Iago Flies South-A Trip Report (Part 6-Long)
JIROMI
Me. Iago. AKA Ronnie. Age 39. The Disney nut in the family. Trip planner
and touring commando (yeah, yeah, I know, I'm working on it).
Mike: Age 41. The hubby. Likes Disney, but more interested in the Yankees
than Mickey (yeah, I'm working on *that*, too).
Jill: Age 7. Likes blue nail polish, the Spice Girls, and anything with a
high sugar content. Has a tendency to get cold feet just before the big rides.
(A work in progress. Check back in a few years.)
The three of us are Disney veterans, having made family trips in 1994, 1995,
1996, and in March of this year. I also made a solo trip in 1996.
Mom: Age 69. Had been to the Disney-MGM Studios once, in 1989, and to Epcot a
couple of times, including once in March of this year, when she met us there
for the day. Never stayed at a Disney resort. Had never seen the Magic
Kingdom. (My work on this project has been abandoned. Read on.)
--------------------------------------------------
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
Birdie quote for the day:
The penguin flies backwards because he doesn't care to see where he's going,
but wants to see where he's been.
- Fred Allen, "The Backward View"
---------------------------------------------------
Traditionally, we spend our last day in WDW at Downtown Disney, where I wander
around in a funk, constantly checking my watch to see if it's time to head to
the airport. This trip was no exception.
We slept a little later than usual, and then we borrowed a dolly and brought
our luggage to the storage room. I dread that last walk past the pools, where
there are always a lot of happy people, either just starting their vacations,
or in the middle of their trip.
I hate them.
Before breakfast, I decided to return the wheelchair, since I didn't want the
hotel charging me $250 if the thing wasn't in their possession by 11 AM. Mom
looked a little alarmed. "You're returning it *now*?" Oy. Sorry, Mom.
One last breakfast in the food court ($18.59), and then Jill wanted to try out
the arcade and get a couple of pennies pressed. I couldn't believe the pressed
pennies cost 50 cents. Am I dreaming, or were they 25 cents in March? So we
got a couple of them done outside the arcade, and then she used her Disney
Dollar to play Mouse Attack again. She earned another Alien figure. This one
is a boxer. Boy, those Aliens are a fit bunch. Then we were off to Downtown
Disney. The marketplace was our first stop. I had been admiring those red
pins that look like the CM name badges, so we stopped to have a couple of them
made. Jill got a traditional keychain, with her name and hometown. I bought
the pin, with "Ronnie" in large letters, and "TDC Iago" in smaller letters
where the hometown would normally go. The CM operating the engraving machine
looked a little puzzled, but asked no questions. : ) $9.54 with our MKC
discount.
Then it was over to World of Disney, which is a huge store that didn't seem to
have anything we wanted. After looking around awhile without success, I asked
a CM if they had any Iago merchandise. "Oh no," she said. "But you might try
Studio M. They do custom character t-shirts." Oh, joy! That sounded
promising. So I hustled over there, pointed to the sign on the counter that
showed the various characters available, and said excitedly, "I'm looking for a
Iago."
The guy behind the counter replied, "I don't even know what a Iago *is*."
"The parrot from 'Aladdin.' Sits on Jafar's shoulder."
"Never heard of him. Try World of Disney."
(His surgery went very well, thank you, and the doctors expect him to hear
again someday.)
Back to WoD, where Mike wasn't finding anything, either. Jill decided that a
stuffed Tramp doll would be her souvenir, to match her Lady doll, so we looked
in the room with the giant plush shrine extending all the way up to the
ceiling. No Tramp. Lots of Ladys, but no Tramp. Does that make any sense to
you? So she looked around and settled on a Flounder doll instead ($15.27 with
MKC discount).
Mom picked up a few souvenirs for friends back home, and then we checked out
Team Mickey's. We had much more success here. I bought Jill a basketball
t-shirt with a small Minnie picture on front that says "Not Just A Pretty
Face." On the back is a large picture of Daisy and Minnie in sports attire,
with Minnie spinning a basketball on one finger. It reads: "Take Your Best
Shot! A Girl's Place is in the Game!" Very cool.
