a bashful vegan RADP WDW holiday - Day 1
Bashful
years old, and my bashful hubby Rocky - fifty-mumble-mumble years old.
This is our 16th trip to WDW, the first being our honeymoon in 1997.
We�re DVCers and stayed at our home resort, Boardwalk Villas, in a
studio, from Dec. 5th to Dec. 13th. I�m a vegan (I don�t eat meat,
dairy or eggs), but DH is not. We�re both pretty bashful � me being
worse at the one-on-one, and Rocky being worse with crowds. So yes,
we�re going to the most crowded vacation destination on the planet, with
a plan to meet a bunch of axe murderers for the first time. Clearly we
drank the Kool-Aid.
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Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
better put something together. For the rest of you, I�m pretty certain
I�ll be giving you plenty of typos to amuse yourselves with. Otherwise,
I make no promises that this will actually be entertaining, but I�ll do
my best. (Well, maybe not my very best. It�s actually Christmas
weekend as I type this, and I�m hoping to find a few minutes to enjoy
myself� so I may have to wander off from time to time, in order to enjoy
some popcorn and hot soy chocolate.) Also, I tend to ramble� a LOT.
You�ve been warned. (If it helps any, though, the postings will get
shorter and shorter, with each day of the trip.)
First, a small bit of background. I became addicted to Walt Disney
World while planning our honeymoon in 1997. That�s also when I found
RADP. Hubby is more �Disney-tolerant� than addicted, and thinks this
whole RADP thing is rather odd� but he enjoys the fact that I do all the
planning for our trips, and he�s a creature of habit. He would rather
go someplace familiar than any place he�s never been before. Lucky for
me, the first real vacation we ever took was WDW� so it�s about the only
place we ever go.
We usually plan a trip every year, sometime between November and
January. We actually tried to plan a trip in 2008 for the big Mousefest
meet, but we waited too long to decide, and couldn�t get a room. This
year, when we hit the 11-month mark, I called immediately and got what
we wanted � a studio at the Boardwalk Villas, Dec. 5 � 13 � perfect for
hitting both Mousefest and RADP XIV. About two days after I made the
ressies, the recession finally caught up with us. We learned that both
of us would have our hours, and paychecks, cut by 20% effective
immediately. And then just a short time after that, we heard that
Mousefest was canceled. At this point, I really figured that there
would be no Disney trip for us. But, we had quite a few months before
we had to cancel (and lose our DVC points), so we held on to the
ressies, just in case. In the end, we decided that vacations aren�t so
much a luxury as a necessity. If we could possibly afford it, we needed
to go. And obviously we did.
And a tad bit more background� okay, I admit it. As much as I�d like to
be a Pollyanna, this has been a rough year. In addition to the pay cut,
and some very sad news on our little newsgroup, I had my own losses. My
grandmother passed away in the spring, and my step-father passed away in
the fall (on my birthday, actually). While my family is really not a
warm-feely-happy-loving-close one, it has still been a difficult year.
I wanted to focus on something positive � and our trips to WDW certainly
fit that bill.
So, Saturday December 5th arrives, and we manage to get to the Columbus
airport bright and early. If I had my druthers, we�d actually take a
late morning flight, so I would have time to check and double-check my
packing list, make sure the house is in order, confirm all ressies� do
all those things us OCD people need to do to feel comfortable. But, I
really kinda sorta did want to make the big RADP meet, and that meant an
early flight.
We flew Southwest, and yes, after some hesitation, I caved and did the
early bird thing. After so many over-booked flights, hearing them try
to bribe someone into giving up their seat, I just didn�t want to risk
being bumped. In the end, I have to say that it was probably worth it �
for convenience and peace of mind. I�m still not happy about the policy
(I�d rather they simply raise their prices by $10.00 and say they�re
changing their check-in procedure), but we were A20 and A21 on the way
there, and A21 and A22 on the way back � and I didn�t have to stress
with checking in at precisely the 24 hour mark. (Given that yesterday
was a nightmare at work, I probably would have missed the 24 hour mark
altogether. And it�s always tough to pull off at WDW, especially since
I don�t have a computer with me.)
Flight was pretty uneventful, which is just fine with me. We arrived at
MCO, got on the little train to baggage claim, and I suffered my first
minor disappointment with the trip � the voice has been replaced! I am
almost positive that the last time we flew into MCO, the trains still
had the �monorail guy� doing the voice � Jack Wagner. It was most
definitely not his voice I heard this time around. What gives?
Okay, now all you DME fans are going to laugh at me, but we used DME and
still schlepped our own bags. Yes, we could�ve used the nifty yellow
tags and had our luggage delivered to the room, but� well, I�m simply
too OCD to trust them with my bags. I�ve had my luggage lost before,
and it�s not fun. Seeing them on that conveyor belt at the airport is
always such a relief that I just couldn�t give that up. Was it a long
walk to the DME counter? Yes. But given the choice, I still think I�d
do the same thing again.
So, we find our way to DME, and get in this really crazy long line.
Yes, we�ve been spoiled. Up until this trip, we used a town car
service. But, finances being what they are, we thought we should give
this a try. I think the wait was about 30 minutes, but it felt longer.
I think the real problem is just that you stand in one place that
whole time, with tons of people in front of you and behind you. It
feels like you�ll never get out of there.
As for the bus ride, I had no problem with that. I enjoyed the little
Disney video, was so happy to be on our way! Seriously, for me, I�m
usually a nervous wreck for two days before the trip. I start to
breathe a little easier once we get to the airport. Then, once I see
those suitcases at baggage claim, I�m pretty happy from that point
forward.
Port Orleans was the first stop, then Boardwalk. We found our way to
the online check-in line, and proceeded to watch this dad at the counter
cause a scene. I�m not certain, but I think he thought he was being
charged for something he didn�t expect� something about the information
not being clear (on the website, I�m assuming). Sounded like he wanted
a free ticket for his kid. He gave the poor cast member a real time�
kept insisting that he knew the cast member had the ability to give it
to him. I also remember him saying something about his family coming
here four times every year. (Gosh, I hope he doesn�t do *this* four
times a year!)
While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people! (Totally
kidding here., LOL.) Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the �online check-in�
sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
at all. :-)
So, we finally get checked in. The room isn�t ready so we drop off our
bags, and go in search of food. We thought about doing the ESPN Club,
but it�s not that long until the RADP meet, so we just head for the
bakery for a quick snack. Rocky goes for a tuna sandwich, and I make do
with a fruit cup and some chips. Along with the vegan snack bar I�d had
earlier at the airport, I was good to go.
We headed to the International Gateway, arriving about 10 minutes before
the meet. (We�re always early. Doesn�t matter what it is, we just have
to be early. It�s how we�re wired.) We take a seat on the bench, and
think about just how crazy we must be to actually voluntarily show up
for a meeting of axe murderers. I eye the potted plants, looking for a
good hiding spot, but they are sadly all much too small to offer much cover.
After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says �hi�. He looks
vaguely familiar. Hey, didn�t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
He asks if we�re here for the RADP meet, and says �I�ll bet you�re
Bashful�. Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm� did I have a name-tag
on that I�d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
away? And is that an axe behind his back?
He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
cover, but I�m really bad with faces. I�m not a �visual� person.
Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here.
I hope it won�t be the last time! (Dreslaine, if you�re reading: I
never got the chance to say what a pretty name you have. So unusual! I
wanted to say something at the meet, but� I often want to say a lot of
things that just never come out when I�m actually face-to-face with
people. I also wanted to do a better job of making you feel welcome and
included� but I was barely handling myself with all those people! I
sure hope you had fun!)
Next, JackM shows up. He was really very nice, and certainly went out
of his way to make me feel included � and it was very much appreciated.
Then Keane arrives, and Meerkat. I also met Masayo, who gave me an
origami bird (thanks!), and Denise, who brought cinnamon fudge (I�m
assuming wasn�t vegan, but I thought it was a nice thing to do), and
Caren (who I can�t help picturing with a basket of fruit on her head,
though it wasn�t in evidence at the meet), and a few others who I�m
going to feel terrible for having left out. We did find the Mighty
Paragon, who was as awesome as always. I know I also met a number of
other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day. We
also posed for the big photo. Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
helped further to save my anonymity. (At this point, though, there may
be too many people who actually know who I am now. How did that happen?)
The party starts to break up, and Rocky and I follow Paragon into Epcot.
We finally get a glimpse of the magical Silver Pass� ooooo� pretty!
Not only did we see it, but we were fortunate enough to actually get to
be �guests� on it! Thank you Mighty One! We join the Mighty Paragon and
Keane for a snack in Morocco, and Patty and her daughter join us when we
get there. We had a really nice time, making me think that maybe, just
maybe, we should consider doing a few more tiny get-togethers like this
on future trips. It�s certainly a bit less over-whelming with just a
table-full of people, instead of a huge crowd.
At this point, we thought about sticking with them and doing the next
meet in the American pavilion, but our room was ready, and we had
groceries being delivered from Garden Grocer, so we said our good-byes
and went back to BWV.
Our room was 3066 � on the third floor, just past the elevators,
overlooking Luna Park. Well, it *would* have been overlooking Luna Park
if there wasn�t a giant tree in our way. This wasn�t exactly what I had
asked for when I made the ressies. In fact, I�d specifically said that
we�d rather *not* have a Luna Park view because it might be noisy. We
would really like a nice quiet room with a pretty view. Oh well. So
much for online check-in being the way to get what you want, and have it
ready when you get there. In the end, though, it actually turned out to
be a good room. Other than mid-afternoon, the pool never got very
noisy, and the big tree meant we got to see some squirrels playing, and
the tree was certainly prettier than a parking lot, or Pennywise (the
scary clown water slide). And most importantly, Rocky�s hip had been
bothering him, and having a room right by the elevator was really
convenient.
As the upgrades to the rooms have already been detailed, I�ll just say
that we were happy with it. The TV is still not big enough for Rocky,
of course, but it�s better than it was. Everything else was nice� well,
except for that silly Ipod clock thingy, but we�ve already talked about
that in Steve�s report.
Now for the second minor issue of the trip� Garden Grocer. We�ve used
them several times now, with flawless results. Being a vegan, there are
some items that are just a little difficult for me to find on property,
or to bring with me, things like soymilk and vegan margarine that are
nice to have in the room. The service has always been fantastic � so
much so that I tipped more than usual this time, in advance.
So, we�ve checked into the room, but still no call from Garden Grocer.
