LarryFmScotland
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 6, 2003
- Messages
- 357
53. For those of you who are not used to the Disney Transportation Service, you will be pleasantly surprised, I one tried to work out how many different types of transport that they provide, and with the different kinds of ships and boats they use, I think it comes to over twenty, I must be much less of a nerd than I was a few years ago, because I know that when I was twenty I would have worked it out precisely, that is one of the great things about getting older, you can not bother to do things, and it just feels fine. Though it probably doesnt apply to not paying taxes or Library Fines.
54. Anyway, a Disney Trip for me just doesnt feel complete unless I have ridden on the Monorails, the big boat from the TTC (Though that involves going to the TTC, which is the downside), A friendship, (boats from Epcot to MGM - It is actually quicker to walk, though quite exhausting in the heat. I know I did it at least three times this trip, I was trying to compensate for all the food I was eating, and it probably worked as I only put on a pound the whole trip.) I would recommend using a car sometimes, particularly for Downtown Disney, but you can, and I have, have a fine holiday without using a car.
55.. The most exciting travel experience was the hire of a Jet Ski, Being the berk (Berk as many of you will know is British for idiot) that I am, I managed to kill my laptop computer, and because of this I had to go Jet Skiing. Well Im sure it is obvious with out an explanation, but I shall give one anyway. Last trip, Greg went Jet Skiing from the Sammy Duval Water Sports centre at the Contemporary, Cost around $90 with the Annual Pass Discount. Anyway, he wanted to show his mates the photos, but he couldnt because Dumb Larry (Tribute to Todd Rundgren) had killed the laptop, and hadnt backed up the photos so we lost the lot. So I thought that I should pay for him to have another go, and take some photos, Thus proving what an honourable person and fine father that I am, but I guess you all know that, which is why you dont mind coming back to this kind of drivel over and over again.
56. But after much thinking and rumination, I thought why should he have all the fun, after all I am a biker. (Suzuki SV650 - Like your interested.) and Jet Skiing is after all merely water biking. (Actually it turns out to be more like water scootering, a subtle difference.) So we signed up for a trip, about a week ahead when we were at the Contemporary for Chef Mickeys. We had to take Gregs Passport as you have to prove you are 16. And it would seem that being six foot two inches, is not proof enough.
57. Chef Mickeys was fun by the way, in a Chip n Dale, Goofy, Minnie and Mickey, Pluto-tastic, napkin whirl-ling kinda way. Good buffet and it is good fun, I guess it is best with really little kids, but there are plenty of them on the other tables for you to see having fun, and dont tell my 16 year old, Jet Skiing, cool dude, son, but I could tell he was having a good time too, even if he did insist on taking the photos and not being in many of em. Stacey Zitto, sent me some photographs of John, Anikka and herself, at Chef Mickeys a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to make a PS. (That and having had one for the last trip and forgetting to go. See I told you I was a Berk.)
58. So back to the Jet Skiing, well you pick up your machine, and they are quite big, you can fit two folks on em. You get escorted to a marked area, at the back of the lake the other side of the original Discovery Island, (gosh does it bug you as much as it bugs me, that they have pinched the name, for the Oasis at Animal Kingdom. - No? Ok, fair enough.) So you kinda ride (Sail, Motor - what do you do on a jet ski?) to the area gingerly, then you have 55 minutes to do what you wish, in a marked by buoys around 200 meters from the shore and 800 meters long. You actually start to think you will get bored, just riding in that area, but then you start to get more comfortable with the machine and you go the full speed all the time, then you start to ride it stood up, and then you start to ride the wake of the other jet skis, so you bounce into the air, then you find the Paragliding boat comes into your patch and makes big wakes, and you can have some real fun riding those. And before you know it the hour is up, and you have had an excellent time.
59. A word of caution, these machines though are limited in speed, Im sure can do thirty five miles per hour, two of them colliding head on would probably kill you, so they have to be treated with respect and you need to know, exactly where the other people in your group are and where the paragliding boat is, so I wouldnt go on them unless you are capable of handling them, as they could be dangerous, and Disney make you sign a waiver that limits there liability. Be sure that your medical insurance doesnt have water sport exclusions as well, Be careful out there it is a Jungle. (or maybe swamp, would be a better analogy.) Can you tell that I am the Chair of the Health and Safety Local Forum?? See I take my job seriously even when Im on holiday (Vacation.)
60. I thought I might share with you some of my thoughts about some of the eating experiences that we have had this trip. Most of you regular readers know that we are not the most exciting people when it comes to eating, our favourite places are Cosmic Rays for the entertainment, (Sonny Eclipse was down the whole trip and his area covered by bushes in pots. - A major disappointment for me, I can assure you.) But the big draw is the fixings bar, In fact I took to eating Kids Corn Dogs with fries and tons and tons of mushrooms and onions, piled on from the fixings bar, lots of food but not too heavy on the calories. We also like the Backlot Express at MGM. Which used to have a nice fixings bar, but the Evil One took it away.
61. Anyway we tried one or two things that were new for us, on the fast food front, we did Japan, I had done that at Spring Break, but I was more adventures this time, having the Tempura Oden (Prawns - Shrimp to my USA friends - in batter on a bed of noodles and a rich stock.) I liked it so much I had it twice, Jill had a pulled chicken sandwich at Morocco, which she liked but I wasnt so keen on and I didnt go to Britain once and have Fish and Chips from Harry Ramsdens. Though I did have some from the ABC Commissionary, which was actually quite nice but not a patch on the real thing.
62. Well if you guys come to Scotland, give me a call and I can promise you a trip to the nicest Fish and Chip Shops, there is Harry Ramsdens in Inverness and the Ashvale in Elgin. Worth the trip just for the fish and chips alone. And if you are really lucky I might take you on the back of my bike.
63. On the posh restaurant front, we did two others not mentioned so far in this Trip Report, the first was Boma, now this is a surprise in some ways because we have stayed at the AKL for two trips, once over Christmas 2001/2 - Yes I know, I still have to finish the last four days of that trip report. And we stayed there briefly with Sue Holland in summer 2002, in the concierge section. - Woow I know, it shocked me too. Anyway for some reason we never actually got around to doing Boma, so we booked a PS from Scotland a couple of weeks before the trip.
64. We got there fairly early and they gave us one of those led flashing vibrating pager thingys. I put it in my pocket for the cheep thrill of the vibration going off. We waited around twenty minutes, whilst we were waiting we popped out to see the animals, on the Savannah. We talked to a couple of African Cast Members which was fun, but it was a drizzly night, so we didnt hang around for that long. The pool was closed, and there was a guard there, who wouldnt even let us look around the area at all, just in case we wanted to commit suicide by a bizarre method, I.e leaping into the pool just before a lightning strike!! See Disney take Health and Safety just as seriously as I do, which is nice to know.
