Walt Disney World: Day One -- A Disney Appetizer

Day One


It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re eight years old. Remember that feeling? The anticipation of what was just hours away. The anxious, nervous, fidgety tingling that coursed through your body as you waited for ole St. Nick and his bag of toys. That desire to fall asleep early, to make tomorrow come more quickly, coupled with the complete inability to keep your eyes shut for more than a minute or two, because you’re just too excited. That’s what traveling does for me.

The night before a trip, I’m practically giddy with the anticipation of going somewhere. This trip, I had that same feeling, but with the volume turned way up. I was so excited about going back to Disney World that I could barely stand myself. I was so looking forward to sharing the World with my wife and youngest son!

I’d packed in a fog, trying to anticipate what I’d need – shorts and long pants; sweat shirts and t-shirts; three pairs of shoes; two bathing suits, just in case. I helped Jake pack that same kind of assortment, hoping to have something for every contingency. Then, I tumbled into bed and, after waiting for Mr. Sandman to whack me in the head with his bag-o-sand, I finally fell asleep.

We dropped off the car at AviStar and were shuttled to Terminal A at Newark, from which JetBlue flies. Check in at JetBlue was quick, painless, and efficient. We could have simply scanned the bar code we received in our confirmation email on any of the JetBlue kiosks in the terminal. However, with our three big suitcases, we elected to check in at the counter. This process couldn’t have been more simple. In and out, with plenty of time for a big airport cafeteria breakfast before our 11:30 flight.

Actually, it took us more time to clear security than it did to check in, but in this day and age, that’s really no surprise. The surprise we did encounter was the new “sniffer” machine they’ve installed at Newark. You step into this booth that looks like a standard metal detector that’s pumped up on steroids. A little arm pops up in front of you, and then your surrounded by a loud popping, bursting sound as you blasted with puffs of air, much like that glaucoma test the eye doctor runs on you. Somehow or other, the machine sniffs the puffs of air for hints of any explosive devices. Hey, if it works, I’m all for it.

We finally cleared security and worked our way toward the gates. As we did, my wife and I saw the bar near the entrance to the jetways. Naturally, we had to stop in but, unfortunately, the bartender wasn’t in for pre-noon, pre-flight drinks. So, we toasted the beginning of our trip with water and diet soda as we took up seats near the gate.

Flying JetBlue was absolutely wonderful. Smooth, efficient, and timely boarding, in standard back-to-front style. The plane was full, but everyone was on-board and seated early, and we pushed away from the gate about 10 minutes early.

The plane itself was very nice, too. There’s no first class on JetBlue; all the seats are the same – leather seats, with a video monitor in the headrest in front of you, and plenty of leg room. The planes are nice and clean; the flight attendants are actually attentive, and the flight was completely uneventful. You can’t ask for more, now, can you?

JetBlue is actually a fine way to travel. It reminds me of the days of PeopleExpress, back in the 80s, when you could travel almost anywhere in the country for about $100 roundtrip. JetBlue, though, is a bit more luxurious, with beverage service, but no meals, and video in the back of each headrest. That’s enough to keep everyone entertained on the flight. In addition, the folks traveling JetBlue seem to have an awareness of the fact that getting on the plane = getting off the ground. The plane was boarded and everyone in their seats early, so we got to leave early.
That was a nice little bonus.

JetBlue also does something that not too many airlines still do – they use both the front and the back doors of the plane to get folks off. That’s another nice little treat. We arrived early and got off the plane quickly. That made for a very nice trip down.

Our arrival in Florida couldn’t have been better. We arrived early, to sunny skies. Baggage claim went smoothly, transport by courtesy van to the Thrifty location off site was easy (despite the lady with the seventeen suitcases who insisted that she and her luggage absolutely had to be off the shuttle before anyone else).

The Thrifty folks were very nice, too. Our car was ready for us, but when Jake mentioned the possibility of upgrading to a “cooler” car, they found a nice, new Dodge Charger on the lot, and gave us a discount on the upgrade price. (By the way, the Dodge Charger – looks okay, but not particularly impressive to drive. But that’s just me.)

Anyway, we touched down at about 2:15, had our car by 2:45, and were on the road towards Disney by 3:00.

As we drove down the Bee Line towards I-4, I basked in the glow of the Florida sun. Sue and Jake looked at all of the Billboards to various attractions on the way, and we headed towards the Best Western.

The hotel was pretty easy to find, thanks to the directions I pulled from the website. Parking was okay, though hardly convenient, and there was no one to help us with our bags, but we’re all accomplished travelers, with wheels on our suitcases, so that was not a particularly big deal. However, if you’re looking for that kind of assistance, I suspect that the Best Western Lake Buena Vista is not the best choice.

We arrived at about 3:30, and with check-in time at 3:00, our room was ready and waiting for us. As suggested in my Frommer’s guide, when I reserved the room, I had requested a room above the 8th floor, and with a Disney view. The hotel gave us a 14th floor room, but put us on the opposite side of the hotel from Disney. When I asked if we had a Disney view, the clerk told me that Disney views are $10 extra.