Mike bought a funny ESPN shirt. On the front is a small WDW ESPN Club logo and
it says "The Signs of Baseball." The back reads "Recognizing the Signs of
Baseball" and has 3 cartoons of players or the manager giving signs, with
translations. The translations are: A) Wake me if this game gets close, B) Two
dogs with relish, and C) Babes in Section Two! The perfect combination of
baseball and Disney World. Cost for 2 shirts: $33.39 with MKC discount.
Next we checked out the Lego store. I saw that Brickley's head had been
perfectly restored, and I took two great pictures of him, with the steam coming
out of his nostrils. At least it looks like it's coming out of his nostrils.
Maybe it's his mouth. It seemed to me that some of the large figures outside
the store had been moved, and the pedestrian traffic flow was a little
smoother. If you're interested in seeing photos of some of the Lego creations,
let me know and I'll e-mail them to you. I've got a great one of the guy with
the camcorder.
We decided to go to Planet Hollywood for lunch, because I had a "Go to the
front of the line" coupon and a coupon for a free gift with a $10 purchase. I
was the only one of us who had ever been inside the WDW location. The walk to
PH from the marketplace was brutal. The air was so hot and still I could
hardly breathe. It turned out that we didn't need the front of the line pass.
Truthfully, I think that coupon is worthless. It's only good M-F from 11AM to
4Pm or 5PM (can't recall which), and there are no lines then. Maybe during an
extremely busy period it would have some value. During lunch, they only seat
people on the main level, but you can go upstairs to check out the scenery
after you eat. I highly recommend doing that. The two upper levels are much
more interesting than the main level.
The restaurant is currently celebrating Haunted Hollywood, so there were
appropriate film clips running. I recall seeing Bette Midler in "Hocus Pocus,"
the Wicked Witch from "The Wizard of Oz," and Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
video while we were there. For an extra $2, Jill's drink came in a very cute
witch cup. It's a green witch head, and she's wearing Planet Hollywood
sunglasses. The straw sticks out of her hat. I had the barbecued chicken
pizza, Mom had a turkey burger, and Mike had one of their salads. Jill got
pizza from the kids' menu. We also had the Cap'n Crunch chicken appetizer,
which is very good. Our waitress's name was Dina, and at one point she asked
me if I was in a hurry and needed to get back to work. I couldn't figure out
what she was talking about at first, but then I realized she thought my red
name tag was a CM badge. I explained what it was, and she said she had been
ready to give me a CM discount. Me and my big mouth. ; ) Final cost *without*
any discount: $59.44.
After we ate, I picked up our free gift, which was a Planet Hollywood mug, and
then Mike, Jill, and I took the elevator upstairs. My mother wouldn't even do
this with us. She just waited by the entrance. On the top floor is a giant
version of Woody from "Toy Story." They've also got Kate Winslet and Leonardo
DiCaprio's costumes from a particular scene in "Titanic." And if you feel
uncomfortable with the restroom attendant in the downstairs bathroom, there's a
single occupancy bathroom on the top floor that I highly recommend. ; )
We poked around the West Side a bit, checking out Magnetron, my favorite store
there. The magnets are expensive, but it's such fun to see what they've got.
Then we hit The Candy Cauldron for one last WDW treat. We came out with two
chocolate-covered pretzels (one with nuts, one with sprinkles), some fudge, and
a huge caramel apple with nuts. $10.31 with our discount. We sat on a bench
overlooking the water and devoured these, sharing some with the very brazen
little birdies who know a good hangout spot when they see one.
I looked over at Bongo's and temptation got the better of me. I had spent a
lot on my AK hat already, but I just had to have a Bongo's t-shirt, which I had
passed up on our previous trip. So I was off to the gift shop. They had
several styles. One just had the lettering, and no picture. One had a man
playing bongos. His head is down, so you just see his hat. And the third was
my favorite. It's a lady in a festive pants outfit and hat, shaking maracas.
