faline
11-07-2012, 07:00 PM
Part Six
Monday – October 29, 2012 continued
Plan for Monday, October 29, 2012
Animal Kingdom
After returning home, I called Disney dining and booked a dinner reservation at Jiko. I spend the interim time catching up on my trip notes. We walk over to Downtown Disney and catch a bus there for Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’re about ½ hour early for our reservation but check in at the desk anyway. They tell us they are seating closer to actual reservation time and give us a beeper. No problem. We check out the wine bar outside Jiko but there is no seating available so we head upstairs to the lounge. Since it looks like we’ll be here for ½ hour or longer, we order drinks and an appetizer. Not much after our appetizer arrives, we’re beeped to say our table to ready. It takes a bit to find our server and give him our Tables in Wonderland card. He tells us the manager will be on the way to approve it. I end up going downstairs to the restaurant alone since it is taking so long to settle our bill. Gene appears a while later and says the manager never did show up. We have a nice table next to the window and the water feature outside. We order filet mignons – I get mine with the mac and cheese (which does not seem to be the same mac and cheese they used to serve with the steak) – still it is good. After dinner, I have a decaf coffee while Gene has a specialty coffee. We take a bus back to Pleasure Island, a boat over to Saratoga Springs and walk home from there.
Tuesday – October 30, 2012
Plan for Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Disney Studios OR Magic Kingdom OR No Park
Once again, we’re slow to get moving – actually, I’m slow to get moving. Gene was up and showered before I got out of bed. It is very cold this morning – in the 40’s which broke records for low temperatures for this date.
I had thought about going to Disney Studios this morning but opt for Magic Kingdom instead. Also, I had thought of going to Epcot before the Magic Kingdom in order to visit the Chase lounge and getting a wrist band for tonight’s Illuminations. But, by the time we got to Artist’s Palette and got some breakfast, the day was really a-wasting. Also, the first bus to come along was for the Magic Kingdom and I didn’t know how long we’d need to wait for an Epcot bus so we hopped on the Magic Kingdom bus and went directly there.
No line to get through security. We head to the turnstile. I slip my ticket in but, when I look down, I see the room key. Oops – I must have grabbed the wrong thing. I’m now digging for my park ticket but the cast member is waving through the machine. As I pass, I see my park ticket (I have an annual pass which is made of cardboard while my room key is the plastic card). Now I’m thinking I must have accidently grabbed both cards together and run them through the machine at the same time so I pick up both and enter the park. While walking away from the turnstile, I’m trying to get reorganized and put my card and room key away when I realize I have another room key card in my pocketbook. I look at the card in my hand and now I notice that the name on the card is for Michael somebody. This is not my card!! It must belong to the man who entered through the turnstile in front of me! I turn around and bring the card back to the cast member at the turnstile – hope Michael got reconnected with his card!
On my to-do list today was to check out the revisions to Country Bear Jamboree – no go! It was down – we were told the bears were hibernating so we went to the Hall of Presidents, had a chilly ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat, visited the Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. It was now lunchtime so we took a very chilly boat ride from the Magic Kingdom to the Poly. Lunch today is at Kona Café. We share Potstickers (love potstickers!!) and we each have a cheeseburger (was craving one for some reason). After lunch, we wander through the shops and then walk over to The Ticket and Transportation Center to visit Lost and Found. A woman who lost her eyeglasses at Epcot on Sunday was there. The cast member had pulled out a large plastic bag full of eyeglasses that had been turned in on Sunday. Her glasses were not in the bag. The cast member said they would now check eyeglasses found on Monday since they are sometimes turned in a day later. They dump out another large plastic bag full of eyeglasses. I hear Gene say “excuse me”. He reaches into the jumble and emerges with his sunglasses – still connected to the eyeglass holder that had come loose on one side causing them to fall off! Reunited with his eyeglasses, we leave the building.
We take the express monorail to the Magic Kingdom so that we can catch a bus back to Saratoga Springs. We waited a full one-half hour for a bus to Saratoga Springs. The stop for Wilderness Lodge was across from our stop. Three busses to Wilderness Lodge arrived and left before a bus to Saratoga Springs appeared. We were at Lost and Found around 3 p.m. It was close to 4:30 p.m. before we got off the bus at The Springs stop in Saratoga Springs.
Gene’s vacation club member card has been coming apart. When we were at the Poly today, I asked the person at the DVC desk how we could get a replacement. He said it would take about five minutes to get a new card at the vacation club preview area at Saratoga Springs. We headed into the vacation club center and the cast member’s information was spot on – within five minutes we were walking out with a new card.
We decided to stay home tonight so we went to Artist’s Palette to buy a few things – salad, Mickey ice cream bar, carrot cake, muffins – you know, the necessities. I also wanted to pick up the items I had purchased on Sunday at Downtown Disney. They could not find the merchandise. Because the search was taking so long, the cast member suggested we put the ice cream bar back in the freezer which Gene did. They said they had our package listed as “delivered” but could not produce a signature for it. Actually, some of the things on the receipt were items that I had taken with me so only the first two items on the receipt are “missing”. They said they would call me as soon as they located the items – I’m suspecting they are just going to replace them since they don’t know where they are.
Gene went back to the freezer to get the ice cream bar and we returned home. Although still quite cool, we actually sat out on our patio for a little bit. We then took a walk around to explore the resort a bit. We checked out the pool in the Paddock area and walked across the bridge that we could see from our room. We returned home once again. I looked in the refrigerator and asked where the salad dressing was. Gene thought he might have accidentally thrown it away – nope, not in the bag – not anywere. So Gene went back to the store to get another salad dressing for my salad. While there, he was able to determine that he had accidentally put it into the freezer with the Mickey bar while the search for my package was ongoing!! He returned with a replacement salad dressing packet.
