LarryFmScotland
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 6, 2003
- Messages
- 357
Larrys Wonderful World Trip Report Day 2.
Friday 26th March 2004.
Dear Friend,
Well you find me at 5am, writing up my Trip Report, hiding in the bathroom, (thank heavens for lithium batteries) I of course think it is 10am and I have had a lie in. So I can get ahead of myself with my Trip Report, this could be a new fashion, write the trip reports before they happen that way, you can have a really magical time, there are never any lines, the food is great and everything is so inexpensive. Ok the last one no one would believe.
Well, let me tell you a little more about yesterday then. Well when we arrived at the airport, tired and well more tired, we said toodle pip to Bill,(the School Board Conference attendee) who was a great guy and agreed to swap emails. I had told him that I wrote TRs and he said, well you will have to send me a copy I then said oh it will be about 15,000 words and he looked at me as if I had just flown in from Planet Zurg! So we agreed I would send a photo of us in front of the castle instead. Anyway I told Bill about all the Internet people I know and I think he was getting a glimpse of a world he barely knew existed.
We sailed through the airport, the quickest exit ever, from plane to car around 20 minutes, 25 top end. I picked up the car from Alamo, and I managed to survive the We have a great deal for you to upgrade today, a SUV or Pick Up for $8 per day. WOW I could have gone for a Pick Up Truck, I could pretend I was a Texan rounding up the herd!! Next news I would be in chaps and spurs, YeeHaw. But as SUVs and Pick Ups are the sworn enemy of Bikers, then I had to decline! Oh yes we British bikers know all about Bill Janklow and how cheap motorcyclists lives are to a certain kind of driver.
Now I had a deal with Gregory, you will recall, having a very good memory for detail, that last year I picked a Mittybushy Gallant, which was a pile of junk, from the Intermediate Line. This year I tasked Gregory with the job of picking the car out of the line. There were about 10 cars to pick from, mainly smaller cars, but Greg picked the biggest, and apart from a 16 seat Mercedes Mini Bus, that one of my day care centres I used to manage in Forres had, is the biggest thing I have ever driven. It is like the deck of the starship enterprise, there isnt a drivers seat, it is a sofa. You couldnt find a more comfy sofa in Ikea, not even the big branch in Stockholm. Having driven, it safely to WDW from MCO, I have figured out precisely non of the controls, I just cant work out how the lights work, the gear leaver is on the steering wheel. The hand brake is a foot break, ? so is it a hand brake at all?? So I am going to have to go out to the lot and get the hand book out and read the thing. (Which is a so un-me, remember the moto Manuals are for wimps! As well as sleep!) Anyway the thing is set for comfort, it wallows big time. But I suspect I am going to love it, it certainly ate the luggage and is much bigger than the Jag back home. (Oh dont you squirm when I show off!!)
Oh what is it Chevy Impala. (Ok I know you think it is a little mini, and your Pontiac Grand Mustang or what ever, is much bigger, but it is big to me!) The bad news is Im not sure, it was dark, but I think it might be beige, YUK!
Anyway we made it to the Pop Century. And well it looks as you drive into the Parking Lot like All Stars Bits and Bobs and like it has been taking illegal steroids to boost itself up a bit. It is very loud and very shiny, though interestingly the icons on the building at the pool side of the food court are already damaged, by kids jumping on them, rather than vandalism, I would hazard a guess at.
Well not much time to look around, we have been given a great room, in 70s, within 100 yards of the Food Court, I think having Guest Services move our reservation from the All Stars Swampy Place has worked great, I want to publicly thank Disney for that, I had what I felt was a genuine complaint, and they have sorted out a very good solution for me, and I would have happily moaned, in my TR if they hadnt sorted it out, so it is only fair I should say, Thanks You did a great job for me. (You have my permission to spread the word, Disney is cool!)
We bought our re-fillable mugs, I went for the Orange one, very funky chicken! The mugs say on them now that they are for one trip only, so no doubts about the word of the mouse on the Re-fillable mugs debate any longer. So if you are bringing em back, you are being very naughty indeed, and you have the censure of Larry, the man who thinks that Disney are great today, coz they gave him a good room and he pledges never to bring re-fillable mugs back ever again. (well definitely not after they change the design!!!)
Well I have almost used up todays 1000 word limit and it is only, 5-49am. Time to wash away the tensions of the day in the shower, and get ready for Early Entry at Animal Kingdom. (Or should that be Extra Magic Hour)
So at around seven fifteen we went to the Pop Century Bus Stop and got the bus to AK, didnt manage to bag a seat, as even at that time the bus was full, and some didnt get on. We arrived and went to the entrance gift shop, and we asked an obliging cast member if he would re-programme Pal Mickey, who maybe wouldnt know all the new stuff in the parks as it was 9 months since he was back home, well the doctor did the operation on Poor Ol Pal Mickeys brain, and things were clearly not going well, there were complications and the doctor went with Mickey into another room, and I dont know what exactly happened but Mickey came out of the room, not only working well, but looking cleaner and fresher than he had when he went in, the doctor was clearly some kind of miracle worker!!
