It was absolutely magical wondering around in the faux snow and watching the lights. I don’t know how many children I saw dancing around in delight. Couples cuddle and tenderly kissed, caught up in the moment and oblivious to anyone else around them.
Just pure magic.
I wondered around a bit, camera in hand, before taking one last wistful glance at the still laughing children and twinkling lights and then headed back towards the Tower of Terror to use my fast pass. I had one goal in mind: to return from the third dimension. They’ve said that it can be done – can it?
With most of my afternoon spent in line for Toy Story Mania, the day had gone fast. I was shocked by how late it was. My first day at Disney was nearing its end.
I’m a bit early at Tower and with my fast pass clutched in my hand, I'm aimlessly wondering around the area when I turn and spot my favorite streetmosphere actors: The Hollywood Public Works.
(Ahhhh.. the Throw a Plunger at a Trashcan to see if it Sticks game...)
Two of them, Goobleman and Frederick, worked at the park, same positions, when I was a castmember in ‘99. The third guy I’d never seen before.
They were their normal silly selves. Frederick had his shoes on backwards...
... which was normal for him, actually.
A small crowd had gathered around them and they were giving a couple a hard time. The husband’s name was Buzz and apparently so was the 3rd plumber’s (the one that I didn’t know). It was determined that they were long lost twins.
Poor guy. I finally left them to be as they unsuccessfully attempted to guess the wife’s occupation (she was an engineer) and I handed my fast pass over to a sullen looking bell hop. Cheer up! It’s Christmas!
Then again, this hotel is a bit depressing to look at... and what? with those people mysteriously disappearing in 1939... I guess that I might come across as a bit sullen myself if I had to work here.
Well, Merry Christmas anyways!
The stand-by line looked quite long and as sullen as the bellhop... all of the people were quite motionless, stopped still in their backed-up line as I flew past them all in the non-existent fast pass line. Looks of envy were flung my way as I happily hummed and skipped my way through the queue at a rapid pace. I didn’t have to make a single stop ........ until I reached the library doors.
What? You're making me stop?!?! But... no! I'm humming and I'm skipping and they are all looking jealously at me... I don't care if it's only a minute that I have to stop!
I glance back as some of the jealous faces turn into that of a smirk.
humph!
Being quite familiar with the libraries at the Tower of Terror, I quickly make my way over to the opposite corner of the room and stand in front of the secret panel that would soon open. After a brief episode of The Twilight Zone, I stepped cautiously into the boiler room and proceeded down until I was finally forced to stop -for real- by a line of people. I *maybe* had to wait five minutes before I was loaded into an elevator and off to the 3rd dimension.
As always, it was a blast. I attempted to (unsuccessfully) appear scared for the ride photo. How can one be scared on this ride? It's not scary but pure fun! It’s my favorite themed attraction and I love to ride it at night because seeing the park lit up from the top of the tower is beautiful. The Studios is my favorite park to be in at night... and one of the most unappreciated parks.
I exit the ride and hum and skip my way through the gift shop, out the door and past the still unmoving stand-by line. They give me one last glare as I proceed to grin happily back at them. But, unfortunately for me, I exited Tower just as the 6:30 Fantasmic dumped.
Karma was biting me in the butt for taunting the people in the stand-by line huh?
Stupid karma.
The street was suddenly packed full of people that were all attempting to move in about a million different directions at once and causing chaos in the process. You know? normal Disney theme park madness. I'm suddenly passed up from my left by a tall Bellhop from Tower. He’s succeeding at parting the masses as he briskly makes his way down the dead center of the street in the direction that I’m heading.
Sweet.
I fall in line, right on his heels, and let him do the work of clearing people out of the path while I effortless make my way back towards Hollywood Blvd... and he never knew that I was there.
It was time to call it a day for the Hollywood Studios.
Food was calling my name – Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club to be exact.
Upon my exit I noticed that there was a massive line waiting for the ferry,
not that I wanted to take the ferry. Too slow. I speed walk (as I know no other form of walking. I may be short but I’m fast) back up the path to the EPCOT resorts.
I figure out my way over to the Yacht and Beach Club. I’d been to Beaches and Cream once before in 2006. I could see it, or its approximate location, from where I stood on the pathway next to the beach but can I tell you that it was a bit complicated for me to figure out how exactly to get over to it?
Seriously, it was going to be midnight and I'd still be attempting to find a path to it.
Stormalong Bay proved to be the problem; it didn’t look like there was any way for you to cut across the pool. Of course, that would have been too simple. Of course I couldn't swim across it; I wasn't staying at the Yacht or Beach Club - the pool police would be on me before I could dip one foot all the way into the water.
*sigh* How to get there?
I eventually find a way into the hotel ... and back out ... and back in... and back out... and manage to cut over to the restaurant. The No Way Jose beckoned to me…
Honestly, I didn’t know if I wanted the No Way Jose. I
love ice cream. I
love peanut butter. I had this sundae in 2006 and for some crazy reason I didn't love it … I thought about trying the Fudge Mud Slide. It has a brownie at the bottom.
I really didn’t have much of a wait, being a party of one it was no problem for me to accept a seat at the counter and not wait for one of the limited tables to open up.
See? another perk of being solo.
I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a root beer. Hey, it was a ‘50’s themed diner – ordering anything else would be blasphemous. Lots of Elvis and Monster Mash played in the back ground. I tapped my food as I ate my not so greasy burger and watched the cooks do their thing. Two Kitchen Sinks were ordered while I ate. Those things are monstrous. I swear they take 30 minutes to make and 1 hour to eat... and that's with ten people! I would love to try one of those… but not solo. I'm not stupid.
