The Ayn Rand Man's Re-Discovers WDW and the Characters Trip Report

[Frank Bullitt]

At 7am another wakeup call from Stitch, and I don’t know about you but Stacy on the TV is really getting to me, “Mountain Triple Whammy, Space Mountain Big Thunder Mountain Splash Mountain WHAMWHAMWHAM”, it was cool the 1st 100 times, but why in the name of John Galt and Uncle Walt does the TV have to default to that channel?? Anyways, I decided to check out the Animal Kingdom, so after a quick breakfast of the School Bread leftover from Akershus I took the bus to AK. It was pretty cool, equal parts zoo and amusement park. I rode the Safari, which was okay but most of the animals were MIA and the CM didn’t seem that into it. The Kali River Rapids was very wet, and as an aspiring capitalist I didn’t appreciate the stab at the logging company LOL. After that I went to Dinoland to dry off, and rode Dinosaur. The queue was themed very well, and the pre-ride show was cool. The ride itself was very bumpy, I could see how someone could lose their lunch on the ride. The Carnosaur or T-Rex made me jump, so that is something. Then a long trek back to Asia to ride Expedition Everest. The ride from the queue to the mountain itself is all perfect, you don’t feel like you are riding a roller coast, you actually feel like you are climbing a mountain…as for the Abominable Snowman, he is really, really cool lookin’…
After that, there wasn’t much to keep an Ayn Rand Man’s attention, so I took a bus back to the Poly, checked messages, and on a whim called WDW-Dine to check on the availability of dining at Akershus again. There was a slot available on Saturday at 4:25pm, so I asked if there was availability at 1900 Park Fare (I had heard about it), and surprisingly enough, there was a 10:10am slot available. Sweet!! After that I headed over to the Magic Kingdom. For a late lunch I ate at Casey’s Corner, love their dogs…I know it’s just an all beef hotdog with Sauerkraut and spicy pickle relish, but it tasted so good! And I’ve had gourmet brats at overpriced eateries in Chicago and Manhattan, I don’t know if it’s the ‘magic’ or the atmosphere, but they are good! Okay, enough about the hot dogs, on the outside terrace they have a fellow who plays excellent tunes on the piano, he was playing something from “The Music Man” although I couldn’t place it. Then I took a leisurely stroll through Adventureland, past the Aladdin meet and greet where I swore I saw Jasmine throw a knowing look at me (might have been the pickle relish though) and on to Caribbean Plaza to ride POTC again. That is a ride I could do 10 times and not get sick of, the ship and fort battle is superb and Johnny Depp’s alter ego is great. As I left the ride (whoever came up with the idea of having a ride exit into a gift shop is diabolically clever, I want to hire him!!) I saw a crowd gathered around outside the queuing area. There was a pirate named Mack who was talking to the crowd about how to become a pirate, and trying to call out Jack Sparrow. Out of the crowd comes witty Jack, as he walked by he tapped some guy on the shoulder in passing and snuck up on Mack as the other pirate was berating the fact that Jack Sparrow wasn’t there…to which Sparrow corrected him by saying “Captain, captain Jack Sparrow!” The rest was a pirate tutorial that was very funny, and Jack was a dead ringer for Depp. Highly recommended for pirate fans, Depp fangirls and guys who like a good larf. From there I strolled through Adventureland, and at a spot just opposite the Golden Horseshoe Revue was a meet and greet for Donald Duck, in a Davey Crockett hat and buckskin jacket, and the line was short, so I did what any fan of the Duck would do, and got his autograph and a pic. He was very much in character, the kid before me he covered up the mouse ears on the kid’s hat, I got in his good graces by saying that I liked his cartoons better as a kid, he got very animated about that. After the pic and the autograph I said “Remember the Alamo!” as I left. That kind of left me misty eyed, because the trip was winding down and I really and truly got into the spirit of Disney. I made it a point to stay for the “Share a Dream Come True” parade, which I enjoyed, I can tell you that if I saw it several months or even a week previous I would have scoffed at it for being ‘sappy’ but I loved it. I stuck around for another showing of “Dream Along with Mickey” then headed back to the hotel for some cocktails at the Lounge, then hopped on the first bus at the bus stop, which took me to the Hollywood Studios. On an impulse I checked out the “Walt, an American Dream”, it was very insightful, and had some very cool miniatures of the original Sleeping Beauty Castle, Cinderella Castle at WDW, the Disneyland Paris Castle and more, so it was good. I took the plunge and sat through the entire bit of “Beauty and the Beast, the Musical”. The production value was great, and I was amazed at Belle’s singing (and that IS her singing, not pulling an Ashlee Simpson). I actually was chocked up a the climax, and gave the performance a standing ovation. A quick stop by a refreshment stand for a beer, then off to the Animation Courtyard to check out “Voyages of the Little Mermaid.” And yeah, I was the only solo guy there, but y’know what? What happens in WDW, stays in WDW. The opening puppet act with the crab singing “Under the Sea” was great, Ursula was well-rendered and Ariel was wonderful. If this trip has taught me anything, it is that ANYONE can discover the magic, if only for the time they are at WDW. By this time it was getting late, and I decided to head back to the room and order up room service. I ordered up a medium-well 1/3 pound burger, crab cakes and some Heineken and settled in to watch the animated Robin Hood on the Toon Disney Channel…Burger: $15, Crab Cakes: $11.95, 6 bottles of Heineken: $40, delivery charge & gratuity $20, watching a cartoon you haven’t seen in 20 years…priceless.
Theeennn, I got a call from my contact. It appears that some high-ranking mucky-mucks that I was trying to court at the conference wanted to paint the town red, and wanted your Humble Friend and Narrator to join them. I looked at the three empties and the three full ones in the ice bucket and the comfy bed longingly, but business and duty calls. My contact drove (he drank diet-Red Bull, so he was our DD, remember, don’t drink and drive, kids!) myself and our German friends to Margaritaville, where we drank `ritas, listened to Jimmy Buffet and reasonable facsimiles karaoke to his music and tried with limited success to hit on the local female population. I had the most luck of the bunch (at 30 I was the young whelp of the bunch, hey I actually got carded at the door!!) but decided against closing the deal as the young lady in question would have to share a car ride with a carload of intoxicated middle-aged Germans and a younger but still drunk dude. I didn’t get back to the hotel room until 2am, I know I got there but I don’t know how I got to my room or how I got into bed….
Next: Saturday, How Hangovers Hurt More as you get Older, and Why it’s not good to Nurse a Hangover at 1900 Park Fare Brunch…

