Preamble

All-nighters are for people who are much younger than I am. Wednesday was a bear of a day, and the only saving grace was that I telecommute on Wednesdays, thus avoiding the 4 hour round trip to Manhattan. I work for a large financial institution, doing information security. I worked a full 8 hour day on Wednesday, then went to my night class (a sociological view of Disney as a global corporate and media power), then came home and got back online to work to "just finish up a couple of things". Then I had to pack and by time I was done doing "just one more thing before I leave for a week", it was 2:00 am. Well, I had to be at the airport by 4:30 am, so there was really no point in going to bed.

Getting There

This was the first time I flew since 9-11, and it was an eye-opener. I flew out of Long Island Islip airport into MCO. They tore my laptop case apart at Islip. They found places in the case that I didn't even know existed. But they didn't make me take off my shoes! Southwest left on time, and I thought I could catch some sleep for the almost-three hour flight. No such luck. There was a family of six
spread out around me. Three in front of me and three across the aisle. Two of the children had portable DVD players with unbelievably loud sound systems - one in front of me, and one across the aisle. Oh well.

Checking In - Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

We caught a nice wind and got into MCO 20 minutes early. Ah, that wall of humidity that hits you as you deplane - you're in Florida!  Weather.com had informed me that every day of my trip would be either cloudy or overcast, but I was pleased to see that it was neither. Got my luggage without a hitch and got the Mears bus to Coronado Springs, where my information security conference is being held. I've been to this conference three times before, once at the Downtown Disney Hilton and twice before at the Coronado Springs. I enjoy CS. The theming is wonderful, the grounds are beautiful, but it is a HUGE resort, and when you are expected to keep up with your work in between classes and seminars, a room at Casitas is really where it's at, otherwise you can't make that mad dash back to the room to download email. Last year, I was stuck out in Ranchos, clear across the lake, and ended up renting a car to make the dash in a more timely manner!

So this year when I checked in, I requested a room in Casitas, and they found me one. I used my American Express card to check in, and they gave me two "White Glove Treatment" lanyards and pins. I don't think I'm going to get into the pin trading thing, but the pins are kind of neat, and the lanyard has a plastic thing on the end of it that is perfect for my room key/park pass, so I may end up using it for that.

Bell services drove me over with my bags and dragged them up to the room for me. I inserted my key, and we were aghast to find a laptop, clothing, etc. Obviously, a mistake had been made in the computer system, as the room was clearly not vacant. The bell hop was upset that this happened, and he radioed the front desk. However, two Cast Members were holding a chatty conversation over the radio, and he couldn't get a break. Finally, he took out his own key, entered the room, and got on the phone. He came out a few minutes later and said that he'd found another room around the corner. Round the corner we went, and housekeeping had just started cleaning it. The bell hop put my bags in the room and drove me back to the front desk to exchange keys. They had the new key ready for me, but forgot to transfer my Park Hopper, and it was a good thing I asked. They fixed that, and I walked back, and the room still wasn't done. One guy was still vacuuming, and the girl was hanging out outside the room talking on her cell phone. Finally, they were done and I was able to go in and get out of my New York clothing and into some shorts and a T-shirt.

I immediately noticed that the Casitas section was undergoing "rehab", or more precicely, it was being painted one little piece at a time. I guess they have to paint some time. The hydraulic paint machines were noisy, as were the cherry pickers they were using, but the new paint job sure does spruce up the place.

My friends Penny and Hal from California and their two girls were visiting the World this week, which was the reason I front loaded a few vacation days before the conference started. I unpacked and called them to find out where they were. Turns out they were taking a "down" day after three solid commando days in the parks. They were staying in a time share off property. Penny agreed to meet me at Epcot at 5PM. Meanwhile, I was intensely interested in seeing the Walt Disney tribute at MGM, so I stopped at the convenience store for a sandwich and a bottle of water, and then hooked a ride over there on Disney transport.

Disney-MGM Studios and One Man's Dream

The buses came in a steady stream, and the Studios bus was the third one that came along - maybe it was a ten minute wait at most. MGM was packed. My first stop was a shop on the main drag to buy sunglasses. I had cracked the bridge on my sunglasses back home, and they kept pinching the bridge of my nose. I bought one of those things to drape it around my neck too. More about sunglasses later...