65.. Boma is a nice buffet, there is some very well cooked and presented food. We once stayed at a hotel on International Drive and one of the things included was a buffet breakfast, and the food was interesting to say the least, it was in great quantities, but it was also what I can only describe as Wet and Sloppy Now I know you Southern Americans eat some strange foods for your breakfast all this Grits and Gravy and this is the kind of stuff they had, which felt to me like it was just the same food, probably a mixture of De Toxified Farm Slurry, Food Colouring and oatmeal. The food colouring to denote the difference, pale grey = Gravy, Yellow = Strangled Eggs and Solidified Brown = Sausages) Mind you I guess there is only so much you can do with a budget of three and a half cents per guest per day.
66 Anyway Boma wasnt like that at all, the food was extremely nicely done, with the possible exception of the Prime Rib, which was so raw I can honestly say I am sure I heard it Moo. ( I have just spent two minutes trying to delete a comer, from the end of the word Moo. , and the , turned out to be a very small fly, who was very shocked when I put my finger there. Im thinking of employing it as a proof reader, but it has flown off!) Anyway, back to the tale. The bit Im coming to, and Im procrastinating a bit here is that, (Now dont be offended folks - Coz I know - Boma is the Bees Knees amongst the Internet Fraternity) but I didnt like the food much.
67. Yes sorry, I thought it was a bit too spicy for me, too much ginger and things in it. However, I did eat a lot of it, and it was nice, but it wasnt really me. Im more of a plain simple speaking and eating kinda guy, (and I know you all love me for it too.) Anyway, anyone who really knows me, knows that I love fish and especially red fish, so I ate quite copious amounts of Nut Encrusted Salmon, to get my moneys worth. Though Im convinced that I can still taste the ginger in the Bean Thingy Soup. (You will have to check out what I mean, on www.boma-menu-dont-forget-the spices.com.)
68. Things Get Ok when we come to the Puddings. They were nice, Sadly, I am on a sugar free diet, and as my Doctor isnt likely to read this Trip Report, I can say I had a night off and ate small amounts of the puddings, and quite frankly I liked the lot of them, but they are very rich. The down side is I felt so guilty about eating all that sugar for the rest of the trip that, I clamped down on myself on the sugar front to such an extent that on the last morning, I almost fainted, waiting to get loaded on to the Tower of Terror.
69. I was about to get into my seat, when I felt my head lurch forward, with a sensation of unsteadily floating, I managed to catch myself, but I was a bit worried, but I didnt want to alarm my family, (I have had some health problems recently Yes, and where were all the flowers .!!!) and so I just wanted to get on the plane home. I skipped the RnR Coaster that we had fast passes for, and I looked around the shop and played with the American Motorcycle Crash Helmets that you can buy there. (Bandanas - Very useful for the Paramedics, to clean up the blood and brains. Im semi convinced Ive already used up this joke in this Trip Report, I am normally quite happy with re-gurgitation of the same jokes, but I normally try to do them only once in each Trip Report, so If I have, I apologise most humbly, I would check it out, but it is only you guys who like reading my Trip Reports, personally I would rather go and read Scharmas History of Britain.)
70. The final new meal experience was at Norway, Where we partook of there delightful little buffet - I suppose it is more technically a smorgasbord, The food they have is actually not that different to what we eat in Scotland, I suppose although the Scandinavian Countries seem almost exotic, (If somewhere so flipping cold, can ever be described as exotic - that is) but actually we have a lot in common with the Scandinavians, those of us fortunate to live in the North of Scotland.
71. Now I have a slight problem with Finland, in fact I have a big problem with Finland, I was once badly let down in a work matter, by a Finish College, basically they ratted on a deal, around an exchange visit. I wont bore you with the details, actually the details are not that boring, its just I dont want you guys seeing my nasty vindictive side, I much prefer you to think of me as being all cuddly and nice. Anyway, Finland is not Norway, so I decided I to lift my Scandinavian boycott, and just have a Finish boycott instead.
72. The meal is structured different to most buffets at WDW. Firstly there is the normal, go and choose it your self line, where you can get cold meats, pickled herring, (In a vast variety of flavours and colours, these include, Poached Egg Flavour, Almond and Peach Flavour and my favourite, A Tribute to America - Hot Dog and Pop Corn Flavour Roll Mop Herring. ) There are sliced meats, and salad stuff that you would expect, the most scoff-able thing that I found was the walnut bread, boy that was fantastic. You know, Im firmly convinced that I enjoy the bread bit of a nice meal. It is just down hill for me after the bread, you can have a nice steak sure, but you cant beat, spreading a little butter on some exciting type of bread to know your having a good time, and the meal is worth the fortune that is being physically extracted from your wallet to pay for it.
73. The bit where this is different, is that the warm stuff, sorry the entrées are ordered separately, and only one at a time. I, regular readers will not be shocked to hear, picked the salmon, and Jill had some dog food type stuff, which was, well interesting. (It was disconcerting when she started barking later in the afternoon, just as we were getting onto the monorail - however.) You can get a little side dish of things like vegetables and potatos at the same time as you order the hot food.
74. The worst bit, was that we were meeting Sue somewhere, and we had to rush, as I hate being late for Sue, she is just about the most punctual person I know, and always arrives early for everything. (not sleeping probably helps.) so much so, that if I arrive somewhere five minutes early with Sue I still feel guilty that I am late. Anyway, back to the tale, the woman that we had, told us that it was her first day working alone as a waitress, and that was nice, and we were just about her first customers of the day, (we like to have lunch early, its a working class thing .) and as the room filled up, she got more and more people to deal with, and she was trying to do, and succeeding everything really well, but it took, and I checked the receipt time log. 21 minutes from getting the bill, to finishing the process, which was just a tad slow, (as we had eaten the meal in about that time, as quickly as we can, not to be late.)
75. Having said, that I liked the food, at Restaurant Arkansas or what ever it is called. (I dont go over mad on perfectionism in my TRs, you may have noticed.) The other thing is, is that it is a really good value gig, with a very modest, by Walt Disney World, standards fee, I can heartily recommend it, but if you get our waitress, I would pay by cash and not by credit card or room key.
76. Well, it is time now, to go off world again, I would hate for you to think that we are so culturally thin, that we cant appreciate some of the fantastic things that Florida has to offer, other than the delights of Walt Disney World. So we went to DeLeon Springs again, this is a State Park, which has a natural spring, which gushes forth vast quantities of spring water at a constant temperature of 72 degrees, year around. You may not know, but Florida is basically a swamp. If you pay attention to the view from outside your aircraft window as you descend into madness, (sorry Orlando International Airport) you will notice that a vast part of the land mass of Central Florida is covered in lakes, it is not just Walt Disney World that is littered with them, but the whole of the region is. And underneath this land, is underground fissures, which fill with water, and it comes out in natural springs, of which De Leon is a prime example. (You may have noticed, that whilst, Jill and the boys, were swimming in that freezing 72 degrees spring, I was reading the notice boards and soaking up some geological knowledge, which will no doubt one day win me the cruise on WWTBAM!!!)
