I started my walk to Disney Hollywood Studios at about 8:40. I called Krista to see what her and Todd were up to, and discovered that they were walking to the Studios as well. They were about a quarter mile ahead of me on the pathway, so they slowed their pace, and I quickened mine to catch up with them.
Once through the gates of Disney Hollywood Studios, we met up with John. We planned to walk over to Toy Story Midway Mania to grab fast passes with everyone else in the world. The line to get to the fast pass machine was ridiculously long--all the way to the Little Mermaid show. Krista, Todd, and I were debating just jumping in the standby line. John insisted on getting fast passes, so he took all of our park tickets to get fast passes while Krista, Todd, and I went to get in the standby line for Toy Story Midway Mania.
When we got to the standby line, it was already winding all the way around at 9:15. We discussed it, and decided that none of us really cared enough about the attraction to wait in a long line to ride it. While it’s a cute ride and we enjoy it, it’s really just a big riding video game. So instead, we stood off to the side, and waited for John to make his way through the fast pass line. John waited in line for 15 minutes to get those fast passes!
When is Disney going to put in a fast pass machine for the Toy Story Midway Mania fast pass machines?
We lost sight of John as he approached the fast pass machine, but Todd spotted him gabbing with a bunch of folks who had attended the All Ears Toy Story meet that morning. We went over to gab with them, and I found even more of my Disney friends, including Debbie (EpcotKilterFan) and her mom.
We then headed over to take a ride on Star Tours. We all really enjoyed the sequence we got on the ride. Todd and John rode it a second time, and said they got the exact same sequence the second time. We then headed over to take a ride on the Tower of Terror.
It was then time to go to Rosie’s on Sunset for another All Ears meet! It is always so much fun mixing and mingling with Disney fanatics! So many of my friends were there, including Janice and Mark, who were kind enough to give me their Toy Story fast passes. My friend Skippy also arrived during the meet! There were just so many people to talk to!
After the meet, Skippy and I shared a chicken nugget meal for a snack. We had a late lunch planned at Mama Melrose’s for a Fantasmic package, and we needed something to hold us over.
After or snack, we took a ride on the Tower of Terror, and then headed over to the single riders line at the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster. We then started making our way to Star Tours.
As we walked up Sunset Boulevard, we noticed a man sitting in a director’s chair holding an Academy Award. As most of you know, I am a two-time Academy Award winner, so it’s always nice to meet a fellow Academy Award winner. I went over to introduce myself. It was Holden Hollywood, who won his Academy Award for best hoofer. He was really nice, and even seemed a bit awed to learn that I was a two-time Academy Award winner. Maybe someday he will have two Academy Awards, just like me.
We continued to walk to Star Tours, and got in line. We then went to see the Muppets, and moved along to the Backlot Tour, which I hadn’t gone on in a while. There was a very grumpy looking couple waiting to get on the wheelchair car. They looked like they would rather be anywhere but at Disney World.
We had a bit of time before our lunch reservation, so we browsed around in the Christmas shop, where I purchased an ornament for my friend Tia. While we were in the shop, I ran into Sherrie and Samantha, a really nice mother and daughter who were in town to attend some of the All Ears events.
Skippy and I then went to Mama Melrose’s for our lunch. We had a bit of a wait for our table, as the restaurant was very crowded with people on the Fantasmic dining package. While we were waiting, I decided to torment my friend Katie by letting her know that I was waiting for a table at one of her favorite restaurants while she was at home in Massachusetts doing the mundane things in her everyday life. That will teach her to stay at home when everyone else is at Disney World.
Skippy and I both started our meal with a Caesar salad. The salad has a nice creamy dressing and had some deliciously crunchy croutons on it.
For our entrees, we both ordered the charred strip-steak in wine sauce, which was served with five-cheese macaroni and cheese. The steak was excellent--it was very tender and had a lot of flavor. The macaroni and cheese was outstanding. I’m not a big macaroni and cheese fan, but this was some of the best macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted. It was very cheesy and flavorful.
For dessert, I ordered the vanilla gelato, and Skippy got the panna cotta. The gelato was excellent--some of the best gelato I have ever tasted. Skippy enjoyed the panna cotta, but thought it would be more like tiramisu based on the description in the menu.
While we were eating, a nice couple at the next table gave us their fast passes for Toy Story. I now had three sets of Toy Story fast passes to use. Since we didn’t really need to go on Toy Story Midway Mania three times, I wound up giving one of the sets to Sherrie and Samantha, who were also eating at Mama Melrose’s. After dinner, Skippy and I went on Toy Story Midway Mania twice.