They *always* call my cell phone to let me know that the groceries have
been dropped off, and they�re almost always early. So as we�re nearing
the end of our two-hour delivery window, I give them a call. Yes, the
groceries have already been delivered. Okay, I�m a bit disappointed
that they didn�t call, but no biggie. A call to bell services, and
everything it brought up to our room. I happily put away the food�
until I find some mistakes. Some items are missing, and others are
wrong. In place of frozen fruits and veggies, we have two cheese
pizzas. This is a problem. I don�t eat cheese. And the margarine they
brought isn�t vegan. This is probably the item I most wanted. I mean,
who wants to eat dry toast? Or dry baked potatoes?
Well, mistakes happen, so I call them, assuming that they will be happy
to fix it. They�re not. The lady I speak with sounds quite annoyed,
and tries to tell me that I must have mis-ordered. Ummm� no � I�m
looking right at a copy of my order. She tries to tell me that when you
make special requests, sometimes they can�t fulfill them. I didn�t make
any special requests � everything was on their �menu�. Then, she says
that �well, sometimes we have to make substitutions�. Okay, I can
understand that this was probably the case with the margarine. I�m not
happy about it, but I can understand. But that doesn�t explain the
pizza. I didn�t order anything at all even vaguely resembles a pizza.
So then she blames it on Disney � they must have given me the wrong
bags. No � they all clearly have my first and last name on them.
Finally, she agreed to send someone the next day to pick up the wrong
items, and deliver the right ones. And yes, they did fix it the next
day, and everything worked out okay. But I really think they could have
been a little nicer about it. Will I use them again? I just don�t
know. Did I let this ruin my trip? No way.
So, crisis averted, we head back to Epcot. By this time I�m really
ready for a meal, so we head to Sunshine Seasons � one of my favorite
counter-service places. They used to have� you know, on second thought,
I think I�ll keep my meal descriptions short and sweet here. I have a
feeling that most of you don�t want to be reading about vegetables at
WDW. But if I�m wrong, you can find a long vegan *food only* trip
report (complete with pictures) on my blog
(http://bashfulvegan.blogspot.com). (Or you will be able to once it�s
finished. As I write this, the first two days are up.)
Our first ride of the trip is Spaceship Earth. This might be becoming a
tradition for us. I always have to ride some sort of �classic Disney�
attraction on our first day. Rocky ducked for the photo, so in the
video, I got to ride with a cute red-haired cartoon dude.
We wander around World Showcase, just glad to be back at WDW. I confess
that we did actually walk by Norway sometime shortly after 9:00, but I
didn�t recognize any of the RADPers that I had actually spoken to
earlier, and given that we were both pretty tired, we kept walking. We
stayed for Illuminations, but we caught it much closer to the
International Gateway, so we could make a quick exit afterwards. I
agree with a few others � the holiday addition at the end is the best
part. I loved it!
Back to the resort, and in for the night.
Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll have to
make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Lisa Cubbon
Is that the clown's real name?
I think a nice letter to them would be in order now that you are home.
That's crumby customer service. You could UPS the food to you with Ice
Packs as an alternative but that's crumby.
>
> So, crisis averted, we head back to Epcot. By this time I�m really
> ready for a meal, so we head to Sunshine Seasons � one of my favorite
> counter-service places. They used to have� you know, on second thought,
> I think I�ll keep my meal descriptions short and sweet here. I have a
> feeling that most of you don�t want to be reading about vegetables at
> WDW. But if I�m wrong, you can find a long vegan *food only* trip
> report (complete with pictures) on my blog
> (http://bashfulvegan.blogspot.com). (Or you will be able to once it�s
> finished. As I write this, the first two days are up.)
I am far from a vegetarian but I do often eat vegetarian meals. I am
allergic to mollusks like scallops etc and I am not a huge fan of fish
either so veggies are good to me! Thanks
>
> Our first ride of the trip is Spaceship Earth. This might be becoming a
> tradition for us. I always have to ride some sort of �classic Disney�
> attraction on our first day. Rocky ducked for the photo, so in the
> video, I got to ride with a cute red-haired cartoon dude.
Andy looked like he had a black block on his head on time. Very funny.
>
> We wander around World Showcase, just glad to be back at WDW. I confess
> that we did actually walk by Norway sometime shortly after 9:00, but I
> didn�t recognize any of the RADPers that I had actually spoken to
> earlier, and given that we were both pretty tired, we kept walking. We
> stayed for Illuminations, but we caught it much closer to the
> International Gateway, so we could make a quick exit afterwards. I
> agree with a few others � the holiday addition at the end is the best
> part. I loved it!
>
> Back to the resort, and in for the night.
> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
> WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll have to
> make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
Well maybe something will happen soon, on another day.
>
> --
> Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Bashful
>> Our room was 3066 � on the third floor, just past the elevators,
>> overlooking Luna Park. Well, it *would* have been overlooking Luna
>> Park if there wasn�t a giant tree in our way. This wasn�t exactly
>> what I had asked for when I made the ressies. In fact, I�d
>> specifically said that we�d rather *not* have a Luna Park view because
>> it might be noisy. We would really like a nice quiet room with a
>> pretty view. Oh well. So much for online check-in being the way to
>> get what you want, and have it ready when you get there. In the end,
>> though, it actually turned out to be a good room. Other than
>> mid-afternoon, the pool never got very noisy, and the big tree meant
>> we got to see some squirrels playing, and the tree was certainly
>> prettier than a parking lot, or Pennywise (the scary clown water slide).
>
> Is that the clown's real name?
LOL - no, probably not. I call the clown slide Pennywise because it
sort of creeps me out, and that's the name of the really creepy clown
from Stephen King's "It". I'm not much of a clown fan, LOL.
>> I think I�ll keep my meal descriptions short and sweet here.
>> I have a feeling that most of you don�t want to be reading about
>> vegetables at WDW. But if I�m wrong, you can find a long vegan *food
>> only* trip report (complete with pictures) on my blog
>> (http://bashfulvegan.blogspot.com). (Or you will be able to once it�s
>> finished. As I write this, the first two days are up.)
>
> I am far from a vegetarian but I do often eat vegetarian meals. I am
> allergic to mollusks like scallops etc and I am not a huge fan of fish
> either so veggies are good to me! Thanks
No problem. :-) I hope to have day three up tonight.
Caren
(snip of wonderful trip report)
I really enjoyed your food blog. I think you definitely have the
solution to Disney Dining--order groceries and do your own food. Sorry
Garden Grocer gave you a hard time. We had a very good experience with
Wegoshop--Marge brought us exactly what we ordered and made good
substitutions when she couldn't find exactly the right brand.
I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian, nor am I a health-food fanatic
(obviously, from my queenly girth), but I do have adult tastes in food
and have difficulty with Disney offerings. Sweet, soft food seems to
dominate Disney food offerings and spicy is never spicy--it's like
they're cooking for three-year olds. When you add reservation hassle,
noise, crowds, and over-stressed staff, it becomes just not worth the
bother. For our August trip (now up to six people), we're planning one
character meal and are dining in the rest of the time.
A good snack option I found for sale in many places around the world
are little bags of raw almonds--they're in with other little bags of
snack mix and picture Chip and Dale on the front.
I notice you're from Columbus--I'm down I-70 a couple of hours in
Washington, PA.
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
Bashful
> On Dec 26, 3:22 pm, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
> (snip of wonderful trip report)
>
> I really enjoyed your food blog. I think you definitely have the
> solution to Disney Dining--order groceries and do your own food. Sorry
> Garden Grocer gave you a hard time. We had a very good experience with
> Wegoshop--Marge brought us exactly what we ordered and made good
> substitutions when she couldn't find exactly the right brand.
Thanks Caren! I made note of this for our next trip. I really do love
having groceries delivered (we don't usually have a car), so it's nice
to know there's an alternative to Garden Grocer.
> I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian, nor am I a health-food fanatic
> (obviously, from my queenly girth), but I do have adult tastes in food
> and have difficulty with Disney offerings. Sweet, soft food seems to
> dominate Disney food offerings and spicy is never spicy--it's like
> they're cooking for three-year olds. When you add reservation hassle,
> noise, crowds, and over-stressed staff, it becomes just not worth the
> bother. For our August trip (now up to six people), we're planning one
> character meal and are dining in the rest of the time.
I wish this weren't the case, but yes, I think we'll be eating more
meals in our room next time. (Oh how I wish we could afford a
one-bedroom every trip! The DVC studios have a workable kitchenette,
but space is limited, and you pretty much have to stick to very easy meals.)
> A good snack option I found for sale in many places around the world
> are little bags of raw almonds--they're in with other little bags of
> snack mix and picture Chip and Dale on the front.
Actually, I was surprised to notice that *most* of the Chip and Dale
snacks were vegan! I had enough snack-type-things I'd brought from
home, but these would certainly work in a pinch. And nuts are a
fantastic way for a vegan to get a little protein.
> I notice you're from Columbus--I'm down I-70 a couple of hours in
> Washington, PA.
Hi neighbor! [wave] Yup, not too far away. We actually live about 40
minutes north-east of Columbus, in the dead center of the state (in a
teeny-weeny, itty-bitty little village called, appropriately enough,
Centerburg). Not quite as close to Florida as I'd like, but it's home.
(Well, at least for now. In this economy, we're pretty well stuck.)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
JerryD(upstateNY)
little village called, appropriately enough,
Centerburg).<<<<<<<<<
Centerburg !!!!
I've been to Centerburg.
I know a couple named Okie & Peg who live there.
He was a postman but has retired.
--
JerryD(upstateNY)
Bashful
Wow - I don't hear that very often! Most people who live in Columbus
aren't even familiar with Centerburg, LOL. I think we're up to a
population of a whopping 1400 now.
For this California-born-and-bred girl, it was quite an adjustment. Our
claim to fame is the annual Oldtime Farming Festival - tractor
square-dancing, and cow patty bingo.
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, who doesn't actually know Okie & Peg, but has
probably run into them at some point or another)
Lisa Cubbon
middle of the country, with no ocean and a big lake? And in Centerburg
OH too. Gotta be a story there, Kitty!
Lisa
Bashful
You really want to hear? It's my ex-husband's fault, LOL.
Seriously, he was from Ohio, but I met him in So. Cal. I was young, and
stupid, and in love. We got married, had problems... he convinced me
that all our troubles would be gone if we moved to Ohio. We'd be so
rich that we could fly to Cali to visit any time we wanted. ROTFLMAO.
Like I said, I was young and stupid.
