Sheri Niklewski - May 2005 - All Star Movies

Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Plane, Rental car
Resort: ASMoR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: For the second month in a row, Sheri and her husband find their way to Walt Disney World.


Sheri Niklewski -- May 2005 -- Walt Disney World (ASMoR)

Who We Are – Dory and Marlin

Sheri (43) – trip report writer, accountant at a textile services company. I’m Dory.

Rich (45) – ever wonderful husband, contractor for that same textile services company. He’s Marlin.

We’re Disney World veterans and I have successfully bored a record number of faithful trip report readers with these reports. Here’s yet another one.

When We’re Going – When everyone else is

Memorial Day Weekend – Friday, May 27-Monday, May 30, 2005. This is the first of the three day weekends at Disney World. We’ll be back for Fourth of July and Labor Day.

Where We’re From – Well, they’re still trying to figure out a slogan for the city and have paid $15 million to find one

Northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Even though we are 35 miles from downtown and it takes us over an hour to commute to work (still north of Atlanta), we are considered in the Atlanta metro area. It’s about a seven and a half hour drive to Disney World from our house but we’ll be leaving from work in Alpharetta this time.

Where We’re Staying – Free hotel and then Disney

On the way down, we normally stop at a Days Inn outside Valdosta for Friday night. This cuts our drive in half and since we leave after work and after rush hour, we still get a good night’s sleep but we’re so much closer to Disney World. I joined the Days Inn and affiliates frequent stay program and have enough points so this will be a free night. It’s not the Taj Mahal by any stretch of the imagination but it’s clean, functional and did I mention it’s free? We get a free continental breakfast on Saturday morning and it’s not bacon and eggs but it’s enough to put something in our stomachs since neither one of us can handle food very early. And did I mention it’s free?

At Disney World, I was going to go with offsite until Rich scored his contract job with my company. Then it was onsite without question. We did a very quick trip in April just so I could get a Disney fix. We stayed at Pop Century and I still wanted a value resort but not a repeat that close. So I went with All Star Movies at the Annual Passholder rate of $79/night. Rich is used to a much smaller AP rate but that’s not going to happen this year. I’m happy with what we have.

I’m usually anal about requesting certain things for the resort room but I’ve given up those tendencies. After a few crazy years in our lives, I’m just damn glad to be at Disney World. The one thing however that has to happen is a non smoking room. We’ve never had a problem with this request and it’s always been noted so I never I to do anything special. Until our quick trip. We didn’t check in to Pop Century until that evening. And no non smoking rooms were available. While neither one of us is over sensitive to smoke for a short time, having to live in it just isn’t acceptable. Things were made right for us at Pop Century and I made sure that it was noted on our reservation (via phone call) that we absolutely had to have a non smoking room. My reasoning is that a smoker can always smoke outside a non smoking room but a non smoker can’t do too much about the atmosphere inside a smoking room. That’s about the last thing you’ll hear in the trip report about the smoking issue. Just remember we’re from Georgia where, on July 1, 2005, it will become illegal to smoke in any public building anywhere in the state. Restaurants, bars, you name it.

Why We Are Going – To answer all those nagging co-workers questions “because we can!”

We moved to Georgia in 2001 and somehow have managed to be down at Disney World for every Memorial Day since then. It’s the first three day weekend of my profession (well, I did work for one company that gave us Good Friday off which was totally weird but we went to Disney World anyway). And it’s summer and we usually need a break.

Plus, Rich is employed for now (yea!) so I’m making the most of it.

What We’ll be Doing – Oh, tons of things

There are a lot of special events going on. That’s not the reason we’re making the trip but we’re going to maybe take advantage of them.

The Flower and Garden Festival (Epcot). It’s kind of a perk because neither Rich nor I are gardeners and we still can’t get a strip of the backyard to accept grass. Maybe we should just go with the rest of the rural area we live in and just park a double wide back there. Or get a small herd of goats. But we enjoy seeing the special topiaries and the displays and really fool ourselves that we can someday have that perfect outdoor area. Our front yard is amazing. It’s the size of a postage stamp so I guess that explains it. Let’s put it this way – when I was growing up, my dad cemented the entire backyard because he didn’t want to have to deal with grass. Rich is much better but not creative. We need his father to move in full time.

Flower Power Concert Series (part of the Flower and Garden Festival). Free concerts featuring groups from the past. We saw Davy Jones in April and have enjoyed many, many, many groups in the past years. For most of them, we’ve become big fans. Peter Noone, Badfinger, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Grass Roots. For this weekend, Eric Burdon from The Animals would be performing. I knew they did “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and that’s one of my favorite Vietnam Era songs. But they also do other ones that I like so this was a good group for us to see.

Star Wars Weekend (MGM). I hadn’t even thought about this one. I like Star Wars. Rich likes Star Wars. Our son, Chris (23) is a Star Wars Junkie. And what happened a week before this trip? Episode III came out in the theatres. Just in time for the first Star Wars Weekend at MGM. There were lines four hours long just to get in the Tatooine Traders gift shop. I was looking forward to what we had encountered during previous Star Wars Weekends. Fans, sure, autograph lines, sure. But not that bad. I’m not certain what we will find this trip but we’ll check things out anyway.

So with those special events in mind, I came up with a mental plan. I learned on previous trips that you need to be totally flexible. We’ve had so many trips where something has happened so we’ve had to adjust, adapt and improvise. But I do believe you need a plan of some sort.

We’ll get to Disney World on Saturday late morning – probably right before noon although it could be slightly after. I might just indulge and suggest we sleep in a little. But we’ll attempt to check into All Star Movies and then head for MGM. See what is up with the Star Wars Weekend, try and appease the Star Wars Junkies in our lives (Chris has a lot of friends). Rock N Roller Coaster and/or Twilight Zone. Maybe Millionaire. I’m choosing MGM not just for Star Wars Weekend but because when we were here in December for ten days, I never made it to MGM. We usually switch off between Animal Kingdom and MGM for our Saturday holiday weekend arrival day and I might be cheating but it’s MGM this time, Animal Kingdom in July.

More than likely, we’ll be heading over to Epcot after we’ve had our share of MGM. We did the Annual Passholder preview for Soarin’ in April and I’d like to do it again since I was so terrified of being lifted off the ground. I know, stupid fear but it’s a particular one and one I’m quite proud of. I love people looking at me like I’m a space alien because I can’t even stomach the thought of a ferris wheel. But now I know Soarin’ is fine and I survived it once and even if something does happen, I’m sure the fall to the ground is thuddable.

On Sunday, we’ll be partaking in the Off Kilter shows at the Canada pavilion. We’re big fans of this group (and I told you I’d bore everyone with another report). The last time was saw them was in 2004. OK, it was just days before New Years but five months is five months. I won’t go into ad nauseam details of their shows, I promise.

We will fit Eric Burdon in either Saturday or Sunday night. Depends on everything. Or we might not fit him in. Depends on everything.

On Monday, we’ll leave for home. Or maybe go to Downtown Disney for a look around.

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?

What We’ll Be Eating – Not enough to suit Rich

First of all, I put Rich on a low fat diet. Nothing major but just a cut back on a lot of the nasty stuff he likes to eat. My in-laws are treating us to a Disney cruise in December and after the first of the year and Rich’s job, I went with a more healthy choice of meals. So I will be monitoring his intake this trip. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.

We haven’t done a nice Disney World sit down meal with just the two of us for quite a while so I decided to make contingency plans. Since I figured on MGM for Saturday, I had a choice of 50s Prime Time Café or Sci Fi Dine In. We’ve done both and have enjoyed. For some reason, the thought of the cheesy B movie trailers and sitting in a parked car with my husband appealed to me so we’re in at Sci Fi for 1:05 on Saturday. I know, we’ll share a car with four other people but that’s fine. Hopefully, we’ll be in the back. And if the Star Wars weekend gets to be a bit hectic, well, it’ll be a nice break. Or, we could possibly miss the entire seating if we decide to leave Valdosta later than usual. But we have something. I’m not a huge fan of the MGM fast food options.