It says "Bongo's Cuban Cafe" in large letters. I chose a beige background. I
noticed that they had XXL in the style with the man on it, but the one with the
lady only went up to XL. Gender discrimination! <g> $21.19, no discount
here.
So I finally had my Bongo's shirt. Now every time I wear it, Mike looks at me
and says, "Nice bongos." ; )
I guess that means he's forgiven me.
It was time to go back to ASM to wait for Tiffany Town Car. We discovered that
the walk to the West Side bus stop is very long. And of course the All Star
stop is the farthest away. So it took Mom awhile to get there. I had a
rambunctious 7-year-old skipping ahead of me, and an aching 69-year-old lagging
behind me. I don't think we ever all managed to walk at the same pace on this
trip.
Back at ASM, we retrieved our luggage, and the Tiffany driver arrived in a
couple of minutes. It was Brian this time. Once at MCO, we inqired about
getting my mother on an earlier flight, because the only thing we coud get
originally was a 9:30PM departure time, which meant she would have a long wait.
She was able to get on a 5:30 flight, so her agony was lessened by 4 hours. I
think she couldn't wait to get home and collapse on her couch and ice her knees
and watch TV.
Our own flight was uneventful, and we returned to the mundane tasks of everyday
life, like school, work, shopping, and laundry. : (
I've done quite a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking since my return, which
is really pointless, but I can't help myself. I can't help feeling the "I
Should-a" blues. I should-a gotten a wheelchair at check-in. I should-a not
committed to so many meets. I should-a known better than to invite my mother
on the trip at all. Blah blah blah.
I did learn a valuable lesson. It is nearly impossible to be a good spouse, a
good mother, a good child, and a good friend all at the same time. Something's
gotta give. Someone is bound to get shortchanged.
I also learned that, even with all the errors in judgement and "I Should-a's",
the magic of Walt Disney World is so pervasive that it can make up for a lot of
mistakes.
At least it can for me.
So I look forward to our next trip, which is, as it happens, already planned.
Incredibly, Mike says he had a great time. And he says it with conviction. (I
suspect the Yankees' World Series win makes him generous.) I know Jill had a
good time and she is eager to ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin next
time. Mom even lies for my sake and says she had a good time. ; ) After
talking to her in more detail, I think what she really likes is the *idea* that
we took her to Disney World, rather than liking Disney World itself. There's
no question that her physical discomfort was a factor in the trip, and in my
interpretation of her reaction to things. And I look at all the photos with a
softened heart, and a memory that is starting to get pleasantly fuzzy around
the edges. Maybe it wasn't perfect Disney, but it was still Disney.
And even imperfect Disney is "Lightyears" ahead of no Disney at all.
Thanks for reading. Hunky tuna tostada!
Ronnie
*TDC IAGO, PARROT ROYAL AND SCREAMER IN THE CZARINA'S EAR*
Blssthomas
Thank you for your trip report. It was one of the most candid
reports I've read. I can appreciate your " juggling " act with the different
age groups & relationships.I'll leave you with one of my dear mom's favorite
sayings ," Patience is a virtue." LOL LOL LOL
Linda
GOH '76,'95'95,'96,'97,'97, '98
next trip- 12/11-20, 1998
We love the Poly Tonga !
HDD- 12/13
MVMCP- 12/11 &12/17
CP-12/16
JH- 12/15 - maybe
Bruce A Metcalf
>Jill wanted to try out
>the arcade and get a couple of pennies pressed. I couldn't believe the pressed
>pennies cost 50 cents. Am I dreaming, or were they 25 cents in March?
You were hallucinating. They've always been 51 cents.
Bruce A Metcalf
mailto:bmet...@magicnet.net
http://amberthree.dyn.ml.org/~rufus/aotw/
Zamgwar
Thanks for a great trip report, complete with all it's Hi's and Lows.
>I did learn a valuable lesson. It is nearly impossible to be a good spouse,
>a good mother, a good child, and a good friend all at the same time.
Something's
>gotta give.