Now, I’m naturally a haggler, so I was tempted to negotiate a Disney-view room with the guy. I mean, in mid-January, in a half-empty hotel, they’re going to give me a hard time about an extra $10? I probably could have prevailed on the guy to give us the proverbial room with a view, but I wasn’t too terribly concerned about it. I figured we’d see enough Disney during the day, without the additional view. Plus, in the back of my head, I wanted Jake’s first views of Disney to be those he saw as we first drove up. So, I didn’t sweat the view too much. Here's Jake, not sweating the view either:



I don’t believe that it would have taken too much effort to get the clerk (or the manager) to throw in the view for nothing. But, as it turns out, our view of the front of the hotel allowed us to peep in on the local police as they set their speed trap along Hotel Plaza Boulevard. We saw them pull a number of folks into the hotel parking lot during the evening hours. It was like our own personal version of Cops.

Anyway, we finally got settled at around 4:00 and decided to head to Downtown Disney. For those who don’t know, Downtown Disney is an area on Disney property that is separate and apart from the theme parks and the water parks. There are a number of shops, restaurants, stores, and attractions down there, including Cirque du Soleil, Disney Quest, and Pleasure Island. Cirque runs regular shows (at about $90 per ticket). Disney Quest is an immense, five-story arcade/virtual entertainment center (more on that later). Pleasure Island is, essentially, the “club area” for the young adults doing Disney. They have themed clubs there for disco-era songs, 80s-sounds, and various other themes. But I’m jumping ahead.

We decided to drive to Downtown. I figured that this would be a great way to start our visit to Disney World and, because we only had five-day passes, we didn’t want to waste a pass on a half-day at a park. I also knew, from all that I’d read, that there was going to be plenty of Disney stuff at Downtown, including Disney Quest, which I knew Jake really wanted to do. I figured that the first night would be the best time to try to squeeze that in and, as it turns out, doing Downtown Disney is a great way to whet your appetite for Disney if you don’t want to try to get to the parks on the first day. In Downtown, we didn't feel as if we missed out on something and actually had a great time doing Disney stuff. Visiting Downtown Disney on the first afternoon and evening is a great way to get the vacation started.

As it turns out, Downtown was only about a half-mile from the hotel, so we could have walked. However, by the end of the evening, we were glad to have our own car to get back to the hotel.

I’d never done Downtown Disney before, and it was really amazing to me to see the wide variety of Disney-themed shops and other businesses, including a Ghirardelli chocolate store and a Lego store. My favorite shop was the Team Mickey shop, where Disney meets ESPN. All things Disney are united in sports-themed merchandise, so you can buy, for instance, a hockey jersey with fictional team names on the front, and character names on the back. (My favorite was the Grumpy football jersey, with the number 7 on it. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the $50.00 on a jersey that I might wear once or twice a year. I wound up with a hooded Grumpy sweatshirt instead.)

We decided to try to find something interesting to eat in Downtown, which we knew was going to be no problem. However, as we wandered past the Rainforest Café (which we decided to skip because we already had lunch reservations for Wednesday at the Rainforest Café in the Animal Kingdom), we noticed a boat launch area were they appeared to be renting various types of boats – from two-person peddle-boats to 18 foot “speed” boats (speed being a relative term, given the size of the Disney lake upon which the boat launch area was located). Hungry as we were, we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of cruising through Disney World.

We got to the rental window at about 4:35. Although they were set to close at 5:00, they agreed to rent us a boat for 30 minutes. (This time was extended by the guy on the dock, who told us we didn’t have to be back until 5:20, which, by the time we left, gave us an extra 10 minutes on the water. Hey, I’m happy to take those little bonuses any time I can get them.) However, as we rented the boat, we learned of one of the little inconsistencies at Disney World that could drive you a little crazy, if you let it.

As I mentioned above, when selling you admission tickets for the park, Disney considers 10 year olds to be adults. However, when renting a boat to you to cruise the waters off Disney World, 12 year olds are considered to be adults. We were, of course, honest about Jake’s age when they asked us – and were advised that he was too young to operate a boat. Figures.

We settled on an 18 foot fishing/speed-type boat and, after a quick course in manuervering (which amounted to “Push the lever forward to accelerate, pull it back to slow down, and steer it just like a car,"), we set sail, with Captain Dave at the helm:



It was actually a very enjoyable experience. We got to cruise past Downtown Disney, saw all of the restaurants and shops from the water, sailed past one of the golf courses, cruised along the water behind some of the Disney Vacation Clubs homes, and got to watch the sun set behind the Old Key West resort. It was a really fun time, and one I’d highly recommend. Plus, at about $30 for the half-hour, it’s not a bad value (considering Disney prices and all).

After forty minutes on the “high seas,” we were starving. As it turns out, our little cruise showed us a couple of places that looked really appealing for a meal. We considered going to Bongos, the Cuban restaurant in which Gloria Estefan has a piece of the action. But we had also seen the House of Blues, a place that both Sue and I had always considered going. We decided on the House of Blues for many reasons, the most important of which was that it was the closest one to the boat dock on the West Side of Downtown. (We took the ferry to the West Side after returning our boat.)

