Welcome to
BadShoe.com
Presentation of
Delswife Trip Reports!
Stilliness to support good causes.
Enjoy. Help out.

LY/MI

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and

and Muscular Dystrophy Association.
 

 

 

LINKS
Trip Reports at the Lodge

Copyright © 2004, 2005 Robin Costello. All rights reserved.

Chapter 4, Day1
 Underwater durability testing of
Pop Century’s front desk, 12/8

On the ride back to Pop Century, I called Commando Nikki at school to let her know we had arrived safely. I only spoke to her for a few seconds before my phone was confiscated by the rest of the crew, who all missed her terribly.

Nikki had finals at school; she wouldn’t arrive until the 15th. She was extremely disappointed to be missing out on meeting our friends; she has a special bond with one in particular.

In case you don’t know it, Buz (Harold) gave Commando Nikki an air horn a few months ago, in case the kid needed HELP getting us up and motivated.

You know, just for ha-ha’s I think we should all send Buz a big ‘Love ya, mean it’. Send two or three of them if you feel like it. His email address is here: (**Zurg will insert link -  Buz@badshoe.com should find its way to his yahoo account and I can keep rerouting it if he changes his email! Waa Ha Haaa Ha!**) I think some nice sound files, the louder the better of course, would be a great way to show Buz how much we love and care about him.

Love ya, mean it Buz, how do you like me now?

We arrived back at Pop Century to move into our new digs for the next 14 days. I went to the front desk to retrieve my passporter from the safe box while the crew went into the food court to grab something to eat. They were going to wait for me, because I was only ‘going to be a minute’.

I think the girl at the front desk MUST have just waited on someone who was not having a Disney day. She was on the defensive the minute I got there. “Hi, I’d like to grab my passporter from your safe box.” I said to her, holding up my key to give to her.

See, I didn't lose the key. Good for me.

“You have your receipt, right?” She sighed.

“No, I have a key, fits better in the lock.” I said in what I thought was a friendly ‘I’m kidding around’ kind-of-way while still trying to hand her the key.

I pissed her right off.

I didn't mean to, it was an accidental pissing.

But not like the ones from the Depends commercial. Unlike Depends, there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“I can’t give you anything without a receipt.” She spat at me.

“I don't have a receipt. I was only given a key. Isn’t holding the key to the box just as good as holding a piece of paper about box?” I said in a high voice, attempting to be funny again.

I really wasn’t trying to upset this girl more than she already appeared to be. I was trying to lighten the mood. I thought the person before me gave her a real hard time about something and she couldn’t shake it.

Or she took one look at me and decided she hated my guts.

I wasn’t going to take it personally; I just wanted my safe box so I could get my passporter out of it and go to our rooms.

“Well, I don’t know anything about any boxes and you shouldn’t be handing that key out to anybody. If I come across it, I will have it sent to your room.” She said to me and started looking over my head to the person behind me. “Next!” She called.

How was she going to do that? She didn't even know who I was.

“Okay, great.” I said as I began standing on my tip-toes so she had to look back at me. “But I don’t know where my rooms are and the keys to my rooms along with the map to my rooms are IN THE BOX, along with all my money and my family is waiting for me in the food court.” I wasn’t kidding when I said the ENTIRE trip was in my passporter.

Between Del and me we may have had around $20 bucks left on us. I can’t feed a family of 5 with that, especially in a Disney food court. For safekeeping I kept all the travelers checks in the passporter.

She sighed at me, turned on her heal to walk over and talk to another Cast Member about the location of the safe box.

Or to complain about me, I didn't know or care at that point, I just wanted my passporter. I rested my head on my folded arms on the counter to wait.

It was Bea who woke me up when she stood next to me and asked me what I was doing.

Apparently I was having a nap. She laughed when I made ‘sucking drool’ sounds as I straightened back up and tried to look casual.

I can’t be the first person to do that.

The crew had elected Bea to be the search party. Del, Chris and Em were trapped in the food court just standing there with a tray food. They had walked around trying to look like they hadn’t finished shopping, but by the time they had made their 30th lap around the food court; they started to feel a little foolish. Em was claiming that she was going to faint if she didn't eat soon.

Several minutes later the girl came back and told me they had no safe box. I believe my face was still a bit red from my little power nap, so I am sure this is why she took my next sentence the wrong way.

“Could I see the manager?” I asked. The manager was the person who gave me the key and took the box. He must know where he put it.

I pissed her right off again. She must have figured I was going to complain about her.

“Fine, give me your key.” She snarled back at me.

Didn't she tell me NOT to give the key to anyone? Did she need my key because they locked the manager up someplace? Why couldn't I just have my passporter?

I was too tired to deal with this. I handed over the key.

Maybe in the time it takes to count to 100, (or 5, depending on how much sleep you have had) she came back with my passporter in her hand.

She DID have the manager locked up! We had to get out of there.

With my passporter, room keys and map to the rooms finally in my hands, we paid for the food and headed for the elevators in the 60’s building behind the 4 story tall Mickey Mouse phone. Only one other time in the 6 years Del and I have been traveling together did this next thing happen.

Del, the kids and I arrived in front of the two elevators. Em pushed the button and both doors opened at the same time. Del and I took one look at each other and both bolted for an elevator. We have raced elevators once in Montreal Canada and up until that day, I was the undefeated champ.

I still say it is because all the kids jumped into my elevator, weighing it down thus slowing it down.

We found our rooms on the third floor over looking a gigantic foosball table, a real twister game and giant big wheel.







You know, Disney really didn't have to go to all that trouble and build a hotel just for me and my family, but we certainly do appreciate it. I love Pop Century.

We found our rooms and I instructed the crew to wait outside the doors while I went inside to make sure everything was alright. “Just wait right here, I just want to be sure everything is perfect.”

What I was actually doing when I went inside was claiming my bed. I pulled down the blankets on the side I was going to sleep in. When you travel with a group, you have to be crafty in claiming a space of your own.

The crew crammed into the rooms’ seconds later each claiming their beds.

You have to be crafty and fast.

Our 11 pieces of luggage were neatly piled in one corner which was good because after all the concern and worry I had over my passporter, clean socks and underwear never crossed my mind.

The crew sat at the table to finally eat the food that they only could stand around and admire not too long before.

I laid down on the side of the bed I had previously claimed. We had a party to attend in a few hours that Kimball had arranged for everyone in Epcot. It was a private party for Illuminations.

I just needed a little more sleep. The nap I had at the front desk was already beginning to wear off.

Just….a little…bit…of…sleep…….
 

Love Ya / Mean It and BadShoe.com Pins

Tony, Delaney, Connor - Love Ya / Mean It

Robin & Del, Kimball & Bennet (aka Delswife & Scuba Steve, Zurgswife & Zurg) are proud to announce two unique limited edition trading pins to benefit research to help find cures for Juvenile Diabetes and Muscular Dystrophy.

We love going to Disney World and writing funny trip reports, after all it is how we became friends.  We care just as much or more about helping these two great causes. All the profits from pin sales will go to JDRF and MDA because, well, Robin thought it would be a fun idea.

So if you enjoy the trip reports please chip in and buy a pin or two. Pins are $10.00 each including shipping and handling (North America.) Send an email to pins@badshoe.com with how many pins you would like and we will get the pins rolling. The BadShoe.com pins have sold out. Existing orders are being filled but we can't take anymore BadShoe.com pin orders, sorry. There still Love Ya /  Mean it Pins (there were more to start.) 

If you feel inspired click either MDA or JDRF's logo or both and make additional contributions.