For Sunday, we’ll be at Epcot all day (I think) and I decided on an old favorite since it’s close to the Off Kilter stage. Le Cellier at 12:40. Off Kilter starts playing at 2:30 so we can enjoy our lunch before the performances.

Neither one of these lunches is a definite. It’s a total “let’s see what we feel like” plan. And we’re only going to do one of the two lunches. Maybe. If we feel like it.

Now, onto the actual report.

Day One - Friday, May 27, 2005 – “Comin’ Right Atcha”

Last month when we went to Disney World, I was The Idiot of the Trip. Rich assumed that role today. We got a little bit of a late start because we had to pack up my car. We should have done that last night but I lost that battle since Rich insists it “won’t take any time at all”. I had to move our driving car into the garage because we were leaving him home and taking my convertible. As Rich was getting into Jasmine (my car), he spilled his breakfast of Diet Coke. He was not a happy camper and had to go back inside to clean up. I made a comment about being late for work and got a nasty reply so I knew today wasn’t getting off to a great start. And it would get worse.

We have five cats and they are our family. Our children. Rich takes things just a bit further since he is the nature and animal lover. I think he would grow fur if he could. Four out of the five cats love playing and sleeping in the basement. But we keep that door closed most of the time and only open it occasionally. Last night one of those occasions. We find it easier to keep track of the felines on two floors rather than three. Since Rich was downstairs last night, he decided to treat the cats. This morning, I did a cat head count and came up with five so I closed the basement door.

When we left for work the little cat, Nemo, was acting kind of strange. Well, strange for Nemo. Which is downright bonkers for any normal cat. Nemo is like a small child in a fur costume. To say he’s expressive would win you the Understatement Award of the Year. We didn’t see the other four cats. Belle is the recluse so that didn’t concern us. But the other three were giving us the cold shoulder. We figured they weren’t too thrilled with the suitcase coming out yet again and were sulking somewhere.

Rich was kind of quiet on the drive to work and I chalked it up to his spilling the soda and me making a comment. About 25 minutes into the commute, Rich quietly says “you know, I never saw Todd this morning”. Todd is our king cat and he’s ALWAYS where the action is to ensure nothing goes wrong. Todd also loves being in the basement. Rich was certain I had shut Todd downstairs. I wasn’t about to go back to the house since I knew I was going to have a full day of work. I suggested Rich call our cat sitter, who wasn’t due until tomorrow, to make a stop today. Sensible and practical, right? We got to work and I gave Rich Donna’s cell number so he could call her and get some peace of mind. An hour later, I went over to Rich’s desk to see how things were going. The poor man looked like he had aged ten years! He was so worried about Todd. He did what any sensible, practical animal lover would do. He went back home. An hour drive back. And an hour drive for the return to work. Sensible and practical, right?

All five cats were accounted for but Rich’s troubles didn’t end. He realized he forgot his daily medication so he put that into his bag for the return to work. One of the cats had kindly left us a hairball present on our bed so Rich cleaned that up and then started back to work. Well, he had to go back home again. He had forgotten his bag. On this visit, Todd, who is a bit bulimic, decided to greet Rich with the remnants of the food he had just eaten. Yes, these are the fuzzy creatures Rich took three hours of his day just to make sure they were all OK. Gotta love the man.

Both of us had a full day of work but right before 3:00, my supervisor said our group could basically leave whenever we felt we had our work done. That wasn’t going to work for Rich and me. Last month, we had left for Disney World at 3:00 and got stuck in the horrible Atlanta traffic. Plus, I was filling in for a vacationing co-worker and had to wait for a 4:00 cut off deadline for processing checks. Which was fine with Rich because he was filling in for one of his co-workers and while her purchase orders could be processed Tuesday Rich felt obligated to do them today. So we didn’t leave until 4:30. By that time, the office was very quiet. I think it echoed.

We did not want to tackle the holiday Atlanta traffic this early. So we went to a very nearby sports bar for dinner. Miller’s Atlanta Ale House which is basically around the corner from the office. It’s very good with reasonable prices and enough sports on the TVs to keep us happy. Except on a Friday afternoon. We did get our share of interviews with soccer players and the hottest female ping pong player. But dinner was good. Rich had a Philly cheese steak with no onions (blasphemy in my humble opinion) and fries while I choose a dozen steamed clams. Seafood is hard to get in Atlanta so I take advantage when I can. The meal was over way too early. So we stretched the time by ordering another round of drinks. Still, by 5:30 we settled the $33 bill and headed out.

Rich had to make a stop at a gas station store for his Diet Cokes. He can’t drive without them. Here’s the running commentary of the report. He gets the 20 ounces or liter size that has game tops. Understand he buys these things two at a time every stop. For every trip. Chances of winning are 1:12. So, for every 12 bottles he buys, he should win once. In all the time this promotion has been going on, we’ve made many, many trips and many, many Diet Cokes bought and drank. Rich has won once. Needless to say, he cracked open the first bottle and the cap cheerfully informed him to “Drink Coke, Play Again”. I am told for the fiftieth time that Rich has drank more than 12 Diet Cokes and has one won once. And the prize? A free 1 liter Diet Coke.

We headed out for the Atlanta traffic. Where the heck was everyone? We cruised down GA400. We actually did the speed limit on I285! There was a major jam at the infamous Spaghetti Junction but it was for the folks trying to go north on I85. We easily skipped around that traffic. We were south of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in record time.

And then the “incident”. Right around the Atlanta Motor Speedway (we NASCAR fans pay silent homage when passing by the exit). Total slow down for about five miles and 25 minutes. For RPS on our side of the interstate. Our local radio station’s traffic manager (Art “Mad Man” Maring) uses a lot of made up acronyms and RPS is one of them. It stands for Residual Pinhead Slowing. The human nature to slow down and look at potential carnage. The accident was on the northbound side of I75, not even remotely affecting anything on the southbound lanes but everyone had to slow down and look at the wrecked cars. Or maybe searching for blood. Humans are strange animals. I doubt any one of the five cats would spare a second glance at another animal’s misfortune. Who is the more intelligent species?

We did a mileage check for the poor folk on the northbound lanes. At least we had moved in our 25 minutes. These people were going nowhere as the wreckers to clear the accident (on a straight road, no weather situation – why the heck did it happen?) had blocked the entire interstate. Eight miles later, we saw the end of the line. I was cursing a 20 minute delay – these people probably had a 2 hour delay.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and boring. I usually take a nap and I think Rich was expecting me to. But I tried to be the good wife and stayed awake. We’re both working the same hours at the same place so I’ll be supportive. Rich absolutely has to have music in the car while he drives. Give the man Diet Coke and steady stream of music and he can drive cross country. Our local oldies station went to “salsa” music so we switched to an easy listening option. Which is fine since they took most of our favorites (Art Maring being one of them) from the other station. The signal is boosted so we enjoyed until our usual stop at the Macon rest area. Then we had to switch to CDs. The Mustangs was first – a local band we heard the week before at a free concert. They opened for America and I was so impressed by The Mustangs that we bought their CD and it’s a favorite. Covers to songs but the talent is awesome. Then John Denver’s greatest hits. I think Rich was asleep at the wheel. Don’t worry. We’re not that bad. Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” was sandwiched in between.

A little after ten, we were finally at the Days Inn in Lake Park, Exit 5 off I75. Usually, we just walk into the lobby before 11:00 PM but this time, the clerk had to buzz us in. And what a clerk. Oh my, Saturday Night Live could do an entire skit off of him.

