Time of Year: Late Fall
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Old Key West Resort
Accommodations: 2 Bedroom Vacation Home
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, Rookie, DVC Member
Comments: This was our annual trip to Old Key West Resort. At the time, OKWR was stilled called the Vacation Club Resort. Our good friends Mike and Stacey joined us on this journey. One of the features of the trip was our use of the Food 'N' Fun program, so I spent a lot of words describing our meals at many wonderful restaurants at WDW.

This was a very unique trip to Walt Disney World for Barb and I. We consider ourselves veterans of the American Disney parks, but this time we brought our close friends Mike and Stacey with us. Mike had been to the Magic Kingdom years ago as an eight-year-old boy. Stacey had never been.

Because Mike and Stacey were with us, we saw some things with the unique eye of the uninitiated. It was a lot like our trip, in 1993, when my Mom and Dad and brother joined us on our trip to WDW and things that Barb and I took for granted were looked at with new interest and even amazement. We also made a specific effort to see all of the attractions in the theme parks. We were mostly successful, but we did miss Dreamflight and the Grand Prix Raceway in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom. Of course, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in Fantasyland and Horizons in Future World at EPCOT were both closed. We also missed the circle vision movie, "The Wonders of China", in World Showcase and Journey into Imagination in Future World in EPCOT. Lastly, we did not see the Pocahontas stage show at the Disney / MGM Studios. Also, we didn't go to any water parks on this trip. As it turned out, the weather wasn't conducive to swimming anyway. With those exceptions, I think we covered most everything else.

The weather was very unusual, we thought, for this trip. We only had rain on one occasion, while we ate dinner on Saturday night (we noticed the wet pavement when we came out of the restaurant). It misted a bit for the rest of the evening, but no downpours. Otherwise it was sunny, but strangely cool. On Friday the high temperatures were in the low seventies. It was downhill from there. Sunday morning a cold front came through that dropped Orlando temperatures down to the low sixties. It was jacket weather all week long. We didn't expect it, but we dealt with it.

We had been talking about this trip with Mike and Stacey for almost two and a half years when we finally left Michigan for Walt Disney World. Our original plans had been to stay in adjoining rooms at either Port Orleans Resort or one of the All Star Resorts. As it turned out, before this trip actually took place, Brian and Barbara purchased some Disney Vacation Club points so we used some of our points to stay in a two-bedroom vacation home at the Disney Vacation Club.

Our accommodations at the Disney Vacation Club were very nice. We did have some maintenance trouble (a leaky shower door and a damaged bathroom door handle), but a mere four phone calls (the last one to the manager of maintenance at the resort) eventually fixed them. On the positive side, having a washer and dryer right in our room was a tremendous blessing. Since the weather was so cool, we ended up wearing our cool-weather clothes a lot more than we had expected. With the washer and dryer in the room, it wasn't a major chore to keep up. Also, we loved the two-bedroom "vacation home" for a two-couple trip. The central living room and kitchen was a nice "neutral territory" and meeting place. But each couple had it's own room to retreat into when we wanted to. The kitchen, although under-utilized on this trip, was a nice feature. We had the refrigerator stocked with softdrinks, milk, and orange juice plus, we took along our own coffee makings (I'm a gourmet coffee freak) to use in the coffee machine that was provided. We had considered going with two studio accommodations on our next trip with my Mom and Dad, but after this experience we will definitely stick with the two-bedroom setup. It's just plain nice.

As is true with many trip reports to Walt Disney World, this one is filled with descriptions of food and restaurants. You simply can't separate a trip to WDW from the many and varied ways that food is served there. Part of the atmosphere, fun, and interest that any visitor has to Disney's Florida mega-complex is the restaurants. With that in mind, we managed to visit several restaurants in Walt Disney World that we had never visited before. Among them are the Brown Derby, Le Chefs de France, Mitsukoshi, and Whispering Canyon Cafe. I hope my descriptions of our meals isn't excessive.

We've learned over our many trips to Disneyland and Walt Disney World that there are several advantages in spending a bit more money and sitting down to nicer (other than fast food) meals. First, the food tastes much better and is much healthier than the fast food alternatives. Second, as I've already mentioned, the atmosphere of the different restaurants makes the meal a fun and entertaining time by itself. Third, the fast food establishments are so incredibly busy that meals at those counter service places can be nightmarish. Last, and for Barb and I the greatest issue, is that the sit-down meals at the nicer restaurants is a tremendous break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the day in the park. When Barb was in high school she had the misfortune of breaking her foot several times. As a result, she sometimes has a problem with being on her feet for a 12-hour Disney-commando-like day. In addition to our afternoon breaks (which we observe almost without exception) casual, sit-down, relaxing meals are a helpful break, too.

One thing that we did different on this trip was that we purchased the "Food and Fun" option for the seven days. We figured that the flexibility, and the fixed price would make the trip a lot more fun, so we did it. This was pretty ironic, because I had argued against Food and Fun on one of the rec.arts.disney boards just a few days before we decided to buy it. Oh well, I'm nothing if not flexible (eventually). A summary of our use of the Food and Fun program is included at the end of this report.

If you find this trip report useful in planning your upcoming trip, keep it in mind. Others, including myself, can learn a lot from your experiences too. Write your own report and post it! Also, feel free to email me if you have any questions about my experiences. I'm not an all-knowing Disney Guru, but I like to pretend. If I don't know the answer (or at least have an opinion to share) I might at least know how to find out.

With that....welcome to our trip to Walt Disney World 1995!

Wednesday and Thursday, 08-09 November 1995

We left Saginaw, Michigan in two waves. Barb and Stacey left on Wednesday evening at about 6:00pm and headed for our rendezvous point in Clinton Township, Michigan. Because of a schedule conflict, Mike and I did not follow until just after 9:00pm. The reason for this odd start to our trip was that my parents, Allan and Carol Bennett, and Stacey's sister, Heather, had agreed to take joint custody of Mike and Stacey's two young girls for the duration of the trip. We had decided that Caitlin, 3, and Kelsey, 1, would not enjoy Walt Disney World that much. Our next trip, perhaps in 1998 or so, will include the girls, and hopefully our first (we're hoping to adopt a baby someday soon).

Stacey and Barb got into Mom and Dad's house and got the girls settled in. Mike and I followed with the loaded Lumina APV. 88,000 miles and still as good as new! Well, we gathered up the ladies and headed south on I-75 at about 11:00pm. Brian drove the first leg, and Barb took over when we hit the Kentucky line. After a couple of hours, Mike relieved her. Things went really well. It's a long drive, but we just plugged away. We stopped for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel just south of Knoxville at about 7:00am or so. Brian took the next leg and drove through Chattanooga and around Atlanta. Mike took a turn then, and drove all the way to the Florida Turnpike. Since I was the geography expert around Walt Disney World, I took us "home" from there.

We arrived at Walt Disney World at about 5:30pm or so. As we drove from 192 north past the Disney / MGM Studios, the Swan and Dolphin, the Caribbean Beach Resort, and the other sites...We all really started to shake the driving blues and get excited about our trip. Check-in was a breeze. We got exactly the room location I had asked for. Our Food and Fun coupons were all set, along with our park passes and resort Ids. We were ready to roll.

We drove over to our vacation home, moved in our stuff, and voted to take showers before going out for dinner. I figured we had several options there...We could go over to EPCOT '95 and have dinner at one of the many restaurants there, or we could go to Wilderness Lodge and eat at Whispering Canyon Cafe, or if no one felt up to a big evening, we could drive or walk over to Olivia's at the Disney Vacation Club. We decided to drive over to the Lodge and have dinner at Whispering Canyon.

The drive over was uneventful but, as always, the view of the Lodge was spectacular. Walking from the parking area in front of the building, up the stairs (Mike was identifying the animal tracks in the sidewalk), and into the building, I made a quick left turn to put our names on the list for dinner. Now get this: I was told the wait would be 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours long !!! I couldn't believe it! The crowd around in the lobby sure looked like they could be right, so we took our pager (that idea was brilliant, whoever thought of it) and strolled the grounds for awhile. We looked at the bubbling spring that "feeds" the pool, walked down to the "scenic overlook", and down to the pool itself. The place is just a dead-ringer for a national park (although I've never been to one of the national park lodges, the overlook and other details are just like I've seen at the parks themselves).

We strolled back into the lobby, and checked on our seating time. We were told that it would still be over an hour, so we decided to go elsewhere (we hadn't eaten since breakfast at 7:00am, so we were really hungry) and turned in our pager.

We drove over to the Grand Floridian. Barb and I thought that there would be no better place to fill up than 1900 Park Faire. We were right! The wait was only 30 minutes, and the food was much better than I remember it being (maybe because we were so hungry, I don't know).

The price for the buffet was $19.95 each, plus beverages and tip, which included roast beef, seafood neuberg (spelling?), several salad options, chicken fingers (one of my favorites), pizza, pasta and sauces. Desserts included bread pudding, French silk pie, several other pastries, and brownies.

After dinner, we drove back to the Disney Vacation Club and stopped at the Conch Flats General Store for some milk for the morning. It was about 10:30 or so, maybe even a bit later, when we all finally hit the hay.

Friday, 10 November 1995

We got up at a decent time on Friday morning. Our plan was to catch the first bus to the Magic Kingdom. We ended up missing the first one, but caught the second. Our first stop after the turnstiles was to buy a fanny pack at the Emporium. There were several to choose from, and Mike and Stacey picked out a nice one with Mickey on the front.

We strolled through the store for awhile, then headed out for the hub. We were at the entrance to Adventureland when the announcement was made and the rush-to-the-mountains began. Instead of joining the crowd, though, we strolled through Adventureland (the Jungle Cruise and Tropical Serenade weren't yet open). After several minutes of walking, Mike asked if we were going anywhere. Of course! We were making a beeline for Pirates of the Caribbean. I can't say we walked on, there was a short (10 minutes or so) wait, but the buccaneers were as fun as ever. I noticed the politically correct changes that had been made to the ride. No longer were "wenches" for sale. But now you could buy "from the fairest maids in town." I wish someone could explain to me why that is better. We're not supposed to like the pirates, are we? Why not let them say and do things we don't like? The other big change was the women all chasing pirates in the circular chase scenes. Used to be that a couple pirates were chasing some of the prettier girls of the town, while in the last instance, a less-than-lovely lass was chasing the pirate. I thought it was a good joke. Oh well, PC is everywhere.

