House Hunting, Disney World
and All That Jazz!
by Roberta - September 2001

Tuesday, October 2, 2001
Location: Port Orleans, French Quarter

Up by 5:45 a.m. After strolling up to the food court for coffee, I spend the next several hours watching the news and weather (another beautiful day in the 80's with no humidity) and writing down yesterday's events. This morning I'm off to the MK.

I arrived just after 9 a.m. and headed over to Splash and Thunder Mountains. First I stop at the Main Street pin station. One of the current Limited Edition pins that were supposedly sold out (it's the one of Walt and Mickey that says The Imagineer) is available and I buy it to add to my collection. Now I have 2 of the 5. I also trade in the extra interactive Animal Kingdom pin I have for a MK one.

Off I go to Splash Mountain. There is a zero wait and I have a boat all to myself. Foolishly I take the front seat. Caution! Do not sit in the front row of a boat by yourself. I get absolutely soaked going down the big hill at the end. BTMR is also line free.

After riding both mountains I go over to the Diamond Horseshoe Review and have a muffin and OJ. Then it's on to the Haunted Mansion. The wait there is less than 10 minutes. Next stop is Buzz to see if I can improve my score from last week. On the way, I pick up a fast pass for Pooh.

This Buzz ride is decidedly better and my final tally is 889,900. I people watch for a bit and then go to the Pooh ride, by passing a 45- minute wait. Then, having done all that I came to do, I ride around just soaking in the sights and sounds of the MK. On my way out I see some of the Cinderella show in front of the castle. It is really well done and features all of the best-known couples and Villains.

Off to the bus and back to POFQ by 12:30. I get some lunch and head back to the room for a rest. Been having a lot of headaches since I got here. The a/c plays havoc with my sinuses. Before long I am fast asleep.

I come to around 3 and get ready to go to EPCOT. EPCOT is fairly empty. There has been a marked decrease in visitors since the weekend. I have brought my pins for the first time and head over to the pin station in front of the fountain. There are several professional pin traders there. One guy gets a bit huffy when I tell him I don't want to trade any of my collection. I have brought them so that people can look at them. I enjoy seeing what others have and I assume other people do too. I talk to quite a few people. A couple and their profoundly handicapped child come over. I worked with these children before my accident. I have an extra light up pin from the millennium celebration. I approached his mom and asked her if he would like it? He has an interactive pin on one side of his shirt and I tell her it will even things off. She says Thank You so I pin it on and Jeffrey and I make eye contact for just a second. I'm more convinced than ever that this is what I would want to do at Disney. Now, if I can just convince Disney of it!

Jeffrey is the size of a 4 year old but is actually 22, his mother tells me. We talk for a while… More heroes among us! After we say good-bye I reflect on the fact that was certainly the best pin trade I've ever made.

I go over to TT next. Again there is no single rider line and the stand by line is a 25-minute wait. I grab a fast pass. I have my interactive pin on and I've heard that it works on some of the rides so I go to a ride I'm sure won't have a line… JIYI. The CM's there tell me that both Figment and the Dream Finder will be in the new ride but as holograms. Geez! Doesn't Disney get the message?! Well just about anything should be an improvement. My pin doesn't light up in the ride. No surprise there. Nothing else lights up in that ride either.

After watching the fountain again, it's time for my fast pass at TT. The ride is down and I end up waiting about 15 minutes but it is worth it. We really fly. I still haven't gotten to the Boardwalk and it's my last night! How did that happen?? Off I go. I'm looking for a Zodiac pin that says Virgo on it. They have Libra and Scorpio ones but there are no Virgos anywhere. Maybe I'll have some luck tomorrow.

I take a spin around the entire area and have supper at Beaches and Cream. Then I just sit looking out over the water. This is one of my favorite places in all of WDW. When I come back to the park and head down towards America still looking for the Virgo pin the parade starts. I try to get back towards England without much success. The first and last floats cause my pin to start flashing. This is such a neat effect!

Once it ends I'm on my way. I get right behind the benches in front of Canada and end up chatting with a lady from England who is here with her family for a 3-week trip of a lifetime. I tell her she is in the best spot to view the fireworks. They are wonderful and are set off by an amazing full moon in the background. When they are over I wait for a while and then sit up by the fountain just watching the crowd file out.

Finally it is time to go. The bus pulls in just as I arrive. On the bus is a man who actually saw the WTC towers collapse. It gives me the chills listening to his story. I'm back in my room by 10:30 and asleep by 11:30.

Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11