Using My Powers for Good - 4/29-5/7 - Thread 1 - thru Day 4 About This Page:

[Jennifer2003]

The cruise sounds great! Thanks for another super update!

Jennifer

[Annabel]

Wow that cruise sounded good fun! Another great update with wonderful photos, thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to your next installment

[Colexis Mom]

What a great night Eileen I'm glad you all had such a great time on the cruise Great pictures too

More please

[GATechGal]

Boy what a cruise!!! And I can't wait to hear all about the Keys to the Kingdom tour.

[DawnDenise]

Just got caught up on the past 2 installments. I all the pics, espeically the one with the kids at Teppanyaki with the chef. Your cruise sounded wonderful!!

Keep it coming!!!

[karmic]

Great update!

[zacksmom_1993]

Oh, Eileen!

What a wonderful, wonderful night! I got goose bumps reading about your Wishes cruise, and it's warm in my office! Considering I think I know what the first and second best days in your life were, (guessing they had something to do with Calder and Bob ) I can't wait to hear about #3! Thanks so much for sharing.

Karen

[Caldercup]

[ QUOTE ]
Considering I think I know what the first and second best days in your life were, (guessing they had something to do with Calder and Bob )

[/ QUOTE ]

Good guess, Karen!! I'm about to start writing the next installment, so you won't have to wait for long! (I'm scanning images we took on a disposable/waterproof camera and then I'll start posting...)

Eileen

PS: "Eighteen Wheeler!"

[Starla4436]

I really enjoy reading your posts...its inspires me to keep track when i go back so i can write a report.

[WEDway Guy]

Hi Eileen,
I just caught up with your last two installments. Wow, are you a great WDW vacationer or what?!?! Not only have you made many memories for you and your family, but for everyone else as well. The amount of things you've all seen and done is amazing. I really like how you interact with the CMs and characters at the parks. It's obvious the kids noticed this and their trip will be more memorable for it. Can't wait to see what happens next!!


P.S. I read something in the TR about your time at a Performing Arts Program and then later about time you spent in the rooms at Krannert. Are you referring to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at UIUC? That's my Alma Mater! (Not the Performing Arts Dept., engineering geek here, but still the same Univ! )

[Caldercup]

[ QUOTE ]
P.S. I read something in the TR about your time at a Performing Arts Program and then later about time you spent in the rooms at Krannert. Are you referring to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at UIUC? That's my Alma Mater! (Not the Performing Arts Dept., engineering geek here, but still the same Univ! )

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep -- I got my M.F.A. from UIUC and lived at Krannert for every waking moment of 1989-2002, had an apartment on Green Street (that I never saw!) and fell in love with the Urbana public library.

Go Illini!
Eileen

[lauren-roxy]

Eileen, I am so enjoying your trip report!! You are such a wonderful writer and I just love those pictures!!! I can't wait to read more!!

[luvnwdwgal]

I love the look on little Stephen's face in the picture with Peter Pan! Priceless!!

[Jillybean]

Eileen,

I am just getting caught up with your wonderful trip report! Oh my gosh! You guys are having the best time - - and all of your planning and knowledge is really shining through!

I can't wait to read more!

Jill

[Caldercup]

Day Four – May 2nd

<u>Our Party:</u>
(Eileen), 38, complete Disneyphile, 10th trip
DS (Calder, also called CJ), 9, all-around-great-kid and Disney World addict, 7th trip
DH (Bob), 39, long-suffering spouse of a WDW-aholic, he thinks it’s his 10th trip
DStepB (Frank), 37, my dad’s wife’s son, 3rd trip
DStepSIL (Donna), 36, Frank’s wife, 3rd trip
DStepN#1 (Brian), 12, Frank and Donna’s eldest, 2nd trip.
DStepN#2 (Michael), 9, middle son, good friend of Calder, 1st trip!!
DStepN#3 (Stephen), 5, youngest son, 1st trip!!
DFather (Bud), 69, WDW skeptic and my targeted “convert”, 3rd trip.
DStepMom (Joan), 60-something (friends don’t mention ages!), wonderful Mom-Mom, 3rd or 4th trip?


Now, I’ve been blessed in my life. I mean, I’ve had some *great* days in my 38 years – really great, terrific days. And this day at WDW was one of the very best. In fact, as I went to sleep that night with a giant grin on my face, I knew exactly where to place it in the rankings of great days: just after the day Calder was born and right behind the day I married Bob. It was *that* good.

&lt;sigh&gt; I only wish I could do it justice and relay to you gentle readers exactly how awesome getting to go on the Keys to the Kingdom tour was for me. It was like Mecca, Nirvana, and Heaven all rolled up in one and presented to me on a Mickey Mouse platter.

Of course, now I have to live up to that intro and try to explain myself!