We saw the AK welcome ceremony with the characters on there SUV, and Mickey by the Big Tree. (ToL.) Which was a fun way to come and visit a park after a little break.
Mickey was a chirpy as chirpy can be, after the ceremony and as we perambulated the park, we went and did Killimanjaro Safari. This was one of the first tours of the day and we did exceptionally well for animals, and the trip was leisurely paced mainly because loads of animals were in the road and we had to keep stopping. One thing shocked me, but there were actually poachers in the park, we ended up having to chase them but they were captured by Disney Security, You would think that these things wouldnt happen in a theme park, but I guess if you have real animals poachers can be attracted anywhere. There must be a new baby elephant, I think they called it Little Red, but it was safe, Wilson who was a really nice guy, and chatted to us over the radio, managed to catch it and he was taking it back to his mother Big Red, so that was nice.
Following this little bit of excitement we went and did Primeval Whirl, which was fun in a revolving kind of way, this was followed up by a statutory visit to Dr Seeker and a ride on Countdown to Extinction. We had fast passes for Primeval Whirl and we did this ride again, somewhere in the mix, Ed and Jill did Triceratops Spin, and Greg and I watched people play the Carnival Graves, (Is Walt Spinning? I think so.)
We then did an early lunch at both Pizzafari, and Tusker House, and had a sit down for a while. The plan after lunch was to visit Conservation Station, I know Raffikis Planet Watch, I wish they would stop changing the names. However there was a really big queue. So we blobbed out of AK at that point.
We took the after off from the parks to spend some of those rather cheap dollars in the Beltz Mall. I bought a Red Polo Shirt, and some Red Shorts and a pair of trainers, white and red, (You spotting a theme here? Someone said recently I should wear more red, so I always do what Im told)
Ed had missed out on the shopping trip and went to Disney Quest. So we all met up there for tea, I had a dog and fries, and iced water. Thereby managing to keep down the sugar if not the fat.
We then went to Epcot and just did the single line at Mission Space, this took about 30 minutes, but wasnt too bad, and I enjoyed the ride again, The G forces are certainly fun. After this although it was early we came back to the room and I wrote up this TR and downloaded a photo or two.
Well, time to post this on the web, see you all tomorrow.
Cheers Larry Your Pal in Scotland.
Friday 26th March 2004.
Dear Friend,
Well you find me at 5am, writing up my Trip Report, hiding in the bathroom, (thank heavens for lithium batteries) I of course think it is 10am and I have had a lie in. So I can get ahead of myself with my Trip Report, this could be a new fashion, write the trip reports before they happen that way, you can have a really magical time, there are never any lines, the food is great and everything is so inexpensive. Ok the last one no one would believe.
Well, let me tell you a little more about yesterday then. Well when we arrived at the airport, tired and well more tired, we said toodle pip to Bill,(the School Board Conference attendee) who was a great guy and agreed to swap emails. I had told him that I wrote TRs and he said, well you will have to send me a copy I then said oh it will be about 15,000 words and he looked at me as if I had just flown in from Planet Zurg! So we agreed I would send a photo of us in front of the castle instead. Anyway I told Bill about all the Internet people I know and I think he was getting a glimpse of a world he barely knew existed.
We sailed through the airport, the quickest exit ever, from plane to car around 20 minutes, 25 top end. I picked up the car from Alamo, and I managed to survive the We have a great deal for you to upgrade today, a SUV or Pick Up for $8 per day. WOW I could have gone for a Pick Up Truck, I could pretend I was a Texan rounding up the herd!! Next news I would be in chaps and spurs, YeeHaw. But as SUVs and Pick Ups are the sworn enemy of Bikers, then I had to decline! Oh yes we British bikers know all about Bill Janklow and how cheap motorcyclists lives are to a certain kind of driver.
Now I had a deal with Gregory, you will recall, having a very good memory for detail, that last year I picked a Mittybushy Gallant, which was a pile of junk, from the Intermediate Line. This year I tasked Gregory with the job of picking the car out of the line. There were about 10 cars to pick from, mainly smaller cars, but Greg picked the biggest, and apart from a 16 seat Mercedes Mini Bus, that one of my day care centres I used to manage in Forres had, is the biggest thing I have ever driven. It is like the deck of the starship enterprise, there isnt a drivers seat, it is a sofa. You couldnt find a more comfy sofa in Ikea, not even the big branch in Stockholm. Having driven, it safely to WDW from MCO, I have figured out precisely non of the controls, I just cant work out how the lights work, the gear leaver is on the steering wheel. The hand brake is a foot break, ? so is it a hand brake at all?? So I am going to have to go out to the lot and get the hand book out and read the thing. (Which is a so un-me, remember the moto Manuals are for wimps! As well as sleep!) Anyway the thing is set for comfort, it wallows big time. But I suspect I am going to love it, it certainly ate the luggage and is much bigger than the Jag back home. (Oh dont you squirm when I show off!!)
