SandmanGStefani24
04-23-2008, 08:21 PM
Well I managed to squeeze a quick trip to the world in, and since the Mrs doesn't share the same love for WDW that I do, she let me go solo this time. Since I couldn't get more than one day off in addition to my usual two per week, it meant I would be limited to two days only. So, here goes...
My day starts at 4AM, when I had to get up in time to drive to the airport and be ready for my 6:45 flight to Orlando, via Houston. We got going on time, but hit turbulence most of the way, causing the crew to cancel drink/snack service, and then had one of the hardest landings I've had. I was not looking forward to another flight, but I had to get going so off I went again, this time a mostly clear flight, and I was on the groud again in 1 hr, 45 minutes. (early!) I find my way to the rental counter, and am told my car is waiting. I go down to the rental car garage, and there, parked next to the counter in a giant red square, is my car for the next two days, a silver 2008 Chevrolet Corvette convertible. (the vette has always been my fave, so I lept at the chance when I saw it online) I drove off, and hit the roads of Florida for the first time as a driver. Maybe I am used to the drivers here in Texas, or maybe it was the 400 horses driving me, but Florida drivers/speed limits are AWFULLY slow! Large, 3 or 4 lane roads with nice wide lanes are marked at 45 or 50. :confused: But then again, with all the police/highway patrol on the roads, I don't blame them. I arrive at the Magic Kingdom at around 2:45 (parked at Happy 91, so WAY out there...hehe) I get to the main gates to find that the park is full of people, but not as many as I have seen before. Sidewalks are for the most part clear, as are the streets and parade routes. I rush over to Space Mountain to fast pass it, and see that my fastpass is scheduled for 6:40, so I decide to get everything else done beforehand. I ride the TTA, one of my favorites, and and pleased to see no line, and I have my own car. I had been in such a rush I didn't get to take it all in, and once I had a quiet moment to relax I sighed and was thankful that I had made it back to WDW in less than 10 years. The ride wait times were all decent for the most part, with the longest wait being for Pirates, which stopped momentarily when my boat got to the dog with the key in his mouth. I did get a kick out of the loop that played a few times before we got moving again, as well as playing bumper cars with the other boat that had stopped before us. The next ride I rode was the Haunted Mansion, which also stopped, but this time for a little longer. I got held up at the witch head casting spells. Which was actually a cool place to stop since there are so many things hanging in the air and such. After a ride on Carousel of Progress (which is still as good as ever dispite the large jump in time from scene 3 to scene 4) and an extra spin on the TTA for the heck of it, I was ready to travel through space. Here's where my first and really only beef with WDW this trip starts...
I see a line at SM, and my first thought is to go around it and go through the FP line. I then see that the line IS for FP. Confused, I look around, and I soon discover that the FP's are now for an hour and are causing lines just as long as the actual waits. :mad: Bad move Disney, bad move. Now FP defeats itself, and I waited 30 MINUTES in line dispite having a FP. (I was quite annoyed, but would be much more annoyed the next day at Soarin', but more about that later...) Nonetheless, SM was better and faster than it was in my memory, and worth the wait 100%. Plus I screamed the sore throat away, and now felt much better. The only bad thing about it was, I had placed my sunblock bottle in my pocket, and didn't notice until leaving that the ride had caused it to blast cream into my pocket. (gross but I have to admit, pretty funny! :)) Having ridden everything I wanted to ride, I decided to go to the hotel and rest up for Epcot tomorrow. I left and found no traffic and dropped the top and the pedal and hit HWY 192 to the Maingate area luckily spotting the FHP cruiser in time to get down to the 45 MPH speed limit. :car: I arrived at the Days Inn on 192, passed the extremely slow check in, and entered my room. Intercot friends, pay attention. You get what you pay for, trust me. I got the cheapest deal I could find from a bigger name hotel chain, and got what I paid for. The place was past its prime, with paint cracking, local phone calls $1.50 EACH, 10 free channels only, a pre-pay Super Nintendo (no, not gamecube, or playstation, Super Nintendo, which debuted what, late 80s early 90s?) a tiki bar at the pool which was closed and looked dilapidated at best, dingy bathrooms, sagging staircases, and a somewhat scary neighborhood surrounding it. My 1st encounter with someone was not security or front desk, but someone asking me if I "needed anything" (meaning drugs for those of you who are lucky enough to never have been asked this). I am pretty intimidating, and an amateur boxer, but even I started to feel a little uneasy. I still managed to get some rest knowing that at least I bought the insurance on the rental and called it a night. Tomorrow : Epcot, my favorite place in WDW.
