Mark L. Fendrick - July 2002
Caribbean Beach Resort
Time of Year: SummerTravel Method: Personal Car
Resort: CBR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Mark and Sandy enjoyed a ten day trip (including drive time) in early July, a time of year that the Fendrick's usually avoid like the plague. Here's Mark's concluding remarks, "We did manage to do some new things, with no lack of new things available for our future trips. Not bad for a place that I have been coming to regularly since December, 1971 - often multiple times a year!"
Prologue
This would be interesting to see if we could pull this one off. After our last trip in February, we had no plans for our next trip down. A change in the vacation policy at my company meant that I needed to use a lot of vacation time this year, so at the end of March, I booked a week at the Caribbean Beach Resort. However, I decided to see if we could surprise my daughter who works there. Coming down at this time of the year would be unusual for us as I despise the summer in Florida, but decided that since we are frequent visitors, we did not have to be in the park all day, I could survive whatever weather we encountered. There would be a few hurdles in this surprise that needed to be overcome as well as a few which couldn't and we would have to live with those. (Many of you might remember the Halloween "trick" (See below) I set up for my son when he worked in the Haunted Mansion.)
The first consideration would be that since I booked the room with Iris's
Cast Member discount, she would need to either be with us when we checked in, or
validate it a day or two before we arrived. I would have to make sure I knew her
schedule, and if she were not working the day we arrived, would have to either
tell her, or fabricate some other story to get her there. I could have booked it
using my son's discount, since he would still be a WDW CM until the end of
August, but we did not know if he would be able to come down with us, or if he
would be working. (He graduated in May, 2002 and at the time he did not know his
plans, which still included the possibility of continuing to work for WDW in its
animal programs.) As it turned out, he got a job on staff of a NYC University in
a research lab, and started working a month before we were to leave. However,
because of the uncertainty, we decided that this would be a drive down rather
than a flight.
Also there was the chance that Iris would see our reservation within the
week of our arrival, when they are downloaded by the resort itself. She does
like to look for folks from home, and often scans for arrivals from Staten
Island. That would throw cold water on the surprise immediately.
Finally there was Sandy and Bobby themselves - neither one known for being
able to keep a secret. So with all those wrinkles, the stage was set.
Day 0
On July 3, I had to go to work, although Sandy was already off for the
summer. The car was packed, and as soon as I got home we would leave. Although I
had asked for and received permission from my boss to leave early, the company
itself closed early so I got out a few minutes earlier than I had even planned
on. By 3:37 PM we were in the car and heading south.
The original plans called for making it to Manassas, Va. The first
evening, but a lack of traffic and the early start made it possible to get as
far as North Carolina the first night. The planned second night stop, St.
Augustine, arrived way too early to stop, so we decided to continue on to WDW,
and get a room on 192 for the night. This would solve many problems. We could
spring our surprise on Iris the night before, and even get to see the Fourth of
July fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. She could validate our discount and assign
us a room, meet us for lunch before she had to work, and pack a bag for the
week, since she stays with us - how many of you vacation at your workplace?
We arrive at the security booth at 7:30 PM and after explaining to the
security guard what I was planning, we headed towards Custom's House. I spot and
park next to Iris's car - so now I know she didn't trade shifts or anything
since I spoke to her that morning. We go into the Custom's House and head for
Guest Services where I see a few CM's without any guests. I explain that I am
Iris's dad and that she has (hopefully) no idea that we are here. I had expected
that one of them would go back and tell Iris that there was a guest who needed
to talk with her. Instead, Terry decided that he wanted in on the surprise. He
told us to sit by the TV and face away from the office. He then went back and
told Iris that it was very important that she come with him. She protested that
she was eating dinner and could it wait until she was finished. He told her no
and guided her out, shielding us with his body as he moved her directly in front
of us. She shrieked "Omigod!" when she saw us, and was thrilled to see us. (She
was actually hoping that someone would come soon as she had a lot of things she
wanted to do with someone.) She had indeed scanned the day's reservations, but
the day was the Fourth of July, and our reservation was for the next day. She
validated her discount, and assigned us to a room in Jamaica, right across
Parrot Cay from Old Port Royale and Centertowne. We made up to meet there at
10:00 AM the next day so we could check in, and then head for Boardwalk where we
would eventually have lunch. (CBR was booked solid so there was no place for us
to stay there that night.)
