When do you get excited about
a trip to WDW?
When you decide to go? I
didn't
When you book everything? I
didn't
When the day arrives to
leave? I didn't
When you arrive in
Did I mention that this was
my first vacation that I planned myself? Yep :)
ran out of family members who wanted to vacation at WDW,
so with the offer
of the free meal plan, I decided to do this solo.
Transportation to
Staying onsite at Disney's
Pop Century, booked
going from home to NY Penn station, subway
This only left how to get
from Amtrak train station in
Century
hotel.
I spoke to Jennifer on themouseforless yahoo group and she recommended
Sunray. I looked at
their website and it was geared for airport travel. I
contacted Sunray and Bob responded back to me that yes they do
pickup from
I filled out the online form
and Bob responded back to me with all the
information for my car reservation. Even when Amtrak adjusted their train
schedule and I had to adjust my pickup and drop off times with
Bob, there
was no problems, but lets get back to day 1.
So here I am off the train,
in
all by myself :)
Bob was waiting for me, and
drove me to the Pop Century, a quick 20 minute
or so ride from Orlando Train station. Being 9/11 and I being from New
Bob dropped me off in front
of Pop Century, and I am still feel more
overwhelmed then excited :)
I checked in and got the 70's
buildings as I requested. I was going to
ask
about any chance of a preferred room upgrade, but
didn't. I was asked if
the
first floor was ok.
I thought about it, and really didn't know what to
answer. I thought
about it some more, figure no worries about elevator
waits, so I was on my way to room 108, which is 1/2 way
down the other wing
past the big wheel.
Not a big deal walk from the Classic Hall. Before I
left, they checked up on all my adr's. He took out a map of Pop Century,
and told me how to get to my hotel room.
Arrived in room 108 and
looked it over. From what I can remember
from my
2000 stay at the
It didn't have the little
balcony area like the Contemporary did, and you
entered from outside, not a inner hallway, but didn't think
the room itself
made a difference.
For my trip, I bought myself
new clothes, mainly lots of
type t-shirts
T-shirts, where I live, and a
NY Yankee ball cap (more about that on another
email :) )
I shaved (I suggest you don't
shave on a moving train :) ) and showered to
refresh myself. Placed
my laptop and other valuables in the room's safe.
Packed my backpack with items
like my camcorder, Brita water bottle, and fan
mister and headed off to DAK and Flaming Tree for ribs for
lunch.
Let me say my thanks to all
the members of the Travel-wdw yahoo group for
putting up with a little fun I thought up. While most people write trip
reports after they returned home, I was doing mine real time
from my cell
phone and a small little keyboard that attaches to it. Every move I made, I
sent a email about it to the group. This also helped me keep track of my
daily events. I wish
I could have done this for all the Disney related
groups I belong to, but would have been overwhelmed even if
only a couple
people would have responded to me and I would have felt bad
if I didn't take
the time to respond to.
Let me also answer now the
person who asked me what room number I was in so
she can crank phone call me in the middle of the night,
you don't need the
room number, but the persons name ;)
I took the bus to DAK. One reason I booked at the Pop was the fact
that it
only makes one stop, not multiple stops like the all-star
resorts. Well, as
I found out, this wasn't totally
true. The bus that goes from Pop to Dak,
also makes a stop at
if anyone was heading to BB, which we didn't, and we
skipped it.
Living in post 911
Empire State Bldg and knowing
that they do bag checks now, I was prepared to
make things as easy as possible for this process to go
smoothly. Met a
couple of ex- Brooklynintes and we
chatted while they thoroughly inspected
my
back pack. Made it
to the park entrance and told them before hand, I didn't
have my finger scan yet, just arrived at WDW and this was
my first park
entrance. They had me
insert my door card/park admission card into the card
reader, make the peace sign with my finger and insert them,
and that was it,
I was in DAK :)
First stop was lunch on the
dinning plan at Flaming Tree. Out of
all the
places I knew I was going to eat at, this place interested
me the most. I
had ribs, which came with a small piece of corn on the
cob, and some beans.
The meal included dessert
which was a peace of chocolate cake. I
ordered my
food from the cashier, she scanned my card, I signed for
it, and that's all
there is to the dinning plan.
I got my food really quick,
and then had to figure out a place to eat.
The
tables are sort of behind the counter service building,
found a empty table,
and tried to relax, still feeling overwhelmed by the
adventure of the day.
While eating, I thought I
heard a parade starting, but it turned out to be
Tarzan
Rocks.
Finished eating and decided
to go on Dinosaur first. Took out the
park map
and tried to figure out how to go from here to
there. To travel in the
other theme parks seems simpler then DAK, maybe because you
can see
landmarks and know where you are. All you see are trees in DAK.
I went to the fast pass
machines first, then noticed or was told there is no
wait, so I skipped getting the fp
and went on the ride. Now this isn't the
first time I rode this, so I knew what to expect, but I
tell you this,
either this ride got more violent, or I was really exhausted
from the little
sleep I had the night before or I still a little sick, but
I was shaking
when I got off and had to sit, drink some water and
recover for a bit.
