The NASTEE (Nate And Spencer Trip ExtraordinairE) Trip Report--Day 7 (Part 1): Um, We Don't DO Shipping
Cast:
Nate ("Aerobics"): 24, 4th trip to WDW, 1st trip in 12 years, 1st time staying on property
Spencer (Anti-aerobic): 29, 8th trip to WDW, hasn't stayed on property since 1992
Dates:
September 16-23, 2000
Lodging:
Wilderness Lodge--September 16-21, 2000
All Star Music--September 22, 2000
Hi, guys! Just wanted to thank you all for your great responses to the NASTEE photos. I've now uploaded Days 2, 3, and 4 (each has its own little "album"). The address is http://community.webshots.com/user/N8AerobixNut
Day 4 includes the infamous "Psychotic Mickey bar eater" photo which I mentioned in Day 4 Part 4. I hope you enjoy them!!!
For the first time since our first night at the Wilderness Lodge, I had trouble sleeping--I guess it was because I was going through the same machinations that countless other Disney-philes experience when they near the end of their stay. We only had 1 more day left and there was still so much that I wanted to see!!! Oh, sadness abounds in the heart when this realization occurs...
All too quickly, 6:30 arrived, and, like clockwork, Mickey was ringing us, attempting once again to get us to "up and at 'em"--what choice did we have?
I sadly arose and stepped out onto the balcony (well, actually, I put on a shirt first--didn't want to scare the wildlife 
) to observe my last sunrise from the WL. (Boy, this installment isn't starting out too great, eh? I promise...it gets better!)
As I showered, Spencer packed the rest of our belongings. We realized that, thanks to the bounty of great snacks which had been provided to us by the glorious WL staff, we had barely made a dent in our snacks which we had purchased at Goodings the previous Saturday (and at a premium, I might add!) Fortunately, almost all of our Goodings snacks were individually wrapped (we bought snacks like that so that we could carry a few w/us in the parks during the day in case we got munchy).
So, since we really weren't keen on the idea of throwing away all these great snacks, we decided to leave them for Irma, our wonderful housekeeper who had, throughout the week, given us a reason to rush back to our room on a daily basis to see what sort of creation she had left for us (oh, and I still stand by my earlier statement--IT WAS A DOG!!! As soon as I post the Day 5 pictures (which will hopefully be within the next 2 weeks), you can decide for yourself). With our little booty of snacks, we left a note for Irma thanking her for taking the time to add a little Disney magic to our vacation--we also added a little bit extra cash to her final tip envelope because we felt that she definitely deserved it.
Before we left the room, we called Bell Services to come pick up our luggage. Spencer was a little leery of trusting Bell Services to get our luggage all the way to the All-Star Music Resort w/out any hang-ups, but I assured him that people stay at more than one resort all the time, and that WDW does a great job of transporting luggage. He eventually relaxed and within 5 minutes, Bell Services arrived to take our luggage. As we said our final goodbyes to the room, I fought back tears--Heck, it's not as if I'd never, ever come back to the WL, but it was still very difficult closing that door for the last time...boo hoo! {Kleenex break}
Our plans for this morning were to first check-out of the WL and then head over to 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian for our last character breakfast (PS ressie at 8:30 a.m.). However, we did need to get a few things shipped home, so I went down to Guest Services while Spencer explored the lobby from the different floors (looking back, that's something I really wish I would've done, because the pics he got from his exploration are truly amazing).
The CM at Guest Services took to the back the items that we wanted shipped and told me just to have a seat and she'd come out and let me know when it was ready. As I waited, I contentedly watched (and sang along with) The Little Mermaid. Around 8:20, Spencer rejoined me in the lobby as I anxiously glanced at my watch more and more frequently. By 8:30, it was apparent that we were not going to make our PS's at 1900 Park Fare.
Around 8:40, the CM finally emerged from the back w/a shipping order form for us to sign. When we inquired why it took so long, we were told, "Well, we don't really DO shipping!" Oh! Oops! Our bad. I felt really badly but was most gracious that she had taken the time to find a box and pack it for us. So, the lesson to be learned here is: Pack your own box if you're going to be shipping things home from your resort.
