MajorWoody
The View From My Office
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 294
Major Woodys 2 Week TR 5/17 thru 5/31/04
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 10 Wednesday , May 26, 2004:
We took our time once again getting up today. We decided it was time to do some laundry before the resort change tomorrow, so we loaded up the dirty clothes, took them down to the laundry room ( which is right by the pool), and the hit the pool for a couple of hours while the laundry got laundered. The pool wasnt crowded, the weather was perfect, and it was a nice way to start the day. After the laundry was done, we put it away back in the room, got showered and dressed, and caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom, arriving at 1:00pm.
I wanted to get my usual haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop, and was disappointed to see only one barber was working today, and Mychal was not ( he is my favorite of the barbers there). I needed a haircut either way, so I waited in line, and finally was seated after a one hour wait. While I was waiting for my turn, one family had a kid in the chair getting his haircut, while his younger brother was running wild in the shop, with no interference from his parents. The kid, who was probably no more than 5 years old, started to climb on the unused barber chair, standing up on it, and then messing with the lever on the side. The barber, Heather, was trying to keep the kid in the chair occupied, and also trying to nicely tell the kid on the empty chair to be careful, and the parents were just letting him cavort without any concern that he might fall off or get hurt. He finally climbed down, and then started hitting the lever on the side of the chair again, when he wasnt grabbing things off the shelf or running around the small crowded shop, all the while with not a word from his parents to stop it. He was hitting the lever on the barber chair so hard I thought he was going to end up breaking the chair, as did a few of the other guests waiting in line. Thankfully, they finally finished with the sibling who was getting the haircut, but then Junior decided he wanted a Mickey made of green goop on his head, even though he wasnt getting a haircut, and the parents plopped him into the chair and told the barber to put a Mickey on his head. I guess if the kid wasnt such a brat, and we all wanted them to leave, it wouldnt have been a big deal, but eventually they were finished, and they left the shop. When it was my turn, I got my usual buzz cut, with a topping of Pixie Dust which are little glitter Mickeys for those who have never seen it. The haircut was $15, with a $5 tip, for a total of $20, and it came out nicely.
After leaving the barber shop, we walked through the Emporium, and then went to the Main St Bakery, for a bite to eat. I had the tomato-mozzarella sandwich , a coke, and an apple turnover, while Jeanne had a fruit cup and a cookie. The total came to $14, and we went to the alleyway between the kitchen store and the Uptown Jewelers, where there are a few tables in the back, away from the hustle and bustle, but allowing you a nice view of Main St. The tables are also in shade, which is nice in mid afternoon. We then browsed some of the shops, before heading out of the park and jumping on the monorail to the TTC. At the TTC, we caught a bus to Disney-MGM Studios, arriving at about 4:00pm. Our first stop was the FP machine outside RnRC, where I got myself a FP which was good for 5:15->6:15pm. Then we went to the 5 & 10 on Main St, or whatever its called at MGM ) and Jeanne ordered another one of the personalized Cheshire cat towels. I also did some shopping, hitting Keystone Clothiers for a new Disney tie, and a purse for my daughter at home. We then went to see if we could make it into the 4:30pm Millionaire show, and timed it just right, getting in with a minute to spare with no wait. They started with a fastest finger, which I always do badly at, but once the game started, I was doing pretty good. While the winner of Fastest Finger was in the Hot Seat, I plugged along, getting up to 2nd Place on the leaderboard at the 1,000 level, and making the top of the leaderboard at the 32,000 level. When they got to the 64,000 question, which asked which of the following four are not a class of tuna : Skip, char, albacore, and yellowfin. I knew the answer (char) , having grown up a big time salt water fisherman, and unfortunately for the guy in the hot seat, he didnt. So when the leaderboard lit, I wasnt too surprised to see I was at the top, and on my way to the hot seat once again. I made my way down, and settled in. I am always nervous when Im in the hot seat, even though its not for money, it must be the pressure of ending up looking like a dope in front of 650 people if you get an easy question wrong. I breezed through to the 32,000 question, which was Who was voted the sexiest man alive in the 90's by People Mag?. The four choices were Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and JFK Jr. Well, Im not a gossip rag reader, and I had no real clue. My first guess was Mel Gibson, and I used the 50/50, since I had already used the audience poll on another question. As luck would have it, Gibson & JFK were the two remaining choices, so I went with Mel Gibson. Unfortunately, it was not to be my day to win a cruise, as the correct answer was JFK Jr, so I was hustled back off to the prize room, where I claimed my set of pins and baseball cap, and also found out from the woman in the prize room that according to the computer it was my 8th time in the Hot Seat since the game started back in 2001, not bad for a person who lives 1,200 miles away.
