Day One, Saturday February 2

The plan - Fly in, groceries, check-in to BWVR, Epcot.

I woke up at 2:53 AM - I almost always awake before the alarm. Something internal, I guess. It was very windy out with gusts in the 30-50 mph range. It may be an interesting takeoff today. Barb and Stephen followed shortly. We got ourselves caffeined and showered, said goodbye to Gunnar, woke Steph up at 4:00 (she got home from work at 1:00 AM). I loaded the car last night so we were on our way at 4:20. Steph drove us to the airport while Will's Mom picked up him and Michelle. They pulled up in front of the airport just ahead of us. Some hugs for Steph (I feel guilty leaving her home) and we're rolling the luggage inside.

There was a long line at the USAirways counter. It took us 45 minutes to reach the counter, check our luggage, and get our boarding passes. They were selecting travelers randomly to go behind the curtain for a more thorough luggage check. Thank goodness we weren't selected.

We head upstairs where it took us about 15 minutes to get through security. Will beeped and had to endure the wand check, removal of shows, etc. We got to the gate with about an hour to spare. There was another group of what appeared to be two families there with several small children. One of the moms began singing into a mini-Karaoke microphone "M-I-C, see you real soon. K-E-Y, why? Because we like you". Disney magic already.

The flight to Pittsburgh was uneventful and the winds had subsided some so liftoff was less of a thrill ride than I expected. When boarding the plane for Orlando, we realized that the seating assignments that we have had for months have somehow changed. Michelle and Will are together in row 8, but the rest of us are split between 16 and 21. Being the gallant type, I let Stephen and Barb have the 2 seats together in row 21 while I take the window seat in 16.

I should explain that I'm 6'3" and 215 pounds and I always take the aisle seat for the extra room (not much, but some). I never thought I was claustrophobic until a recent MRI for a neck problem. Nothing like being inside of a long tube where your arms and shoulders are wedged against the sides and the roof is a mere 2 inches from your nose to bring out the anxiety. I took the window seat next to a fairly large woman who basically hung over both armrests. My usual 13 inches of lateral space was down to 9 and the idiot in front of me reclines his seat so his head is about 7 inches from my nose (why does everyone that sits in front of me need to recline their seat for the entire flight? Even when they're only 5'8".). Well, for the next 2 ½ hours, I can not move - my knees are wedged against the seat in front of me, the woman next to me has me pushed toward the window, and it's generally uncomfortable as hell - ah, the joys of air travel. BTW, the service on both flights is beverage only - no peanuts, no trail mix, no nothing.

We land early in Orlando (Thank, God)- at 11:15 AM instead of the expected 11:27 - and I am blissfully allowed out of my cocoon. We tram and walk to baggage claim where our Tiffany driver, Gerard Lamy, is waiting with my name on a sign. Gerard would be our driver for the week and he is, indeed, a nice guy. Luggage shows up and one of Will's suitcases has been damaged (the zippered outside pocket has been torn) but, we'll deal with that later. We get outside where it's a wonderful 76 degrees. While Gerard goes for the van, we start peeling off layers of clothing. I stored an empty duffel bag in one of the suitcase pockets. I retrieve this so we can store our "winter" clothing.

Gerard helps us load luggage and we head off for a quick stop at Publix. I tear off pieces of the shopping list and send everyone on a shopping mission. 20 minutes (and $90) later, we're through the checkout complete with sustenance for the week (beer, soda, milk, juice, English muffins, breakfast cereal, etc.). We arrange the bags so we can easily identify which 2 we'll need to ask guest services to refrigerate for us in the likely event our room is not yet ready.

On to WDW and I catch the first glimpse of purple road signs. Aaahhhh, welcome home. We hit the Boardwalk at around 12:45. As we're pulling up the promenade in front of the hotel, Barb takes one look at my face and announces to the kids "OK. Dad's in a good mood for the next week. Now's the time to ask him to buy you a car". What? I'm not in a good mood all the time? An easy going guy like me?

We unload the van. I pay Gerard ($90 for the van RT plus a $10 tip) and we store our luggage, giving instructions on what needs to be refrigerated (milk, juice, butter, etc.). I head inside and proceed to the check-in window.

Here's the first sign of cutbacks. The BW has a front desk that consists of 10-12 stations. Off to the right, and perpendicular to the front desk, is a separate area for Guest Services. This area is closed. The rightmost 2 stations of the front desk are now labeled Guest Services and there is a separate queue. Anyway, it's not crowded and Barb and I go right to a window where CM Tammy checks us in. Tammy is new and when she gives us the map of the BW and draws our route to the room she has indicated we are staying in a far left room near the ESPN Club. I know this is wrong because this is the Inn side and we're in the Villas but I let it go. In fact, we were about as far from where she had marked as you could be.

I have an AP rate for the first 2 days and I've debated heading to Epcot's Guest Relations first to activate my AP for check-in. I opted to risk that they'll accept the voucher instead. Not to worry, they never asked for anything.