Suffice it to say that I always pronounce our last name and then immediately spell it. It’s far from Smith or Jones. The correct pronunciation is “Ni-klusk-ski”. Not “Nik-clue-ski”. But it’s no big deal and we take it however anyone tries it. This clerk, with all his little hand waves and flutters, informs me that “we have you in our computers as Nik-clue-ski”. Like he was correcting my pronunciation of my own last name! Uh – I do think after 23 years of having this name, I know how to say it. After every gesture and twitter was a “Comin’ right atcha” comment. This guy looked like a taller Gaylord Sartain so it was quite an entertaining few moments. We were given our keys to room 216 so I didn’t care although it was all I could do to not bust up laughing in the guy’s face.

Then Mr. “I’ll Correct You” asked if I was paying cash. I turned into Ms. “You Are Wrong” and said this was supposed to be a free room. Twitter, giggle, hand wave, and a “oh yes, I see that now, XX means it’s FREE!” Giggle, giggle, twitter. And a “Comin’ right atcha”. Rich was blissfully unaware of everything since he strolled over to get the complimentary copy of USA Today. I do all the check ins. I think that might be changing in the future. Later though, Rich fessed that he heard and saw everything but didn’t bail me out. Don’t gotta love the man.

After I escaped from Mr. Marvel, we unloaded and tried to detox from the work and travel issues. We were wired and stayed up until 1:00 AM watching mindless sitcoms on Nick at Nite. I took pity on us and set the alarm for 7:30 instead of 7:00.

Day Two - Saturday, May 28, 2005 – Loser Guys Should Not Try and Pick up World Showcase Cast Members

Last night, I did think about just having us sleep in, figuring that we would be awake near our normal 6:00 AM. So glad I set that alarm. When it blared at 7:30, both of us jumped out of our beds wondering what the heck was going on. It took us a few minutes to silence the evil time machine. Ugh! But we still had 3-1/2 more hours to go so we quickly showered, dressed, packed, and went to check out. No problem and we took mini cinnamon rolls and muffins to go. The Shell gas station here was at $1.95.9/gallon (why can’t we just drop the darn .9 and just go with $1.96?). Rich went into the store for his cold Diet Coke fix and a cold bottle of water for me. For the record, his two Diet Cokes from yesterday’s gas station were losers, his one from the rest stop in Macon was a loser and these two would be losers. 0-5 for the trip so far.

Rich drove and I did my first “please indulge me” for the trip. My sister and her family are moving from the Florida Keys to Gainesville, FL in July. It’s a long and sorted story but I see it as a great new chapter in Sandy’s life. She’s happy so I’m happy. I had done a driving direction thing on expedia so I knew where her new house was. Right off I75. The temptation to check out the new digs was too great. Rich didn’t want to do it but I did some puppy dog eyes and we made the slight detour.

We easily found the house and it is a quick jog off I75. I envision lots and lots of stops to see Sandy on the way back from Disney World. I am really happy for my older sister. The house is fantastic and in a great location. She deserves this. I hope things continue on a positive note for her, her husband (also a Rich) and their two children plus my other two nieces. I’m so proud of Sandy overcoming so many difficulties but maintaining a positive family attitude. She’s an inspiration.

After our stop at Casa Sandy, Rich was driving and he almost steered us right off the road. He saw this thing and said, “ohmygod, what is that?” I asked him what he was looking at and he replied “look, I think that’s a kite”. I expected a young child flying a kite along busy I75. I should have known better. It was a bird. It was a beautiful bird and almost looked like the smaller eagles that are in Florida. Rich still isn’t sure it was a kite and I think he wishes he had stopped the car and gotten a better look. Nature lover to the max.

With our later start and the side visit to Sandy’s place, there was no way we’d be making the 1:05 seating for Sci-Fi Dine In. I did want that one rather than LeCellier. I like LeCellier but hadn’t been to Sci-Fi for a while and was in the mood for cheesy movie flicks. When I asked Rich what I should do, he kind of grunted so I took that to mean he didn’t want a sit down lunch. But I did. I did my second “indulge me” thing. We both knew we needed to cancel the original reservation. I wanted something later. After much play and give, we finally decided on trying for a later seating. I called and was on hold for well over five minutes. I’ve never had to wait that long for dining. But our 1:05 seating was changed to 3:00. They only had that and a 2:40 seating left. I went with the later choice.

We arrived in Kissimmee around 11:30 or so and Rich wisely took the Black Lake Road to Sherberth method and bypassed the holiday traffic on Highway 192 as much as he possibly could. It was pretty much a parking lot at that time of the day. Once on Disney property, I had to ask Rich if he knew where we were staying. He said “All Star something”. All he cares to know before a trip is that we are going. The little details are given out a day before at the most. Otherwise, they just don’t sink into his brain. I, on the other hand, am already planning our December Disney cruise. I’ll bet Rich doesn’t even know the name of the ship. That’s just how we operate and it works.

Last month, we had to severely delay our check in at Pop Century because the line was too long. This time, it was around noon the Saturday of a three day weekend. I wasn’t hopeful for an easy time. Much to both of our surprise, I was immediately helped. Whoo hoo! Of course, the room wasn’t ready but that was fine. We were told we would be in The Love Bug section, building 7. Great for us. We don’t need to be close to anything. We had prepared to go directly to a park so we were Disney ready. I’d just call back for the room number after 3:00.

The day was definitely going to be a scorcher. We live in the south and were prepared with sun block and a water bottle to fill up. Our goal for today was MGM for Star Wars Weekend. We needed to activate our Annual Pass renewals and I wanted to do that at the normally uncrowded International Gateway at Epcot but that was very much out of the way. So I broke with my tradition of making a walk along the Boardwalk being the first thing to do. Instead, we parked and turned before the Boardwalk and took the walkway to MGM. There was a Friendship boat at the Swan/Dolphin but after heading over there, we realized it was going to Epcot. We don’t mind the walk and that’s what we did.

At MGM, we went through security after getting caught up in tram traffic. Note to Disney – please inform these hoards of people that they need to have every single compartment of their luggage unzipped and try to do that BEFORE they get to the guard. This lady had a freaking trunk on wheels with more pockets than Imelda Marcos has shoes. She was with a guy in a wheelchair and some other people. The wheelchair guy waited behind her and I was behind him. The woman made sure the wheelchair guy knew he had to have his bag checked as well. Then after her five minutes search (seriously, about 20 compartments), she just walked off, leaving the wheelchair guy on his own. The security guard, having exhausted himself from Luggage Lady, turned and didn’t see the wheelchair guy and started reaching for my already unzipped, opened and on the table bag. I asked him to take care of the wheelchair guy first. It was a manual wheelchair and this guy was left to fend for himself. And then unintentionally overlooked by the guard. Luggage Lady should be ashamed of herself. Rich, who had nothing to be checked, patiently waited through everything.

Then onto Guest Services and our first Annual Pass renewals. We’ve had an Annual Pass for quite a while but when we lived in Nebraska, we never renewed, just got new ones because the expiration dates never matched up to our visit schedule. Somehow, the Annual Pass dates are in early May (the 8th) so our traditional Memorial Day trip is perfect for renewal. This is our Christmas/anniversary present from Rich’s parents from last year.

And I did my bone head move of the trip. Actually, it wasn’t that much bone headed move in that I just need a better way of handling my stuff. We carry a large denim bag. Blue denim. Dark. All my ID is in my wallet. Which is black. And small. I couldn’t find the darn thing. I had misplaced it on our December trip. I had done some stupid things last month. Rich just rolled his eyes with this new development. I knew the thing was in there. I knew it. And it was but it was a bad couple of minutes. I vowed to Rich to get a bright florescent wallet for our next trip. No more panic attacks. Later, I came up with the idea of getting a lime green hair scrunchy for looping around the wallet. I didn’t do either for this trip and it was a pain.

We had the lime green vouchers and our old Annual Passes plus our driver’s licenses out and ready. We had a bit of a wait but were helped within a few minutes. Cast Member Thom took everything was very grateful that we brought the old passes. He said it makes things so much easier. I guess all he had to do was swipe the old passes, swipe the vouchers, and we were set until May 8, 2006. Whoo hoo!

