Our Trip Report 5/10 thru 5/17/01 AKL About This Page:

[MajorWoody]

Here is our recent trip report, from our stay at the new Animal Kingdon Lodge. Highlights include the lodge itself, meals at Boma, 50's Prime Time Cafe, 'Ohana, a Keys to The Kingdom Tour, and 2x in the hot seat at the new Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Play It!

This is the pre-trip report below :


Hola all,

The time is winding down, now less then 19 hours till we arrive. This trip
will just be me & my wife, the kids will be with us on the Sep/Oct trip at
the Polynesian.

For this trip, I began searching for discounts in January, and was very
flexible on dates, basically allowing for any openings in May with the
exception of Memorial Day weekend. We maneuvered between the Beach Club,
Contemporary, and Polynesian, all with slight discounts, but eventually
settled on the special Savannah View rate of $179 a night, for 7 nights at
the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We ended up booking this rate in mid March. We
will arrive May 10, and leave May 17th.

We managed to get an early morning flight from Albany, NY, leaving at
7:00am, arriving at MCO at 10:00am, at a cost of $215.50 each r/t. We live
about an hour south of Albany, so that means we will be on the road about
4:30am.

I contacted Tiffany Towncar, and wanted to take a slightly different route.
I asked if they would agree to a one hour stop at the Character Outlet at
Belz, and they agreed to do so for an additional $25, which seemed fair
enough to me. So we will get picked up at MCO, driven to Belz for one hour,
then off to AKL. The return journey will be the standard hotel to MCO. I
also have the $8 coupon for Tiffany thanks to Passporter 2001.

Since this trip doesn't involve the kids, I was more concerned with hitting
different restaurants. I also booked a backstage MK tour for us, which came
to $98 for the two of us, with the AP discounts. I also plan on at least one
jaunt around Seven Seas Lagoon on a watersprite, which also usually has a
slight AP discount.

The rough schedule, which is always open to change, is :


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


Thurs 5/10
Arr DAKL app 1:00pm. Check in, scope out the lodge, and our room. I faxed a
request for a king sized bed, non handicapped on Tues 5/8. We'll see if I
have success with that request. Thurs evening is definitely a trip to the
MK, for Spectromagic. Dinner will either be Liberty Tree Tavern at the MK,
or 'Ohana, depending on crowds.

Fri 5/11
Depending on the weather, either TL or BB, whichever bus arrives first.
Theafternoon/evening is probably MGM, and a stop at the Brown Derby, or
Epcot, to see Marshall Tucker Band at the America gardens Theatre, and
dinner at Le Cellier. Again, this depends on crowds at each park.

Sat 5/12
Most likely a water park in the morning, back to the hotel to change, off to
MGM for the final shows of Doug Live, then off to the MK at night for 2
showings of Spectromagic. Dinner is most likely 'Ohana or Whispering Canyon,
if we already did 'Ohana Thurs then it will be WC, otherwise it will be
'Ohana.

Sun 5/13
Backstage Tour at MK at 10:00am, which includes lunch at Columbia House.
Tour is done around 2:30pm-3:00pm, then off to Epcot, for Mothers Day, and
hopefully Marshall Tucker Band again. Chow down is at Epcot, possibly Chef's
D'France, if we can snag a seat.

Mon 5/14
Most likely Animal Kingdom during the day, Pleasure Island and DD at night.
Dinner possibly at Boma at the Lodge prior to PI/DD.

Tues 5/15
MGM during the day, or possibly a water park, depending on the weather.
Victuals at 50's Prime Time, or Sci-Fi, depending on availability, then off
to MK for E-Night.

Wed 5/16
Epcot for the day, most likely dinner at Chef's, or possibly at Le Cellier.

Thurs 5/17
Flex day, whatever park we want to see before leaving. Getting picked up at
AKL by Tiffany at 4:00pm, for a 6:00pm flight back to Albany, NY.


I have both the old RADP pin, and the new one, although I'll most likely be
wearing the new one. I'll be the guy with either a tye-dye dancing bear cap,
or some type of tye-dye shirt, or both. Feel free to say hello if you see
us!!!

Take care,

Bill


--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR - Day 1 - AKL, MGM, MK


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


Day 1 Thursday, 5/10/01

Up at 3:30am, shower, get the van loaded, and off to Albany (about 70
miles). Stop at Denny's on Wolf Rd for a quick repast, then the last mile or
so to Albany Airport. Check-in luggage at the curb, and get our boarding
passes at the gate. We ended up getting a row to ourselves, which allowed a
bit of extra space. The plane left about 7:10am, and I settled back with the
new George Carlin book. We arrived shortly before 10:00am at Orlando. We
were met by JR from Tiffany, who had us loaded up and on the way by 10:30am.

We had previously arranged with Tiffany to make a 1 hour stop at Belz, in
order to visit the 2 Disney outlets. We got there shortly before 11:00am,
and managed to hit both stores in under an hour. For those of you who are
unaware, they are in adjacent malls, and you can occasionally find different
items in the two. We got a bunch of picture frames, including some 2000 ones
(for our Dec 2000 pics) at deep discounts, and also snagged a two tiered WDW
Character globe, for $60. This same globe is still selling in the parks &
resorts for $120. This is a nice addition to our collection of Disney snow
globes. Usually I have been able to find a watch everytime I go to Belz, but
there really wasn't anything nice at either store, other then the generic
Mickey or Pooh stuff you can get anywhere. My wife also found a couple of
tan Mickey shaped pillows, which will go good with our new couch. I believe
they ended up at $9.99 each. We spent about $250 between the two stores,
quite a start considering we hadn't even been in town for 2 hours yet.

We then left Belz, and headed to check-in at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.
I had sent in a fax on Tuesday 5/8, hoping for a king sized bed
(non-handicapped room), and non-smoking. As we drove down the road towards
the AKL, and turned right to the gate, you could barely see the resort. Once
we cleared the guardhouse, then you could get a view of the resort. It is
set back nicely and the size is deceiving. It does not look as large from
the front as it does once you enter. We pulled under the overhang, paid JR
(using the $8 off coupon in Passporter), and were met by a bell services
person, who was very happy to welcome us to the Lodge. Our luggage was
brought inside, and we were directed to check-in. We were met by Lynn, who
was one of many CM's who really made us feel at home. He welcomed us,
explained the features of the resort, and let us know our room was ready. We
were told we had Room 2234, on Kudu Trail, which is the Savannah that would
best be described as being behind the check-in desk. I had hoped for the
main Savannah, but since I asked for the king bed, and received it, I
couldn't really gripe.

After finishing up the paperwork at the check-in, including the form you
have to sign accepting eviction for feeding, harassing, or otherwise
interfering with the animals, we were escorted to our room by another
bellperson. The lobby is grand, somewhat similar to the design of the
Wilderness Lodge in it's size and openness, but still totally different.
There is a walkway across the fifth floor near the large Savannah view
window, that is designed to look like a rope suspension bridge, a large
African headdress ( like 250 lbs and 10 feet tall large), along with
clusters of sofas and chairs around handcarved tables. There is a five story
tall glass window overlooking the main Savannah and the firepit. As the
lobby is on the 3rd floor, we had to take the elevator to the 2nd floor (due
to the luggage, otherwise you could just walk down the stairs). We then made
a left down Kudu Trail, and were brought to our room.

