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November 30, 2003 – Day Two
The Courtyard rears its ugly head. I discovered last night that:
the mattresses are way too soft; the pillows are like handkerchiefs;
my feet hang off the end of the bed (I’m 6’3”
– not exactly Shaq); I can hear the I4 traffic as if it’s
sleeping next to me; everyone in this hotel allows the room door
to close on its own – rattling every door and window in the
hotel. This goes on all night. I did not sleep well and am awake
at 3:15. After repeated tries to return to sleep, I finally give
in and get up at 4:00. There is an in-room coffee maker so I prepare
a pot and step out on the balcony. Where are all these people going
at 4 AM on a Sunday morning? I also notice it’s very cold
(30s-low 40s). The forecast is a cold morning and then warming to
low 70s. It should be warming a bit more each day for the rest of
the week.
We get coffee, showers and pack up the few things we unpacked
yesterday. At 6:15, we’re downstairs and I’m attempting
to check out. This is where the fun begins.
Remember those Marriott gift cards? When I checked in, I informed
the desk clerk that I intended to pay for the room with them. From
past experience, I know this is done at checkout and they’re
scanned the same way they would a credit card. I did give them a
credit card to keep on file against charges. This morning, we received
our bill under the door with the entire amount on the credit card.
I talk with the desk clerk, Judy from Massachusetts, and explain
the problem. She’s confused and I explain again. She tells
me there’s no way to tell how much is on each gift card. I
suggest she call the number on the back of the card, which she does.
She gives them the serial numbers from each of the 3 cards and they
give her the dollar amounts on each. She writes these down and asks
if I agree with them, which I do. She then tries to scan the cards
in and they show as ‘invalid’. She apologizes. I ask
how they can be invalid when she was just given the amounts still
present on each of the cards. She calls again. After a lot of conversation
and many attempts, she hangs up and informs me that there’s
nothing she can do. She’s entering the information as she’s
being told but it keeps rejecting it. I’m angry but I’m
also looking to get out of there. I know Judy has tried and it’s
not her fault but I would have expected a different resolution.
I accept the credit card charge and ask for the best way to get
transportation to the Boardwalk. There’s a taxi stand out
front.
We step out and see the women at the stand who, I presume, will
call a taxi for us. She places a call then ducks inside. When she
comes out, she motions for us to bring our bags to a minivan parked
under the awning. My assumption is that Judy told her of our problems
and arranged for the Courtyard to shuttle us to the Boardwalk. Wrong
again. After a 5-minute trip, I’m charged $11.00 for the ride.
The Courtyard just made my list.
We head into the Boardwalk lobby and this is when I feel that
I’m on site. The lobby is decorated beautifully. There are
two large Xmas trees and decorated garland strung everywhere. There’s
a display in the center that depicts a carousel, Ferris wheel and
roller coaster. There’s houses, people, etc. and a train running
around the whole thing. It’s made from 150 lbs of white chocolate,
150 lbs of sugar, etc., etc. The area is roped off so you can’t
get at anything although later in the week, Barb saw a little girl
go out on the porch, back in the door behind the display and under
the rope so she could touch a few items. Never saw a parent.
We head to the front desk and check in with Mari. She gives me
a “Welcome home” and all is right with the world. As
she’s registering us she indicates the reservation is for
4 people. I correct it to 2 and she asks “No kids?”
I tell her we left them at home and she asks if we’re celebrating
anything. I tell her we recently celebrated our 31st anniversary
and we swap stories about years married and kid’s ages. She
then hands me our ‘package’ and tells me the room is
ready. At 7:00 AM! Yahoo! I thank Mari profusely.
We wheel our bags to room 4048 and unpack. It’s a handicap-equipped
studio. It appears a bit larger and more open – probably for
easier wheelchair access. The bathroom is definitely larger and,
instead of a tub, has a large shower with rails, a fold down seat
and zero clearance for wheelchair access. This proves a slight problem
as it allows water to seep into the bathroom during showers. We
solve it by building a small dam out of the bathmat. The room also
offers a kitchenette with microwave, toaster, and full size coffee
maker (thank you).
Unpacked, we head over to the Dolphin for breakfast at Tubbi’s.
I opt for bacon and eggs while Barb goes for the French toast. We
get 20% off the bill here through DVC. Walking back we stop at the
Screen Door store on the Boardwalk for some supplies. We brought
some breakfast items from home (coffee, bagels, oatmeal, and muffins)
but we need the perishables. We buy milk and butter. It took a while
to find the milk in the cooler and I eventually had to ask a CM.
Where I come from, the plastic milk cartons are white and the orange
juice cartons are orange. Here, the milk was clearly labeled ‘Milk’
but was in orange cartons so we completely overlooked it.
I am in the market for a Disney watch and spend some time looking
at one here. It has a black face with a subdued Mickey outline in
silver. It also comes with 3 bands (silver, silver and gold, and
black leather) and 2 bezels (gold and silver). I like it (sort of)
and the CM spends several minutes showing me how easy it is to change
bezels and bands. I ultimately decide to look around a bit more
during the week before deciding.