77, The spring, comes out into the swimming pool area, and you can see the vortex it creates, there were some sub aqua people all dressed up, in there rubber suits, (well I think it was sub-aqua people, It could have been the Sanford Rubberists on there annual outing, but I think the oxygen tanks were a bit of a giveaway.) Underneath are caves, and the Sub Aqua people are not allowed to explore them, but they were down in that hole for a long time, so Im far from convinced that they were not doing a little illicit exploration.
78. One of the nice things, was that the park museum was open, and it only opens for a couple of hours on a couple of days, so I went and looked around, and do you know it was one of Floridas first visitor attractions, they had a posh hotel, and lakeside entertainment, including a water skiing elephant. So it was in effect, the Walt Disney World, of the 1920s, and I hadnt realised that on my first visit.
79. We went to the Old Sugar Mill, and made our own pancakes on the table top griddle, it was actually a bit hot for that kind of thing, but it is fun, and you can have a little pig out, so I ordered a side order of some Ham, (what we would call gammon) and two eggs, and we had some blueberries and chocolate chips, to make sweet pancakes for pudding. I had Sugar Free, syrup on mine, so I wasnt really cheating, Except for the odd, chocolate chip. Anyway, it was a nice trip, Ed wanted to go swimming again, and we were about to heatedly discuss this when it started one of those wonderful, storms that brew up in two minutes flat in Florida, and we went to Daytona Beach instead.
80. Well when I say we went to Daytona Beach, our car did, We only got out to go and have a sugar free lemonade at Wendys as it was totally P£*£*£*ing it down the whole time we were there. It was really nice to see the outside of the Daytona Speedway, though. I know Sheri and her family, are into Nascar and I would love one day to go and watch a race with them. The bad idea was to go to Daytona on a Sunday, at the time when the weather turns bad, and so everyone leaves the town all at exactly the same time, right the rain is out folks, we might as well call it a day, and head back to Jacksonville So the area was swamped with cars and it took, about two and a half years to get back to Orlando. We stopped at the DeLand Town Sign. This was to get a photo to email to some friends. When I lived in Moray, in a railway station, we had a lot of spare old coal sidings, which became overgrown, I called it the land, So I would say, Oh Im just going down the Land to pick a Christmas Tree Or something of that ilk. And my next door neighbour, Hillary thought that it sounded a bit grand, me calling 200 yards of overgrown railway siding, The Land like it was some kind of country estate, So she started calling me Larry of the Land. So I wanted to send her a photo of me by the sign. Larry of DeLand OK, it seems funny to me, you dont have to laugh, it isnt compulsory.
81. Jill and I popped out one evening when the boys were at Disney Quest, to go and eat at Celebration, I love this quaint, little Disney GOLDMINE, for its values and its charm, and its nice Diner. We had a nice meal, (OK I know - Im starting to sound a weenie bit repetitive, but ) I had a Salmon Burger, and a mighty nice burger it was too, if a touch dry in the wholemeal bap department. Again the prices are reasonable, and the service good. And it feels slightly less Disney than the rest of the town.
82. Jill had seen a programme on British TV about a couple who had moved to Celebration from Disney, and opened up a coffee shop, she said that it had been incredibly hard work for them and in the beginning it had been touch and go, if they would survive, so we hunted down there little coffee shop, and it looked nice. We didnt actually buy anything, to help there fragile economics, but hey, Its the thought that counts. Anyway it was nice to see a little bit of Great Britain in the Stepford environment that is Celebration.
83. Well, Im up to paragraph 83, and I am starting to wish that the great classic film, was 83 Dalmatians and not 101, because quite frankly, Im starting to struggle to write anything much more for you on this trip. And you wouldnt want me to start making things up and writing rubbish just to get to the end. I guess if this was the Walt Disney world Marathon, I would be up to the 21st mile, and hitting the Wall, so lets tell you what Im going to do, Im going to email a couple of my friends and ask them, to ask me some questions, and then Im going to spend 17 paragraphs, answering them for you, then I Will Hit the magic, 101, and I can stop writing and have a rest until October. (Trip to Disneyland Paris, with Tom and Leanne.) Then it is Jan in NYC where I will be meeting Robin and her sister Paula, and hopefully Stacey, John and Melissa some of my other cyber friends. Though not a Disney Trip as such, Im sure we can visit a Disney Store or something on 5th Avenue to make it a Disney Trip.
84. Hey you guys you came up Trumps for me, I got lots and lots of questions, Robin Goble asked about 35 and there were lots of others who asked loads of interesting questions. So It looks like Im going to have to ration out my answers to one question each. OK, lets kick off with the first ones, (and Im answering them in order they appear in my inbox, I would do it alphabetically, but that assumes, I know my alphabet.
85. Sue Holland, asks - Did you eat at the Earl of Sandwich and was it an authentic British Experience.? Hey, thanks for the question Sue, and thanks for being the first person to reply to my writers block plea. Yes we did thank you very much and I remember it precisely because of its non British Experience, For those who have not been to WDW recently, it is a new café in the Downtown Disney District, and it sells hot sandwiches. And they have such well known British Fillings, as American Club, right .. We often eat that. No if it was British we would have melted ham and cheese, and it would be between two slices of proper bread, (Some funny machine makes this bread, probably in a cardboard box factory) We would have melted ham and cheese, and we would put Brown Sauce on it. Not French Mustard. Which came with the highly amusing Grey Poupon The Brits will know why that is funny. I liked the little British Trinkets, I meant to buy Paula, Robins sister a Red Telephone Box Pin, coz I hear she likes them, but I forgot to go back and get one, so I must do that next trip. (I forgot one of the receptionists Minnie Mouse Ariel Topper once, For her Mini, but I remembered the next trip.) Perhaps if I send Sue $8 she will get one for me, when she goes next time.
86. Stacey from PA asks, What did you do this time that you had never done before? Again, interesting question, and I would say not much, though that would be untrue. I watched the whole of the China Film without going to sleep, which was impressive as I sat on the floor with my back resting on the wall at around 7pm at night, and that was prime falling asleep material. I watched Illuminations from the Inn in Mexico. (Theres a better place??) but the best new thing was- ASIMO, He was great, ASIMO is a Robot made by Honda, (Kevin Rushforth is a big Honda Guy, so I kinda visited him on your behalf. He bought a new Sportsbike recently, and I bet he didnt even think for a second about buying a Suzuki, What I will say to you, Kevin, is that Blue Bikes are the fastest) Anyway, ASIMO, is 100 percent cool dude Japanese mega technology, though if they are really serious about him being a personal robot for the disabled or the mega couch potato, then they need to work on the 45 min battery life. Maybe a 5 foot tall Pink Energiser Bunny would work!!
87. Daniel Rushforth wants to know what the best part of my holiday was? And I would say, Daniel, the best part was chilling out with friends. Disney is great on its own, but there is nothing like spending time with people you know and like, (Though I have to say, that Chris is a bit of a little monster for getting in the hot seat all the time.) Anyway, there were others I would have liked to spend time with too, that we will have to catch on future trips, and Daniel is one of them.
