WDW Trip Report
We just returned form our trip to WDW. We were there form 2/8/2005 until 2/13/2005 and had a wonderful time. We had reservations for the AKL but at the last minute, my wife decided she wanted to stay at All-Star Sports. She reasoned that during our last trip, we had stayed at the AKL and that we hadn't visited the All-Star Sports since it first opened back in 1994. I didn't realize it had been over 10 years since we last stayed at the All-Star Sports. I deferred to her wishes and we checked in at the All-Star. Also one of our Disney rules is to never stay at the same resort twice in a row. We enjoy trying all the resorts. Sometimes we rent points and stay at a DVC property. We just try to get the best deal we can find and move around the various resorts.
We got a great room in 10 Touchdown on the back side and very close to Stadium Hall. A bunch of cheerleader groups were staying there but they practiced in the front of the building, so were never heard them! The room was in good shape and everything was neat and pretty. As you may know, the incandescent lights in the All-Star Sports are all 52 watt "GE Watt-Miser®" bulbs. Disney resorts use these bulbs exclusively in the resort properties to save money on electricity. While they have a 10-15% energy cost savings and 33% longer life than standard bulbs, they also produce far less light (i.e. lumens). The standard 60 watt light bulb puts out 840 lumens while the 52 watt light bulb puts out 730 lumens. I am a voracious reader and I really dislike Disney resort lights, so I always bring my own. I replaced all the 52 watt bulbs with 60 watt bulbs with a resultant 15% increase in light output. I could now read in comfort.
Our first stop on Tuesday evening was to get something to eat. We headed for DTD to The Earl of Sandwich. I was really looking forward to eating a good sandwich there, and I was not disappointed. The sandwiches were excellent! I had met up with a group of friends so 12 of us had the good fortune to eat there. Everyone ordered something different and everyone was very pleased with their selection. This is a very good sandwich shop.
We did a little shopping at DTD and visited with some friends over at The Hilton but we didn't want to stay out too late. We wanted to get a good nights rest prior to the first part of our visit to the parks. So, were made sure to get back to the All-Star Sports before midnight so we could get up by at least 8 AM. Let me also mention that I was conducting some informal experiments while at WDW. I had asked early last year in this forum about the performance of T-mobile cell phones at WDW. I never really got a good answer, so I decided to test that aspect myself. Also, my next door neighbor is a serious computer and radio geek. He loaned me a neat little radio frequency spectrum analyzer and I was able to take a bunch of readings. In short, the T-mobile GSM signal pervades the WDW property and it's very strong. If you can't get a signal, your phone is broken.
On Wednesday, 02/09/05, we struck out on our first day at the parks. We used the WDW roulette transportation system when we visit. What? You've never heard of that system? Let me tell you how and why it works. The WDW bus system is good, but it has no set schedule. This "built in" flexibility gives the bus system a wide margin in meeting their performance standards because unlike a train or a plane, you just can't hold them to a time. Most of the time, their system works, but sometimes (every day) they have some rather nasty failures. I've seen guests waiting at a bus stop for over an hour! Several years ago we adopted our current WDW roulette transportation system. You walk out to the bus stop and jump on the first bus you see! We used this system our entire stay and never once did we have to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus nor did we ever have to stand on a bus! During our first day, we're willing to go where the fates allow. This day it was MK!
After we got off the bus at MK, we had to go to Guest Relations to turn in our vouchers for our AP's. There was a small line but we only had to wait about 4 minutes before we were served. We had our ID's so everything went without a hitch. We did overhear some loud mouth lady at the next window inquiring about used tickets she had purchased on eBay. She wanted to know how many days were left on them! The CM told her to try them at the entrance and find out! As we left Guest Relations, that woman was right behind us. After we entered the MK with our new AP's, we watched her. None of the tickets she purchased on eBay worked! When will people learn.