After the Pirates, we went over to Splash Mountain. The line for Splash was a little longer, maybe twenty minutes or so. Stacey, especially, was concerned about "the big one." Each time we came to a small drop in the ride, she asked, "is that it?" "No Stacey. Trust us, you'll know when 'it' is coming." Funny, she didn't ask when we really did get to the big drop.

When we got to the top, I waved at the camera. So did everyone else, but I guess I was the only one that waved long enough. We have a real cool picture of me waving, and Mike, Stacey, and Barb cowering. Don't believe it. I cowered too after the picture was snapped.

After Splash, we walked over to Big Thunder. I was really surprised about the crowds. I haven't been at Walt Disney World in November since 1990, but I remembered it being almost abandoned. Now, the crowds were everywhere. Partly, I think, because it was a Friday and a Spectromagic night....but still, a lot more people than I had expected.

Big Thunder was fun, as always. As we were waiting in line, Barb decided she wanted to go back and buy the Splash picture if it was still available. It was, they told us that they keep the pictures available for about an hour after they are taken. As long as you know your picture number you're all set. We got a couple copies.

Then we strolled toward the Haunted Mansion. As we passed Grizzly Hall, we noticed that a show was going to start pretty soon. We jumping into the waiting area and made the next show. There are several things to report here. First, none of us could believe the rudeness of some people that had been told during the pre-show to "move aaaaaaaalllllll the way down", but didn't. Then, during seating, these same people were specifically, and personally, asked by cast members to move down. In at least once case, the CM was ignored, then rudely told no. I wanted to punch the guys lights out. The guy was, of course, part of a tour group and feigned inability to speak English...but quickly and repeatedly pointed forward (as in, "I won't be able to see if I move down...I want to stay here") when the CM asked him to move. I felt sorry for the guys wife, a lot of people were giving them "the stare" but he was ignoring us, and she was taking the brunt of the icy looks.

Well, eventually, a few folks walked past the jerk and took up the seats to his right and the show began. This is observation number two. The old "vacation hoe-down" was definitely showing it's age. I had seen the show a couple of million times or so...but I definitely did NOT like the new show. It seemed so disjointed. There was one song that was sung by the bear band, you know, the one with the cub scout sitting with a teddy bear? Anyway, we couldn't understand ANY of the vocals for that song. It was terrible. Disney saved the worst for last, though, with the one old bear blaring "there was blood on the saddle...there was blood all around" while the rest of the cast was singing the grand finale. Honestly, the show was strange, weird, and really un-entertaining. I don't recommend it now, for anyone. I'm hoping that maybe there was a break-down in the show programming...that's the only explanation I have for the weirdness of the show. Please enlighten me, if anyone knows the story here.

After the bears, we continued on toward the Haunted Mansion. We got sidetracked at the Liberty Tree (Stacey wanted to see the holes that occurred when the tree was moved...) then passed the portrait artists at the Hall of Presidents and to the Mansion. We waited for a few minutes outside (maybe 5-10) then walked right into the stretch room. I don't understand why everyone says the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World is better than the Disneyland version. I see minor differences, but nothing astounding.

After the Mansion, we made a bee-line for Tony's and lunch. We got there at almost exactly 11:30am for lunch, only to find out that lunch at Walt Disney World (unlike Disneyland) starts at noon. My credibility as tour guru was wearing thin...We made reservations for 12:10pm, then strolled the east side of the Main Street USA shops for a bit. Stacey bought a postcard for the girls, and we listed to a jazz band for a few minutes. I showed Stacey the party line phone in the market house, and she listened for close to five minutes.

We made our way back to Tony's and were called for lunch just a couple of minutes after noon...must have been the size of our group...and sat down for an Italian repast of epic proportion. (By the way, while we were at Tony's I asked for a copy of the menu to take home...we were given one, and we asked for one at every restaurant through the rest of the trip.)

We were all provided with bread (with olive oil and garlic to dip) and Italian salad (kind of a sweet dressing, unusual, but good.) I was nominated by the waitress to be the official garlic masher...I had to use a fork to mash the garlic into the olive oil. She wanted me to make some he-man grunting noises (ala Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor) while I did it...I did, but only to a point. Didn't want to be too weird here. Beverages were standard for soft drinks at $1.75 each. For appetizers (we were on the Food and Fun plan, remember) I had the fresh melon with proscuitto ham appetizer ($4.50), while Mike had the specialty pizza (which was topped with shrimp and clams, among other things, $7.50). Barb had the pizza bianca which was topped with five different cheeses ($6.25), and Stacey had minestrone soup ($3.25). All were excellent, but we were quite hungry by then.

For entrees, Barb and I both had the spaghetti ($12.25). I enjoyed it very much, but Barb thought it was too bland, not spicy enough. Stacey had the garden vegetable sandwich ($7.75). Mike had the seafood penne, pasta with seafood and a plum-tomato sauce ($15.25). He didn't like the sauce very much...it was pretty unusual.

For dessert, Mike and I both had the "chocolate bomb" (an absolutely fabulous chocolate mousse pie with a chocolate ganash icing...very heavy, as you might imagine, but smooth and wonderful at the same time.), Stacey had the tirimisu, Barb had strawberries (a bit sour, they really were out of season). We're not sure what the prices were. The menu says "assorted dolci from the dessert tray" for $3.50-$4.50. Whatever dolci means.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a nap/swim/rest. On the way out of the Magic Kingdom, we walked toward the bus stop and there was a guy proclaiming for all to hear "If anyone asks, there's my brick!" He was talking about the Walk Around The World bricks that pave a lot of the area around the Magic Kingdom entrance. We pacified him by asking where the brick was and in general making a big deal of things. It seemed to brighten his day a bit. Especially since the guy shelled out $96.00 for the privilege.

After our afternoon break, we made it back to the Disney Vacation Club bus stop by 6:05pm or so. A bus to the Magic Kingdom was supposed to be there at 6:15pm. The next one didn't show up until almost 6:40pm, though. That's my biggest beef about this trip. The Disney Vacation Club really seems to be shortchanged on the number of buses assigned to Disney Vacation Club routes. It seems to me that there is almost always a bigger line for buses for the Disney Vacation Club than any other resort.

Regardless, we made it back to the Magic Kingdom by about 7:00pm. Main Street USA was already lined with people waiting to watch Spectromagic. I remembered a comment that I had read from another trip report (Mike Scopa's, from June 1994) that Frontierland was a good place to watch parades, so we found a spot across from the Diamond Horseshoe and sat down. With the fact that the parade starts in the town square in Main Street USA and moves toward Frontierland, we knew we wouldn't see the parade for over an hour. We were right, but in the mean time, we were treated to some of that typical care and concern for others that some guests just seem to exude. I don't know why, but a whole bunch of people chose our immediate area to walk over us to get to locations unknown. At least two that I can remember stumbled into one of the people in our party or in the immediate area. Outrageous behavior...and some of these jerks even spoke English!

Spectromagic, as usual, was festive, brilliant, charming, and all of the other positive adjectives you can think of. Mike thought the parade was a bit short for the time we waited, Stacey was surprised it was as long as it was. Chernebog opened just a few feet from us, closed up, then opened again quickly. No complaints there. Some oaf was explaining to their kid that "one of the gargoyles is on that float." I despise neophytes. I wish Disney would get rid of those weird Spectromagic dudes that walk around throughout the parade. You know, the ones with the pumpkin-like heads? They really look strange, even scary for little kids, and don't fit into the theme of any of the parade floats anyway. I give them a strong thumbs down. Maybe they're in the parade so WDW can give the ticket takers some overtime...who knows?

After the parade, we made our way toward the Plaza restaurant for a late dinner. The crowds in Liberty Square and the hub were large, and many of them seemed to be hanging around doing nothing until the fireworks. For twenty minutes, we struggled with the mass of humanity trying desperately to reach our food. We finally made it, and had our second big meal of the day.

I had a chef's salad and a side of fries ($9.25 and $1.75). The fries were great!, but the salad was a bit disappointing. The ham and cheese that topped it were cut too thickly, so it was difficult to dress the salad. It wasn't really all that bad, it just was too plain. Mike had a bacon-cheddar cheeseburger and soup ($9.75 and $2.50). Stacey stuck with just the soup ($2.50) and Barb had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, soup, and a rootbeer float ($9.25, $2.50, and $3.25).

For dessert, I had a coffee shake ($3.95, and much better in California at Disneyland), Mike had a sundae of some kind (I don't remember exactly which one...either hot fudge or caramel...$4.25), and Barb begged for a children's only dessert - sugar cookies. She reported that they were excellent!

After dinner, I suggested that we try out to catch Alien Encounter before the park closed. We walked over and walked right into the wait area. This was especially gratifying later in the trip when we saw huge line-ups for this attraction.

The special effects on this attraction were excellent! You might say they were X-S-ive. I have no idea how they did the breaking glass thing, but it was spectacular. The binaural sound was great! Stacey missed the alien hand on your head because she had her head way forward. I thought it was fun! Everyone was impressed, though Stacey thought things were a bit more intense than they had to be to make the point.

After our encounter with the alien, we walked down Main Street USA toward the park exit and the bus area. Here we had to deal with example number two of too few buses for the Disney Vacation Club...the bus stop line for the Disney Vacation Club was easily twice that of any of the other resorts...even though we have a lot fewer rooms than the combined Yacht and Beach Clubs and Swan and Dolphin (all four serviced by a single bus stop) and the Caribbean Beach Resort (with an outrageous number of rooms). Oh well, we're a captive audience and I guess Disney figures they can stick it to us.

Saturday, 11 November 1995

Saturday morning, Barb and Mike were paying careful attention to the goings on at the Kennedy Space Center. We had almost decided to get up in the morning and drive to Titusville to watch the Atlantis blast-off, but decided not to. (Mike wanted to the most, but decided he didn't want to go enough to get up at 4:00am. Barb chewed me out, later on, for being a party-pooper about the shuttle. She said that although I said I would go, I acted like it would kill me because I'd rather spend my time at Walt Disney World than the cape. Personally, I thought I was behaving quite well.) Anyway, as it turned out, the launch was canceled because of bad weather in Spain...an alternate landing site, I guess. I am glad we didn't go, since the flight didn't happen, but I'd probably be a bit disappointed if the launch had gone off...