We decided to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks. It
was in a level 3 shut-down and only resort guests were being admitted. When we
got there, however, since the only way to get to the MK was by resort bus -
nobody was being admitted to the parking lot - it seems that they were not
checking ID's. (We had old ones to flash just in case.)
The place was more crowded than I had ever seen it, and we are always
there at holiday times so crowds are nothing new to us. However we had never
seen it as bad as this. For only the second time in 30 years, we were ushered
directly into Tomorrowland via a backstage parking lot. (The first time was
years ago when they first started televising the Christmas Parade live.) We took
a spin on the TTA (people mover) and then headed for the Haunted Mansion. By
this time, all available walking space was taken up by guests, sitting down to
watch the fireworks. We continued to laboriously make our way to the Haunted
Mansion, where we found no one on line or anywhere within the attraction, since
the fireworks were about to start. However, my son had shown me a great spot to
watch the fireworks from the HM forecourt, where he would watch them when he
worked there. So while there was not a single square inch available anywhere in
the MK, we had this whole area almost entirely to ourselves. We shared it with
one other family and a few CM's. From here we could see the fireworks which were
being set off all around the park for this special night. Great view and no
crowds! We then went through the HM - still my favorite! - and ironically, Bobby
called me on my cell phone as we neared the end of the graveyard scene. (When
not on SILENT my phone ring is Grim Grinning Ghosts.) It was almost as if he
knew we were in his old haunting grounds.
Finally, we headed out of the park, and of course the bus line was
terribly crowded, but the Disney Transit CM working the line literally hijacked
a few Specials by throwing her body in front of them, and within 10 minutes, 3
busses had been loaded and we were on our way back to our car. On the way, we
saw the fireworks display from Epcot. Iris was just leaving as well, and going
to the movies with a colleague. We were too exhausted to accompany her so we got
a motel room for the night, and prepared for tomorrow.
Day 1
This was the day we were supposed to arrive and at 10:00 we have checked
in (although the room won't be ready until later in the day. We are supposed to
call, but of course, we already know what room it will be. Iris is room assigner
that day and will call us if there is any need to change.). Iris meets us and we
head off to the Boardwalk. We will eat lunch at Big River - Sandy and I have
eaten there before but Iris had not. We get there early and just walk around in
the peaceful ambiance of the morning. Sandy stops for a coffee at the bakery and
we sit and relax until it is time for lunch. For those who have never been
there, Big River has a number of its own micro-brews which are brewed onsite and
sold with your meal. We will have to make many more trips until we get to taste
them all, and they always have a brew or two specific to the time of year.
After lunch, Iris drives back to CBR to relax a bit before work, and Sandy
and I take the boat to Epcot. Arriving at the International Gateway, we make our
way to The American Adventure. Surprisingly, Voices of Liberty are off for the
Fourth of July weekend, as is American Vybe. The preshow today is provided by
both a Native American dance troupe and then a 4 piece country and western band.
Sandy and I enjoyed the Indian dancers, but the country western band left us
cold. Not that they were poor, but we do not enjoy that type of music.
From there, we continued our walk around World Showcase, and eventually
found our way into Future World where we were anxious to see the new Imagination
attraction, Journey into Imagination Featuring Figment. After the fiasco of a
show that replaced the original, it was nice to see Figment back, as well as the
theme song, One Little Spark. It was once again an enjoyable ride through,
although it was too bad that they eliminated the turntable with the original
rehab, and the ride today is too short. The ride lets you off at the Imagination
Workshop where I sent this morphed postcard of me to some friends. We then ride
a second time.
Next we stop into The Land, and since Sandy is hungry, we eat at the food
court there. Although the selection and variety is no longer what it once was,
we do have a pleasant meal and then decide to head back to CBR, pick up our car
and unpack our luggage. We get the car back at Custom's House and drive to our
room in Jamaica. When we get into the room we see that Iris has already moved in
and we do the same.