We then made our way to the Fantasmic theatre. It was a bit confusing because the location where dinner package folks were supposed to enter wasn’t the same place that it was listed on the map. We had to go to a gate down behind Tower of Terror, and wind around the long way to get into the theatre. We then had to make another loop around to get to the side door near the Fantasmic dinner package seating. They really make people with the package go way out of their way to get to the seating area. And we probably didn’t even need the package that night--there were still several sections available about a half hour before show time, though they did fill up before show time.
I decided to go get some water before the show. As I was exiting the seating area, a cast member handed me a ticket to get back into the seating area. The line at the concession stand was really long, so I decided to head out to Sunset Boulevard to get water. Another cast member handed me a different color ticket so that I could get back into the theatre by the same Tower of Terror walk way. I walked down to the coffee stand near the Tower of Terror, and got water, and then made my way back, handing in my tickets to gain access to the areas again.
I was in my seat a few minutes before Fantasmic began. We were sitting about five rows from the front of the theatre. I don’t think that I have ever sat that close to the action before. Thankfully, it wasn’t very windy, so we didn’t get wet when they were running the fountains.
I really love Fantasmic. I think it’s the best night time show at Walt Disney World (though I think I like World of Color at Disneyland better). There is just so much action in Fantasmic, and I love all of the songs and scenes in the show. My favorite part is when they have the big boat of characters come out at the end.
After Fantasmic, Skippy and I walked to the bus stop for the Wilderness Lodge. We were heading there to meet some of our Virtual Magic Kingdom friends for dinner at Whispering Canyon. When we arrived at the Lodge, I spotted my friends Lynda (PrincessLynda), and Josh (Pengin), and their adorable son Avery. Lynda’s mom Evelyn was also with them.
This was my first time meeting Avery, who is 16 months old. He is an adorable little boy with the biggest blue eyes. He seemed fascinated by the Christmas tree in the Wilderness Lodge lobby. I had a lot of fun walking around the lobby with him, and playing with him.
Soon, the rest of our VMK friends showed up. Jill (Aeryn), Brian (ElectricLime), Lori (LoriR aka Mickey’s Magic) and her daughter Meghan were all there! It was so great to see all of them again! We were seated at a large round table off the main dining room, which was probably a good thing because many of us at the table just do not know how to behave. We sure had a lot of laughs at dinner, and it was great to catch up with my VMK friends. At one point, I stood up and did the old VMK style dance. I then walked over to Lori and gave her some boogies, just like I used to give her all the time in the game. She was the first person I ever gave boogies to on VMK. Unfortunately, she wasn’t wearing a boogie catcher hat at dinner, so she probably wound up getting them in her hair.
Brian, Jill, and Skippy
Megahan and Lori
Lynda, Avery, Evelyn, and Josh
I ordered the cheddar cheese soup, a garden salad, and a vanilla shake. The vanilla shake was delicious. It was cold and thick, the way a good milk shake should be. The cheddar cheese soup was disgusting. I only had a couple of bites, and asked the waitress to take it away. It was a bit too bitter to be enjoyable. The salad was excellent and served with a delicious apple vinaigrette.
After dinner, Lori, Meghan, and I said goodbye to the rest of the group, and made our way to the bus stop. Lori and Meghan were heading back to the Dolphin, and I was heading to the Boardwalk, and we decided that our best option to get to the resort was to take the bus to Epcot, which was opened until 12:30 for Extra Magic Hours, and then walk back to our resorts so that we could burn off some of the calories we had just consumed.
We didn’t have to wait too long for a bus, and we soon would find out that we were on a very special bus driven by a very special bus driver. I didn’t catch her real name on her name tag, but in the minutes, hours, and days that have passed since then, I have called her many different names. For the sake of this trip report, I’m going to dub her Bitchy Bossy Bessie, Disney Bus Czar. As I said, I didn’t catch her name on the name tag, but I’m sure if I did, that is exactly what it would have read: Bitchy Bossy Bessie, Disney Bus Czar. Going forward, I’m just going to refer to her as the Czar for short.
So, as good and knowledgeable patrons of Walt Disney World (and Meghan even being a former college program cast member), Lori, Meghan, and I know, follow, and understand the rules (both written and unwritten) of the Walt Disney World transportation system. Or at least we thought we did until we met the Czar. You see, good ole Bessie the Bus Czar had the real Golden Book--the book that all Disney resort guests must follow when they are riding on the Disney buses.
And let me tell you, my friends, you better follow the Czar’s rules, or you will be forced to face the consequences. You might have to clean up a protein spill outside of Mission: Space. Or perhaps you would be strapped in a boat at it’s a small world and be forced to ride it for three days straight. I’ve even heard tales of the Czar making people go to Stitch’s Great Escape! (and you thought that the lines at that were attraction were just because people didn’t realize it sucked--now you know the truth, people who break the Czar’s rules are forced to go on that attraction).
