MOJoe
06-27-2007, 01:52 PM
Saturday 6/16/07
I wake up a little before 7:00 and run down for coffee. I tell the castmember running the cash register, who i have spoken to all week, that we are leaving this afternoon. Smiling, she tells me, "Come back and visit us again." "Thank you. We have had a great time." I can't relax by the pool this morning, because Solo and i have an expedition planned. Back at the room, he is still asleep, so i give him a nudge. "Still want to go?" "Yeah." Solo has slept in as much as he could, but today he hops out of bed and gets ready. We catch the first bus to Animal Kingdom. When the turnstiles are opened, we are some of the first few inside, but we are held up at the end of the path for the opening ceremony. While we wait, i talk to some other people and explain our plan. "We'll be out of the park by 9:00." A nearby castmember hears me. "We'll that's just not going to happen." "Don't tell me that. I have already done it at Magic Kingdom with my other son." "He's got this all figured out!" the others chime in. We all laugh as the rope drops and we are led to Everest. We're the first ones there. Solo and i run in the regular queue, but are passed by several who enter the Fastpass queue. Cheaters. It works out for us though. We are loaded on the second train to leave, in the very front seat. Solo is unsure about this position. I, however, am thrilled. When we get to the top, right where the tracks are torn, we are treated to a spectacular view. Epcot, Tower of Terror, the Swan and Dolphin are all down below us. Wow. Then we begin to plunge backwards, into the darkness. Great ride. We exit and get in line again. The line is back to the Fastpass machine, but it moves quickly. This time we are seated close to the back. The sense of speed seems a little greater here. "One more time?" i ask Solo as we exit. Surprisingly, he has to think about it. "Come on, it's our last day." "O.K." The line is gone, so we are seated in just a couple of minutes. Center section. "Front seat, back seat, middle seat!" i say laughingly, as we begin our ascent. After our last ride, we look at the photo. Solo and i have our hands in the air with huge 'Whooa' expressions. The others pictured are clutching the nearest object, looking as if they are facing certain death. Classic. We buy it. Satisfied now that all the roller coasters have been covered, (Goofy's doesn't count this year) we exit. As we approach the bus stop, it is 9:05.
Here something happens that dedicated park hoppers will like. As we wait, as castmember asks where we are going. "The Dolphin. Aren't we at the right stop?" "The busses are not on regular routes yet. Come over here." "We've got one for the Dolphin, one for French Quarter, and one for Riverside," he tells the bus driver. We hop on and are on our way. This same thing happened when Indy and i left Magic Kingdom. In both cases, we were the first to be let off the bus.
Back in the room, we begin the unhappy task of packing our luggage. Minnie has already started, so it doesn't take too long. We see our mouse cleaning attendant as we leave the room, and i thank him with a small tip. We then leave our bags with the bell stand and make our way for one last look at Star Wars Weekends. As we exit the Dolphin, i hand everyone a shiny penney to pitch in the fountain. We all make a wish.
The line for the boat to MGM is long, and it takes two runs for us to board. Solo wants to ride Rockin Roller Coaster one last time, so he and i go there while Minnie and Indy shop. The ride is down, but Solo wants to look in the gift shop. There is only one couple at the check out counter. Solo gets a Aerosmith T-shirt, and we wait. The place is empty. The couple making a purchase must be shipping it overseas, because i have never seen such a volume of paperwork they are filling out. After several minutes another castmember walks by. "Can you check us out?" "Sure" "What are the odds that the ride will re-open?" Her smile fades. "Not good. It has broken down and not re-opened for the last two days." Solo and i feel both disappointed and fortunate. "We got on the last ride of the day, Thursday!" we say to each other. We meet up with Minnie and Indy, and decide to get a Star Wars picture puzzle made. This is a very cool souvenier. Our family placed in the middle of a Star Wars movie scene. You can almost hear the Darth Vader music playing, as you look at it. From there we go back over to the SWW stage and observe the Jedi in training. We decide to eat lunch here at Backlot Express. As we get our food to the table, i raise my glass in the air and toast our incredible vacation. "Dad's crying." says Indy. "He's sad because we have to leave." "No." Minnie says, "Those are tears of joy."