My day starts at 4AM, when I had to get up in time to drive to the airport and be ready for my 6:45 flight to Orlando, via Houston. We got going on time, but hit turbulence most of the way, causing the crew to cancel drink/snack service, and then had one of the hardest landings I've had. I was not looking forward to another flight, but I had to get going so off I went again, this time a mostly clear flight, and I was on the groud again in 1 hr, 45 minutes. (early!) I find my way to the rental counter, and am told my car is waiting. I go down to the rental car garage, and there, parked next to the counter in a giant red square, is my car for the next two days, a silver 2008 Chevrolet Corvette convertible. (the vette has always been my fave, so I lept at the chance when I saw it online) I drove off, and hit the roads of Florida for the first time as a driver. Maybe I am used to the drivers here in Texas, or maybe it was the 400 horses driving me, but Florida drivers/speed limits are AWFULLY slow! Large, 3 or 4 lane roads with nice wide lanes are marked at 45 or 50. :confused: But then again, with all the police/highway patrol on the roads, I don't blame them. I arrive at the Magic Kingdom at around 2:45 (parked at Happy 91, so WAY out there...hehe) I get to the main gates to find that the park is full of people, but not as many as I have seen before. Sidewalks are for the most part clear, as are the streets and parade routes. I rush over to Space Mountain to fast pass it, and see that my fastpass is scheduled for 6:40, so I decide to get everything else done beforehand. I ride the TTA, one of my favorites, and and pleased to see no line, and I have my own car. I had been in such a rush I didn't get to take it all in, and once I had a quiet moment to relax I sighed and was thankful that I had made it back to WDW in less than 10 years. The ride wait times were all decent for the most part, with the longest wait being for Pirates, which stopped momentarily when my boat got to the dog with the key in his mouth. I did get a kick out of the loop that played a few times before we got moving again, as well as playing bumper cars with the other boat that had stopped before us. The next ride I rode was the Haunted Mansion, which also stopped, but this time for a little longer. I got held up at the witch head casting spells. Which was actually a cool place to stop since there are so many things hanging in the air and such. After a ride on Carousel of Progress (which is still as good as ever dispite the large jump in time from scene 3 to scene 4) and an extra spin on the TTA for the heck of it, I was ready to travel through space. Here's where my first and really only beef with WDW this trip starts...
I see a line at SM, and my first thought is to go around it and go through the FP line. I then see that the line IS for FP. Confused, I look around, and I soon discover that the FP's are now for an hour and are causing lines just as long as the actual waits. :mad: Bad move Disney, bad move. Now FP defeats itself, and I waited 30 MINUTES in line dispite having a FP. (I was quite annoyed, but would be much more annoyed the next day at Soarin', but more about that later...) Nonetheless, SM was better and faster than it was in my memory, and worth the wait 100%. Plus I screamed the sore throat away, and now felt much better. The only bad thing about it was, I had placed my sunblock bottle in my pocket, and didn't notice until leaving that the ride had caused it to blast cream into my pocket. (gross but I have to admit, pretty funny! :)) Having ridden everything I wanted to ride, I decided to go to the hotel and rest up for Epcot tomorrow. I left and found no traffic and dropped the top and the pedal and hit HWY 192 to the Maingate area luckily spotting the FHP cruiser in time to get down to the 45 MPH speed limit. :car: I arrived at the Days Inn on 192, passed the extremely slow check in, and entered my room. Intercot friends, pay attention. You get what you pay for, trust me. I got the cheapest deal I could find from a bigger name hotel chain, and got what I paid for. The place was past its prime, with paint cracking, local phone calls $1.50 EACH, 10 free channels only, a pre-pay Super Nintendo (no, not gamecube, or playstation, Super Nintendo, which debuted what, late 80s early 90s?) a tiki bar at the pool which was closed and looked dilapidated at best, dingy bathrooms, sagging staircases, and a somewhat scary neighborhood surrounding it. My 1st encounter with someone was not security or front desk, but someone asking me if I "needed anything" (meaning drugs for those of you who are lucky enough to never have been asked this). I am pretty intimidating, and an amateur boxer, but even I started to feel a little uneasy. I still managed to get some rest knowing that at least I bought the insurance on the rental and called it a night. Tomorrow : Epcot, my favorite place in WDW.