Since our PS ressies were now "Past Due", we had to decide where we wanted to eat breakfast. Spencer really wanted to head back to the Whispering Canyon Cafe, and seeing as how it was rather empty, I agreed that that would be a good alternative. So, we headed over (without a PS ressie, though, so we were prepared to wait) and were seated immediately (Word!). Our server this morning was Khadija, who (as we found out) was from Casablanca--she was a little too brusque for Spencer's tastes, but I absolutely adored her and bantered w/her for the majority of our meal.
We again decided on the fresh fruit plate appetizer (can you really get an appetizer at breakfast?), followed by the all-you-care-to-eat skillet--they really need to change the name of this entree to the all-your-server-cares-to-force-feed-to-you skillet. Just like Redbird had done on Wednesday, Khadija insisted that we order a 2nd skillet (she must not have known how much weight I had already put on that week!)--talk about hospitality!
Spencer smartly ate his hash browns without ketchup this time--and we were just a little bit disappointed that, during our entire meal, not once did another table become victim to the antics of the ketchup-bearing waiters and waitresses. Also, why do they call this place the Whispering Canyon Cafe?--Those are the noisiest whispers I've ever heard!
Feeling very similar to Violet (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) after she turned into a blueberry, I asked Khadija to please get me a wheelchair so that Spencer could push my overly stuffed butt out the door (I ended up walking out, but I still felt like a blueberry! ). We took one last look at the beautiful, glorious, magnificent, {insert your own synonym here} Wilderness Lodge, and then sadly headed out to catch our last Epcot-bound bus of the trip.
Our goal today for Epcot was to spend a little bit of time in Innoventions before heading over to once again observe the rope drop at the World Showcase. So, once we had arrived at Epcot, we first visited Innoventions West, where we quickly glanced over the Networked Living exhibit before stopping to enjoy the Ultimate Home Theater Experience, which was pretty darn cool! I got a little frightened when the gleam in Spencer's eyes started to grow as we observed the awesome combination of High-Definition TV, fantastically designed lighting, and killer surround sound. (Spencer has a dream of one day making a "move theater" room in his house, complete w/theater-style chairs, cup holders, and an official theater popcorn maker, because, after all, you can't go to the movies without getting popcorn.)
Unfortunately, since we were really pressed for time, we quickly passed through the Beautiful Science and Video Games of Tomorrow, but we did take a minute to hear about Medicine's New Vision, which was a pretty cool exhibit inside of this futuristic dome thingy. The Knowledge Vortex was completely swamped, so we decided to just skip it and headed over to Innoventions East.
If you thought we had gone through Innoventions West quickly, then our journey through here must've seemed like we were on the Autobahn. I don't know--I think the exhibits here are really cool and all, but I think we were both experiencing a little bit of sensory overload, and the Innoventions exhibits just didn't seem to "grab" us the way we expected them to. That's ok--I'll just budget more time for it on my next trip (and I'll make sure to schedule it earlier in the week so I'm not so tired as I go through the exhibits).
By the time we had left Innoventions East, it was time for the rope drop, so we again went over to the rope situated next to the Mexico pavilion, and within 2 minutes, we were inside the pyramid and on our journey down El Rio Del Tiempo. (Before we went into the Mexico pavilion, I happened to catch a glimpse of the "Norwegian Welcome Wagon"--looking back, I kinda wish I would've waited a second to watch them crown that day's "Viking Of The Day"...Oh, well! Next time?) I don't know why this ride gets such bad reviews--I kinda liked it. In fact, I really liked the entire Mexico pavilion and was regretting the fact that we had canceled our PS ressies for San Angel Inn the night before...Oh, well! Next time? (Do you see a theme here? )
When we reemerged into the bright sun (to which my eyes took a few minutes adjusting thanks to the eternally nocturnal atmosphere of the Mexico pavilion), we took stock of what we had left to see. Our two remaining pavilions were the Millennium Village and the France pavilion, so off we went to the other side of the World Showcase...
Still to come...The NASTEE Trip Report--Day 7 (Part 2): The PassPorter Gathering & "I Can't Believe I Didn't Bring The Mister Fan"
Somebody call I-X-I-I!!!