We had originally planned on going to Pleasure Island this evening, but
once we get into the room, we realize that we are a bit tired, and decide that
we will go later in the week when Iris can come with us as well. That would mean
Monday which is CM night. (Although we do manage to get there on Sunday night as
well.) When she is finished with her shift, Iris shows up in the room and we
decide that the next day we will have lunch at Beaches and Cream and then when
Iris goes to work, Sandy and I will head for the Disney/MGM Studios.
Day 2
This morning, like most this week, we roll out of bed at about 10:30 AM
and get ready for lunch. Since Iris goes to work most days at 2:00 PM, we visit
the parks after lunch, which we share with her. Today we will have lunch at
Beaches and Cream. Since we have been going to Disney since December, 1971, and
multiple times each year since my son first worked there in 1999, we try to do
new things each time. This will be one of those new experiences for this trip. I
have to admit that the ambiance here was amazing. It reminded me of those snack
bar/luncheonettes that we always had by the pool at the bungalow colonies that I
went to Day Camp at growing up in the 1950's and 1960's. Sandy had a very fresh
cheeseburger with a (diet) Cherry Coke. Not the bottled stuff, but a fountain
soda with a pump of cherry syrup! I had a chili dog with a Vanilla Coke (again
... as REAL vanilla coke as opposed to the new bottled variety) and Iris had a
chicken sandwich with a vanilla Coke. A very enjoyable lunch.
After lunch, Iris went back to the room, and we took the boat to The
Disney/MGM Studios. Here I checked at the Pin Station under the hat, but found
that they were out of the third AP pin - the one featuring Animal Kingdom! (I
already had the first two.) From there we rode the Great Movie Ride. The line
was into the lobby, so we had to wait about 10 minutes. From there we wandered
over to the former Superstar TV/Doug Live! Theater, where ABC was previewing the
new fall lineup. It was hot and humid outside, and the theater was air
conditioned and comfortable so I didn't complain - much. Inside they gave away a
few T-shirts and foam footballs, but we didn't get any. However, I did enjoy the
coolness. (Although I will admit that it was cooler here for a few days than the
100° temps they were having back in NY.) Then we went next door for Sounds
Dangerous (the Drew Carey 3-D sound show). Again, it was comfortable and air
conditioned so I went along with the idea.
Then it was time to get Fastpasses for Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Play
It! I was still determined to avenge my previous loss at the 32000 point level.
Instead of getting Fastpasses, however, we saw that the stand-by line was just
entering the theater, so we got on it and right in. Well I did make the top 10,
but no trip to the hot seat this time. As we were leaving the theater, the next
stand-by line was entering, so we got on and did it all again. Once again I make
the top 10 (even the top 3) but no hot seat. Once more we repeat our timing with
the stand-by line and enter for a third straight show. However, the results were
no better, and we decided that three in a row was quite enough! Time for Muppets
3-D!
Once we finish there, we decide it is time to head back to the room and
freshen up before we head out to Pleasure Island. When we get to PI, we head
into the Adventurer's Club to catch a library show, before we catch our first
Comedy Warehouse show of the evening. We were surprised at how many young
children were there. I don't have any problems bring teens into the Adventurer's
Club or the Comedy Warehouse, but this time there was a young girl about 2 or 3
years old along with a few pre-teen boys. However, the characters played off of
them quite well, and even the young lady was played to by the zany's of the AC!
This library show was the Balderdash Cup Competition, and the kids enjoyed it
and it didn't distract from other's enjoyment.
From there we caught a CW show, and the young girl was there as well, and
right up front. Mary spotted her and actually used some of her improve
suggestions - which I am sure were prompted by Mom and/or Dad. Again, no
discomfort on anyone's part due to her presence. I will admit that I had never
been to PI (and I have been there quite often) and seen so many pre-teens.
We caught 2 shows at the CW and then headed back to the room for the
night.
Day 3
We decide that today we will go to breakfast instead of lunch, and decide
on Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge, where we get the skillet
breakfast. Once again we are out of the room later in the morning and get to WL
about 10:30 - still a half hour left to breakfast. While we eat we enjoy
watching the unsuspecting families who ask for ketchup.
