(cont from above)
The Journey
When planning the trip I knew that I would have the rental car, so I decided to take a day away from WDW and go to another Florida attraction. After reading these boards and asking questions I had many decisions to make. Should we go to Universal one day, and if so which Universal park. She we go to Sea World? Gatorland? The Titanic Museum or NASA? I was routing for NASA. I left the final decision to James.
Sidenote: I pulled out My G.I. Joe Space Capsule and all the accessories from storage, and gave them to James, he forgot that we had them.
James chose NASA! So I looked online & did my research. I decided to do NASA & the close by Space Museum. I checked online & the prices were a bit hefty. Stopped by local
AAA office and got the same tickets for 35.00 off!
We woke up rather early that morning cause I had a rough estimate that it would take about a hour to drive from The Pop Century to Cape Canaveral. We had breakfast in the room, then went on our way.
We arrived in the parking lot, found the SUV, and had liftoff.
Sidenote: For some time now I have been using a GREAT invention in my car. Its called the EZ Pass. No more fumbling for change, no more opening your nice warm car and getting hit with a Sub Zero blast of cold air while driving to a toll booth. And a side benefit is that the Bridge I use everyday that cost me 10 cents to crossover, they raised the price to $1.00. But because I have EZ- Pass I get a 25% discount. So according to the Toll authority I save time and 25%. According to my wallet I had a 60% increase
BUT I DO SAVE TIME. I really, really, really like EZ Pass
Since rental cars dont have EZ pass, or whatever it is called in Florida, I was a bit flummoxed
when I saw the first toll approaching. WhaddaIdo? WhaddaIdo? It was like I was thrown back into some archaic time
and lost all my sense!
Sidenote: I did no about the tolls from reading the Disboards
.However I forgot!
The toll Booth was fast approaching and I am digging for change and bills. Now since We are a Disney I use the room card charge privileges, I really dont have much small cash on me. The toll is 75 cents, I scrounge a dollar out of my wallet, get to the toll booth, know I cant find the window opener thingy
.Its all happening too fast!
The Toll Booth Money Taker guy is just looking at me
But I forget How do you open a car window
.FINALLY I see it, its a old fashion roll down kind! WTH??? I use to know how to work this.
Sidenote: Toll booth! Cash! Roll down car windows! Outside of WDW, its 1985 in Florida
OK! So I figured how to roll down the window I give the Toll Booth Money Taker guy the dollar, he gives me the 25 cents change
.and off I drive. I put the 25 cents in one of the many, mannnny compartments this SUV had. I roll up the window, BLAST the a/c back to full throttle, and place my wallet on the seat next to me. As soon as I am done fiddling around
.There comes another one! Another Toll Booth
.I swear I still see the one I just left in my rear view mirror, and now ahead is ANOTHER flippen toll booth!

So Again, I fumble for another dollar, roll down the window (the hard way) get to the toll booth, give the Toll Booth Money Taker guy the money, get my change and go through the whole procedure again. I swear this went on for EVERY 2 miles of the trip until I got closer to Cape Canaveral. Every 2 miles is a 75 cent toll!
Sidenote: For those who know the Garden State Parkway in NJ. This is parkway that leads to Atlantic City
.they are notorious for Tolls. Jersey aint got nutin on Floridas Tolls!
So now after all the stop & go every 2 miles I reach (what I now know) is the Final toll before I turn onto the freeway to Cape Canaveral. I am use to this
.and they aint gonna shake me. I now know how to stop in the correct toll that says CASH ONLY (the sign is in the same size as You see on this screen and you are suppose to read it from 100 yards away!) , I know where the window roller downer crank is, and I have the exact fare of 75 cents all ready. I proudly drive up to the right toll, open the window and pay the 75 cents !!! And the Toll Booth Money Taker guy just stands there with his hand out
..YEAH???? I say.
Pay the toll fully he says.
I did! pointing to his hands, There in your hand is 75 cents. I answer
No he says
It aint 75 cents? I inquire
No he answers
Well how much is it? I ask
Look at the sign? he demands
I see Buckle for safety sign, Pay toll here sign, Hurricane Route signs EZ Listen to 101.7 signs but no Price sign
Where is the sign, I have no idea how much you need I inquirer, like a crazed human
He points behind me!!!