[mouseketeer mom]

Fun report! I agree about Casey's..something about those hot dogs. We never miss it.

[Altair]

(speaking of which, how do you upload photos into a thread?)

You need to upload them to a photo sharing website such as Webshots or Flickr or others. Most of these are free up to a certain number of photos.
After you have them on a website, you just link to the album or photos.

[Frank Bullitt]

Anyone heard the song from Johnny Cash about “Woke up Sunday mornin’ with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt…” ? That is how Saturday arrived more me, my body painfully reminding me that I am 30 and not in college any more. After a cold shower and some “Smart Water” I felt well enough to stagger to the parks in time to see the opening ceremony for MK, still gets me every time. I checked out the Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, and it was very good! The interaction with the monsters on screen and the audience was great, the jokes were suitably corny and the slug Roz was very funny. Highly recommended, but watch out if you go, you might be singled out to dance to the Monster’s Disco dance LOL. I had a 10:10 ADR for 1900 Park Fare, and debated cancelling it because of my current condition and how I had heard that it was very loud. As it was I just went, figuring it was my last full day and I would kick myself if I didn’t. I posted a review of it in the Dining section of the Forum, but I’ll re-cap. I had heard how boistrous it could be ('organized bedlam' was the term most used) but it was surprisingly low Key. I arrived about 5 minutes early and was seated very quickly in the main room with the calliope and the buffet area. Lynette was my server and was busy but very helpful. I was surprised that it was much lower key than I was expecting, but I was in the main room, and it was fairly empty at 10:10, still it was a pleasant surprise. And that morning I was feeling somewhat fragile from the previous night so the Spicy Bloody Mary was a welcome addition, after two of those I was ready to tackle the buffet. The food is top notch, I have eaten at buffets in higher end hotels like Hyatt-Regency and Le Meriden and so forth, but this is better. It has the unique offerings that adults like but I also saw kid-friendly offerings, usually it's one or the other, so the wide variety was welcome. I would like especially to single out the lobster benedict (poached eggs with lobster meat in a hollandaise sauce) the strawberry soup was delish and the bacon was done just right. They also had a create your own omlette station.
The Characters were nice; that morning it was Pooh, Tigger, Alice and the Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins. They were all very friendly, in spite of me being a 30 year old solo guy wearing a gray sports jacket and jeans and somewhat hungover. Tigger ribbed me gently about working on my Blackberry and 'tasted' my drink, Pooh high-fived me and was happy to hear that I liked watching him when I was younger. Alice was very energetic and friendly, she asked me where I was from and when I responded ‘Kansas’ she said “Really, do you know Dororthy?” Which elicited a chuckle from me and she told me that someone mistook her for Dorothy that morning, to which I replied, “Clearly they don’t know, Dorothy was a brunette.” She probably stayed at my table the longest, when she saw my Bloody Mary she said “Good Heavens, did they put something in your drink?” (referring to the celery), I replied “Well, that is the only thing you can keep down when you’re hungover.” She then said, “Oh, so you mean hungover like the chandelier?” There was more but I forgot most of it. By far it was the best character interaction I had on the trip. Mary Poppins was very sweet and complimented me on being so well-dressed for breakfast. She asked if the conference I was attending was a “Nanny conference,” and she did call me on the 'just getting autographs for my nieces' excuse, but was very sweet about it, something like "You know, you don't have to pretend, we don't mind seeing nice well-mannered gentlemen like yourself." The Mad Hatter seemed someone sullen, probably because he had seen me shamelessly flirting with the ‘female’ face characters, I also was messing with him by asking server if he was an hallucination brought on by the DT’s, but it was a good experience.
All in all I give it a very resounding 2 thumbs up, I would probably recommend a later breakfast or very early to avoid the crowds, I believe someone on the forums said that the other room (narrow) was louder and to avoid it at all costs.