We were out at the bus shortly after 8:00 and caught the next bus to EPCOT '95. The drive over was uneventful, of course, and we entered the park as normal. I thought the Disney Vacation Club bus stop was closer to the park entrance than it used to be, but Barb thinks it's in the same place.

We walked right onto Spaceship Earth. I liked the changes, in general, but I agree with those folks that think the music is too foreboding...not positive enough. It is kind of dreary. The new scenes were neat, though. Also, I must admit that I liked Walter Cronkite's narration better. It just seemed more natural. I guess after riding the Ship for the next thirteen years, I'll feel the same way about Jeremy Irons when they get around to replacing his voice. Afterwards we called Stacey's sister from the AT&T "Family Phone"...just a huge phone with a speaker capability.

Next, we did the left side of Future World. We visited the dinosaurs at Energy. I hate the assumption of evolution and "millions upon millions of years" for the fossil fuels to develop. This here creationist feels that story belongs in Fantasyland, but I guess there's no room inside the castle confines for the pavilion.

Next, we stopped in at Wonders of Life. Three of us rode Body Wars, while Barb watched "The Making of Me." It's never worked before, but maybe we'll pick up a tip that will make the adoption thing unnecessary....probably not. Body Wars was a scream. Stacey watched only the first few minutes or so, until we left the splinter area, then she tucked her head down and waited out the storm. After those attractions, we all went over to Cranium Command. Fun, as always. Mike said that he could relate to a lot of that action!...I think all of us can to some degree. The casting for that attraction is perfect. I love the heart-pumping guys, especially.

After Wonders, we continued our tour with the World of Motion. It's Fun to be Free is, in my opinion, a fun ride...but it is showing its' age. They are already working on some of the preliminary changes to the area for the new test track attraction. Should be fun. Oh, and they have a sign in front of Horizons that says "Reopening January 1996." No surprise, we all knew that, but nice to have confirmation of sorts....Hope I can catch it next Fall.

After Motion, we walked through the Odyssey Restaurant...there was some kind of game show for kids going on there...didn't quite catch on to what was going on. We kept walking to the Mexican pavilion. Believe it or not, there was a line for Rio De Tiempo! It was only five minutes or so...maybe a bit more, but a real, live line! After the ride, we stopped to check the menu at the San Angel Inn. Looks good. We'll have to stop by again sometime.

As we left Mexico, I proposed that we stop by the Kringla Bakeri of Kafe in Norway for a bite to hold us over until lunch. Everyone agreed that that was a great idea. I had a cream-filled curl pastry, Barb had a wonderful traditional ring cake (I thought it was excellent, but Barb thought it tasty "too fruity". She's not into baked fruit of any kind -- fresh, definately, but not baked.) Mike had a cinnamon roll while Stacey downed a Norwegian sweet pretzel.

After our snack, we jumped on Maelstrom. Because we had reservations for lunch, we did something I've never, ever done before....we skipped the movie in the fishing village. I still feel guilty about it, but we had to make our 12:00er at Mitsukoshi in Japan.

This lunch was something that I've wanted to do for a long time, but Barb and I didn't want to do just by ourselves. We walked up the big set of stairs in front of the store in the Japanese pavilion, and made it to the receiving desk of the restaurant. Just as we walked in, the hostess was complaining that "several" of their reservations were late. I walked up to the counter and announced that we were probably one of them. (We were about five minutes after twelve, and since you're always told to be five minutes early, I guess we were actually ten minutes late...) Regardless, we were seated almost immediately.

For those of you that are familiar with Beni-Hana restaurants, you might want to skip over the next few paragraphs. Mike had eaten in a Beni-Hana's before, and said that this was very much like that. For the rest of us, this was a fun, new experience. We were seated around a counter with a stainless steel cooktop in the center. Eight of us, Mike, Stacey, Barb and I and four other people, were all seated together. We didn't know the other four people from Adam. Our hostess then provided us with menus, and gave us a few minutes to decide what we wanted.

I ordered a salad with ginger dressing ($2.75). The dressing was a lot like a very spicy Italian, but with a strong amount of ginger added...I had been expecting a sweet dressing, but this was anything but sweet. Good, but not sweet. I also ordered the beef tenderloin ($13.25) "teppan" entree (that must be Japanese for, "cooked on the stainless steel cooktop right before your very eyes...and watch out for the flying ginsu knife.") Barb also ordered the salad ($2.75), but true to form asked that it be delivered with no dressing. She always likes her greens unadulterated. The New York sirloin was her entree choice ($12.50). Mike also ordered the beef tenderloin ($13.25), but ordered the ebi (shrimp) appetizer ($5.25). Stacey ordered tori (chicken) for her meal ($9.25), and passed on the appetizer. Barb, Mike and Stacey had assorted softdrinks ($1.75 ea). I had a fancy drink called an ichigo which was strawberries with pineapple and lemon juices ($3.50). It was very good.

After we ordered, the hostess came back to our table with individual, warm washcloths for each of us. We were asked to wash our hands with them. Then she collected them and was off again.

Next, after our salads were delivered, the chef himself came to our area. He was clearly the strong, silent type. Didn't talk much, just grunted every so often...and bowed a lot. Anyway, he started dumping vegetables of various kinds on the cooking surface, then a small amount of shrimp. Lastly, he added the meats, chicken, and a larger amount of shrimp and a ton of mushrooms.

Apparently only the very center of the stainless steel was hot. The chef started by cooking the small amount of shrimp and vegetables. He tossed, and turned them...added some oil and butter. Every once in a while, he would turn them again.

While the veggies were cooking, our chef took sixteen small bowls and filled eight with a ginger sauce and eight others with some other kind of sauce. I have no idea what it was, but the ginger sauce was a lot like my salad dressing (big surprise, huh?). Our Chef then distributed the bowls to each of us at the counter.

After the items being cooked were almost done, he added a splash of soy sauce, then scooped them up and delivered them to the appropriate plate. First, mixed vegetables were delivered, in even proportions, to each of us. Next, Mike's shrimp appetizer was moved to his plate. (He reported them excellent. He was still talking about them days later.) After the shrimp appetizer, the chef started working on the shrimp entree of one of our countermates. The sirloins were done next, with the tenderloins and chicken last. After all of the entrees were served up, a large container of bean sprouts was cooked up for us. They were distributed around the counter last of all.

As we ate, the chef finished his meal chores by cleaning the piping hot cook top with a wet towel. He scrubbed it, turned the towel, then scrubbed some more. As you might imagine, there was steam billowing everywhere as he did this. I thought we were in a sauna.

Somewhere along the way, our waitress brought us each a bowl of steamed rice to eat with our meal. Like a typical gaijin, I dumped the rice on my plate and ate it with my meat and vegetables. Mike almost died! He made it quite clear that the rice was to be eaten from the bowl using the chop sticks. Like he's an expert or something.

The food was very good, but plain. Honestly, there wasn't much unique "Japanese flavor" in my meal as I had expected. This meal was not like a Chinese dinner which is cooked and served in a sweat and sour, or other sauce. Here, the dipping sauces provided the unique flavor. My meat tasted like sautéed meat...the vegetables like sautéed oriental vegetables. No surprises there.

For dessert, Mike and I opted for the chestnut mousse ($3.75 ea), Barb and Stacey for the fresh fruit ($3.95 ea). As I recall, Stacey ended up with a few spoonfuls of Mike's mousse, too.

After lunch, we waddled around the store downstairs for a bit. Barb found some bonsai trees that she wants (she's into those things...gee thanks Dad). We found out that the bonsai could be purchased and shipped to our home. That would certainly make it easier than taking it home in the van. While Barb and I were looking at midget trees, Mike and Stacey watched someone pull an oyster with a couple of pearls in it. Good sized ones, too. I didn't see anything I particularly wanted. Especially since I figure that I'll be buying a tree before we leave for home. Mike liked the samauri swords (probably because, as a teacher, he works with teens a lot). He also liked a magnifying class and letter opener set. Retail price, $240. Stacey spent some time around the kimonos. I don't know if anything caught her eye. Barb saw some pearl jewelry that she liked.

After the store, we stopped in the courtyard and watched some kind of Japanese humorist. He did some juggling, twirling things, and donned a dragon costume for awhile (trying to scare some of the younger kids). It was interesting, to a point, but he didn't seem to be able to speak English, so he did his entire routine as a mime. He tried to communicate a couple of times, but stopped when no one responded to his question or statement or whatever it was that he said. He seemed to be genuinely frustrated by it all.

We left Japan, and caught the friendship to Future World. As we headed out of the park, we strolled past the national junior frisbee championship competition. Barb made us stay to watch for a few minutes (she really wanted to stay longer, but I was really tired). At that point, we split up. Mike and Stacey headed over to the Contemporary to go for a boat rental (they got a $60.00 value for "free", on the Food and Fun card). Barb and I headed back to the Disney Vacation Club for our Siesta.

Mike and Stacey got back just after 5:00pm. It had been our plan to break until six, but I wasn't able to make reservations at the Disney / MGM Studios for any of the three restaurants we could have dinner at on our Food and Fun plan. We decided to leave post haste instead of pausing for the extra hour. As soon as we arrived at the park (it was really pretty, Barb and I had never been to the Studios during the night when the place was lit up) we walked directly to Mama Melrose's, our dinner spot of choice. When we arrived, we were told that walk-in's had a wait of about 30 minutes, so we decided to wait it out. After putting our names in, we walked across the street to the Muppet's character shop and killed some time there. Then we sauntered back to the restaurant for the rest of our wait.

As it turned out, we ended up waiting almost exactly a half hour. In the waiting room, we all had to stand because some kids (boys around 11 or 12 I think) were laying on the couches so no one else could sit down. When one of them moved a leg, though, I quickly sat then made extra room for Barb. Then I waited for the next opportunity and took over the other side of the couch for Stacey. Before I was able to complete my conquest, though, the kid's party was called and we had the furniture to ourselves for a few minutes.

We were eventually seated at a rather small table for four people, and served a soft bread roll with an olive oil and basil dip. I was glad that there was no garlic to crush. I really wasn't in the mood for grunting.