The 100 Years of Walt was incredible! I spent a good hour and a half reading every little thing and examining every little detail of all the memorabilia that has been collected. I recognized a number of items, thinking "Oh, my grandparents had one of those in their basement", and "Oh, I think we had that train when we were kids", etc. I swear we had the Mickey ears View Master when we were little - might have gotten it at the 1964 Worlds Fair? I seem to recall viewing pics of the sphere in Flushing Meadow park with that thing. I really loved all of the scale models of the parks, and seeing the original equipment that was used by the early Imagineers. But the film was the best. I really wish it was longer. Certainly, there is much more material, and some tough choices must have been made in putting it together.

After the exhibit, I went into the shop and got some post cards and postage to send to my nieces back on Long Island. Also got the soundtrack to Mary Poppins on CD and a 100 Years pin that lights up during "Magic Moments" in the parks. Best thing about staying on property is sending your purchases back to the hotel! Which is what I did, except for the pin. More about the pin later...

When I finally came out of the shops, the parade was in full swing, and it was difficult to get out of the park. I got turned around and somehow ended up between Indiana Jones and the big dinosaur, recognized my mistake, and eventually found my way back to the busses.

Shopping With Penny at Epcot

Over to Epcot I went, my favorite park. Met up with Penny at the fountain. I have to say that I really detest those silly Leave A Legacy monuments. They are downright ugly, and the only thing they are good for is a bit of shade if you are waiting for someone. Anyhow, Penny was still a bit thrashed from their commando-style run at the parks for the last few days, but she is a true Disney nut, and was game for anything, as this was her first trip to the World. She is also a shopaholic, but hadn't had a proper opportunity to really do the shops. So Mouse Gear was our first order of business. I also needed to buy the official memorial shirt of my visit, which I usually purchase in Epcot. Usually it is a sweatshirt, but this year I bought a long sleeved t-shirt.

Alas, poor sunglasses - I knew ye!

After Mouse Gear, we decided we were hungry and it was off to Mexico. We went to the reservation desk and got a beeper and went to the boats to kill the time. As we were entering the boat, guess what slipped off my neck and into the water? My new sunglasses and the cord, which apparently wasn't doing too great a job gripping them! DOH! The Cast Member was flustered and she didn't know what to do. In the interest of not holding up the ride, we got into the boat and off we went. I'm now kind of wondering what else is lost down there in the Rio del Tiempo...

Dinner at the San Angel

Penny had been to Epcot earlier in the week, but the crowds were intense, so all they did was spend some time with the girls in The Living Seas and take in the Tapestry of Dreams parade and Illuminations. Her kids are nuts over animals and they could barely pry them out of Living Seas. However, she had no idea what the rest of the park was like, and was sorry she hadn't had the time to take the kids to Mexico, as it was the kind of ride they would have liked. In spite of the lost sunglasses, we were both happy with the ride, and when we got to dinner, we were even happier with the food. We ordered the mango margaritas. OMG! They are awesome! And the warm chips with salsa were excellent. I forget what Penny ordered, but I had the Cozumel combo of beef and shrimp with summer squash and peppers. Wow! We both really loved the food there, and loved watching the volcano flowing with lava. The perpetual twilight in that restaurant is really special.

Browsing the World Showcase

After Mexico, we moseyed over to Norway. It was now dark outside and a bit on the chilly side, so I put on my new long sleeved shirt. Epcot is my favorite park, and I've been to the World five times, but somehow never made it into Norway. After reading so many people's impressions of Maelstrom, we decided to go aboard. Bad show in the queue; there was trash on the ground in a corner. Penny pronounced Maelstrom another ride that her girls would enjoy, and filed it away mentally for a future trip. We skipped the film, since we wanted to make it to a few more countries and a little more shopping before the park closed. We browsed through Italy, enjoying the Armani sculptures. We especially liked Briar Rose. We bought hot chocolate outside of the American pavilion, and cruised through the shops in France and UK.

Magical Moments

Since we had both already seen the parade and the fireworks, we started out of the park and my pin kept going off. Penny kept teasing me about having "multiple Magical Moments". Then we hopped in separate cabs and promised to meet the next day at Animal Kingdom. The cab dropped me at El Centro, and I ducked into Panchitos to get a little bottle of milk for my coffee in the morning. I walked back to the room, got the ice bucket and trudged down the corridor to fill up. Milk is now on ice, world is safe for truth justice etc. Finally in my pajamas, I prepared to sleep for the first time in 36 hours. I got into bed, but I could not sleep! I turned on SoapNet. I made it through to the first fifteen minutes of General Hospital before passing out.

Next up: why you should remember to turn off your pager while on vacation; more about Magical Moments; and the ghost in the machine at CS screws up yet again...