Then Tammy gives us 2 nice surprises - my first request was granted, we have the same room for the week (although I'll have to check out and back in on Monday) and the room is ready. What? The room is ready at 1:00? This never happens. Our 2 BR Villa is rooms 2125 and 2127, so off we go. These rooms are a loooong way from the front desk but on the lobby level so there's no need to use the elevators. We call Bell Services and our luggage is delivered in 5 minutes. The balcony view is the lagoon (another request satisfied) with the waterway to the Studios off to the right. I can see the Tower of Terror (ToT) from the balcony. Part of the parking lot is visible behind some trees. We try to call Steph but only get the answering machine….hmmmmm. We quickly unpack and store the groceries, change into appropriate attire (shorts and T-shirts since it's pushing 80) and head out.

A quick word about BW renovations - there is scaffolding and covering mesh surrounding 2 sections above the General Store and Big River Grill area. They have temporary wooden entrances to the shops there. We later saw equivalent construction around the quiet pool and Community Hall area. This is not a big deal but it does cut off several exits to the Boardwalk and Studios walkway which forces us down to the Lobby area in order to get outside - a significant hike.

First stop is the ESPN Club for lunch. None of us has eaten since dinner yesterday so we quickly scarf down 3 burgers, a grilled chicken sandwich (Michelle) and a roast beef sandwich (me) washed down with Coors Light (2 each for Barb and I) and many, many Cokes. Total comes to $77 including tip.

We walk to the International Gateway (IG) where Barb, Stephen, and I activate our APs in about 3 minutes (I was expecting 15 based upon various web sites). We then encounter another change brought on by the 9/11 tragedy, our first of many security checks. A quick glance through my camera bag, Barb's purse, and Michelle's backpack and we're through. We get our fingers biometrically recorded (for the first time ever) and we're through. I've read about a lot of folks having problems with the biometrics scanners but we had no issues the entire week.

Our first stop was Test Track (TT), with a 35-minute wait posted, so we opt for Fast Passes (FP). We ride Spaceship Earth (SE) with no wait and spend a few minutes playing with some of the stuff in the ATT center. SE has been our first ride on almost all of our trips and it does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the week. We did notice several changes (or what we thought were changes) but our perception may have been due to the fact that many of the animatronics seemed to have new (or at least recently cleaned) clothing.

Off to Honey I Shrunk the Audience (HISTA) where it's a walk-in, even though they are advertising FPs with a return in one hour. Who would use this when you can walk into the pre-show? We love this movie (and the pre-show) and Will is dutifully impressed. I love traveling with a first-timer just to get their reactions to things.

We spend some time in the Image Works and Email a picture home to Steph and my buddy Wayne who did this to me in January (just a way of saying I'm here and you're not). Stephen and Will did the picture thing where you modify your own face with some funny overlays. It was time to head back to TT but we made sure to stop and let Will get a drink at the talking drinking fountain. We entered the FP line for TT and were in the pre-show within 5 minutes.

TT was good, as always, but I did notice some negatives - the CRT in our car stopped working very early in the ride, the thermal scan at the end had lost its horizontal hold, and the car just felt a little looser than normal. Maybe it's me but it seems like the ride may need a rehab.

We decide to head back for a little rest and take the left side of World Showcase (WS). We take a ride on Maelstrom (less than 5 minute wait). It seems a little shorter and lamer than I remembered (am I getting older and more cynical?). We opt to bypass the film although this is one that I enjoy. We stop and catch some very young (9-10 year old) acrobats in China and the Living Statue in France. We're back at BWVR by 6:00.

I call my father, Pop, and let him know were here OK and try Steph but still get the machine…..hmmmm. The kids head off to check out the pools while I grab a beer and head to the balcony to relax and update the notes. I discover we can see the fireworks at the end of Fantasmic from the balcony - cool. The plan is to head back to Epcot in time for the Tapestry of Dreams (ToD) parade and Illuminations - Reflections of Earth (IROE). Will and Michelle head to the BW for a slice of pizza for Will (he opts instead for the loaded foot long hot dog - which he loves). Barb and I join them at 7:45, realize it's chilly, and make the 17 mile walk back to the room for jackets. While we're there, Steph calls. She had gone out to dinner with friends and was back home now. All's well with her and Gunnar.

Back through the IG and the kids head to TT where they find a 50 minute wait - at 8:00. Barb and I grab a couple of Cabernet Sauvignons in France ($3.25 each), find a bench, sip and chat. We can see the end of ToD in the distance by Japan and can hear the music quite well. BTW, I have this CD and love the music. We head over to the bridge by the UK to stake out a spot for IROE. The kids show at 8:45 and we are all thoroughly impressed, again, by the show. Nothing else describes it except magnificient. Just before the show started, a family with 2 small children moves in behind us. Barb offered her railing spot to the children who gave a very polite "thank you" after getting nods from their parents. It's nice to see some polite, and well-behaved children (and parents) here because, too often, you run into the other extreme.

Back to the room. Barb and I use the in-room Jacuzzi for 20 minutes (feels great) then it's lights out. I set the timer on the TV (the news was on) for 30 minutes and fell asleep before the TV went off. It's been a long day.

Day 1 Summary - Day 1 went (surprisingly) according to plan. We did quite a bit and even managed to stay awake for what was a very long day. Some welcome surprises with my room requests being met and the room being ready early. It's just so nice to be here.

What I learned today - Definitely fax your room requests 4 days before arrival. Never sit in a window seat if you're over 6'. While I did notice fewer CMs (Guest Services at the BW and fewer ride loaders) I saw none of the decay reported by others. The resort area (BW) and Epcot were as clean and well maintained as I remembered and expected.

Day 2...

 

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