We stow the groceries in the room and walk to Epcot via the IG.
There’s a fairly large crowd already there. We enter with
the masses at 9:00 and stroll through World Showcase to Future World.
We decide that our first stop will be Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
(HISTA). As we walk through the entrance, I can see that there’s
been a change in the pre-show. The screen at the front has been
replaced by several (9?) monitors spaced around the room. I ask
the CM what happened to True Colors – I loved that show. He
sympathizes and says he wished they had offered it in video before
shutting it down.
The new pre-show is OK. A little too cute for my taste although
some folks didn’t like True Colors for the same reason. That’s
what makes the world go around, I guess. I do think that the story
of the lost dog will wear a bit thin on me after 3-4 viewings.
We head in to HISTA and the theater is about 2/3 full. It’s
a good show, as always, and has the usual number of screaming toddlers
that needed to be consoled after the mice, snake, lion…
Now it’s time to give Journey into Your Imagination (JIYI)
another shot. I’m still ambivalent about it. It’s not
terrible but, in my opinion, comes up short in several areas. It
leaves me feeling that there should be more.
We head into Image Works and mainly just look around. We do send
a picture, via email, to Stephanie and Stephen. We have to have
the picture taken twice because Barb didn’t like the way she
looked in the first one. Women!
It’s about 10:00 and the temperature is climbing nicely
– it feels like 70. We decide to head to the Living Seas.
It’s an attraction we enjoy but don’t feel obligated
to visit each trip. We enter with a small crowd and stop in the
circular room where the pre-show begins – or at least it used
to. This attraction has changed significantly over the years. There
used to be a short pre-show here, followed by a film, and followed
by a trip through the Hydrolators to Sea Base Alpha. Now, after
congregating in the circular room, you have a choice of the film
or the Hydrolators. We choose the latter and are quickly through
and viewing the aquariums. This may be urban legend but I recently
read (somewhere) of a woman that sued Disney over ear damage caused
by the increased pressure as one rides the Hydrolators to their
destination. A cute story but I’m having a hard time buying
in.
We begin upstairs and there are many, many fish about. It appears
we got there at feeding time. There are also 2 divers in the tanks
so I snap off a couple of pictures.
We wander over and ride Spaceship Earth with a short (2-3 minute)
time in line. Always a fun ride.
Epcot is crowded today, as I’m sure are the other parks.
My hope is that many people will be leaving today with the end of
the Thanksgiving weekend. We’ll see. Next, it’s off
to Test Track where there’s a 50-minute Standby and 45-minute
Single Rider line. We think about Fast Pass but the return time
is later than we’ll be here. We walk to Mission: Space (MS)
and there’s a 60-minute wait. I admit to having reservations
about riding Mission: Space. I’ve read every review and report
on it that I could find. I’m not prone to motion sickness
but I did find a touch of claustrophobia during an MRI. Barb does
suffer from occasional disorientation, especially when spinning.
She swears it’s only when she turns left too quickly (I kid
her that a drive to the corner store takes her 90 minutes because
she can only make right hand turns). Nevertheless, I have to ride
this once just to judge for myself – maybe later in the week.
I shoot several pictures of Spaceship Earth – shooting through
the fountains from the Showcase Pavilion area. Hopefully one of
them will be good enough for the 4-park montage I have planned.
We head to World Showcase, through the lighted archway (it’s
not lit yet) and view Epcot’s Xmas tree. We head to the left
and stop to ride El Rio Del Tiempo in Mexico, something we haven’t
done in quite a while. The ride is a walk-on. We spend some time
browsing the shops, menus, etc. before heading back out.
We follow the left side of World Showcase, strolling and browsing
until we hit the IG and decide to walk back to the Boardwalk for
some pool time. It feels like 70s and the sun is shining brightly.
We visit the quiet pool for quick swims and lengthier soaks in
the Jacuzzi. This is very relaxing and there are only 3-4 others
by the quiet pool. On the way back to the room, I stop by the Screen
Door and pick up two 6-packs of Coors Light for the room –
well, actually they’re for me but you know what I mean.
I decide it’s time to call Marriott and am prepared to do
battle over the ridiculous way the gift cards were handled. I call
the toll free number and after maneuvering through several menus
and entering the 15-digit card serial number, I’m told that
their hours are Monday-Friday from 9-5:00. However, if I am a customer
with an emergency (that’s me), please call a different 800
number. I call the new number and re-enter the 15-digit number,
follow several menus, and hear the same ‘hours’ recording
on the previous call. You have the same option for an ‘emergency’,
which I take and I’m given a number to call – the same
number that I just called. I find nothing more frustrating than
being caught up in these circular nightmares. I vow to call Monday
and vent.
We spend a few minutes in the room, cleaning up and watching some
football. At 3:15 we decide to head to the ESPN club on the Boardwalk
to have a late lunch – early dinner while watching a few of
the games. The bar area is packed with no seats available so we
get in line to be seated in the dining room. It takes almost 30
minutes but the time passes quickly because you can see many TVs
from the line. Due to my involvement with Fantasy Football, and
the fact that I’m a huge NFL fan, the 30-minutes go by quickly.