He got me to move to Cincinnati, which is actually sort of pretty. But
shortly thereafter, he got transfered to Columbus. We split... I tried
to figure out how to get back to Cali. But before I was able to raise
the money (and pay off the debts he left me), I met my husband Rocky.
He lived in this 100-year-old, rundown shed on this *gorgeous* piece of
land. After dating for two years, we got married, and actually lived
together in this old shed for another 7 or 8. When it reached the point
where we thought the roof was going to collapse, along with the
foundation, we talked and talked and talked... and finally decided to
just tear down the shed and put up a modular in its place.
Now, we live in a beautiful 3-bedroom ranch, on a gorgeous plot of land.
Yes, it's in Ohio, but I'm happy to say that we bought into DVC before
we put up the new house. So, while he never made any promises, DH has
managed to take me to WDW every year since our honeymoon.
There's more to the story, of course, but in a nutshell, I found my
Prince Charming... and he just happens to live in Centerburg. :-)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Lisa Cubbon
I agree is a pretty city. I am not sure I could live in a
broken down shed for 8 years but the modular house sounds very nice and
as you said, you have managed to get to WDW every year. He
does sounds like a Prince Charming. I heard Centerburg is the
capital of Fairytale Land.
Thanks for sharing. Lisa
JerryD(upstateNY)
If I remember right, in town there was a florist shop on a corner.
They had a flower pot holder that was a piece of wood, carved with a
chainsaw to look like a work boot.
My wife HAD to have one.
--
JerryD(upstateNY)
Steve Russo
>
> kidding here., LOL.)
OK. Some explanation here is in order (Harumph!). First, we actually
stepped in line behind another couple that was in line behind the
"scene". That's why I thought the line was there. This couple moved to
the counter to replace the couple that "had words" with the guy
causing the "scene".
> Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
> found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
> However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the “online check-in”
> sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
> at all. :-)
As I think more about this... you were on the same DME bus as us. We
sat up front and exited first which means we were inside, standing in
line while you were outside, grabbing your bags from "Omar the heavy
breathing bus driver" which means you should have gotten in line
behind me! The nerve of some people! ;-)
> After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says “hi”. He looks
> vaguely familiar. Hey, didn’t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
> He asks if we’re here for the RADP meet, and says “I’ll bet you’re
> Bashful”. Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm… did I have a name-tag
> on that I’d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
> away? And is that an axe behind his back?
>
> He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
> keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
> prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
> cover, but I’m really bad with faces. I’m not a “visual” person.
> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I’d seen him someplace
> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
"More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
> Back to the resort, and in for the night.
> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
> WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you’ll have to
> make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
Enjoying your report, Kitty...
Bashful
Ah, thanks Lisa! I like that... capital of Fairytale Land!
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Bashful
Hmmm... there have been a couple of flower shops. (A lot of businesses
come and go here - especially lately.) Wood carved with chainsaws is
pretty big here, though. On our way to work, we pass a couple of trees
that have been cut into designs - one is a large chicken (small egg
farm), and another is a giant pair of scissors (hairdresser), LOL.
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Bashful
> On Dec 26, 3:22 pm, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>> kidding here., LOL.)
>
> OK. Some explanation here is in order (Harumph!). First, we actually
> stepped in line behind another couple that was in line behind the
> "scene". That's why I thought the line was there. This couple moved to
> the counter to replace the couple that "had words" with the guy
> causing the "scene".
>
>> Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
>> found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
>> sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
>> at all. :-)
>
> As I think more about this... you were on the same DME bus as us. We
> sat up front and exited first which means we were inside, standing in
> line while you were outside, grabbing your bags from "Omar the heavy
> breathing bus driver" which means you should have gotten in line
> behind me! The nerve of some people! ;-)
LOL. Let's just blame the whole thing on the guy creating a scene,
okay? (And next time, we'll let you go first.) :-)
>> After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says �hi�. He looks
>> vaguely familiar. Hey, didn�t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
>> He asks if we�re here for the RADP meet, and says �I�ll bet you�re
>> Bashful�. Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm� did I have a name-tag
>> on that I�d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
>> away? And is that an axe behind his back?
>>
>> He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
>> keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
>> prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
>> cover, but I�m really bad with faces. I�m not a �visual� person.
>> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
>> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
>> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>
> "More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
> that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
Did I write that? I meant "totally non-threatening"... really!
>> Back to the resort, and in for the night.
>> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
>> WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll have to
>> make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
>
> Enjoying your report, Kitty...
Thanks!
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
lenniemc
>
>Bashful wrote:
>> Who, where, when, etc.: Me (Kitty, aka Bashful) � forty-mumble-mumble
>> This is our 16th trip to WDW, the first being our honeymoon in 1997.
>> studio, from Dec. 5th to Dec. 13th. I�m a vegan (I don�t eat meat,
>> dairy or eggs), but DH is not. We�re both pretty bashful � me being
>> drank the Kool-Aid.
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
>> actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
>> I�ll be giving you plenty of typos to amuse yourselves with. Otherwise,
>> I make no promises that this will actually be entertaining, but I�ll do
>> my best. (Well, maybe not my very best. It�s actually Christmas
>> weekend as I type this, and I�m hoping to find a few minutes to enjoy
>> myself� so I may have to wander off from time to time, in order to enjoy
>> some popcorn and hot soy chocolate.) Also, I tend to ramble� a LOT.
>> You�ve been warned. (If it helps any, though, the postings will get
>>
>> First, a small bit of background. I became addicted to Walt Disney
>> RADP. Hubby is more �Disney-tolerant� than addicted, and thinks this
>> whole RADP thing is rather odd� but he enjoys the fact that I do all the
>> planning for our trips, and he�s a creature of habit. He would rather
>> go someplace familiar than any place he�s never been before. Lucky for
>> me, the first real vacation we ever took was WDW� so it�s about the only
>>
>> We usually plan a trip every year, sometime between November and
>> January. We actually tried to plan a trip in 2008 for the big Mousefest
>> ressies, the recession finally caught up with us. We learned that both
>> of us would have our hours, and paychecks, cut by 20% effective
>> immediately. And then just a short time after that, we heard that
>> Mousefest was canceled. At this point, I really figured that there
>> would be no Disney trip for us. But, we had quite a few months before
>> we had to cancel (and lose our DVC points), so we held on to the
>> to go. And obviously we did.
>>
>> and some very sad news on our little newsgroup, I had my own losses. My
>> grandmother passed away in the spring, and my step-father passed away in
>> the fall (on my birthday, actually). While my family is really not a
>> warm-feely-happy-loving-close one, it has still been a difficult year. I
>>
>> So, Saturday December 5th arrives, and we manage to get to the Columbus
>> really kinda sorta did want to make the big RADP meet, and that meant an
>> early flight.
Are you talking about Columbus, OH - do you live there or close by? I'm just a
little over 2 hours away.
>> We flew Southwest, and yes, after some hesitation, I caved and did the
>> early bird thing. After so many over-booked flights, hearing them try
>> to bribe someone into giving up their seat, I just didn�t want to risk
>> being bumped. In the end, I have to say that it was probably worth it �
>> for convenience and peace of mind. I�m still not happy about the policy
>> (I�d rather they simply raise their prices by $10.00 and say they�re
>> changing their check-in procedure), but we were A20 and A21 on the way
>> there, and A21 and A22 on the way back � and I didn�t have to stress
>> with checking in at precisely the 24 hour mark. (Given that yesterday
>> was a nightmare at work, I probably would have missed the 24 hour mark
>> altogether. And it�s always tough to pull off at WDW, especially since
>> I don�t have a computer with me.)
>>
>> Flight was pretty uneventful, which is just fine with me. We arrived at
>> MCO, got on the little train to baggage claim, and I suffered my first
>> minor disappointment with the trip � the voice has been replaced! I am
>> almost positive that the last time we flew into MCO, the trains still
>> had the �monorail guy� doing the voice � Jack Wagner. It was most
>> definitely not his voice I heard this time around. What gives?
>>
>> Okay, now all you DME fans are going to laugh at me, but we used DME and
>> still schlepped our own bags. Yes, we could�ve used the nifty yellow
>> tags and had our luggage delivered to the room, but� well, I�m simply
>> too OCD to trust them with my bags. I�ve had my luggage lost before,
>> and it�s not fun. Seeing them on that conveyor belt at the airport is
>> always such a relief that I just couldn�t give that up. Was it a long
>> walk to the DME counter? Yes. But given the choice, I still think I�d
>> do the same thing again.
>>
>> So, we find our way to DME, and get in this really crazy long line. Yes,
>> we�ve been spoiled. Up until this trip, we used a town car service.
>> But, finances being what they are, we thought we should give this a
>> try. I think the wait was about 30 minutes, but it felt longer. I
>> think the real problem is just that you stand in one place that whole
>> time, with tons of people in front of you and behind you. It feels like
>> you�ll never get out of there.
>>
>> As for the bus ride, I had no problem with that. I enjoyed the little
>> Disney video, was so happy to be on our way! Seriously, for me, I�m
>> usually a nervous wreck for two days before the trip. I start to
>> breathe a little easier once we get to the airport. Then, once I see
>> those suitcases at baggage claim, I�m pretty happy from that point forward.
>>
>> Port Orleans was the first stop, then Boardwalk. We found our way to
>> the online check-in line, and proceeded to watch this dad at the counter
>> cause a scene. I�m not certain, but I think he thought he was being
>> charged for something he didn�t expect� something about the information
>> not being clear (on the website, I�m assuming). Sounded like he wanted
>> a free ticket for his kid. He gave the poor cast member a real time�
>> kept insisting that he knew the cast member had the ability to give it
>> to him. I also remember him saying something about his family coming
>> here four times every year. (Gosh, I hope he doesn�t do *this* four
>> times a year!)
>>
>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>> this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people! (Totally
>> kidding here., LOL.) Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
>> found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
>> However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the �online check-in�
>> sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
>> at all. :-)
>>
>> So, we finally get checked in. The room isn�t ready so we drop off our
>> bags, and go in search of food. We thought about doing the ESPN Club,
>> but it�s not that long until the RADP meet, so we just head for the
>> bakery for a quick snack. Rocky goes for a tuna sandwich, and I make do
>> with a fruit cup and some chips. Along with the vegan snack bar I�d had
>> earlier at the airport, I was good to go.
>>
>> We headed to the International Gateway, arriving about 10 minutes before
>> the meet. (We�re always early. Doesn�t matter what it is, we just have
>> to be early. It�s how we�re wired.) We take a seat on the bench, and
>> think about just how crazy we must be to actually voluntarily show up
>> for a meeting of axe murderers. I eye the potted plants, looking for a
>> good hiding spot, but they are sadly all much too small to offer much
>> cover.