I make coffee. I ground my own and took it down with me in my suitcase, Starbuck's Breakfast Blend. I hate the in-room pseudo coffee, and I don't care who thinks I am a snob for this. I sit and think an IV would be more efficient, but drink it and am grateful for it. I also make a mental note to pick up some sugar down at Downtown Disney, but that is not in the schedule until Saturday, so I have to raid the in-room coffee packages for sugar.

I shower and discover that the blow dryer is not working. I take it off the wall and push the ON button, and it starts, but stops as soon as I take my finger off the button, making it impossible to style it with a brush. If I had a third hand, that would be helpful, but since I don't, I get it dry, pony tail it, pin the bangs to my head, and bundle the whole thing under a baseball cap. I slather on sunscreen, and prepare to leave, gleefully sans-makeup. This ain't Wall Street and I don't have to be perfect. Thank God. I open the door, and housekeeping is there. I tell her about the blow dryer, and she says I have to call. I go back in and call, and they say they will fix it. Now I can leave.

I go to the convenience store and pick up breakfast, a sticky cinnamon roll, apple, bottle of water. I sit by the lake and watch a mommy with her baby ducks. I talk to a guy who has a thick southern drawl.
Everyone who hears that I am from NY remarks about 9-11. Profound conversations ensue, between strangers who don't know each other's names. I finish my breakfast, and head inside.

I pick up my MGM purchases from Panchitos and sit outside again to address and stamp my postcards. I return to the lobby, post them, and then bring the CD back to my room. I head to the bus stop and my cell phone rings. Penny says that they are now leaving to catch a cab for the Animal Kingdom. Conveniently, an Animal Kingdom bus pulls up and I board it.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

First stop, the little shop right outside the park, where I purchase another pair of sunglasses and another string to hold them around my neck. Second time in 24 hours! I tighten up the little rubber things but good. I meet up with Penny, Hal and the girls at the stroller rental. I had no idea that strollers were $15 per day! No wonder  people drag strollers on the plane with them. The girls are 6 and 4 and fit side by side perfectly. By this time it is about 12:30 and no one wants lunch because we had breakfast so late, so we get ice cream instead. Penny informs me that she called around to a bunch of places for Priority Seating and managed to snag Boma. I am thrilled, as I've read that the food is beyond excellent, and we will get to see the Animal Kingdom Lodge too. We look at the map while we are devouring the ice cream (we got the chocolate covered things with the caramel), and
decide that we want to do the Safari, the Pangani trail and Kali River Rapids before the parade starts at 4PM.

Touring The Animal Kingdom

There were TONS of animals out for our safari. The girls were in heaven, especially when the giraffes showed up. Our driver kind of rushed through his spiel, and seemed sort of disconnected from it.
Pangani was awesome; the Cast Members were really informative and helpful. The kids loved getting the cards and identifying all the birds, and were especially pleased to meet "Timon" and his family! We were a bit hungry by this time. Penny and the girls ducked into Tusker House, Hal went into a shop to buy a couple of shirts, and I took all our park passes over to Asia to score some fast passes for Kali. When I got back to Tusker House, Hal was just bringing the food to the table.  I had the grilled chicken salad, which was delicious, but that big roll was just too much food for me, and I wanted to save room for our Boma excursion in the evening. Refortified, we headed over to Asia.

Kali River Rapids and The Parade

Friends, we got absolutely soaked, and loved every minute of it!  Downside, there was something absolutely disgusting in the bottom of one half of the "dry" bin in the center of the raft, and the other half was wet. Everyone in the boat crammed their sneakers in the wet side and hoped for the best. We were fortunate to get into a raft with some friendly folks who were screamers like us, and we had a blast. When we exited the ride, we pushed some of the buttons on the bridge to soak those who came after us. We found a bench and put our sneakers back on, then found some shade for the parade. The parade was WAY too loud, especially Minnie's float. Hal ended up taking one of the girls off in the distance, as she is highly sensitive to loud noises. (I have a vague memory of studying in physiology last semester why it is that some people find loud sounds unbearable, but I cannot rightly recall it just now...). After the parade, we shopped our way out of the park, and saw lots of people coming INTO the park, which was supposed to be closing at 5PM. They were all wearing identification badges, and I wonder who they were and why they got to be in the park after 5PM???

Penny and I decided to shop a bit longer (I bought the new Tink mug, and yup, I had it sent back to the hotel), and Hal took the girls back to the stroller place. When we met up with him, he was doing a survey, and the talking tree came by. The girls thought it was a hoot. We went to the bus stop and waited. And waited. And waited. There were about 15 people waiting for an AKL bus along with us, but the only bus that wasn't there waiting for people to board it was the AKL bus! Finally, one of the other buses changed their sign and pulled up to us. I think this is what they mean when they say that if a CM sees something wrong, they are empowered to fix it for the guests.