As an appetizer Barb, Stacey, and I ordered cheese ravioli ($4.25 ea). Mike selected the Calamari (tasted a lot like fried clams...$5.25). For dinner itself, I ordered a grilled tenderloin of beef with tomato sauce and provolone cheese dish called "Sunset Grill" ($22.25). The beef was great, but the cheese and sauce didn't add anything to the meal. The sidedish of pasta with an herb and butter sauce was very good. Mike ordered the grilled swordfish special and declared it excellent ($21.75). Stacey had baked manicotti ($14.95) and Barb had a pepperoni, cheese, and mushroom pizza (not a surprise if you know Barb...$11.95).

The service up to now had been pretty average. But at this point in our meal, our waitress (Pat was her name...this was on Saturday evening, November 11th, and Pat was working in an area with a busboy named John, if anyone wants to read her the riot act) disappeared for twenty minutes or so. Maybe it was only fifteen, but regardless, it was a healthy amount of time. We wanted to order our dessert and hit some attractions, but we were forced to wait things out.

Eventually, Stacey and I had tiramisu ($3.75 ea), a coffee-flavored cake and cream concoction that I had come to love at Stromboli's Restaurant at the Disneyland hotel. Stacey said that the tiramisu at Tony's was better. Mike had a piece of cappuccino cheesecake ($3.75). Barb had a fudge cookie sundae (excellent, at least as much as she could eat, she says...$3.50)

Following dinner we walked over, and right into the theater for, Muppet Vision 3D. Always fun. We walked over to catch the Great Movie Ride after that, but we were held up by some CM's that were handling crowd control for Sorcery in the Sky show. We couldn't catch TGMR until after Mickey gave us the (index) finger.

Sorcery in the Sky was OK. A lot better than Fantasy in the Sky at the Magic Kingdom, but not much different than any other fireworks show. Even though Barb and I have been to Walt Disney World six times before this trip, we had never seen the Sorcery show before. (Well, once we watched it from the parking lot the year we stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort. We saw it starting as we drove by the park, and pulled in to catch it but we didn't have the music to go with it that time.)

After the fireworks, we waited another ten minutes or so, until the CM's would let us through the ropes, and joined the queue for TGMR. We were in car B this time, so we saw the shoot-out with the gangsters (rather than the western shoot-out you see with car A). This is a fun ride. I love the wicked witch and the movie clips at the end of the ride.

When we exited the ride, we found ourselves in an unusual Florida rain. Unusual because it was only sprinkling, not pouring down like a hurricane had hit us. We walked through the Hollywood Blvd. shops to avoid the water, made our way to the bus stop (#7 for the Disney Vacation Club) and waited our obligatory twenty minutes or so. Once again, the Disney Vacation Club bus service was less than awe-inspiring. Also, we noticed that the Disney Vacation Club bus was the only one that had a schedule. All of the other resorts just seemed to be on a "every few minute" basis...very curious.

We made it back to the hotel sometime before midnight (I'm exaggerating, it was probably close to 10:30 or so), and made plans off-site for Sunday Morning.

Sunday, 12 November 1995

Sunday morning we slept in. We has some off site activities planned for the morning. Afterwards, drove over to Wilderness Lodge to finally eat at the Whispering Canyon. Maybe we were all in a bad mood (though I don't think so) or maybe we visited on a bad day (I guess I don't know) or maybe news about layoffs at Walt Disney World had just been announced...but we didn't really enjoy our meal at the Cafe. The food was OK, but not spectacular. The atmosphere was OK, but nothing special. Certainly the CM's were normal. I guess I had just heard so many fantastic, wonderful, rah-rah reviews about the place that I expected more....but it was really just another meal. Total cost for all four of us was $55.46 including tax and a 15% gratuity. Maybe it's better at dinnertime, but frankly I don't think any of us feel strongly enough to try it again. Not when there's so many other places to go that we'd like to visit.

After lunch, we went to the bus stop to catch the bus to the Magic Kingdom. We found out when we got there that we would only get a ride to the TTC and would have to catch the monorail into the Magic Kingdom from there...well, I figured we could take the boat and not take too much more time than that. Besides, we'd be trying out another mode of Disney transportation for the trip. The boat arrived soon after we got to the dock, the voyage was uneventful...except that Mike ridiculed Barb and I for staying inside the passenger compartment of the boat (it was only around 60 degrees this day, and pretty windy, too). Within a couple of minutes of leaving the dock, though, Mike and Stacey joined us "because we looked stupid sitting there inside by ourselves"...with all the other passengers I might add.

Soon after getting into the Magic Kingdom, we decided to try Space Mountain. All of the pre-trip propaganda that I had said the ride wouldn't be re-opening from its' recent rehab until the 20th, three days after our departure. However, a fellow Disney-Chatter on AOL told me that it was supposed to open on the 12th afterall. I was very pleased because Barb and I had missed Space Mountain in California just a couple of months before and we were none-to-happy with the thought that we'd miss the Walt Disney World version too. Fortunately, SM was indeed open. We waited fully 50 minutes or so, but enjoyed the trip. Even Stacey...

The Space Mountain make-over makes the ride an honest-to-goodness commercial for Federal Express. Video monitors were installed in the queue area that show campy 1950's and 1960's style space news. It's made up to be like CNN, but it's called SMN (Space Mountain Network). It's entertaining...the first time you see the clips...after that it's just irritating. The music that blares every once in a while is a pain in the ear, too.

The ride exit has been changed over a bit, too. You can still see the remains of the old mining colony diarama, but it's been rescripted to be a new teleporting package delivery service by our old friends at....Federal Express.

We exited the mountain and walked over to join the queue for the teacups. We had to step lively to avoid being cut off by some non-English speaking road warriers. Barb agreed to ride if and only if I agreed to keep our motion to a minimum. I found that I had to work the cup to do that. If I just let go, we'd lose our beef brisket for sure. Yuck!!!!

Peter Pan was next on the agenda (exactly 20 minutes from the time we joined the queue until we exited the galleon). I like the WDW version of Pan better than the one in California. I think the London view at WDW is better and that the story of Peter Pan is told much more clearly in Florida. Personal opinion only....

After Peter Pan, we walked over to Liberty Square to the Olde World Antique shop to mix up a couple of batches of perfume. Barb and I first tried this on our honeymoon in 1989, and it's become a tradition for us. Stacey selected a fragrance, too, but decided to wear it for a few hours before deciding to buy it. If all goes well, we'll pick up a bottle tomorrow when we go into the Magic Kingdom for our magic morning. Barb mixed up a smelly concoction, too. It has a strong base of gardenia in it. She asked me for my opinion. "Smells like perfume" was the most eloquent and intelligent reply I could offer. My sense of smell is very poor. I have a lot of allergies, maybe that's connected somehow.

Incidentally, here is an area where everyone can help me out. Next time you go to the Magic Kingdom, ask why Disneyland has so many perfume oils while Walt Disney World has only six or seven. I think this perfumery thing is really neat, even though I don't wear them much myself. If everyone would push this, maybe the powers-that-be would consider upgrading this facility. And if you've never mixed up your own perfume, or sprung for your wife, girlfriend, or mom to do it, you don't know what you're missing. Give it a try!!! It's a lot of fun....and I can't even smell the stuff that well!

After our stop at the antique shop, Mike and Stacey abandoned us for the evening. They planned to go offsite again, then have dinner out. Barb and I decided to take her perfume back to the store, to have it delivered to the Disney Vacation Club (what a wonderful feature of staying on-site...it's such a convenience). Then rode the monorail (we asked for the front car, and rode up there for the first time...) to EPCOT '95.

Our first stop was to go to the centorium gift shop. No, I guess that was the second stop, but you don't need to read about the first. Anyway, I was looking for a coffee mug that matched some others I had bought over the last few trips to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. They are pretty large (about double normal mug capacity). One of them shows the Magic Kingdom castle and Main Street USA and is labeled "Walt Disney World". The other shows "Mickey Through the Years". The third is similar to the Walt Disney World one, but is of Disneyland's castle and Main Street USA. I was hoping to get an EPCOT '95 and MGM mug. No luck so far...maybe at another store.

After that, we headed back to Japan to stroll the store some more. We ended up catching a Friendship just before it left, and saved a few steps. (That's twice in one Walt Disney World trip....not bad.) In Japan, Barb wanted to look over the bonsai trees and books and paraphernalia a bit more than she had time for the day before. She spent close to forty minutes scouting the little trees. I looked over the other merchandise, watched a few pearl oysters get opened, and in general kept myself busy. When Barb was finished, we went over and walked through the shops in Morocco abit. I looked over the menu for Restaurant Marrakesh, too. I still think that that would be a decent place to eat. Maybe next trip with Mom and Dad...I'll probably have to twist Barb's arm, though.

We were getting hungry by now, so we made a bee line for the Rose and Crown, only to find it booked solid. They weren't even taking walk-ins. This was starting to become a common theme this trip. Reservations are seemingly more important than on previous trips. We'll have to keep our eyes on this one.

We ended up at Le Cellier for dinner. I was less than impressed. Le Cellier had always been a very good, inexpensive meal for us. This night, the girl at the cash register took at least eight or nine minutes to figure out how to handle our "Cold Food and Irritation" cards, the prime rib was over done, the rest of the meal was plain at best, and the trifle was uninspired. I love the trifle at the Rose and Crown, this was not good. I don't know what the actual prices of each item is, Le Cellier is a buffeteria so I don't have a menu to refer to. The total bill, though, came in at $48.92 including tax (no tip due to the buffeteria service...probably wouldn't have been one anyway.)

In general, this was not a good meal day for me. Maybe the large amount of food that we've been inhaling is taking it's toll and reducing our enjoyment of each dish. I think I'm gonna lay off for a few meals and see if my taste buds kick-in again. If not, we always have the "fun" cards....

After dinner, Barb and I walked through Innoventions (it was the only way to stay halfway warm) toward the bus stop. The Disney Vacation Club buses didn't let me down. It was only about a ten minute wait this time, not bad by any standards, but upon arriving, the bus driver made us all stay out in the whistling wind, snow blowing in our faces, chills and shivers running throughout our bodies, goosepimples everywhere...while he re-maneuvered the bus, lowered and re-lowered the wheelchair lift, and brought a handicapped person aboard. Why couldn't we have been warm and toasty inside the bus while all that was going on? Must have been that old Disney Magic. Anyway, we eventually got our frost-bitten selves back to the Disney Vacation Club where I started to work on this report again, and Barb treated her frostbite in the hottub. Mike and Stacey haven't arrived back yet, so I'll have to report on their activities and dinner experiences another time.