Through the turn styles and down to see what the waits were for Twilight Zone and Rock N Roller Coaster. 40-45 minutes for each. Since I hadn’t even set foot in MGM since last year, I didn’t care which one we FastPassed. Rich chose and veered off for Rock N Roller Coaster. But the return time was 3:10-4:10 and that smacked right into our advanced reservation time slot. The advanced reservation was necessary because of the weekend but it does mess with park touring strategy. Rich was sure Twilight Zone would have the same return time so I suggested we grab a beer (it was a hot walk to MGM) and then maybe the return time in about a half hour would be after our lunch. Rich was skeptical but we checked out Twilight Zone and their FastPass. This was at 1:00. The return time was 1:40-2:40. Excellent. That meant we could get this FastPass, take a break, and then get a FastPass for Rock N Roller coaster for after lunch. And that’s what we did. The Toluca Turkey Leg place usually is mobbed but we were helped after just one guest. Rich was eyeing the foot long hot dog but knew we had that lunch reservation. But it did look good. We didn’t want to take up a table just for our beverages so Rich steered us to a low wall behind the turkey leg place.

Which was a smoking section. We went as far over as possible but it just was uncomfortable and there was no good people watching opportunity. A bench along the walkway to Rock N Roller Coaster opened up so we went over there. It was in the sun but it was fun to wait out our FastPasses to Twilight Zone. I took a couple of great digital photos of Twilight Zone from our seats. Or did I?

I should mention that when we got the FastPasses, there was a very confused guest with a Cast Member. The CM was explaining to the guest how to insert her admission into the machine and get a FastPass. The lady wanted to know how much it cost. Rich said it still boggles him that people think FastPasses cost money. I had to explain Universal’s policy of charging for Head of the Line Passes if you weren’t staying at their resorts. He just shook his head and marveled that Disney was actually not being the gouger this time. Oh, and I couldn’t find my wallet in the bag yet again.

Our finished beers coincided with the opening of our Twilight Zone FastPass. We headed over where there was a 45 minute stand by line. A couple of guys were bailing out of that line, exclaiming “it’s going to take forever since they keep letting those FastPass people on first”. Duh! Maybe they were traveling with that other lady. For what I believe is the first time, we were led to the left library. We were first in line so I took the opportunity to show Rich the spilled letters at the bottom of the Directory. After quite some time, he finally figured it out. Then into the library and then the boiler room. With absolutely no line to the left side. We walked right onto row 5. Rich nicely let me sit next to the wall. I actually wasn’t too apprehensive about this visit.

There was lots of chatter from our fellow guests. Usually, I mind that kind of thing but I think I’ve tamed myself to this attraction. I know we’re up high but I think being in the dark before the drop and never really knowing which sequence I’m going to get really helps my phobia. Dangling up there with the doors open and a view of a teeny tiny MGM just doesn’t go well with me. Once we were positioned in the shaft, I prepared myself. And got the sequence I really don’t like. I managed not to scream but I never saw daylight since it’s hard to see with your eyes closed as tight as a drum. I was just a little shaky after and told Rich not to bother looking at the picture. Even after how many rides on this thing, I still have a problem. Easily my favorite attraction which again proves humans are stupid. We like things that terrify us.

We went over to Rock N Roller Coaster where the return FastPass time was now 4:25-5:25 which would be great for after lunch (and I couldn’t find my wallet again). Then we headed for the Star Wars fun. I just wanted pictures for Chris and a look around Tatooine Traders for special merchandise. I scored a big fat goose egg on both. Unknown to me, my new digital camera was not charged so all my great shots were for naught. Oh well, there’s always next year.

There were a lot of character autograph opportunities. Queen Amidala, C-3PO, Chewbacca with an Ewok (as a team they were very entertaining), older Anakin (posing with a guest dressed as young Anakin), younger Obi-Wan, The Emperor, and some sort of creature neither one of us could identify. We didn’t join any of the lines but enjoyed watching the fans getting into things. There were a number of guests in costumes and the atmosphere was party-like. The Jedi laser “training” was going on so the kids were getting instructed in that. I did get into trouble when I went to snap Queen Amidala. All I wanted was a photo but the Cast Member tersely informed me that I had to stand in line for anything. A photo from across the walkway? That’s like saying you need to stand in line at Dumbo to take a shot of the flying elephant. I wasn’t even remotely near the autograph line. Jeez. I snapped the now deleted frame anyway.

We actually had to stand in a short line to enter Tatooine Traders. But we didn’t mind because last year the place was mobbed and there wasn’t any direction. We were glad Disney limited the number of people inside. Until we got in. Oy! We didn’t even make it past the first set of displays. This whole merchandise area for these weekends has got to be re-thought. The store is small and crowded enough during regular times since Star Tours dumps the guests out here. The aisles are narrow and if you multiple the occupancy by ten, you have mess. We were literally trapped. We couldn’t go forward because a family with a stroller stopped and blocked our progress. We couldn’t go around them because of the exiting attraction guests. We couldn’t go backwards because of the stream of people coming in behind us. We finally turned into salmons, swam upstream and joined the exodus. This is the second year in a row Disney has lost some bucks because I was set to spend some serious money on merchandise but couldn’t even get close. Some suggestions. Have the stuff available not only here but somewhere else that’s more open. There were Star Wars things in the parks but not the collectibles. Prohibit the strollers. Sorry but the aisles are just too narrow. Detour the attraction traffic. Trust me, if someone wants to buy something, they don’t need to do the attraction first.

I hadn’t seen the refurbished Streets of America yet so we escaped over there. Lots of free and open space! Room to breathe! Unfortunately, the San Francisco mural isn’t finished yet. That was a disappointment. Lots of good memories of San Francisco. The entrance to the new stunt show (the name is too long to type) looks nice and that area is more open which I liked. It was too cluttered before. The Studio Catering Company was open and that pleased Rich. We always liked getting a drink and relaxing back here. It had been closed for a do-over to go along with the stunt show. The food is kind of funky (Mediterranean based) but we got a beer to share before our lunch seating. Rich went for the suds and I took a good table for people watching. As we were sharing the beer, Rich saw another table had wine. Drat, have to remember that for the future.

We made our way back to Sci-Fi and I checked us in about ten minutes early. I was prepared for a bit of a wait since this is a popular choice. The Cast Member asked if it was OK just to call for Sheri instead of using the last name. I wanted her to call the Days Inn clerk of last night! We no sooner turned around in the waiting area when we were called. Our parking attendant took us to the back seat of a car in the back of the theatre (excellent).

There was a family of four who shared our vehicle. Dad and son (about seven) were in the front. Mom and daughter (about five) were in the middle. The kids were very well behaved and I think everyone enjoyed their meal. We didn’t interact with them at all. I had the menu memorized but Rich, of course, doesn’t plan on anything more than five minutes before. We ordered our drinks and decided on our entrees. Then we watched the cheesy movie flicks. At some points, I was just laughing out loud. We’ve eaten here before and I love the atmosphere. There was a drive in theatre in Council Bluffs, IA just across the river from where we lived in Nebraska. We’d pile our sleeping bags and a young Chris in the back of our Trooper and enjoy an evening of movies under the stars. A couple of times, we even took our dog. Great memories and I wished Chris and his family could be with us. Especially since Chris had just celebrated his 23rd birthday. Some pangs as the mother chord gets loosened every day. Enough sentimental mush for the day.

Rich got the BBQ chicken sandwich (wisely sticking to his diet although I did give him the go ahead to get the bacon cheeseburger – lots more pigs are living fuller lives since bacon hasn’t seen the inside of our house for a while) and I had the ham and Swiss Sandwich. OK, so maybe a pig gave the ultimate sacrifice for me.