All of the rooms have a handcarved ceremonial shield on the front door. When
we opened the door, we saw that in addition to the king sized bed, there is
a daybed in the room too. The room was roomy enough for us, although not
quite as large as those at the Polynesian. It might have been a bit tighter
with two queens instead.

After unpacking, I look out the balcony, and saw there were hardly any
animals at all outside. I figured it was one of the slack times they had
mentioned. We left the room, and headed down to explore a little, and find
some victuals. For some reason I had thought that Boma was open during the
afternoon for lunch, but it turns out they only are open for breakfast &
dinner. We found our way to The Mara, the food court which is entered from
the outside of the resort, adjacent to the pool. We bought a souvenir
refillable mug, my wife had a grilled chicken sandwich, and I had the sugar
cane chicken. The total came to $23.08. The menu is not that of your average
food court. While the generic pizzas, burgers, and chicken sammiches are on
there, there are quite a few different items, such as the sugar cane chicken
I ordered, tofu , African salad, Tamarind (I think) chicken pizza, etc. The
sugar cane chicken is skewered chicken on sugar cane sticks, with a side of
tofu. I was able to ask for and receive a replacement for the tofu as a side
dish, although for the life of me I can't remember what I replaced it with
it wasn't fries). The menu is also animated, with the selections displayed
on a large screen overhead, and every few seconds one item appears in a
larger display, showing a picture of it, then is replaced by another item,
and so on. There is still the static display with all the selections listed.
As was found throughout our stay here, the staff was exceptionally friendly
and helpful, always eager to explain an unfamiliar dish or answer any other
question.

After finishing our grub, we went back to the 3rd floor, where my wife was
magically drawn to the gift shop, Zawadi Marketplace. This seemed to be the
theme for this vacation, I don't think there was a gift shop she missed in 8
days. In fact I think WDW added a few gift shops for the week knowing she
was on the grounds. After the requisite purchase of pins and other AKL
trinkets, we were off to the bus stop. As you exit the front of the lodge,
you bear left. There is an overhang all the way down to the bus stops, of
which there are 5. We noticed, which I have mentioned in other posts, that
several of the Standard view rooms have their balconies under the bus
walkway overhang. Not only does that provide almost no view of anything
except the walkway, but it would seem to be extremely noisy, especially late
at night with returning guests, especially the exuberant ones returning from
PI.

We made our way to the MGM Studios bus stop, since we knew Doug Live was in
it's final days, and we wanted to catch as many as we could before they
ended it's run. The bus arrived rather quickly, and we were off to MGM, with
only 4 other passengers. We arrived at MGM in about 15 minutes or so, and
were in the gate in no time. There did not appear to be much of a crowd, and
a check of the tip board (after navigating a few shops up the main drag)
revealed that other then RnRC, there were basically no waits at any of the
major attractions. We made it to Beauty & The Beast about 5 minutes before
the next show started, and caught the tail end of 4 For A Dollar. I have
seen B&TB quite a few times, but don't recall ever seeing this group. I
guess it's just timing, because they have been performing there for quite a
while. When B&TB started, it seemed different than we were used to. It turns
out that it has been revamped since we last saw it in Dec. Certain scenes
have been eliminated, with other ones added. The main difference is there is
now a segment dealing with the spell on the beast by the witch, which I
don't think was in there before. The sequence of songs seemed a bit
different also, although I can't say for certain. In the end, however, all
went well and they lived happily ever after, at least until the next show.
We then made our way over to Doug Live, and caught the show, again making it
there with about 5 minutes to go. The Doug in this show did not seem to have
as powerful a voice as some of the other ones I have seen, but it was still
a good show, although my enthusiasm was dampened knowing it would only run
two more days. I made some small talk with some of the CM's who worked
there, and they also seemed upset over it's imminent closing. After Doug, we
walked around the large wall surrounding the construction of the BAH, which
was at level 2 of the blue pieces. We then hit the Great Movie Ride, getting
the Gangster ride. The ride was a walk on, and they were only running one
set of trams, instead of two. After TGMR, it was over to The Little Mermaid,
and once again, we were there just as they were allowing people in the
theater. We had good seats, middle of the row, towards the rear. After
VoTLM it was back to Sunset Blvd, and a quick trip up and down and up and
down and up and finally down the Tower of Terror. This was also a walk-on,
although once we got through the pre show room, there was about a 5 minute
wait inside. I ended up with the seatbelt seat once again, we had a lively
bunch of people on the ride, which always makes it a bit better.

After that, it was time to head over to the Polynesian, for a hearty
Hawaiian repast at 'Ohana. We caught the bus, and got to the Polynesian just
before 6pm. It turns out it was just in time for the Torch Lighting
ceremony, which we had never seen before. This was pretty nice, involving
the Chief doing a call with the conch shell, gathering everyone, and then
lighting the torches to the drumming. He then did a brief fire dance with
the large stick he uses to light the torch. After that, it was inside to
meet our cousins and put on a few more pounds. As usual, the food was
excellent, and with Hector providing excellent service, we were off to a
good start. The tab came to $56.16, which included one adult libation
apiece, and the all you can eat feast.

After savoring the last bit of pineapple in caramel sauce, it was off to the
monorail station, for the MK. Since Spectromagic was only running two nights
during our trip, it was high on my list. We arrived at the MK at 8:00pm, and
made our way up Main St (ducking into a few shops and causing WD stock to go
up again, naturally). We checked the tip board, found there was no wait at
Pirates, so made our way over there. As is often the case, POTC was a
walk-on, and we were soon enjoying the strains of Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates
Life For Me. After Pirates, we walked to Jungle Cruise, saw a posted 15
minute wait, and figured why not. JC always seems better at night, and in 10
minutes we were on board, with our skipper, who after all that time in the
Jungle, still smelled, smelled danger that is. He brought us back safely,
and I figured it would be a great time for a nice tasty Dole Whip to enjoy
Spectromagic with.

Unfortunately, they must have drawn off the cashiers from the Dole Stand to
man gift shop registers for my wife, as the Dole Stand was closed. So off we
went to Main St, and managed to get a spot right in front of Casey's for
Spectro, with only minutes to go before the parade. It was great to see
Spectro after all this time it has been gone due to the rehab, and no matter
what anyone says, I still enjoy this parade much more then MSEP.

After Spectro, my wife suddenly remembered that there might have been a
display or two she missed in the Emporium. After picking up some more
ballast for the bus ride back, it was off to the bus stop and back at AKL by
10:00pm. A quick trip to the pool and spa
was the perfect end to a day that started about 22 hours earlier.

About 5 minutes after hitting the sack, something seemed wrong. It turned
out the power in the resort went out at 11:30pm. I guess it was out for a
half hour or so, but I'm not sure, as I was soon sawing logs.

