I woke early, packed, and checked out of the Days Inn. My experience there had been satisfactory, but I was eager to try out a Disney resort for the remainder of my stay. I had only stayed in a Disney resort once before: in September of 1997 I spent 3 nights at All-Star Music over a long weekend for the Disneyanna Convention. On this trip I had reserved two nights at the Caribbean Beach resort.
My check-out from the Days Inn went quickly and smoothly, and I arrived at Epcot at about 8:30 and went to the Guest Services window at the far right of the turnstiles. It didn't take too long for the other people on the tour to arrive, but we waited until 9am to enter the park. I only had a 4-day park-hopper pass, so I decided not to use a day of it for admission to the park; after the tour was over, I would have to leave, but I wouldn't use a day from my pass for only a half day.
I had brought both my still camera and my video camera with me, a decision I would later regret, since I lugged the video around with me all day without even taking out of the bag once. But I shot nearly a whole roll of still pictures on the tour, which was a lot to me; my previous record for vacation film was 4 rolls in a week, but here I was beginning day 5 of an 8-day trip and I was starting on my 6th roll.
We went through each pavilion, with Jim pointing out all sorts of fascinating trivia about the construction of each one. I took a bunch of pictures, mostly trying to catch the empty feel of World Showcase before opening. I saw a lot of things I had never noticed about each pavilion. We spoke to several Cast Members, including a gardener who was helping with the Flower and Garden Festival (we each got a pack of flower seeds), and got some in-depth history of several of the pavilions. Partway through we went backstage, where we got to see the hair and makeup department for 'face' characters, and the huge wardrobe department, which has costumes not only for characters, but for all the Cast Members who work in Epcot.
After wardrobe, we went outside and walked along the access road that rings World Showcase on the backstage side. When we came to France, we got an excellent view of the Eiffel tower from the back. Without the forced perspective provided by the onstage side of the pavilion, the tower could be seen at it's actual height of less than three stories. Still, it was intricately detailed, creating an impressive illusion of great height.
Once we got back onstage, we found ourselves in France; by this time World Showcase was open, and Guests were milling about, although it was not a very crowded day. A few characters were out, as well, and I got my picture taken with Belle, of Beauty and the Beast fame.
We got to see a little of the Millennium Pavilion and Welcome Center under construction; this was a special addition to the World Showcase for the Millennium Celebration, which was to run from December 1999 to January 2001 (thus covering New Year 2000 and New Year 2001 for all those in the debate over when the new Millennium starts).
It was getting near lunch time now, so we headed back to Morocco to Restaurant Marakesh. I had eaten here before and loved the food. Our waiter, Ali, was not only a great waiter, but knew a lot about the restaurant and his country.
We also got to see the belly dancer perform.
We finished up the tour with the U.K. and Canada (I never knew there was a hidden Mickey on the big totem pole in Canada.) Afterward, the others on the tour went their merry way in the park, since they had used their park passes to get in, but I had chosen not to do this and had to leave the park after the tour, so Jim walked me back up the park gates and bade his good-bye. Overall, the tour was a completely enjoyable experience.
I wanted to explore the resort a little and take some pictures, but I was getting a little low on film again, so I went off site to Walgreens and picked up another 4-pack. Then I went to Downtown Disney for some shopping, taking some pictures of the West Side, and then back to Caribbean Beach after two or three hours. I had called from a payphone outside the La Nouba arena to get my room assignment.
I called the front desk and explained to the CM who answered that I had paid for a water-view room and gotten a room that was totally out of view of the water. I told her that I understood that the resort was booked heavily, and they may not be able to give me a water view room, I just didn't feel that I should have to pay for one if I didn't get it. Her first question was "Can't you see the pool?" At this, I actually became angry. "Yeah," I told her, "I can see umbrellas and a pink wall surrounding the pool. But do you consider a partial view of a pool to be a 'water view' room? Because I certainly don't!" I didn't raise my voice, but I was clearly in a huff, and I think she realized it and apologized for the inconvenience, and made sure to note on my bill that I should be charged for a standard view, not a water view.
My first truly dissatisfying experience with Disney. Well, every company has it's problems.
While I was on the phone complaining, I noticed the message waiting light was lit. I figured it was a generic welcome message, but it was actually a call from my friend Chris, back home. His message just asked that I call him back, so I did, and he gave me some bad news. My best friend, Rick, had lost his grandfather; having grown up with Rick and his family, I was very fond of his grandfather and very saddened by the loss. Rick hadn't wanted anyone to mention it to me while I was away, to prevent ruining my vacation, but I was glad someone had told me instead of waiting till I got home. The funeral would be Saturday, the day after I got home, so at least I could attend. I talked to Chris for about a half-hour; he's also a Disney nut, although when he says 'Disney' he actually means 'Magic Kingdom'; the other three parks are just minor additions to him. I told him a little about what I had seen and done so far on the trip, but with long-distance rates being what they are, I didn't want to spend too much time on the phone to Baltimore.
I wanted to spend another relaxing evening in, so I walked up to Centertown, the main building housing the food court, gift shop, and arcade, and got myself some dinner at the food court. I found the food court to be moderately better than the one at All-Star Music, the only other Disney resort where I've ever stayed.
I took my time walking back to my room; the sun was setting, affording me with some spectacular views across the lagoon. I took some pictures of the path and the sunset as I strolled back to the room.
I spent most of the evening watching TV and looking over all the stuff I had been buying all week.
Walk miles: 12.3
Drive miles: 140