*****

As the sun started to rise, I was having this crazy dream about being in a building that was nothing but a series of elevator doors. I had Calder by the arm and I was desperately trying to get him somewhere – in that crazy I-know-I’m-dreaming-but-I-can’t-make-sense-of-it kind of way. I’d hear this “bong, bong” sound and then the wall in front of me would open up like elevator doors. I’d drag Calder through the opening and the wall would close behind us. Then another “bong, bong” and a wall would open up and we’d pass through it. It took me about two minutes of “bong, bongs” and going through door after door, before it finally seeped into my slumbering head that the “bong, bong” was actually my alarm clock. Apparently, Calder had been messing with the settings and had changed it from a regular alarm buzz to this crazy “bong, bong” noise. It was very unsettling to wake up so confused in a room that I didn’t recognize.

Then the phone rang and I grabbed it. “Wakey uppy!” says Stitch.

Aaaaahh, now I knew where I was …and I was happy about it.

Then I remembered why I had set two wake-ups …and I was suddenly thrilled! I was getting up to go on the KTTK tour, something I’d been dreaming about for two years!

It was 7:02AM and I leaped out of bed and hopped into the shower. I put my make-up on, got dressed quickly, put on my new Mickey Mouse sneakers (I planned to wear some rubber off the bottoms of these puppies today!) and kissed my “out cold” boys. I walked out to the bus depot, feeling completely unencumbered – I had left my big touring bag in the room (since we wouldn’t be allowed to carry bags or have cameras – or so I was told) and was only wearing a pouch on a lanyard with my ID and room key. I sat down at 7:45 to wait for my bus.

It was then that I realized that I was nervous. Nervous?! Why was I nervous? It took me a minute of soul-searching to figure out that I was worried that the KTTK wouldn’t live up to my extreme expectations. It was like finally getting a date with that guy you had a crush on for years and wondering if he’d turn out to be a creep.

Anyway, the bus came up and we were quickly shuttled to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom. I followed a stream of little girls in princess costumes to the special entry gates for the Cinderella breakfast and then veered off to the left of City Hall to check in. I was greeted by a friendly and outgoing CM named Brick who said he had nametags for me “and Tom.” Huh? “Well,” I said, “that’ll be news to by husband, Bob – who’s still sleeping!” Brick laughed and told me to grab coffee or water and to hang out until the tour started. I walked out into the warm sunshine and started chatting with a lovely couple from New Jersey. (I tell ya, the vast proportion of people I have EVER met while in WDW are from New Jersey!) Other than a constant, slow stream of “princesses” tottering towards the castle, there weren’t any people in the park because it was half an hour ‘til rope drop.

Our tour guide came out to greet us and passed around the receivers and ear phones. As he began walking us towards the train station, I realized that he was amazingly tall. I suddenly hear him in my earpiece and he tells us that his name is Jonathan and that he’ll answer our first question right away. “I’m six foot, six inches tall.” (His height was in interesting addition to the tour, by the way, because he could demonstrate to us “shorties” how obvious the forced perspective of the buildings is. If he was out in the middle of Main Street, the buildings behind him looked normal. If he moved under an awning, it actually brushed his head. He would reach his hand up into the air and his fingers reached the top of the first story. It was pretty awesome!)

After arranging us under the arch of the train station, he had us introduce ourselves and tell which character we are most like. I was first and I choked – “Minnie Mouse” was all I could think of. But I’m not like her… I just love her. (Come to think of it, I can’t figure out who would be the character I would’ve chosen if I’d had more time to think about it. I’m sure my DH would say “Ursula” or “Cruella De Ville”… )

Jonathan then told us interesting stories about Walt and Roy (and his respect for them was palpable!) We walked down Main Street and we learned all kids of stuff about the people who’s names are in the windows.

He told us about the four Disney “keys” - Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency – and then asked us throughout the tour to find examples of these “keys” -- like the extra safety chain on all the hanging baskets (which I never noticed before, but which I’ll never be able to ignore now!) and the way the sidewalks are engineered and colored for maximum safety, or the fact that the doors to the shops are always open for both safety and efficiency. He also said that he makes a point of saying hello to at least five guests each day – with more than 50,000 on site employees, if each CM says hello to just five guests, every guest has a good chance of being greeted and made to feel special… How cool is that?! He also demonstrated the “Disney scoop” – the action of picking up trash without breaking stride or drawing attention to the act. (I’ve been doing this for years – I just didn’t know it had a name! )