Monday – October 29, 2012 continued
Plan for Monday, October 29, 2012
Animal Kingdom
After returning home, I called Disney dining and booked a dinner reservation at Jiko. I spend the interim time catching up on my trip notes. We walk over to Downtown Disney and catch a bus there for Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’re about ½ hour early for our reservation but check in at the desk anyway. They tell us they are seating closer to actual reservation time and give us a beeper. No problem. We check out the wine bar outside Jiko but there is no seating available so we head upstairs to the lounge. Since it looks like we’ll be here for ½ hour or longer, we order drinks and an appetizer. Not much after our appetizer arrives, we’re beeped to say our table to ready. It takes a bit to find our server and give him our Tables in Wonderland card. He tells us the manager will be on the way to approve it. I end up going downstairs to the restaurant alone since it is taking so long to settle our bill. Gene appears a while later and says the manager never did show up. We have a nice table next to the window and the water feature outside. We order filet mignons – I get mine with the mac and cheese (which does not seem to be the same mac and cheese they used to serve with the steak) – still it is good. After dinner, I have a decaf coffee while Gene has a specialty coffee. We take a bus back to Pleasure Island, a boat over to Saratoga Springs and walk home from there.
Tuesday – October 30, 2012
Plan for Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Disney Studios OR Magic Kingdom OR No Park
Once again, we’re slow to get moving – actually, I’m slow to get moving. Gene was up and showered before I got out of bed. It is very cold this morning – in the 40’s which broke records for low temperatures for this date.
I had thought about going to Disney Studios this morning but opt for Magic Kingdom instead. Also, I had thought of going to Epcot before the Magic Kingdom in order to visit the Chase lounge and getting a wrist band for tonight’s Illuminations. But, by the time we got to Artist’s Palette and got some breakfast, the day was really a-wasting. Also, the first bus to come along was for the Magic Kingdom and I didn’t know how long we’d need to wait for an Epcot bus so we hopped on the Magic Kingdom bus and went directly there.
No line to get through security. We head to the turnstile. I slip my ticket in but, when I look down, I see the room key. Oops – I must have grabbed the wrong thing. I’m now digging for my park ticket but the cast member is waving through the machine. As I pass, I see my park ticket (I have an annual pass which is made of cardboard while my room key is the plastic card). Now I’m thinking I must have accidently grabbed both cards together and run them through the machine at the same time so I pick up both and enter the park. While walking away from the turnstile, I’m trying to get reorganized and put my card and room key away when I realize I have another room key card in my pocketbook. I look at the card in my hand and now I notice that the name on the card is for Michael somebody. This is not my card!! It must belong to the man who entered through the turnstile in front of me! I turn around and bring the card back to the cast member at the turnstile – hope Michael got reconnected with his card!
On my to-do list today was to check out the revisions to Country Bear Jamboree – no go! It was down – we were told the bears were hibernating so we went to the Hall of Presidents, had a chilly ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat, visited the Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. It was now lunchtime so we took a very chilly boat ride from the Magic Kingdom to the Poly. Lunch today is at Kona Café. We share Potstickers (love potstickers!!) and we each have a cheeseburger (was craving one for some reason). After lunch, we wander through the shops and then walk over to The Ticket and Transportation Center to visit Lost and Found. A woman who lost her eyeglasses at Epcot on Sunday was there. The cast member had pulled out a large plastic bag full of eyeglasses that had been turned in on Sunday. Her glasses were not in the bag. The cast member said they would now check eyeglasses found on Monday since they are sometimes turned in a day later. They dump out another large plastic bag full of eyeglasses. I hear Gene say “excuse me”. He reaches into the jumble and emerges with his sunglasses – still connected to the eyeglass holder that had come loose on one side causing them to fall off! Reunited with his eyeglasses, we leave the building.
We take the express monorail to the Magic Kingdom so that we can catch a bus back to Saratoga Springs. We waited a full one-half hour for a bus to Saratoga Springs. The stop for Wilderness Lodge was across from our stop. Three busses to Wilderness Lodge arrived and left before a bus to Saratoga Springs appeared. We were at Lost and Found around 3 p.m. It was close to 4:30 p.m. before we got off the bus at The Springs stop in Saratoga Springs.
Gene’s vacation club member card has been coming apart. When we were at the Poly today, I asked the person at the DVC desk how we could get a replacement. He said it would take about five minutes to get a new card at the vacation club preview area at Saratoga Springs. We headed into the vacation club center and the cast member’s information was spot on – within five minutes we were walking out with a new card.
We decided to stay home tonight so we went to Artist’s Palette to buy a few things – salad, Mickey ice cream bar, carrot cake, muffins – you know, the necessities. I also wanted to pick up the items I had purchased on Sunday at Downtown Disney. They could not find the merchandise. Because the search was taking so long, the cast member suggested we put the ice cream bar back in the freezer which Gene did. They said they had our package listed as “delivered” but could not produce a signature for it. Actually, some of the things on the receipt were items that I had taken with me so only the first two items on the receipt are “missing”. They said they would call me as soon as they located the items – I’m suspecting they are just going to replace them since they don’t know where they are.
Gene went back to the freezer to get the ice cream bar and we returned home. Although still quite cool, we actually sat out on our patio for a little bit. We then took a walk around to explore the resort a bit. We checked out the pool in the Paddock area and walked across the bridge that we could see from our room. We returned home once again. I looked in the refrigerator and asked where the salad dressing was. Gene thought he might have accidentally thrown it away – nope, not in the bag – not anywere. So Gene went back to the store to get another salad dressing for my salad. While there, he was able to determine that he had accidentally put it into the freezer with the Mickey bar while the search for my package was ongoing!! He returned with a replacement salad dressing packet.