After lunch i ask to see One Man's Dream. I could have spent over an hour in there, but
time didn't allow. We see the film on Walt. A very fitting end to our happy trip. As we are exiting the park, Indy wistfully proclaims "I can't believe we have been here a whole week." "I can." A couple overhears us and burst out laughing. Back at the Dolphin, it
is 3:00 and time for Mears to take us to the airport. We get some drinks and walk to the bell stand. "We are here for our luggage and have a Mears pickup." i tell the bellman. He looks confused and calls another bellman. They talk to each other, then me. "Do you mean a towncar?" "Yes." They look around the corner and speak to someone. "Are you here for them?" "Yes." the other man says. "I have a surprise for you." he adds. "After this week, nothing would surprise me." i say. Wrong. Way wrong. We step out the doors and introduced to a black stretch limo. "No Way! You have got to be kidding." "Relax and enjoy the 20 minute ride," our driver, Roger, tells us. "Hey, can we go cruise DownTown Disney?" He looks at his watch. "You need to get to the airport." Our flight is in slightly over 2 hours, so we don't object. We are all astonished and silly with excitement. "Did you just bring some big wig to the Dolphin?" i ask Roger as he drives. "No, just picked up the wrong set of keys." "Come on." i retort. "I do have to pick up some IBM exec later. And it is easier for me if i don't have to change cars. So this isn't a problem is it?" "NO!" we all laugh. As we settle in for the very nice ride, i keep saying "Unbelievabe." Solo speaks up. "I got my wish." "What are you talking about?" "When i threw my penny in the fountain this morning. I wished to ride in a limo." We are speechless. "Did you hear that?" i ask Minnie. "Yes." "WOW!" We raise our drinks in the air and offer a toast. "To our family and our happy trip!"
And that is it. I have been to Disney World at least 10 times. But i have never had a trip like this one. I hope you have enjoyed reading our adventure. I have been most happy to share it with you all. Thank you for your gracious comments. And no, i am not a professional writer. But i do recognize a good story when i see one. Hope you have as much pixie dust poured out on your next visit to Disney World as we did. Oh, and by the way. My Intercot Cap and T-Shirt arrived today!
I wake up a little before 7:00 and run down for coffee. I tell the castmember running the cash register, who i have spoken to all week, that we are leaving this afternoon. Smiling, she tells me, "Come back and visit us again." "Thank you. We have had a great time." I can't relax by the pool this morning, because Solo and i have an expedition planned. Back at the room, he is still asleep, so i give him a nudge. "Still want to go?" "Yeah." Solo has slept in as much as he could, but today he hops out of bed and gets ready. We catch the first bus to Animal Kingdom. When the turnstiles are opened, we are some of the first few inside, but we are held up at the end of the path for the opening ceremony. While we wait, i talk to some other people and explain our plan. "We'll be out of the park by 9:00." A nearby castmember hears me. "We'll that's just not going to happen." "Don't tell me that. I have already done it at Magic Kingdom with my other son." "He's got this all figured out!" the others chime in. We all laugh as the rope drops and we are led to Everest. We're the first ones there. Solo and i run in the regular queue, but are passed by several who enter the Fastpass queue. Cheaters. It works out for us though. We are loaded on the second train to leave, in the very front seat. Solo is unsure about this position. I, however, am thrilled. When we get to the top, right where the tracks are torn, we are treated to a spectacular view. Epcot, Tower of Terror, the Swan and Dolphin are all down below us. Wow. Then we begin to plunge backwards, into the darkness. Great ride. We exit and get in line again. The line is back to the Fastpass machine, but it moves quickly. This time we are seated close to the back. The sense of speed seems a little greater here. "One more time?" i ask Solo as we exit. Surprisingly, he has to think about it. "Come on, it's our last day." "O.K." The line is gone, so we are seated in just a couple of minutes. Center section. "Front seat, back seat, middle seat!" i say laughingly, as we begin our ascent. After our last ride, we look at the photo. Solo and i have our hands in the air with huge 'Whooa' expressions. The others pictured are clutching the nearest object, looking as if they are facing certain death. Classic. We buy it. Satisfied now that all the roller coasters have been covered, (Goofy's doesn't count this year) we exit. As we approach the bus stop, it is 9:05.