88. Daniels Dad Kevin asks I would like to ask what the most entertaining Disney Character was and what it Did Well you know this time, I think it was the Green Army Sergeant from Toy Story, who drove out to the car park, (Parking Lot or our Ex -Colonial Cousins) and started to bark orders at the bewildered guests and took over the tram loading system. He is one firm guy. My all time favourite moment is watching Tigger water ski on Bay Lake.
89. Kathy Salvie, from Texas, asks a very spooky question. How would you organise your funeral at WDW Hey now this is a great idea, and I think Kathy should send a quick email to Michael Eisner. Suggesting it before news of this idea leaks out from the internet. You can just see, a Black Pavilion placed opposite the White one, perhaps, by the shore near the Contemporary for Funerals, with an option of being buried in the Haunted Mansion Grave Yard, and for $10,000 extra a witty epitaph on your grave stone. I would have.
Poor Old Larry Died of Shock.
When he saw the Price of his
Disney Stock.
Obviously I would need the Invisible Horse Carriage for my cortège. And Mickey in his Black Tails and Undertakers Outfit, walking in front of the ghostly apparition. Sounds Fun, I intend to open a Building Society Account and pay $50 a month for the next fifty years to pay for it.
90. Kim from Florida, asks Did you make it to a water park We went to Typhoon Lagoon, mainly so that we could swim with the Sharks, It was at this point that I realised that my diet didnt quite go far enough, so I dashed to the Shark Pool, which was just a weenie bit chilly, though my offspring tell me that it wasnt any where near as cold as it was in the De Leon Springs, Spring. At one point a Ray swam, about two inch from me knee, and that is so cool. Also Greg told me how to stay alive in the Pool when the great big tidal waves come at yer, trying to knock you off your feet, You turn around, and face away from the wave and run like hell. That way you dont get splattered into the rough surface knocking three millimetres of dermatological bits from you knees and elbows. And this year I put sun tan crème on so I didnt get fried. I guess even Dumb Larry, gets smart occasionally.
91. Melissa from NYC asks Tigger was just acquitted of charges that he fondled a teenager. Were you or any member of your family a party to the Tigger incident? Well let me say, how relieved I was to hear that Tigger was innocent of such alleged misdoings, there is nothing that would make playing Poo Sticks less enjoyable than the knowledge that Acorn Wood was breeding evil in its midsts. However, I am afraid that I was not party to the incident, though for a decent first class Flight I am willing to fly over and give expert witness at any potential appeal as I swear blind that Minnie Mouse squeezed my butt once at Chef Mickeys.
92. Kevin, (Are all the men I know called Kevin?) from www.beansaroundtheworld.com asks, What was it like visiting MGM knowing I would not ever be a beet again? Kevin, I am so mortified that that theatre, the home of one of my greatest ever triumphs, lies idle. Occasionally, I see the actress who played Patty Mayonnaise, and who I met backstage, sub at the Comedy Warehouse, and I am tempted to go to her, and say Darling, it is so nice to see you, its been so long, oh when was it? Oh yes, when we did Doug together. Oh, Happy Days but you know my natural British Reserve just stops me doing that. But yes, I miss it, getting in the Hot Seat, just about fills the spot, but you know there is nothing quite like treading the boards.
93. Lisa Cubbon asks, a very thoughtful question, Best place for Larry to just sit and watch the world go by? as you know I am an only child, and you know we are known for out thoughtfulness, I dont know if you know but all the great thinkers were only children. Yes, Aristotle, was the only one, Horrid Harry, as his peers called him, Oh your thinking again? - Sure you dont want to come and pull legs of spiders with us? So in a two week holiday vacation it pays to take time out for a bit of a think, and Im sorry to say, for me that is probably on the loo, late at night. You know, I may decide to grade the quality of toilets, based on seat comfy-ness. One of the high spots, was the opening of the Millennium Exhibition Hall for the ASIMO demonstration, coz I got to go in THE toilets once again. And I hear great things about the Turbo Dryers in the new loos, near the Everest Attraction at Asia at AK.
94. Susan Main asks Did you do the Hustle at Pop Century this trip? And the answer is No. But I did tap gently on my table in time to the Very Loud music, when it came on. At certain times of the day the play the Hustle and the world goes all Jiggy Jiggy, whilst cast members and the guest go do there thang. At eight am sharp you get to do the Twist with Chubby B Checker as well, and I have to confess to a little join in to that, with much embarrassment and twitching of the normally stiff upper lip. I also did the twirly thing with the napkin at Chef Mickeys. Anyway, lets not knock it, they are just trying to inject a little fun into our holidays. Though I suspect that its a bit too Trashy for a certain Fort Myers Resident. (Sorry, I couldnt resist.)
95. Sheri, my Friend from Atlanta asks What was it like being in WDW on July the 4th And I will say fun, partly because I spent it with my friends, and not least those who like to hang out with the OK guys. But hey, Im not averse to a little flag waving every now and then, and you excitable former colonists, like to remind us Brits, that you want to be independent, and you know as a good parent, you have to let your children have their heads, so I say Go walk out the door, dont turn around .etc Anyway, if you guys, need to borrow any coffee or anything, just give Mr Blair a ring and Im sure he will oblige. There is no where else I would rather be on July 4th than at WDW. (There is no where else I would rather be on October 19th either.) I would quite like to ride Pirates of the Caribbean on September 19th which as you are all aware, is Talk like a Pirate Day.
96. Robin my friend from Texas asks, Who killed JR? and that is an interesting question. I am sure that this is a very intellectual question from her, about Jessica Rabbit. As you know Disney are a little ashamed for some reason about Who Framed Roger Rabbit and they almost pretend that they didnt make it. So they killed off the characters including the slightly erotic Jessica Rabbit. So I have done an extensive search of the Property for WFRR references and have come up with three. One is the big JR neon cartoon, on the West End Stage at Downtown Disney, the other is a car used in the live action part of the film by that well know English Actor - whats his face. Oh, I always get let down by my memory at some point during a TR. Bob Hoskins. And the third, was a porcelain figurine of JR in a gift shop in the MGM studios by the Animation Tour.
97. Well thats it for the questions, I could go on with a few more, but time is running out on this little epic. The journey home, was long and tireing, as usual. Chicago Airport is a lot more fun on the way there than on the way home. They managed not to loose, my luggage, and Pal Mickey came home with us that night and didnt have to stay in a nasty left luggage office overnight. We were tired, and we took the weekend off to recover. The worst bit being that we know that we may not be back for two years. Sue Holland told, me she doubted we would wait that long, I hope she is right.
98. High Spots,
Being with Friends.
American Adventure on July 4th.
Staying awake though China.
The thing, Im not allowed to talk about.
99. The low spots.
Not being rich enough to be able to afford direct flights.
Knowing that my Annual Pass has run out.
You know there were not any low spots worth talking about.
(Dont believe all you read about the decline of WDW)
Knowing it may be two years before Im back.
100.