So, when the bus pulled up, Lori, Meghan, and I did what any rule following patron would do. We stood to the side and waited until all of the passengers had exited the bus before starting to board. When the last person stepped off the bus, Lori stepped through the front door of the bus. But we soon learned that this was a clear violation of the Czar’s rules, and Lori got reprimanded for not following the rules. You see, according to the Czar’s Big Golden Book of Bus Rules, not only do you have to wait for all of the passengers to exit the bus before boarding, you also must wait for the driver to close the backdoor before entering the bus. So, Lori got on the Czar’s bad side right away, and was forced to step off the bus, and instructed not to reenter the bus until the backdoor was closed.
So, Lori stepped off the bus, which had Meghan and I a bit confused. I thought maybe the bus had been rerouted and wouldn’t be returning to Epcot, but the look of fear on Lori’s face told another story. Meghan and I could tell that Lori had the fear of God instilled within her in those few seconds that she stood on the bus. I hadn’t seen a look like that since my grammar school days at St. Francis of Assisi School when St. Maria Joseph caught someone talking in line.
With the backdoor now shut, Lori, Meghan, and I made our way onto the bus, and went to take seats at the back of the bus on the upper level. As the Czar started to drive towards Fort Wilderness to drop off more passengers, Lori filled Meghan and I in on what happened with the Czar. I was a bit surprised by the Czar’s reaction. I mean, Lori just stepped on the bus after all the passengers had exited--something she has done hundreds of times at Disney World, something Meghan and I have done hundreds of times at Disney World, something that my dear readers have done hundreds of times at Walt Disney World. It hardly seemed like a punishable offense.
When we arrived at Fort Wilderness, all of the other passengers exited the bus, so Lori, Meghan, and I were the only passengers left on the bus. We stayed in our seats, and quietly and patiently waited for the Czar to shut the doors and start driving again. But that didn’t happen right away. The Czar began shouting something from the front of the bus, but we couldn’t hear what she was saying. So, I bravely got up and walked to the front of the bus to see what the Czar wanted.
I politely said, “I’m sorry. We couldn’t hear what you said.”
The Czar looked at me with her piercing, menacing eyes, and snapped, “You do not enter the bus through the back door. All passengers must enter the bus through the front door.”
I instinctively took a step back from the Czar, afraid that she might make me wash the floor of the bus with a toothbrush for an infraction that we did not commit. I said, “We didn’t enter through the backdoor. We boarded the bus in the front door at the Wilderness Lodge.”
The Czar gave me another piercing gaze and sent me away, back to the rear of the bus where Lori and Meghan were sitting quietly and patiently for my return, and the Czar’s next move. As the bus began to move, I quietly whispered to Lori and Meghan that the Czar thought we had entered the bus through the backdoor, in clear violation of the Czar’s big Golden Book of Bus Rules.
I can admit now that at that point, I was a bit afraid for our safety as we rode alone in a bus under the control of the Czar. Would she really take us to Epcot, like the bus on the sign said? Or were the alleged offenses we committed going to lead us to some form of punishment at an hidden location somewhere in the utilidors under the Magic Kingdom? Visions of caning or being chained to the floor and ceiling in the Haunted Mansion stretching room came into my mind.
But soon, we saw the Epcot parking lot entrance, and we were sure that we would soon be able to exit the bus and get away from the Czar. Fearful of breaking any more of the Czar’s rules, Lori, Meghan, and I waited patiently in our seats until the bus came to a full and complete stop at the bus stop. We then stood up, made an orderly and single file line at the backdoor, and waited patiently for the Czar to open the door. We didn’t want to break anymore rules, and clearly, the big rule is that you enter through the front door, and exit through the rear door.
But we were wrong. The Czar snapped, “You must exit the bus through the front door so people don’t try to enter the bus through the backdoor.”
It only took a brief second for Lori, Meghan, and I to look at each other, and make a quick walk (not run) for the front door. Freedom never felt so good! We were no longer under the oppression of Bitchy Bossy Bessie, the Disney Bus Czar. I don’t think you have seen three women run so fast since the last Running of the Brides at Filene’s basement!
Lori, Megan, and I made our way into Epcot, now bonded over the shared experience with the Bus Czar, and fully enjoying our freedom once again! As we walked through Epcot, we ran into Krista and Todd, who were sitting on a bench after watching Illuminations.
Of course, we had to tell Krista and Todd all about the Czar. Lori mentioned that the Czar clearly had backdoor issues. You can take that statement however you wish, but be assured that it is probably very true on many levels and only scratches the surface of the issues the Czar has.
Krista and Todd joined us for the walk back to our Epcot resorts as we continued to tell the tale of how we survived the harrowing experience with Bitchy Bossy Bessie Bus Driver, the Disney Bus Czar.
I said goodbye to my friends at the Boardwalk and made my way back to my room. I was hoping that Lori, Meghan, and I wouldn’t have any nightmares from our trau
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