Oh what is it Chevy Impala. (Ok I know you think it is a little mini, and your Pontiac Grand Mustang or what ever, is much bigger, but it is big to me!) The bad news is Im not sure, it was dark, but I think it might be beige, YUK!
Anyway we made it to the Pop Century. And well it looks as you drive into the Parking Lot like All Stars Bits and Bobs and like it has been taking illegal steroids to boost itself up a bit. It is very loud and very shiny, though interestingly the icons on the building at the pool side of the food court are already damaged, by kids jumping on them, rather than vandalism, I would hazard a guess at.
Well not much time to look around, we have been given a great room, in 70s, within 100 yards of the Food Court, I think having Guest Services move our reservation from the All Stars Swampy Place has worked great, I want to publicly thank Disney for that, I had what I felt was a genuine complaint, and they have sorted out a very good solution for me, and I would have happily moaned, in my TR if they hadnt sorted it out, so it is only fair I should say, Thanks You did a great job for me. (You have my permission to spread the word, Disney is cool!)
We bought our re-fillable mugs, I went for the Orange one, very funky chicken! The mugs say on them now that they are for one trip only, so no doubts about the word of the mouse on the Re-fillable mugs debate any longer. So if you are bringing em back, you are being very naughty indeed, and you have the censure of Larry, the man who thinks that Disney are great today, coz they gave him a good room and he pledges never to bring re-fillable mugs back ever again. (well definitely not after they change the design!!!)
Well I have almost used up todays 1000 word limit and it is only, 5-49am. Time to wash away the tensions of the day in the shower, and get ready for Early Entry at Animal Kingdom. (Or should that be Extra Magic Hour)
So at around seven fifteen we went to the Pop Century Bus Stop and got the bus to AK, didnt manage to bag a seat, as even at that time the bus was full, and some didnt get on. We arrived and went to the entrance gift shop, and we asked an obliging cast member if he would re-programme Pal Mickey, who maybe wouldnt know all the new stuff in the parks as it was 9 months since he was back home, well the doctor did the operation on Poor Ol Pal Mickeys brain, and things were clearly not going well, there were complications and the doctor went with Mickey into another room, and I dont know what exactly happened but Mickey came out of the room, not only working well, but looking cleaner and fresher than he had when he went in, the doctor was clearly some kind of miracle worker!!
We saw the AK welcome ceremony with the characters on there SUV, and Mickey by the Big Tree. (ToL.) Which was a fun way to come and visit a park after a little break.
Mickey was a chirpy as chirpy can be, after the ceremony and as we perambulated the park, we went and did Killimanjaro Safari. This was one of the first tours of the day and we did exceptionally well for animals, and the trip was leisurely paced mainly because loads of animals were in the road and we had to keep stopping. One thing shocked me, but there were actually poachers in the park, we ended up having to chase them but they were captured by Disney Security, You would think that these things wouldnt happen in a theme park, but I guess if you have real animals poachers can be attracted anywhere. There must be a new baby elephant, I think they called it Little Red, but it was safe, Wilson who was a really nice guy, and chatted to us over the radio, managed to catch it and he was taking it back to his mother Big Red, so that was nice.
Following this little bit of excitement we went and did Primeval Whirl, which was fun in a revolving kind of way, this was followed up by a statutory visit to Dr Seeker and a ride on Countdown to Extinction. We had fast passes for Primeval Whirl and we did this ride again, somewhere in the mix, Ed and Jill did Triceratops Spin, and Greg and I watched people play the Carnival Graves, (Is Walt Spinning? I think so.)
We then did an early lunch at both Pizzafari, and Tusker House, and had a sit down for a while. The plan after lunch was to visit Conservation Station, I know Raffikis Planet Watch, I wish they would stop changing the names. However there was a really big queue. So we blobbed out of AK at that point.
We took the after off from the parks to spend some of those rather cheap dollars in the Beltz Mall. I bought a Red Polo Shirt, and some Red Shorts and a pair of trainers, white and red, (You spotting a theme here? Someone said recently I should wear more red, so I always do what Im told)
Ed had missed out on the shopping trip and went to Disney Quest. So we all met up there for tea, I had a dog and fries, and iced water. Thereby managing to keep down the sugar if not the fat.
We then went to Epcot and just did the single line at Mission Space, this took about 30 minutes, but wasnt too bad, and I enjoyed the ride again, The G forces are certainly fun. After this although it was early we came back to the room and I wrote up this TR and downloaded a photo or two.
Well, time to post this on the web, see you all tomorrow.
Cheers Larry Your Pal in Scotland.