Thanks for everyone who has commented on my Trip Reports and thank you for reading this one, I have made a lot of friends, in the TR world, and I know how hard it is to write these things, So I want to thank you all, for the pleasure you have given me with your reports. And thanks for the questions guys, you stopped this being my second un-finished report.
101.
The End.
54. Anyway, a Disney Trip for me just doesnt feel complete unless I have ridden on the Monorails, the big boat from the TTC (Though that involves going to the TTC, which is the downside), A friendship, (boats from Epcot to MGM - It is actually quicker to walk, though quite exhausting in the heat. I know I did it at least three times this trip, I was trying to compensate for all the food I was eating, and it probably worked as I only put on a pound the whole trip.) I would recommend using a car sometimes, particularly for Downtown Disney, but you can, and I have, have a fine holiday without using a car.
55.. The most exciting travel experience was the hire of a Jet Ski, Being the berk (Berk as many of you will know is British for idiot) that I am, I managed to kill my laptop computer, and because of this I had to go Jet Skiing. Well Im sure it is obvious with out an explanation, but I shall give one anyway. Last trip, Greg went Jet Skiing from the Sammy Duval Water Sports centre at the Contemporary, Cost around $90 with the Annual Pass Discount. Anyway, he wanted to show his mates the photos, but he couldnt because Dumb Larry (Tribute to Todd Rundgren) had killed the laptop, and hadnt backed up the photos so we lost the lot. So I thought that I should pay for him to have another go, and take some photos, Thus proving what an honourable person and fine father that I am, but I guess you all know that, which is why you dont mind coming back to this kind of drivel over and over again.
56. But after much thinking and rumination, I thought why should he have all the fun, after all I am a biker. (Suzuki SV650 - Like your interested.) and Jet Skiing is after all merely water biking. (Actually it turns out to be more like water scootering, a subtle difference.) So we signed up for a trip, about a week ahead when we were at the Contemporary for Chef Mickeys. We had to take Gregs Passport as you have to prove you are 16. And it would seem that being six foot two inches, is not proof enough.
57. Chef Mickeys was fun by the way, in a Chip n Dale, Goofy, Minnie and Mickey, Pluto-tastic, napkin whirl-ling kinda way. Good buffet and it is good fun, I guess it is best with really little kids, but there are plenty of them on the other tables for you to see having fun, and dont tell my 16 year old, Jet Skiing, cool dude, son, but I could tell he was having a good time too, even if he did insist on taking the photos and not being in many of em. Stacey Zitto, sent me some photographs of John, Anikka and herself, at Chef Mickeys a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to make a PS. (That and having had one for the last trip and forgetting to go. See I told you I was a Berk.)
58. So back to the Jet Skiing, well you pick up your machine, and they are quite big, you can fit two folks on em. You get escorted to a marked area, at the back of the lake the other side of the original Discovery Island, (gosh does it bug you as much as it bugs me, that they have pinched the name, for the Oasis at Animal Kingdom. - No? Ok, fair enough.) So you kinda ride (Sail, Motor - what do you do on a jet ski?) to the area gingerly, then you have 55 minutes to do what you wish, in a marked by buoys around 200 meters from the shore and 800 meters long. You actually start to think you will get bored, just riding in that area, but then you start to get more comfortable with the machine and you go the full speed all the time, then you start to ride it stood up, and then you start to ride the wake of the other jet skis, so you bounce into the air, then you find the Paragliding boat comes into your patch and makes big wakes, and you can have some real fun riding those. And before you know it the hour is up, and you have had an excellent time.
59. A word of caution, these machines though are limited in speed, Im sure can do thirty five miles per hour, two of them colliding head on would probably kill you, so they have to be treated with respect and you need to know, exactly where the other people in your group are and where the paragliding boat is, so I wouldnt go on them unless you are capable of handling them, as they could be dangerous, and Disney make you sign a waiver that limits there liability. Be sure that your medical insurance doesnt have water sport exclusions as well, Be careful out there it is a Jungle. (or maybe swamp, would be a better analogy.) Can you tell that I am the Chair of the Health and Safety Local Forum?? See I take my job seriously even when Im on holiday (Vacation.)
60. I thought I might share with you some of my thoughts about some of the eating experiences that we have had this trip. Most of you regular readers know that we are not the most exciting people when it comes to eating, our favourite places are Cosmic Rays for the entertainment, (Sonny Eclipse was down the whole trip and his area covered by bushes in pots. - A major disappointment for me, I can assure you.) But the big draw is the fixings bar, In fact I took to eating Kids Corn Dogs with fries and tons and tons of mushrooms and onions, piled on from the fixings bar, lots of food but not too heavy on the calories. We also like the Backlot Express at MGM. Which used to have a nice fixings bar, but the Evil One took it away.
61. Anyway we tried one or two things that were new for us, on the fast food front, we did Japan, I had done that at Spring Break, but I was more adventures this time, having the Tempura Oden (Prawns - Shrimp to my USA friends - in batter on a bed of noodles and a rich stock.) I liked it so much I had it twice, Jill had a pulled chicken sandwich at Morocco, which she liked but I wasnt so keen on and I didnt go to Britain once and have Fish and Chips from Harry Ramsdens. Though I did have some from the ABC Commissionary, which was actually quite nice but not a patch on the real thing.
62. Well if you guys come to Scotland, give me a call and I can promise you a trip to the nicest Fish and Chip Shops, there is Harry Ramsdens in Inverness and the Ashvale in Elgin. Worth the trip just for the fish and chips alone. And if you are really lucky I might take you on the back of my bike.
63. On the posh restaurant front, we did two others not mentioned so far in this Trip Report, the first was Boma, now this is a surprise in some ways because we have stayed at the AKL for two trips, once over Christmas 2001/2 - Yes I know, I still have to finish the last four days of that trip report. And we stayed there briefly with Sue Holland in summer 2002, in the concierge section. - Woow I know, it shocked me too. Anyway for some reason we never actually got around to doing Boma, so we booked a PS from Scotland a couple of weeks before the trip.
64. We got there fairly early and they gave us one of those led flashing vibrating pager thingys. I put it in my pocket for the cheep thrill of the vibration going off. We waited around twenty minutes, whilst we were waiting we popped out to see the animals, on the Savannah. We talked to a couple of African Cast Members which was fun, but it was a drizzly night, so we didnt hang around for that long. The pool was closed, and there was a guard there, who wouldnt even let us look around the area at all, just in case we wanted to commit suicide by a bizarre method, I.e leaping into the pool just before a lightning strike!! See Disney take Health and Safety just as seriously as I do, which is nice to know.
65.. Boma is a nice buffet, there is some very well cooked and presented food. We once stayed at a hotel on International Drive and one of the things included was a buffet breakfast, and the food was interesting to say the least, it was in great quantities, but it was also what I can only describe as Wet and Sloppy Now I know you Southern Americans eat some strange foods for your breakfast all this Grits and Gravy and this is the kind of stuff they had, which felt to me like it was just the same food, probably a mixture of De Toxified Farm Slurry, Food Colouring and oatmeal. The food colouring to denote the difference, pale grey = Gravy, Yellow = Strangled Eggs and Solidified Brown = Sausages) Mind you I guess there is only so much you can do with a budget of three and a half cents per guest per day.