He also asked a lot of questions of the group and I was reluctant to answer at first. See, I was once on a tour of Independence Hall in Philadelphia with Bob and we had a TERRIBLE tour guide. Pretty much any question in Philadelphia has “Ben Franklin” as the answer – “who started the first lending library; who started the first volunteer fire company; who invented the rocking chair…” Well, none of the kids on the tour knew the answer and the tour guide was one of those “Anyone...? Anyone…? Anyone…?” type of teachers and the tour was just dragging. I started nudging the kids in front of me and telling them it’s “Benjamin Franklin! It’s ALWAYS Benjamin Franklin!” Eventually, I got so fed up, I started answering the questions directly and – when my patience completely ran out -- I ended up answering questions before he even had a chance to finish his sentences. At that point, Bob clamped his hand over my mouth and marched me outta there. So, I was on this KTTK tour feeling very conscious of having spent *a lot* of time reading *a lot* of books about Walt Disney and the design of Walt Disney World. Finally, Jonathan told us that it’d be a looooong tour if no one started to speak up – so, I reluctantly answered a question. When he asked the next question, a few people looked at me to see if I knew the answer. When no one else spoke up, I answered it. Very soon, the rhythm became: 1) Jonathan asked a question, 2) all eyes turned to me, and 3) I answered the question or shrugged…

Anyway, I won’t go into huge detail here (because you really just HAVE to take this tour yourself!!), but I will tell you about two great moments.

The first happened as we got up to the Partners statue and were all facing the castle. Jonathan was explaining that the man who does these sculptures was a personal friend of Walt and Roy and got all the details exactly right – right down to the special ring on Walt’s finger. Jonathan, who was facing down Main Street, suddenly smiled and said, “Well, I think we’d all better move on to Adventureland so we don’t get mowed down by the 'rope drop' crowd.” We all whipped around and saw this MASS OF HUMANITY rushing towards us and veering off into Tomorrowland. It was a little frightening, but Jonathan shook it off as an everyday occurrence.

The second happened when Jonathan told us the story of Dorothy, a little girl with leukemia who came to Disney to meet her favorite princess, Cinderella. When Dorothy landed at the airport, she was too sick to come to the room arranged for her by the charity that brought her to Disney – she was rushed right to the hospital. Someone from the charity asked if Cinderella could come to the hospital right away. The cast member was just getting out of her wig and costume – tired after a long, hot day in the park – but she put it all back on and went to the hospital to sit with this sick child. She held Dorothy’s hand and talked to her for hours. Eventually, Dorothy asked her mom to “turn off the movie…” and Cinderella realized that Dorothy was so far gone that she didn’t even realize that Cinderella was really there. Well, Dorothy died that night. The family was very thankful to Disney and the cast members who had made Dorothy’s last night on Earth so magical. The family still comes to Disney World because they feel so close to their daughter there and they have struck up relationships with many CMs. At this point in the story, Jonathan got very choked up – “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry!!” – and apologized to us all. I looked around and several of the ladies were wiping away tears too. One rather gruff gentleman said, “you go ahead and cry. That’s what Disney’s all about.”

Needless to say, it took us all a moment to regain our composure! &lt;sniff&gt; I still get choked up just thinking about it now…

&lt;sniff&gt; Okay…

Some of the cool “design” things I learned: there are chess pieces on the roof of the Haunted Mansion because two of the designers were avid chess players. It’s also why there is a tableau of two pirate skeletons poised over a chess board in the pre-loading area of Pirates of the Caribbean. There are two lanterns in one of the windows facing the water in Liberty Square – they represent Paul Revere’s “two if by sea” lanterns. There are bear skins on the façade of the Country Bear Jamboree theatre – something the Imagineers apparently didn’t think macabre when they designed it. There is an awning in Adventureland that has Donald Duck “feet” hanging down from it. There is a McDonald’s fries cart near Splash Mountain that has an awesome “design” story about it – try to figure it out if you get to see it – notice the broken fence, mud tracks and wheels for clues.

We ate lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. I had the humus with broccoli slaw and it was terrific – if a tad garlicky (and I didn’t have my bag with my ever-handy mints, so I was self-conscious for the rest of the tour!) I got to sit next to Jonathan and had lovely a conversation with him and the other “singles” on the tour. Brick came to give Jonathan some down time, but they kept interacting with each other and the tour group, so I don’t think Jonathan had much time to eat his lunch. Brick has been there for more than 20 years and has had all kinds of roles at WDW – from the furry kind, to the dancing kind, to the Guest Services kind and now he heads up the tours. Jonathan even revealed that Brick designed the Keys to the Kingdom tour pin we all got!!



As Brick was talking, I realized that he was the KTTK tour guide that I got to meet in November who told us where to find Pluto’s bone, Aladdin’s lamp and Captain Hook’s hook in the train station. (You can see a picture of it in my last trip report, here .)

After 4 and a half glorious hours, we found ourselves back at City Hall and Jonathan prepared to say goodbye to us. As we handed over the earphones and shook his hand he leaned into me and said, “You should give tours for Disney. You have the spirit!”

Well, as you can imagine I had tears of joy in my eyes as I floated out to my bus. The entire ride home was like a great fog of happiness….

I got back to the room at 1:30 and basically crashed since my “boys” were still at Blizzard Beach!

&lt;Up next: DHs take on his first Disney Water Park&gt;