Dining at Boma, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

We arrived in the lobby of the AKL and collapsed on a couch. The smell of all the wonderful food was awesome. We were totally thrashed, but still impressed by the theming and majesty of the lodge. Finally, I went toward the back to scope it out and saw the savanna out there. We temporarily moved the party outside and the kids were once again gluttons for the animals. Again, the CMs that were posted there were helpful and informative. Finally, we made our way to the bar above the restaurant, to wait for Penny's brother to meet us for dinner. We found another couch and parked it. We ordered Mt. Kilimaritas and boy did they go down sweet! Finally, Glenn arrived and we checked in for our
Priority Seating. Soon we were seated, and Michael, our server, started telling us about all the wonderful food there at the buffet. We totally pigged out, most of us getting the nut encrusted salmon, the sweet potatoes with cinnamon, the cous cous with some spicy red sauce and veggies, oh
boy oh boy oh boy! If anyone is in doubt and has never been to Boma, run do not walk the next time you are in the World.

After dinner, we toured the pool and some of the facilities, and Penny and I agreed that next time, we will book a couple of nights at AKL. It is so fabulously themed, and the food is so phenomenal, it would be well worth the price.

At some point, we realized that I hadn't had a Magical Moment all day. I know the pin still works, because when I touch it, it lights up. But I had no spontaneous Magical Moments today. Hmmmm, maybe I wore the thing out at Epcot last night? Maybe you only get so many Magical Moments per pin, and mine is spent?

Finally, we all loaded into Glenn's SUV and they drove me back to CS.   We said our good-byes - they are going back to California on Saturday and my conference starts on Sunday.

More Coronado Springs Stupidity

When I got to my room, the card would not work. I kept dipping it into the slot, and kept coming up with the red light. Exasperated, I start back toward El Centro. The way back from Casitas 2 is convoluted, and I wind up in the Plaza elevator. When I get to the bottom there is a courtesy phone. Thankfully, I dial the front desk. I tell the woman my problem, and she puts me on hold for a few minutes. Finally , she comes back and says that someone will be by in 5 minutes and to wait outside the room. I go back up and sit on the concrete outside the room, dog tired. Finally, a pleasant man approaches and he has a new room key for me. He puts it in the door and it opens, and then he hands
it to me. I ask him if my Park Hopper was transferred to the new key, and he says he doesn't know, so I should keep the old one...I'm thinking I should go to the front desk and check it out, but I'm too tired. I thank him and go inside.

And then it hits me. No one asked me for ID. The woman on the phone from the front desk did not ask my name, and the guy who brought the new key didn't ask me for identification. I am floored by this. In every park, they check your bags, but no one asked me for ID for this key.  Hey maybe I can just go to any old room tomorrow. Maybe I can get me a room with a really good view, if I just call up and say my key doesn't work...

NEXT UP: Sleepy now, tomorrow's menu will include a trip to the MK to see if they can change the batteries in some of my Tink watches, and a trip to Downtown Disney to get all those Amex and Disney Club discounts on presents for the folks back home. Also, a trip to the front desk to speak to the hotel manager and bawl him out for the stupidity that I've had to endure since I checked in yesterday.

Saturday 03/16/2002

Reading Disney The Riot Act

Housekeeping pounds on the door at 9:00 am. I ignore them and stumble to the coffee pot.

My first mission was to swap out my credit card. My first two nights here were on me. The remainder of my stay is on GigaFirm. I went to the front desk and must have gotten the most lifeless, listless Cast Member in known history. This person was totally devoid of personality, and she was slow. She didn't understand the concept of swapping out the credit cards. I would think this happens at conventions all the time. I walked her through it, and then asked her to check my room key to make sure that my Park Hopper got transferred to it during the room key debacle the night before. It had.

 Finally, I asked to speak to the head of hotel security. She gave me a blank stare. I repeated my request and she started flipping through a book of phone numbers. She must have gone through each page three times, before I told her just to send the hotel manager over. She locked her computer keyboard with an annoyed little flip, proving that there was actually some emotion hiding under there, albeit negative.