66 Anyway Boma wasnt like that at all, the food was extremely nicely done, with the possible exception of the Prime Rib, which was so raw I can honestly say I am sure I heard it Moo. ( I have just spent two minutes trying to delete a comer, from the end of the word Moo. , and the , turned out to be a very small fly, who was very shocked when I put my finger there. Im thinking of employing it as a proof reader, but it has flown off!) Anyway, back to the tale. The bit Im coming to, and Im procrastinating a bit here is that, (Now dont be offended folks - Coz I know - Boma is the Bees Knees amongst the Internet Fraternity) but I didnt like the food much.
67. Yes sorry, I thought it was a bit too spicy for me, too much ginger and things in it. However, I did eat a lot of it, and it was nice, but it wasnt really me. Im more of a plain simple speaking and eating kinda guy, (and I know you all love me for it too.) Anyway, anyone who really knows me, knows that I love fish and especially red fish, so I ate quite copious amounts of Nut Encrusted Salmon, to get my moneys worth. Though Im convinced that I can still taste the ginger in the Bean Thingy Soup. (You will have to check out what I mean, on www.boma-menu-dont-forget-the spices.com.)
68. Things Get Ok when we come to the Puddings. They were nice, Sadly, I am on a sugar free diet, and as my Doctor isnt likely to read this Trip Report, I can say I had a night off and ate small amounts of the puddings, and quite frankly I liked the lot of them, but they are very rich. The down side is I felt so guilty about eating all that sugar for the rest of the trip that, I clamped down on myself on the sugar front to such an extent that on the last morning, I almost fainted, waiting to get loaded on to the Tower of Terror.
69. I was about to get into my seat, when I felt my head lurch forward, with a sensation of unsteadily floating, I managed to catch myself, but I was a bit worried, but I didnt want to alarm my family, (I have had some health problems recently Yes, and where were all the flowers .!!!) and so I just wanted to get on the plane home. I skipped the RnR Coaster that we had fast passes for, and I looked around the shop and played with the American Motorcycle Crash Helmets that you can buy there. (Bandanas - Very useful for the Paramedics, to clean up the blood and brains. Im semi convinced Ive already used up this joke in this Trip Report, I am normally quite happy with re-gurgitation of the same jokes, but I normally try to do them only once in each Trip Report, so If I have, I apologise most humbly, I would check it out, but it is only you guys who like reading my Trip Reports, personally I would rather go and read Scharmas History of Britain.)
70. The final new meal experience was at Norway, Where we partook of there delightful little buffet - I suppose it is more technically a smorgasbord, The food they have is actually not that different to what we eat in Scotland, I suppose although the Scandinavian Countries seem almost exotic, (If somewhere so flipping cold, can ever be described as exotic - that is) but actually we have a lot in common with the Scandinavians, those of us fortunate to live in the North of Scotland.
71. Now I have a slight problem with Finland, in fact I have a big problem with Finland, I was once badly let down in a work matter, by a Finish College, basically they ratted on a deal, around an exchange visit. I wont bore you with the details, actually the details are not that boring, its just I dont want you guys seeing my nasty vindictive side, I much prefer you to think of me as being all cuddly and nice. Anyway, Finland is not Norway, so I decided I to lift my Scandinavian boycott, and just have a Finish boycott instead.
72. The meal is structured different to most buffets at WDW. Firstly there is the normal, go and choose it your self line, where you can get cold meats, pickled herring, (In a vast variety of flavours and colours, these include, Poached Egg Flavour, Almond and Peach Flavour and my favourite, A Tribute to America - Hot Dog and Pop Corn Flavour Roll Mop Herring. ) There are sliced meats, and salad stuff that you would expect, the most scoff-able thing that I found was the walnut bread, boy that was fantastic. You know, Im firmly convinced that I enjoy the bread bit of a nice meal. It is just down hill for me after the bread, you can have a nice steak sure, but you cant beat, spreading a little butter on some exciting type of bread to know your having a good time, and the meal is worth the fortune that is being physically extracted from your wallet to pay for it.
73. The bit where this is different, is that the warm stuff, sorry the entrées are ordered separately, and only one at a time. I, regular readers will not be shocked to hear, picked the salmon, and Jill had some dog food type stuff, which was, well interesting. (It was disconcerting when she started barking later in the afternoon, just as we were getting onto the monorail - however.) You can get a little side dish of things like vegetables and potatos at the same time as you order the hot food.
74. The worst bit, was that we were meeting Sue somewhere, and we had to rush, as I hate being late for Sue, she is just about the most punctual person I know, and always arrives early for everything. (not sleeping probably helps.) so much so, that if I arrive somewhere five minutes early with Sue I still feel guilty that I am late. Anyway, back to the tale, the woman that we had, told us that it was her first day working alone as a waitress, and that was nice, and we were just about her first customers of the day, (we like to have lunch early, its a working class thing .) and as the room filled up, she got more and more people to deal with, and she was trying to do, and succeeding everything really well, but it took, and I checked the receipt time log. 21 minutes from getting the bill, to finishing the process, which was just a tad slow, (as we had eaten the meal in about that time, as quickly as we can, not to be late.)
75. Having said, that I liked the food, at Restaurant Arkansas or what ever it is called. (I dont go over mad on perfectionism in my TRs, you may have noticed.) The other thing is, is that it is a really good value gig, with a very modest, by Walt Disney World, standards fee, I can heartily recommend it, but if you get our waitress, I would pay by cash and not by credit card or room key.
76. Well, it is time now, to go off world again, I would hate for you to think that we are so culturally thin, that we cant appreciate some of the fantastic things that Florida has to offer, other than the delights of Walt Disney World. So we went to DeLeon Springs again, this is a State Park, which has a natural spring, which gushes forth vast quantities of spring water at a constant temperature of 72 degrees, year around. You may not know, but Florida is basically a swamp. If you pay attention to the view from outside your aircraft window as you descend into madness, (sorry Orlando International Airport) you will notice that a vast part of the land mass of Central Florida is covered in lakes, it is not just Walt Disney World that is littered with them, but the whole of the region is. And underneath this land, is underground fissures, which fill with water, and it comes out in natural springs, of which De Leon is a prime example. (You may have noticed, that whilst, Jill and the boys, were swimming in that freezing 72 degrees spring, I was reading the notice boards and soaking up some geological knowledge, which will no doubt one day win me the cruise on WWTBAM!!!)
77, The spring, comes out into the swimming pool area, and you can see the vortex it creates, there were some sub aqua people all dressed up, in there rubber suits, (well I think it was sub-aqua people, It could have been the Sanford Rubberists on there annual outing, but I think the oxygen tanks were a bit of a giveaway.) Underneath are caves, and the Sub Aqua people are not allowed to explore them, but they were down in that hole for a long time, so Im far from convinced that they were not doing a little illicit exploration.