>>
>> After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says �hi�. He looks
>> vaguely familiar. Hey, didn�t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
>> He asks if we�re here for the RADP meet, and says �I�ll bet you�re
>> Bashful�. Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm� did I have a name-tag
>> on that I�d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
>> away? And is that an axe behind his back?
>>
>> He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
>> keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
>> prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
>> cover, but I�m really bad with faces. I�m not a �visual� person.
>> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
>> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
>> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>>
>> It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
>> speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
>> years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
>> two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
>> sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here. I
>> hope it won�t be the last time! (Dreslaine, if you�re reading: I never
>> got the chance to say what a pretty name you have. So unusual! I
>> wanted to say something at the meet, but� I often want to say a lot of
>> things that just never come out when I�m actually face-to-face with
>> people. I also wanted to do a better job of making you feel welcome and
>> included� but I was barely handling myself with all those people! I
>> sure hope you had fun!)
>>
>> Next, JackM shows up. He was really very nice, and certainly went out
>> of his way to make me feel included � and it was very much appreciated.
>> Then Keane arrives, and Meerkat. I also met Masayo, who gave me an
>> origami bird (thanks!), and Denise, who brought cinnamon fudge (I�m
>> assuming wasn�t vegan, but I thought it was a nice thing to do), and
>> Caren (who I can�t help picturing with a basket of fruit on her head,
>> though it wasn�t in evidence at the meet), and a few others who I�m
>> going to feel terrible for having left out. We did find the Mighty
>> Paragon, who was as awesome as always. I know I also met a number of
>> other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day. We
>> also posed for the big photo. Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
>> of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
>> helped further to save my anonymity. (At this point, though, there may
>> be too many people who actually know who I am now. How did that happen?)
>>
>> The party starts to break up, and Rocky and I follow Paragon into Epcot.
>> We finally get a glimpse of the magical Silver Pass� ooooo� pretty! Not
>> only did we see it, but we were fortunate enough to actually get to be
>> �guests� on it! Thank you Mighty One! We join the Mighty Paragon and
>> Keane for a snack in Morocco, and Patty and her daughter join us when we
>> get there. We had a really nice time, making me think that maybe, just
>> maybe, we should consider doing a few more tiny get-togethers like this
>> on future trips. It�s certainly a bit less over-whelming with just a
>> table-full of people, instead of a huge crowd.
>>
>> At this point, we thought about sticking with them and doing the next
>> meet in the American pavilion, but our room was ready, and we had
>> groceries being delivered from Garden Grocer, so we said our good-byes
>> and went back to BWV.
>>
>> Our room was 3066 � on the third floor, just past the elevators,
>> overlooking Luna Park. Well, it *would* have been overlooking Luna Park
>> if there wasn�t a giant tree in our way. This wasn�t exactly what I had
>> asked for when I made the ressies. In fact, I�d specifically said that
>> we�d rather *not* have a Luna Park view because it might be noisy. We
>> would really like a nice quiet room with a pretty view. Oh well. So
>> much for online check-in being the way to get what you want, and have it
>> ready when you get there. In the end, though, it actually turned out to
>> be a good room. Other than mid-afternoon, the pool never got very
>> noisy, and the big tree meant we got to see some squirrels playing, and
>> the tree was certainly prettier than a parking lot, or Pennywise
>
>Is that the clown's real name?
>
>(the
>> scary clown water slide). And most importantly, Rocky�s hip had been
>> bothering him, and having a room right by the elevator was really
>> convenient.
>>
>> As the upgrades to the rooms have already been detailed, I�ll just say
>> that we were happy with it. The TV is still not big enough for Rocky,
>> of course, but it�s better than it was. Everything else was nice� well,
>> except for that silly Ipod clock thingy, but we�ve already talked about
>> that in Steve�s report.
>>
>> Now for the second minor issue of the trip� Garden Grocer. We�ve used
>> them several times now, with flawless results. Being a vegan, there are
>> some items that are just a little difficult for me to find on property,
>> or to bring with me, things like soymilk and vegan margarine that are
>> nice to have in the room. The service has always been fantastic � so
>> much so that I tipped more than usual this time, in advance.
>>
>> So, we�ve checked into the room, but still no call from Garden Grocer.
>> They *always* call my cell phone to let me know that the groceries have
>> been dropped off, and they�re almost always early. So as we�re nearing
>> the end of our two-hour delivery window, I give them a call. Yes, the
>> groceries have already been delivered. Okay, I�m a bit disappointed
>> that they didn�t call, but no biggie. A call to bell services, and
>> everything it brought up to our room. I happily put away the food�
>> until I find some mistakes. Some items are missing, and others are
>> wrong. In place of frozen fruits and veggies, we have two cheese
>> pizzas. This is a problem. I don�t eat cheese. And the margarine they
>> brought isn�t vegan. This is probably the item I most wanted. I mean,
>> who wants to eat dry toast? Or dry baked potatoes?
>>
>> Well, mistakes happen, so I call them, assuming that they will be happy
>> to fix it. They�re not. The lady I speak with sounds quite annoyed,
>> and tries to tell me that I must have mis-ordered. Ummm� no � I�m
>> looking right at a copy of my order. She tries to tell me that when you
>> make special requests, sometimes they can�t fulfill them. I didn�t make
>> any special requests � everything was on their �menu�. Then, she says
>> that �well, sometimes we have to make substitutions�. Okay, I can
>> understand that this was probably the case with the margarine. I�m not
>> happy about it, but I can understand. But that doesn�t explain the
>> pizza. I didn�t order anything at all even vaguely resembles a pizza.
>> So then she blames it on Disney � they must have given me the wrong
>> bags. No � they all clearly have my first and last name on them.
>> Finally, she agreed to send someone the next day to pick up the wrong
>> items, and deliver the right ones. And yes, they did fix it the next
>> day, and everything worked out okay. But I really think they could have
>> been a little nicer about it. Will I use them again? I just don�t
>> know. Did I let this ruin my trip? No way.
>
>I think a nice letter to them would be in order now that you are home.
>That's crumby customer service. You could UPS the food to you with Ice
>Packs as an alternative but that's crumby.
>>
>> So, crisis averted, we head back to Epcot. By this time I�m really
>> ready for a meal, so we head to Sunshine Seasons � one of my favorite
>> counter-service places. They used to have� you know, on second thought,
>> I think I�ll keep my meal descriptions short and sweet here. I have a
>> feeling that most of you don�t want to be reading about vegetables at
>> WDW. But if I�m wrong, you can find a long vegan *food only* trip
>> report (complete with pictures) on my blog
>> (http://bashfulvegan.blogspot.com). (Or you will be able to once it�s
>> finished. As I write this, the first two days are up.)
>
>I am far from a vegetarian but I do often eat vegetarian meals. I am
>allergic to mollusks like scallops etc and I am not a huge fan of fish
>either so veggies are good to me! Thanks
>>
>> Our first ride of the trip is Spaceship Earth. This might be becoming a
>> tradition for us. I always have to ride some sort of �classic Disney�
>> attraction on our first day. Rocky ducked for the photo, so in the
>> video, I got to ride with a cute red-haired cartoon dude.
>Andy looked like he had a black block on his head on time. Very funny.
>>
>> We wander around World Showcase, just glad to be back at WDW. I confess
>> that we did actually walk by Norway sometime shortly after 9:00, but I
>> didn�t recognize any of the RADPers that I had actually spoken to
>> earlier, and given that we were both pretty tired, we kept walking. We
>> stayed for Illuminations, but we caught it much closer to the
>> International Gateway, so we could make a quick exit afterwards. I
>> agree with a few others � the holiday addition at the end is the best
>> part. I loved it!
>>
>> Back to the resort, and in for the night.
>> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
>> WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll have to
Rudeney
> Who, where, when, etc.: Me (Kitty, aka Bashful) � forty-mumble-mumble
> years old, and my bashful hubby Rocky - fifty-mumble-mumble years old.
> This is our 16th trip to WDW, the first being our honeymoon in 1997.
> We�re DVCers and stayed at our home resort, Boardwalk Villas, in a
> studio, from Dec. 5th to Dec. 13th. I�m a vegan (I don�t eat meat,
> dairy or eggs), but DH is not. We�re both pretty bashful � me being
> worse at the one-on-one, and Rocky being worse with crowds. So yes,
> we�re going to the most crowded vacation destination on the planet, with
> a plan to meet a bunch of axe murderers for the first time. Clearly we
> drank the Kool-Aid.
That must have been some of Keane's 150-proof Kool Aid! ;-)
> We usually plan a trip every year, sometime between November and
> January. We actually tried to plan a trip in 2008 for the big Mousefest
> meet, but we waited too long to decide, and couldn�t get a room. This
> year, when we hit the 11-month mark, I called immediately and got what
> we wanted � a studio at the Boardwalk Villas, Dec. 5 � 13 � perfect for
> hitting both Mousefest and RADP XIV. About two days after I made the
> ressies, the recession finally caught up with us. We learned that both
> of us would have our hours, and paychecks, cut by 20% effective
> immediately. And then just a short time after that, we heard that
> Mousefest was canceled. At this point, I really figured that there
> would be no Disney trip for us. But, we had quite a few months before
> we had to cancel (and lose our DVC points), so we held on to the
> ressies, just in case. In the end, we decided that vacations aren�t so
> much a luxury as a necessity. If we could possibly afford it, we needed
> to go. And obviously we did.
Kitty, I'm sorry to here about your job cutbacks, but at least you still
have your DVC investment to make the trip more affordable.
> And a tad bit more background� okay, I admit it. As much as I�d like to
> be a Pollyanna, this has been a rough year. In addition to the pay cut,
> and some very sad news on our little newsgroup, I had my own losses. My
> grandmother passed away in the spring, and my step-father passed away in
> the fall (on my birthday, actually). While my family is really not a
> warm-feely-happy-loving-close one, it has still been a difficult year. I
> wanted to focus on something positive � and our trips to WDW certainly
> fit that bill.
Wow, you really did need a vacation!
> So, Saturday December 5th arrives, and we manage to get to the Columbus
> airport bright and early. If I had my druthers, we�d actually take a
> late morning flight, so I would have time to check and double-check my
> packing list, make sure the house is in order, confirm all ressies� do
> all those things us OCD people need to do to feel comfortable. But, I
> really kinda sorta did want to make the big RADP meet, and that meant an
> early flight.
