[Andrea]

It was just me (36) and Rob, my DH, on our trip to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. I know I have a tendency to highlight negative things, so read it like this: assume I am having an absolutely fabulous time at every moment between the less-fabulous ones that I mention!

Well, we left about an hour later than I’d hoped on Friday night, but that wasn’t problem because, hey, at least we left. Down the road we went, the long drive down I-75. For those of you who have undertaken that drive, you ought to know I have my suspicions about those “spas” they advertise on those billboards. Also, I noted that one particular billboard no longer proclaims that Jesus is Lord at Sheffield’s Country Kitchen. Probably got fired from his job as night manager, too.

Finally we hit Lake City, FL, where several months ago I had made a reservation for us to stay at the Best Western. We got in… and no reservation. Finally, the woman at the desk tells us that the reservation had been canceled and there were no more rooms available.

Why was it canceled? Apparently when they ran the credit card that morning to secure the reservation, it was declined. And NO ONE HAD BOTHERED TO CALL ME. I was home all day and could have easily straightened this out. The woman at the counter doesn’t care. She just shrugs. She got on an hour ago. She doesn’t know why no one called me.

I had been very nice up until that point. Mix-ups happen. But her apathy just completely pushed me over the edge. Instead of being apologetic and kind, this woman is just telling me in this “I don’t give a ****” voice that there aren’t any rooms, too bad, she doesn’t care if anyone screwed up. I was LIVID. And here’s where my own behavior totally deteriorated. I slammed my reservation for the return trip on to the counter and told her to cancel it.

And then I did something I never do. I actually said, “Screw you!” as I walked out the door. (It wasn’t directed personally at her. Just sort of at her and the whole hotel. This was so out of character for me that Rob made fun of me over this remark for the rest of our trip.)

A few blocks down the road there was a Days Inn. So, is anyone watching My Name is Earl? Funny show. Anyway, that moth-eaten hotel where Earl and his brother live? Yeah, it was just like that. Same view of a questionable pool, too. But it was fine.

We were on our way around 8am, played Trivial Pursuit as we drove (Rob won, as per usual), and pulled into Port Orleans Riverside around 11am. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was. I was just bouncing up and down. It was a short line at registration, and we quickly got all of our stuff. I was even so excited by the pull-toilets in the bathrooms off the lobby.

And when we got to the room, I was really disappointed. I tried not to be, and tried not to let it bother me. But it was the opposite of everything I had requested. The last thing I wanted was a view of the parking lot right outside my door. There wasn’t anything to be done about it, though, it was all they had available in Alligator Bayou with a King bed. So I was unhappy, but wasn’t going to let it ruin my vacation. I’d been upset with it, and then decided it was going to have to be okay and I should just focus on the little Mickey heads on the bedspread, which delighted me to no end.

Besides, Epcot was calling! So we waited a short time for my very first ride on a Disney bus. The bus driver, like most of the drivers we encountered (with the exception of a fun driver on the last day), wasn’t exactly personable, but was in no way objectionable. Still, Disney bus! Yay!

It was just before 1pm, and all the Soarin’ fastpasses were gone. The line was at 80 minutes, and we decided to go for it as we really didn’t have any plans that day besides wandering around. The 80 minutes was about right. The preshow with Patrick Warburton cracks me up every time. “And that includes these little beauties…” Hee!

The ride was fantastic as usual, except for the guy next to me who wouldn’t shut up for the entire experience! Let me paint you a picture. He’s probably about 40. With a PERM. Not huge, but pretty chunky. And obviously so incredibly impressed with himself for having a 20 year old girlfriend. Well, he had to impress her with his knowledge of EVERY SINGLE THING on the flight. “That’s Camarillo!… That’s Yosemite!… That’s a golf ball.” Yes, indeedy, he even identified the small white orb that was hit with a golf club as...a golf ball. Who'd have thought?

After Soarin’, we wandered over to the World Showcase, starting with Mexico. Ah, El Rio Del Tiempo… everything anyone ever said about your cheesiness is absolutely true.

In Norway I just completely fell in love with Maelstrom. I love the strange combination of serious and silly, and the trolls that come out of the ground (or are they tree trunks with eyes? Troll-trees?) just cracked me up. After the show, the Norwegian kid who was guiding us to the show and then introducing the movie was a hoot. Obviously bored with his job, he’s decided to turn it into his own private show, with him as a game show announcer. “And HEEEERE…. Is where you will walk through the doors to the FILM!” Too funny. He even had the haircut: he wants to be the Ryan Seacrest of Norway.

We wandered the rest of the showcase, just browsing, and got as far as Morocco before we had walk across the bridge and down onto the Boardwalk for our dinner reservation. Spoodles! As I’m mentioned before, the restaurant was chosen solely because its name just cracks up my four year old son.