We arose about 8:00 AM on 02/09/05 and it took about an hour to shower and dress. The temperature was very nice in the high 60's so light dress was in order. I decided to wear cargo pants so I could stash all of my equipment (i.e. spectrum analyzer, digital audio recorder, digital camera, batteries, etc.) and not have to go through the dreaded "bag line". I was "wired" with a Sony ICD-ST25 digital recorder along with the Sony ECM-CS10 stereo microphone. I got a lot of good candid recordings. The crowds at MK were rather light so everything but Peter Pan was a walk-on. We got a fast pass for Peter Pan and then did Splash and Big Thunder Mountain and by the time we were done, it was time for Peter Pan. The CM at the head of the fast pass line was cool. As I handed him our fast passes, he looked at my wife and said, "Oh dear, I can tell you are ready to fly!". He was flaming.
[size=+0]CoP was open and running just fine. We saw Stitch and were not impressed. However, after we left Stitch to experience the fury of Mickey's Star Traders, PUSH was running around in there. I saw PUSH attempting to make a "trash-can sandwich" out of several young children. He would wait silently about 3 feet directly across from another trash can. When a small child would walk through the gap, PUSH would rush forward and trap the child between himself and the other can and then laugh manically and yell, "Trash-Can Sandwich".[/size]
After we had experienced all the attractions in which we were interested, we got our wrist bands for the Extra Magic 3 Hours at MK, did a little shopping and then had diner at The Crystal Palace. At City Hall, they told us that there was no priority seating left and that The Crystal Palace was full. However, we walked up to the door at The Crystal Palace and were immediately seated without a problem. Of course, the CM's at City Hall also recommended that instead of eating at The Crystal Palace, we should go to Columbia Harbor House. This was at 7:00 PM and Columbia Harbor House had been closed since 5:00 PM. We checked out a few more attractions and then headed back to our room.
As we approached the MK bus stop, the bus for All-Star Music was loading so we got on too. It was a short walk from Music to our room. It was a good day. Since we are not parade or fireworks people, we assiduously avoid these events. Back at the room, I had 20 foot long extension cord that allowed me to hook my digital camera up to the video input (RCA jack) on the back of the TV. The camera has a "slide show" setting that allows all the pictures to be viewed on the TV. So, we sat back with a few drinks and watched the show and then went to bed for the night.
Next....EPCOT....Dude!
We just returned form our trip to WDW. We were there form 2/8/2005 until 2/13/2005 and had a wonderful time. We had reservations for the AKL but at the last minute, my wife decided she wanted to stay at All-Star Sports. She reasoned that during our last trip, we had stayed at the AKL and that we hadn't visited the All-Star Sports since it first opened back in 1994. I didn't realize it had been over 10 years since we last stayed at the All-Star Sports. I deferred to her wishes and we checked in at the All-Star. Also one of our Disney rules is to never stay at the same resort twice in a row. We enjoy trying all the resorts. Sometimes we rent points and stay at a DVC property. We just try to get the best deal we can find and move around the various resorts.
We got a great room in 10 Touchdown on the back side and very close to Stadium Hall. A bunch of cheerleader groups were staying there but they practiced in the front of the building, so were never heard them! The room was in good shape and everything was neat and pretty. As you may know, the incandescent lights in the All-Star Sports are all 52 watt "GE Watt-Miser®" bulbs. Disney resorts use these bulbs exclusively in the resort properties to save money on electricity. While they have a 10-15% energy cost savings and 33% longer life than standard bulbs, they also produce far less light (i.e. lumens). The standard 60 watt light bulb puts out 840 lumens while the 52 watt light bulb puts out 730 lumens. I am a voracious reader and I really dislike Disney resort lights, so I always bring my own. I replaced all the 52 watt bulbs with 60 watt bulbs with a resultant 15% increase in light output. I could now read in comfort.
Our first stop on Tuesday evening was to get something to eat. We headed for DTD to The Earl of Sandwich. I was really looking forward to eating a good sandwich there, and I was not disappointed. The sandwiches were excellent! I had met up with a group of friends so 12 of us had the good fortune to eat there. Everyone ordered something different and everyone was very pleased with their selection. This is a very good sandwich shop.
