Jen's Birthday Trip to the World

Jen's Birthday Trip to the World

I preface this report by saying that this was an abbreviated trip. On our most recent trip to Walt Disney World (my third and my husband's second) in February 2002, it actually was worthwhile to go ahead and purchase an annual pass. We had been (and still will be) planning to return in January 2003, just before the passes expire. However, I was scheduled to attend a professional conference in Nashville, Tennessee and it was not that much more expensive to add a leg to Orlando. (For those of you back east, it may seem that Nashville and Orlando don't seem that close together, but, when you're coming from Northern California, it looks a bit different!)

Monday, September 16, 2002
AKA "The Wonders of Technology While Waiting"

I will temporarily go out of order in writing this trip report to note that, at this very moment, I am sitting on the floor near the baggage carousel at the Orlando International Airport. When one has time to kill and there's a laptop available, why not start the report? ; ) (Why am I delayed in picking up my baggage? Keep reading and I'll get to it.)

Okay, now to go back to the beginning!

This morning came way too early! While I like to gradually prepare for my trips some days in advance, my husband, on the other hand, always seems to have something going on up until the last minute the night before. Unfortunately, this stress sometimes wears off on me, so between that and the excitement of a Disney trip, it's awfully hard for me to get to sleep the night before!

Anyhow, we get out the door in time this morning to get to the airport.though I realize a bit too late that I should have grabbed my bagel and yogurt smoothie from the fridge that was meant to be my breakfast! Oh, well.

While waiting to board, my husband and someone else recognize each other. (I was not acquainted with this individual.) It ends up that it was the husband of a co-worker of Keith's. It just so happens that Keith carpools with her as well, so he made the rather fitting joke that, instead of ride sharing with the wife today, he was ride sharing with her husband! (Example of the wonders of technology #1: Keith uses his two way pager to send e-mail to the wife, to share this joke.)

The trip to Minneapolis is fairly uneventful.

Going to Orlando, though, we hit some pretty bad turbulence. It was kind of interesting to see how fellow passengers alternated between feeling awe at the beauty of the clouds (we were completely surrounded by big, puffy ones) and not liking the feeling that comes with "bumping into" them. I felt like I was on my first ride of my trip already - though on an attraction I usually AVOID, like Tower of Terror!

This is my fourth trip to Orlando. Each and every time prior to this trip, as we get close to our destination, I've always kept an eye open, thinking maybe I could spy some Walt Disney World landmarks from the air. I've looked and looked. This time, there was a momentary break in the clouds. Keith just happened to peek out the window, since there was temporarily actually something to see other than clouds. Lo and behold, he spotted Spaceship Earth! I was really delighted, and a bunch of other passengers also peered out to their right upon Keith's exclamation. Then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, it clouded over again. Keith said it must have been all that magic down there clearing that small air space over Disney World.

Upon our descent, the weather was clear, but it began to pour as we taxied in to the gate.

Once inside the airport, Keith wanted to get to the baggage carousel and get on our way, only there was just a big crowd at the carousel, no luggage. It ends up that the same lightning show we were being treated to was making it too dangerous for anyone to go out on the tarmac.

Initially, as we waited, people were optimistic and kept their standing posts. After a while, though, gradually more and more fellow passengers simply sat down on the ground. I managed to find a spare piece of paper to jot down some trip notes when Keith got the idea to pull out the laptop and begin writing my report that way.

At long last, the lightning went away and the crew was able to pick up the luggage. By now, a number of flights had backed up due to this luggage problem, so it also meant a wait for Mears to pick us up. We arrived at the airport after seven, but it was almost 10PM by the time we were en route to the hotel. (And though I would have expected Port Orleans French Quarter to be one of the first stops, I think the driver dropped off at the hotel that was most far away!)

My gosh, I was so hungry! I was fearful that we would get to the French Quarter, to find that food service had ended. (Back in February, at Port Orleans Riverside, the food court had closed around 10PM.)

It was close to 11 when we arrived at long last. My husband, who loves to play the accent guessing game, was having a grand time as we met some North Carolina cast members at check-in and the man who helped take our baggage to the room was from Arkansas.

Throughout all of this, I have been taking in all of the themeing of the resort. I can see why Port Orleans Riverside has been made a sister hotel, though they are each unique to themselves as well. Where Riverside is sedate, French Quarter is festive. It has a lot more visual "noise" than Riverside, with the huge masks in the food court to the mural of revelers in the lobby to the jazz playing alligators that parade the path to the swimming pool.

