Don't you just hate it when somebody writes or talks about themselves in the 3rd person like that title? Couldn't help it, all I could think of. heh
Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, and we are ready to check in at Pop. I'm hoping the weather reports are wrong, plus now they are saying a chance of rain tomorrow. But heading into Disney always puts a smile on my face and I'm going to make damn certain to be happy.
Sometimes if you keep telling yourself you're happy, you can really get that way.
Oh yeah, I told myself allright.
Even went a little overboard.
Ok, I acted like an idiot!
I love driving in, Color Television!, Air Conditioning!, just love those signs, reminds me of being a kid with my folks.
I dropped her off at the door and went to find a parking spot. Glad I did it this way cuz as I was parking, 3 vans pulled in loaded, and I saw they were all about to check in. Hah, one for me! Diane's in line already.
When I found her she was just going up to a window and I joined her.
"Find a parking spot?"
"Nope, left it in the Animal Kingdom bus stop out front."
"Six people got in before I could stop them."
" And the old guy in the
ECV next to the cooler wants to know what time Flame Tree opens."
"Very funny."
"Yep, here's your sign!"
Yeppers again, like I said, I was going to be cheerful, no matter what cost.
Behind the window stood a guy and a girl. Diane said "Hi, we're checking in."
I half expected the guy to say, " Really? At the check in window? Wow!"
"Here's your sign!"
Yeah, that would have been great. Two signs in 30 seconds!
But instead the guy spoke.
His lips moved, sound came out,,, and I couldn't understand a word he said.
Looking at Diane I noticed that she too had a confused look and a furrowed brow. Yes, Smidgy can furrow a brow with the best of them.
Then she spoke; "Are you from Germany?"
His response was a smile and a "Netherlands".
This reminded me of a scene from the old Brittish tv show, Faulty Towers, and once again I couldn't resist:
"Oh, the Netherlands? Thank goodness, I thought there was something wrong with you".
Now, Diane knows that line as well, but she isn't laughing.
Would you think I would pick up on that?
Huh uh.
"It's ok honey, he's from over by Holland, you know, with the tulip bulbs and the little chocolate sho,,OOOF!"
I just stood there as names and such were exchanged, but even the elbow to the ribs didn't shut me up.
"Love your sauce".
As check in proceeded, I just stood there looking clueless as ever, I couln't hear a word he was saying so I just leaned and looked around, you know, like most DH's do there.
Then Diane handed me a map and pointed out the room we would get. It was right above the room we had last time we were here, fifties building, facing the sixties on the side, second floor above where they park all the laundry carts. Ok, not a bad room, close to the center, but we have to wait till it's ready.
As this is being processed, Smidgy said again that they told her this is the best room if we don't mind waiting.
"Oh, you mean there are rooms available right now"?
There goes that furrowed brow bit again.
She asks again about that, and they point out a room we could have right away.
THIS IS IN THE EXACT SPOT I HAD POINTED OUT ON A MAP SHOWING WHERE I WOULD MOST LIKE TO STAY!
It's the end fifties building, second floor, and facing the bowling pin pool.
For those of you familiar with the resort, it's right next to the jukebox.
"Yes, YESS, ME WANTS IT! My PRECIOUS!"
How often do you get your most ideal room? It is such a crap shoot at Disney. Like most of you, we have had the good, the bad and the ugly. But most of the time it falls in the middle.
Our best ever was unbelievable. Our last trip to Coronado, we were assigned a ground level room in the Casita's, and I wasn't happy. While waiting for the room to be ready, Diane went and called the desk to check on it.
A guy answered and "No, not ready yet, would you like one that is?"
"You don't mind a lake view, do you?"
It was, again, incredible. 3rd floor in building 3, second room from the end, facing the lake right in front of us, the quiet pool just to our left, and, of course to me this part sealed the "Magic", twenty steps away was an ash tray! I doubt very much it is still there, but that resort is a tad "off".
We also had a lake view at CBR lasst time there, there were some better views, but this one was right up there, and near the bridge. This is why we have never reserved a "lake or pool view".
Not had too many bad view rooms, once in Pop in the fifties for 3 nights it was a dead on parking lot view, Smidgy was very unhappy. And last time at Movies we were "upgraded" to a preferred room in Dalmations. Which faced a gloomy patch of bare trees in February with the parking lot off to the left.
Boy, have I digressed.
But I'm going to be standing over the bowling pin pool, Oh boy!
It was gone!
That quick.
Gone.
"Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday, gone"
I couldn't believe it, man, if it wasn't for that little delay,,,,,,,
She asked what else was available now.
I went and kicked this kid that was staring at me.
They had a room in the sixties, 4th floor, with a view of the lake.
We took it.
And it turned out to be a bad choice.
From there we left and drove up to baggage, dropped off the stuff, tipped the guy and went around to park in the appropriate lot. He said it would be brought up to us in under an hour, but we have to be there.
Know why?
Liquor.
Evidently the guy who brought up our luggage wasn't told that.