After Millionaire, we walked down Sunset Blvd to the RnRC, where I used my FP to ride, while Jeanne waited outside. I got in for the front row, and was seated next to a somewhat mentally challenged lad who was about 6'4", and who started jabbering the moment I got into line next to him about how he hopes he doesnt throw up on the ride. I really didnt know what to say, and certainly didnt want to hurt his feelings by being rude, so I just listened and agreed while he kept on about how he used to throw up on rides, but doesnt anymore. All the while, I was getting images of a spray of vomit as soon as we hit the first loop on the ride. We finally got seated, and the ride took off. Lucky enough for me, and the riders behind us, the young man managed to keep lunch inside, and we all arrived happily, if a bit nervously, at the exit to the ride. I said goodbye to him, and wished him well on future rides. After that, we decided to leave MGM, as we had a dinner appointment at the Flying Fish.
We exited MGM, and walked to the boat dock, where we caught the boat to the Boardwalk. There was a scary moment when we were on the boat. We sat on the back deck of the boat, and when the boat started to pull away from the dock, we realized the skipper had forgotten to untie the rope holding the rear of the ship to the dock. He was revving up the engines, and the front of the boat started to move away, while the rope holding the rear to the metal cleat got tighter and tighter. He finally realized, as a few of us were yelling to him about the rope, to stop and untie the docking rope. I had heard about the accident at Disneyland where a metal cleat was torn away from the dock, and it was very scary to be sitting right alongside the rope and cleat as this happened. Fortunately, he let off the engines before something snapped. The two CMs then came to the back to untie the rope, which had been pulled so tight they had a real hard time untying the knot. It took them almost 15 minutes to get the rope undone, and in the meantime
another boat had pulled up and was awaiting its turn to dock. They finally managed to untie the rope, and we set sail. The two CMs were both very young, and it seemed like neither had any real experience in piloting a boat, which made us decide to get off at the first stop, the Swan & Dolphin, and walk the rest of the way to BW. We also were pressed for time with our dinner PS due to the delay, and figured it was quicker to walk from the Swan then continue on to the Y&BC and then the BW docks.
We made it to Flying Fish with about 10 minutes to spare, and didnt see our dinner partners ( Bruce & Marta Metcalf), so we ran inside BW to use the upstairs bathroom. Who should come into the bathroom while I was finishing up but Bruce!!. So our group was now together, and when our potty breaks were done, we headed downstairs to Flying Fish. We had never eaten here before, although Bruce & Marta have. We went up to the hostess stand, gave our names, and were promptly seated. There is an open kitchen in the restaurant, and we were seated close enough to observe it. I had the clams appetizer, while Jeanne had the crab cake appetizer. I enjoyed my potato wrapped red snapper entree, while Jeanne had the salmon. I believe Bruce had the snapper also, while I cant recall what Marta had. We also had a bottle of wine with dinner. All the dishes were excellent, and everyone enjoyed the meals. The total came to $266 for the four of us, using Bruces CM discount, and we felt it was well worth every cent. After dinner, we all decided to walk to Epcot and catch Illuminations. We entered via the International Gateway, and watched it from the bridge to France. After Illuminations, Jeanne & I did a walk over to Mousegear, browsed for a while, then caught the bus back to Port Orleans after the crowds had died down. Since it was still relatively early, we took a walk along the PO river path from FQ to Riverside, and back. It was a pleasant way to spend our last night at PO-FQ, and when we returned to our room, we packed for our move to the Beach Club tomorrow.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 10 Wednesday , May 26, 2004:
We took our time once again getting up today. We decided it was time to do some laundry before the resort change tomorrow, so we loaded up the dirty clothes, took them down to the laundry room ( which is right by the pool), and the hit the pool for a couple of hours while the laundry got laundered. The pool wasnt crowded, the weather was perfect, and it was a nice way to start the day. After the laundry was done, we put it away back in the room, got showered and dressed, and caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom, arriving at 1:00pm.