Upon entering our room, I was delighted to spy the cutest basket in the shape of a Mickey head containing some fresh fruit, a box of crackers, some spreadable cheese, and chocolate toffee, with a note wishing me happy birthday from "my family at Walt Disney World."

Having set everything in our room, it was time for FOOD! Although the full array is not available at that late hour, we still had our choice of some pasta and related dishes. Keith really enjoyed his sausage and pepper sub, while I had pasta and meatballs, complete with a breadstick and salad. It was more than I needed at that time, so Keith finished off what I didn't eat.

At this point, we were ready for bed!

Tuesday, September 17
AKA "A Magical Birthday"

I have celebrated a birthday in Disneyland before, so I had a certain level of anticipation and excitement toward celebrating one in Disney World for the first time. Upon waking up, Keith had set up the laptop and polled for e-mail. I was tickled to see all of the birthday greetings and e-cards from family, friends, and fellow Disney folks.

We breakfasted in the food court, where Keith proclaimed that the French Quarter is nice, but he thinks that he likes Riverside better because he likes low key more. I have happy memories, though, in hearing the music that is played there, especially "When the Saints Go Marching In" because it reminds me of the time I saw Harry Connick, Jr. in concert and what an excellent, fun show it was.

I say that I want to start my day in the Magic Kingdom. Right as we get ready to go through the turnstyle, Keith's phone rings. It's my grandmother, to wish me a happy birthday.

Once in the park, our first stop, of course, is to City Hall, where I ask for a birthday button and I'm told that someone "in the family" has left a message, do I want to take the call? It's Goofy doing, well, a rather goofy rendition of the happy birthday song. We also make a priority seating reservation for a late dinner at Boma.

Next on my agenda is finding the passholder merchandise. I could remember the names of all the stores in the other parks, but I have blanked on the Magic Kingdom location. It takes talking with a couple of cast members in other stores before I finally think to ask if there's a place with "Tony" or "exhibition" in the name to be told that there's an Exhibition Hall next to Tony's restaurant. (I'm getting more and more familiar with navigating the World, but I still have a lot to learn, too.)

I find the place, but it's also busy with people needing help with or dropping off film (and, sadly, some of the folks don't seem to be following the idea that queues exist in stores, too!) At last, though, I get the prizes I've been seeking. I tuck the bags into my backpack and we're off to do some attractions.

I decide that we should visit Winnie the Pooh first, which ends up being a good plan because it has a 40 minute wait already, but Fastpasses are available with a window half an hour later. (On my last trip, I've learned that unless it's a short wait, it's better to Fastpass since it's not only a ride that tends to have a long queue, it's a noisy queue due to so many young children waiting there.)

Having only seen the line for Pooh, I have no idea how crowded the park actually is. (I've found that, even during off season, it always feels busier at Walt Disney World than Disneyland during the same time frame and that may initially skew my impression of how crowded - or not - it truly is.) At Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, I'm expecting a similar long line, but am pleasantly surprised to see that the standby line is 10 minutes (though the actual wait felt like less than half that).

In the same half hour, we ride Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Space Mountain, too. I'm really liking that everything is a walk-on.

As we navigate through the park, I am periodically greeted with "happy birthday" from cast members who see my button.

We also take in Country Bear Jamboree. This is doubly a treat because, not only do the Bears no longer exist at Disneyland, the original show was replaced there some time in the 80s. To Keith it feels like a new experience because he did not make nearly the number of trips to the park as I did as a child. (He's become a Disney fan through conversion. ) He says, though, that he prefers the Vacation Hoedown.

I'm getting hungry and we've decided that the Garden Grill is where we want to have to have lunch. I stop by the bathrooms first near Adventureland, while Keith goes on the hunt for a particular souvenir for a co-worker. He does not find what he is looking for, but has a delightful conversation with cast member Luisa, originally from Tijuana, Mexico. She is such a Disney fan, she says that once she finishes with her time there, she wants to return and enter the college program and, when she completes the college program, she wants to work for the cruise line.

As we're getting ready to leave Magic Kingdom, Keith sees a rare opportunity: the area in front of the Mickey planter is empty. He takes my picture, although I am sad to be leaving as I'm not expecting to be back at Magic Kingdom before the end of my trip.

