Monday Musings - April 23, 2012

Disney/Universal Studios thoughts this week

1. Bring your own wine. Disney's selections are mediocre at best.

2. Talk to the attendants--they usually have a pretty funny and somewhat sarcastic sense of humor.

3. Can you imagine having to deal with tourists like yourself every day?


4. Find fun in the long lines.

5. Is there really any reason to run from one attraction to the next? I thought this was supposed to be a vacation.

6. Pray for rain. Then everything slows down.

7. Plan time to sleep in (past 7 AM).

8. Funniest thing I heard: The attendant had just completed her spiel about how rare it was for something to happen, we should feel very lucky. I said something like--until the next group arrives. She laughed and said "Every three minutes all day and who has to listen to it over and over again? I do!"

9. If the internet is free (which it is) then the connection is going to be a problem.

10. If you have to run, you probably won't make it anyway.


11. Sometimes the funniest things, weren't meant that way.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Observations of Tomorrowland - Day 5

Our return to the Magic Kingdom was mostly devoted to exploring and becoming reacquainted with Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland remains a 1970's vision of life in the future. It has become tarnished and is in need of a total make over. The marquee ride remains Space Mountain--which while nostalgic, is a far cry from the spectacular roller coasters deployed in the 40 years since it first hit the rails.

I first visited Tomorrowland during 1973, two years after the park opened, and it was a magical place expanding the mind and thoughts of the future. Now, it is dated and old. Gone is Alien Encounter replaced by Stitch's Great Escape--no difference just a different character.

I note, as we walked around the larger Magic Kingdom, that Fantasyland is under going a major reconstruction. I only hope that Tomorrowland is next.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Noise on the Bus

It took an eternity to get from our resort to the place we had reserved for dinner. One leg, on a Disney bus, was done amid the most noise of screaming children and adults talking I've the screams that I have ever experienced in my life. It was awful. And the the arrival announcement came on and added to the din. I have been near jet engines which were quieter. It is better now though. We are waiting for dinner and enjoying some evening libations. It could be worse, it could be better but it isn't.

Star Wars meets Phineas and Ferb - Day 4

What a crazy day. Hot sunny skies punctuated by thunderstorms while working across the entertainment spectrum from cartoons to


wookies.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Darth Vader along with two Storm Troopers. That happened because of the thunderstorms. The best fun of the day was at Toy Story Arcade.



Hollywood Studios has really improved since my last visit. The Tower of Terror, which I did twice, is really pretty lame. The Rock 'n Rollercoaster is exciting and fun, but too short.


I have to confess, this park is not a visually stimulating as Universal Studios, but it is fun nonetheless. Where else can I stand in the middle of one street and take a picture of San Francisco AND turn 90 degrees and take a shot of NYC?



The restaurant we ate lunch in was probably the best of the trip--it was Italian fare.

Note to all who like wine--I mean decent wine. There isn't any in Disney. Ugh!
The wine is mediocre at best and the selection is very pedestrian. They need to stop buying in bulk and begin to specialize in better wines.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure - Day 3

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure was the day 3 destination. Can you imagine the crush of people who want to visit Hogwarts and the Harry Potter section of the park? Why?


Because it is worth it.

And I am not a huge Harry Potter fan, but this section of the park makes the books come to life in a believable way. The place is magical as are the other sections of the park which include Jurassic Park, Super Hero's Island, Dr. Seuss, and Sunday Comics Land.




This day was devoted to adventure and riding rides. Chris and I rode one roller coaster four times during the first hour while watching Jax during the period when the rest of the party was off doing the marquee ride in the Harry Potter section.



We also had a great meeting with Captain America! Who was very engaging. I personally think he was happy to meet some boys who at least spoke English. There were a lot of languages being spoken at the park--not English.


I did get to experience three different wide where the signs said something like: "You may get wet." I can assure you, the signs understated the probability. Indeed, the ride designers apparently took the opportunity to ensure that those who dared to pass the signs got soaked. I also got to experience a "people dryer." And it felt good on a cool day.

It was a busy day. A fun day. A wet day, A day devoted to fancy and imagination.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wire to Wire in the Magic Kingdom - Day 2

From the Character Breakfast at 7 AM in the Contemporary Hotel, to the welcome performance in front of the train station entrance to Main Street USA, to the 10 PM fireworks to close out the day, in the words of someone: "we did it all," well mostly.


The boys were fried by the end of it all even though we did return to the resort for a middle of the day respite (read nap). But we also experienced a very active pool area as well.