Later: Mike and Stacey ended up over at the BoatWright's at Dixie Landings for dinner at my recommendation. They had about a forty-five minute wait, but were assured that BoatWright's would take their Food and Fun cards. They put in their time, then were seated and given menus (they brought one back for us to add to the collection).

When their waiter came to their table, he showed them the "toolbox" and ran through his spiel. Mike presented the Food and Fun cards (mind you, this was about an hour after they were assured that the cards were accepted) and the waiter told them, "I'm sorry, but we don't accept those cards here." Stacey's heart fell to the floor. Mike was devising hideous ways to maim and kill me (it was my idea that they were there anyway). Then the waiter said, "Haaaa, just kidding."

After that shock, I guess, the meal was excellent. They started by sharing a sampler plate with ribs and hot wings ($9.95). Mike picked up the first wing, brought it up to his mouth, and as he did so, he breathed in...and almost choked the wing was so spicy. He set it down for a quick drink of water first...Mike had the New York "city slicker" strip steak with shrimp ($17.95), and Stacey had a pasta primavera with chicken dish ($12.95). To top off the meal, they ordered a blackberry and apple cobbler ($3.50). The service, as usual for BoatWright's, was top-notch. Barb and I are thinking about returning to the restaurant some night later in the trip...at least we know they take the Food and Fun cards.

Monday, 13 November 1995

We got up for an early morning at the Magic Kingdom today. We covered a lot of territory. We planned to meet in the living room at 7:00 and only missed by a couple of minutes. Almost the first bus upon our arrival at the bus stop was for us! Will wonders never cease? We started in Fantasyland, those were the rides that were open early, and took in Snow White (much improved after the rehab...it was really great!), Dumbo (I hadn't ridden Dumbo since I was a kid at Disneyland....I loved moving up and down, up and down....Barb turned green, but it was fun for me....), then Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

We then moved to Tomorrowland and caught the Astro Orbiters (Barb and I hadn't done this ride since it was called the Star Jets on our honeymoon...This time Barb had the controls, and I was forced to tolerate our low, level spin), and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I don't think we have to do that again this trip. One good thing, we found out that Space Mountain was already open, although according to the magic morning schedule it wasn't to be open early at all. Well, as soon as we got off the TTA, we made a bee-line to SM. The wait was only about twenty minutes. We did the right side this time...I love this ride. After Space, we decided to catch the Skyway to the other end of Fantasyland....no can do, Skyway didn't open until 9:30 and this was just past nine now.

We decided to head over to catch the Transportarium, but hopped on Carrousel of Progress instead, when we saw the line was non-existent and the CM's were trying to drum up business (Stacey liked it, Mike didn't seem thrilled...I love the history behind the attraction).

After COP, we walked back to the Skyway. It was 9:32, so we figured it would be a quick line. Hello, wake up previously-retired CM's up there....The guy didn't mosey on down to open the line to Skyway until 9:38. Eight precious minutes of my life shattered. Gone. Never to be recovered. Thanks a lot, Pal. I never noticed before that the Skyway moved back down in the middle of the Grand Prix track to make it's turn left. Odd that I've never noticed that before...

Upon exiting the Skyway, we walked over to It's a Small World. Short line, about five minutes maybe. I pointed out the Village Haus window to Stacey, Mike pointed out the water fountains to me. As always, I got addicted to the song...I've been humming it or whistling it off and on ever since then.

After SW, we strolled through the Yankee Peddler kitchen shop. This is a fun store. Lots of neat equipment for the kitchen. If Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor was a chef, instead of a he-man handy man, he'd LOVE this place. The Binsford model 9037 turbo-charged egg scrambler and pancake turner....stuff like that.

We went over to the antique place again, to try a different mix for Stacey. She didn't have any luck with the last version.

Then came the moment Barb and I had been waiting for....Breakfast at the Crystal Palace. While we made our way up the walk, a Dixieland group was playing and singing...pretty good too. When I entered the lobby, I went to ask one of the cashiers what was included on our Food and Fun card. "Anything you'd like", was the reply. ALL RIGHT!!!...this was going to be fun. We piled food on our trays, engineering the optimal stacking and packing solutions to maintain balance, yet maximize food content. Wild. Between us, Barb and I got three orders of puffed French toast with bacon, a yogurt, two juices, a croissant, two blueberry muffins, two cartons of chocolate milk, and one carton of white milk. We ate a lot of it, but I admit, not all. Mike and Stacey's bill would have been comparable, but Mike had the eggs and ham instead of the French toast. I'm not absolutely certain what the individual prices were for each item, because I don't have a menu to refer to as I write this report, but the bill for Barb and I (and remember it includes two entrees, plus all the extras...and they forgot to add Barb's milk and one of her muffins) was $20.30. Mike and Stacey's was a bit more, about $20.95 if I remember correctly, but was correct. (Note: Prices for Mike and Stacey's breakfast listed in the table at the end of this trip report are estimated as best as I can, given that I don't have a copy of their bill.)

After breakfast, we walked over to catch the Legend of the Lion King. Nope. Technical difficulties. So we walked over to the Hall of Presidents instead. Sorry if this is considered racist, folks, but Maya Angelou has got to go. You can barely understand her mumbling. If I didn't already know who the presidents were, I'm sure I wouldn't know after her calling the roll call. I hope they replace her with Rush or someone when the hall is redone for the next President. Hopefully in 1996.

After the hall, we tried the Lion King again, but the line was obnoxiously long. Either they got the technical difficulties worked out, or they were backed up forever. Regardless, we chose to pass. So we caught the bus back to the Disney Vacation Club for our afternoon break, already having made reservations at the Rose and Crown for 7:00pm dinner.

We were at the bus stop around 6:05 or so, and grabbed the next bus to EPCOT '95. As were walking through Future World, past Spaceship Earth, we saw an interesting site. A guest turned around and faced the wall, pulled off his shorts, and switched to pants....right in plain sight of everyone. Scary...and the speedos were just too much. Come on, pal, the restrooms are only forty feet over there. Must have been a tour-group member.

We were hoping to catch the Canada Circlevision, once we got to the World Showcase, but we didn't have time. Instead, we watched the Olde World Players ham it up a bit (the old story of "Romeo and Edna") and walked through some of the shops in the UK pavilion. Then went to the pub for dinner. We were seated right next to the canal, down toward the Canada end of the pub. We expected to eat, then spend some time shopping...maybe catch Impressions de France.

Instead, we were treated to some relatively slow dinner service that ended up being a blessing in disguise. The meal was excellent. Much better than at Le Cellier the night before. For appetizers, Stacey and I both had the cornish pastie ($2.95). Mike had a salmon and stilton cheese platter ($6.50). Barb ordered a fruit and cheese platter with smoked cheddar and Cheshire cheese ($4.95). For dinner Barb and I both order the prime rib with Yorkshire pudding....I love the Yorkshire pudding, I just wish there was more au jus to go with it ($20.75 ea), Mike had the roasted leg of lamb (Mike commented that it had a very strong, but good, flavor at $17.50), while Stacey had the cottage pie (she said that this was one of her best meals of the trip so far at $14.25.) For dessert, Mike, Barb, and I all had the trifle ($3.25). Stacey and Mike also shared an apple-blackberry crumble ($3.75).

By the time we were finished with our meal, it was already 8:45pm or so. We ended up staying right there to watch IllumiNations. The sound for the show was poor, but that was to be expected since we weren't on the promenade. The view of the show itself, though, was fantastic! I don't remember the fireworks being as extravagant as they were this night. I'm wondering if there's been some tinkering with the show over the last couple of years. Barb and I haven't watched it since 1993, so maybe our memories are lapsing.

After the show, we walked over the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts just to be different. From the Yacht Club we caught the Pleasure Island bus, then transferred immediately after we arrived at PI. The Disney Vacation Club bus was waiting right behind us. I thought sure that it was gonna drive off and leave us to wait for the next one, but it didn't. We got off the Yacht and Beach Club bus and onto the Disney Vacation Club bus and headed for home and the warm bed.

So ends our fourth Disney day of this trip. Tomorrow morning, we plan to head for the Disney / MGM Studios and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Stacey says she won't be riding...we'll see.

Tuesday, 14 November 1995

We were out the door shortly after 8:00am this morning, and we saw the Studios bus right in front of our door (the bus stop was coming around the corner and getting ready to head down the street.) Thinking quickly, Stacey flagged the bus down and the driver politely stopped the bus and allowed us to board. When we arrived at the park, the driver dropped us off at "stop zero." That is, he stopped the bus well before the numbered bus stop and allowed us to get off, saving us the long walk from the Disney Vacation Club stop #7. (By the way, this is one of my pet peeves. If the Disney Vacation Club is supposed to be a "premium" hotel on Disney property, why isn't the Disney Vacation Club bus stop closer toward the park entrance like the bus stop for the Floridian, Poly, Lodge, and Contemporary? It amazes me that the All-Star Music Resort has the bus stop closest to the Studios entrance. Forgive me for my elitism...but we pay good money to save those steps...in my opinion, anyway.)

We got to the gate at about twenty minutes after eight. The Disney folks were obviously getting ready to open (as it turned out, they did so at 8:30am), but hadn't yet. There was a brass band playing some tunes, though...keeping the natives occupied until the race to the attractions began.

We had a busy morning. We started by high-tailing it to the Tower. Mike and I rode twice, but I was only able to get Barb to ride the second time. Stacey preferred to spectate on this one. Since our last trip the "ride profile" for the Tower has changed. Instead of one big drop, there are now three (at least that's the way I remember it). First, a big drop totally in the dark, followed by a shorter one with a little light...last, the final drop (actually preceded by a quick hop) when the outer door of the hotel is opened and you see the park in front of you. Another thing, I never realized that the photograph was taken on the first floor...when you first stop to see the "victims" reappear and wave at you. I always thought the photo was taken during the hop before the final plunge. Lastly, I have read several reports that suggested that you look up during the drop. I did...but I never saw anything unusual.

After the tower, I tried to talk everyone into a pastry at Starring Rolls, but there were no takers. Instead, we tried to catch the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The next show wasn't for almost an hour, though, so we decided to skip it. Instead, we caught the back-stage tram tour. I'm glad the Dick Tracy kick is over. The last time I took the tour (1993, I think) everything on the tour was Dick Tracy this and Dick Tracy that....and it really wasn't that good a film.