En route to the TTC, we ask if we can ride in the front cab and our request is granted. We have a nice conversation with the driver and Keith shoots pictures of the driver and the view out the front window. We make the same request to go to Epcot and are able to repeat the experience.

Once at Epcot, we visit Guest Relations where I ask for their birthday button. Now Keith is making the comment that I'm celebrating two birthdays!

At the Garden Grill, we walk right in, as it's between lunch and dinner. We 're the only table in our server's area and it also means we get lots of attention from Mickey, Pluto, and Chip 'n Dale.

As usual, lunch is wonderful. When another party comes in, Keith is surprised when they say that they don't want any catfish in their skillet because that's one of our favorites.

Around the time we're expecting our dessert, the server comes out not only with the desserts we asked for (Keith prefers dirt and worms to the "adult" desserts), he has plates and a small cake. He is also surrounded by other servers. I was not expecting this! They sing a birthday song with a chorus of "ei ei oh" and I get a certificate afterwards, commemorating my birthday.

There's way too much dessert between the two of us. Keith comments to the characters as they come by that, gee, there's cake left for them, too. Pluto responds by actually sticking his nose in the cake! With frosting smeared on his nose, he tries to smear it on my nose, too! Somehow, I manage to avoid this fate, though Keith snaps a picture that shows just how close it was! ; )

After lunch, we visit the passholder lounge. Our entry in the guest book causes a small stir as we're quite a novelty being Californians.and with annual passes, to boot! We are awestruck by this lounge. We don't want anything to drink as we're satisfied from lunch, but we do wander around to take in the awesome view and plush setting. We also have a chat with Krystyna, from Guest Relations, who works the desk there. She has worked at Epcot for 19 years and is a very sweet, interesting lady.

As we head out, it's started to rain. The weather has really been something. I was following the reports before we left home, but it's not the same thing as actually being out in it. There seems to be debate about whether it's even more humid than usual. I've been ever so glad that I brought a personal fan, as well as Shower to Shower wipes to cool off with.

I am now eager to see the revamped Journey Into Imagination. I actually never saw Journey Into Your Imagination, but I loved the original attraction, so I'm eager to see Figment, now that he's back. At first, I'm disappointed that Figment, in the first scene, doesn't sound all that much like Billy Barty. However, the longer the ride goes on, the more he sounds like the Figment I've always known and loved. My favorite part is the point that begins with Figment's open house and then goes into the finale.

After riding JII, we spend some time playing in the Imageworks. They've included a variation on an exhibit I remember from the past, creating and altering the sound of music by moving one's body. We spend a little while playing with this, as well checking out some of the other kiosks.

We are also fascinated by the things that the photo center has made available. There are machines that can etch designs inside a crystal!

Next, it's on to a merchandise area filled with Figment! I could spend so much money here! I decide to pick just a pen. As we leave, I mention to Keith that I was being reasonable, but that there was a hat and polo shirt I liked. He then asks if I would like the shirt as a birthday present? I say, "Really?" So he goes back in and gets the shirt (and the hat, too, but I was surprised with that when we came back to the room).

By now, it's time to get to Animal Kingdom Lodge, for our Boma reservation. On the bus, we meet a couple that has just gotten married. This is actually the third couple we have met on a bus that had just gotten married on the previous Saturday and was honeymooning in the World! (Each one has also been subjected to the same question from Keith: "Do you still like each other? Yes? You're off to a good start then." )

When we get to Boma, we're actually running late, but it ends up that the restaurant is so quiet at that point that it isn't a big deal. It ends up that the menu was pretty much the same one as when we ate there in February, so we looked forward to certain dishes, such as the nut crusted salmon and chicken pepper pot soup. Next time, in addition to dinner, we're going to try to make arrangements for breakfast, too, since we haven't tried that but have heard it's highly recommended.

Just after I had gone to the dessert section, our server comes out with a plate that has a small cupcake in the center, covered with icing and mouse head sprinkles, with the plate edged with drizzled chocolate reading "happy birthday" and gummy bears and more sprinkles. (He said that he would sing, but we wouldn't want to hear him, so he wasn't going to. ) I was pleasantly surprised yet again by the unexpected. : ) Meanwhile, Keith was using a zebra dome and two chocolate mousse items to make a mouse head. (To show how attentive to service the Disney CMs are, he kept trying to show off his plate to the CMs that were still working. Initially, they asked what the concern was but then were amused to see Keith simply wanted to show off his design!)

Also toward the end of dinner, the chef, Tony, came out to the remaining diners and asked how their meal was. That was rather cool! We engaged in some further conversation and found him to be a delight to speak with.

Next it was time for the long trip back. On the bus to Downtown Disney, we struck up a conversation with the only other passenger. It ends up that he reads (but mostly lurks) at the discussion boards at Laughing Place and is a fellow NFFC member from New Jersey. (Hi, Aaron! : )) While waiting near Pleasure Island (because the buses leaving from DD for the evening has stopped running due to DD being closed), we got to see the "New Year's Eve" fireworks.

Upon arriving back at Port Orleans, we talked a bit more with Aaron before heading back to our room, tired but happy. I had one of my best birthdays. : ) I felt really special from all the attention I received and all of the surprises.

Wednesday, September 18
AKA "The Weather Stinks But the Crowds Are Wonderful"

We wake up to another muggy, warm morning.

This morning, it's off to Animal Kingdom. We repeat some favorites from last trip (Kilimanjaro Safaris and Dinosaur) and experience some things we ran out of time for in February.

Since we missed the last show of Festival of the Lion King last trip, I make a point of finding the passholder lounge to get a priority seating pass. (Later on, I would find that I probably didn't even need it, the crowds were so light!) It takes a little while to figure out exactly where it is since they've closed the blinds off so that the general public can't see in. We get there and fill up on the bottled water and chat with the CM running it. (Yet another one of those folks that loves Disney so much, they decided they wanted to work for the company.) I agree with others who have said that it' s not luxurious like the Epcot one is, but, on a warm, humid day, it's nice to sit down with a fan blowing on you.

>From there, we take advantage of the non-existent Safaris line. Saw lots of neat stuff again. I'm still amazed at how they manage to keep all of the animals in (and prey away from predators) and yet guests don't see the barriers.

We then take the train to Conservation Station. That was an interesting follow-up to Safaris because you get to see part of the backstage area. (I even saw a rock that didn't look like a rock from the backside.) At the Station, we saw and did some neat things. We both really liked the Song of the Rainforest exhibit. Not that you could see much, but I saw them work for a bit on a bat that had something wrong with its wing. (You really couldn't see much of the bat, but you could see the vet staff all around the examining table.)

We were hungry for lunch, so after we returned on the train, we headed back to Pizzafari since Keith thought it smelled so wonderful when we first walked through. We had headed toward the back, for the quiet, and it ended up that the room was supposed to be closed off, but the CM keeping the area clean said that it was perfectly okay for us to go ahead and eat there. It was rather nice to have that space to ourselves and some other CMs also walked by and commented on how peaceful it was. One of the folks that stopped by was an older woman working custodial. She was quite nice and asked about our favorite animals and where we're from. She told us about how she is 63 years old and that this is the best job that she's ever had because she's treated so well and because she loves meeting and talking with people from all over the world. She also shared with us that every room in the restaurant has a different name due to the artwork. (I think she knew we would especially appreciate this since we had talked about how we like to take the time to take in the small details.) The room we were in is the Camouflage Room, while there's also a Colorful room, a Snake room, a Home room (for animals that carry homes with them), and the Upside Down room.

After lunch, we headed to Camp Minnie Mickey. We were on the early side, but it gave us opportunity to go to the restrooms and take it all in.

The Festival of the Lion King was a great show. The singers were talented and the other performers were amazing! I'm not really sure what part I liked best because so much of it was so impressive. I also liked the big puppet Simba, giraffe, elephant, and Pumbaa.

After the show, I wanted to do one of my new WDW favorites, Dinosaur. Right behind us in line was a woman with a young child. I was very impressed that the mother kept asking the girl if she was sure she was okay with going on the ride. I thought this was very impressive, as I have been in line before with parents who insisted that a child was going to ride an attraction and, clearly, the child did NOT want to go! They were seated right next to us, and the little girl did great!

By now, Animal Kingdom was going to be open for a short time. Keith had asked if there was anything else I wanted to do. I said I had wanted to see the new Chester and Hester's area, but that I figured it would be better to wait until January. It ends up, though, that he spied Primeval Whirl and just had to ride it! (Boy, did that make me dizzy!)