My sandwich was good but so stuffed with ham that it was hard to eat. I’m not a big bread person so I made four open faced sandwiches instead. Rich said there was nothing wrong with his chicken but he would have preferred it spicier. The man likes to sweat when he eats. Me? Mild chicken wings cause me to call the fire department for my mouth. I guess I should just constantly carry a small container of hot sauce around for Rich. Our meal was perfectly timed for one cycle of the clips (about 45 minutes) and we settled the $55 bill. Wonderful meal, good service OK food, and excellent ambience. Neither one of us is a big fan of MGM counter service so this was a nice choice.

We went back to the stunt show area because Rich thought maybe the shops back there had NASCAR related stuff. Yes, we are addicted. We didn’t see anything and most of the merchandise was for The Incredibles. Along Mickey Avenue, there were some more meet and greets with Star Wars characters. Who Wants to be a Millionaire had a show already in progress so that wasn’t an option. Rich wanted the Animation Tour but I wasn’t in the mood. With our leisurely pace, we were right on time for our FastPass window at Rock N Roller Coaster.

I should digress a bit and mention the headache I was having. It started on the walk to MGM and I chalked it up to the heat. I figured lunch and lots of water would take care of things. But after a couple of hours and aspirin later, I knew it wasn’t a good headache. I can get migraines but haven’t had one for quite a while. This was a potential. So what did I do? Went on Rock N Roller Coaster which smacks my head around like a pinball. Again, humans are stupid.

We basically walked right into the recording studio at Rock N Roller Coaster. The inside queue, though, was being utilized and we hadn’t seen that done since this attraction first opened. Maybe they were getting people out of the outside waiting area and into air conditioning. At least we could enjoy the displays. They weren’t crushing too many people into the preshow and then we went to the alley and ended up in the second car of the limo. Ick. I can see the tracks coming up when I sit up front. But we enjoyed the concert. Well, everything except my head enjoyed the concert. Rich was ready to head for an Epcot evening. I pleaded and did an “indulge me” thing again. I really needed a nice long break and knew the walk back to Epcot would not do me much good. Plus, I wanted to unpack the car and get settled into the room. Epcot could wait until later.

Rich sweetly suggested taking the boat back but the line was out past the overhang. All I wanted was Jasmine’s blessed cool air conditioning and was willing to walk for it. My headache had subsided a bit so I was hopeful. We made it back to the car where Jasmine got cranked up to frigid. She’s very good at keeping her cool. I had called the All Star Movies after lunch and had our room number. The problem we always have is not knowing where to park for the closest to the room. We got lucky this time and picked the right lot. Room 7488 was on the second floor and we took just about everything we needed up the stairs in one trip. Our room was the one right next to the main intersection near the elevator and the ice machine. Definitely not a popular choice in my book but I’m sure families would kill for the location. We don’t use elevators if we don’t have to and we’re more than happy to walk for ice. Oh well, it was Herbie and The Love Bug, it’s Disney World so this is a minor thing.

We didn’t really unpack and Rich returned to Jasmine because he felt his Diet Cokes were getting lonely without him. He had picked up a game Diet Coke at the Ocala rest area and that one was a loser. 0-6 so far. I went to get ice and found our so convenient 2nd floor machine was out. Up to the third floor for a couple of buckets. We brought along a soft sided cooler and chilled down Rich’s beer, bottles of water, and the inevitable Diet Cokes. It took Rich all of two seconds to get ESPN on but the coverage of whatever they were calling a sport was horrible. I asked for Disney cartoons and would you believe none were to be found? The break didn’t last that long because we didn’t want to sit and stare at each other, figuring after 23 years of marriage, we pretty much knew what the other looked like. My headache was gone by now (thank goodness I can recognize the warning signs and have these babies under control for the most part – just can’t eat chocolate or have caffeine – horrors but at least I’m healthier) and Rich was anxious for Epcot, World Showcase and Eric Burdon. Jasmine eagerly returned us to the Epcot resort area and I was prepared to beg for another “indulge me”. I asked to stop at the Spoodles pizza take out window for our customary beverages. Rich looked at me like I had two heads and lovingly said “that’s always a given”. Gotta love the man.

We did stop on our walk at the Screen Door at the Boardwalk for a purchase for a co-worker. Diana has a blue twin to Jasmine and liked my Mickey antennae ball. She asked for one. We explained to her all the different antenna ball options but it had to be a black one. I was looking forward to getting one for our driving car but realized to my horror that Elliot (after Pete’s dragon – the Camry is dark green) has an automatic retractable antenna. I did threaten Rich with getting a ball for Princess, his Corvette convertible. The look he gave me was enough to totally freeze Ice Station Cool.

I grabbed a table for two along the water and we enjoyed watching people. This is my favorite “I’m here” spot. After our break, we entered Epcot and walked counter clockwise to get back to the American pavilion for the last Eric Burdon concert at 8:15. We still had lots of time and figured we’d just amble along. We stopped in France for some wine and had fun watching the guy in front of us trying to impress the female Cast Members with his French. Who knew the French could be that polite? The guy was pathetic. After he left, there was some conversation between the two Cast Members. I don’t know that much French but I swear I heard “loser” somewhere in there.

We were back in America about a half hour before show time. Disney is now clearing out the theatre in between the shows so there will be lines for re-entrance. Drat, no more being a groupie and hanging out for marathon sessions. If Off Kilter does this, I’ll be lost. There wasn’t that much a crowd and we easily found good seats. We really enjoy the quality of the Flower Power acts and were looking forward to a new experience. Oh well, we’re bound to have a few disappointments along the way.

While sitting there waiting for the concert, Rich saw yet another bird. We were seated near a tree and there was what Rich thinks is a flicker going into his nest in the tree. I had to go over there and see if a bird had indeed invaded a Disney tree. The family had and I just saw sticks and straw and paper. Bird Family was back in the dark. I did have to endure the stares of the other guests who wondered just what the heck I was doing looking into a tree. OK, I grew up in Concrete City but Rich has turned me into at least looking at nature every once in a while. Yes, I do know what a cow looks like.

Then the concert. It wasn’t that Eric Burdon was bad but just not what we expected. Rich compared him to a Vegas lounge singer. Definitely not in the “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” style of The Animals. It’s like Mr. Burdon doesn’t want to do the classics of his former group. We sat through the concert, ignorantly thinking we’d get our favorites at the end. Nope. We summed it up as a disappointment.

Rich suggested Illuminations to temper my disenchantment. I was rapidly losing the magic with the earlier headache and this concert. Rich is the music lover but I’m the one that hunts out free concerts and we enjoy together. I feel responsible for when it’s not that great of an experience. Illuminations would perk me up but it was just fifteen minutes until show time and I thought we wouldn’t get a good spot at our normal Germany. Especially since Rich, the ever wonderful husband, suggested getting a wine for me to further ease my disappointment. But where? Italy was our next country and Rich waited in the line there. I wasn’t very happy at all but did get a kick out of the guy ordering. What is it with guys and late nights at World Showcase and the foreign female Cast Members? This guy was loudly say “Ciao Bella!” over and over again. I think I caught the Italian phrase for “loser” as well. Rich’s reaction to the Italian wine was “screw the French”. The serving was bigger and the price better. Actually, I think for years Rich has been dying to say “screw the French” and have a valid reason.

My mood somewhat enlivened, we actually found a good space on the Germany overhang. Most people avoid the corner since there’s a plant hanger in the way of where “the big world” will be. We don’t care. So with just minutes from the start of Illuminations on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend, we were set with a very nice viewing area. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a crush of people at the last minute and the show was extremely enjoyable. This really erased the concert. Good to have that magic restored.

We walked our weary little bodies back to Jasmine and Rich got us back to the All Star Movies. Up the stairs for some rest. It was a long, hard, and hot day. We’re not into summer mode in north Georgia yet so the transition was tough. We knew that and chugged water and rehydrated as best as we could in the air conditioned room. We gamely tried to stay awake for Saturday Night Live’s last show of the season with Lindsay Lohan but decided she wasn’t important enough (sorry to the Disney family and to Herbie since The Love Bug:Fully Loaded is opening soon) to sacrifice our sleep. Into bed around 11:00.