My plan was to go to DAK, do
a couple of things here, then spend the rest of
the day at Dis-MGM where I have
It was about
got
confused in ride names and headed to jungle trek instead. I walked through
this very quickly thinking this is like a preshow for the jungle ride.
At
before going to Dis-MGM and my adr at h and v. Got
lost for about 20
minutes before finding my way out of the park ;) Glad I
wasn't going to be
sleeping with the animals tonight.
Leaving DAK on the bus, we
did stop off at BB and pick up passengers for
Pop. Rested till about 5, left my backpack and
just headed with my digital
still camera. One of
the reasons was what to do with things when I went to
get food from the buffet.
About
parade time, as they were about to shut down the main street
for the parade.
Made it to H and V before my adr and decided to walk around a little and
take some photos.
Off in the distance, I saw the parade and so little
people watching it.
The park must have been empty., but h and v was
fully
booked. They were
suggesting to people to go to 50's prime time or return
later in the night to eat there.
I returned about
after person was turned away for lack of adr. After waiting a
couple of
minutes, I was called to be seated. This was my first sit down meal on the
dinning plan. I had a
couple of concerns. When I am getting
food, how do
they know whether I am done yet or not. I figured this out the last minute,
told the waitress, that as long as I am still eating, I
will leave my ball
cap on the table.
The other concern would be how I was going to be treated,
considering the gratuity is already included and she knows what
she is
getting. I felt I was
being treated great even though I am just one and
eating on the dinning plan.
I had new glasses of soda to drink before the
old one was empty.
A experience I had at all my sit down meals.
One other
thing worth mentioning.
Even though the dinning plan doesn't say
your beverage is refillable at sit down meals, it is.
While
getting food. I noticed people
carrying their backpacks with
them, so that's what I will do when I am at the
week.
For those that don't know,
there is something called the Fantasmic Dinner
Package where if you eat at
certain Dis-MGM sit down restaurants, you get
preferred... or should I say reserved seating for Fantasmic? When I
was
taking care of the bill, the server/cm presented me with the
pass for the
Fantasmic reserved seating area. I was surprised to get this as I didn't
book the Fantasmic dinner
package. I didn't plan to attend this,
but figure
I would now.
For those who don't know how
the dinning plan works for sit down
restaurants, it works like this.
they present you with a real bill, minus
gratitude, even though they know you are paying for it with the
dinning
plan. You give them
your room key/park admission card, they take it, you
get back another bill including gratuity and total price,
which you sign off
on. your copy of the bill shows no amount due and how many sit
down meals
you have left.
About a
know, there are two interactive parts, either you see the
cm at the head of
the tram deal with a gangster who takes over the tour or
a cowboy. In my
case was a Cowgirl.
From what I understood later,, when its slow,
they only
have one show running, the gangster one, but tonight, they
have both rooms
running.
Its now about
walk-on, or should I say, just a wait in the preshow area for the main show
to begin. The
water effects didn't work tonight, but the bubbles did.
At
package people. For
those that don't know, you enter by a gate right by the
gas station at the entrance to the park. After walking about
minutes, you enter the stage area, I sat all the way on the right hand
side,
third row from the front.
Weeks before I made up to
meet with Rosie from the mouse for less yahoo
group back at the pop century food court at 10. Like I said, I wasn't
planning on doing Fantasmic, so I
hope I don't miss the meet :)
I've seen the show, I have it on home video, and even have it on my
website
to view whenever I want to. So it was really no big
thing for me.
When it was over, I left the
theater hoping to walk all the way back to the
gas station entrance so I am right by the park exit. The CM's had other
plans, instead of going to the exit of the back stage area
I hoped, they
directed everyone back to Sunset Blvd, then you have to walk
through that
street to
half joking/ half serious, I did ask the CM if I can walk
the way I entered
the park, he looked at me and my t-shirt (wearing I heart
(love) NY t-shirt)
, and said only if I lived at
do live in
thing about it.
After all people don't wear shirts from where you live,
just places you visit... right? :)
I made it back to Pop by
about
They have two types, a coffee
type mug and one that looks like a tall glass
with a handle.
After inquiring from the register CM, they both hold the
same amount and cost the same, so I bought the glass
type. This is made out
of plastic, but I can best describe it by calling it a
tall glass with a
handle.
Met Rosie (Mrs Potts), she called me by my chat name, Capt_Nemo and we
chatted for a while.
We exchanges some presents, she gave me a Bruce the
shark pin from Finding Nemo fame
(yea and my last name is
dentist too :) ) I
gave here some pressed pennies from my
Aquarium, and some pressed pennies I did from Disney
already. Then walked
back to her hotel room, spoke to her husband till about 1
or so?? Went back
to my hotel room and checked email till about
Tomorrow, first full day at
Bruce