When AK closed, we headed for Epcot.

At this point, we were quite thirsty, so I wanted to work our way to Ice Station Cool. Of course, we did pass by Spaceship Earth. I had figured we could save that for later in the day, since it's always open, but Keith wanted to go, and it was late enough in the day that there wasn't any line. (Not that we'd really encountered any lines all day long!) It gave me an opportunity to see the changes that were made as one first ascends. I have to agree with others that the video screens do interfere somewhat with that neat feeling of mystery in the dark tunnel. We had also noticed that we seemed to be going really slow, but couldn't figure out how we could be going slow in just a single section of the ride. (Upon exiting, we inquired with a CM who mentioned that they have the ability to simply slow down the ride, as well as stop it, in order to assist mobility impaired passengers. It just so happens that they were helping a disabled at the moment we were in the tunnel.)

We finally made it to Ice Station Cool - heaven! We'd never been to it before, but I'd heard enough stories about the Beverly! We sampled each and every flavor. (Keith surprisingly really liked the Japanese Veggie Beta, while I liked the lemon and the watermelon.) The Beverly made me think of a nasty six-pack of a San Pellegrino product I purchased once, out of curiosity. (No wonder it came in such teeny, tiny bottles! ; ) )

Being a Figment lover, I insisted we also ride Journey Into Imagination again. (Keith whispered to me that he thought Figment was actually ugly, to which he got an elbow to the ribs!)

We had debated whether we were open to staying for IllumiNations or not, so, in the meantime, we decided to wander through some of World Showcase. Among other things, we checked out the menu at the Rose and Crown to decide if we would like to make priority seating reservations there for watching IllumiNations in January.

I had also told Keith that, despite this being my fourth trip, I'd never seen any of the films, but that this was something I would like to do some time. (On trips with my parents, we always spent far more time in Future World, going on rides and playing with exhibits.) I knew that one was a sit down film, while you had to stand up for others. Being tired from the weather, I decided that I didn't want to do any of the stand up films right then. However, we came into the French Pavilion, just as they were letting in for the next showing of the film. It was quite beautiful and I liked the music. (Keith, however, thought some of the music was so relaxing, he slept through part of it!)

After doing this wandering, Tapestry of Dreams was set to begin. I had planned to work my way toward Mexico, for a viewing spot for IllumiNations. We eventually decided to just stop and watch the rest of Tapestry because it was so challenging to navigate through the crowds anyway. (I don't think they like to encourage people to walk along the parade route because you're forced to cross the pathway multiple times in order to keep walking.)

After the parade, if people weren't already in their spot for IllumiNations, they moved to it. Due to low crowds, it wasn't too hard to find a good spot because, even if you had to stand behind someone, there was just one person in front of you. I even saw people leave after the initial fireworks. I guess they didn't know that the show wasn't over, or else they didn't care for the cool globe effects. (Their loss!)

It was over all too quickly, which made me sad because it meant my leaving the parks behind for the business portion of my travels.

On the bus back to Port Orleans, we ran into Aaron again, though this time we were also able to meet his wife and their children. Aaron had said that he was kind of glad to see me again because he could then wish me a happy unbirthday. (g)

We had a late dinner at the food court. This time, we were actually early enough to have some options besides pizza and pasta, but Keith happened to want another sausage sub. (I had a chicken wrap.)

In trying to figure out if we were sitting in a smoking or non-smoking area, Keith spoke with the person in the lobby who does caricatures. We ended up having a very nice conversation with her, about what it's like working as a contractor for Disney (pays nice, but no discounts and she's referred to as a "participant," as opposed to being a "cast member") and her interest in art. Keith was trying to talk me into having a caricature done, but the store that accepts payment was closing up by then, so I squeaked my way out of it!

Thursday, September 19
AKA "Where does the time go?"

Unfortunately, due the Mears schedule which requires that you be on their bus three hours before your plane leaves, we didn't have time to go to any of the parks. We instead planned this to be the day we took our pictures of the hotel. We had a late breakfast in the food court and rushed to get the photos.

And so it was time to leave Walt Disney World. I look forward to having my full week in January, but, despite the short duration of this trip, I'm glad I went because I still had a wonderful time and definitely recommend celebrating a birthday there! : )