Cast:
Nate ("Aerobics"): 24, 4th trip to WDW, 1st trip in 12 years, 1st time staying on property
Spencer (Anti-aerobic): 29, 8th trip to WDW, hasn't stayed on property since 1992
Dates:
September 16-23, 2000
Lodging:
Wilderness Lodge--September 16-21, 2000
All Star Music--September 22, 2000
Hi, guys! Just wanted to thank you all for your great responses to the NASTEE photos. I've now uploaded Days 2, 3, and 4 (each has its own little "album"). The address is http://community.webshots.com/user/N8AerobixNut
Day 4 includes the infamous "Psychotic Mickey bar eater" photo which I mentioned in Day 4 Part 4. I hope you enjoy them!!!
For the first time since our first night at the Wilderness Lodge, I had trouble sleeping--I guess it was because I was going through the same machinations that countless other Disney-philes experience when they near the end of their stay. We only had 1 more day left and there was still so much that I wanted to see!!! Oh, sadness abounds in the heart when this realization occurs...
All too quickly, 6:30 arrived, and, like clockwork, Mickey was ringing us, attempting once again to get us to "up and at 'em"--what choice did we have?
I sadly arose and stepped out onto the balcony (well, actually, I put on a shirt first--didn't want to scare the wildlife ) to observe my last sunrise from the WL. (Boy, this installment isn't starting out too great, eh? I promise...it gets better!)As I showered, Spencer packed the rest of our belongings. We realized that, thanks to the bounty of great snacks which had been provided to us by the glorious WL staff, we had barely made a dent in our snacks which we had purchased at Goodings the previous Saturday (and at a premium, I might add!) Fortunately, almost all of our Goodings snacks were individually wrapped (we bought snacks like that so that we could carry a few w/us in the parks during the day in case we got munchy).
So, since we really weren't keen on the idea of throwing away all these great snacks, we decided to leave them for Irma, our wonderful housekeeper who had, throughout the week, given us a reason to rush back to our room on a daily basis to see what sort of creation she had left for us (oh, and I still stand by my earlier statement--IT WAS A DOG!!! As soon as I post the Day 5 pictures (which will hopefully be within the next 2 weeks), you can decide for yourself). With our little booty of snacks, we left a note for Irma thanking her for taking the time to add a little Disney magic to our vacation--we also added a little bit extra cash to her final tip envelope because we felt that she definitely deserved it.
Before we left the room, we called Bell Services to come pick up our luggage. Spencer was a little leery of trusting Bell Services to get our luggage all the way to the All-Star Music Resort w/out any hang-ups, but I assured him that people stay at more than one resort all the time, and that WDW does a great job of transporting luggage. He eventually relaxed and within 5 minutes, Bell Services arrived to take our luggage. As we said our final goodbyes to the room, I fought back tears--Heck, it's not as if I'd never, ever come back to the WL, but it was still very difficult closing that door for the last time...boo hoo! {Kleenex break}
Our plans for this morning were to first check-out of the WL and then head over to 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian for our last character breakfast (PS ressie at 8:30 a.m.). However, we did need to get a few things shipped home, so I went down to Guest Services while Spencer explored the lobby from the different floors (looking back, that's something I really wish I would've done, because the pics he got from his exploration are truly amazing).
The CM at Guest Services took to the back the items that we wanted shipped and told me just to have a seat and she'd come out and let me know when it was ready. As I waited, I contentedly watched (and sang along with) The Little Mermaid. Around 8:20, Spencer rejoined me in the lobby as I anxiously glanced at my watch more and more frequently. By 8:30, it was apparent that we were not going to make our PS's at 1900 Park Fare.
Around 8:40, the CM finally emerged from the back w/a shipping order form for us to sign. When we inquired why it took so long, we were told, "Well, we don't really DO shipping!" Oh! Oops! Our bad. I felt really badly but was most gracious that she had taken the time to find a box and pack it for us. So, the lesson to be learned here is: Pack your own box if you're going to be shipping things home from your resort.