We did a little shopping at DTD and visited with some friends over at The Hilton but we didn't want to stay out too late. We wanted to get a good nights rest prior to the first part of our visit to the parks. So, were made sure to get back to the All-Star Sports before midnight so we could get up by at least 8 AM. Let me also mention that I was conducting some informal experiments while at WDW. I had asked early last year in this forum about the performance of T-mobile cell phones at WDW. I never really got a good answer, so I decided to test that aspect myself. Also, my next door neighbor is a serious computer and radio geek. He loaned me a neat little radio frequency spectrum analyzer and I was able to take a bunch of readings. In short, the T-mobile GSM signal pervades the WDW property and it's very strong. If you can't get a signal, your phone is broken.
On Wednesday, 02/09/05, we struck out on our first day at the parks. We used the WDW roulette transportation system when we visit. What? You've never heard of that system? Let me tell you how and why it works. The WDW bus system is good, but it has no set schedule. This "built in" flexibility gives the bus system a wide margin in meeting their performance standards because unlike a train or a plane, you just can't hold them to a time. Most of the time, their system works, but sometimes (every day) they have some rather nasty failures. I've seen guests waiting at a bus stop for over an hour! Several years ago we adopted our current WDW roulette transportation system. You walk out to the bus stop and jump on the first bus you see! We used this system our entire stay and never once did we have to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus nor did we ever have to stand on a bus! During our first day, we're willing to go where the fates allow. This day it was MK!
After we got off the bus at MK, we had to go to Guest Relations to turn in our vouchers for our AP's. There was a small line but we only had to wait about 4 minutes before we were served. We had our ID's so everything went without a hitch. We did overhear some loud mouth lady at the next window inquiring about used tickets she had purchased on eBay. She wanted to know how many days were left on them! The CM told her to try them at the entrance and find out! As we left Guest Relations, that woman was right behind us. After we entered the MK with our new AP's, we watched her. None of the tickets she purchased on eBay worked! When will people learn.
We arose about 8:00 AM on 02/09/05 and it took about an hour to shower and dress. The temperature was very nice in the high 60's so light dress was in order. I decided to wear cargo pants so I could stash all of my equipment (i.e. spectrum analyzer, digital audio recorder, digital camera, batteries, etc.) and not have to go through the dreaded "bag line". I was "wired" with a Sony ICD-ST25 digital recorder along with the Sony ECM-CS10 stereo microphone. I got a lot of good candid recordings. The crowds at MK were rather light so everything but Peter Pan was a walk-on. We got a fast pass for Peter Pan and then did Splash and Big Thunder Mountain and by the time we were done, it was time for Peter Pan. The CM at the head of the fast pass line was cool. As I handed him our fast passes, he looked at my wife and said, "Oh dear, I can tell you are ready to fly!". He was flaming.
[size=+0]CoP was open and running just fine. We saw Stitch and were not impressed. However, after we left Stitch to experience the fury of Mickey's Star Traders, PUSH was running around in there. I saw PUSH attempting to make a "trash-can sandwich" out of several young children. He would wait silently about 3 feet directly across from another trash can. When a small child would walk through the gap, PUSH would rush forward and trap the child between himself and the other can and then laugh manically and yell, "Trash-Can Sandwich".[/size]
After we had experienced all the attractions in which we were interested, we got our wrist bands for the Extra Magic 3 Hours at MK, did a little shopping and then had diner at The Crystal Palace. At City Hall, they told us that there was no priority seating left and that The Crystal Palace was full. However, we walked up to the door at The Crystal Palace and were immediately seated without a problem. Of course, the CM's at City Hall also recommended that instead of eating at The Crystal Palace, we should go to Columbia Harbor House. This was at 7:00 PM and Columbia Harbor House had been closed since 5:00 PM. We checked out a few more attractions and then headed back to our room.
As we approached the MK bus stop, the bus for All-Star Music was loading so we got on too. It was a short walk from Music to our room. It was a good day. Since we are not parade or fireworks people, we assiduously avoid these events. Back at the room, I had 20 foot long extension cord that allowed me to hook my digital camera up to the video input (RCA jack) on the back of the TV. The camera has a "slide show" setting that allows all the pictures to be viewed on the TV. So, we sat back with a few drinks and watched the show and then went to bed for the night.
Next....EPCOT....Dude!