I am going to cut this short (meeting to get to) but I will continue Saturday with a second Visit to Akershus and a Truly Magical Moment at the Toontown fair

[Frank Bullitt]

After park Fair I took the ferry back to the Poly and hoofed it to the TTC to take the Epcot Monorail. I didn’t get a chance to ride Soarin’ but I did get ride Mission: Space. Because I was recovering from the previous night’s overindulgence I opted for the milder version, and it was very realistic. There are buttons, lever and toggle switches you can push, you are assigned as a Pilot, Engineer or two other roles (I don’t remember) I was the engineer, all I had to do was push a button, but it was very cool. I spent the remainder of the afternoon killing time in the World Showcase until my 4:25 ADR at Akershus. I did see where Belle did her meet and greet in France, as it was chilly that morning she was out in her blue dress and a cloak. I debated getting a pic with her, but the Beast was there as well, and I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. There were a lot more people in Epcot that day, there was some National Dance Competition that Disney World was hosting, so the place was wall-to-wall with high-schoolers in their dancing uniforms and school colors. They were very loud and more than a little annoying.
But 4:25 rolled around and I checked in at the desk and was ushered in shortly thereafter. All of the guys remembered me and said “Welcome back!” I even got Veronica again, and she was very happy to see me. Tony the executive chef stopped by my table and greeted me as an old friend, and offered to treat me to a shot of Aquavit.
All of the princesses remembered me from the first time, and were every bit as sweet. Jasmine remembered me and when I apologized for being in a “fowl mood” she said “That’s alright, Jafar puts me in a bad mood, too. Maybe he put a hex on your presentation!” Ariel was an absolute dear and even remembered my name (I don’t remember giving it, but it was still cool!) and offered to get a picture with my ‘flashy memory box’. She also recommended the chocolate cake as it was her favorite, and made me promise to go and see her friend Nemo. The head CM host delivered me a shot of the Aquavit “With the compliments of the Head Chef” and then Paul the Restaurant Manager stopped by my table to chat me up and make sure everything was satisfactory. I guess not too many ‘suits’ show up to the Princess Storybook Dining, but it was all very nice. The Aquavit was stronger than vodka but had a nice taste and was served ice-cold. And as the princesses left they all said goodbye to me, Ariel called me by my name and said to see her again…needless to say between the wonderful service, the lovely princesses and the shot of aquavit I floated, rather than walked out of, Akershus on cloud 9.
I headed back over to the MK and did the whirlwind tour and re-rode all the rides that I had ridden, rested on a park bench doing ‘people watching’ and general felt that all was right in the world. I saw Spectromagic the parade, and was suitably impressed by all the lights, and then Wishes. Wishes did make me a bit sad, because it reminded me how great this place was, and that I would be leaving soon. As a pick-me-up I waltzed over to the Toontown Fair and picked up some of the parade and music CD’s, then saw that there was a 15 minute wait for the princesses. I smiled. It had been 6 days previous that I was the arrogant jerk who felt like he was too old to be getting his picture taken with princesses, and now I was a changed man. So I waited in line, oblivious to the weeping and gnashing of teeth that was going on in the “Pixie Hollow” line (105 minute wait!!). It was Aurora, Cindy and Belle in her yellow dress. All of them were very sweet, referring to your Humble Friend and Narrator as a “Handsome Prince”. Aurora showed me how to pose like a prince, Cinderella was very friendly and Belle loved my pink Brooks Brothers shirt. Photopass did an excellent job of taking the pictures (JoJo, one of the photo pass CM’s said that she had taken 1700 pics that day) I will have to get those pics uploaded soon. Finally, it was almost 9:30pm, so I bade farewell to the princesses and headed back to the Poly and prepared for my last morning in this magical place.
Next, the last Welcome Melody, the last Casey’s hotdog and Last Thoughts

[mouseketeer mom]

The last full day is always bittersweet...thanks for reporting!

[Frank Bullitt]

Sunday morning came early thanks to a 6am wake-up call. I was determined to be packed, checked out of my room, my luggage checked in at bell services and still make it in time for the opening ceremony of the MK. After a quick shower and getting dressed quickly, I started the process of gathering up my stuff and getting it packed away. The park maps and brochures were tough to look at, since each one had a specific magical memory, I couldn’t bring myself to toss `em so I went ahead stuffed them in my briefcase.
At 7 I was dressed and about 75% packed up, so I called bell services for help with my ponderous Samsonite and at exactly 7:15 they showed up and helped me with my luggage. I was checked out of my room and my luggage was stored with bell services, and I still had enough time to grab a cappuccino at Kona Island before catching the monorail to the MK one last time. I heard the spiel say “For those of you who have just joined us, Aloha!” and almost chocked. At the MK I arrived early enough to see a lucky family being pulled aside by a CM to help Mickey open the MK, and watched the Opening Ceremony (I was easy to spot, btw, close to the center and waving a grey fedora at Mickey & co.) When the park opened I rode the Haunted Mansion one last time, POTC one last time, and Space Mountain. Then I walked around the park, checking out anything I had missed. I then rode the train from Frontierland back to Main Street and ate a cheese and sauerkraut hotdog, watched Dream Along with Mickey one last time and spent the last 20 minutes at the MK on the upper deck of Main Street Station looking out over Main Street Square. I saw Pluto and the chipmunks doing meet and greets in the square, off to one side where the firehouse was Daisy was greeting her fans, and in one corner by Tony’s Snow White was doing a meet and greet. It made me feel better, seeing all those people happy.
Then with a heavy heart I left my seat and walked out through the exit of the MK, some nice young lady with oversized Mickey gloves said “See you Real Soon!” to which I replied “Absolutely!” I rode the monorail back to the Poly, briefly chocked up again as it entered the TTC because the spiel said “If this concludes your visit to Walt Disney World we hope you enjoyed yourself and have a safe trip home…” Back at the Polynesian I went up to the Tambu Lounge and had one last Passion Mojito and then went down to the lounge area by bell services, where a TV was showing some Pluto cartoon. I saw a family come to check in, fresh off the Magic Express bus and get their lei’s, but instead of feeling depressed I smiled. Because that family is experiencing that same great feeling I felt on that Sunday a week ago (it seemed like an eternity ago), taking in all the cool sights for the first time. The bus Arrived, and the driver was a hoot, saying “If you are happy with my driving, you can call me Bill, but if for whatever reason you were dissatisfied, my name is Fred. I don’t like him.” And giving some whimsical commentary on some of the new attractions, including the Yak & Yeti” restaurant: “What were the guys in WDW thinking when they named this restaurant? Honestly who is going to go to a place to eat when the first name of the place is ‘Yack?’ and other stuff. The video was also pretty uplifting, sentimental without making a fella feel sad. At MCI, I got my ponderous suitcase checked in, got to my gate without a hitch and had a nice flight back. At 9 o’clock at night, I made it home and got to bed, dreaming up plans for my next trip to the `World

Final Thoughts: This trip proved one thing to me, it doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you are young, young at heart; Disney World has magic. It has that ability to change someone who only had a passing interest in Disney, who scoffed at folks who spoke of the ‘magic of Disney’ and ‘pixie dust’, to allow him if only for a brief time to regain that child-like sense of wonder and innocence that too often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of today’s business world. Even now, and it hasn’t even been a week yet, this morning I found in my suit jacket pocket a park hours brochure for the Magic Kingdom, and still remember the good times. It won’t last, probably in another month I will be saying to myself ‘what was I thinking?’ but it doesn’t matter. This trip has proven to me that you can take the magic home with you, as long as you believe in it. And at least for now, while those treasured memories are still fresh in my mind, I still believe. And you’d bet your bottom dollar I’m going back…

[DixieBelle]

Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Thanks for sharing!

[mouseketeer mom]

Awww...great recap..and you got me when you mentioned the monorail spiels. I could hear it in my head! Thanks for the reports! I enjoyed every one!

[tinkergal]

I enjoyed the sentimentality of your trip report, final thoughts especially, as much as any I've ever read!

In the bitter cold of winter & w/ 7 more mos. 'til I return to the Magic, this made me smile, laugh, & even get a little misty!

Thanks for sharing.

[Frank Bullitt]

Woo-hoo! Finally able to download the photopass pics







Yeah, and I admit it, that smirk on my face is due to the little ankle-biters wondering why their beloved princesses are spending so much time with the Ayn Rand Man

[mouseketeer mom]

Great pictures!! I especially like the one with Cinderella..she's so cute. Thanks!

[DizNee143]

i absolutely loved reading about your trip...so glad you were able to get in alot of disney while on a business trip (hope everything went good business wise for ya!)..
thanx for sharing it with us!!

[Altair]

I just want to say thank-you for putting your entire report in one thread. It was much easier to follow and didn't take up as much space. I think it should be required to do it this way.
They were also well written.

[TikiGoddess]

I just want to say thank-you for putting your entire report in one thread. It was much easier to follow and didn't take up as much space. I think it should be required to do it this way.
They were also well written.

I think you're right... next one I write will be done the same way.

As for the trip report -- awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it. It's neat to hear about a first timer's trip... someone just discovering the magic... and from a perspective we don't often hear from.

Thanks for brightening my morning!
Kathy

[TikiGoddess]

Oops, sorry just noticed you're not a first-timer when I read your pretrip report. LOVE the Music Man, by the way. Performed in it twice on stage when I was in college. You've inspired me to listen to "Rock Island".

"But ya gotta know the territory!"

Kathy

[Frank Bullitt]

Oops, sorry just noticed you're not a first-timer when I read your pretrip report. LOVE the Music Man, by the way. Performed in it twice on stage when I was in college. You've inspired me to listen to "Rock Island".

"But ya gotta know the territory!"

Kathy

heh that's cool. Yeah I actually like the Music Man, and no offense to Matthew Broderick but Robert Preston IS the Music Man...
I was also pleasantly surprised that they pipe in as "ambient music" on Main Street USA the "Wells Fargo Song" and "Gary, Indiana". Thanks for all the comments and the views, a few more and it will be at 1,000! I still have more pics to upload (scanner is broke, but working onnit)
And I'm already angling for a trip some time in Sept or Oct, so stay tuned!

[faline]

Looks like you got lots of Disney time in despite needing to "work"!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[kms1066heb]

Thanks SO MUCH for your trip report! Having been away from the World for 2 years, your post was great reading. I really liked the single traveler point of view. And way to go spending time with the characters and princesses - they ARE NOT just for the kids! Great picutres!

K