After the tram tour, we walked around the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie set. Fun. I can't wait to check it out with a kid....besides myself, I mean. The special effects tour was next. Not much different than I remembered it. Of course, the old stop to see some upcoming Disney trailers didn't happen (the one with the Eisner watch), but that was the case last time, too.

When we exited the special effects tour, we took in Star Tours. Both Barb and Stacey passed on this one. I wish I had too. I love this ride, but I think I hurt my neck sometime during the attack on the Death Star trench, because I had a miserable headache the rest of our stay in the park. Didn't go away until I hot-tubbed it to death back at the Disney Vacation Club after lunch.

After Star Tours, we had just enough time to catch the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Exactly the same as I remembered it. For Mike and Stacey, it was a first (of course, that's true for all of this stuff) so it was still fun.

After the stunt show, we walked over to the Brown Derby for lunch. I've been wanting to eat at this place since the Studios opened in 1989, but the prices always scared me off. With the Food and Fun cards...no problem. Mike and I both had the Cobb salad for an appetizer (I had chicken, Mike had shrimp $12.50 and $15.50 respectively). Stacey had a scallop appetizer ($7.75), Barb had chicken tenders with peppers and a mustard sauce ($5.25).

I really didn't know what I was getting with the Cobb. The Birnbaum book says that it includes "finely (perhaps a bit too finely) chopped lettuce". The book is right on target. The salad doesn't resemble a salad when everything is mixed together. The French dressing, by the way, is very light...mostly vinegar...not creamy, red, French like I was expecting. The salad was good, but very hard to describe. I'm glad I ordered it, since it's a traditional offering and I'm a traditional kind of guy, but I don't think I have to do it again.

As for beverages, the Brown Derby had some ice cream drinks that were excellent. Mike and Barb both had "Cookie Magic" that was vanilla ice cream blended with Oreo cookies ($2.75). Stacey and I sampled the "Hollywood Junior" made of vanilla ice cream blended with a Nutrageous candy bar ($2.75). Very good stuff.

For the main event, Stacey had the chicken Cobb salad ($12.50). Barb and I both had a steak special (very good meat), Mike had baked grouper ($15.95).

For dessert, I tried the traditional grapefruit cake (excellent at $4.00, I just wish I had been hungrier at that point, so I would have enjoyed it more). Barb had chocolate mousse ($4.00) and Mike had a raspberry mousse ($4.00).

A couple fun things happened during our meal. They had to bring a phone to our table because Goofy called to let us know about his hand print ceremony at the Chinese theater. Also, a couple of streetmosphere guys came in and hammed it up around the piano. They might have been playing actual people from the 1930's, I don't know. But it was hard to follow what was going on anyway, since we were up in the nosebleed area of the restaurant.

One other thing, a manager-type guy named Bob (he had a Disney name tag on) was hanging around the restaurant all during our meal. I'm not sure what his role in things was, he didn't seem to be doing anything but looking around. Anyway, towards the end of our meal (thank goodness), Bob leaned up against the wall, reached down, and picked the seat of his pants right there in the dining room! Woe, what a weird sight. I hope he felt better adjusted after that.

After lunch, we returned to the Disney Vacation Club for our afternoon break. Mike and Stacey rented a boat and floated up the Trumbo canal to the Sassagula river and near the marketplace. In the meantime, I hot-tubbed my neck and head -- it's amazing how hot water can make a throbbing ache go away -- then Barb and I took a nap. I love the afternoon break thing.

We got moving a bit quicker after the break today. We were out the door by 5:00 to catch the 5:10 EPCOT '95 bus. Of course, there was no 5:10 EPCOT '95 bus, even though our bus schedule says there was. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. We finally got a bus, I don't know how soon after 5:10...and drove to the park.

Our first stop was the Living Seas. One thing I noticed was that EPCOT '95 has been rearranged so that you can only go to the Future World pavilions through the Innoventions building area. It used to be that you could go from the main entrance of the park right to the Living Seas. I'm talking five or six years ago, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Anyway, now you have to walk past Spaceship Earth, turn right (or left) and backtrack to the pavilion.

Living Seas was fun. It's been awhile since I've been there. There was the usual evolutionary propaganda. "The deluge formed the seas millions of years after the earth was formed." How, I wonder, did the rain turn into salt water? Can't we give God credit for anything anymore? Oh well....Walt never did either. We hung around in Sea Base Alpha for a long time after our taxis dropped us off. I loved the little, tiny, eensy-weensy lobsters and shrimp. Just a few more years and Mike will have them for dinner.

When finally left the Living Seas and walked over to the Land. We didn't take the time to see Food Rocks or the new Lion King film that replaced the old Symbiosis. Maybe next trip. Living with the land was a bit different than Listening to the Land, but not significantly. This highlight, in my opinion, is the high tech growing stuff in the greenhouse. That hasn't changed at all.

After the Land, we power walked to Journey into Imagination. It was twenty minutes to seven, when Future World closes down, so we had to choose between the title attraction or Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I voted for Honey, and no one dissented, so that's where we went. Pure fun...The 3-D effects were great (I jumped when the sign blew up). Stacey went nuts when she felt the mouse at her feet. (She kept them lifted off the ground for a couple of minutes after that.) But the best, in my opinion, was when Adam picked up the Theater and walked around with us. The shakers that moved the whole room must have been enormous. I thought it was pretty snotty of the imagineers to toss in the canine sneeze at the end.

After Honey, we walked over the World Showcase and saw the film, "Oh Canada!" Then we continued around to the UK pavilion to pick us some gifts...a lovely Royal Daulton tea cup and saucer and some lavender smelly stuff and some Walker's short bread for my parents, the babysitters.

We left the UK and continued over the gateway to France. Mike and Stacey and Barb walked around abit at the outdoor pushcarts while I stopped in at Chefs de France. Was there room for walk-ins? Wee miseur. Would you accept our Food and Fun cards for dinner? Wee miseur. Bingo...our dinner plans were set.

We were seated immediately and were provided with menus with a plethora of choices. For appetizers Barb and I both had a cheese sampler platter ($7.75 ea). Stacey had a cold potato soup ($3.75). Mike went with a salmon soufflé ($8.50).

For dinner, Barb and I both ordered beef tenderloin with a raisin brandy sauce. I thought it was marvelous. I especially loved the raisin brandy sauce. Stacey tried to order a chicken dish, but the waiter talked her into the beef tenderloin instead ($22.95 ea). Mike had a brochette of prawns ($20.95). The guy really does like his seafood. Stacey wished her meat had been done a bit more, but that's not uncommon (If it's not smoking like Luke Skywalker's Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen after the stormtroopers arrived, then it's not done enough for Stacey.) Mike said his shrimp was excellent. One comment he made was "this is the first time I've had to use a knife to eat shrimp"...they were that big!

Of course, in France you have to have dessert. We did. Mike and I both ordered cappuccinos ($3.50 ea) to start. Then, Mike ordered a ice cream soufflé with grand marnier ($4.95). I had a "cake of chocolate biscuits and a light vanilla cream ($3.95))." Stacey ordered a hot apple tart with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce ($4.50). Barb ordered an eclair ($3.50). Except for the fact that we were stuffed, I'm sure all of these wonderful dishes would have been cleaned up. As it was, we mostly nibbled at them.

This was probably one of my most enjoyable meals at Walt Disney World ever. The food was excellent, the service was top-notch, and this was a restaurant that I'd been wanting to go to for a long time...but never wanted to pay for. I had a blast! Getting in for dinner when our Food and Fun cards weren't supposed to cover made it all the better. It made the meal feel like a victory celebration for me.

After dinner, a double-decker bus was waiting right outside the restaurant for us (it was 10:08pm by now...) The bus drove us right around the promenade. We had to propel ourselves from there to the bus stop. True to form, we had to wait about twenty-five minutes for the bus to the Disney Vacation Club.

Wednesday, 15 November 1995

Well, today we did something different. We got up and ready for the morning at the Magic Kingdom, but drove to the Contemporary instead of taking the bus. Then we caught the monorail to the park.

Our first destination was The Legend of the Lion King. The show is fun but very, very loud (keep that in mind, mothers). Virtually the whole story from the movie is retold, albeit in a Reader's Digest version.

After the show, we booked over to Adventureland and rode Jungle Cruise (didn't use the old "backside of water" line) and watched Tropical Serenade. Hadn't seen that one in a long time. Honestly, except for the history as the first audio-animatronic show in the history of the world, I don't think we'd watch this one again. Besides, the old Disneyland soundtrack is really becoming worn. It was very difficult to hear some of the "host birds", Fritz especially. I've heard rumors that this attraction is going to be rehabbed with Zazu (from the Lion King), Iago (from Aladdin), and Scuttle (from Little Mermaid, the Buddy Hacket character). I certainly hope so.

We tried, again, to catch the Dole place for Dole Whip. No luck. I will leave Walt Disney World in 1995 without, again, having tasted the taste treat sensation everyone is raving about. Maybe next year.

After we left Adventureland, we walked back to Tomorrowland to watch the Transportarium. This was one of the attractions that had slipped by on our last tour through the area. I liked it a lot. I thought Robin Williams was great, but I agreed with those opinions that he was holding back a bit. Next, we went to ride Space Mountain one last time. The line, though, was only ten minutes long, so we rode twice. After Space Mountain, we walked through Fantasyland to do some shopping. Stacey particularly wanted to buy some things for the girls. Tinker Bell's Treasures was just the place!

When we left the land of fantasy for the last time, we went over to Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch. To drink, we all had an orange sherbet punch that was served in souvenir mugs ($5.50 ea). It was really good, and since the Food and Fun card covered the cost, the mugs were a nice bonus. I had some "country wedding" soup as an appetizer ($3.25). Barb and Stacey both had fried mozzarella and cheddar cheese with tomato sauce to dip ($4.75 ea). Mike had clam chowder ($3.50). For our entrees, Stacey and I both had the "Pilgrim's Feast" turkey dinner ($11.25 ea). Barb and Mike both ordered "New England Pot Roast" ($11.75 ea). For dessert, Barb had strawberry shortcake, Mike had apple pie ala mode, and Stacey had a couple scoops of cinnamon ice cream. I passed. I was so full....of course, with all of this food this is becoming a regular theme around here.