Day 2 To Follow

Take care,

Bill


--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

(CDR Only, no pics) http://www.phishhook.com/cgi-bin/got...gin=majorwoody


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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR - Day 2 BB & MGM


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Day 2 Friday 5/11

Welcome back,

Day 2 started off unexpectedly with a persistent banging noise. At first I
thought, ahh, perhaps one of the numerous wild animals living on the
Savannah had a different type of mating call. However, the persistent
banging noise turned out to be the sound of the contractorus generalus,
doing work on the unfinished part of the lodge. They were so kind as to vary
the hammering, with the occasional sounds of sawing and other such sounds.
Always nice at 7:30am, although I didn't mind, as I enjoy getting up early
at Disney. A quick peek out the window revealed a multitude of animals,
including 4 giraffes, and numerous birds near the waterhole. Quite stunning
actually, and more then made up for the construction noise. After a
breakfast at Mara , which consisted of another souvenir mug ( one for her
coffee, one for my sody pop), her western omelette, and my scrambled egg
platter ( $21.60 total), we were off to the bus stop. The game plan today
was for a water park, then MGM in the afternoon. We decided whichever water
park bus came first was ours, and Blizzard Beach turned out to be the
destination. We arrived there about 9:30am, with a 10:00am opening. We were
told that normally they allow people inside about a quarter of the hour, but
today they would not due to a private group being inside. There was a small
crowd waiting for the gates to open, and there was a CM hawking refillable
mugs up and down the line, in a rather loud voice, for the time we were
waiting. They were going for 9 clams with the refills, and they are the same
mugs you can get in lieu of your $2 deposit at the locker stand ( albeit
without the unlimited soda). It seemed more in place at a ballpark, not at a
Disney Park, the way it was being hawked. For some odd reason, my wife
didn't buy one, which must have truly confused the suits at WD HQ.

Anyway, once we got in, we got a locker, and were settled in chaises right
near the meltaway bay in a few minutes. While the missus decided her tan
needed work, I decided I was better off at the various slides and what not.
I took the ski lift up to Teamboat Springs, and got in with a another
couple. As it was still early, and the weather was not hot, I should have
been prepared, but I wasn't. It seems like some of the snow is still
melting, and was melting right in Teamboat Springs that morning. Nothing
like being chilled at 10:07am on a wild tube ride. After getting off TS, it
was onto the tube creek for a float halfway around the park. I got off at
the slide area, and rode the enclosed slide down 2x. I then wandered back,
grabbed PJ, and we were off to try TS together. By this time, it was about
20 minutes to get on, between the chair lift and the line at TS. We got put
in with another couple, and for some reason, the tube was really spinning
wildly this time. It was great ride, and is one of my favorite at either of
the waterparks. After that, we both did a circuit on the tube float creek,
and then hit the Meltaway Bay for about a half hour. After melting away in
Meltaway Bay, it was time to head back to AKL. We caught a bus, with only
two other people on it, and were back at AKL at 12:30pm.

After changing, and checking out the animals on the Savannah once again, it
was back to the bus stop. We caught a bus to MGM, and were inside in no time
at all. The crowds seemed a bit larger then the previous day, I don't know
if this was due to the Star Wars Weekends, or just a normal Friday. The tip
board for TOT said 13 minutes, so we figured we'd hit that quick.
Unfortunately when we walked to TOT, the board at the entrance said 55
minutes. I asked the CM at the gate which was correct, and he told me it was
55 minutes. I asked him to let someone at the tip board know, as they had 13
minutes posted. RnRC also had a long wait, so we meandered back towards the
main drag (with the requisite stops at any structure that had merchandise
for sale). I noticed that the tip board had been updated for TOT by the time
we got back there.

We asked about the Fantasmic Dinner Package at the booth behind the
tipboard. We were interested in the Brown Derby or Hollywood & Vine. Both
had available seatings, but H&V had the later one, at 4:50pm, so we went
with that. If I went with the Brown Derby times available, I would not have
been able to catch either of the two remaining Doug Live shows that day, so
it made the choice easy. After completing the PS, we walked over to The
Great Movie Ride. They had a 10 minute wait posted, which would allow us to
do the ride, and then go over to Doug Live with about 10 minutes to spare.
As it turned out, the wait was just under 20 minutes, and we ended up doing
the ride (Gangster side again), and getting to Doug just in the nick of
time. The Doug today was much better then yesterday, and they also had my
favorite Pork Chop, and Skeeter. The show was excellent, but bittersweet,
knowing that it had but one more day to go. There seemed to be much more
emotion in the singing today also, on everyone's part. After Doug, it off to
Hollywood & Vine, where we enjoyed the buffet. One disappointment was the
buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad. It should be called the tomato salad,
with a hint of buffalo mozzarella. I'm used to tomato & mozzarella salads
that are about 50-50 of each. This one was about 99% tomato, and 1%
mozzarella. The other items were still good, especially the flank steak, the
smashed spuds, and the coconut cake. Total for the two of us came to a
measly $42.94, including tip. What a difference from our other trips with
the kids, where we are used to meals costing around $150 or more. After
loading on those extra pounds, we decided to do the Animation Tour. This is
always enjoyable, even if it sometimes comes across as a long commercial for
their latest film offering. The CM's in the tour were very enthusiastic once
again, and I still loved the film at the end ( and even managed a tear
during the Bambi scene, but don't tell anyone). After the tour, and donning
the shades to conceal the watery eyes, it was back to the Little Mermaid.
Once again, the timing was perfect, in the theater in about 2 minutes after
walking up. We then did the backlot tour with Catastrophe Canyon, ended up
getting soaked, and couldn't believe how different the backstage streets
look without the Osborne Family lights on display.

It was now after 8:00pm, so we headed down to Oscar's, where we were told to
be by 8:30pm for our Fantasmic Seating. We got to the gate at 8:30pm
exactly, and after flashing our pass to the CM, were allowed entry to the
backstage walkway. I'm surprised they didn't really check the pass, or take
it. Perhaps they change colors each day, as this one was orange, but it
seems like if they don't change colors, you can keep your pass and use it
another
day, if you were so inclined ( and judging from some threads on the
newsgroup, I know there are some who are so inclined!!). We ended up getting
to the theater about 8:40pm, and were seated 3 rows from the top in the
Ursula section, which is the 2nd from the far right. The seats were fine,
and certainly beat arriving an hour or more earlier for a slightly better
view. One thing that upset me was the two rows behind us were for
handicapped, and one family sat in the handicapped row behind us, and
refused to leave. The husband, when he was told they were for handicapped
people by the CM who was in that area, said that they weren't handicapped,
but they weren't moving either. Seemed like a nice example to set for his
kids. There were still other seats available. Maybe someday he will have a
true need for those seats, and then he'll appreciate them. The theater
quickly filled up, in fact they ended up filling the standing room sections.
There was no preshow, I don't know if they are gone for good, or just during
off seasons. At a few minutes after 9:00pm, the show started. The view from
our seats was perfect, especially considering that we arrived at 8:40pm. As
has happened before, Mickey had some scary moments, but in the end he saved
the day, and all was well in the Amphitheater. We made our way out, and
after being detoured by the slim chance that perhaps one of the stores had
added something to their displays that wasn't there two hours earlier, we
made our way out to the bus stop, and back to the wilds of the AKL. A brief
walk around the outdoor Savannah, a refill of the mugs, and off to the room,
to unpack the days haul of loot, and rest my weary dogs.

Day 3 to follow, but not right away, as this typing is tougher then I
thought!!!

Take care,

Bill

--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

(CDR Only, no pics) http://www.phishhook.com/cgi-bin/got...gin=majorwoody


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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR - Day 3 - TL, MGM, EC, MK

Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Day 3 Saturday 5/12

Hello again,

Who said you can't do 4 parks in one day? Well, we found out you can, and
still get quality time in. Although one of the parks was Typhoon Lagoon,
instead of the a regular theme park.