WHERE?? I scream
%$#&*&
Its
A big flippen truck roars by
Pay Up!
Whaaaaaaaaaaa????
Its $1.25! Finally like a human he tells me. All I have is another quarter, and 2 $100.00 dollar bills on me!
oh
@%^&$ " I murmur to myself! (well maybe not so silent)
I have an idea!

I yell to the back seat James do you have your wallet with you?
Yeah
Give me a dollar! I plead
For what? He inquires as if he is a banker and I am here to refinance my house
For the FLIPPEN TOLL I scream
Oh!....OK!
.Do you want
COME GUY HURRY THERE ARE CARS BEHIND YOU! The wonderful Toll Booth Money Taker guy Barks, interrupting James
Hold your Horses I screamed back
Sidenote: I say hold your horses
A LOT
and I have no idea why?
James gimme the Money I plead
Do you want Disney dollars or regular money? He inquires.
Regular! Regular! I was Exasperated!
James then hands me a five dollar bill I pay the attendant, and he just looks at the money as if How do I give change for 1.25 from $5.75?????????? HE THEN TURNED AND STARTED USING HIS CALCULATOR!
Sidenote: Mother of All things pure and simple
WHY DONT RENTED CAR COME WITH EZ PASSES?
He then figures it out, as if he heard the Jeopardy Theme song playing in his feeble head, and he gives me the change
and off I go! I prayed for no more tolls! There werent!
On the way to NASA you pass the Astronaut Museum, NASA is about 3 miles past that. So I drove straight to NASA. Once we arrived at NASA, I parked the car up front in the Apollo section. We were there early. NASA was just opening. Since I had already purchased the tickets from AAA, I had to go wait on the special line designated Pre Purchased Tickets. There was a group of 6 adults in front of us, I will refer to them as the Clampetts
. They were having problems since they DID buy 6 pre-purchased tickets from their AAA
.They didnt know why AAA only gave them 5, and that they never bothered to check. They were just as SHOCKED as the NASA ticket taker. Anyhow the Leader of the Clampetts, I will call her Granny, could not understand why the good people of NASA would just let all 6 in. Her reasoning was that since they are good Christian people and did pay for 6 Tickets back in the back mountains of where they came from they should still get in with 5 tickets. The Clampetts all understood this, since they were all very agreeable with each other, Myself
, James and the NASA Ticket taker did not!
Heads UP
There is only 1 special PrePurchased Ticket window at NASA.
After about 10 minutes the Clampetts darn dug up some loose president heads and be a grudgedly giving them up to the Purty Astronut lady!
Now it was my turn to deal with the purty lady! I gave her out AAA tickets & she replaced them with Official NASA tickets. We then walked to the entrance, some 15 feet away, where the ticket taker read our tickets! I mean HE READ OUR TICKETS. He actually READ
the whole ticket
.EACH ONE. Fine print and all. He was examining it as if there has been a rash of counterfeit tickets being given out just 15 feet away from him. Then he eyeballed me up & down and told me & James to proceed to the next station. The next station was 10 feet away, there were folding card tables (the same that are popular at card parties and Flea Markets)
this is where we were met by NASAs friendly ARMED Security Guard, Buford T. Justice! ::cop:
Buford T. insisted I take out everything in my Backpack, empty my pockets, and open ever compartment on my camera
.and take off my beloved
Crocs! I was thinking I just may be going on a flight here. Buford T. went threw EVERYTHING. This process added another 10 minutes onto my entrance. And they were very thorough.
Sidnote: In case you are keeping track. It has been about a half hour since I got out of my car in the parking lot some 200feet away!
Finally Buford T, came to the conclusion that I am not a terrorist, and that I have not arrived at NASA to do any harm! We were let through. Once you are let into the main building I picked up a map of the place. NASA has regular Tours and Special tours (which as of today, I still cant figure out what they are) you also walk around and see various exhibits, along with two different 3D movies. I went to the information desk and inquired about which should be done first. The Infolady said, see the movies first then take the tour. OK!
So me & James walk out of the building and are directed by security to turn right, then turn left, then turn right
Where as you had NO choice but to go on the bus tour first!
Again they ask to see your tickets, from this ticket coding
they deciphered what line we were to go on, so we did.
(cont below)