Finally, she came back with a manager. I explained the circumstances under which I had checked in (if you recall, in my first episode, I actually opened "my" room to find that someone else was already checked in there), and then I explained about the night before, how no one had asked me for ID and just gave me a new key to the room. He winced when I told him that. I very nicely read him the riot act. I told him I didn't feel safe in his hotel, and that I didn't feel that my stuff was safe back in the room. Moreover, he was about to host a conference for *security* professionals, and it was at the very least, completely bad show. He was abjectly apologetic, and declared his intention to find the person who gave me the key without ID-ing me, and also that he was going to hold a meeting with all the security people immediately.

It's a Magic Kingdom Kind of a Day

I had breakfast at the lake again, and then boarded the first bus to come along which was Epcot. I figured to take the monorail and then the boat to Magic Kingdom. Yeah, I know, Magic Kingdom on a Saturday - I must be crazy. However, it is much easier to go it alone than to drag kids and strollers, and I have these two Tink watches that need batteries. One of them is not easy to open, and the jeweler I took it to finally gave up. The other he refused to open because it is numbered on the back and he was afraid of ruining something valuable. (shrug), I wear the damned thing all the time, I don't care if it is numbered.

So I intended to go to the timepiece place at MK. I had wanted to make it a day at MK when I did things I hadn't done much or at all before. It is a bit hard when you are down here on business and your time is so limited. I've been to the World five times now, and by no means am I an expert. After all the reading and research I've been doing about Disney for school, I realized that there are lots of things in each of the parks that I've never done before.

So I wanted to take the boat over instead of the monorail, because I only have a vague memory of having done that in 1985. However, the announced wait for the next boat was 20 minutes, and there was quite a crowd so I thought it possible that I would not get on the very next boat. Off to the monorail we go.  There was food garbage on the monorail platform. The CM kicked it aside. She had Hunchback on her ID pin as her Magic Moment, and when I asked, she said it was because her boyfriend used to perform in that show.

Piano Lessons

When I got to the watch shop on Main Street, they said that they do not do batteries, but that I should take the watches to Sears when I get home. Huh, never heard of this, but whatever. I browsed the shop a bit and exited in that little side street where the "piano lessons" happen. I had never heard this before, and sat down to listen. While sitting there, I enjoyed reading all the signs on the windows overhead. Music lessons, dance lessons, various offices with people's names on the windows. That is one of the little details I've missed on past trips. Cruising down Main Street, I normally go right into Tomorrowland, but this time I decided to go left.

Swiss Family Tree House

My next never-before experience was Swiss Family Tree House. On the way up the first few steps, I noticed that the fence was broken. There are all those fence parts that look like the spokes on a ship's wheel, and one was busted in two, just hanging there with jagged edges. I'm thinking "splinters". There was a McDonald's fries box blazing red among the "vinyl leaves" greenery, with a few fries strewn on the stairs. I also noticed that there is a lot of coinage down there in the water, and it made me wonder. Disney must eventually scoop out all that money periodically. Multiply that by all the fountains in the parks and hotels, and I am wondering what they do with the money, how much of it there is each year, etc. Ironically, people have paid a pretty penny to come into the place where wishes come true, and they insist upon throwing more money to make more wishes! Another thing I noticed about the tree house is that there are some pieces of furniture and props that look like genuine antiques, and other pieces that definitely look newer and fabricated. Finally, can anyone tell me why the sign says there are three people who sleep in the Crow's Nest (Franz, Somebody, and Somebody Else) but there are only two hammocks? Things that make you go "hmmmm...."

Aladdin's Magic Carpet

Next, Aladdin. I had to pass the Dole Whip place, and made a mental note to circle back. I could not wait to experience the spitting camel. He doesn't spit very far or forcefully, and I was disappointed not to get wetter, as it was quite hot. Those little umbrellas they provide at the queue don't do much, do they? But I enjoyed making the carpet go up and down, and finally settled on "up" until the ride stopped. There was one family on line in front of me with three kids; the youngest looked like she'd just started to walk. They were all cranky and tired. They had a Fast Pass to Space Mountain in about an hour, but they were discussing the possibility of leaving to go take a nap because the little one was just so cranky. I told them about the little movie theater in the Exhibition Hall - air conditioning, and a carpet to flop down upon for a while. They headed right over there after the Aladdin ride, and thanked me for telling them about it. That is my own personal crash pad in the MK, although it is a bit noisy these days with those 100 Years kiosks. But still a decent place to cool off and take a break.

Jungle Cruise

Following Aladdin, I took the jungle cruise for the first time since 1985. I have to object to the spiel. When you are standing in the queue, you can hear the start of the spiel over and over again, and by time you get into the boat, it just isn't funny any more. I have read that the captains have gotten in trouble in the past for diverging from the script, but I think that they should be allowed to alter it, else the script writers should give them several alternate spiels. There was some bad show in the form of watering hoses in plain view snaking their way around the vegetation. Also, is there anyone else who is disappointed that the elephants *don't* spit at the boats? On such a hot day, it is kind of a tease. Water, water everywhere...