From there, once again, Iris went back to the room and Sandy and I headed
out for Animal Kingdom. For some reason, the way this park is built, it is
always the hottest of the four parks, and today was no exception. This was the
first day that we actually felt uncomfortable. We headed straight back for the
Safari, and since the wait was less than 5 minutes, we went straight on. It was
so hot that finding many of the animals was difficult. Of course, those who live
in the water were visible, and the lion on Pride Rock was sleeping on his back.
(Pride Rock is actually air conditioned for the lions - and their food comes
frozen to cool them down.) While we usually have a driver/guide from South
Africa, this time our guide was from exotic Miami!
From there we took the train back to Conservation Station - where Iris
worked when she first came down to Disney, but since then most of the CM's she
knew have moved on, so we didn't see anyone we recognized on this trip. However,
inside CS it was nice and air conditioned so we stayed there a while and watched
a few animal presentations and saw all of the current displays.
We decided that we would leave the park when we left Rafiki's Planet
Watch, and head to Downtown Disney to see Men in Black II. By the time the movie
was over, it was much cooler so we looked around on the West Side for a while
before heading back to the room. We called Iris when we got back and told her we
would wait for her to have dinner, and when she was finished for the day we all
headed over to OPR for dinner. We hung around the pool for a while and then
headed back to the room as we would be getting up a bit earlier the next day.
Iris had originally been scheduled for one day off while we were down there -
and usually she picks up a shift on her day off. This time, however, she kept
her day off. In fact, remembering the days after 9/11 when she, as a part timer,
would beg for hours from the full time CM's, she decided to let a current part
timer take a shift this week so that she could spend another day with us.
Tomorrow would be that day.
Day 4
We slept particularly late today - about 11:30 PM (this is vacation isn't
it?) - since this is Iris's day off now. We get out of the room and take the bus
to the Magic Kingdom. Today, the security lines are rather long, and I have to
wait about 10 minutes while Iris and Sandy wait to have their bags checked
before we can get into the park.
We start the day with Sandy getting her AM coffee at the bakery on Main
Street before we head into Adventureland to get our Fastpasses for the Jungle
cruise. In most cases, the waiting times are overstated - although the Jungle
Cruise may be the lone exception. It is also the trickiest queue - many times
you think you are coming to the end only to find you are in another part of the
queue in another room! We get our Fastpasses and go towards the Pirates of the
Caribbean. We decide to wait when we see that the queue here is almost all the
way to the entrance doors. We are hungry so we decide to come back later and get
some lunch at this time.
Keeping with the theme of doing new things, we decide to eat at El Pirata
y Perico across from PotC. We always see this counter service restaurant, but
have never actually eaten there. We do so now. Sandy and I get Tacos and Iris
gets some sort of a Salad platter. The food was surprisingly good and we decide
that it was a good choice.
It was now time to return for our Jungle Cruise trip. There is a decent
size standby-by line, but the fastpass line is a walk-on.
Upon leaving the Jungle Cruise, the afternoon rain starts. As is usually
the case when thins happens, we find ourselves close to the Tiki Room, so we
head in. It is raining very heavily at this point so we head over to the
crossover between Adventureland and Frontierland to wait it out. While waiting
we decide that since the Country Bear Jamboree is right there, we would go in
there and see the show rather than standing in the crossover path.
We leave the CBJ and decide to head over to the Haunted Mansion, but when
we get there the line is quite long, so we head into Fantasyland and towards
Tomorrowland. One of the things I wanted to make sure we saw was my favorite
Disney attraction from the 1964 NY World's Fair. While it is not open all the
time these days, it was indeed open today so we go in and enjoy the show.
The next stop is one of my wife's favorite's the Tomorrowland Transit
Authority, which will forever be known to us as The Wedway Peoplemover.
Another attraction that is now only open seasonally - and is open this
trip - is The Timekeeper. Especially since we have been getting to the parks
later on this trip, and our feet have not been hurting at all, this would have
been a good time to see it since it is a standing attraction. Unfortunately,
although it was operating, it was in fact having problems so we didn't get to go
in. Instead we went on Alien Encounter - always fun and a bit scary.