Our wait was short. The olive oil with olive chunks that they bring out before your meal is so good that I wanted to slurp it up as a beverage. I did not, however; I managed to maintain some sense of decorum. Rob really loved the lamb kefkas appetizer, but I thought it was a little too salty. He had the seafood stew which he said was good, I had the chicken, which was not. When my waitress asked how it was and I told her nicely that it was too dry, she offered to see if they had a sauce for it. Seriously. Not “let me get you another one”, not “can I bring you something else”, but “maybe they’ve got some sauce”! Anyway, I didn’t like the toasted couscous, and the tomato, spinach, and capers that were supposed to be part of the dish were virtually non-existent. So it wasn’t a huge hit; a combination of not so great food and my own mistake in ordering. Still, I’d go back for that olive oil!

Using the dining plan went off without a hitch.

After dinner, we really enjoyed a performer on the Boardwalk. A little group sing, a little magic, a lot of silliness with kids. He and his partner were terrific.

We went back to Epcot for Illuminations. I completely annoyed a woman by committing the grievous sin of… being there before her. Rob and I sat down with our backs against the railing of the International bridge to wait, and she just couldn’t stand that we were there. She actually pushed in so close to us that she was straddling my feet. It was just bizarre, but it did allow me and Rob to pass the time until the show by making snarky comments (quietly) to each other about her. It’s not often you can irritate someone by simply… having feet. When the show started and we stood up, she complained loudly to her friends that we are taller than she thought.

It was chilly up on the bridge, but we had a good view from there. Still, hint: don’t stand downwind of the fireworks!

We meandered back to the bus stop afterward, which wasn’t a problem at all despite the dire warnings in the Unofficial Guide about the press of crowds after that show.

And all of THAT is only the first half day! For Day 2, you'll hear all about the Really Stupid Thing I did.

[MerlinMatt]

Originally Posted by Andrea

It’s not often you can irritate someone by simply… having feet. When the show started and we stood up, she complained loudly to her friends that we are taller than she thought.

Aren't people great!

I really liked that one though... complaining about how tall you guys were.

Look at it this way. You and Rob got to walk away from her. Her friends had to deal with her for the rest of the night.

Great report so far. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[jk8]

Thanks for the report. Can't wait for the rest!

[queensmama]

Great report. Stupid stuff we do is always funny after the fact so I cant wait to hear about it.

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by queensmama

Great report. Stupid stuff we do is always funny after the fact so I cant wait to hear about it.

Same here.....cannot wait to hear your stupid story

[Cosmicwaves]

Originally Posted by Andrea

The ride was fantastic as usual, except for the guy next to me who wouldn’t shut up for the entire experience! Let me paint you a picture. He’s probably about 40. With a PERM. Not huge, but pretty chunky. And obviously so incredibly impressed with himself for having a 20 year old girlfriend. Well, he had to impress her with his knowledge of EVERY SINGLE THING on the flight. “That’s Camarillo!… That’s Yosemite!… That’s a golf ball.” Yes, indeedy, he even identified the small white orb that was hit with a golf club as...a golf ball. Who'd have thought?

Hehehe, what a loser!
Anywho...can't wait for more!!!!

[lovemysons]

Oh I am so glad you posted a tr. I am seriously out of control today. Can not focus on anything, so this made me sit still and read it. How dare you be taller than she thought you were. The nerve of some people.

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by lovemysons

Oh I am so glad you posted a tr. I am seriously out of control today. Can not focus on anything, so this made me sit still and read it. How dare you be taller than she thought you were. The nerve of some people.

Oh no! Your adult ADD is kicking in! Great report so far!

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by lovemysons

Oh I am so glad you posted a tr. I am seriously out of control today. Can not focus on anything, so this made me sit still and read it. How dare you be taller than she thought you were. The nerve of some people.

You are leaving soon. I would be out of control myself. I forget, how long will you lucky people get to do the Disney thing?


sorry for threadjacking--back on track and waiting for more trip report

[lovemysons]

Originally Posted by Dopey

You are leaving soon. I would be out of control myself. I forget, how long will you lucky people get to do the Disney thing?


sorry for threadjacking--back on track and waiting for more trip report

11 Days!!!!!!

And, ahem, yes, back to waiting for the next installment of this trip report.

[missy H]

Great TR! I just love to get the better of someone who thinks they have one over on you! What a cheek for you to be tall!

[Andrea]

Day Two: In Which I Am Just Plain Dumb

Sunday was beautiful, and we headed back to Epcot to spend the day. I love getting a preshow before the park opens, it just makes the day for me! I was pretty far back so I don’t think I got much of a picture of the double-decker bus, but I’ll have to wait and see. (Borrowed a digital camera that’s far better than mine, but I don’t have the cables or software to upload the pictures yet!).

In any case, there was Mickey, greeting me. He was there for me personally. Mickey loves me.

A lot of people headed for Soarin’, so we just picked up fastpasses for about 10:30- this was at 9am. We went over to Test Track, but something was going wrong with it and it wasn’t open yet. Then we headed for Mission Space, and this is where my tale of woe really begins.

I had been seriously questioning whether I should get on MS. Spinning and me, we’re just not friends, and we're best not even having a passing acquaintance. BUT… I really wanted to go. I’m kinda into space stuff. I questioned how bad it could really be.