OK, only sometimes.
Dessert time. I’m going to order the Fudge Mud Slide
(the one that the guy by the door is eating looks really yummy and that brownie.. yummmmm.)
… I’m going to order the Fudge Mud Slide… I’m going to-
“No Way Jose” I tell my server.
What?
I
love peanut butter. I’ve got to give this thing a second chance before I completely dismiss it and I’m glad that I did. I enjoyed it sooo much more this time than I did on my last visit – if the lack of ice cream left over indicates anything at all about my likes or dislikes.
Fully stuffed and completely content, I began my trek back home…er… I mean, to my hotel.
Seeing the Boardwalk from the Beach Club at night was just beautiful. I wished I had my DSLR camera with me but I decided, before I left home, that I didn’t want to lug an expensive and bulky camera around with me to a theme park. I know others do it and I’m jealous, at times such as this, that they have nice equipment to capture some excellent and beautiful shots with … but I still don’t want to lug around a bulky and expensive camera with me while at a theme park. So, with a sigh, I pull out my little point and shoot and attempt to capture the images that I see before me.
... and that didn't work out so well.
Into the hotel I walk. Up the stairs I go. Into the elevator I enter.
I still don’t know my room number. I have an idea. That’s a start – right? I know the floor and I confidently punch the 3rd floor button on the elevator. It’s where to go after I reach my floor that gets a little fuzzy.
And I still haven’t had a drink.
Partially clueless I turn to my right out of the elevator. I know to walk to EPCOT. See? I remember that much!
So, that’s what I do.
I walk and walk and walk and walk and walk some more.
I’m thinking that my room number ends in 19. I finally stop in front of the door to room 3219. It has a '3' and a '19' in it. Gotta be it - right? I hold my breath as I slip the key into the slot. A moment of nothing and then I hear a click and a green light flashes. Woo-Hoo! I found my room on the first try.
I open the door to reveal that my luggage is already inside. Thank you Magical Express. I quickly unpack and set up a little “Christmas corner”.
My sister sent two small gifts with me so that I would have something to open on Christmas Day. Fortunately, it didn’t look like TSA tampered with my wrapped gifts as they threaten to do on their website. I stuck my Disney
land hat (I never wear the thing so I might as well wear it at WDW -right?) on my head and head back down to the boardwalk.
What? You thought I was going to bed?
Seriously?
A very entertaining magician was in the middle of a performance.
Disbelief and wonder was expressed upon faces of both young and old in the small gathered crowd. I'd heard the crowds responses to his routine for the last two nights and now, finally, I was here to see it for myself. He wrapped up his routine and I continued further on down the boardwalk to wait for Illuminations.
For the past two days I’d been watching Illuminations from the webcam that I still spied from its perch on a Boardwalk Villa balcony. Tonight, I was going to see it in person. I couldn't believe that I was actually here, on the boardwalk, and not at home watching this via a webcam. Eager anticipation flowed thru me as I gazed at Spaceship Earth. It was so
close and big. It was massive to look at. Via the webcam, it had seemed so far away, but it wasn’t. It was right there. The Illumination cruise boats went out. I gave a long look at the Breathless as it sped around the dark waters; in another week I’d be on it.
I’d wanted one of the pontoon boats and was disappointed when I wasn’t quick enough to nab one. I’d called 90 days out, as you’re supposed to. I began to continuously call at 6:55 am – hoping to roll in when the phone lines opened at 7am. I was on the phone with a castmember at 7am EST on the dot. I quickly explained what I was calling for… only to be informed that all of the boats were gone. Huh? How?
100 phone lines open at once.
Getting an Illumination Cruise is pure luck. And luck I don't have. About 30 minutes later, when I called back about something else, a CM asked if I wanted the Breathless. It seats six and I had a party of eight for the night. I eagerly took it and figured that I could work something out later... and I did as there will only be five of us going on the cruise the next week.
Now, as I sat there and stared out at the boat speeding by, I began to once again have regrets that I didn’t get a pontoon boat. I observed that all of the parties on the pontoon boats were able to sit together on the benches. They could talk and interact. On the Breathless one person could sit next to the driver and there was a bench right behind that could fit two adults or three small adults but then there was a large expanse of boat before you reached the back bench for the remainder of a party. The people on the back bench would be separated from the rest of the group; there could be no talking or interaction.
Hmmmm..... I stressed for that a bit as I sat alone on my bench. While lost in my thoughts and waiting for the fireworks to begin an older, distinguished looking gentleman asked to share my bench. I gave him a polite and friendly smile and a nod of my head.
Not that I could refuse as the bench wasn't mine to offer, but it was in a good location for the fireworks and I knew that others would want a place to sit for the small wait. The bench was located near the water and close to Jellyrolls and the Atlantic Dance Hall.
It didn't take long at all, as the man seemed determined to strike up a conversation and pull me away from my thoughts, for me to find out that this man is retired from the fireworks industry up north. He moved down to FL and is now a dance instructor. He offered, and tried to convince me, to go with him to the Atlantic Dance Hall, after Illuminations, and he’d teach me some dances. I politely declined. I already had a date for the night.
His name was Mr. Bed.
After the show was over -
love, love, love that special holiday ending - I wished the gentleman a good night and went up to my room. I opened my balcony door, set the alarm for 6:00 am and fell asleep to the sounds of voices and music drifting up from the boardwalk below.
JK chickie! I love it so far. Can't wait to hear everything 
Pictures of the cake are coming 
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column!
Lovely pics!!