I absolutely hate having to get up for an early flight - no matter what
the destination! When I have to get up very early for something with a
hard deadline, I will not sleep the night before. I'll toss and turn,
worrying I'll oversleep. Having said that, I do prefer to take an early
flight to WDW so I can maximize my time there. Also, it's less likely
to get delayed.
> We flew Southwest
Ooh, all the more reason to take an early flight so you make sure you
get a seat.
> and yes, after some hesitation, I caved and did the
> early bird thing. After so many over-booked flights, hearing them try
> to bribe someone into giving up their seat, I just didn�t want to risk
> being bumped. In the end, I have to say that it was probably worth it �
> for convenience and peace of mind. I�m still not happy about the policy
> (I�d rather they simply raise their prices by $10.00 and say they�re
> changing their check-in procedure)
The problem with that is how would they assign boarding cards is
"everyone" was checked in automatically? I guess they already have some
logic behind that based on fare and date of purchase, but still, my
preference is to have an assigned seat and do away with all this "cattle
call" business. But I digress, and I'm sure everyone is sick of me
whining about SWA anyhow... ;-)
> Flight was pretty uneventful, which is just fine with me. We arrived at
> MCO, got on the little train to baggage claim, and I suffered my first
> minor disappointment with the trip � the voice has been replaced! I am
> almost positive that the last time we flew into MCO, the trains still
> had the �monorail guy� doing the voice � Jack Wagner. It was most
> definitely not his voice I heard this time around. What gives?
Hmm, I don't recall the MCO tram voice being the same, but then again,
I've been through so many airports with trams, I just tend to ignore them
> Okay, now all you DME fans are going to laugh at me, but we used DME and
> still schlepped our own bags. Yes, we could�ve used the nifty yellow
> tags and had our luggage delivered to the room, but� well, I�m simply
> too OCD to trust them with my bags.
I'd probably do the same thing. I just prefer not to have to wait, and
I do have this "control" thing, too. And of course that means I'd
probably not use DME, but just rent a car instead. I don;t like being a
"passenger".
> I�ve had my luggage lost before,
> and it�s not fun.
And it makes me wonder, if your bags are damaged or lost in transit, who
is responsible?
> Port Orleans was the first stop, then Boardwalk. We found our way to
> the online check-in line, and proceeded to watch this dad at the counter
> cause a scene. I�m not certain, but I think he thought he was being
> charged for something he didn�t expect� something about the information
> not being clear (on the website, I�m assuming). Sounded like he wanted
> a free ticket for his kid. He gave the poor cast member a real time�
> kept insisting that he knew the cast member had the ability to give it
> to him. I also remember him saying something about his family coming
> here four times every year. (Gosh, I hope he doesn�t do *this* four
> times a year!)
Hmm, deja-vu! ;-)
> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
> this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people!
They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
> However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the �online check-in�
> sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
> at all. :-)
Yeah, typical rude guests - once they get caught trying to break in
line, then they apologize. Any I don;t know who is worse - rude New
Yorkers like that or celebrities. Even those minor celebrities like
people who write travel books... ;-)
> We headed to the International Gateway, arriving about 10 minutes before
> the meet. (We�re always early. Doesn�t matter what it is, we just have
> to be early. It�s how we�re wired.) We take a seat on the bench, and
> think about just how crazy we must be to actually voluntarily show up
> for a meeting of axe murderers. I eye the potted plants, looking for a
> good hiding spot, but they are sadly all much too small to offer much
> cover.
LOL!
> After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says �hi�. He looks
> vaguely familiar. Hey, didn�t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
Rude and a stalker, huh? ;-)
> He asks if we�re here for the RADP meet, and says �I�ll bet you�re
> Bashful�. Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm� did I have a name-tag
> on that I�d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
> away? And is that an axe behind his back?
>
> He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
> keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
> prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
> cover, but I�m really bad with faces. I�m not a �visual� person.
> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
You know, of all the RADP'ers I've ever met in person, absolutely none
of them have been threatening. And it's funny how meeting "people form
The Internet" has such a stigma. I mean, the guy in line behind you at
Walmart is probably more likely to be an ax murder (especially the one
buying an ax and a box of trash bags).
> It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
> speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
> years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
> two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
> sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here. I
> hope it won�t be the last time!
I am really not sure why anyone would lurk here and not just jump in and
participate. Other than a few of us that tend to bicker a bit, no one
here ever attacks anyone. It's not like some forums I know!
> We join the Mighty Paragon and
> Keane for a snack in Morocco, and Patty and her daughter join us when we
> get there. We had a really nice time, making me think that maybe, just
> maybe, we should consider doing a few more tiny get-togethers like this
> on future trips. It�s certainly a bit less over-whelming with just a
> table-full of people, instead of a huge crowd.
We were talking about this at The Varsity and Lisa and I both agreed
that mini meets are much more fun. I always try to get something
together whenever I'm at WDW, even if it's just meeting up with one or
two locals.
> Now for the second minor issue of the trip� Garden Grocer...
> The lady I speak with sounds quite annoyed,
> and tries to tell me that I must have mis-ordered. Ummm� no � I�m
> looking right at a copy of my order. She tries to tell me that when you
> make special requests, sometimes they can�t fulfill them. I didn�t make
> any special requests � everything was on their �menu�. Then, she says
> that �well, sometimes we have to make substitutions�. Okay, I can
> understand that this was probably the case with the margarine. I�m not
> happy about it, but I can understand. But that doesn�t explain the
> pizza. I didn�t order anything at all even vaguely resembles a pizza.
> So then she blames it on Disney � they must have given me the wrong
> bags. No � they all clearly have my first and last name on them.
> Finally, she agreed to send someone the next day to pick up the wrong
> items, and deliver the right ones. And yes, they did fix it the next
> day, and everything worked out okay. But I really think they could have
> been a little nicer about it. Will I use them again? I just don�t
> know. Did I let this ruin my trip? No way.
One of my biggest pet peeves is customer service people who
automatically assume the customer is wrong. Really, there are few
things that will get me angry like this. I guess it's my years working
in very customer-focused jobs.
> So, crisis averted, we head back to Epcot. By this time I�m really
> ready for a meal, so we head to Sunshine Seasons � one of my favorite
> counter-service places.
Yes, me too!
> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to be
> WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll have to
> make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
Huh? This isn't long - I;d say it's just about right!
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?
Keane
wrote:
>Who, where, when, etc.: Me (Kitty, aka Bashful) � forty-mumble-mumble
>years old, and my bashful hubby Rocky - fifty-mumble-mumble years old.
>This is our 16th trip to WDW, the first being our honeymoon in 1997.
>We�re DVCers and stayed at our home resort, Boardwalk Villas, in a
>studio, from Dec. 5th to Dec. 13th. I�m a vegan (I don�t eat meat,
>dairy or eggs), but DH is not. We�re both pretty bashful � me being
>worse at the one-on-one, and Rocky being worse with crowds. So yes,
>we�re going to the most crowded vacation destination on the planet, with
>a plan to meet a bunch of axe murderers for the first time. Clearly we
>drank the Kool-Aid.
Was it grape?
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
>actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
>better put something together. For the rest of you, I�m pretty certain
>I�ll be giving you plenty of typos to amuse yourselves with. Otherwise,
>I make no promises that this will actually be entertaining, but I�ll do
>my best. (Well, maybe not my very best. It�s actually Christmas
>weekend as I type this, and I�m hoping to find a few minutes to enjoy
>myself� so I may have to wander off from time to time, in order to enjoy
>some popcorn and hot soy chocolate.) Also, I tend to ramble� a LOT.
>You�ve been warned. (If it helps any, though, the postings will get
>shorter and shorter, with each day of the trip.)
You ramble a lot? Read any of my trip report did you? :-)
> In the end, we decided that vacations aren�t so
>much a luxury as a necessity. If we could possibly afford it, we needed
>to go. And obviously we did.
An obvious justification. I use it a *lot*... :-)
>And a tad bit more background� okay, I admit it. As much as I�d like to
>be a Pollyanna, this has been a rough year. In addition to the pay cut,
>and some very sad news on our little newsgroup, I had my own losses. My
>grandmother passed away in the spring, and my step-father passed away in
>the fall (on my birthday, actually). While my family is really not a
>warm-feely-happy-loving-close one, it has still been a difficult year.
>I wanted to focus on something positive � and our trips to WDW certainly
>fit that bill.
2009's almost over...
>So, we find our way to DME, and get in this really crazy long line.
>Yes, we�ve been spoiled. Up until this trip, we used a town car
>service. But, finances being what they are, we thought we should give
>this a try. I think the wait was about 30 minutes, but it felt longer.
> I think the real problem is just that you stand in one place that
>whole time, with tons of people in front of you and behind you. It
>feels like you�ll never get out of there.
Just pretend it Soarin'. Instead of a hang glider, you get on a bus.
Play the music through your mp3 player, you won't even notice a
difference. Okay, maybe a little difference.
>While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people! (Totally
>kidding here., LOL.) Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
>found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
>However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the �online check-in�
>sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
>at all. :-)
Yeah, some of those guests... Just because they're staying at the
Boardwalk...
>We headed to the International Gateway, arriving about 10 minutes before
>the meet. (We�re always early. Doesn�t matter what it is, we just have
>to be early. It�s how we�re wired.) We take a seat on the bench, and
>think about just how crazy we must be to actually voluntarily show up
>for a meeting of axe murderers. I eye the potted plants, looking for a
>good hiding spot, but they are sadly all much too small to offer much cover.
As the second and third persons I met at the meet, you did a really
lousy job of being obscure...
>He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
>keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
>prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
>cover, but I�m really bad with faces. I�m not a �visual� person.
>Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
>before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
>non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
You have seen him before. In your bathroom. I think I have the
opposite problem. I will recognize a face, but it could be years
before I can actually associate a name with it...
>It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
>speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
>years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
>two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
>sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here.
Nice person, wished me the best. Appreciated it. :-) (If we keep
poking at her, maybe she'll post more... :-))
> and a few others who I�m
>going to feel terrible for having left out.
I can use the excuse I killed most of my brain cells in my youth.
What's your excuse? :-)
> We did find the Mighty
>Paragon, who was as awesome as always. I know I also met a number of
>other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day.
And thank you for that. I assume it will be worth money someday...
> We
>also posed for the big photo. Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
>of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
>helped further to save my anonymity. (At this point, though, there may
>be too many people who actually know who I am now. How did that happen?)