Here something happens that dedicated park hoppers will like. As we wait, as castmember asks where we are going. "The Dolphin. Aren't we at the right stop?" "The busses are not on regular routes yet. Come over here." "We've got one for the Dolphin, one for French Quarter, and one for Riverside," he tells the bus driver. We hop on and are on our way. This same thing happened when Indy and i left Magic Kingdom. In both cases, we were the first to be let off the bus.
Back in the room, we begin the unhappy task of packing our luggage. Minnie has already started, so it doesn't take too long. We see our mouse cleaning attendant as we leave the room, and i thank him with a small tip. We then leave our bags with the bell stand and make our way for one last look at Star Wars Weekends. As we exit the Dolphin, i hand everyone a shiny penney to pitch in the fountain. We all make a wish.
The line for the boat to MGM is long, and it takes two runs for us to board. Solo wants to ride Rockin Roller Coaster one last time, so he and i go there while Minnie and Indy shop. The ride is down, but Solo wants to look in the gift shop. There is only one couple at the check out counter. Solo gets a Aerosmith T-shirt, and we wait. The place is empty. The couple making a purchase must be shipping it overseas, because i have never seen such a volume of paperwork they are filling out. After several minutes another castmember walks by. "Can you check us out?" "Sure" "What are the odds that the ride will re-open?" Her smile fades. "Not good. It has broken down and not re-opened for the last two days." Solo and i feel both disappointed and fortunate. "We got on the last ride of the day, Thursday!" we say to each other. We meet up with Minnie and Indy, and decide to get a Star Wars picture puzzle made. This is a very cool souvenier. Our family placed in the middle of a Star Wars movie scene. You can almost hear the Darth Vader music playing, as you look at it. From there we go back over to the SWW stage and observe the Jedi in training. We decide to eat lunch here at Backlot Express. As we get our food to the table, i raise my glass in the air and toast our incredible vacation. "Dad's crying." says Indy. "He's sad because we have to leave." "No." Minnie says, "Those are tears of joy."
After lunch i ask to see One Man's Dream. I could have spent over an hour in there, but
time didn't allow. We see the film on Walt. A very fitting end to our happy trip. As we are exiting the park, Indy wistfully proclaims "I can't believe we have been here a whole week." "I can." A couple overhears us and burst out laughing. Back at the Dolphin, it
is 3:00 and time for Mears to take us to the airport. We get some drinks and walk to the bell stand. "We are here for our luggage and have a Mears pickup." i tell the bellman. He looks confused and calls another bellman. They talk to each other, then me. "Do you mean a towncar?" "Yes." They look around the corner and speak to someone. "Are you here for them?" "Yes." the other man says. "I have a surprise for you." he adds. "After this week, nothing would surprise me." i say. Wrong. Way wrong. We step out the doors and introduced to a black stretch limo. "No Way! You have got to be kidding." "Relax and enjoy the 20 minute ride," our driver, Roger, tells us. "Hey, can we go cruise DownTown Disney?" He looks at his watch. "You need to get to the airport." Our flight is in slightly over 2 hours, so we don't object. We are all astonished and silly with excitement. "Did you just bring some big wig to the Dolphin?" i ask Roger as he drives. "No, just picked up the wrong set of keys." "Come on." i retort. "I do have to pick up some IBM exec later. And it is easier for me if i don't have to change cars. So this isn't a problem is it?" "NO!" we all laugh. As we settle in for the very nice ride, i keep saying "Unbelievabe." Solo speaks up. "I got my wish." "What are you talking about?" "When i threw my penny in the fountain this morning. I wished to ride in a limo." We are speechless. "Did you hear that?" i ask Minnie. "Yes." "WOW!" We raise our drinks in the air and offer a toast. "To our family and our happy trip!"
And that is it. I have been to Disney World at least 10 times. But i have never had a trip like this one. I hope you have enjoyed reading our adventure. I have been most happy to share it with you all. Thank you for your gracious comments. And no, i am not a professional writer. But i do recognize a good story when i see one. Hope you have as much pixie dust poured out on your next visit to Disney World as we did. Oh, and by the way. My Intercot Cap and T-Shirt arrived today!