Day 3 started without any construction sounds, but we did get the pleasure
of a fire alarm going off to make up for the lack of construction noises.
Once again, there was a large amount of animals, including giraffes,
bongo's, and other wild creatures outside our balcony on the Savannah. Quite
the experience to see first thing in the morning. Anyways, today was another
waterpark, since we did BB yesterday, it was Typhoon Lagoon today. After
waiting for a bus, which must not have been going along with the bus on
demand program, one finally arrived. We arrived at TL at about 9:40am, and
were let in right away, and got our locker. They held us up inside before
the little bridge to the beach, but once the rope dropped, we had our chairs
in a minute. I managed to get in a few water slides, a lazy river float, and
a trip through the shark reef in no time at all. I was then joined by PJ for
a another trip around the creek, and then we spent sometime in the wave
pool. I was very happy with the speedo goggles I bought for this trip. They
allowed me to wear my contacts and keep my eyes open underwater with no
problems at all. One thing that really surprised me though, I bought the
goggles at Target before the trip, and paid $10 for them. The exact same
ones were for sale at TL for $6.50. I don't know if it was a mistake or not,
it just seems weird to see something like that priced lower at WDW. Speaking
of speedos, there should be some sort of law banning guys from wearing
Speedo's bathing suits in public. I think that less that 1% of the male
population has the physique to wear a speedo, but that doesn't stop guys who
make me look like Arnold Schwarzenneger from donning those things. It seems
to be mostly English guys for some reason. You'd think even if the guy who
so naive as to think he looked good in one of those, his wife would make
sure he didn't set foot in public with one just as a matter of pride. At
noon, the wave pool reverted to the small waves, and we reverted to the
bus stop (after a mandatory stop at the gift shop, which remarkably ended
without a purchase!). We were back at AKL by 12:20pm.

A quick shower, shave, and hello to the animals outside, and we were back on
the bus (without Cowboy Neal at the wheel) and enroute to MGM again. We
arrived at 1:15pm, and the crowds were about the same as Friday, but nothing
horrendous. We managed to get a PS for the 50's Prime Time Cafe for 1:30pm,
and hustled directly (via Keystone Clothiers of course) to our appointment
with Cousin Melissa. After being given the rules of the house, and told to
keep my elbows off the table, I enjoyed the fried cheese appetizer, which I
highly recommend. I don't recall having this on prior trips, but can
guarantee I will have it on future trips. I had the fried chicken which
consisted of a large portion with 3 pieces of fried chicken. My wife had the
pot roast. She would have gotten the clean plate sticker, except for the
piece of chicken that materialized on her plate before Melissa's final
inspection. I was the recipient of the airplane feeding of my green beans,
which brought great merriment to those around me ( and fortunately was not
caught on film). I also had a great chocolate malt with my meal. Cousin
Melissa did an admirable job, and we had a great time. The people sitting
next to us seemed to be locals, and also were very into the show, making it
a better environment. The total came to $47.01 with tip, again very
reasonable for the amount of chow and the service. After exiting the Prime
Time, and returning to the 21st century, we saw we had some time to kill
before the final two Doug shows. My plan was to catch both of them, and
possibly be picked for the Beats for the 2nd to last one, while filming the
final one. We caught the Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous show, which I would
much rather have seen join the list of historical attractions in place of
Doug Live. I guess something like that is cheaper to run in the long run
then a show like Doug. After SD, I did the sound booth in the exit area, but
tired of that after a few minutes. After a walk around past Star Tours,
which had about a 20 minute wait, but a large crowd in front due to the SW
stuff, we wandered back to the ABC theater. We got inside, sat towards the
rear left area, and didn't get picked for the Beats. Oh well, guess it
wasn't meant to be. The show was very good, with my favorite actors and
seemed to be picked up another notch in the singing and delivery. There
seemed to be a few "suit" types in the back, maybe if they had seen the show
once or twice during it's run they would have allowed it to stay. The MC
made mention of some people in the front who had seen Dough something like
600 times. I didn't get to see who they were, but I think they are the
people I saw outside the theater before the last few shows, including one
guy wearing a Bluffington Bowl shirt. Anyway, after the show was over, a
large amount of the crowd went right back to wait for the final show. I got
to talk to quite a few more CM's, and also saw a few of the actors who came
to see the final show. There were also a large amount of "suits" showing up,
and I made a point of talking to a few of them, and letting them know my
opinions concerning the closing of Doug. One of the suits told me that it
was being closed because it had been there a long time. I told him it was
only there a bit over two years, and anyways, if it was old, why did the MGM
Park Guidemap refer to it as NEW! Doug Live ?. He didn't have any
satisfactory answers, not that it would have made any difference. We were
eventually let in, and I decided to sit in the middle, but slightly right,
in order to get the best spot for videotaping. BTW, I managed this by
waiting in the aisle until enough people had gone in, NOT by stopping in the
seat I desired and causing people to walk around. That's another one of my
pet peeves at WDW. The theater was pretty full, and was quite noisy. The MC
made mention of it being the last Doug Live, and the crowd went wild. The
actors put on a fantastic show, and brought down the house. During the Dr
Rubbersuit scene, Roger/DR momentarily lost his train of thought, resulting
in some good laughs all around. At the end, the cast was given roses by
someone up front, and Doug & Patty came back out a 2nd time after the cast
had been announced and the Beats/Quailboy had left. and hugged on stage. The
video came out great, and while I'm sad the show is over, I am overjoyed
that I got to experience the last one, and record it for posterity.

After the final Doug, I was not in the mood to stay at MGM, so it was off to
Epcot. We decided to take the boat over instead of a bus (is there a bus
from MGM to Epcot?). We made it in about 20 minutes, and enjoyed a nice
leisurely ride. We went in, and the first stop was believe it or not, NOT
the World Travelers store. However, once we crossed the small bridge to
France, PJ decided she could not travel another step without a personalized
parasol from the sidewalk artisan. After getting that, it was off to Japan,
where we enjoyed the parade I now rank right up there with my beloved
Spectro, which is Tapestry of Nations. After soaking in the vibrant
percussion, and being the recipient of numerous waves and smiles directed
right at me from the great CM's who do the parade, it was time to hit the
Flower Power show at the American Gardens Theater. An old favorite of mine,
the Marshall Tucker Band was set to perform. I was worried, as the two main
members of MTB, Tommy & Toy Caldwell, had gone to the great concert hall in
the sky, and the band really only had one original member, vocalist Doug
Gray. I also was worried that being at Epcot, they would play some of their
later stuff, which was more 3 minute pop oriented, then their earlier jammed
out stuff. They hit the stage at 7:10pm on the dot. It seemed like a large
portion of the crowd had come specifically to see them. They surprised me by
opening with Take The Highway, and doing a very nice job with it. I started
recording it, but alas, my battery died about 8 minutes into it. They
finished that song, Doug said they were only allowed to play for 30 minutes
due to the setting, and then mentioned that they had a song they like to
play that usually takes about 20 minutes or so, but they would try to
squeeze in a little shorter time. I knew this meant that 24 Hours At A Time
was coming, and wasn't disappointed. It clocked in at about 12 minutes, and
although Dougs vocals aren't what they were in 1975 when I last saw MTB, the
band more then made up for the any drop-off. Next up was another old
favorite, Can't You See, which also was done very well. I was hoping that
the 30 minutes wasn't strictly enforced, but unfortunately it was, and the
set was over. Only 3 songs, but still, a very good 3 songs, and a nice
surprise to see at a place like Epcot. After MTB, it was time to make our
way to the MK, for the late running of Spectro. On the way out of Epcot, we
hit Spaceship Earth, since there was no line. The ride stopped for a few
minutes by the Egyptian scene but soon we were on our way.

We exited Epcot, and caught the monorail to the MK arriving just before
9:00pm. I was wondering why very few people were exiting the park. I had
thought that Spectro was at 8 & 10pm that night, but it turns out they were
at 9 & 11 pm. So we were met by a large crowd of people still entering the
park. We decided to hop on the WDW RR (too bad Bruce Metcalf was off at
DL ), and rode over to Tomorrowland (actually Mickeys Toontown station). We
took the back walkway towards SM, did a quick ride on the WEDWAY (TTA) then
walked out towards the Plaza Pavilion for Fantasy in the Sky, getting a
great spot right under Tinkerbells path, about 2 minutes before the
fireworks. The only drawback was the incessant voice from above, from the
TTA, that kept saying every 30 seconds or so, "Now entering Metropolis
Science Center". After Fantasy, the crowds started the mass exodus. We
moseyed across the front of the castle, and over the bridge to Liberty
Square. We found some empty seats right at the end of the bridge, grabbed a
sody pop, and staked our claim to some great real estate for the 11:00pm
Spectro. There were a couple of nice CM's there at the bridge for parade
duty, and we got to talk to them at length, making the short wait that much
more enjoyable. In no time at all, the majestic sounds of Spectromagic were
coming our way, and we enjoyed our vantage spot with a wonderful parade. In
fact, a few of the princesses made a point of waving specifically at me,
knowing how much I enjoyed the parade.

After the CM's with the light up jacket carrying the rope passed by,
signaling the end of the parade, we made our way down Main St, making sure
to add a few dollars to the cash registers along the way, and helping to do
our part to raise the stock price of WD Company. By the time we hit the bus
stop, there was not a large crowd, and we were back at the resort at
12:10am.

I tried to watch the animals out the balcony, but the way our room was
situated, it was not conducive to nighttime viewing. Oh well, the only
animals I was really concerned with at that time were my aching dogs, and
within minutes I was busily sawing logs again.

Stay tuned for Day 4, lots of thrills, chills, excitement , and well, not
really, but still some fun to come.

Take care,

Bill

--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
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My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR - Day 4 MK, DD, PI


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Sunday, 5/13 Mothers Day

Hello all,

Sunday came rather early. We had a 10:00am appointment for our backstage
tour at the MK, the Keys To The Kingdom Tour. I got this for $98 for the two
of us, with our AP discount. We were at The Mara for a quick breakfast, her
Western Omelette, my scrambled egg platter ($12.07). After a quick
satisfactory pat of my ever expanding stomach, we were off to the bus stop.

We arrived at the MK at about 9:30am, where Jasmine was given a nice flower
to wear in honor of Mothers Day, and went to the courtyard adjacent to City
Hall. Our names were checked off the list at the table that was set up for
the tour guests, and we were each given a name tag with the Keys To Kingdom
logo, and our names on it. They also provided complimentary coffee & tea for
the tour guests. We were given a laminated menu from Columbia
Harbour House, and asked to make a selection for our lunch ( which is
included with the tour). I didn't see the fish basket on the menu, and asked
about it. The CM, Clay, told me that if I wanted it, he would make sure I
got it. Princess Jasmine chose the salad for her lunch.

When everyone was accounted for, we assembled at the Roy Disney & Minnie
statue near the flagpole. Clay, our Tour Guide, began with some of the
history of WDW, and some background on Walt & Roy. He also explained the
meaning behind some of the names in the shop windows above Main St. Clay,
who has been a CM for 7 years, was exceptional. His love of Disney came
through clearly, and he made the tour more then just a recitation of facts
and figures. He took us down ( or up) Main St, stopping to point things out,
and explain in detail things we would encounter along the way. He never
seemed to be stumped by a question either. We made our way to Tomorrowland,
where we rode the TTA. All along the way, he had pointed out hidden Mickeys,
and other points of interest. My wife & I rode the TTA car with him, and got
to ask him some questions that have popped up from time to time on the
newsgroup. After TTA, and a tour of Tomorrowland, we went through Cosmic
Rays, to Fantasyland, and then into a CM entrance near Snow Whites Scary
Adventures. We were taken down in the elevator to the utilidors, and spent
about an hour down there. During that time we were shown costuming, the wig
shop, and
other places of interest, including the main entrance behind IASW that the
CM busses drop off the CM's at.

After the utilidor, it was back up to Fantasyland, into Cinderella's Castle,
out to Liberty Square, and on to Columbia Harbour House for our lunch. I had
assumed that we would be brought in and stuck on line, since it is sort of a
fast food type place. However, a room was set up for us upstairs, and our
lunches were awaiting at tables with a little place card. Attached to the
place card was a very nice Keys to The Kingdom tour pin. I subsequently
received numerous queries about that pin throughout the remainder of my
stay. After enjoying my bounty from the sea, it was off to the Haunted
Mansion. Once again, some background was provided, and we were brought in
through the CM entrance. We then entered the stretching room,and enjoyed the
ride. After the ride was over, we re-grouped at the exit, and Clay asked if
any of us had heard about the mystery of the hidden ring. Well, I have been
on the HM dozens of times, and have always looked for the ring, with no
luck. Thanks to Clay, I now have seen it, and can point it out to others.

Once that was done, it was off to another backstage area, the production
center where the parade floats are kept. This was interesting to see, and I
also was able to see how the floats are driven. We also saw the large vacuum
system that sends the park trash through tubes, which actually was better
than it sounds.

After that, it was back to the on-stage area, as they call it. We rode POTC,
and then were gradually brought back to Main St. The tour itself was right
at 5 hours, and was very informative. If you have a chance to take it, by
all means do so. I don't know if all the guides are as good as Clay, but he
was really superb.

After that, we didn't want to stick around for 3:00pm parade, so we caught a
bus back to AKL. We freshened up, waved hello to some animals, and made our
way down to Boma, for a Mothers Day dinner. I hadn't thought in advance
about how hard it would be to get ressies for Mothers Day, and we almost had
a disaster. However, they told us if we showed up right at opening, 5:00pm,
they would get us in without a PS. We were there a little before 5, and were
seated shortly after. Our server was Jules, who did a wonderful job. The
selection was very large, and the choices were not would you would find in
your run of the mill buffet. We were both very satisfied, especially with
the dessert bar. I guess with all the walking on the Keys Tour, I was
entitled to put some tonnage back on. The total for the two of us came to
$50.30, including tip.

We then caught the bus to DD. We made our way through the shops, buying a
nice 4 Park beige/tan throw in Disney At Home, $55 minus 10% with DC. When
we went to
pay, I was shocked to realize I had left my DC card in my wallet, where it
was safely ensconced in the room safe. I had been using a fanny pack, and
only carrying my room key card, which I used to charge purchases, so had no
need to carry my wallet. However, my wife had her old MKC card, and they
accepted that for the 10% discount. We then made our way to World of Disney,
where numerous pins, collectible coins, picture frames, CD's, a video, a few
beanies, and many other items magically appeared in our basket. After we
were done, I believe Eisner took another stock bonus thanks to my wifes
purchases. We had our loot shipped to the resort, otherwise I would have
risked severe back strain lugging all that stuff around.

We went to Pleasure Island, with the hopes of catching at least 2 CW shows,
and hitting the Adventurers Club. We got in line for the CW show, I can't
recall if it was the 8:00 or 9:05pm one. I asked the CM at the line entrance
which performers would be on ( a tip learned from WDW1972) . Since some of
the veteran perfomers have left, I have noticed a real decline in the improv
work, and was curious as to who would be in the show. When I asked the CM,
she first told me that "local comedians" would be performing. I told her I
was aware of that, but was wondering specifically which CM's would be on for
this specific show. She seemed rather bothered, and told me she had no idea
rather brusquely. I was rather surprised, and saw another CM at the other
end of the ropes. I asked him the same question, and got the same response.
When I asked for specific performers, again I was met with a disinterested
rude response. Anyway, once we got in, we got stuck in the front area with
the chairs by the wall, where you have no table in front, just a shelf
behind you. The waiter took forever to take our order, and didn't return
until halfway through the show. The show started with them announcing Carol
Stein ( or maybe Steiner) on the keys, and she played for almost 10 minutes.
She might be talented, but I know we don't go to CW to her a keyboardist. We
go for improv comedians. Anyway, they finally came out, and I recognized
Jen, the heavy set girl, who is one of my favorites. She has really gotten
some good laughs in the shows I have seen her. There is also another person,
a thin, young guy, who I first saw in December. He appeared very nervous
then, and was constantly fidgeting with his hands, and just appearing
uncomfortable on stage. I don't recall his name, but he was not much better
tonight. It was painful at times, he really seemed out of place up there,
and a couple of times he bailed out when it was his turn to do something.
The show was not that good at all, part of the problem was the input
provided from the crowd didn't really provide anything special, and part of
it was some of the performers just didn't have anything funny to add. I
don't think I laughed once during the entire show. At the end of the show,
they ran off the names so quickly, that I didn't even catch them.

After the show, we hit the AC for a few minutes. We just watched from
upstairs for awhile, but never went downstairs. I was still a little bummed
out about the CW show. We then hit the Animation Store, checked out some
framed artwork, and found out that they do not accept the DC discount,
whereas they used to take the MKC discount.

Soon it was time to get back on line for CW again. I asked the CM again if
they knew who would be performing, got another round of 'I don't know" and
waited to enter. This time we were seated halfway up on the left, which was
pretty good. This time, while Jen wasn't in the crowd, a few others I
recognized and liked were, and the show was much better then the first one.
It was also helped by the guy who took the phone call providing some great
info, not the least of which involved his being a rock guitarist/undertaker
who was at WDW with his best friends girlfriend (although it turned out
there was a legitimate reason for it). The nervous guy even got a few good
ones in, and there is a slightly older woman who is very good, along with
two other guys with glasses, one with a shaved head, and one who is a bit
stocky. WDW1972 can probably name them, but alas, once again, the names were
rattled off at the end, without referring to each one, and I was unable to
catch them all.

After the 2nd show, we decided it was time to head back, and caught a bus
back to the Lodge. Once again, the animals were out in force, but due to the
location of our balcony, and the fencing area, it was tough to see many at
night.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode.....

Take care,

Bill

--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR Day 5 Epcot

Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


Monday, 5/14

Our plan was to sleep late, and head to Epcot. However, the sounds of the
native tradesmen once again woke us up earlier then we expected. I guess
thats the price you pay for staying in a resort that is still being built.
Anyways, we ended up at Mara, where I had a nice bowl of oatmeal, with a
healthy dose of syrup, and she had her usual western omellette. The total
was $6.35, which I just realized by checking the receipt, didn't include the
oatmeal. I don't know how that happened, because the way Mara works, is you
get a checklist type thing near the food station, when you place your order.
You bring that to the register, where they tally it up, and then when it is
put in the register, it goes to the server with you table flag number, who
then goes to the food area, gets your food, and brings it your table. In
other words, if the oatmeal is not on the receipt, it would be my
understanding it would not go to the server, who would then have not brought
it. I didn't even realize until now, when I looked at the receipt for this
trip report.

We headed over to Epcot around 1:00pm or so. I got a FP for TT, and while we
waited for the FP time, went over to the Living Seas. I always enjoy
spending time watching the sealife, and this was no exception. When we were
done there, we criss crossed the main area, with the usual stop at Pin
Central. We hit TT, and were on in about 5 minutes. Some young kid who did
the single riders line got in our row, and was asking alot of questions. He
ended up really enjoying the ride, as did we. After we got off, I decided to
go back on through the single riders line, while Jasmine decided to wait for
me. Incredibly, she did so on a bench by the exit, rather then in a store. I
was on in 5 minutes using the single riders line, along with a family of 5,
that included a gent who must have been 90 years old. I guess it's only
appropriate that I was behind a 90 year old guy on the highway ride, this
being Florida. Anyway, to make things even more realistic, the ride broke
down, in the heat chamber of all places. Fortunately, they turned the heat
lamps off, or we would have been rotisseried to a crisp. After a good ten
minute wait, we started up again, and finished up the ride, none the worse
for the wear, all exiting in one piece, even the elderly gent. I must say, I
was sort of surprised seeing him in the car, but he was real good with it.
When I say he was close to 90, I'm not exaggerating either.

I met up with the missus outside the exit, and we walked over towards WS,
the Mexico side. After the required stop at the shop as you enter WS, and a
few pictures along the topiaries, we bypassed Mexico (sorry Paragon), and
stopped off at the Norway Bakery for a quick bite. We split a ham & cheese
open faced sandwich, and a piece of raspberry cake, with a coke ( $10.87).
As usual, they were delicious. We then rode Maelstrom, where I pointed out
the hidden Mickey in the mural to a few people, dodged the curses of the
trolls, skipped the travelogue, got detoured by the store, and finally made
it back out to the WS. I found a pressed penny machine near the exit to the
Norway store, which I had never noticed before. I asked , and found out that
other then the American Adventure, it is the only pressed penny machine in
the International Pavilions. Needless to say, I got a few, including one for
my youngest, who collects them. We then stopped at China, and of course
made our way through the store. We then made our way to Germany, and lo and
behold, found our way into the stores. Once we were done there, we stopped
in Italy, where can you believe it, there was another store to peruse!.
After that, we hit the American Adventure, just in time for the end of the
Voices of Liberty set, and then a nice air conditioned escape into the
American Adventure. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune to sit next to a guy
who sprawled out into as much space as he could, and promptly fell asleep,
snoring throughout the show. Where is the Tough To Be A Bug stinger effect
when you need it most?

After that, it was off to Japan, where we hit the Yakitori House, for a nice
shogun combo, skewered beef, chicken, shrimp, and rice, for a total of
$7.69. I had a nice rainbow kaki-gori to wash it down afterwards.


We had PS for Chef's D' France for later, so I had to slow down with the
snacks. Anyways, we next found the highlight of the trip for Jasmine. Of
course , it involved shopping. We found our way into the large department
store in Japan, where my wife found the display where you pick an oyster,
and get a pearl from within. We watched a few people do this, and it was fun
to watch. For $12.97, you get a voucher, and hand it to one of the 3 young
women at the display. They give you a set of tongs, and you pick an oyster
from one of two tanks. They then take the oyster, and slice it open, and
remove the pearl from within. If there is no pearl, you get a 2nd one. When
they do this, they are reciting a speil, which seemed to basically always go
" Ohh, you make very good choice, you pick very nice pearl". But when you
pick one that is 7.5mm or larger, which might be one of every four or five,
they give another similar spiel, usually in unison, ending with all 3 saying
"Congrat-u -rations" while doing a drum roll on a drum that is hanging
there. It was fun to watch. So needless to say, she decides to do it, and on
her first try, gets a 7 and 3/4 mm pearl, producing the chorus of congrats,
and the drum roll. Then she decides the pearls would make nice gifts for our
daughters at home, so she buys a few more. After getting done with the
pearls, and the settings you buy to put them in, she had spent almost $300.
But she did end up with a very nice set of earring, and two nice charms for
our daughters.

I finally managed to drag her away from there, thanks to our PS at Chef's.
We worked our way over, and settled in for a tasty dinner. I had the tomato
tart appetizer, and the Duck A L'Orange entree, with a glass of Fonset
Bordeau. She had an Iced Tea, with something called a Supreme Volaille
(according to the receipt), which I can't recall, but think was the chicken
dish. The total came to $63.29, not including tip (add another $12). The
duck and tomato tart was excellent, and if they gave clean plate awards
there, I would have won the gold medal.

Afterwards, we found a nice spot near the Germany Train display to wait for
Reflections of Earth. I whiled away the time with a large, cold liter of
Becks from a stand in Germany ($10). Our vantage point was good, and we had
a nice view of the show. Afterwards, we waited a while as the crowds
exited, and took our time leaving. When most had left, we then walked our
way towards the front, of course stopping at Mouse Gear to purchase a few
things that we had somehow overlooked before. One thing I love about Epcot,
everytime we are leaving after Illuminations, there are always CM's standing
by the pavilions wishing you good night, never seeming to rush you along. By
the time we hit the bus stop, there was no crowd, and we were on a bus and
back at the Lodge with no delay.

Take care,

Bill


--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR Day 6 Epcot, MK E Night

Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Tuesday, May 15

Today we had decided to return to Epcot in the early part of the day, then
off to the MK for E Night. I bought my e ride tickets at the Guest Services
at AKL. The price has gone up to $12 since our last time, when it was $10. I
still enjoy it, and think it's a fair price. We caught the bus to Epcot, and
made our way through Future World, with only a few minor distractions (Pin
Central, Mouse Gear, Art of Disney). We went back towards WS, with no
specific plans for chowing down. We finally decided on either Akershus in
Norway, or Beirgarten in Germany. We traipsed over to Norway, the buffet
menu didn't sound that bad, and the price was certainly a bargain, so we
inquired about a walk-in seating. We had never eaten here before, and
figured it was time to try it. We were seated immediately, and set out to
hit the buffet. There is quite a selection, but there was really very little
that appealed to either of us. We gave it a try, sampling many of the
dishes, but ended up with some old standbys, the sliced ham and turkey,
tomato salad, Swedish meatballs. The dessert we had was fantastic however,
a chocolate mousse Viking ship, with a raspberry sauce. We split this, and
enjoyed every bite of it. The total for the two of us came to $34.08, plus
$7 for the tip. We also got some nice pictures of the interior while we were
in there.

We made our way around WS again, and as luck would have it, found ourselves
back inside the Mitsukoshi Store again. The young clerks welcomed my wife
back warmly, no doubt knowing that they were in for another big payday. As
luck would have it, she wanted me to videotape her getting a pearl, and the
first one she got, ended up being a double, that is two pearls in one
oyster. This of course resulted in the obligatory round of congrat-u-rations
and a drum roll, all captured for posterity on tape. Of course after that
good luck, she had to purchase a few more pearls, but never hit the jackpot
again. After helping to further cause a US-Japan trade imbalance by
purchasing pearls and settings, we finally moved on and walked around the
rest of the WS, only occasional stopping at stores. I guess after the
excitement of the pearl hunt, it was tough to top it in run of the mill
stores.

We gradually made our way through the WS, stopped and enjoyed some of the
topiaries and garden exhibits along the way, and finally exited the park and
hit the monorail station. We monorailed over to TTC. Since we had some time
to spare, we caught the resort monorail to the MK, as the regular direct MK
monorail was temporarily down. We hit the MK, got our E Night wristbands,
made a quick emergency Emporium stop, dropped off my camcorder battery at
the camera shop for a free recharge, then left and went back to the
monorail. We then hit the Contemporary via monorail, checked out the shops,
and met a real nice CM at the pin booth in the concourse. He had worked at
Disneyland Paris, and I got to talk to him for awhile about DP. I have
always wanted to take a trip there, perhaps in the next few years.

After a little while there, we caught the resort monorail to the
Polynesian, where we had PS for 'Ohana again. We were seated quickly, but
ended up in the rear area, instead of the main room. We did have a nice
window seat however, and a great server. Unfortunately, I can't find the
receipt, so I don't recall her name, or the total cost. As usual the food
was great, topped off with the pineapple with caramel sauce to finish it up.
Afterwards, we moseyed around the Polynesian, I got a nice embroidered
Polynesian shirt marked down to $9.99 (good to wear when we stay there in
Sept), and she managed to find a few more pins that she had somehow missed.
We then decided to take the boat to the Mk, since it was such a nice
evening, and we were in no rush.

After a nice relaxing boat ride, we got into the MK just as E Night was
starting. We went over and did Buzz Lightyear, where I probably didn't scare
off too many aliens, hit SM a couple of times, then worked our way back to
Buzz, where I had somehow became a much better alien destroyer. We then hit
the HM, which is always better at night. Then off to BTMRR & Splash Mtn,
each of which got 2 rides apiece. Again, these two are also much better
after dark. The first time I rode with the missus, the second time I stayed
on, and she got off. I had a bunch of kids get on my log in front of me, and
when the big drop came, they sat on the rear of the seats. When we went to
the picture display, after waiting for quite sometime, the CM checked, and
said that the pictures would not be displayed or sold due to the kids
sitting up on the back of the log seats. I guess they double check them
before putting them on the display monitor where the guest see them. We then
headed back to Tomorrowland, stopping in front of the castle for a couple of
pics with the big cheese, Mickey. Once back in Tomorrowland, we rode Astro
Orbiter, where Jasmine ended up loosing one of her pins. We didn't realize
it until getting back to ground level off the elevator. The CM called to the
emporium, and made sure we were given a replacement pin free of charge,
which we picked up when we left. I then hit Space Mountain. The first time I
rode, they somehow missed me in the waiting circle for one cycle, so when I
got off the ride at the end, the CM from the loading area had called to the
CM at the exit area, and told them to send me back up through the back way
for a re-ride, avoiding the line. That was very nice of them to do that.
After that, I rode once more going through the regular line, which was
between 5-10 minutes. We then called it a night, hit the Emporium, and
caught the bus just as the rain started about 11:30pm.