One comment here, I think it would be really cool if Disney was to rehab the menu at this restaurant to emulate the meals offered at Williamsburg in Virginia. At the King's Arms Tavern and Christiana Campbell's Tavern they serve authentic-to-the-period meals that are really quite interesting as well as delicious. I remember the peanut soup that I had at the King's Arms as being particularly good, and very unusual. As it is, it seems that Disney is turning toward Cracker Barrel restaurants for inspiration. Williamsburg would be better, in my opinion.

As soon as we left the restaurant, we went over to Johnny Tremain's silver shoppe to have the mugs delivered to our room (I love that perk!) Then we strolled down the west side of Main Street USA for our final shopping in the Magic Kingdom. Barb and I picked up a couple of T-shirts (one for me and a Christmas gift for my Dad) and some other trinkets. After we left the Emporium at the south end of Main Street USA, Stacey mentioned that she didn't see the Mickey pen that she wanted to buy her sister. She remembered seeing it earlier in the trip...just not today. Barb remembered that it was in the jewelry store on the other side of the street, so we went back and picked it up. Everything we purchased we had delivered to our room at the Disney Vacation Club. What a wonderful service that is...

As we were leaving the Magic Kingdom for the last time, I suggested that we ride the Walt Disney World railroad once around the park before we leave. No one argued against it, so we hopped on the train that obligingly showed up just moments after we got up on the platform. Except for the Disney Vacation Club busses, we've had wonderful luck with timing on this trip. The train ride was fun. Over the years, more and more special scenery has been added to make the trip more fun... things like the finale scene at Splash Mountain, the flooded town at Big Thunder Mountain, and such.

I hate leaving the Magic Kingdom for the last time. This was an unusual trip, because we usually keep the Magic Kingdom for our last morning. So much for tradition. I always feel so empty (less so this year with all the Food and Fun food in my gullet) when we leave the Magic Kingdom. The last look down Main Street USA, the last view of the castle as we leave, the railroad station as we pass underneath it for the last time....all make me glad that I'm fortunate enough to be able to return year after year. I have so much to be thankful for: My wonderful wife, my wonderful family, my church and our many friends there, my home. I don't know why, but the last day at the Magic Kingdom always makes me think of all those things. Maybe it's a matter of where my Magic Kingdom really is. It's not in Florida or California, it's in the heart. Coming to Walt Disney World is fun because of the great times we always have here...but it's the memories...the fun that I've had here with Barbara and our family and friends that makes this "the happiest place on Earth." Thanks Walt, for the "little family park" you've given us, West coast and East.

After we left the Magic Kingdom, we monorailed back to the Contemporary and rented (with our Food and Fun cards) some water sprites. The regular cost is $30 per hour per boat. We didn't pay a penny (truly not, if you realize that our Food and Fun was more than covering our food expenses). Barb and I tooled around the lake, we saw Wilderness Lodge from the water, then River Country (deserted, we wondered if it was closed due to the cold weather). Then we floated over the water bridge to Seven Seas Lagoon and almost got run over by the Magic Kingdom I (the boat the goes between the Magic Kingdom and the TTC). We continued on to the Polynesian and looked at the building where we stayed, briefly, last Fall. On the way back to the Contemporary marina, I stole a few last glances at the Magic Kingdom. It sure looks small from where I was. As Barb and I floated through the water bridge on the way back, with the Contemporary to our left, we were almost run over by one of the boats that goes to Fort Wilderness from the Magic Kingdom. I didn't even hear the thing, but Barb said he honked at us several times. I just cruised on my way, oblivious to the world...while (as Barb tells the story) an ocean-going-sized ship bore down on my backside. At the last minute, I realized what was going on a pulled over to the right and almost wallowed in the wake of the big ol' mean boat. Then we, carefully looking both ways and front and back as we went, yachted back to the dock.

We caught up with Mike and Stacey back at the Contemporary, then spent a few dollars in the Food and Fun center arcade...hadn't done that in years. Barb put two dollars into the skee ball machine, but it wouldn't work....when the attendant fixed the machine, she had to play eight consecutive games of skee ball...She seemed to be having fun, though. Then, we drove back to the Disney Vacation Club for a late break.

After the break, Mike and Stacey took off and Barb and I went over to the Marketplace for awhile (waited the full twenty minutes for the bus, par for the course this trip). I was looking forward to seeing if there are any new CD's of the music of Walt Disney World. No such luck. The "Official Album of Walt Disney World" still has the same music. About 40% of the selections are for attractions that no longer exist or have been re-imagineered... don't figure. I also checked out the videos, you know "a day at the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT '95, Studios." Same problem...terribly out-of-date.

We strolled the marketplace for quite awhile. Mike and Stacey ended up meeting us there at the character shop, too. I thought about buying a new hardcover Disney book, but nothing grabbed my attention. Barb decided to pick up a Snow White cookie jar and a "how to draw" Mickey and Minnie book...One day to go, and I've yet not found anything I want to purchase.

One thing we will try to avoid in the future is going to the Marketplace at the end of our trip. If you're checking out within the next couple of days, your packages can't be delivered. The pick-up is apparently around noon to 3:00pm depending on the store. If you buy something before that pick-up time, it will arrive at your resort (at the Disney Vacation Club packages are picked up at the Conch Flats General Store) by noon the next day. Otherwise, it will arrive at your resort by noon the following day. Next time we'll remember to shop earlier.

Well, after we shopped, we jumped into the van (Mike and Stacey had brought it over) and drove back to the Disney Vacation Club. We snacked and watch the Michigan Wolverines take on Depaul in Basketball. We considered ordering pizza from the pizza place at Dixie Landings. They deliver to the resorts in the area, but at an exhorbitant cost. It didn't hurt us to skip a meal anyway.

Thursday, 16 November 1995

Today we walked to the bus stop at about 8:00 and headed over to the Studios. It was a relatively slow morning for us, since most of the attractions that we had yet to see didn't open until late. We started by going to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Good special effects, and I still don't know if "Ariel" is singing herself or if it's all recorded. After that, we walked over to the Animation studio, but it wasn't open yet. Not until 11:00am.

Since we knew that the next thing we wanted to see wouldn't start until 10:30, we decided to kill some time. First, we went over to Starring Rolls and had some snacks. The cold milk was excellent, but my mousse wasn't that hot. Tasted like it had been made a couple of days earlier. While we were having our impromptu breakfast, we watched a film crew make a video of a "Toy Story" parade. There was a crew over at the Magic Kingdom filming a commercial yesterday, so we assumed that they were working on a new go-to-Walt Disney World commercial featuring, among other things, the new "Toy Story" parade at the Disney MGM Studios.

After our snack, we shopped for awhile. First the "left" side of Hollywood blvd. (as you look at the Chinese Theater), then the "right" side, then Sunset...we finished up just in time to grab seats for the first show of "Beauty and the Beast" show. Before the show, there was an acappalla quartet called "Four for a Dollar"...they were very, very good. We had a lot of fun listening to them singing classic rock and motown stuff in a fun style. The B&TB show itself was beautiful, if disjointed, but if you know the story, you can navigate through it.

After the show we headed over for SuperStar Television. We got there just at the right time and almost walked right in. The guy that played "Al" in the Home Improvement segment was really good...and the lady they picked for General Hospital was the looser of the bunch. She couldn't even read a cue card...."Not as sorry as you are....(long, lengthy pause)....b...b...Bub." (I think she meant Bob...maybe not.)

As we exited SuperStar, we took a few steps right and walked right into the Monster Sound Show. Fun again, but it's time for a new one, Disney...

After that, it was still a good thirty-five minutes before our lunch reservations, so we went over to MuppetVision 3D. Stacey had said earlier that she wanted to catch this one again, so we tried. The preshow was a blast (we had missed it last time, since we had just walked right in). We realized we were gonna miss our lunch reservations, but we decided to let Disney figure that one out...it turned out to be an absolute non-problem.

Anyway, after the Muppets blew up the theater again, and the old geezers surrendered, we power-walked to the 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. Barb and I had only been here once before, and then only for a quick snack. We really weren't prepared for this...First, our waiter, "Big Brother", decided that my wife, "Sis", wasn't happy. He called "Mom" over and she made Barb and I switch places so I sat in the corner. I threw down my menu as I stood up...big time mistake. From that time on, "Brother" was on my case. "Keep your elbows off the table", etc.

For our meal, Mike, Barb, and I all had shakes (I had a yummy peanut butter and jelly one, Mike had a chocolate chip cheesecake one, Barb stuck with Strawberry. They cost $3.50 ea). As an appetizer, Stacey and I had salads ($2.75 ea). Mike had fried zucchini ($3.25), and Barb had alphabet soup ("don't make any bad words with your soup, Sis") which came about five minutes after everyone else's appetizer, $2.75). For the main course, Barb had a cheeseburger and fries ($10.40), Mike had the shrimp and chicken spectacular ($16.95), Stacey had the Acapulco chicken special ($14.95), and I had the magnificent meatloaf ($12.95). It really wasn't all that magnificent. It seemed to be made up of mostly cereal with a little meat added just so they could call it "meat" loaf. We also had a couple of sides of onion rings brought to our table, but we shouldn't have bothered. Instead of large rings of onions, they were like shredded onion. Still battered and deep fried, but somehow different. All four of us pretty much skipped them.

After I finished my meal, I decided to bait "big Bro" a bit. I took my greenbeans and covered them up with a couple of napkins. It was like turning on a strobe light....he called mom, and she made everyone in our area put out their wings and pretend to fly while she "flew" a green bean into my mouth. NO WAY....I kept my mouth shut tight. I wasn't gonna let these people defeat me. Well, she conceded defeat, but had everyone in the area wag their finger at me and say "shame, shame." So what. Wave your fingers you people...I won my little battle with "Mom."

For dessert, Mike had a hot fudge sundae ($3.50) and the rest of us passed. They wouldn't have let me have any dessert anyway, right? Why bother?

After lunch, we walked over to the animation tour. It was great!...I love this tour, being the Disney fan that I am. Barb really likes it too. One of her dreams is to work as a Disney cel painter someday...maybe after I kick the bucket she can move down to Orlando on my life insurance and give it a try....I just hope she doesn't try to speed up the process. A lot of work seemed to be going on for Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Legend of Mulan was supposed to be the big Florida project, but we didn't see much of that...at least not down on the floor. I seriously doubt that much real work goes on in there anyway....probably people that get stuck there on a rotating basis. The real work, I'm sure, is done away from tourists and cameras.