It was already in our room by the time it took us to drive around and take the elevator up. As we got off the elevator on the fourth floor, a cast member with a cart was getting on. Just as the doors closed, he said, "4447"?
Diane said yeah. "Your stuff is in your room." And the doors closed.
I never tipped him.
This part always has me confused. The guy that helped unload the car which took about 90 seconds gets a tip. But he isn't the one that brings up your stuff, do you really have to tip twice? I do, usually, but I"m not that happy about it.
We had a trip once that started out a Royal Pacific at Universal, went to French Quarter for 3 nights, then 4 at Wilderness Lodge and then 3 at Pop. I spent a TON of money just tipping, and throw in all the maid service, oy vey!
Finally, it's time for your "room view" picture. I had to move one door down to take this picture, because right in front of us bolted to the railing was a huge flower petal that blocked out any view including the sun.
In my opinion, lake views at Pop are way overrated, I'd take a pool view any time. Maybe on the ground floor, not so bad, but up in the air, you can't help but notice the stopped construction across the way and it's not a pretty sight to look at.
After unpacking we decided to at least try sitting by the pool for a while, hey, some folks are doing it.
Some folks are NUTS!
It was about 58 degrees, I felt like an idiot, but I put on my suit, and then jeans over them and brought my jacket.
Sunny, yes, and I took off my jeans and jacket. Not bad, opened my book and tried to be happy.
Then the breeze blew.
Happy, happy, happy, brrr.
Happy, happy, happy, brr.
Happy is overrated.
The shirt went back on.
The jeans went back on.
The jacket went back on and I quit.
If it wasn't for the wind I could have done it and even enjoyed it, but it's hard to be happy when your skin looks like a plucked chicken!
(boy, does that sound like a perfect tag line for the tag fairy?)
Later on we made a couple of drinks and took a walk along the lake.
Feeding the ducks in the smoking area has become a ritual for us, and this time I even bought cheese popcorn for them, got tired of wasting bread.
Yes, I know we shouldnt do this, but it's SO darn entertaining when your just sitting there. THis time it wasn't just ducks, but gulls and other birds that I'm not sure what they were also in the mix.
When we first sat down there wasn't a bird in sight, then it was like Alfred Hitchcock gave the cue, "Ok, send in the birds". Tippi Hedron would have freaked.
They were everywhere around us. Even sitting on the back of the bench right next to Diane's ear. They would eat off my shoe, out of my hand, off my knee, and I could tell we were really ticking off the cast members that used this path on their golf carts, they'd have to wait for the birds to move before they could go on.
Then this poor, unsuspecting girl/woman, came down the path.
If you stop feeding the birds, they don't hang around too long, and we had decided that they had made a big enough mess on the pathway already with bird poop, and stopped feeding them.
But they were still close.
Watching.
Now, I have nothing against this girl. I don't even know her.
But she was doing the one thing that really annoys the snot out of me.
Talking on her cell phone.
Why don't people go to Disney and just enjoy being in DISNEY?
With cell phone in hand, she was also oblivious, you know, like all the idiots on the road that insist on talking to their hands.
As she came towards us, yes, I thought about it. The bag of Vitner's Cheesy Flavored Duck and Random Bird Popcorn sitting right next to me.
As she drew closer, I heard her say; "Way?, YES WAY!" Which was then followed by, "Awesome".
Sweat broke out on my lip.
I looked in the tree in front of us, SO many bullets just sitting there!
Then she sealed the deal.
Right in front of us, she said, "Ok, later, CIAO!"
I lunged for my holster.
But the gun was gone.
Diane was quicker. Evidently she was going throught the same turmoil as I , and the, CIAO did her in too. ( I admit, I don't know how to spell this word, you know, goodbye in Spanish? Sounds like Chow?)
Diane threw handfulls of duck food ten feet in front of her, and they came back out with a vengeance! She screamed and ran down the path, before she even hit the bend by the sixties, (we were in the fifties smoking area way on the right), she stopped.
I watched her, wondering if we might be in trouble, but no, she suddenly grabbed the phone out of her pocket again, but wasn't punching in any numbers, was back to talking.
I could tell she was going to finish her walk that she started in the fifties all the way to the end. She might even remember some of it.
"Nice move Wyatt, you sure were fast."
"Hey, somebody had to respect the sanctity of being in DisneyWorld, even if you couldn't pull the trigger, Doc."
"Know what? She's just hitting the sixties section now, and there's a smoking section on the way in the seventies. If we hurry through the pool area,,,,,,"
"I'm right behind you!"
Take care everyone, hope you all are doing ok. To quote Dell'swife, LYMI
Look at the birds just sitting next to Dianes head
I just LOVE the themeing(sp?). Being able to walk to Riverside is pretty cool too.
even though us neboites would like to know
It's funny, but I think I could still write one on that. To this day that was the tannest we have ever been in our lives. We were BLACK, I became Nebomon. 
But DH would rather be working on a car than go to Disney. He went once for three days and I promised he wouldn't have to go back as long as my DM was still alive and able to go. As soon as we got home he told her that she had to live forever!
Hope everything is okey dokey.