I understand that entirely!!!! I think I mentioned to you on part two that I
once went with my wife and all our best friends..thinking it was going to be
the best trip ever...wrong we were. It's almost deadly trying to match a
variety of "what a vacation should be. My favorite trips down are still when
it's just the wife unit and I. Sometime if we're lucky enough to have kids that
may change... but the just the two of us trips are heaven!!!
I have reached the ultimate "many people going" solution.
Go the same time..but not together. We did this last trip. Wifey and I did our
own time schedule..I meet my friends for Breakfast 3 times and let Karen sleep
in, we had a few dinners together...Karen and I had a wonderful time alone
together....as did the other couples..and still we had the option of seeing
each other...just enough to never require an evil glance.
>the magic of Walt Disney World is so pervasive that it can make up for a lot
>of mistakes.
Never say should have....just "will do" for the next time!!!! Thanks Ronnie.. I
felt like I was rolling along with ya!!
John
Department of Applause
The Zamgwar Institute
T1dwyer
snip snip(for space only)
Really enjoyed your report, Ronnie. My guess is your next trip will be for a
trio and not a quartet?
Nancy D.
pugsl...@my-dejanews.com
Thanks so much for your report -- I really enjoyed reading it. Now that you
*and* Kevin are finished with your reports, what am I going to do with my
spare time? Hmm, plan my next trip maybe??? I think I'm going to go in
December (RADP meet weekend) -- by myself. I was a little nervous about the
prospect of going alone, but your report has helped convince me that being
there on my own with no one else to worry about might be a really, really
good idea. Thanks!
Lisa
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
JIROMI
>(JIROMI) wrote:
>
>>Jill wanted to try out
>>the arcade and get a couple of pennies pressed. I couldn't believe the
>pressed
>>pennies cost 50 cents. Am I dreaming, or were they 25 cents in March?
>
>You were hallucinating. They've always been 51 cents.
Thank you, Zazu. I need to get more sleep. You really need to stop snoring at
night. ; )
BTW, can you lend me a quarter?
JIROMI
>Really enjoyed your report, Ronnie. My guess is your next trip will be for a
>trio and not a quartet?
ROFL! How ever did you guess?
; )
AlabamaGal
Loved the trip reports. (Have you thought of a career in comedy writing?)
Oh, and by the way, I saw some $1.00 pressed penny machines. Just so's you
don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
ImKiwi10
>don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
Those were probably pressed quarter machines, correct? They cost 75 cents, plus
the quarer to press. I haven't seen any penny presses for a dollar. I certainly
hope they never go that high.
-Julie
TDC Rapunzel, Food Rocks Head Chef and Keeper of the Monstro table
Jeff Spencer
snip report
> Thanks for reading. Hunky tuna tostada!
Thanks for writing it Ronnie. That hour of waiting during
Brian's karate class just blew right by thanks to your report.
As for your Mom sleeping in the attractions, seems like I recall
that you've mentioned that you've had that problem yourself. Like
mother like daughter, right? ;-)
Jeff Spencer
--
Visit the Spencer Family's Disney Page
http://home.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/
Jeff Spencer
>
> Julie wrote:
> >>Oh, and by the way, I saw some $1.00 pressed penny machines. Just so's you
> >>don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
> >
> >Those were probably pressed quarter machines, correct? They cost 75 cents,
> >plus
> >the quarer to press. I haven't seen any penny presses for a dollar. I
> >certainly
> >hope they never go that high.
>
> being pressed. This was at ASM. Maybe I was hallucinating again?
Probably so. ;-)
They have pressed quarter machines that are $1.00 plus the quarter that
is being pressed (5 quarters total).
Gatowski
Great reports. I could relate to your experience with your mother. Last
Thanksgiving, my husband joined me and the kids for our trip. I would find
myself chekcing out his reactions at the attractions. Is he happy? Is he
bored? Will he ever like WDW? In the end, it took a lot of energy, but
fortunately--he didn't hate it!
This trip (in 2 weeks) it's just me, myself and I. No one to worry about but
myself---I only hope I don't spend any time thinking "I wonder what the kids
would think?"