Once seated, we appear to be surrounded by Patriots fans that
are going berserk as they come close to blowing a large lead to
the Colts – only to save it with a stop on the one yard line
on the game’s last play. To one side, there’s a family
of 4 (Dad, Mom, small son and daughter – maybe 6 and 4). As
the Bengal’s game ends (they won), Dad stands up, pumps both
arms in the air and screams “Who ‘dat. Who ‘dat.
Who ‘dat gonna beat them Bengals”. And Barb thinks I’m
a rabid fan?
Barb gets a burger and a coke while I opt for a roast beef sandwich
and iced tea. I think the food here is very good, if over-priced,
and the portions are huge. We eat while watching several of the
4:00 games and head out around 5:15 for Epcot. We stroll through
the IG and toward France.
The only real plan tonight is to try and see the Candlelight Processional
(CP). As we get to the American Gardens Theater, we can hear the
end of the 5:00 show (it’s about 5:30). We keep walking to
check out Test Track and find it’s 50-minutes with no Fast
Pass (FP) left so we pass. We don’t look but I’m guessing
M:S is similar. We decide to take in the 6:00 tree lighting ceremony
so we head to the area that connects Future World to World Showcase
and take a spot, with lots of other folks, by Showcase Plaza inside
those arches facing the tree. Precisely at 6:00, the show begins.
We have a couple of CMs that do some singing and dancing then are
joined by Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Donald and, eventually, Goofy.
It’s a fun show with good music and the actual lighting is
well choreographed with the illumination of the arches (what are
they called?). On the negative side, as soon as the show starts,
a lot of people start winding their way through the waiting crowd
– trying to get closer to the tree. In several cases, I watched
parents with children on their shoulders simply move in front of
folks (some in wheelchairs) and block their view. I know this happens
all the time at parades, fireworks, etc. and it shouldn’t
bother me – but, it does.
When the ceremony concludes, we make our way back to try and get
in the 6:45 CP – after Barb makes a rest stop in China. When
we get there, a large line is already moving in. I ask a CM if we
will get in the theater and she says “They tell me you should.”
Several people jump in behind us. As we’re nearing entry into
the theater, they guy behind me asks his wife “So what is
this? The Christmas story or something?”
This was our first CP and it was very good. Andy Garcia did a
nice job with the narration and the orchestra and choir were excellent.
It’s a wonderful way to spend 30-45 minutes and it is a very
moving show. In fact, it’s so moving that the gentleman seated
to my left spent 15 minutes of the show on a cell phone –
completely ignoring my not-so-subtle hints.
After the show, Barb needed another rest stop so it’s off
to the side of the American Pavilion where the line to the Ladies
room is out the door. It seems every woman attending the CP has
the same idea. We decide to stop in Japan for a refreshment and
head up to the Matsu No Ma Lounge. I ask and am told that the lounge
is open seating so we head in, walking past a guy who informs me
we have to wait there for seating. Not wanting to line-cut, we slide
in behind him and he’s joined by his wife and 4 children (ages
approximately 4-13). I overhear him say to his wife that “We
should have 10 drinks while the kids eat someplace else.”
The servers in the lounge are going about their business paying
no attention to us so I tell the guy that I was told it was open
seating. He rushes off, has a quick word with a server and then
motions to his family to join him at a table.
We go in and find a table for 2. I opt for the Kirin while Barb
has a Midori, complete with tiny umbrella. The guy and his family
are seated one table away. He and his wife are drinking Kirins while
the kids have soft drinks. They ordered a large sampler tray of
sushi. I’m mildly surprised when the sushi arrives and the
4 kids dig in like it was chicken wings. I’ve never seen people
that young go for sushi so ravenously.
Thirst quenched we stroll the World Showcase making our way to
France. We think about seeing the film but have just missed the
last showing at 9:00. We take some bench and people watch while
we decide if we’ll stay for Illuminations at 9:30. Ultimately,
we decide we’re too tired to sit and wait and we’ll
catch it later in the week. We head back to the Boardwalk and hit
Seashore Sweets for waffle cones – vanilla for Barb and chocolate
for me. As we’re sitting on the Boardwalk, devouring the ice
cream, we almost decide to head back for the fireworks. Fatigue
wins out and we head back to the room for some rest.
Musings and Observations- Everyone has their favorite resort –
the Boardwalk is mine. I love the atmosphere and the proximity to
Epcot and MGM. I really feel like I’m home. They replaced
True Colors in the HISTA pre-show which, IMO, is a bad move. The
Living Seas needs to do something to turn this aquarium into a ‘show’.
The Thanksgiving crowds are still here. Some people will get into
a line with no concept of why. The soft-serve chocolate in a waffle
cone at Seashore Sweets is a very, very good thing.
Miles Walked Today – 7.5
Day 3...
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