Thanks for reading,

Take care,

Bill

--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º

The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

(CDR Only, no pics) http://www.phishhook.com/cgi-bin/got...gin=majorwoody


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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR Day 7 MGM, Boma, Epcot


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


Weds, May 16


Todays plan was to hit MGM, as they were having a pin celebration event
there. We arrived at the park just before and were given a wristband which
entitled us each to purchase two limited edition pins at the Celebrity 5 &
10. There was a 3rd LE pin that was sold out earlier in the morning. We went
over, got our pins, and were given a sheet that had a series of questions
that entailed going to 7 different shops ( right up our alley), answering a
question, and receiving the privilege of being allowed to buy a pin, that
went on the sheet. If you got all 7, you were then given an eighth one free
at Pin Central. I decided to try for Millionaire FP's, since we had never
seen that. I got our FP's, and also made PS's for 50's Prime Time for lunch.
We hit a few shops, got a few of the pins, then hit millionaire. As we were
let in, there was an open seat in the fastest finger row, and I was asked if
I wanted to sit there. I have only seen the TV show 2 or 3 times, and am not
all that familiar with it. They eventually started the show, and it was time
for the fastest finger test. I screwed it up, and some kid who was around 8
years old ended up winning, in about 1 second according to the posted timer.
It seemed that he must have just hit the right sequence at random, and
quickly. He bombed out on the $200 question, and a woman was next. She got a
few right, and when they flashed the audience scores at the $1000 level, I
was in 4th place. They show the audience scores by seat number at the major
levels, 1000 & 32000. Every seat in the crowd has a display console to pick
answers, not just the fastest finger seats. After the next few questions, I
knew I had done well, and when she bombed on the $16,000 one, I knew I could
be in the running. They display the scores starting with # 10, down to
number 1. When the they were all displayed except for the top score, I knew
I had
made it, and sure it enough, when they displayed the top score, it was my
turn to hit the hot seat. After a few whoops and yells, I bounded the few
feet from my seat ( which just happened to be seat # 1) to the hot seat.
Even though you only play for pins, and a possible trip to NYC , which is
about 90 miles for me, I was still very nervous. After a few personal
questions, we were off. I got through the early questions easily, and at the
8,000 hit a question about the Garfield comic strip. As luck would have it,
I hate that strip, and never read it, so I had to waste a lifeline on it. I
then got it right, used a second lifeline (50/50) on a question about "The
Perseis" (meteor showers), and eventually made it to the 500,000 level. The
question was what did Friedrich Buschmann patent in 1822, in Germany. The
choices were trolley car, typewriter, accordion, and egg beater. My gut
feeling was the typewriter or accordion, but then I thought about the train
display at Germany. I had to go with the final lifeline, the call a
stranger. Let me tell you, you can't always depend on the kindness of
strangers, he recommended the typewriter, I decided what the hey, picked
typewriter, and got the ole heave-ho. The correct answer, which I will now
always know, is the accordion. Anyway, I reverted to the 32,000 prize level,
and got a WWTBAM lanyard, with pins for each level up to 32,000 (ten in
all), a WWTBAM Golf Shirt, embroidered; a WWTBAM baseball cap, and a home
version on CD Rom. Not a bad haul either way. Anyway, once I put on the
lanyard and pins, it was amazing how many people came up to me and talked
about it.

We then headed over to 50's Prime Time, where we had the fried cheese, and
we split an order of meat loaf. Our cousin today was Susan, and she also
did a fine job. No need for the airplane feeding, as we cleaned off our
plates. The total today was $26.13, plus a tip. We then tried Millionaire
once more, but I never even got on the scoreboard. We made our way back to
AKL, and had dinner again at Boma. Our server tonight was Gilberto, who also
did a fine job. The food was as good as it was on Sunday, and the selection
was excellent again. As usual, the dessert bar was our undoing. The total
came to $42.30, plus tip.

Afterwards, it was back to Epcot, for ToN & ROE. As luck would have it, we
found a great spot on the bench right along the lagoon, at Japan. Obviously
the missus made a stop in Mitsukoshi to check on the pearl situation, while
I waited on the bench. Miraculously, she only got one pearl tonight.
Anyways, she was kind enough to head over to Germany, and get me a large
frosty libation while I saved the bench. I then got to record ToN in the
dusk, and once again, thoroughly enjoyed it. Our spot was perfect, because
all I ad to do was swivel around for ROE, which started about 15 minutes
after Tapestry ended. We had a great spot, and I got a great video of it.

After it was over, we once again took our time leaving, savoring our last
full night at WDW and Epcot on this trip.

All too soon, we were back on the bus to AKL, and soon I was dreaming of
accordions.

Take care,

Bill

--
º0º º0º º0º º0º º0º
The bus came by and I got on...thats when it all began...(way back in '74)

My List is at : (Analog & CDR, with pics) http://hometown.aol.com//trprt/TrprT.html

(CDR Only, no pics) http://www.phishhook.com/cgi-bin/got...gin=majorwoody


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[MajorWoody]

Major Woody's TR Day 8 MGM & Home


Who : Bill, age 42, State Police Investigator , PAP holder, app 15-30 days
at WDW a year.
& the missus (Princess Jasmine), a few years younger, nursing home nurse,
also PAP holder.

When 5/10 through 5/17 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


Thursday, May 17

As with all good things, this trip is nearing it's end ( along with these
missives from your intrepid scribe), We had done a small bit of packing the
previous evening, but this morning called for some major league packing. It
seems that we should have followed the advice of Chico Marx in the Coconuts,
and brought along a couple of empty suitcases, knowing they would be full
when we left. With all the stuff we bought, obviously there was a problem
with fitting it into our bags, but somehow we managed. Bellservices came,
and took our stuff for storage, to be picked up when Tiffany came for us at
4:00pm. Our check out was done already, with the express check out feature,
so we didn't even have to go to the desk for anything.

We wandered around the lobby and then caught a bus to MGM. My wife was
really enthusiastic about the Millionaire show, and wanted me to try it
again. We hit the park, got inside, and got FP's for the show. We also got a
PS for Hollywood & Vine for lunch. When we got into Millionaire, there was a
returning player, so there was no fastest finger to start the game. He did
pretty good, but eventually bombed out , I think at 64,000. I wasn't even on
the scoreboard for the audience, having gotten one question wrong. When the
next player hit the hot seat, I again got one question wrong down the line,
which was enough to keep me off the board. The game eventually ended, and we
got FP's for the show after our lunch seating.

We went over to H&V, and were promptly seated. The characters were all over
the place, and as it wasn't too crowded, we got plenty of attention, and the
corresponding pictures to go with it. The food was good as usual, and I
enjoyed some more of the coconut cake for dessert. The tab came out to
$35.94, plus tip. After we left, I didn't realize it until we were back at
the lodge, I discovered I had left my lens cover on the table. The CM at the
AKL called over, and found it had already been sent to Lost & Found. It was
distinctive in that it had a Mickey Mouse sticker on it. Anyway, it arrived
home in the mail yesterday (5/25), with a nice note attached.

After leaving H&V, it was back to the Millionaire. As usual, I screwed up
the fastest finger question. I had been seated in Seat # 132, which just
happens to be the radio number of my police car. I thought that was a good
omen. Anyway, the guy who was in the hotseat was doing pretty good. When he
got to the 32,000 level, the big display screen flashed to the audience,
specifically his family members, who were sitting right across from hi. They
were caught on screen giving him the signs for the correct answer. The host
saw this, and admonished them, but didn't take any action. He had started to
say a different answer, but when he saw that, he changed his answer and got
it correct. I was a bit upset, because now when they showed the audience
scores, I was # 1. I am all for someone going all the way in the hot seat,
but not by cheating. On the next question, I watched, and his family did it
again, even though they were not on the screen. He looked at them, saw their
hand signals, which were pretty blatant, and picked the correct answer.
After that question, it appeared the stage lighting was changed, making it
very difficult for him to see his family. As luck would have it, he bombed
the next question, and when the audience scores were posted, yours truly was
once again bounding down to the hot seat. I can't say I felt any sympathy
for him at that point, especially after the host had made a point of saying
something to the family. I then got up to the $1,000 point level, before the
game ended. I was then taken aside, and told I would be brought back for the
ne