Dole Whip!

Ah, time for the Dole Whip, and I am in heaven! Never knew something so good existed in this universe. I had the vanilla and pineapple twist. I took the opportunity to make some notes of my observations on the unprinted side of the 100 Years brown paper napkins that are all over the resort. I must have ten full napkins so far. They are easier to transport than a notebook - just stuff them in your pocket and you're in business. There was a family of duckies, momma plus three babies, running around the little adjacent patio looking for something to eat. I must say that all the little duckies running around the World are a big draw with the kids. And it makes me think about the differences between Florida and New York. I live on the edge of some wetlands on Long Island, and I won't be expecting to see baby duckies up there until June/July timeframe.

Splash Mountain

Time to break my rule about doing unfamiliar things. I headed for Splash Mountain. I decided to forego the Fast Pass, since the return time was longer than the 60 minute queue. I was disappointed that there was no single rider line for this ride. I struck up a conversation with a fellow named Pete from the UK and his lovely daughter, who looked to be about 10ish, and the time passed quickly. As we were going around the outside in the initial stages of the ride, we could see the snow globe parade starting. Soon, however, we were soaked and sitting in puddles. We must have hit everything just right, because I got it every time. Yippee! Splash is such a satisfying ride, because it seems so long. You still have a couple of tableaus after the last plunge, and that's kind of neat.

The Red Dragon

After Splash, I headed toward the Castle. I had to pick up a red dragon in the crystal shop. A small boy I know moved to a new house over the summer, and his red dragon was mysteriously lost in the shuffle. His mother unpacked all the china into the china cabinet in the new home, and the red dragon wasn't there any more. No one knows what happened to it. Fortunately, the Castle had one, and I had it sent on to the hotel. Then I intended to get on Snow White, because that's another thing I've never done before, but the line was plain ridiculous. I hit the ladies room near the Fairytale Garden, and my 100 Years pin started wigging out. I don't understand why the pin would start blinking away in the ladies room! Help me out here - how do these things work, exactly?

Tomorrowland and Main Street USA

I headed over to Tomorrowland, on the off chance that the Carousel of Progress might be open, but it wasn't. But my pin was blinking away the whole time as I walked. I wandered back down Main Street, and stopped at Casey's for a hot dog and fries. Then I went browsing the pins in the Town Square. My mission for friends was Scrooge McDuck and the Bear in the Big Blue House, but no luck. I purchased a bag of the rubber backs for my own pin. The metal ones that come with the pins are always coming off, and I'm contstantly fishing them out of my bra and getting stabbed. The rubber ones are really much better little grippers. The whole time since the ladies room, I was experiencing Multiple Magical Moments and people were looking and commenting on it. I really think Disney missed the mark by pricing these blinking pins at $15; there aren't too many people in the parks who have them, that I have seen.

Roygers and Walterstein

One more thing to comment on about MK - somewhere in Adventureland, I heard "The March of the Siamese Children" from The King and I, and while sitting in Casey's I heard "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" and "Kansas City" from OKLAHOMA! I was wondering - are the Rogers and Hammerstein show tunes in the public domain now, or does Disney have to license them to play them at the MK? Or maybe Disney bought them! heh heh heh

Shopping!

By this time, it was around 5:00 PM, and I boarded a bus toward Downtown Disney for some serious shop-till-you-drop at World of Disney. I have four nieces, and I always bring them some little trinket from these excursions to the World. Plus, one of them has a birthday coming up in a few days, which requires an extra present, and my assistant at the office has been breaking her butt for me on a certain project, so she needed a present too. Finally, I also had to buy stuff for me, me, me! After all, WDW is the Land of Rampant Consumerism, so why not consume? I had the bulk of it sent to the hotel, and then ducked into the gourmet shop for a carrot cake cookie and a bottle of wine to bring back to the room. Also, purple M&Ms for my friend and massage therapist, who got a kick out of them last year. Mother of the dragonless boy.

Playtime is Over!

I got the bus back to the Coronado Springs, and pulled out my bills to do a little banking. Tomorrow (Sunday the 16th of March) my classes start, so I don't know that there will be much of a report. Depends on what I feel like doing after class. Do I really want to blow another day of my 5 day Park Hopper on those scarce hours after 5PM? I've been away from the office for two days, and one's punishment for that is massive email, so I might try to get some of that done tomorrow night.