Now it is time for our usual MK treat - across the hub we go - past the
Partners statue to Adventureland again for our Dole Whips! Done with those we
try the PotC again and this time we go in. The queue is about halfway filled, so
it takes us about 10 minutes to reach Lafitte's Landing and our boat.
Speaking of boats, the next thing we head to is another attraction that we
very rarely do - the Liberty Bell Paddle Wheeler.
From the boat we saw that the queue at the Haunted Mansion was not too
long, so we headed there next.
At this point, Sandy and Iris wanted to ride Space Mountain, and although
I would usually accompany them, my back had been giving me problems for a while
so I grab a seat and people watch while they use the Fastpasses they got
earlier. When they return it is time to head out and to the Beach Club where we
have Priority Seating at Cape May Café. It is a great meal as usual.
Being Monday, it is CM night at PI and Iris can get in on her ID this
night. We have our Annual PI Passes so we are off. We catch a Treasure Room show
and then into the Library for the Radio Broadcast. Next, we catch a show at The
Comedy Warehouse, and when that show is over we head over to the Jazz Co. and
see a set by Interplay. We catch a final CW show and then head back to the room.
Day 5
Iris is working today, but she goes in at 3:00, and wants to have lunch at
The 50's Prime Time Café in Disney/MGM. Once again we sleep late and get to the
park just a bit before our PS time. We check in and within about 5 minutes we
"kids" are called. As usual, the CM's here are very into their roles as
"cousins" and we fall right in line with it all. (This was our first restaurant
to eat in on our first trip to Disney/MGM when it first opened.) I got the
chicken pot pie (the best I have ever tasted and was looking forward to it since
I knew we were coming here to eat) while Iris got the pot roast and Sandy got a
soup and sandwich. We ordered one "s'mores" for desert (the menu is a ViewMaster)
and the three of us just barely finished it.
After we finish, Iris once again heads back to the room while Sandy and I
head over to the theater to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame show. Of course, it
would not be the same without Matt, the preshow juggler.
And then the show. I pay particular attention to the current Clopin and
discover that he does manage to sing his own high note!
The show is excellent as always, and when it is done we head over to the
"Getting Happy" show - which is a commercial for the ABC Fall lineup. The reason
we head over there is twofold. First, it is now getting very hot and the theater
is nicely air-conditioned. Second, is that during the show they give out about a
half dozen ABC tee shirts, and Sandy wants to try to get one. So this time we
sit up front - in the second row, hoping to get a tee shirt. We don't, but I do
get to catch the foam football that is thrown during the Monday Night Football
segment.
The Backstage Tour is next after which we decide to finish the day in the
park. Sandy wants to spend some time looking through Sid Cahuenga's shop, while
I stop to watch some streetmosphere
followed by the Stars and Motorcars parade.
We head back to CBR to have dinner at OPR and then return to the room to
watch the Baseball All-Star Game.
Day 6
It was raining this morning, so we slept in even later than usual ...
didn't get up until after 11:00 AM. This was Iris's day off so she would be with
us and I let her plan what she wanted to do for the day. Two things helped make
the decision. She wanted to see Shockwave - the newest version of Blast. In
addition, every time she had hoped to catch American Vybe at The American
Adventure, they weren't performing that day. According to the schedules, they
were today. So Epcot it was.
Again, since we would not need the car, we used the Disney Transport to
get around. It would work out well for out plans for the evening which included
Ohana at the Polynesian.
We arrive at Epcot and head straight towards World Showcase, as there was
a lot we wanted to do over there, including eat as we were hungry, not having
had breakfast that morning. Once again, keeping with the doing new things theme
of this trip, we decide to have lunch at the Tangerine Café at Morocco. This is
the counter service restaurant, and we all enjoyed the meals we had there. (I
had the special of the day, the Saffron Chicken with Rice.) The day was hot, but
eating in the front eating area it was open enough to have a nice breeze go
through and was comfortable. Throughout the day it rained and that helped keep
the heat manageable, and actually felt good to walk in. We escape the heat once
again in Japan as we check out the store, and eventually arrive at The American
Adventure. There would be an American Vybe performance following a set by The
Voices of Liberty shortly and we get good seats while Iris finally gets to see
the group perform.