My digital camera was happily being recharged so no mistake of today and not getting good pictures.

Day Three – Sunday, May 29, 2005 – No Off Kilter and Sheri Manages to Survive

No alarm was set for the morning. We figured with our “excellent” locale, we’d hear lots of family noises. Surprisingly, the only problem was the constant running of some kids outside along the hallway. Rich thought they were upstairs on the third floor. Sounded like a couple of elephants. I cannot emphasize enough my wish for parents to please let your children take out their energy in grassy areas or in the playground. It’s not like All Star Movies doesn’t have enough other places other than right outside guest rooms for this activity. Oh well, we expected it, got it, made the most of it, and moved on. I do still harbor a secret idea of finding out where the kids’ room is and then running up and down outside there at midnight when I finally go to bed. I know evil, but at least the thoughts just stay in my head and don’t get into reality.

We got up and Rich cracked a Diet Coke for breakfast. A loser cap again so 0-7. I hadn’t brought the laptop for the trip report and that was a mistake. Long hand isn’t my style. ESPN came on and we watched until the stupid stuff where the guys end up yelling at each other on a pseudo “talk” show. Then Rich went to shower and I turned off the boob tube. ESPN really needs to look into real sports right about now. Rich wanted to make a run down for totally cold Diet Cokes and a newspaper. I knew that and was ready to enjoy some solitude. It’s a very nice feeling not being in any hurry at all.

When Rich got back, we decided to make a run to Wal Mart for something I needed. Rich is always looking for opportunities to scope out sports collectibles. This was a good excuse for him. I got ready and we headed back out to Route 27 and Wally World. We set up a meeting spot since this Wal Mart is very big. I got what I needed fairly quickly and then found myself right next to women’s clothing. I am NOT a shopper. I buy when I need to buy. And then if I find something right away, I get it, otherwise, I’m out the door. But a co-worker had given me this cute patterned green skirt. With pink highlights. I’m not a pink or green person but thought I could make it work. And guess what was just right there? Nice shirts in solid green and solid pink. It’s Rich’s fault, honestly. He did an “indulge me” thing and got a slightly expensive box of sports cards. He’s working, I don’t care. I was happy with my $5 shirts.

With Jasmine having her trunk slightly full with our purchases, she got us to our parking area for an Epcot day. Off Kilter, here we come. But I was hungry. It was another hot, hot day. I had slathered on sun block and Rich did his normal “I don’t need that” routine. I had the water bottle, we were prepared. Yeah, right.

I suggested a stop at the Spoodles pizza take out window again. This time for food. I have successfully limited Rich to pizza just once a month but that’s a full size pizza at a restaurant so this trip was a “freebie”. He got a slice of pepperoni and I got one of just cheese. I had to really do some juggling of tables to get something that wasn’t being baked in the sun. Rich waited a bit for the food and drinks and then had to wave for me to come over. I think this place needs some trays for their selections. Two drinks, two plates, napkins, utensils, condiments just ain’t going to happen. A woman had sat down next to where I finally set up shop and I asked her to watch my bag for just a bit. She said she’d be glad to. Then Rich spied a table even more in the shade so we moved over there. I did give the lady our thanks. She just wanted shade and a table for her drink and her book.

We enjoyed our lunch, still loving not being in a hurry. Off Kilter didn’t start until 2:30 and there was plenty of time. Entering through the International Gateway, Rich picked up an entertainment schedule. I kind of internally chuckled but took a look at it anyway. I hadn’t done my usual intel and recon and checked the Off Kilter schedule. Um, shoot, darn, drat, fudge. They weren’t going to be here today. At all. Gaa! Oh well, my sweet memories of thoroughly enjoying the guys last time with my family and my very special granddaughter would have to suffice for today. Our plans all along were for the Off Kilter shows and then as many Future World things we could fit in. We did enough of World Showcase yesterday. Eric Burdon was not an option.

Oh, and I did cancel the LeCellier seating we had for today. I did that back in the room. Again, I was on hold for a while but at least I could utilize the speaker phone option. When I told Rich I needed to do that because we only wanted one big meal of the trip (we’re cheap), he was disappointed to find the one that was being cancelled was LeCellier. His words were “I like that joint”. The Cast Member that took my cancellation was rather abrupt so I called back (again on hold) and then made a seating for July 3rd. This Cast Member was much friendlier and asked if I wanted lunch or dinner. Lunch was what I needed and the Cast Member said that was good. She only had one seating left for dinner. I guess we’ll be fighting some crowds for July Fourth weekend.

I wanted to do Soarin’ again so we headed over there to check out FastPasses. This would be the first time with the fully opened The Land. I told Rich we could check out the crowds by standing upstairs and looking down. Yikes! I’ve seen ant colonies with less activity. The stand by line for Living With the Land was way too long. We didn’t want to waste a FastPass on that although I know Rich likes the attraction. It’ll have to wait until a less “post-Soarin’” time. We couldn’t see anything about Soarin’. I suggested we check out the wait for Circle of Life, one of my favorites but it’s so hard to plan for since they don’t tell you outside the thing how long it is until the next showing. As it turned out, they were instantly seating for the next film. Air conditioning, good, environmental message, good. Tears in my eyes with that damn oil covered duck, not good. This is why I only do this attraction every once in a while. I’d probably take a soap box and climb up on it for the rest of the day.

After our Earth Day moment, we checked out what Soarin’ had to offer. We went downstairs and realized this was not an option. The food court area at 2:00 PM was totally ridiculous. I thought we were back at Tatooine Traders. Dads with trays, Moms trying to get condiments and utensils, kids all over the place. I didn’t think Soarin’ was going to happen and with a return time of 7:40 PM and a stand by of 70 minutes, it sure wasn’t in our game plan. We did a huge bail out.

I thought about The Living Seas next since we haven’t done the Crush thing but Mission:Space was offered up by my excellent husband. Gary Sinise, err, Mars, here we come. We were thinking FastPass but when we got there, the singles riders line said a five minute wait. Rich was game. I told him the singles riders line wait times were notoriously slow for their estimate. He didn’t care. So we waited. For ten minutes. I find with the singles riders line at this attraction, double it and you’ll be fine. Once we got to the loader, something happened. I think someone inside had a V-episode or something but the loader became very confused and just started putting single riders on wherever she could. So Rich and I were in the same capsule together. Nice ride to Mars. I did my stint as Commander very well. Thanks to Mr. Sinise. You really don’t think I go on this thing for the ride, do you?

We checked out Test Track next but it has still retained its popularity and had the same wait and FastPass return times as Soarin’. Way too late and much too long for us. Rich wanted to get something for our cat sitter so I suggested Mouse Gears. Donna is great but she is a paid service to take care of all five cats. She treats them like we do – they are our family. We get a written daily report when we get back. Also, all our mail and newspapers are carefully stacked and ready for us. She brings in or takes out our garbage and recycling containers. She’ll even water the plants. We gladly enjoy the peace of mind knowing our little family and house are well taken care of when we’re not there. With the drama of Friday (Rich had called Donna in his pre-going home state and left a message; she was more than willing to go check things out but Rich had already returned to work by that time), Rich wanted to get something a little special for Donna’s next visit. We settled on an Eeyore keychain with three hanging down chains. Donna has to carry a lot of keys for her pet visits and this would be nice. Plus, Rich is the quintessential Eeyore so this had personal meaning for us.

We exited towards Test Track and checked out Minnie’s Butterfly Garden. For the nature lovers in our lives. Rich’s dad, Ed, really gets into this kind of stuff. I think I might have found a link with him. This was really a very nice experience. As I stood there, oblivious to the people just rushing through the plastic tent, I kept thinking of Heimlich in “A Bug’s Life”. “I’m a beautiful, beautiful butterfly!” Nature’s creatures can be beautiful and I just wanted to be there for a long, long time. So peaceful. After Rich finally made me leave, I did realize that a butterfly has such a short life span. Enjoy them when you can. Disney smacks nature right at us and we don’t even realize it.

Then we were off for another walk around World Showcase. We checked out the Flower and Garden Festival things but didn’t really do much. Same with the rest of the countries. In all honesty, the heat was really getting to us. Both of us had had long and hard weeks at work and we needed to relax and enjoy time together. Going full force steam at Disney World was not what we needed. We stopped in Germany for some wines. Rich was liking these non-France choices. He had forgotten about enjoying much more selection. The France kiosk is very convenient for our walks but I think we’re going to be stopping more in Italy and Germany. At this stop, Rich and I got engaged talking with the female Cast Member but refrained from any kind of Guttentag stuff. Rich and I, like with our food, have totally opposite tastes in wine. I like the dry stuff and he likes the sweet stuff. We finally settled on a Cabinet and a Reisling and sampled each other’s. We stuck to our original choices. Rich had another opportunity to say “screw the French”.

After we made our way around to the International Gateway, we decided that we really needed a break. Even with sunblock, we were fried. Even with a water bottle, we needed some cooling down. We are Southerners and this day was kicking butt. So we headed back to Jasmine and All Star Movies. Lots of ice and water bottles later (we actually ran out of those blessed things), we were sated and watching the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Charlotte. Yeah, I know, it’s Disney World, go out and do something. But this contented us and we were much happier. Until the race turned ugly. This was THE worst race in the history of NASCAR. Don’t even get me started on it. We’re in a fantasy league with Chris and his wife, Chandra. Just the four of us. When three of your five drivers all wreck at once along with most of the other top drivers, well, hang it up.

With the heat, the stupid race, and just being generally tired, our emotions got the best of us. I wanted to do something since I had nothing to watch on the TV. Rich was fine with chilling in the room. I was getting hungry. Rich was fine. I decided to check all the pictures I took with the now charged up digital camera. Big mistake. Nothing turned out right. Everything was out of focus with pink edges and just generally was horrible. I’m not the most mechanically gifted person in the world and not charging the camera was my mistake of yesterday. Which I heard plenty of last night. Now, the failed photos were somehow my fault as well. I was asked what I did wrong. Um, nothing. I had suggested a quick walk around the Movies campus for some photos but that wasn’t going to happen. Rich didn’t care and quickly decided that I was a moron and didn’t know how to operate a digital camera. Maybe that’s harsh but that’s the way it seemed.

I grabbed my still camera. I have learned to always have a still camera since they’ll been around a heck of a longer time than digital and can be more reliable. I was hungry, had a Skee Ball scratch I had to itch, and wanted to get away from the man I married. Definite Grr Moment. We were just out of sorts and needed to be away from each other. Working together is great for the commute but it means 24/7 and we hadn’t had a break for weeks. We reached the boiling point and the pot rolled over.

So I headed out of the room while Rich continued to watch the horrid race. I walked around the grounds and found some inner peace. It’s not that difficult to do while at Disney World. Seeing the kids having fun. Watching the swimmers. I meandered around for a bit and then found myself right where I really wanted to be. Fixing that Skee Ball habit of mine. It’s really the All Star’s fault. I had discovered they had Skee Ball when we stayed at the Music last December. I am a Skee Ball Queen. I still had the silly tickets for “winning” stowed away. I wanted to stock up to get some plastic toys for our granddaughter, Marlie. OK, that’s the excuse and I’m sticking to it. Seriously, I can play Skee Ball for hours. I think I might have batted a few kids down running for an empty lane but for a couple of bucks (games are 25 cents) I was really getting some inner peace. Throwing the daylights out of a wooden ball somehow was soothing me. I shoved the tickets I won into my camera bag which was hard to do since I had so many. Yes, I do rule when it comes to Skee Ball. Then I did something I didn’t think I would actually do.

I went to the gift shop to, well, shop. I had been eyeing the beads and charms that you can mix and match to make bracelets, necklaces, and key chains. I wanted to do something like this but Rich had scoffed at the notion. I can’t find things easily with my name spelled correctly (last name OR first name). This way, I could personalize anything I wanted. The necklace itself was $3. Each alphabet bead was 85 cents. Other beads with characters or other Disney items were the same price. Charms were $4. I went with the necklace and beads of S-H-E-R-I (original, I know) and then added a patriotic Mickey head and a Piglet bead for either side. Cost was less than $10 and now I can add charms and other beads in future visits. I had a good time picking out what I wanted and made small talk with other shoppers (OK, all women) who were interested in the same thing. More negative feelings going out the door, more magic flowing in.

After my purchase, I was happier but still hungry. I went back to the room where Rich and I patched things up. The race was still horrid. How many drivers can wreck in one race? Evidently just about all of them. Rich agreed what was on TV wasn’t a pretty sight and he realized he needed food too. That’s another thing about Florida and the heat. Yes, hydrate often. But I find that we aren’t hungry when we’re out in the fun and the sun. Since we both had a chance to cool down, we needed chow. Back down to Cinema Hall and the food court.

I let Rich indulge in a double cheeseburger (no bacon so we saved another pig) since I was just darn glad he forgave me for my past sins. He reciprocated by ordering me a kids meal of grilled cheese and made sure they took it back when it came with fries instead of the carrots I requested. We both knew we had a long day when the food was inhaled in record time.

Rich played nice to me and steered me towards the gift shop where he thought I could get more things for my necklace. I refrained but we had our first joint visit to the place. I spied an awesome T shirt for Chris. It was Stitch holding an American flag. But the look on Stitch’s face made the shirt. Totally “shock and awe”. Perfect for our son. American Stitch Lover. But the price tag caused major shock and awe on Rich’s face. OK, let’s just think about it. It’ll be here next month.

Then Rich really played nice to me and led me over to the arcade again. He fed me some dollar bills to change in and I was again in Skee Ball heaven. He went and played a couple games of Gallaga. I again was the oldest person in the vicinity of the Skee Ball lanes and waited while kids blindly threw their balls up the slope. Sigh. There is an art here. It’s a dying tradition but one I have fond memories of from my childhood. I’m seriously thinking of spending all my lunch breaks at Chuckie Cheese just to play Skee Ball. I just added these tickets to the others in my cache and will accumulate for something for Marlie. Or me. On future visits, I can’t wait to tell the All Star gate guard I want to enter just to play Skee Ball.

We then went back to the room where the stupid race was STILL going on. The darn thing started at 5:00, it was now 10:00 and we had a ways to go. After 11:00, the race was over (finally and Jimmie Johnson won just beating Bobby Labonte so big disappointment for us) after a NASCAR record of 23 caution flags. Totally unbelievable. No, it’s not Disney but heck, it’s my trip report.

I think Rich and I set a record for the number of water bottles drank today. 23? Or was I just imagining we duplicated those caution flags? Lights at right after the race and we needed the sleep.

Only we didn’t get it. Oh my. I’m glad I had those happy feeling earlier because I could have really gone postal. We had been asleep just a short time when I heard a couple of women talking at what seemed to be right outside our room. Now, we’re the last room before the intersection to the elevator and we only have one neighbor. No noises from that side so it couldn’t be them. But these women were talking at a normal level. I tried to ignore. Kids were running around and that was to be expected. Then the women started yelling at the kids. That’s not to be expected. OK, I’ll give them until midnight and then see what happens. Surely someone can’t be that rude this late at night, right?