I wanted to get my usual haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop, and was disappointed to see only one barber was working today, and Mychal was not ( he is my favorite of the barbers there). I needed a haircut either way, so I waited in line, and finally was seated after a one hour wait. While I was waiting for my turn, one family had a kid in the chair getting his haircut, while his younger brother was running wild in the shop, with no interference from his parents. The kid, who was probably no more than 5 years old, started to climb on the unused barber chair, standing up on it, and then messing with the lever on the side. The barber, Heather, was trying to keep the kid in the chair occupied, and also trying to nicely tell the kid on the empty chair to be careful, and the parents were just letting him cavort without any concern that he might fall off or get hurt. He finally climbed down, and then started hitting the lever on the side of the chair again, when he wasnt grabbing things off the shelf or running around the small crowded shop, all the while with not a word from his parents to stop it. He was hitting the lever on the barber chair so hard I thought he was going to end up breaking the chair, as did a few of the other guests waiting in line. Thankfully, they finally finished with the sibling who was getting the haircut, but then Junior decided he wanted a Mickey made of green goop on his head, even though he wasnt getting a haircut, and the parents plopped him into the chair and told the barber to put a Mickey on his head. I guess if the kid wasnt such a brat, and we all wanted them to leave, it wouldnt have been a big deal, but eventually they were finished, and they left the shop. When it was my turn, I got my usual buzz cut, with a topping of Pixie Dust which are little glitter Mickeys for those who have never seen it. The haircut was $15, with a $5 tip, for a total of $20, and it came out nicely.
After leaving the barber shop, we walked through the Emporium, and then went to the Main St Bakery, for a bite to eat. I had the tomato-mozzarella sandwich , a coke, and an apple turnover, while Jeanne had a fruit cup and a cookie. The total came to $14, and we went to the alleyway between the kitchen store and the Uptown Jewelers, where there are a few tables in the back, away from the hustle and bustle, but allowing you a nice view of Main St. The tables are also in shade, which is nice in mid afternoon. We then browsed some of the shops, before heading out of the park and jumping on the monorail to the TTC. At the TTC, we caught a bus to Disney-MGM Studios, arriving at about 4:00pm. Our first stop was the FP machine outside RnRC, where I got myself a FP which was good for 5:15->6:15pm. Then we went to the 5 & 10 on Main St, or whatever its called at MGM ) and Jeanne ordered another one of the personalized Cheshire cat towels. I also did some shopping, hitting Keystone Clothiers for a new Disney tie, and a purse for my daughter at home. We then went to see if we could make it into the 4:30pm Millionaire show, and timed it just right, getting in with a minute to spare with no wait. They started with a fastest finger, which I always do badly at, but once the game started, I was doing pretty good. While the winner of Fastest Finger was in the Hot Seat, I plugged along, getting up to 2nd Place on the leaderboard at the 1,000 level, and making the top of the leaderboard at the 32,000 level. When they got to the 64,000 question, which asked which of the following four are not a class of tuna : Skip, char, albacore, and yellowfin. I knew the answer (char) , having grown up a big time salt water fisherman, and unfortunately for the guy in the hot seat, he didnt. So when the leaderboard lit, I wasnt too surprised to see I was at the top, and on my way to the hot seat once again. I made my way down, and settled in. I am always nervous when Im in the hot seat, even though its not for money, it must be the pressure of ending up looking like a dope in front of 650 people if you get an easy question wrong. I breezed through to the 32,000 question, which was Who was voted the sexiest man alive in the 90's by People Mag?. The four choices were Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and JFK Jr. Well, Im not a gossip rag reader, and I had no real clue. My first guess was Mel Gibson, and I used the 50/50, since I had already used the audience poll on another question. As luck would have it, Gibson & JFK were the two remaining choices, so I went with Mel Gibson. Unfortunately, it was not to be my day to win a cruise, as the correct answer was JFK Jr, so I was hustled back off to the prize room, where I claimed my set of pins and baseball cap, and also found out from the woman in the prize room that according to the computer it was my 8th time in the Hot Seat since the game started back in 2001, not bad for a person who lives 1,200 miles away.