You forget I have pictures... Very soon now will my picture trip
report will be out...
>The party starts to break up, and Rocky and I follow Paragon into Epcot.
> We finally get a glimpse of the magical Silver Pass� ooooo� pretty!
>Not only did we see it, but we were fortunate enough to actually get to
>be �guests� on it! Thank you Mighty One! We join the Mighty Paragon and
>Keane for a snack in Morocco, and Patty and her daughter join us when we
And just so you know, I did feel a small tinge of guilt as I
gobbled down big strips of ground lamb next to you, but I hadn't eaten
since early that morning, and the Tangierine is one of my favorite
counter service places... The stomach rules...
>get there. We had a really nice time, making me think that maybe, just
>maybe, we should consider doing a few more tiny get-togethers like this
>on future trips. It�s certainly a bit less over-whelming with just a
>table-full of people, instead of a huge crowd.
Yes, all the smaller meets I was at was a much better way to get to
talk with others. Helps when you can have an adult beverage, too!
> and the big tree meant we got to see some squirrels playing, and
Like you have no squirrels in Ohio...
Although, I think we only saw one squirrel in all of Venice, Florida.
>Well, mistakes happen, so I call them, assuming that they will be happy
>to fix it. They�re not. The lady I speak with sounds quite annoyed,
>and tries to tell me that I must have mis-ordered. Ummm� no � I�m
>looking right at a copy of my order. She tries to tell me that when you
>make special requests, sometimes they can�t fulfill them. I didn�t make
>any special requests � everything was on their �menu�. Then, she says
>that �well, sometimes we have to make substitutions�. Okay, I can
>understand that this was probably the case with the margarine. I�m not
>happy about it, but I can understand. But that doesn�t explain the
>pizza. I didn�t order anything at all even vaguely resembles a pizza.
>So then she blames it on Disney � they must have given me the wrong
>bags. No � they all clearly have my first and last name on them.
>Finally, she agreed to send someone the next day to pick up the wrong
>items, and deliver the right ones. And yes, they did fix it the next
>day, and everything worked out okay. But I really think they could have
>been a little nicer about it. Will I use them again? I just don�t
>know. Did I let this ruin my trip? No way.
Ah, twits. Everyone's fault but ours... What would be do without
'em?
Keane, one down and...how many of these did you write? :-)
--
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two,
One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
-- Wishes
Visit my site: http://keanespics.com
Steve Russo
>
> > While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>
> They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
>
> > sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
> > at all. :-)
>
> Yeah, typical rude guests - once they get caught trying to break in
> line, then they apologize. Any I don;t know who is worse - rude New
> Yorkers like that or celebrities. Even those minor celebrities like
> people who write travel books... ;-)
My next book will be titled "The Entitlement Theory - How I Learned to
Just Take What I Want Because I've Paid a Lot of Monday for This Trip
and Everyone Owes Me".
>
> > After a few minutes, a guy walks up to us and says hi . He looks
> > vaguely familiar. Hey, didn t we just see him in line at the Boardwalk?
>
> Rude and a stalker, huh? ;-)
I just figured she needed a sound thrashing for having the audacity to
be in line ahead of me.
>
> > He asks if we re here for the RADP meet, and says I ll bet you re
> > Bashful . Okay, is this bizarre or what? Hmmm did I have a name-tag
> > on that I d missed? Had we been talking too loud and given ourselves
> > away? And is that an axe behind his back?
>
> > He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
> > keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
> > prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
> > cover, but I m really bad with faces. I m not a visual person.
> > Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I d seen him someplace
> > before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
> > non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>
> You know, of all the RADP'ers I've ever met in person, absolutely none
> of them have been threatening.
That's because you've yet to meet me... and my axe.
> And it's funny how meeting "people form
> The Internet" has such a stigma. I mean, the guy in line behind you at
> Walmart is probably more likely to be an ax murder
You don't even realize how true that is.
Steve Russo
> >kidding here., LOL.) Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
> >found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
> >However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the online check-in
> >sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
> >at all. :-)
>
> Yeah, some of those guests... Just because they're staying at the
> Boardwalk...
Y'know... I've had just about enough of this guff. Spend your entire
life doing good and... nothing! But cut in front of one person in a
check-in line... you're branded for life.
> >He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
> >keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. (I came
> >prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
> >cover, but I m really bad with faces. I m not a visual person.
> >Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I d seen him someplace
> >before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
> >non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>
> You have seen him before. In your bathroom.
She told you?
> >It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
> >speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
> >years?! Wow she s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
> >two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
> >sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here.
>
> Nice person, wished me the best. Appreciated it. :-) (If we keep
> poking at her, maybe she'll post more... :-))
Ya think?
>
> > and a few others who I m
> >going to feel terrible for having left out.
>
> I can use the excuse I killed most of my brain cells in my youth.
Me, too. But only the *weak* ones.
> > We did find the Mighty
> >Paragon, who was as awesome as always. I know I also met a number of
> >other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day.
>
> And thank you for that. I assume it will be worth money someday...
Really? Mine's going up on e-Bay.
>
> > We
> >also posed for the big photo. Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
> >of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
> >helped further to save my anonymity. (At this point, though, there may
> >be too many people who actually know who I am now. How did that happen?)
>
> You forget I have pictures... Very soon now will my picture trip
> report will be out...
Yadda, yadda, yadda. I've been waiting...
Laura Gilbreath
Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
>actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
Yay!
>the tree was certainly prettier than a parking lot, or Pennywise (the
>scary clown water slide). And most importantly, Rocky's hip had been
>bothering him, and having a room right by the elevator was really
>convenient.
The scary clown slide that vomits children has a name??? And an
inocuous name at that??? Wow. I never knew.
Looking forward to more!
Laura
**************************************************************************
Email: lgil at lgil dot net or remove "REMOVETHIS" from "Reply to" address.
Visit Tigger's Vacation Page:
http://www.travelswithtigger.com
Laura Gilbreath
Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>Steve Russo wrote:
>>> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I�d seen him someplace
>>> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
>>> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>>
>> "More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
>> that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
>
>Did I write that? I meant "totally non-threatening"... really!
I've met Steve, too, Kitty, and I think "more or less non-threatening" is
quite accurate. ;-)
Steve Russo
news:hhduns$8kn$2...@reader1.panix.com...
> In article <hhbhq4$1kk$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>Steve Russo wrote:
>>>> Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I'd seen him someplace
>>>> before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or
>>>> less
>>>> non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>>>
>>> "More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
>>> that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
>>
>>Did I write that? I meant "totally non-threatening"... really!
>
> I've met Steve, too, Kitty, and I think "more or less non-threatening" is
> quite accurate. ;-)
>
Women! You're all sisters. ;-)
Keane
wrote:
>Bashful wrote:
<snip>
>> For this California-born-and-bred girl, it was quite an adjustment. Our
>> claim to fame is the annual Oldtime Farming Festival - tractor
>> square-dancing, and cow patty bingo.
>>
>> --
>> Kitty (TDC Bashful, who doesn't actually know Okie & Peg, but has
>> probably run into them at some point or another)
>OK, now I gotta ask.... How did a California gal end up in the
>middle of the country, with no ocean and a big lake? And in Centerburg
>OH too. Gotta be a story there, Kitty!
>
>Lisa
Oh, come on now. Didn't you see Cars?
Can't you picture Bashful as some racy, swinging California
hottie in the fast lane? I mean, before she got to Radiator
Springs, Ohio? ;-)
Keane, who might pass on the cow patty bingo...
Bashful
>> We usually plan a trip every year, sometime between November and
>> January. We actually tried to plan a trip in 2008 for the big
>> Mousefest meet, but we waited too long to decide, and couldn�t get a
>> room. This year, when we hit the 11-month mark, I called immediately
>> and got what we wanted � a studio at the Boardwalk Villas, Dec. 5 � 13
>> � perfect for hitting both Mousefest and RADP XIV. About two days
>> after I made the ressies, the recession finally caught up with us. We
>> learned that both of us would have our hours, and paychecks, cut by
>> 20% effective immediately. And then just a short time after that, we
>> heard that Mousefest was canceled. At this point, I really figured
>> that there would be no Disney trip for us. But, we had quite a few
>> months before we had to cancel (and lose our DVC points), so we held
>> on to the ressies, just in case. In the end, we decided that
>> vacations aren�t so much a luxury as a necessity. If we could
>> possibly afford it, we needed to go. And obviously we did.
>
> Kitty, I'm sorry to here about your job cutbacks, but at least you still
> have your DVC investment to make the trip more affordable.
Yes, buying into DVC was definitely one of the best decisions we have
ever made - just short of getting married, and possibly tied with buying
our house.
> But I digress, and I'm sure everyone is sick of me
> whining about SWA anyhow... ;-)
That's okay. I don't entirely disagree - but we don't have a lot of
options for flights. (I wish we could drive, but it just cuts into our
vacation time too much.)
>> I�ve had my luggage lost before, and it�s not fun.
>
> And it makes me wonder, if your bags are damaged or lost in transit, who
> is responsible?
Interesting question.
>> Port Orleans was the first stop, then Boardwalk. We found our way to
>> the online check-in line, and proceeded to watch this dad at the
>> counter cause a scene. I�m not certain, but I think he thought he was
>> being charged for something he didn�t expect� something about the
>> information not being clear (on the website, I�m assuming). Sounded
>> like he wanted a free ticket for his kid. He gave the poor cast
>> member a real time� kept insisting that he knew the cast member had
>> the ability to give it to him. I also remember him saying something
>> about his family coming here four times every year. (Gosh, I hope he
>> doesn�t do *this* four times a year!)
>
> Hmm, deja-vu! ;-)
LOL. I'll cut the rest, though, as I think I've caused him enough grief
already.
>> It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
>> speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
>> years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took
>> me two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is
>> very sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello
>> here. I hope it won�t be the last time!
>
> I am really not sure why anyone would lurk here and not just jump in and
> participate. Other than a few of us that tend to bicker a bit, no one
> here ever attacks anyone. It's not like some forums I know!
Yes, we're a pretty nice bunch. I'm hoping she'll consider becoming a
regular poster.
>> Final thoughts for the day? Only that my report is already going to
>> be WAY too long without adding extra thoughts at the end, so you�ll
>> have to make do with rather anti-climactic endings, LOL.
>
> Huh? This isn't long - I;d say it's just about right!
Gee, thanks!