The HoB was a lot of fun. We were there too early to see any of the live entertainment they have there, but the atmosphere was still festive and light, our drinks were delightfully cool and refreshing, and we found the food to be delicious, and a great value. I ordered “The Elwood,” which is a tangy, spicy chicken sandwich that I found particularly satisfying. I definitely recommend the HoB as a nearby alternative to all of the Disney fare. (At this writing, they also offer a Sunday Brunch at the HoB, with live entertainment. I’m going to make it a point to check that out the next time we’re in Orlando on a Sunday morning.)

As we left the restaurant after dinner, we saw Disney Quest right across the way. Aside from the giant neon lights and the modernistic mouse ears logo on the outside of the building, the structure in which Disney Quest is located is fairly nondescript. If it weren’t for the fact that it’s located in Downtown Disney, you wouldn’t give the building a second look. (Contrast this to the highly stylized architecture of the Planet Hollywood building, or the giant pineapple outside the Bongos restaurant.)

I knew before hand that Disney Quest was not going to be cheap. After we first heard about the area where you can design your own roller coaster, and then ride it in a simulator, I knew that it would cost a couple of bucks just to get in the door. As it turns out, at the just-increased 2006 prices, it was $35 each (including our 10-year-old adult who was too young to pilot a motor boat). However, having spent many a night on various boardwalks along the Jersey shore, $105 for a nights’ entertainment was not without precedent. So, we bought our admission tickets and headed in.

Trying to describe a five-story building full of a variety of arcade, virtual reality, and simulator games, combined with amusement park rides, is not easy. Suffice it to say that, if you’re into games of almost any kind, you’ll find it in Disney Quest. They have almost every arcade game from the 70s and 80s someplace in the building. They have a coaster design area, where you can design a roller coaster on a computer, and then they strap you into a simulator, which then takes you on a virtual reality depiction of your design. The wait here on a busy Saturday night in the off season was about 20 minutes, but it was well worth it.

In addition, there is a rafting simulator, a space-rescue simulator, and a set of odd bumper-cars with a Buzz Lightyear theme. As to this latter ride, Jake and I found it to be highly frustrating. It’s a two-person ride. You’re in a capsule-like vehicle, and you drive over large, rubber balls that roll into the capsule and that the co-pilot is supposed to load into the cannon and then aim at other vehicles. As near as we could figure (and there is virtually no explanation about this ride before you get on), if you hit another vehicle, you render that vehicle useless to the operator for a brief period of time because, once hit, the vehicle spins out of control and the co-pilot cannot use the cannon until the spinning stops. In addition to this little quirk, the vehicles are incredibly difficult to steer, difficult to load and fire, and the crazy spinning seems to go on forever. I don’t mind spinning as a general rule; however, the whole ride makes no sense and is impossible to enjoy. Even with no line, I’m not sure it’s worth doing this ride.

Contrast that with the Mighty Ducks pinball simulator. The best way to describe this “ride” is to have you try to picture yourself as one of the metal balls in an old-fashioned pinball machine. You take your place on a “stand” on the playing floor and you look up at a giant screen above you, which shows the pinball “field” and your “ball,” along with the balls of the other players in the game (up to a dozen or so). When you’re told to start, you twist, swivel, lean, and jump on your stand in an effort to roll your ball around the screen above so that you can collide with the point-scoring targets on the screen above. After what feels like a full-scale cardio workout at the gym, the Disney Cast Member calls “Time!” and the player with the highest total (based on the number and variety of targets hit) is the winner. It was actually a lot of fun.

We spent about three hours at Disney Quest and had a wonderful time. At about 9:30, we were eventually able to drag Jake out so that we could make our way back to the hotel. Before doing so, we did order what we thought would be a quick dessert at the Cheesecake Factory annex that serves up the sweets and coffees in Disney quest. Of course, if you know anything about the Cheesecake Factory, you know that they do not practice portion control. As a result, the brownie sundae we received would have been enough dessert for 6, not three. We muddled through as best we could, but the three of us couldn’t finish this overstuffed sweet-treat. It was good, but way to much food.

We walked it off strolling through Downtown Disney after we left. It is actually quite an impressive site, all decked out in lights, with a variety of people, and things to see and do around every corner. Jake got to sit on a Harley outside one shop:


We also limbo-ed under a balloon rope as we cut through Pleasure Island, and we strolled through the Lego store on the way back to the car. All in all, Downtown Disney was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend the first afternoon and evening in Orlando.

When we got back to the hotel, we headed upstairs to get ready for The Big Day – our first full day in Disney World. We knew the Magic Kingdom opened at 9:00 a.m. and we wanted to be there relatively close to opening time. I figured I’d wake up about 7:00 am anyway, but set the alarm on my phone just to be safe. We then drifted off to sleep, with visions of Mickey dancing in our heads.