When done we saw the show in the main theater, and then back to the lobby
to catch another American Vybe set.
Time is working out very nicely for us as we can now find our seats for
the performance of Shockwave. Since Iris and I are both musicians, and since she
was in Marching Band in HS, it was all that more enjoyable - although you don't
need either in your background to enjoy it. The show was very high energy and I
wished that we had the time to see it again.
After the show we had decided to head back towards Future World so Iris
could get a chance to see the new Journey Into Imagination Show. However, the
Tapestry of Dreams parade was about to start so we decided to stop to watch
rather than fight our way around the crowds.
After the parade we get around to Kodak and go through to see Figment once
again, followed by a trip through Innoventions.
By now it is starting to get a bit late so we head out of the park and to
the Monorail to the Travel and Ticketing Center where we transfer to the Resort
Monorail to The Polynesian and our PS at Ohana. Even with our PS's we have to
wait about 40 minutes before we are called. But it is all worth it. The
appetizers alone would have been plenty for me, but the beef, pork, turkey and
shrimp from the skewers were simply wonderful. Why hadn't we eaten here before?
We get a good view of the Electric Water Show, the precursor to the Main
Street Electric Parade, from the window. It reminds us of the time many years
ago that we stayed at the Polynesian and saw both the Water Show and the MK
fireworks from our balcony.
Filled and tired, we head back to the room and prepare for tomorrow, our
last full day in WDW.
Day 7
This is our last full day here in WDW, and we start it with breakfast at
OPR with Iris. Today we will go to Animal Kingdom and see some of the shows we
missed the last time. It is extremely hot and humid this morning and I am
wondering if going to DAK is the best thing since it is much hotter naturally
than the other parks. We start out and by the time we get to The Theater in the
Wild for the Tarzan Rocks Show, both Sandy and I are really feeling the heat and
are quite uncomfortable. However, during the show, it storms and cools things
off immensely, though we do not feel anything at all in the theater. To gather
our strength and get some water into ourselves, from Tarzan Rocks, we head over
to Pizzafari, and find the AP Lounge. We had visited the old AP Lounge that used
to be behind The Flame Tree Barbeque, which was outdoors, although covered and
containing a few fans, which was now closed. The new one wasn't much different -
quite unlike the nice one in The Land in Epcot - although you have to go inside
Pizzafari to get to it, it is outside and not air-conditioned. However, it does
have some comfortable chairs at tables with some games and even a few video
games. The CM attendant can get you priority seating at The Festival of the Lion
King Show or a priority spot for the parade. There is also a book for pin
trading, and Sandy and I do swap a few pins before we get a PS for the Lion King
show. While here we reload on water - don't want to dehydrate - and then go to
see It's Tough to be a Bug. After the show, it is raining again, but it is one
of those rains that we get often this week in which it is actually pleasant to
walk in. We head back towards Camp Minnie Mickey, but as it is too early to get
into the show, we sit and do some people watching. We get to see some of the
characters arrive and interact with the children who are very excited to see
them. We also get a chance to see some of the wildlife who inhabit the parks as
natural parts rather than in exhibits - including a few small skinks and
cotton-tail rabbits.
Eventually we can use our pass to get into the theater. The CM who lets us
in shows us the area in the back of the warthog section set aside for our PS's,
but then tells us that we can actually sit anywhere we want, so Sandy picks a
spot in the front row. It certainly gives us a whole new perspective on the show
which we have seen a few times already.
By the time the show is over, it is almost time for the park to close, so
after seeing that Pizzafari has already closed, we decide to head back to CBR
and another dinner at OPR. We manage to time it so that Iris can have dinner
with us and we can have a chance to shower before dinner - remember it was a
very hot day today.
As we are leaving I decide to ask if they had any of the new Animal
Kingdom AP pins which they were out of at Disney/MGM earlier in the week. They
did, so I bought a few.