78. One of the nice things, was that the park museum was open, and it only opens for a couple of hours on a couple of days, so I went and looked around, and do you know it was one of Floridas first visitor attractions, they had a posh hotel, and lakeside entertainment, including a water skiing elephant. So it was in effect, the Walt Disney World, of the 1920s, and I hadnt realised that on my first visit.
79. We went to the Old Sugar Mill, and made our own pancakes on the table top griddle, it was actually a bit hot for that kind of thing, but it is fun, and you can have a little pig out, so I ordered a side order of some Ham, (what we would call gammon) and two eggs, and we had some blueberries and chocolate chips, to make sweet pancakes for pudding. I had Sugar Free, syrup on mine, so I wasnt really cheating, Except for the odd, chocolate chip. Anyway, it was a nice trip, Ed wanted to go swimming again, and we were about to heatedly discuss this when it started one of those wonderful, storms that brew up in two minutes flat in Florida, and we went to Daytona Beach instead.
80. Well when I say we went to Daytona Beach, our car did, We only got out to go and have a sugar free lemonade at Wendys as it was totally P£*£*£*ing it down the whole time we were there. It was really nice to see the outside of the Daytona Speedway, though. I know Sheri and her family, are into Nascar and I would love one day to go and watch a race with them. The bad idea was to go to Daytona on a Sunday, at the time when the weather turns bad, and so everyone leaves the town all at exactly the same time, right the rain is out folks, we might as well call it a day, and head back to Jacksonville So the area was swamped with cars and it took, about two and a half years to get back to Orlando. We stopped at the DeLand Town Sign. This was to get a photo to email to some friends. When I lived in Moray, in a railway station, we had a lot of spare old coal sidings, which became overgrown, I called it the land, So I would say, Oh Im just going down the Land to pick a Christmas Tree Or something of that ilk. And my next door neighbour, Hillary thought that it sounded a bit grand, me calling 200 yards of overgrown railway siding, The Land like it was some kind of country estate, So she started calling me Larry of the Land. So I wanted to send her a photo of me by the sign. Larry of DeLand OK, it seems funny to me, you dont have to laugh, it isnt compulsory.
81. Jill and I popped out one evening when the boys were at Disney Quest, to go and eat at Celebration, I love this quaint, little Disney GOLDMINE, for its values and its charm, and its nice Diner. We had a nice meal, (OK I know - Im starting to sound a weenie bit repetitive, but ) I had a Salmon Burger, and a mighty nice burger it was too, if a touch dry in the wholemeal bap department. Again the prices are reasonable, and the service good. And it feels slightly less Disney than the rest of the town.
82. Jill had seen a programme on British TV about a couple who had moved to Celebration from Disney, and opened up a coffee shop, she said that it had been incredibly hard work for them and in the beginning it had been touch and go, if they would survive, so we hunted down there little coffee shop, and it looked nice. We didnt actually buy anything, to help there fragile economics, but hey, Its the thought that counts. Anyway it was nice to see a little bit of Great Britain in the Stepford environment that is Celebration.
83. Well, Im up to paragraph 83, and I am starting to wish that the great classic film, was 83 Dalmatians and not 101, because quite frankly, Im starting to struggle to write anything much more for you on this trip. And you wouldnt want me to start making things up and writing rubbish just to get to the end. I guess if this was the Walt Disney world Marathon, I would be up to the 21st mile, and hitting the Wall, so lets tell you what Im going to do, Im going to email a couple of my friends and ask them, to ask me some questions, and then Im going to spend 17 paragraphs, answering them for you, then I Will Hit the magic, 101, and I can stop writing and have a rest until October. (Trip to Disneyland Paris, with Tom and Leanne.) Then it is Jan in NYC where I will be meeting Robin and her sister Paula, and hopefully Stacey, John and Melissa some of my other cyber friends. Though not a Disney Trip as such, Im sure we can visit a Disney Store or something on 5th Avenue to make it a Disney Trip.
84. Hey you guys you came up Trumps for me, I got lots and lots of questions, Robin Goble asked about 35 and there were lots of others who asked loads of interesting questions. So It looks like Im going to have to ration out my answers to one question each. OK, lets kick off with the first ones, (and Im answering them in order they appear in my inbox, I would do it alphabetically, but that assumes, I know my alphabet.
85. Sue Holland, asks - Did you eat at the Earl of Sandwich and was it an authentic British Experience.? Hey, thanks for the question Sue, and thanks for being the first person to reply to my writers block plea. Yes we did thank you very much and I remember it precisely because of its non British Experience, For those who have not been to WDW recently, it is a new café in the Downtown Disney District, and it sells hot sandwiches. And they have such well known British Fillings, as American Club, right .. We often eat that. No if it was British we would have melted ham and cheese, and it would be between two slices of proper bread, (Some funny machine makes this bread, probably in a cardboard box factory) We would have melted ham and cheese, and we would put Brown Sauce on it. Not French Mustard. Which came with the highly amusing Grey Poupon The Brits will know why that is funny. I liked the little British Trinkets, I meant to buy Paula, Robins sister a Red Telephone Box Pin, coz I hear she likes them, but I forgot to go back and get one, so I must do that next trip. (I forgot one of the receptionists Minnie Mouse Ariel Topper once, For her Mini, but I remembered the next trip.) Perhaps if I send Sue $8 she will get one for me, when she goes next time.
86. Stacey from PA asks, What did you do this time that you had never done before? Again, interesting question, and I would say not much, though that would be untrue. I watched the whole of the China Film without going to sleep, which was impressive as I sat on the floor with my back resting on the wall at around 7pm at night, and that was prime falling asleep material. I watched Illuminations from the Inn in Mexico. (Theres a better place??) but the best new thing was- ASIMO, He was great, ASIMO is a Robot made by Honda, (Kevin Rushforth is a big Honda Guy, so I kinda visited him on your behalf. He bought a new Sportsbike recently, and I bet he didnt even think for a second about buying a Suzuki, What I will say to you, Kevin, is that Blue Bikes are the fastest) Anyway, ASIMO, is 100 percent cool dude Japanese mega technology, though if they are really serious about him being a personal robot for the disabled or the mega couch potato, then they need to work on the 45 min battery life. Maybe a 5 foot tall Pink Energiser Bunny would work!!
87. Daniel Rushforth wants to know what the best part of my holiday was? And I would say, Daniel, the best part was chilling out with friends. Disney is great on its own, but there is nothing like spending time with people you know and like, (Though I have to say, that Chris is a bit of a little monster for getting in the hot seat all the time.) Anyway, there were others I would have liked to spend time with too, that we will have to catch on future trips, and Daniel is one of them.
88. Daniels Dad Kevin asks I would like to ask what the most entertaining Disney Character was and what it Did Well you know this time, I think it was the Green Army Sergeant from Toy Story, who drove out to the car park, (Parking Lot or our Ex -Colonial Cousins) and started to bark orders at the bewildered guests and took over the tram loading system. He is one firm guy. My all time favourite moment is watching Tigger water ski on Bay Lake.