My take on the day--the Disney magic is beginning to fray around the edges. We had trouble with out lunch reservations and then our dinner reservations and saw behind the Disney magic a bit to the side where people are over worked and not really happy to help. We also decided that the busses do not run frequently enough from our resort, although we did get out of the park at the end of the day in fairly efficient fashion.

That written, the Fast Pass system works well. Having a plan for the day works great too. Nicole's plan to start the day saw us on five attractions within two hours. Fabulous. Well, almost, running at full tilt at 9 AM to get on an attraction is a bit excessive--but it worked.

The boys were great--mostly. But of course the heat and constant activity took its toll.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Disney World Arrival and Day 1

Logistically, the day went well.

The alarm went off at 3:40 AM and we were on our way to the BWI by 4:40AM after having said good-bye to Makayla and the cats.

It has been a long time since I have been in an airport before 5AM. It is very quiet. Add to that, there were only about 30 people on our flight to Orlando--and the whole process of getting from home to Disney went incredibly smoothly.

We had some issues checking in and getting the right rooms--but after most of the day this too was corrected.



The day was an Epcot day--and we were in the park just before 11AM.

The best, by far, ride in Epcot is Soarin'. We did a fast pass for this first thing and we able to snag tickets for 4:45 PM. This ride continues to be a first rate experience and one that the kids enjoy too.



We ate at the Coral Reef Restaurant--and it was our big meal of the day. The experience was truly worthwhile, eating in essentially a huge aquarium.

We also did the usual Epcot stuff and had a great time and a long day. I was able to enjoy the international area around the lake.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Disney begins

At the airport on the way to Orlando and a week of fun with Mickey!

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, right? 

Yeah. 

Epcot today to get started. Soaring is on the agenda. 

But first to survive BWI and get to the land that the mouse built.  

Our party of 7 will never be the same.  

Five adults and two children but all young at heart.  

- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 16, 2012

1. Tax Day is upon us! Today is Tax Day for the State of Maryland; tomorrow is Tax Day for the Federal Government. If you have not filed your taxes yet, you are probably going to be late.



2. Last evening, after a day of over 80 degree temperatures, I saw the first fireflies of the year. I was truly astonished as I do not recall ever seeing them so early. I was so amazed that I made sure to get independent verification from Chris that there were in fact fireflies in the trees.

3. I made an interesting observation in the major league baseball standings yesterday morning: both the Nationals and the Orioles were in sole possession of first place in their respective divisions. I do not believe that has ever happened before. Of course the Orioles lost yesterday and now share the division lead--but it was interesting for one day at least.

4. I am still in shock about how quickly machinery can reduce a small forest into a 10 acre patch of bare land.




5. With Ethan's birthday behind us, the family birthday season has ended. We begin celebrating family birthdays in September and conclude in April. In between, there are 11 birthdays--more if extended family is counted. I guess it gives us something to do while the pool is closed.

6. And in the pool department--I ordered the chemicals for the coming year. I always feel like a mad scientist or something after I order the pool supplies.



7. Yesterday, George Washington was selected as Britain's greatest enemy, or most formidable foe since the 17th Century. The article makes an interesting read--but essentially, Washington is the greatest enemy commander to face the British Empire! One of the rules of the competition was that the commander had to lead troops in actual combat--hence, political leaders (like Hitler) were excluded.

8. I am about to head off to the land of Mickey Mouse! The good news is that it is in Florida. The bad news is that it is no where near the beach.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cat Clipping Day's

By 8:30 AM, the semiannual clipping of Louis had been completed yesterday. Louis is a 14 pound rag-doll cat with very long fur which matts pretty badly, especially during the summer. In an effort to keep him more comfortable we have him clipped.


This is the after picture and he is sporting what is called the "lion cut." I know it seems pretty radical, but I believe he really appreciates the short cut. There is a bit of self preservation involved as well--the hair ball count goes down dramatically after he gets trimmed. Every cat owner knows that there is nothing worse than getting up in the morning and stepping into a cold and slimy fur ball with their bare foot.

The process to trim Louis is not without some danger though. He does not tolerate it too well and must be drugged. Even so, it is two person process and I caught a claw helping the groomer shave the cat.



Apparently, Riordin was unhappy that he did not get invited out for the trip. He checked out the carrier after we returned home. Little did he know where that carrier had taken his best friend.

Louis recovered nicely from the drugs--they barely affected him anyway--just taking the edge off a bit, and the day went on.

Another checklist completed on the highway to summertime!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD