Friday April 23, 1999

Home again, home again, jigety jig

Friday was another bright, sunny day. I woke at about 8am, went through my normal morning routine, and finished my last-minute packing. I checked out of Caribbean Beach and drove off the resort for the last time. Overall, I had enjoyed my stay there tremendously; my only regret was that I didn't spend much time there during my two-day stay. I would have loved to explore the place a little more, maybe hang out by the quit pool a little, and try the food court a few more times to experience more of the variety.

My destination this morning was Downtown Disney. I wanted to do my last-minute shopping (with my 10% Magic Kingdom Club discount) before heading to the airport for my 7:50 flight home tonight. Being hungry, however, my first stop was the Downtown Disney McDonalds for breakfast. Many people dismiss the idea of eating at McDonalds when shopping at Downtown Disney, but I'm a fast-food junkie, and I need a fix once a week or so. I also like to hit a quick counter-service place for most of my meals to avoid the long waits that can often be found in a nicer restaurant; I'm an impatient person and I like to get my food NOW.

After eating a leisurely breakfast (I like to get my food fast, but I don't mind taking my time eating it) I wandered the whole of Downtown Disney for several hours, spending way too much money (mostly on other people) and generally enjoying the place. I also took a few pictures of the fantastic Lego statues that can be found outside the Lego store. Legos were my favorite toys as a child, and these statues are a magnificent blend of child's toys and true artistry. Even though I have dozens of pictures of them already, I just can't resist snapping more every time I go to Downtown Disney.

Yummy, cool, and refreshing

After a couple of hours of shopping, I took a quick trip to my car to dump my purchases in the trunk, then went back to find something cool to drink. I found it at Forty-Thirst Street in the form of a concoction called a Frozen Sundrop. Forty-Thirst Street's main attraction is it's coffee beverages, but they also have several excellent frozen drinks to choose from, and a Frozen Sundrop sounded like just the thing on what had turned into a very hot day. The menu board said the drink's ingredients were orange, pineapple, and banana, mixed with crushed ice and whipped cream. The pale yellow color and thick, smoothie-like texture were very appealing, and I found a nice shady bench outside to enjoy it. I found that I had not made a mistake; the Frozen Sundrop is now on my list of favorite beverages, and must-do's for a Disney trip. I nursed the drink for a half-hour or so, draining the entire cup, before I resumed my walk around the West Side.

By late afternoon, about 3pm or so, I was pretty much finished with Downtown Disney, so I got into my now-searingly-hot rental car, cranked the air-conditioning and opened the windows, and headed for the Crossroads shopping center. I spent a few minutes in the Disney store there, then parked my car in the shadiest spot I could find and spent a half-hour or more re-packing my luggage to accommodate all the stuff I had bought at Downtown Disney. By then I figured it was late enough to make my way back to the airport, so I got on the Beeline for the drive back to Alamo. The road was surprisingly empty, so the drive took only about 20-25 minutes, and returning my rental car took less than five. Then I lucked out and got right onto a shuttle-bus to the airport with no wait, and walked into the MCO main terminal with nearly 3 hours till my flight. Again, I lucked out and spent only a few minutes in line to check one of my bags; the others I left at the luggage-check place so I could walk around and explore the airport a little.

Adventures in the airport

I had flown into MCO four or five times in the past, but I had never wandered around and just looked at what there is to keep a traveler busy in the terminal. There was quite a lot; a food court, several shops, and even a hotel at one end of the building. I shopped in the shops a bit, buying a few trinkets for my brother and his fiancee, and got a ridiculously over-priced two-cheesburger meal at the Burger King in the food court. I also called home to let my family know that everything was fine, I was on schedule, and would be home tonight.

I still had two hours till my flight.

I wound up taking a nap on a bench outside the Universal Studios Store; then I went to the arcade and played video games for a little while, and walked around the terminal yet again to see if there was anything else to do.

I still had an hour till my flight.

Well, with one hour left, I figured it was time to get my luggage from the storage place and head into the satellite terminal and wait at the gate. I sat around for a little while, making an entry into my trip journal, and was informed over the PA system that my flight would be delayed from 7:50 to 8:40 because of bad thunderstorms in the Baltimore/DC area. I called home to my friend Frank, who would be picking me up from BWI, to let him know that I would be late, found a place to get a soda, and sat back down to finish my journal entry and doodle a little in my sketch pad.

Finis

My plane finally took off at 9:10, landing at BWI at about 10:50. My friends Frank and Rick were waiting for me at the gate; mercifully, it didn't take long to get my bag from the carousel, and I finally arrived home a little before midnight.

Walk miles: 8.7
Drive miles @ fillup: 172. @ return: 176