So after a very short wait, we’re in there, getting through all the preshow, and then we’re in the capsule. And we get all closed in (no problem), and I’m watching the monitor, and I’m thinking that hmm, somehow Gary Sinise is probably talking and actually making sound, not just moving his mouth.

Sure enough, they stopped, pulled us out, took us over to the other side. As we walked around, one of the women who was in the capsule with us asked the CM about the warnings and whether or not she should ride. As the CM said, “There are 22 (or was it 42?) separate warnings about this attraction. If any of them resonate with you, don’t do it.”

And I’m thinking… yeah… I get serious motion sickness with spinning. But I’ll be fine. I’m tough! I can handle it! I am mentally prepared!

I am an idiot.

I stared straight ahead. I tightly clenched down on the mint that was in my mouth. I concentrated really hard on doing my assigned tasks.

And afterwards, I could only think, what have I done????

But the nausea seemed to pass pretty quickly. I still felt strange, still not quite right, but not horribly sick.

What would a sensible person do at this moment?

Ride Test Track. Of course.

I am REALLY an idiot!

The thing is that I genuinely enjoyed most of Test Track. I was having a great time on the ride… right up until that loooooong curve at the end.

And that was the end of me.

I felt AWFUL. I felt like I could barely walk. I sat down on a bench for a while and I must have looked really bad, because a CM came over to ask if I was doing okay. I assured her that I was, but… not so much.

I then did something that I NEVER imagined myself doing: I actually went back to the hotel to lie down. This is just NOT in my personality. I am a Disney Commando! The idea of abandoning a park for something as ridiculous as resting is one I would dismiss as crazy.

But I did. I told Rob he should stay and have some fun, but he chose to come back with me. When we finally got there, I just burrowed under the covers and went to sleep. Rob went to go read the paper and sit by the river with a cup of coffee.

When he returned to the room I had just awakened, feeling much better. And Rob said, “I have some bad news. We have to pack up.”

For a moment this gave me a start that Rob did NOT intend. See, his mother’s been in the hospital and I was afraid that something had happened. But no, Rob continued, “I switched our room. A lot of people checked out this morning. We’re on the second floor on the inside.”

How sweet was that? I want to be clear that I hadn’t been sulking AT ALL about the room or had given any indication beyond the original disappointment that I wasn’t happy. But Rob wanted to make sure I was completely, magically happy, so he switched our room. He said he didn’t want to worry that I was secretly unhappy. Heehee.

So as I was feeling revived, we packed up and moved rooms, into 2856. I loved it. It was on a corner and overlooked lots of trees. I felt happy when I looked out the window. It was a hike to the lobby (we went there more than I thought we would) and a shorter one to the bus stop, but that sort of thing doesn’t bother us.

We headed back to Epcot, enjoyed the Chinese acrobats and REALLY enjoyed the Japanese drummers. How awesome are they? It was a trio of women that we saw and I couldn’t get over the full body workout that playing those drums appeared to be. I never managed to see the candy woman in Japan, so I’ll have to make sure I do that on our next (fingers crossed) trip.

I don’t know how to judge the crowds there; everything seemed pretty reasonable except the lines for the Food and Wine booths. There were a couple of times where we thought about getting a snack, but the length of the lines just made it completely not worth it. The only thing we managed to try was a salad from Turkey, some cucumber thing with pomegranate sauce. Really good.

And finally… dinner. We ate at the Tangierine Café in Morocco, and I cannot recommend it enough! Of all the places we ate, table service, counter service, 1 or 2 credits, it was my second favorite overall meal. I had the Chicken & Lamb platter, which came with hummus, tabouli, & couscous. (I didn’t like the tabouli, but hey, I never like tabouli). Everything else was AMAZING. I don’t know what they do to the chicken, but I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. If you’re the slightest bit adventurous, make this a MUST DO meal! I simply cannot rave about it enough!

We walked around a bit more after dinner. Rob went to use our Soarin’ fastpasses, but I thought I’d be better off skipping it just for that night. We bought some wine at the Australian booth for some Christmas presents. I wish some of the other countries had been selling full bottles; we were looking for wine from places our relatives haven’t visited, and they’ve been a LOT of places.

After that, it was back to the hotel, in the wonderful tree-view room. Of course, when I woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom I tripped over EVERYTHING- this room was flipped from the layout of our first one, and my brain seemed unable to cope with the difference! How dumb did I feel when I couldn’t figure out how to open the bathroom door. I mean, it WAS 2am… but still!

Day 3:…. Mickey Mouse makes me cry.

[Dana]

loving this report. I like your honesty about your visit. I can't wait to read the rest.

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by Andrea

2856. I loved it. It was on a corner and overlooked lots of trees. I felt happy when I looked out the window. It was a hike to the lobby (we went there more than I thought we would) and a shorter one to the bus stop, but that sort of thing doesn’t bother us.

Hey, that was our room there. Wasn't that fantastic. Who cares how long the hike to the main building is when it's so beautiful to walk. I hope we didn't leave too much of a mess for ya

[pumouse]

That is too cool about the room! Your husband is a sweety pie. That stinks about getting sick, I know how you feel, the same thing happened on the star wars ride last time we went to DL!