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Keane
<sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
>On Dec 26, 3:22�pm, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>> this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. �Some people! �(Totally
>> kidding here., LOL.) �
>
>OK. Some explanation here is in order (Harumph!). First, we actually
>stepped in line behind another couple that was in line behind the
>"scene". That's why I thought the line was there. This couple moved to
>the counter to replace the couple that "had words" with the guy
>causing the "scene".
Me thinks he doth complain too much. (Or something like that. I
really hate Shakespeare...)
>"More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
>that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
It's something like Mostly Harmless. They said the same thing about
Gacy. He was a clown, remember. Anyone check Russo's crawlspace
lately?
Keane
Bashful
> On Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:22:08 -0500, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> This is our 16th trip to WDW, the first being our honeymoon in 1997.
>> studio, from Dec. 5th to Dec. 13th. I�m a vegan (I don�t eat meat,
>> drank the Kool-Aid.
>
> Was it grape?
You drank it too, huh?
>> Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
>> actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
>> better put something together. For the rest of you, I�m pretty certain
>> I�ll be giving you plenty of typos to amuse yourselves with. Otherwise,
>> I make no promises that this will actually be entertaining, but I�ll do
>> my best. (Well, maybe not my very best. It�s actually Christmas
>> weekend as I type this, and I�m hoping to find a few minutes to enjoy
>> myself� so I may have to wander off from time to time, in order to enjoy
>> some popcorn and hot soy chocolate.) Also, I tend to ramble� a LOT.
>> You�ve been warned. (If it helps any, though, the postings will get
>> shorter and shorter, with each day of the trip.)
>
> You ramble a lot? Read any of my trip report did you? :-)
LOL. Your rambles are fun, though!
> 2009's almost over...
Woohoo! For the first time since Y2K, I'm actually going to stay up
until midnight on New Year's Eve, just so I can see 2009 leave.
>> We headed to the International Gateway, arriving about 10 minutes
before
>> the meet. (We�re always early. Doesn�t matter what it is, we just have
>> to be early. It�s how we�re wired.) We take a seat on the bench, and
>> think about just how crazy we must be to actually voluntarily show up
>> for a meeting of axe murderers. I eye the potted plants, looking for a
>> good hiding spot, but they are sadly all much too small to offer much cover.
>
> As the second and third persons I met at the meet, you did a really
> lousy job of being obscure...
Yup, seriously lousy job... really surprised myself. I'm usually good
at hiding.
>> It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
>> speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. Twelve
>> years?! Wow � she�s got me beat by about a decade! I think it took me
>> two years to make my first post. Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
>> sweet. She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here.
>
> Nice person, wished me the best. Appreciated it. :-) (If we keep
> poking at her, maybe she'll post more... :-))
I'm hoping!
>> and a few others who I�m
>> going to feel terrible for having left out.
>
> I can use the excuse I killed most of my brain cells in my youth.
> What's your excuse? :-)
Ummm... over-worked and under-paid? Actually, I usually just blame it
on social anxiety - I can't think straight around all those people!
>> We did find the Mighty
>> Paragon, who was as awesome as always. I know I also met a number of
>> other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day.
>
> And thank you for that. I assume it will be worth money someday...
LOL. Ummm... I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
>> We
>> also posed for the big photo. Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
>> of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
>> helped further to save my anonymity. (At this point, though, there may
>> be too many people who actually know who I am now. How did that happen?)
>
> You forget I have pictures... Very soon now will my picture trip
> report will be out...
Uh oh...
>> The party starts to break up, and Rocky and I follow Paragon into Epcot.
>> We finally get a glimpse of the magical Silver Pass� ooooo� pretty!
>> Not only did we see it, but we were fortunate enough to actually get to
>> be �guests� on it! Thank you Mighty One! We join the Mighty Paragon and
>> Keane for a snack in Morocco, and Patty and her daughter join us when we
>
> And just so you know, I did feel a small tinge of guilt as I
> gobbled down big strips of ground lamb next to you, but I hadn't eaten
> since early that morning, and the Tangierine is one of my favorite
> counter service places... The stomach rules...
Oh, don't feel quilty... really. I don't know any other vegans in real
life, so I'm used to it. There are a few items (turkey legs come to
mind) that are a bit disturbing, but otherwise, I'm fine.
>> get there. We had a really nice time, making me think that maybe, just
>> maybe, we should consider doing a few more tiny get-togethers like this
>> on future trips. It�s certainly a bit less over-whelming with just a
>> table-full of people, instead of a huge crowd.
>
> Yes, all the smaller meets I was at was a much better way to get to
> talk with others. Helps when you can have an adult beverage, too!
Yes, I managed the big meet without it, but an adult beverage might have
helped, LOL
>> and the big tree meant we got to see some squirrels playing, and
>
> Like you have no squirrels in Ohio...
LOL - guess I'm just easily amused.
> Keane, one down and...how many of these did you write? :-)
Well, they all got shorter and shorter as I went along, LOL.
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, who's evening is already over, and I haven't even
begun to respond to all these responses!)
Lisa Cubbon
> On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:22:26 -0800 (PST), Steve Russo
> <sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
>
>> On Dec 26, 3:22 pm, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>> kidding here., LOL.)
>> OK. Some explanation here is in order (Harumph!). First, we actually
>> stepped in line behind another couple that was in line behind the
>> "scene". That's why I thought the line was there. This couple moved to
>> the counter to replace the couple that "had words" with the guy
>> causing the "scene".
>
> Me thinks he doth complain too much. (Or something like that. I
> really hate Shakespeare...)
>
>> "More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
>> that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
>
> It's something like Mostly Harmless. They said the same thing about
> Gacy. He was a clown, remember. Anyone check Russo's crawlspace
> lately?
>
> Keane
kids. It was pretty scary. That was enough to make you HATE clowns.
Lisa
Steve Russo
news:ql6lj5h3e85opsfns...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:22:26 -0800 (PST), Steve Russo
> <sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
>
>>On Dec 26, 3:22 pm, Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>> this "scene", and rudely cut in front of us. Some people! (Totally
>>> kidding here., LOL.)
>>
>>OK. Some explanation here is in order (Harumph!). First, we actually
>>stepped in line behind another couple that was in line behind the
>>"scene". That's why I thought the line was there. This couple moved to
>>the counter to replace the couple that "had words" with the guy
>>causing the "scene".
>
> Me thinks he doth complain too much. (Or something like that. I
> really hate Shakespeare...)
He dothn't, er... dothent... doth not... eh, never mind.
>
>>"More or less non-threatening"??? OK, you got some 'splainin' to do on
>>that one. (My axe was very well hidden).
>
> It's something like Mostly Harmless. They said the same thing about
> Gacy. He was a clown, remember. Anyone check Russo's crawlspace
> lately?
Stay outta my crawlspace if you know what's good for you!
Rudeney
>
> Y'know... I've had just about enough of this guff. Spend your entire
> life doing good and... nothing! But cut in front of one person in a
> check-in line... you're branded for life.
LOL! "Spend your entire life doing good..." BWHAHAHAHA! (seriously,
Steve, you're always such a nice guy, it's just so much fun to have
something to pick on you about!)
>> You forget I have pictures... Very soon now will my picture trip
>> report will be out...
>
> Yadda, yadda, yadda. I've been waiting...
Watch out, there, kettle!
Rudeney
> On Dec 29, 10:08 am, Rudeney <rude...@mickeypics.com> wrote:
>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>> this scene , and rudely cut in front of us. Some people!
>> They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
>>
>>> However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the online check-in
>>> sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. No problem
>>> at all. :-)
>> Yeah, typical rude guests - once they get caught trying to break in
>> line, then they apologize. Any I don;t know who is worse - rude New
>> Yorkers like that or celebrities. Even those minor celebrities like
>> people who write travel books... ;-)
>
> My next book will be titled "The Entitlement Theory - How I Learned to
> Just Take What I Want Because I've Paid a Lot of Monday for This Trip
> and Everyone Owes Me".
Oh, and I'm sure I'll buy two copies!
>> You know, of all the RADP'ers I've ever met in person, absolutely none
>> of them have been threatening.
>
> That's because you've yet to meet me... and my axe.
Yeah, but someday!
Keane
<sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
>On Dec 29, 1:43�pm, Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>> >kidding here., LOL.) �Seriously, things were a bit confusing, and I
>> >found myself wondering if *we* were standing in the wrong place.
>> >However, this nice couple noticed us, noticed the online check-in
>> >sign, asked if we were waiting and politely got behind us. �No problem
>> >at all. �:-)
>>
>> Yeah, some of those guests... �Just because they're staying at the
>> Boardwalk...
>
>Y'know... I've had just about enough of this guff. Spend your entire
>life doing good and... nothing! But cut in front of one person in a
>check-in line... you're branded for life.
Welcome to the year 2009!
>> >He turns out to be Steve Russo, so I bashfully hand him one of the silly
>> >keychains I made up, and ask him to sign his guidebook. �(I came
>> >prepared.) I guess I should have recognized him from the picture on the
>> >cover, but I m really bad with faces. �I m not a visual person.
>> >Instead, I just got this strange feeling that I d seen him someplace
>> >before. Anyway, he was very nice about the whole thing, and more or less
>> >non-threatening, which was very much appreciated.
>>
>> You have seen him before. �In your bathroom. �
>
>She told you?
She showed me the police report.
>> >It was around this time that the woman sitting next to me on the bench
>> >speaks up and introduces herself as a 12-year RADP lurker. �Twelve
>> >years?! �Wow she s got me beat by about a decade! �I think it took me
>> >two years to make my first post. �Her name is Dreslaine, and she is very
>> >sweet. �She has since come out of the closet *once* to say hello here.
>>
>> Nice person, wished me the best. �Appreciated it. :-) �(If we keep
>> poking at her, maybe she'll post more... :-))
>
>Ya think?
One can only try.
>> > � � �and a few others who I m
>> >going to feel terrible for having left out. �
>>
>> I can use the excuse I killed most of my brain cells in my youth.
>
>Me, too. But only the *weak* ones.
Mine were indiscriminate. Killed any brain cells that were in the
way. In the way of what, I can't tell you, but that's how it
happened.
>> > � �We did find the Mighty
>> >Paragon, who was as awesome as always. �I know I also met a number of
>> >other people, because I managed to hand out 15 keychains that day.
>>
>> And thank you for that. �I assume it will be worth money someday...
>
>Really? Mine's going up on e-Bay.
I'm waiting a couple years until they're more scarce.