89. Kathy Salvie, from Texas, asks a very spooky question. How would you organise your funeral at WDW Hey now this is a great idea, and I think Kathy should send a quick email to Michael Eisner. Suggesting it before news of this idea leaks out from the internet. You can just see, a Black Pavilion placed opposite the White one, perhaps, by the shore near the Contemporary for Funerals, with an option of being buried in the Haunted Mansion Grave Yard, and for $10,000 extra a witty epitaph on your grave stone. I would have.
Poor Old Larry Died of Shock.
When he saw the Price of his
Disney Stock.
Obviously I would need the Invisible Horse Carriage for my cortège. And Mickey in his Black Tails and Undertakers Outfit, walking in front of the ghostly apparition. Sounds Fun, I intend to open a Building Society Account and pay $50 a month for the next fifty years to pay for it.
90. Kim from Florida, asks Did you make it to a water park We went to Typhoon Lagoon, mainly so that we could swim with the Sharks, It was at this point that I realised that my diet didnt quite go far enough, so I dashed to the Shark Pool, which was just a weenie bit chilly, though my offspring tell me that it wasnt any where near as cold as it was in the De Leon Springs, Spring. At one point a Ray swam, about two inch from me knee, and that is so cool. Also Greg told me how to stay alive in the Pool when the great big tidal waves come at yer, trying to knock you off your feet, You turn around, and face away from the wave and run like hell. That way you dont get splattered into the rough surface knocking three millimetres of dermatological bits from you knees and elbows. And this year I put sun tan crème on so I didnt get fried. I guess even Dumb Larry, gets smart occasionally.
91. Melissa from NYC asks Tigger was just acquitted of charges that he fondled a teenager. Were you or any member of your family a party to the Tigger incident? Well let me say, how relieved I was to hear that Tigger was innocent of such alleged misdoings, there is nothing that would make playing Poo Sticks less enjoyable than the knowledge that Acorn Wood was breeding evil in its midsts. However, I am afraid that I was not party to the incident, though for a decent first class Flight I am willing to fly over and give expert witness at any potential appeal as I swear blind that Minnie Mouse squeezed my butt once at Chef Mickeys.
92. Kevin, (Are all the men I know called Kevin?) from www.beansaroundtheworld.com asks, What was it like visiting MGM knowing I would not ever be a beet again? Kevin, I am so mortified that that theatre, the home of one of my greatest ever triumphs, lies idle. Occasionally, I see the actress who played Patty Mayonnaise, and who I met backstage, sub at the Comedy Warehouse, and I am tempted to go to her, and say Darling, it is so nice to see you, its been so long, oh when was it? Oh yes, when we did Doug together. Oh, Happy Days but you know my natural British Reserve just stops me doing that. But yes, I miss it, getting in the Hot Seat, just about fills the spot, but you know there is nothing quite like treading the boards.
93. Lisa Cubbon asks, a very thoughtful question, Best place for Larry to just sit and watch the world go by? as you know I am an only child, and you know we are known for out thoughtfulness, I dont know if you know but all the great thinkers were only children. Yes, Aristotle, was the only one, Horrid Harry, as his peers called him, Oh your thinking again? - Sure you dont want to come and pull legs of spiders with us? So in a two week holiday vacation it pays to take time out for a bit of a think, and Im sorry to say, for me that is probably on the loo, late at night. You know, I may decide to grade the quality of toilets, based on seat comfy-ness. One of the high spots, was the opening of the Millennium Exhibition Hall for the ASIMO demonstration, coz I got to go in THE toilets once again. And I hear great things about the Turbo Dryers in the new loos, near the Everest Attraction at Asia at AK.
94. Susan Main asks Did you do the Hustle at Pop Century this trip? And the answer is No. But I did tap gently on my table in time to the Very Loud music, when it came on. At certain times of the day the play the Hustle and the world goes all Jiggy Jiggy, whilst cast members and the guest go do there thang. At eight am sharp you get to do the Twist with Chubby B Checker as well, and I have to confess to a little join in to that, with much embarrassment and twitching of the normally stiff upper lip. I also did the twirly thing with the napkin at Chef Mickeys. Anyway, lets not knock it, they are just trying to inject a little fun into our holidays. Though I suspect that its a bit too Trashy for a certain Fort Myers Resident. (Sorry, I couldnt resist.)
95. Sheri, my Friend from Atlanta asks What was it like being in WDW on July the 4th And I will say fun, partly because I spent it with my friends, and not least those who like to hang out with the OK guys. But hey, Im not averse to a little flag waving every now and then, and you excitable former colonists, like to remind us Brits, that you want to be independent, and you know as a good parent, you have to let your children have their heads, so I say Go walk out the door, dont turn around .etc Anyway, if you guys, need to borrow any coffee or anything, just give Mr Blair a ring and Im sure he will oblige. There is no where else I would rather be on July 4th than at WDW. (There is no where else I would rather be on October 19th either.) I would quite like to ride Pirates of the Caribbean on September 19th which as you are all aware, is Talk like a Pirate Day.
96. Robin my friend from Texas asks, Who killed JR? and that is an interesting question. I am sure that this is a very intellectual question from her, about Jessica Rabbit. As you know Disney are a little ashamed for some reason about Who Framed Roger Rabbit and they almost pretend that they didnt make it. So they killed off the characters including the slightly erotic Jessica Rabbit. So I have done an extensive search of the Property for WFRR references and have come up with three. One is the big JR neon cartoon, on the West End Stage at Downtown Disney, the other is a car used in the live action part of the film by that well know English Actor - whats his face. Oh, I always get let down by my memory at some point during a TR. Bob Hoskins. And the third, was a porcelain figurine of JR in a gift shop in the MGM studios by the Animation Tour.
97. Well thats it for the questions, I could go on with a few more, but time is running out on this little epic. The journey home, was long and tireing, as usual. Chicago Airport is a lot more fun on the way there than on the way home. They managed not to loose, my luggage, and Pal Mickey came home with us that night and didnt have to stay in a nasty left luggage office overnight. We were tired, and we took the weekend off to recover. The worst bit being that we know that we may not be back for two years. Sue Holland told, me she doubted we would wait that long, I hope she is right.
98. High Spots,
Being with Friends.
American Adventure on July 4th.
Staying awake though China.
The thing, Im not allowed to talk about.
99. The low spots.
Not being rich enough to be able to afford direct flights.
Knowing that my Annual Pass has run out.
You know there were not any low spots worth talking about.
(Dont believe all you read about the decline of WDW)
Knowing it may be two years before Im back.
100.
Thanks for everyone who has commented on my Trip Reports and thank you for reading this one, I have made a lot of friends, in the TR world, and I know how hard it is to write these things, So I want to thank you all, for the pleasure you have given me with your reports. And thanks for the questions guys, you stopped this being my second un-finished report.
101.
The End.
