Disney Cruise Line
Day 1 - August 29th, 2001
As always seems to be the case when we depart on vacation, we got up at an unGodly hour. In this case, 4:30am. But there was method to this madness. We arrived at the airport in Orlando just after noon and our towncar from Happy Limo got us to Disney's Contemporary Resort reasonably quickly (even with a stop at a grocery store along the way for supplies tossed in).
The downturn in the economy and the lack of attendance at Walt Disney World was immediately visit when we checked in at the resort. The crowds we had seen in the lobby during past visits, and the wait to check-in were non-existant. Check-in went very quickly and we were assigned two tower rooms with Magic Kingdom views. The only disappointment was that, due to the downturn in attendance, the Magic Kingdom would close at 7pm, well before dark, and much too early to have a fireworks show. Still, a Magic Kingdom view is the only way to go.
After a quick rest, Annie and I went out to Downtown Disney and DisneyQuest, which had changed its pricing scheme since the last time we were at Walt Disney World. When originally conceived, DisneyQuest was supposed to be a pay-per-play virtual entertainment center. But the very fact that you had to buy credits just to get in detered many visitors. DisneyQuest has since changed to become part of the Park Hopper system. If you purchased a Park Hopper - which gave you access to all theme parks and water parks at Walt Disney World - you could now enter DisneyQuest and play unlimited games. I was a little skeptical of DisneyQuest at first. I'd been to virtual arcades before and they had been entertainment enough, but not really worthy of the "Disney" name. DisneyQuest was something else altogether. While I certainly enjoyed the classical arcade games they had all over the place, the best part were the custom made virtual rides, like the Virtual Jungle Cruise and the Virtual Pirates of the Caribbean. But best of all, of course, was CyberSpace Mountain.
Admittance to most of the virtual rides was swift and the lines short. But the same could not be said for CyberSpace Mountain, and with good reason. This virtual ride is incredible. As you may have heard, at CyberSpace Mountain, you get to design your own rollercoaster in a limited amount of time, aided by Bill Nye, the Science Guy. Once you're done designing your roller coaster, you get to actually ride it. I wasn't too worried about putting flips, spins and turns in my roller coaster because... well... how realistic could the ride possibly be? Well, let me tell you... when they make you empty your pockets before boarding the ride, you know you're in trouble. You and your partner are strapped into a gyroscope the type of which is rarely seen outside of NASA astronaut training. And then you actually to get to ride your roller coast. It may as well have been the real thing. You get spun around and hanged upside down exactly as you designed. It's an incredible attraction, and well worth the wait.
After a scant 3 hours at DisneyQuest, Annie and I had to head back to the hotel, as her parents were due shortly and I had made arrangements to meet with my friends from the town of Celebration. We reached the hotel just in time to catch Annie's parents in the lobby. We headed up to our rooms but shortly afterwards, I was back in the lobby waiting for John Pfeiffer, moderator of the Celebration forum, to pick me up. I'd known John for a long time online but I had never met him in real life. He, and all the other people I met in Celebration that night, were the most wonderful people. After John gave me a driving tour of the town, we headed for downtown where a whole group of us had dinner on the front porch of the Celebration Town Tavern, and experience I would recommend to anyone who finds himself in the area. Celebration is simply much to spectacular to put into words. I've tried to do so in the past, but having seen it with my own eyes, I realize now that words just won't do it justice.
As night fell, we took a walking tour of downtown Celebration, and then John took me for another driving tour to see the spots we missed the first time around (Celebration is huge!). Sadly, before too long, it was time to return to the hotel. Although I am determined that this will not be my one and only ever visit to Celebration. I will visit again, every chance I get.
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