Maura Gatowski
JIROMI
>>Oh, and by the way, I saw some $1.00 pressed penny machines. Just so's you
>>don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
>
>Those were probably pressed quarter machines, correct? They cost 75 cents,
>plus
>the quarer to press. I haven't seen any penny presses for a dollar. I
>certainly
>hope they never go that high.
I swear I saw a pressed quarter machine that cost $1.25. Plus the quarter
being pressed. This was at ASM. Maybe I was hallucinating again?
Ronnie
EiFrancis
>>a good mother, a good child, and a good friend all at the same time.
>Something's
>>gotta give.
>
>I understand that entirely!!!! I think I mentioned to you on part two that I
>once went with my wife and all our best friends..thinking it was going to be
>the best trip ever...wrong we were. It's almost deadly trying to match a
>variety of "what a vacation should be.
Me too. We planned our trip with our best friends and their kids and it was a
little too much togetherness. The kids had a blast, but it was not how we
like to "do disney". And I think much time was wasted waiting, meeting and
planning "our" next move.
-Eileen
Debbie Hrabinski
> >pressed
> >>pennies cost 50 cents. Am I dreaming, or were they 25 cents in March?
Yep, most of em are always 51 cents. In fact, they practically took us
broke on our last trip! Raquel wanted one everytime she saw one of
those machines! I think I have about $10 worth of them at home here!
debbie
pig...@worldnet.att.net
o o
(º º)
\_______/
Debbie Hrabinski
> I swear I saw a pressed quarter machine that cost $1.25. Plus the quarter
> being pressed. This was at ASM. Maybe I was hallucinating again?
Yep...
U are right Iago. I got one of those. U put a quarter in, and then
another 4 quarters and it presses your quarter. It's the one that has
Mickey on it and says 1998.
JIROMI
>> I swear I saw a pressed quarter machine that cost $1.25. Plus the quarter
>> being pressed. This was at ASM. Maybe I was hallucinating again?
And Jeff replied:
>Probably so. ;-)
>
>They have pressed quarter machines that are $1.00 plus the quarter that
>is being pressed (5 quarters total).
Man, I really have to stay away from those Disney American History
presentations, Jeff. ; ) They're more potent than funny mushrooms.
Don't send me to the store and expect change back. <g>
JIROMI
>Thanks for writing it Ronnie. That hour of waiting during
>Brian's karate class just blew right by thanks to your report.
>As for your Mom sleeping in the attractions, seems like I recall
>that you've mentioned that you've had that problem yourself. Like
>mother like daughter, right? ;-)
Hehehe. But Jeff, it- it- it was the AMERICAN ADVENTURE, after all!! And I
never completely lost consciousness. I only attained a higher level of
awareness. You know. Where Ben Franklin steps off the stage and dances with
one of those statues while Mark Twain sings a rap song.
I know I blew it on the pressed penny price, but that stuff actually happened,
right? ; )
Sigh........I've become my mother. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
AlabamaGal
quarter pressed and only .50 to have a penny pressed? Considering one provides
the raw materials, I do not understand. Oh well, them accountants working
their Disney magic I guess.
Rob Steere
turn the crank yourself to press the penny... ;-)
-Rob Steere
TDC Master Sergeant of Enforcing Movement All the Way to the End of the
Row
GoH '86
45 days to WDW!!!
ste...@ultranet.com
http://www.ultranet.com/~steerr/wdw/index.html
Rob Steere
quarters... The "limited edition" ones that have a specific year on them
(like the 25th anniversary resort ones, or the current ones with 1998 on
them) cost a total of $1.25, including the smooshed quarter you get
back...
But, on some of the other designs, the total cost is $1.00... These are
few and far between, the only one I can think of is the Tower of Terror
quarter machine... But any non-year specific pressed quarter SHOULD be
only $1.00...