Since our PS ressies were now "Past Due", we had to decide where we wanted to eat breakfast. Spencer really wanted to head back to the Whispering Canyon Cafe, and seeing as how it was rather empty, I agreed that that would be a good alternative. So, we headed over (without a PS ressie, though, so we were prepared to wait) and were seated immediately (Word!). Our server this morning was Khadija, who (as we found out) was from Casablanca--she was a little too brusque for Spencer's tastes, but I absolutely adored her and bantered w/her for the majority of our meal.
We again decided on the fresh fruit plate appetizer (can you really get an appetizer at breakfast?), followed by the all-you-care-to-eat skillet--they really need to change the name of this entree to the all-your-server-cares-to-force-feed-to-you skillet. Just like Redbird had done on Wednesday, Khadija insisted that we order a 2nd skillet (she must not have known how much weight I had already put on that week!)--talk about hospitality!
Spencer smartly ate his hash browns without ketchup this time--and we were just a little bit disappointed that, during our entire meal, not once did another table become victim to the antics of the ketchup-bearing waiters and waitresses. Also, why do they call this place the Whispering Canyon Cafe?--Those are the noisiest whispers I've ever heard!
Feeling very similar to Violet (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) after she turned into a blueberry, I asked Khadija to please get me a wheelchair so that Spencer could push my overly stuffed butt out the door (I ended up walking out, but I still felt like a blueberry!
). We took one last look at the beautiful, glorious, magnificent, {insert your own synonym here} Wilderness Lodge, and then sadly headed out to catch our last Epcot-bound bus of the trip.Our goal today for Epcot was to spend a little bit of time in Innoventions before heading over to once again observe the rope drop at the World Showcase. So, once we had arrived at Epcot, we first visited Innoventions West, where we quickly glanced over the Networked Living exhibit before stopping to enjoy the Ultimate Home Theater Experience, which was pretty darn cool! I got a little frightened when the gleam in Spencer's eyes started to grow as we observed the awesome combination of High-Definition TV, fantastically designed lighting, and killer surround sound. (Spencer has a dream of one day making a "move theater" room in his house, complete w/theater-style chairs, cup holders, and an official theater popcorn maker, because, after all, you can't go to the movies without getting popcorn.)
Unfortunately, since we were really pressed for time, we quickly passed through the Beautiful Science and Video Games of Tomorrow, but we did take a minute to hear about Medicine's New Vision, which was a pretty cool exhibit inside of this futuristic dome thingy. The Knowledge Vortex was completely swamped, so we decided to just skip it and headed over to Innoventions East.
If you thought we had gone through Innoventions West quickly, then our journey through here must've seemed like we were on the Autobahn. I don't know--I think the exhibits here are really cool and all, but I think we were both experiencing a little bit of sensory overload, and the Innoventions exhibits just didn't seem to "grab" us the way we expected them to. That's ok--I'll just budget more time for it on my next trip (and I'll make sure to schedule it earlier in the week so I'm not so tired as I go through the exhibits).
By the time we had left Innoventions East, it was time for the rope drop, so we again went over to the rope situated next to the Mexico pavilion, and within 2 minutes, we were inside the pyramid and on our journey down El Rio Del Tiempo. (Before we went into the Mexico pavilion, I happened to catch a glimpse of the "Norwegian Welcome Wagon"--looking back, I kinda wish I would've waited a second to watch them crown that day's "Viking Of The Day"...Oh, well! Next time?) I don't know why this ride gets such bad reviews--I kinda liked it. In fact, I really liked the entire Mexico pavilion and was regretting the fact that we had canceled our PS ressies for San Angel Inn the night before...Oh, well! Next time? (Do you see a theme here?
)When we reemerged into the bright sun (to which my eyes took a few minutes adjusting thanks to the eternally nocturnal atmosphere of the Mexico pavilion), we took stock of what we had left to see. Our two remaining pavilions were the Millennium Village and the France pavilion, so off we went to the other side of the World Showcase...
Still to come...The NASTEE Trip Report--Day 7 (Part 2): The PassPorter Gathering & "I Can't Believe I Didn't Bring The Mister Fan"
Somebody call I-X-I-I!!!