By this time it was almost 3:00pm, so we headed for the bus and a relatively short afternoon break. At 5:30 we were back in the van headed for the Beach Club Resort. We decided that since our EPCOT '95 activities of the evening were going to be up in the Showcase, that we'd just start at the "back door" international gateway.

We started in France. Stacey did a little shopping for her sister, and we all looked in at the pastry shop and the other stores in the area. Barb picked up a gift for her sister who's watching our house and taking care of our Shetland Sheepdog during our trip. Then we watched "Impressions de France." I love this beautiful film. Barb and I didn't see it last time we were at Walt Disney World...didn't make time for it, so it had been two and a half years since I'd seen it.

After France, we skipped over Morocco (still didn't eat there...maybe, hopefully, next trip), and stopped in Japan to buy a couple of things Barb wanted for her bonsai trees. "The American Adventure" was next. What a wonderful tribute to our nation and the people that founded and built it. If you don't come out of that show feeling patriotic, you must be from a tour group.

Then we did some shopping in Italy ("Brian, we're almost done with our Christmas shopping"..."yeah, but you've been saying that every time you buy something, Barb.") and Germany where Mike and I bought some chocolate...I'm taking his word that German chocolate is good stuff.

LATER: Barb had snuck behind my back and bought me a bar of Mocha chocolate when I was hemming and hawing about buying anything. It turned out to be my favorite bar. The one with hazelnuts was good too, as was the trifle-like one. I really didn't like the marzapan-filled or the nougat-filled ones at all, though.

On the way through Italy, I checked at Alfredo's to see if they would accept our Food and Fun cards for dinner. Nope. I guess we caught Le Chefs just right...I don't know. Anyway, our dinner plans were shot, so we had to slip to plan "B"....BoatWright's Dining Hall at Dixie Landings.

Before we left EPCOT '95, Stacey and Mike went back to the UK to buy a mug that Stacey had admired earlier. Then we walked back to the Beach Club. I got the van and picked everyone up at the door, then we headed for the old South.

We had a thirty-five minute wait at the BoatWright's. Dinner was good, though, as usual...and the service was excellent. During the course of our meal, we had five different people bring us food or beverages of one sort or another. I asked for water with my meal...and got mugs full for everyone, and a carafe more besides. We also got extra carafes of each of the other beverages we ordered. As more items were brought to us, our table became so filled with food and drink that we had to put some items on the floor. At one time the salad bowl, bread basket, water and other beverage carafes and a few other items were down there for safe keeping. I hope they found them when they bussed the table.

For our appetizers, Mike ordered "scallop 'n' oyster night-night", which translates into oysters and scallops wrapped in bacon and deep-fried ($4.95). I had a bowl of crab soup ($3.95) and Barb and Stacey each ordered the chicken vegetable soup ($2.50 ea).

For dinner, Barb and I both ordered New York Strips. I asked for the biggest, thickest steak they had, and I think I got it! ($14.95 ea). Mike ordered fried catfish ($10.95). Stacey had the Louisiana light selection, a stuffed chicken and mushroom dish ($12.95).

Then came dessert. Mike and Stacey both had carrot cake ($2.95 ea), Barb had a fudge brownie ($1.50), and I had pecan pie ($2.95). You might disagree with me on this one, but I thought the pie had far too many pecans in it. There was hardly any of the sweet, gooey stuff that I love so much in a pecan pie. Nuts. Literally. Whew....what a meal, but typical of our gorging on this trip.

Friday and Saturday, 17-18 November 1995

After we packed up the van on Friday morning, we drove over to the Conch Flats general store to buy the last of our trinkets. Then we drove south to 192 and caught US-27 north to the Florida Turnpike. Near the intersection of the turnpike and I-75, we stopped in a small town (I think it was Wildwood) to visit the Russell Stover candy outlet store. It was great! we stockpiled candy, bought some Christmas gifts for the people that have everything...and checked out the free samples.

Other than that, the drive back home was uneventful. We stopped halfway back to Michigan in Sweetwater, Tennessee and had dinner at the local Pizza Hut. We stayed at the Sweetwater Inn. It was the most inexpensive place to stay in Sweetwater, and it wasn't bad, but the indoor pool was tiny. Worse, it was located away from the rooms so you had to walk outside to swim. We chose to skip it. We had lunch at Wendy's both days (the first day by choice, the second because there was nothing better and we were all hungry.)

We arrived back at my Mom and Dad's house in Clinton Township at about 3:30pm. We rearranged our luggage between Mike and Stacey's car and the van, then they loaded up the girls and were off to snowy Saginaw. Barb and I ended up hanging around with Mom and Dad, talking about the trip, staying for dinner, and (the true hallmark of a Disney nut) making plans for our trip with them to Walt Disney World next October (We leave on October 10, 1996....I can't wait!!!!).

Food and Fun Summary

The following is a summary of the use of our Food and Fun program. For those meals where I didn't have exact prices due to the nature of the restaurant (i.e. 1900 Park Faire's buffet-style, or Whispering Canyon's lazy-Susan) I used actual prices for the meals, but estimated beverages at $1.75 for softdrinks and $2.50 for "fancy" ice cream drinks.

Brian
Total Food = 403.66
+ Bike Rental = 0.00
+ Boat Rental = 30.00
Grand Total = 433.66
Food 'n Fun Cost = 329.00
Balance in Our Favor = 104.66

Barbara
Total Food = 362.09
+ Bike Rental = 0.00
+ Boat Rental = 30.00
Grand Total = 392.09
Food 'n Fun Cost = 329.00
Balance in Our Favor = 63.09

Mike
Total Food = 438.20
+ Bike Rental = 3.00
+ Boat Rental = 60.00
Grand Total = 501.20
Food 'n Fun Cost = 329.00
Balance in Our Favor = 172.20

Stacey
Total Food = 320.11
+ Bike Rental = 3.00
+ Boat Rental = 60.00
Grand Total = 383.11
Food 'n Fun Cost = 329.00
Balance in Our Favor = 54.11

This pretty much shows what we already knew! Mike, with his San Francisco native's taste for seafood won the dollar derby and Stacey pulled up in fourth. Surprisingly, this also shows that the program paid for itself. This is a bit misleading, because we really wouldn't have ordered appetizers and fancy beverages and deserts nearly as often if we were paying for each item each meal. Also, it's not likely that Mike and Stacey would have gone boating as often as they did without the "free" cards.

The benefits of the program are clearly in the ease-of-mind that you feel as you sit down to your meals. You don't contemplate the bank account, you just order what you want. We would have been much more stressed-out at meal times if we hadn't purchased this program.

Major discoveries:

Food and Fun...this is not a way to reduce cost, but it does reduce stress. I really feel that we would never have ordered as much food as we did if we hadn't had the coupons, so the "savings" is somewhat fictitious (kind of like a government budget cut "saving money"...ha ha ha). The major advantage with Food and Fun is that you can prepay a fixed amount of money and NOT WORRY about what you order. On our next trip, we are planning to purchase Food and Fun for half of the time we are at WDW. We're planning to spread the coupons over the whole trip. That way, we'll have one large meal a day, instead of two...and reduce our overall cost. As long as the Food and Fun program is set up the way it is now (coupon books with about a three month expiration date) this will work well.
Chefs de France is an excellent restaurant with top notch service. I had avoided this restaurant for years because I perceived it as being very, very expensive. As it turns out, it really isn't much more expensive than many of the other restaurants in EPCOT and the rest of WDW. We were fortunate enough to be able to have dinner at Chefs de France on our Food and Fun cards (although the restaurant wasn't on our dinner list) but I wouldn't hesitate to go here again, even if I was paying cash.
Mitsukoshi restaurant in the Japan pavilion was a fun experience, but the food was rather plain. The atmosphere of having our food cooked right in front of us, and the unusual vegetables, beverages, and deserts made the meal very enjoyable, though. We'll definately go back.
Hollywood Brown Derby was yet another excellent meal. The food was very, very good and the service was among the best we've ever had at a WDW restaurant. Next time, I'll leave more room for the grapefruit cake and I'll probably pass on the Cobb salad.
50's Prime Time Cafe was a place we'd been to before, but only for an afternoon snack. I really think that our server, "brother", and "Mom" laid things on a bit too thick, but I had some of it coming (especially the napkin over the green beans thing....really dumb on my part). Interesting place, but fun due to the atmosphere much more than the food.
Whispering Canyan Cafe was a disappointment. We'd heard so many good recommendations about this place that we were primed for it. We went on our first night and found a two-hour wait for dinner and went elsewhere. When we finally did eat there, for lunch, the atmosphere wasn't at all what I had heard about. Also, the food was disappointing. Maybe it was just lunch versus dinner, but I can't recommend this place as heartily as so many others have. We'll go again next year with Mom and Dad (who absolutely loved Whispering Canyon) and hopefully we'll see that we were mistaken.
Alien Encounters is a fun, new attraction. We were only able to visit it once, but the effects are great!
Time Keeper is a Robin Williams special. Williams holds back a bit on this one, but the overall attraction and the way it is presented is a tremendous improvement over a "typical" circlevision presentation.
The Living Seas has been at EPCOT for years, but I've never spent enough time to really check this place out until this trip. On previous trips we had seen the movie, ridden the ride, and high-tailed it to something more exciting (Barb always lobbied for more time, but I never was that interested). Now, I'm looking forward to next year, going back to the Living Seas, and spending some more time in Sea Base Alpha.
Sorcery in the Sky is a good fireworks display, but nothing to compare to Fantasmic or Illuminations.
The Water Sprites that we rented at the Contemporary Resort were a blast. However, we found that the older boats from that resort were alot slower than the boats from the other resorts. Next time we'll go to the Grand Floridian or Polynesian to rent our boats. Oh, and the Contemporary has a parasailing rental that Barb wants to try next trip. They only take people out in the early morning (7:30-9:00, as I recall) and it's very limited seating...but a single Fun card covers the cost. We'll see if Barb really wants to wake up early enough to go.
Shop at the Marketplace more than two days before you check out of your Disney Resort Hotel. That way you can be assured that you're puchases can be delivered to your resort.

Brian Bennett

brian@mouseplanet.com