Rhonda and I embarked on a couples’ only trip to Orlando today. We are going to be spending most of the time with a couple we are friends with, Jeff and Kelly Bolyard. We met them during our bowling league and hit it off. Kelly has a conference, or some such thing for work next week. They asked us to join them for the weekend prior, and we accepted. Thus we are making our first trip to Disney without kids since our honeymoon twenty-two years ago.
The flight was uneventful, which I suppose is good for a flight. A cheap domestic flight doesn’t compare in service to the last flight we took over to Europe. I guess you get what you pay for. Rhonda had problems with her left ear during the descent and suffered quite a bit of pain. As I type this evening Rhonda still had deadened hearing in her left ear. She tried all of the remedies we could think of to no avail. It has gotten marginally better through the afternoon, but it still isn’t right. Hopefully things in her ear equalize as she sleeps this evening and her hearing is back to normal tomorrow.
Our car rental is with Payless on this trip. We are thoroughly unimpressed. The check in process was nothing put a sales pitch for extra services and insurance. The car is OK, but a little dinked up. They are now on our avoid list along with Dollar. Dollar’s blacklisting came back when we traveled to New England in the fall of 2008. We drove the byways from the airport to the resort so as to avoid the tolls along the freeways. The drive was easy, and we arrived without any wrong turns or trouble.
Things improved markedly when we arrived at the resort. We are staying at the Marriott Harbor Lakes. It is a charming little property close to interstate 4 about halfway between Disney and Universal. We were given a room in the new building which has an abbreviated kitchenette and plenty of space for the two of us. The resort is well situated near the parks we are going to and any other stores or services we may require. After unpacking and making a couple of calls we headed out to Epcot for dinner.
The drive was quick and easy down to the park. Having been to the area several times before certainly helps getting around. Parking for Epcot was a whopping fourteen dollars. We asked if we could get half price for a half day, but the attendant just chuckled. Our first stop was at the first aid station to see if they had any ideas we hadn’t thought of for Rhonda’s ear. They didn’t so we proceeded to walk over to France where we had reservations. Since Matt at the Bonefish had recommended it, we stopped by Le Cellier in Canada to see if they had openings. They didn’t, so we proceeded to where we had reservations.
We dined at Les Chefs de France. We let our waiter Anthony know that we had been to Provence five months earlier, so he had some living up to do. Anthony was very charming and accommodating. Fortunately they had a Rose Provence on the wine list. It was light and dry, just like we hoped. It set the stage well for the dinner to come. Dinner was very enjoyable, and the bread was wonderful. Afterwards we strolled down to England to visit the Rose and Crown pub. We were full and really didn’t want anything to drink, but The Hat Lady was supposed to be performing on the piano there.
The pub was fairly full when we arrived, so we had to stand at the bar. We ordered a couple of ciders and began to sip as we waiting for The Hat lady to get off break. After a bit a small table opened up and we had a seat. Shortly after we had a seat Pam, The Hat Lady, came into the room. She was wearing cloths covered with buttons and was much older than either of us expected. She interacted with the crowd well and played tunes relevant to the towns and states that the different patrons were from. Rhonda and I were cuddling on the bench seat and she asked if we were honeymooning. We replied we had been for twenty-three years. I sang along with a couple of tunes she played from the musical Oliver which seemed to impress her. Pam quit performing about the time the “Reflections of Love” show started, which is the fireworks and light shows show that used to be Illuminations.
We finished up our drinks and headed out into the street to enjoy the rest of the show. Some trees obstructed most of our view, but we weren’t bothered because we knew we would have another opportunity to see it in a few nights. After the fireworks finished we sat on a bench and watched the people filing out of the park. Once the crowd had thinned sufficiently we took our own leave of the park. We drove to a grocery store we knew of from previous visits to get some supplies for breakfast and a little wine.
It has been a pleasant start to our trip. The positives have outweighed the few bumps we experienced. We made contact with our travel partners and will be meeting Jeff and Kelly tomorrow at Universal Studios.
Day 2 – April 9th
Universal Studios was on tap for Friday. Breakfast was light and we managed to get out of the room by 9:30. Traffic was no problem and we arrived in the mostly empty parking ramp in good order. The trek to the park from the ramp is a very long one at Universal Orlando. By the time we made the front gate we were late. We refused the up-sell at the gate and made it down to our rendezvous at Mel’s Drive-In a little after ten. We reached out to Jeff and Kelly and they let us know they were in the ramp and on their way in. Rhonda and I bought a tea and sat on a bench to people watch and wait. The weather was still overcast from the morning rain, but the temperature was wonderful. A couple of high school marching bands came by followed by Jeff and Kelly.
Jeff and Kelly picked up a bite to eat at Mel’s and we sat with them. Lucille Ball stopped by to visit us and she started the morning with a good laugh. After Lucy moved on we hit the street and went down to the T2-3D show. The sun was out after the show and I was squinting. Both Rhonda and I had left our sunglasses in the car since the sky was overcast when we arrived and the ramp was dark and we just didn’t think about it. Thus, I picked up some Terminator sun glasses from the T2 shop next to the show.
We proceeded around the park in a counter clockwise fashion hitting the major attractions. The old Back to the Future motion simulator has been made over to be a Simpsons ride where you are traveling through Krustyland with Sideshow Bob trying to kill you. The motion simulator didn’t affect me adversely and it was a nice follow-up to T2. The MIB ride was fun, as always. Jeff won the game with over 132,000 points. As we continued around the park we marveled at the small crowds and perfect weather. For many attractions we practically walked right on. Those with a wait didn’t keep us cooling our heals very long.
As the daylight faded we began thinking about a place to watch the Mardi Gras parade. Universal Studios was hosting a Mardi Gras celebration on select evenings, which is why we elected to attend that particular Friday. Dinner was had from some special Cajun food booths they had setup for Mardi Gras. The rum also began to flow for us. We picked a section of curb on the parade route and sat down to our dinner. We found out that the parade was to start later than we had originally been told, so we had a little time to kill. That was easily done with a couple more drinks and visiting with this couple sitting next to us who had cute twins. The twins were adorable and toddling all over the place. While cute, we were all thankful we didn’t have kids that young we would have to chase around.
The parade finally arrived and the rain of beads began. Kelly put everything she caught around Rhonda’s, Jeff’s, and my neck so it would look like she hadn’t gotten any. By the end of the parade Rhonda was overloaded. Almost immediately after the parade ended the concert started. Universal was hosting Sheryl Crow that night for the Mardi Gras concert. We walked toward the concert, which was only a couple of blocks behind us. We picked up some desert and drinks to wash it down. The concert was very enjoyable. I only knew the hits, but the others seemed much more familiar with Sheryl’s music.
Rhonda and Kelly had fun with a bartender named Sin. His given name was Sin, for whatever reason. He seemed very taken with Rhonda and she received a couple of drinks that were more rum than Coke. In fact the last one was nothing but rum and a little grenadine. After the concert we took our time heading out of the park. We lingered at Margaritaville in the Citywalk area for a bit before heading to the car. As Rhonda and I made the long walk to the car she began to share our bead bounty with folks heading the opposite direction towards Citywalk. When we finally made it to the ramp area our car was in, we had given away more than half and still had a lot left. We separated out the one we wanted to keep and hung the rest on the side view mirrors of the cars between us and our car. Thus ended our Mardi Gras day at Universal Studios.
Day 3 – April 10th (Rhonda’s Birthday)
Rhonda’s birthday looks to be another good one. The weather is starting out perfectly. We get up and out of the room fairly quickly. We make a quick stop at CVS to get some Zyrtec-D for Rhonda’s head. Disney Hollywood Studios is on tap for today. After getting parked and through the gates we make our way straight back to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater where we are to meet Jeff and Kelly for breakfast/lunch. We arrive early, so we take a seat outside in the shade to wait.
I wore sandals the day before and there is one spot that was rubbing me a little wrong on the right foot. While waiting I ask the employee at the Vacation Club information booth where First Aid is so I can get a band-aide. It is all the way up at the front gate, which I don’t want to walk right now since Jeff and Kelly may show up at any time. Rhonda asks if she has one handy. She says she doesn’t, but will check in the nearby store. Lo and behold she returns with a band-aide. The point of this whole story is the brand of the band-aide. I look down at it and am surprised to see Moore Medical. Moore is one of the McKesson companies we provide private branded product for. The band-aide probably came through Cypress Medical, my company, on its way to Moore to eventually wind up in Disney and on my foot. It is funny how the world works.
Jeff and Kelly arrive after some problems at the front gate and we head into the restaurant. They are tickled by the interior which is made up like a drive-in theater of old. We are sat at our table which is a car. Kelly learns something new about Jeff as he recognizes many of the old B movie trailers that are being shown on the screen. They are all cheesy sci-fi movies that provoke a lot of amusement in this day and age. We are all splitting meals which the kitchen graciously does for us without being asked. Once the string of trailers they are showing makes it full circle, we pick up our gear and head out to see what we can see.
Since it is close, we begin with Muppetvision 3-D. We all like the Muppets and enjoy the show very much. It is evident how far along 3D technology has come since this movie was first put together twenty years ago, but it holds up well. Once we exit the theater Kelly’s decide to doll up Rhonda for her birthday. We walk over to the Disney Princess store by the Little Mermaid show. There Kelly gets a tiara with blinking lights and a sash that has “Princess” printed on it for Rhonda to wear. Rhonda is wearing a pink skirt and top so the whole ensemble works well together.
Kelly and I are anxious to ride Tower of Terror, as we have both done it before and enjoyed it immensely. It will be a new experience for Jeff, but he is game. Rhonda has ridden it before and is not interested at all. The wait is shorter than advertised, which is a pleasant surprise. While we are riding the Tower of Terror Rhonda has taken the opportunity to walk to guest relations and get a birthday button. It has her name on it and declares it is her birthday. Throughout the rest of the day many of the Disney employees wish Rhonda a happy birthday by name, using the button as a prompt. This is a wonderful personal touch that exemplifies the Disney experience.
After the Tower of Terror we decide to ride the Rockin’ Rollercoaster since it is nearby. This time Kelly decides to pass as the rollercoaster goes upside down a couple of times which tends to mess with her head. She doesn’t want to be out of sorts for a couple of hours afterwards. Unlike the Tower of Terror, the Rockin’ Rollercoaster’s wait is a little longer than declared. We have a fun ride and join back up with Kelly.
Rhonda and I spotted the souvenir we want to get for Cory the day before in Universal. We locate a shop with the goods and make our purchase. Kelly has found a perfect shirt for Jeff to wear to work. It says on it “I’m Grumpy because you’re Dopey.” Unfortunately they don’t have a size to fit him left on the shelves. They suggest the large Disney store in Downtown Disney. We explore a Walt Disney exhibit and some other shops with what remains of the afternoon. There are a couple of shows we want to see, but our timing always seems to be a little off. We hit the Star Tours ride and squeeze into the last Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show. After the stunt show we walk to the Prime Time 50s Café for dinner.
The wait staff at the Prime Time Café are very interactive and treat you like cousins come over to their house for a visit. Our server is “Cousin” Mandy. She is a hoot and we, as Kelly says, intentionally “fuss” with her to prompt reactions. We don’t set the table and continue to put our elbows on the table. Kelly gets called out for being a tattle tale a couple of times. It is all good fun. Towards the end of our meal a father with his two children are sat next to us. The father is spending the whole time one the phone and the kids look desperate for attention. Kelly engages them in conversation and they begin to show us some of the unique talents. Finally the father gets off of the phone and joins in. All in all the meal is a show in of itself. Mandy and our neighbors have made it a fun time and we are in good spirits when we finally leave.
We decided to finish the evening at Downtown Disney. Rhonda and I pick up a souvenir for Evan on the way out of the park. We find our way to the Marketplace portion of Downtown Disney and meet up with Jeff and Kelly. They have found the shirt they were looking for in the correct size. We head out to the street to find a place for a drink and some music. Pleasure Island has changed since its first incarnation and we find nothing to our liking for a while. We finally come across Paradise 37 which has a deck on the waterfront with a guitarist playing some nice tunes.
There is an empty table right next to the musician that we occupy. We order up some drinks from Junior, our Brazilian waiter. The guitarist’s name is Mike, and he is very good. He is playing an acoustic guitar with a harmonica added in from time to time. His voice is good and his music selection very enjoyable. After playing “Southern Cross” I tip him and ask for “Brown Eyed Girl.” This starts the ball rolling. He begins getting more tips and requests. While this is going on the fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom is in full bloom. From our vantage point we can see it from a distance across the water. It is a nice touch to the evening’s activities. After three rounds and a lot of music we finally decide to call it a night.
Day 4 – April 11th
Sunday dawns clear and sunny. We wake early enough to get a little blogging done before having to leave. Rhonda dons her tiara, sash and birthday button and we head out the door to Epcot. We have 11:30 reservations at the Restaurant Marrakesh to start the day with a late breakfast/early lunch. The day starts well with the tram ride from the parking lot up to the front gate. The conductor sounds like Joe Pesci. He has a good routine and sounds like he is enjoying his job. He lets everyone know that he is imparting the most important information they will need today, their parking location. He says that if you don’t remember it you will get a lovely two hour walking tour of the second biggest parking lot in the United States at the end of your day. It is a pleasure to start the day in the park with some chuckles and a smile.
The gate area is crowded, but we get through quickly. The crowds thin as we walk to the back of the park where Morocco is located. Epcot is hosting the Flower and Garden Festival during this period of April. This means that there are character topiary spread all over the park with more gardens and displays of floral beauty than normal. It is a lovely stroll to Morocco. I am hopeful that the crowds stay light. While it does get more congested later in the day, it never gets crowded. We arrive at Morocco and the restaurant is devoid of people. There is not even a person manning the front desk. Since it is a little after eleven and the restaurant doesn’t open until 11:30, we figure they are just getting to work. We head back out to a small garden area next to Morocco and chat with the fellow answering questions about the display. After a bit we sit by the entrance to Morocco to wait. Jeff and Kelly come out from within Morocco to greet us. We must have passed each other in windy lanes in the country.
Lunch is a pleasurable affair with some delectable and unusual food. Near the end of the meal the floor show comes on and begins to play some music. The belly dancer arrives after a couple of tunes. She has two small girls come up and dance with her. Rhonda and I both have some Moroccan coffee during all of this. It is strong, very dark, but not bitter at all. With the meal wrapped up we hit the street.
We spend the better part of the afternoon exploring the world showcase at a leisurely pace. Jeff and Kelly want to purchase Rhonda a necklace and earrings set for her birthday, so we are all looking for something nice in the various countries. Rhonda and I are searching for shot glasses for Dustin from the different countries. This turn out to be trickier than you would think. As we make our way around the World Showcase we finally find a nice jade jewelry set in China that Jeff and Kelly generously purchase for Rhonda. During our expedition Kelly has been trying different hats on Jeff and taking his picture. As the hats get sillier Kelly is getting more tickled and Jeff’s face gets more sullen. He is a trooper though, and the progression of pictures makes for an amusing trip around the world.
Jeff is interested in riding Test Track in the World of Motion pavilion since he has heard good things about it. Thus we separate for a time as Jeff and Kelly head toward Test Track and Rhonda and I continue around the world in our hunt for shot glasses. We agree to meet back at the stage in America for the Herman’s Hermit show at 5:15. Rhonda and I only manage to find one more shot glass for Dustin bringing to total up to four. That is a pretty poor showing for eleven countries. The day is somewhat hotter that the last couple and we stop in France for a glass of wine. We dust off our French from last fall and order up a two glasses. We take them to a garden area in France that is off the beaten path. The benches are empty and there is a nice breeze blowing.
Sleeping Beauty is greeting guests at the opposite end of the garden. When she is finished she passes our way to get backstage. She wishes Rhonda a happy birthday and addresses her as “Your Majesty.” Rhonda returns the honorific. Just like in Hollywood Studios, all of the Disney employees use the birthday button as a queue to wish Rhonda a happy birthday. Throughout the World Showcase Rhonda has been politely thanking them in their own language. We finish our wine and amble our way towards the stage in America to find Jeff and Kelly.
Herman’s Hermits are on stage and performing by the time we get there. Jeff and Kelly are listening from a garden wall in the shade across the walk from the performance area. It is a good spot. I snap a couple of pictures and we join them to listen to the show. Rhonda calls up her Dad to share with him who we are listening to. The concert is only about half an hour, but they hit all of the high points of their repertoire. Of course, they finish with Henry the Eighth. We have some time to kill after the performance before we need to be in Germany for dinner, so we head into the show in the American Pavilion which is getting ready to start. While waiting we learn that Kelly has lost her diamond bracelet somewhere between Mexico and their boat ride back across the lagoon after the Test Track ride. Given the rather high value of the bracelet I am amazed at her calm demeanor. She states she has come to grips with the loss and doesn’t want it to spoil the rest of her day. Quite admirable.
After the show in America we amble down to the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany. We are seated quickly right up next to the rail on the floor, close to the stage. The band comes on shortly after we have our meals. Rhonda and Kelly are both drinking a light Beck’s beer. I am enjoying a dark beer whose name I didn‘t catch. Kelly and I both have the “German” sized beverages which look to be about a liter. When the toasts are called for it is quite a heavy load to lift and cheer with. We take our time with the meal, and drinking so much beer does take a lot of time. I never do finish. During the band’s second set Rhonda and I get up and polka. We don’t quite know what we are doing but brave through it. The polka is quickly followed by the Chicken Dance, which we stay on the floor for. Afterwards we decide to call the meal done.
Back out on the street Jeff and Kelly decide to get out of the park to beat the crowds. They are both departing for Illinois the next day and want to get back to their room to get an early start. We part ways with many hugs and thanks for an enjoyable time together. They head towards the exit and Rhonda and I walk around to England to watch the Illuminations show. We find a nice spot next to the Rose and Crown pub to watch. The music, lights, fountains and fireworks make for great watching and a nice conclusion to the day.
Day 5 – April 12th
Monday dawns somewhat cloudy. We have no particular plans for the day. Watching the weather we see there is a chance of rain for the afternoon. We have a little coffee and I sit to catch up the trip blog. There are two days to get done, so I set to work. Rhonda dozes back off for a bit while I type. After quite a while I get things all written and posted up on the blog site. Now we need to decide what to do with the day. The upgrade from a three day Disney pass to a four day is negligible. After some time we decide to visit the Magic Kingdom. I want to see the revamped Pirates of the Caribbean ride and revisit a couple of classics, Big Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. I also hope to finish the Disney experience with the fireworks show we saw from afar a couple of night ago. With that agreed we finally get out of the room around lunch time.
Rather than going straight to the park we stop at the Chevy’s Fresh Mex restaurant for lunch. Coincidentally we are sat at the table we occupied the first time we had visited this particular restaurant. The lunch is good, but what makes the meal memorable is the balloon artist working the joint. We first notice him putting together on what turns out to be a rather elaborate dolphin for a girl a few tables over. Next he begins working on a three colored object we can’t quite make out. After a bit it starts to take shape and it turns out to be a castle that you wear on your head. We are impressed. The last object he makes for that table is a two colored lion with a full mane. We begin to look around for other pieces of his work. The one Rhonda likes best is a blue, yellow and white Cinderella that you can’t mistake for anything else other than what it is supposed to be. We pull the fellow aside and compliment him on the remarkable work.
We eventually arrive at the Magic Kingdom. The park is busy, but not overly crowded. We leisurely hit some of the attractions I wanted to ride. Rhonda is still in her tiara and sash. Knowing that they would simply gather dust at home we had resolved on the monorail ride over to make some little girl’s day. As we strolled from attraction to attraction we kept our eye out for a little girl celebrating her birthday. On our way to Future World we spot a likely candidate. She is wearing a button declaring it her birthday and her name as Lily. Rhonda calls out to her and wishes her a happy birthday. She is with her parents and unadorned with any souvenirs save her birthday button. Rhonda explains that it was her birthday a couple of days ago and now she would like to dub her the birthday princess. She crowns Lily and places the sash over her shoulder. Lily seems very pleased and gives Rhonda a hug in thanks. We have hopefully given her a great memory to recall her trip by.
The one new attraction we stop at is the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. We head in on a fluke not knowing what to expect. While waiting in line we see screens around asking you to send a joke in a text message to the monsters and they might use it in the show. We wrack out brains for a good clean joke that would be appropriate for the mixed audience. After we pass through the doorway to the monster world Rhonda recalls one and sends it off. Once inside the auditorium you sit facing a large screen with a couple of small ones on either side of it. Various monsters from the movie come on and do little routines trying to fill their canister with gigglewatts from our laughter. At various times through the show they put a spotlight on a person in the audience and make them part of the show. Partway through the retelling on the movie a spot is shown on me as the Mike Wazowski character. The monster telling the story says, “That is Mike with one eye.” I then close one eye to fit the role. There are fun bits throughout the show, but they didn’t use Rhonda’s joke. The show is very interactive and the monsters on the screen respond appropriately to the audience’s statements and reactions.
After the monsters show we head to Main Street in order find souvenirs for Mom and Dad. Dad isn’t too hard, but Mom is, as always. After a bunch of searching we finally find something and sit for a rest. There is a gal selling balloons on the street having a devil of a time. She has two or three dozen in tow and the wind is pretty stiff. She struggles to keep control while not letting them get all tangled up. We also watch a lady very deftly cutting silhouettes of her customers. We know one is going to be a problem. It is a small boy who won’t sit still and look at one object long enough for her to get her work done. She eventually gets a book out for the parent to show and read to the boy. It works and she manages to get him cut out. It is about seven in the evening and Rhonda is tired of walking and her kid and crowd quotient are filled up. I am sorry to miss the fireworks, but we decide to go.
Over dinner later that evening we discuss the trip. It has been a lot of fun, and very relaxing. We remark on how nice it is to be making return trips to the park. In that way you don’t feel the need to race around catching all the attractions, and can take things at a slow pace and savor the little moments. We don’t think we will be back down this way anytime soon. Rhonda’s favorite day was her birthday. The well wishes from everyone in the park made the day special. I really can’t decide on a favorite day, as they were all enjoyable. Tomorrow is simply a travel day, so this evening really closes the book on this trip.
