he kept kicking her. Another woman sat on the stoop, and he knelt down, wrapped his arms around her, and wouldn't let go. She sat like that for a few minutes, trying to get him to let her go, and then she finally crawled out from under him.
I also played photographer in Italy. A woman was taking a picture of her husband by a fountain, so I offered to take one of the both of them. Next thing you know, two more couples came over and asked me to take their pictures as well. I didn't even get a tip.
I then met the One_Cats for lunch. We meal vouchers, so we were having a full meal today. We started off with a meat and cheese tray for our appetizer. It was very yummy. For my entree, I got the sampler with lasagna, alfredo, and gnocchi. The One_Cats both had lasagna. All of us agreed that we made great choices, and enjoyed our entrees. For dessert, I chose the chocolate mousse (I can't resist that). Mr. One_Cat had the profiteroles. Mrs. One_Cat had tirmisu. Our desserts were yummy as well.
An adorable elderly couple sat at the table next to us. I asked them if they were at Disney World on their honeymoon. They laughed and told us they weren't on their honeymoon, but they would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in September. I asked them if we could plan on meeting them right there in 50 years for their 100th anniversary, and they joked that we wouldn't want to see them in 50 years.
After lunch, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We road on all the mountains, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I also made them go on It's a Small World, as it would be closing for rehab in a few days, and this was the only chance I'd have to get there before the rehab.
We then headed over to Peco's Bill's Cafe to grab a bite to eat, and sit on the rock wall to watch Spectromagic. We dined on burgers and wraps while we waited for the parade to start. After the parade, we made our way to the front of the castle to watch Wishes, which was fantastic.
After Wishes, we quickly walked towards the buses. We were planning to head over to Jellyrolls. The Swan/Dolphin bus was there, so we hopped on it, and walked to the Boardwalk from there.
As soon as I walked into Jellyrolls, it sure felt great to be home again
There is no place I'd rather park my butt in the evening then on a bar stool at Jellyrolls. Much to my disappointment, Drew (my least favorite piano players) was filling in for Ray (one of my favorite piano players) that night. I thought I would only have to look at Drew one night during my trip, but wound up seeing him three of the four nights I was at the bar. But I still had fun at Jellyrolls. It's always great to see Tommy, Jason, and Scotty banging on the keys. The One_Cats left shortly before midnight, but I hung around for a while. Scotty dedicated "You've Got A Friend In Me" to me.
I was pretty wiped, so I decided that I would leave the bar before closing. I mentioned to Scotty that I had been up since 4:00 a.m., and he was surprised I was still functioning. I also touched base with Scotty to discuss a very special event that would be celebrated at Jellyrolls the following evening. A plan had been concocted
I then went back to the room and crashsed. I had a busy Friday planned with the One_Cats and some other DISers, and needed at least a few hours of sleep.