After dinner we leave from OPR to go to PI once again. We want to spend
some more time at the Jazz Company. The group playing there this night was more
than we had expected - a group called Toxic Audio.
We recognize a few of the singers as being from The Voices of Liberty and
American Vybe. Two who we already knew were very talented. This is also an
acapella group, but you are not quite sure at the beginning, as you are sure you
hear instruments playing behind them. However, what you are hearing is all
vocally produced. They also include some improve in their act, so unexpectedly,
we stay for 3 of their 4 sets that evening. We would have stayed for the fourth,
but the day was catching up with us and tomorrow was getaway day, so after the
third set, around midnight, we headed out.
Days 8 and 9
Getaway Day. Since we drove down here, we have no real schedule to follow,
and as long as we get on the road by about 4 or 5 PM, we will be right on
schedule. We need to get out of the room by 11 - checkout time - so by that time
we are packed and have the car loaded. No checkout is necessary, of course, with
Express Checkout, so we decide to once more have breakfast at Whispering Canyon
at Wilderness Lodge.
The original plans were to take a canopy boat out for an hour from the
Disney Marketplace, but as we come out of the Wilderness Lodge, it is raining
heavily, so we decide to wait a bit as we know it will stop in a short amount of
time. It does, and we get into the car and head over to the Marketplace. Since
the skies remain very threatening with rolling thunder in the distance, we
decide to eliminate the boat ride for this trip, and just spend some time in the
stores and make a visit to Ghiradelli's - something Iris was looking forward to
since we arrived. Sandy and Iris share a Domingo Sundae (named after
Ghiradelli's founder) and I have a frozen, chocolate dipped banana.
We then go into the 2 R's bookstore - a favorite of Sandy's - and finish
off at The World of Disney. Iris buys her brother a shirt for his recently
passed birthday, which we will take home and give to him. Then it is time to
leave, and we drive back to CBR where Iris's car is, and where she will need to
go to work shortly. When we say goodbye, I realize just how much I miss her, but
am happy that she is doing well now, and is so very happy herself. She really
does love her job, and that is worth a lot.
We finish our goodbye's and head out - knowing we will be back soon, just
not knowing when.
Traffic on I-4 is terrible - in fact we have very bad traffic due to
construction, weather, and accidents, all the way into Georgia. But we still
manage to get 400 miles under our belts before we stop in Manning, SC - and get
a room with a Jacuzzi which feels real nice after a long week and a long drive.
I only wish I had this in my room at CBR!
The next day's drive is rather uneventful - traffic only due to
construction around the Washington, DC area, and by about 9 PM that night we
were home, our latest trip top WDW simply a memory.
Final Thoughts
This was the trip that we always said we would do, but somehow never
really did - very relaxed. No commando touring, as we could miss any number of
attractions without feeling that we had really missed anything. Having an Annual
Pass is definitely an important part of that. We don't feel that we have cheated
ourselves if we only spend a few hours in a park. Without our Annual Passes, we
never would have gone to see the Fourth of July Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.
Coming to WDW so often has indeed affected the feeling of excitement you
get when you come to the park for the first time, or for the first time in many
years. The magic is still definitely there, but that surge of excitement as you
walk onto Main Street for the first time has been replaced by a feeling of
coming home to something familiar and comfortable. Often, I will try to conjure
up that excitement, and for a brief instant can do it - but it is not the same.
I missed having my son with us, we haven't been together here since
December, 2000 when both of them were working in WDW, but Bobby has taken his
first vacation days and will be visiting with his girlfriend just a few weeks
after we did, so Iris and Bobby will have some time to spend together. This will
be his last trip as a CM (he was Campus rep for the college program, but since
he has just graduated and no longer lives in the area in which he went to
college, those days are over, and his ID expires at the end of August.) He still
has some passes left so this will be a relatively inexpensive trip for him -
although he still won't be eligible for the hot seat at Who Wants to be a
Millionaire, Play it! Next time, however, he will.
We did manage to do some new things, with no lack of new things available
for our future trips. Not bad for a place that I have been coming to regularly
since December, 1971 - often multiple times a year!
* Halloween Trick
In fact, it even spread further and he received cards from other, non-Disney, haunted venues in