Wednesday 03/16/2002

California Grill, Disney's Contemporary Resort

That's right, there was no report for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  This is because these were the heavy days of the techie security conference, and in spite of the fact that the conference was held on property at the Coronado Springs, there wasn't much in the way of Disney to write about. It is the usual round of information overload sessions, between which one dashes back to the Casitas to check email and return phone calls.  I did manage to take a walk around the lake each night, and actually had time for drinks and chatting with guests at the Dig Site bar on a few occasions. However, this evening a couple of my colleagues and I stole away to have dinner at the California Grill in the Contemporary Hotel.

We arrived just in time to watch the spectacular sunset. The view of the Magic Kingdom from the restaurant windows is stunning. We especially enjoyed watching the castle lights change color. They seem to be favoring purple and blue. One of our party was late arriving, so we took a couple of seats at the bar, and missed our first opportunity for a window table and had to wait some more. BTW, they serve an excellent pinot grigio. The straggler finally arrived, and we were shown to a table in the 2nd farthest corner from the castle.  The view was a bit obstructed by one of the columns, but we figured out that we could rearrange our chairs around the table temporarily to get around that.

Promptly at 7:30 pm, an excited ripple went through the "audience" as the lights in the restaurant were dimmed and the music started. We actually did see Tink doing her high wire act, although I wished I had my binoculars. She was just a little speck of light from our viewpoint. Boy that must be a fun job! Then the fireworks started in earnest, and they were just beautiful. What a great idea to put a restaurant with big windows on the park side of the hotel! The music was wonderful too - all the "oldies" from Peter Pan, Pinocchio, etc. It was over all too soon ("8 minutes" our server told us), wild applause ensued, and then dinner was served.

One of the guys had the sushi, followed by roast pork and polenta. We other two had the asparagus soup - my colleague pronounced it "a work of art", as it was bright green and drizzled with white swirls of sour cream. AND it was delicious! Then he had the barbequed beef with mashed potatoes and I had the pan seared salmon with fresh greens. We traded bites, because everything was so good. Finale - rounds of chocolate cake injected with fudgy stuff, swimming in a plate of peanut butter sauce! Oh, oh, oh! If I'd have eaten any more, they woulda had to roll me out of there on a stretcher.

I'm going home tomorrow (Thursday March 21st). I hear it is raining and cold in New York. The weather has been fantastically cooperative my entire stay in Florida; however, it is traditional that on the day of my departure, the skies open up and it starts pouring. Well, we will see...

Thursday 03/21/2002

Buggin' Out

I had packed my bags the night before, after returning from dinner at the Contemporary, and leaving out only the essentials for a shower in the morning. I had also called Mears to reserve my spot on the bus back to the airport. But I forgot to ask Mickey to wake me, and did not spring out of bed until close to 10:00 am! (By this time, I had discovered the wonders of the Do Not Disturb sign, and actually remembered to use it).

I made coffee, showered, dressed, and went into evac mode, canvassing the hotel room for any forgotten items. Then I called bell services to drive me and my luggage back to El Centro. The bell hop arrived promptly and I explained that I was shipping my conference materials and my souvenirs, but he could take the luggage to the Luggage Room. He liked my "Princess" shirt, and teased me about it some, and then told me to hang on for a wild ride. We flew around the parking lots that surround the resort and he pulled up to a Cast Members Only site in the back of the Convention Center. He grabbed the stuff I was shipping, and led me through some doors until we finally burst upon the Business Office. He escorted me to the counter and gave me a receipt for the remainder of my luggage, and I tipped him generously. While the stretch-golf carts at this resort are not an official Walt Disney World "attraction", it was one of the most fun rides of my entire stay!

The CMs in the Convention Center Business Office are fun people, courteous and swift. They found me a box big enough to ship my items and made the whole experience easy and painless. Ah, the "Disney Magic" is alive and well at the Coronado Springs Business Office! Well, I never made it to Downtown Disney for the last minute shopping and had to settle for Panchitos. Ah, found the Bear in the Big Blue House pin, and the Scrooge McDuck too! Picked out a CD for my secretary too.

Goodbye, Walt Disney World

Off to breakfast at my favorite spot at the lake outside the Pepper Market. Some of my colleagues were still taking classes and I met up with a few of them. I fed some quarters into the machine that dispenses "duck kibble" and got a kick out of making the fish jump for bits of it. One pair of ducks staked me out as their own, and the male of the pair would ferociously chase off any other ducks that came around. Other birds would swoop through and pluck bits of kibble out of the air as I threw it. I know, I know - it takes so little to amuse me!