After Millionaire, we walked down Sunset Blvd to the RnRC, where I used my FP to ride, while Jeanne waited outside. I got in for the front row, and was seated next to a somewhat mentally challenged lad who was about 6'4", and who started jabbering the moment I got into line next to him about how he hopes he doesnt throw up on the ride. I really didnt know what to say, and certainly didnt want to hurt his feelings by being rude, so I just listened and agreed while he kept on about how he used to throw up on rides, but doesnt anymore. All the while, I was getting images of a spray of vomit as soon as we hit the first loop on the ride. We finally got seated, and the ride took off. Lucky enough for me, and the riders behind us, the young man managed to keep lunch inside, and we all arrived happily, if a bit nervously, at the exit to the ride. I said goodbye to him, and wished him well on future rides. After that, we decided to leave MGM, as we had a dinner appointment at the Flying Fish.
We exited MGM, and walked to the boat dock, where we caught the boat to the Boardwalk. There was a scary moment when we were on the boat. We sat on the back deck of the boat, and when the boat started to pull away from the dock, we realized the skipper had forgotten to untie the rope holding the rear of the ship to the dock. He was revving up the engines, and the front of the boat started to move away, while the rope holding the rear to the metal cleat got tighter and tighter. He finally realized, as a few of us were yelling to him about the rope, to stop and untie the docking rope. I had heard about the accident at Disneyland where a metal cleat was torn away from the dock, and it was very scary to be sitting right alongside the rope and cleat as this happened. Fortunately, he let off the engines before something snapped. The two CMs then came to the back to untie the rope, which had been pulled so tight they had a real hard time untying the knot. It took them almost 15 minutes to get the rope undone, and in the meantime
another boat had pulled up and was awaiting its turn to dock. They finally managed to untie the rope, and we set sail. The two CMs were both very young, and it seemed like neither had any real experience in piloting a boat, which made us decide to get off at the first stop, the Swan & Dolphin, and walk the rest of the way to BW. We also were pressed for time with our dinner PS due to the delay, and figured it was quicker to walk from the Swan then continue on to the Y&BC and then the BW docks.
We made it to Flying Fish with about 10 minutes to spare, and didnt see our dinner partners ( Bruce & Marta Metcalf), so we ran inside BW to use the upstairs bathroom. Who should come into the bathroom while I was finishing up but Bruce!!. So our group was now together, and when our potty breaks were done, we headed downstairs to Flying Fish. We had never eaten here before, although Bruce & Marta have. We went up to the hostess stand, gave our names, and were promptly seated. There is an open kitchen in the restaurant, and we were seated close enough to observe it. I had the clams appetizer, while Jeanne had the crab cake appetizer. I enjoyed my potato wrapped red snapper entree, while Jeanne had the salmon. I believe Bruce had the snapper also, while I cant recall what Marta had. We also had a bottle of wine with dinner. All the dishes were excellent, and everyone enjoyed the meals. The total came to $266 for the four of us, using Bruces CM discount, and we felt it was well worth every cent. After dinner, we all decided to walk to Epcot and catch Illuminations. We entered via the International Gateway, and watched it from the bridge to France. After Illuminations, Jeanne & I did a walk over to Mousegear, browsed for a while, then caught the bus back to Port Orleans after the crowds had died down. Since it was still relatively early, we took a walk along the PO river path from FQ to Riverside, and back. It was a pleasant way to spend our last night at PO-FQ, and when we returned to our room, we packed for our move to the Beach Club tomorrow.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