>> > � We
>> >also posed for the big photo. �Paragon was nice enough to stand in front
>> >of me and offer some protection, and the hat over my face may have
>> >helped further to save my anonymity. �(At this point, though, there may
>> >be too many people who actually know who I am now. �How did that happen?)
>>
>> You forget I have pictures... �Very soon now will my picture trip
>> report will be out...
>
>Yadda, yadda, yadda. I've been waiting...
Pfft. I worked overtime (which is why some of the sunset and beach
parnoramics look sub-par) and got it out before the new year...
Keane
Keane
wrote:
>Steve Russo wrote:
>>> You forget I have pictures... Very soon now will my picture trip
>>> report will be out...
>>
>> Yadda, yadda, yadda. I've been waiting...
>
>Watch out, there, kettle!
Just in case anyone missed it:
http://keanespics.com/ThemeParks/TR_0912-1.htm
(Pssst. Image 97...)
Keane
Bashful
> In article <hh5r9d$9sg$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Bashful <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Okay, so a couple of you have asked for a trip report, and since I
>> actually sort of hope to be welcome at future RADP events, I guess I
>> better put something together. For the rest of you, I'm pretty certain
>
> Yay!
>
>
>> the tree was certainly prettier than a parking lot, or Pennywise (the
>> scary clown water slide). And most importantly, Rocky's hip had been
>> bothering him, and having a room right by the elevator was really
>> convenient.
>
> The scary clown slide that vomits children has a name??? And an
> inocuous name at that??? Wow. I never knew.
>
> Looking forward to more!
>
> Laura
I guess my reference is too obscure. No, I have no idea of the clown
actually has a name... but he completely creeps me out, so I call him
Pennywise, after the creepy clown in Stephen King's "It".
(Honestly, I think I got that from someone else a long, long time ago...
sorry if I have missed giving the appropriate person credit.)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful, who really isn't much of a Stephen King fan, but
got talked into reading a few of them, including "It", many years back)
Rudeney
Oooh! You're in trouble now!
Greg K.
wrote:
>
>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>> this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people!
>
>They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
Hey! I I'm originally from upstate NY and can vouch that not ALL of us
are like that and I've had more people cut in front at WDW than any
place else!
Greg K.
Rudeney
> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:08:43 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
> Hey! I I'm originally from upstate NY and can vouch that not ALL of us
> are like that and I've had more people cut in front at WDW than any
> place else!
Greg, just in case you (or anyone else who reads it) didn't realize it,
that comment was directed at a specific upstate New Yorker: our very own
Mr. Steve Russo. You see, Steve was the person that Kitty referred to.
If you read Steve's TR, then you'll get the whole story. No one was
really breaking in line. Apparently, the line was not well marked. And
it was quite ironic because these were people who have known each other
for a long time through RADP, but had not met in person (until later
that day).
Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
Steve Russo
news:hhtglt$ik6$1...@feeder.eternal-september.org...
> Greg K. wrote:
>> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:08:43 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>> They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
>> Hey! I I'm originally from upstate NY and can vouch that not ALL of us
>> are like that and I've had more people cut in front at WDW than any
>> place else!
>
> Greg, just in case you (or anyone else who reads it) didn't realize it,
> that comment was directed at a specific upstate New Yorker: our very own
> Mr. Steve Russo. You see, Steve was the person that Kitty referred to.
> If you read Steve's TR, then you'll get the whole story. No one was
> really breaking in line. Apparently, the line was not well marked. And
> it was quite ironic because these were people who have known each other
> for a long time through RADP, but had not met in person (until later that
> day).
>
> Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
> to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
> people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
>
Crap! Now I have to call back the gang from around the corner that's now en
route to Birmingham. Good thing for you. These Upstate New York gangs can
be dangerous - pulling up your bushes and such.
Rudeney
> "Rudeney" <rud...@mickeypics.com> wrote in message
> news:hhtglt$ik6$1...@feeder.eternal-september.org...
>> Greg K. wrote:
>>> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:08:43 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>>> They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
>>> Hey! I I'm originally from upstate NY and can vouch that not ALL of us
>>> are like that and I've had more people cut in front at WDW than any
>>> place else!
>> Greg, just in case you (or anyone else who reads it) didn't realize it,
>> that comment was directed at a specific upstate New Yorker: our very own
>> Mr. Steve Russo. You see, Steve was the person that Kitty referred to.
>> If you read Steve's TR, then you'll get the whole story. No one was
>> really breaking in line. Apparently, the line was not well marked. And
>> it was quite ironic because these were people who have known each other
>> for a long time through RADP, but had not met in person (until later that
>> day).
>>
>> Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
>> to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
>> people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
>>
>
> Crap! Now I have to call back the gang from around the corner that's now en
> route to Birmingham. Good thing for you. These Upstate New York gangs can
> be dangerous - pulling up your bushes and such.
As long as they don't steal any of my cars! Of course the ones in the
front yard would be hard, because they have no tires and are up on
blocks. ;-)
Bashful
> Greg K. wrote:
>> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:08:43 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in
>>>> behind this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people!
>>> They had to be New Yorkers. Upstate probably. ;-)
>> Hey! I I'm originally from upstate NY and can vouch that not ALL of us
>> are like that and I've had more people cut in front at WDW than any
>> place else!
>
> Greg, just in case you (or anyone else who reads it) didn't realize it,
> that comment was directed at a specific upstate New Yorker: our very own
> Mr. Steve Russo. You see, Steve was the person that Kitty referred to.
> If you read Steve's TR, then you'll get the whole story. No one was
> really breaking in line. Apparently, the line was not well marked. And
> it was quite ironic because these were people who have known each other
> for a long time through RADP, but had not met in person (until later
> that day).
>
> Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
> to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
> people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
>
Thanks Rodney! I was going to clarify that a bit, but you beat me to
it. Yes, I never would have even mentioned the "cutting in line" if
Steve hadn't first mentioned it in his own trip report. The whole thing
was all in fun.
(Poor Steve... will he ever live this down?)
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Steve Russo
news:hi0heg$jis$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
>> to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
>> people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
>>
>
> Thanks Rodney! I was going to clarify that a bit, but you beat me to it.
> Yes, I never would have even mentioned the "cutting in line" if Steve
> hadn't first mentioned it in his own trip report. The whole thing was
> all in fun.
>
> (Poor Steve... will he ever live this down?)
>
I hope not. I'm going to start cultivating this rebel image. Line cutting
is just the start. Soon I'll be refilling last year's mugs, smoking
anywhere I want, leading a Brazilian tour group and breastfeeding in line
(OK, maybe the breastfeeding one was a bit much).
Laura Gilbreath
>>
>
>I hope not. I'm going to start cultivating this rebel image. Line cutting
>is just the start. Soon I'll be refilling last year's mugs, smoking
>anywhere I want, leading a Brazilian tour group and breastfeeding in line
>(OK, maybe the breastfeeding one was a bit much).
Don't forget rock star treatment of your hotel rooms!
Bashful
LOL. In that case, glad I could help!
--
Kitty (TDC Bashful)
Keane
wrote:
Come on. You can't even pass a colonoscopy...
(I want a picture of the last thing... Did I mention the mother
breast-feeding in line in TSMM when I was there in December?)
MitchB
news:hi0jfu$jm$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> I hope not. I'm going to start cultivating this rebel image. Line cutting
> is just the start. Soon I'll be refilling last year's mugs, smoking
> anywhere I want, leading a Brazilian tour group and breastfeeding in line
> (OK, maybe the breastfeeding one was a bit much).
Don't forget bringing your own toilet seat!
Michelle
Rudeney
> "Bashful" <ki...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> news:hi0heg$jis$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>> Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure I cleared that up as I would not want
>>> to be accused of bashing New Yorkers. Now, had we been talking about
>>> people from Jersey...(just kidding!) :-)
>>>
>> Thanks Rodney! I was going to clarify that a bit, but you beat me to it.
>> Yes, I never would have even mentioned the "cutting in line" if Steve
>> hadn't first mentioned it in his own trip report. The whole thing was
>> all in fun.
>>
>> (Poor Steve... will he ever live this down?)
>>
>
> I hope not. I'm going to start cultivating this rebel image.
Good for you! It's about time!
> Line cutting is just the start.
That is a good place to start...
> Soon I'll be refilling last year's mugs,
Ohh, daring! Look out folk's! He;s on fire!
> smoking anywhere I want,
You go!
> leading a Brazilian tour group
You are The Man!
> and breastfeeding in line
Uh, NO WAY! You just crossed the line on that oner!
8-o
Greg K.
I knew it was directed at Steve and I did read his tr. Took me a week
to do it! I'm so far behind. I just read Kitty's.
No offense taken by your post. I apologize if you did. I REALLY enjoy
reading most of the post here on radp (except the occasional trolls!)
I just wanted to stick up for Steve though!
And your comment about Jersey...The first time I was in New Jersey was
driving down I-95 (New jersey turnpike) from Boston to Fl andI
confirmed in my mind that "Jersey was the armpit of the nation" (or so
everyone in college had said. A number of years later driving north
from FL and taking a detour through the middle of the state, it is
very beautiful. The people that I interacted with were also very
nice. I think wherever you go, people for the most part are pleasant
but the ones we rember and talk about are not!
Again, I apologize if anyone took my comment the wrong way!
Greg K
On Mon, 04 Jan t2010 13:45:38 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
wrote:
>Greg K. wrote:
>> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:08:43 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>> While we were waiting, I noticed another couple try to sneak in behind
>>>> this �scene�, and rudely cut in front of us. Some people!
Rudeney
> Hi Rodney-
> I knew it was directed at Steve and I did read his tr. Took me a week
> to do it! I'm so far behind. I just read Kitty's.
>
> No offense taken by your post. I apologize if you did. I REALLY enjoy
> reading most of the post here on radp (except the occasional trolls!)
> I just wanted to stick up for Steve though!
>
> And your comment about Jersey...The first time I was in New Jersey was
> driving down I-95 (New jersey turnpike) from Boston to Fl andI
> confirmed in my mind that "Jersey was the armpit of the nation" (or so
> everyone in college had said. A number of years later driving north
> from FL and taking a detour through the middle of the state, it is
> very beautiful. The people that I interacted with were also very
> nice. I think wherever you go, people for the most part are pleasant
> but the ones we rember and talk about are not!
>
> Again, I apologize if anyone took my comment the wrong way!
> Greg K
No problem, Greg! I just wanted to make sure anyone who had not read
both TR's knew the back story.
And as for the NJ digs, well, that's all in fun, too. Really, being
from Alabama, the only state I can pick on would be Mississippi. :-P