Wrong. Midnight came and went and Rich was now up. He can sleep through World War III as long as a commotion doesn’t involve the cats or the house. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had been listening to these two women chatter on and yell at the kids for almost an hour. And we did have our Do Not Disturb sign in the slot on the door. But why would they be standing outside our door? I had to be wrong. I opened the door and peered out. Yep, two women standing right there leaning over the railing. I asked them if there was something wrong. They said “yes, with our luggage”. I about lost it. I calmly said that I could understand their frustration but they were bothering us, it was past midnight, we were trying to sleep and could they just return to their rooms and wait for their personal situation to be resolved. Rich admired my restraint given the circumstances of the day. I did ask them to try and control their children from running around – at least take them downstairs to the grassy areas. I wasn’t trying to be a witch but I think once midnight hits, people should be just a little bit more aware of their surroundings. No, I correct myself. People should be a little more aware of other people’s surroundings. Sigh. I told you humans are such silly creatures. It did quiet down and we were able to sleep around 1:00 AM. Not the best of things but we managed.

Day Four, Monday, May 30, 2005 – “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”

It was departure day. I feel so split in emotions. Part of me wants to shout “it’s too short of a visit” and part of me wants to say “let’s get back to the cats”. The thumping of running kids woke us up way too early and we decided to just deal with it and get up but set a departure of check time at 11:00. We have Sunday trivia at 7:30 so we’d be able to check on the cats and get to that even if just barely. After Rich showered, he went to Cinema Hall for his cold Diet Coke fix. I asked him to check out that Stitch with an American attitude T-shirt for Chris. It was pricy at $19 but it was so Chris. Just to check it out – we could always get it next month. Rich returned just laughing. He had the Diet Cokes, he had his newspaper, he had the Stitch T-shirt, he also had a Stitch holding a Mickey bar plush for Marlie (we spoil her as much as we can from 800 miles away). Everything was in a separate bag with him toting this huge bag just for the T shirt. The reasoning of the Cast Member? The Diet Cokes might sweat on things, the newspaper might smudge the T shirt. I think the empty bags took up more space in our luggage than our clothes.

I got ready and we packed and then decided to head on out. I sort of wanted a trip to Downtown Disney but Rich took us the other way onto Highway 192. He indulged me most of the trip so I tried not to be disappointed. Next time, my dear, next time. We filled up Jasmine’s fuel energy at a BP station on Route 27 and then headed towards Georgia. I amazed myself by staying awake for Rich’s drive. I was tired from dealing with the “ladies” of the evening. Rich had his two Diet Cokes and they were both losers. 0-9 for the trip. He also bought 2 at the BP station. We actually got confused since we couldn’t figure out which were Disney Diet Cokes and which were BP Diet Cokes. It occupied some conversation in our boring lives.

We stopped at a rest area and Rich got, yep, another cold Diet Coke. This one he just tossed in the back for later. I took over driving and said that I would like a nice sit down late lunch so we wouldn’t have to eat that much at trivia that night. We love our trivia but if you’ve been doing the same thing every week for months, the menu selections get tired and old. How many Hot Naked Roman subs can Rich handle? I was in the mood for beef. We had seen the commercials for Applebee’s and their steak toppers and for some reason that was lodged in my mind. I knew I could get us to Valdosta where there’s one of every chain restaurant in the country. Score! Applebee’s here we come.

Rich and I have this “rule” that we can’t order the same entrée. So we discussed our choices carefully. I got mine with loads of onions and two kinds of cheese. Rich chuckled because I’m not a big one-time eater. I eat a ton but just not all at once. He said I should just ask the server for a To Go box right away. Yeah, it was a lot of steak. That I devoured. It was so, so good. Perfect way to end everything. Rich enjoyed his meal with the shrimp and three cheese steak topper. Sorry to all the cows in the world.

Rich wanted to take over driving but I warned him that he would have to do the total four hours to take us back to the barn. He doesn’t want me driving in Atlanta. He reconsidered so I got us as close to Macon as our bladders would allow. Then he took over. Of course, he got another Diet Coke. I had lost count of how many times he tried for the winning one or which Diet Coke bottle from where he was drinking from. When he cracked open that Diet Coke before he started driving, a huge smile came over his face. I mean, he lit up! He finally had a freaking winning game cap! Whoo hoo! Only took him the whole trip. I didn’t mention that he never got one for the Gatlinburg trip two weeks back or the other Disney World trip last month or the Chattanooga trip in February or the long Disney trip in December/January. Nope, kept my mouth shut and smiled for him. The free 1 liter of Diet Coke is now in the fridge at home. Hell, I think I should get a shadow box and frame it.

I snoozed for a good long time – the steak at Applebee’s kicked. We made it home in enough time to check emails (I had 84 in one account – spammers, go away), and be nice to the cats. Then I realized that it would be just about a month and we’d be back at Disney World. There’s nothing like a great feeling of knowing that your next trip is already booked. Ah, I love being this close and having Annual Passes.

Side Note – Skip If You Want But Fun Car Games

Through our many driving trips to Disney World, I’ve become quite creative with trying to find things to do while sitting in the passenger seat. Heck, even in the driver’s seat. I can do the license plate game and the ABC billboard game but I wanted something different. So I improvised, adapted, and adjusted. Here are some new variations to the traditional travel games.

License Plate Variation – Yes, you get a point for a standard state license plate. But you get two points for a variation of that state’s plate (states with different counties all are standard plates). So our plain Gwinnett county Georgia license plate is 1 point. The “Protect Our Wildlife” plate is 2 points. I think Florida has something like 52 different styles of plates so it’ll get interesting going closer to Disney World.

The Magnetic Ribbon Game – See how many different magnetic ribbons you can spot. The yellow ones, the pink ones, the green ones, the purples ones. You can even go further with the sayings on the ribbons. “Support Our Troops”, “God Bless America”, whatever. I even expanded this to include kids sports teams. Cheerleading emblems, soccer balls, football. Double points for those. And five additional points if the sports magnets are emblazed with a kid’s name. So a soccer ball with “Ethan” on it would earn you seven points.

And now my favorite. It’s probably only good in the south but one I still play on the commute to and from work. The NASCAR Decal Game. How many cars/trucks/SUVs have their favorite driver’s number stickers on their windows? One point for every decal. One bonus point if you correctly identify the driver. 50 bonus points if you ever spot anyone sporting a “24” and an “8” on the same vehicle (our daughter-in-law does and so would I if I put the decals on the windows).

Yeah, I know but I spend a heck of a lot of time in my car.

Final Thoughts and Overall Impressions – Or, I’m Almost Done

These are in no particular order.

I’m glad I married a man who makes me slow down and enjoy animals and nature. I grew up in a big city environment so seeing kites (the bird ones), flickers, and butterflies has made me a better person.

Although we didn’t get to see Off Kilter that didn’t in any way diminish our trip. Yes, they are our favorite group but they don’t make or break a visit. We’ll get to see them next time (and readers are spared a long report of their acts).

Eric Burdon was OK but not an act we’re big fans of. That was the one disappointment of the entire trip. This is only the second act in all of the special Flower Power series and Epcot concerts we’ve been to where we haven’t been blown away. That other act closed the Flower Power concerts this year. We just shuddered thinking about it.

The lunch at the Sci Fi Dine In was a highlight. It just was a great thing to sit in the dark, in the back of a car, and watch stupid movie stuff with my husband. This is not an every time event for us but once every couple of years is good enough. Next time, it’ll be 50s Prime Time Café.

The weather was stinky rotten hot and it was only May. It did get us to realize that we’d be getting smacked with the temperatures very soon in north Georgia. At home, we hadn’t even turned on our air conditioning yet. We took lots of breaks, paid attention to our water levels and activities. And we still had problems. Don’t let the Florida sun ruin your fun.

Rich and I did have a breakdown in the trip. This really is the first one with both of us working and we needed time apart. Instead, we were together all the time. Once we had the break, things were just fine between the two of us. I think for Fourth of July, we’re just going to have to do our own thing for an hour or two. Being together 24/7 these days is just a little too much. I love my husband but personal space is sorely needed in a lasting relationship.

Star Wars Weekend was entertaining. It wasn’t that crowded except Tatooine Traders. Since we’ve been back, Disney World extended the Weekends through June. So they are popular. I hope Disney World keeps these going for a while.

Feel free to email with any thoughts or comments.

Sheri Niklewski