Tink *~*~*
Cast Member
Posts: 1066
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 09-09-02 01:06 AM
Cast of characters: Erin, closing in on middle age, stressed out Wall Street type from Long Island
March 21st, 2002, Day 8, the return flight!
I had packed my bags the night before, after returning from dinner at the Contemporary, and leaving out only the essentials for a shower in the morning. I had also called Mears to reserve my spot on the bus back to the airport. But I forgot to ask Mickey to wake me, and did not spring out of bed until close to 10:00 am! (By this time, I had
discovered the wonders of the Do Not Disturb sign, and actually remembered to use it).
I made coffee, showered, dressed, and went into evac mode, canvassing the hotel room for any forgotten items. Then I called bell services to drive me and my luggage back to El Centro. The bell hop arrived promptly and I explained that I was shipping my conference materials and my souvenirs, but he could take the luggage to the Luggage Room. He
liked my "Princess" shirt, and teased me about it some, and then told me to hang on for a wild ride. We flew around the parking lots that surround the resort and he pulled up to a Cast Members Only site in the back of the Convention Center. He grabbed the stuff I was shipping, and led me through some doors until we finally burst upon the Business
Office. He escorted me to the counter and gave me a receipt for the remainder of my luggage, and I tipped him generously. While the stretch-golf carts at this resort are not an official Walt Disney World "attraction", it was one of the most fun rides of my entire stay!
The CMs in the Convention Center Business Office are fun people, courteous and swift. They found me a box big enough to ship my items and made the whole experience easy and painless. Ah, the "Disney Magic" is alive and well at the Coronado Springs Business Office!
Well, I never made it to Downtown Disney for the last minute shopping and had to settle for Panchitos. Ah, found the Bear in the Big Blue House pin, and the Scrooge McDuck too! Picked out a CD for my secretary too.
Off to breakfast at my favorite spot at the lake outside the Pepper Market. Some of my colleagues were still taking classes and I met up with a few of them. I fed some quarters into the machine that dispenses "duck kibble" and got a kick out of making the fish jump for bits of it. One pair of ducks staked me out as their own, and the male of the pair would ferociously chase off any other ducks that came around. Other birds would swoop through and pluck bits of kibble out of the air as I threw it. I know, I know - it takes so little to amuse me!
Finally, it was time to leave. So sad, the sunshine was so beautiful and warm, and I knew I was returning to brrrrrrr! cold weather back in New York. It had been the kind of morning in central Florida where there are clouds but breaks in them, so the effect is sun showers. It
poured for about 4 minutes at one point, but then the sun came out again. It was the only rain I had seen down there, and I have to remark that it always rains on the day I leave WDW - as though the state of Florida is in mourning over my departure. Me too.
I went to the luggage room/bus stop, and the CM working there refused a tip. The Mears bus arrived at 2:25 PM. There was only one stop on the way to the airport, Caribbean Beach. Once at MCO, I headed toward the rest room to change into warmer clothing. Shorts and a tank top just wouldn't cut it for New York. I have one of those fold up valises for my winter clothing - long sleeved shirt, jeans, and a LLBean combination fleece/wind breaker jacket, plus hat and gloves. Folded up the valise and stuffed it into my suitcase, which I checked with Southwest. The rolling laptop case comes on board with me. Had lunch/dinner (linner? dunch?) at the Shipwreck's pub. Went through security without a hitch; although they did ask me to remove my hat and the laptop itself, they
did not inspect every inch of my laptop case, or ask me to open the laptop.
My Southwest flight took off a tiny bit late. When permitted, I fished out my laptop and earphones, and started watching the Silly Symphonies DVD I had brought along from home. I love "The Grasshopper and the Ants"! Drinks were served. We were just cruising along, when the
flight suddenly became a bit bumpy. OK, a lot bumpy. The captain came on the PA system and announced that we'd lost a power supply for one of the engines. We were going to put down in Baltimore and change planes. So much for direct flight to Long Island! I was scared. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.
When we got to Baltimore, the captain was able to put down the plane as smooth as silk, to much wild applause. We deplaned, and there was a Southwest attendant maybe every 10-15 feet ushering us in a line to another gate. There we waited until another flight deplaned, and we boarded the second flight. Another round of drinks was served, and we
were given these green slips of paper to fill out. I don't know what Southwest intends, but apparently some sort of compensation or a letter of apology or something will happen. The flight attendants were in rare form, one of them singing a song all about flying Southwest to the tune
of "The Brady Bunch".
Finally, we landed on Long Island, and I cannot tell you what a shock it was to feel how cold the wind was blowing. I waited for the luggage with a woman who had transplanted to Florida from Long Island 11 years ago. She was visiting for a wedding, and hoping that our luggage had managed to follow us with her new gown, shoes, etc. I asked if she
worked for the Mouse, and receiving an affirmative reply, asked if I could interview her for my research project. She was eager to talk about her experiences as a full time Cast member. I have to remark that the full timers are much more positive about their Cast Member experiences than, for instance, the part time seasonal CMs. Also, I
found out quickly while I was down there that the CMs aren't really eager to talk in detail while they are on the job (and that is as it should be), but if they are off duty, and especially off property, they cannot shut up about it, once reasonably assured that I am not a spy for
Disney (I usually show them my photo ID from the college). This particular CM told me all about how Disney extended people's stays at the hotels for free during the 9-11 crisis, while all the planes were grounded. She said that Disney could not do enough for the Guests during that time period. She also had more positive things to say about
opportunities for advancement up the corporate ladder and the benefits package as a full time CM, including the opportunity to advance one's education.
Soon, the luggage was out, and we said good bye to one another. By this time, I was wishing I had packed flannel lined jeans instead of the regular variety, because the wind during the trek across the parking lot was brutal. Later I was to find out that the wind chill that night was
below zero. Quite a contrast with the balmy 88 degrees to which I had awoken that morning!
And so another trip ends. Penny is already talking about meeting up in the World again next year. It is now Saturday, and the wind is still howling cold on Long Island, although the sun is bright. I am really
glad to be home, but really sorry that another trip to the World is over.
Until next time...
Tink *~*~*
PS - Remember in the Day 3 report, when I described asking the listless, lifeless Cast Member to swap out my credit cards, so my employer would be paying for the time at the hotel for the conference? Well, I just looked at my hotel bill, so I can file my expense report, and she didn't
do it. Somehow, she managed to transfer to my corporate card only the chargebacks to the room for meals, but not the room charges themselves. The room charges remain on my personal Amex card. That's right, folks, I'm stuck shelling out the money for the ENTIRE hotel bill, and waiting for Godot or reimbursement from my employer, whichever comes first. After all the torture Coronado Springs has put me through, I am madder than mad now. I will call the reservations folks and the hotel on Monday and try to get things switched around to where they are supposed to be, but I'm also going to embark on a letter writing campaign about the ineptitude at this resort. No one can dispute that I had a swell time otherwise; however, these problems have marred the memories and the magic for me. I'm really, really mad!
Tink *~*~*
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