I think... Of course, I could be wrong... I've been wrong before... :-)
-Rob Steere
TDC Master Sergeant of Enforcing Movement All the Way to the End of the
Row
GoH '86
45 days to WDW!!!
ste...@ultranet.com
http://www.ultranet.com/~steerr/wdw/index.html
Jeff Spencer wrote:
>
> JIROMI wrote:
> >
> > Julie wrote:
> > >>Oh, and by the way, I saw some $1.00 pressed penny machines. Just so's you
> > >>don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
> > >
> > >Those were probably pressed quarter machines, correct? They cost 75 cents,
> > >plus
> > >the quarer to press. I haven't seen any penny presses for a dollar. I
> > >certainly
> > >hope they never go that high.
> >
> > I swear I saw a pressed quarter machine that cost $1.25. Plus the quarter
> > being pressed. This was at ASM. Maybe I was hallucinating again?
>
> Probably so. ;-)
>
> They have pressed quarter machines that are $1.00 plus the quarter that
> is being pressed (5 quarters total).
>
ImKiwi10
Consider yourself lucky. I dropped about $30 on them on my last trip I guess
that makes about $60 worth total.
ImKiwi10
>(like the 25th anniversary resort ones, or the current ones with 1998 on
>them) cost a total of $1.25, including the smooshed quarter you get
>back...
>
>But, on some of the other designs, the total cost is $1.00... These are
>few and far between, the only one I can think of is the Tower of Terror
>quarter machine... But any non-year specific pressed quarter SHOULD be
>only $1.00...
Well, man, I think they've gone up. I didn't get any 1998 pressed quarters on
my last trip, but all the quarters I got (Tower of Terror, Space Mountain,
Animal Kingdom, ect) were 75 cents plus the quarter you press...a total of
$1.00. I also could have sworn that the 25th Anniversary quarters only cost
$1.00 total too, but I coud be wrong.
kathry...@pharma.novartis.com
imki...@aol.com (ImKiwi10) wrote:
> >Oh, and by the way, I saw some $1.00 pressed penny machines. Just so's you
> >don't think you are hallucinating again. :-)
>
> Those were probably pressed quarter machines, correct? They cost 75 cents,
plus
> the quarer to press. I haven't seen any penny presses for a dollar. I
certainly
> hope they never go that high.
>
> TDC Rapunzel, Food Rocks Head Chef and Keeper of the Monstro table
>
ones cost $0.51).
--
-- Kathy Kula
Paddum
Thanks for a great trip report! My family and I were in WDW 9/25 -10/4 and
with your trip report I relived so much of what we experienced!! The heat and
beauty of AK, the torrential downpour Saturday 10/3 waiting for Spectromagic
and of course no ponchos : ) just to name a few.....
Gosh, some of those "shivers" Zamgwar was talking about!!!
Pat
cole...@monumental.com
Ronnie,
I just loved reading your trip report!! I was finally able to get the whole
installment and just finished reading! I have got to meet you! You are just
too hilarious and it would be soooo much fun ditching the hubby's with each
other (since it seems they have the same problem with baseball and
scratching--LOL) and taking off on our own searching for the beadables of
course! ;) I am sorry that your mother didn't have the most magical vacation,
but I'm sure that she enjoyed just being there with the family.
--
Mariaşoş
TDC Keeper of All Jumping Water Fountains, Tester of Water Temperature,
and Jester of getting Drenched
SportMom42
In article <19981026080332...@ng-fb2.aol.com>, jir...@aol.com
(JIROMI) writes:
>I dread that last walk past the pools, where
>there are always a lot of happy people, either just starting their vacations,
>or in the middle of their trip.
>
>I hate them.
I know exactly how you feel. I hate it when I'm leaving & I see people trying
to find their room!! They're just starting their vacation & mine has already
ended!!!!
~~Kathy
God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.
http://members.aol.com/SportMom42/index.html
Any One of the Feminos
>I know exactly how you feel. I hate it when I'm leaving & I see people trying
>to find their room!! They're just starting their vacation & mine has already
>ended!!!!
Exactly, but I must admit to feeling a little smug when I am the one newly
arrived!!
Or how about on the monorail on the way through the TTC at night, when
they make that announcement "if this concludes your visit..." I am SO
HAPPY that he is not referring to me!!
Sandi on Cape Cod