Finally, it was time to leave. So sad, the sunshine was so beautiful and warm, and I knew I was returning to brrrrrrr! cold weather back in New York. It had been the kind of morning in central Florida where there are clouds but breaks in them, so the effect is sun showers. It poured for about 4 minutes at one point, but then the sun came out again. It was the only rain I had seen down there, and I have to remark that it always rains on the day I leave WDW - as though the state of Florida is in mourning over my departure. Me too.

I went to the luggage room/bus stop, and the CM working there refused a tip. The Mears bus arrived at 2:25 PM. There was only one stop on the way to the airport, Caribbean Beach. Once at MCO, I headed toward the rest room to change into warmer clothing. Shorts and a tank top just wouldn't cut it for New York. I have one of those fold up valises for my winter clothing - long sleeved shirt, jeans, and a LLBean combination fleece/wind breaker jacket, plus hat and gloves. Folded up the valise and stuffed it into my suitcase, which I checked with Southwest. The rolling laptop case comes on board with me.

Had lunch/dinner (linner? dunch?) at the Shipwreck's pub. Went through security without a hitch; although they did ask me to remove my hat and the laptop itself, they did not inspect every inch of my laptop case, or ask me to open the laptop.

Uh oh....

My Southwest flight took off a tiny bit late. When permitted, I fished out my laptop and earphones, and started watching the Silly Symphonies DVD I had brought along from home. I love "The Grasshopper and the Ants"! Drinks were served. We were just cruising along, when the flight suddenly became a bit bumpy. OK, a lot bumpy. The captain came on the PA system and announced that we'd lost a power supply for one of the engines. We were going to put down in Baltimore and change planes. So much for direct flight to Long Island!

I was scared. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. When we got to Baltimore, the captain was able to put down the plane as smooth as silk, to much wild applause. We deplaned, and there was a Southwest attendant maybe every 10-15 feet ushering us in a line to another gate. There we waited until another flight deplaned, and we boarded the second flight. Another round of drinks was served, and we were given these green slips of paper to fill out. I don't know what Southwest intends, but apparently some sort of compensation or a letter of apology or something will happen. The flight attendants were in rare form, one of them singing a song all about flying Southwest to the tune of "The Brady Bunch".

Got My Interview!

Finally, we landed on Long Island, and I cannot tell you what a shock it was to feel how cold the wind was blowing. I waited for the luggage with a woman who had transplanted to Florida from Long Island 11 years ago. She was visiting for a wedding, and hoping that our luggage had managed to follow us with her new gown, shoes, etc. I asked if she worked for the Mouse, and receiving an affirmative reply, asked if I could interview her for my research project. She was eager to talk about her experiences as a full time Cast member. I have to remark that the full timers are much more positive about their Cast Member experiences than, for instance, the part time seasonal CMs. Also, I found out quickly while I was down there that the CMs aren't really eager to talk in detail while they are on the job (and that is as it should be), but if they are off duty, and especially off property, they cannot shut up about it, once reasonably assured that I am not a spy for Disney (I usually show them my photo ID from the college).

This particular CM told me all about how Disney extended people's stays at the hotels for free during the 9-11 crisis, while all the planes were grounded. She said that Disney could not do enough for the Guests during that time period. She also had more positive things to say about opportunities for advancement up the corporate ladder and the benefits package as a full time CM, including the opportunity to advance one's education.

Conclusion

Soon, the luggage was out, and we said good bye to one another. By this time, I was wishing I had packed flannel lined jeans instead of the regular variety, because the wind during the trek across the parking lot was brutal. Later I was to find out that the wind chill that night was below zero. Quite a contrast with the balmy 88 degrees to which I had awoken that morning!

And so another trip ends. Penny is already talking about meeting up in the World again next year. It is now Saturday, and the wind is still howling cold on Long Island, although the sun is bright. I am really glad to be home, but really sorry that another trip to the World is over. Until next time...

Frustrating Post-Script

Remember in the Day 3 report, when I described asking the listless, lifeless Cast Member to swap out my credit cards, so my employer would be paying for the time at the hotel for the conference? Well, I just looked at my hotel bill, so I can file my expense report, and she didn't do it. Somehow, she managed to transfer to my corporate card only the charge-backs to the room for meals, but not the room charges themselves. The room charges remain on my personal Amex card. That's right, folks, I'm stuck shelling out the money for the ENTIRE hotel bill, and waiting for Godot or reimbursement from my employer, whichever comes first.