Trip Reports
03-01-2006, 08:49 AM
Time of Year: Holiday Season
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Fort Wilderness Campground
Accommodations: Fort Wilderness Home
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult, Senior
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent
Comments: Linda Tomsho and her husband, three kids, and mother all visited WDW in early December. Very interesting narrative. Linda and her family were struck with illness during the trip, which dampened things.
The Players: Myself (37 y/o writer/medical language specialist), husband Matt (38 y/o computer consultant), Alex (12 y/o son), Nicholas (9.5 y/o son), and Danica (6 y/o daughter) plus my Mom (59 y/o grandma of above mentioned kids).
I decided to get the flu early this year-just before Thanksgiving and in time for our first WDW trip in 7 years. Hoped I would feel better by Saturday, but didn't. Weather was cold, dark and windy with freezing rain on the day of departure. The plane ride was very crowded and turbulent, and with my resp. infection it felt like someone was sticking knives in my ears. Fortunately, it's just a 2 hr flight. Kids loved it, as they had never been on a plane before.
Day 0 Saturday 11/30
Arrived in Orlando about 8 pm, 68 degrees. Airport staff brought our bags down to National's check-in, but we were on our own lugging all that out to the garage where the cars are kept. We were pretty sweaty, sore, and cranky by the time we finally found the minivan. We had no trouble at all navigating the new road and were even able to watch the fireworks above the trees as we approached WDW.
As we were unable to extend our stay a day early, we had reserved an off-site hotel for our first night. We stayed at the Quality Suites Maingate East on 192 for $69 for a 2BR suite with full kitchen. It was a clean, spacious, reasonably nice room. I don't know if I'd want to spend a week in it, though, but it wasn't bad. They had a lovely courtyard in the middle of the hotel with a nice pool.
Once settled, we went out for dinner to the Macaroni Grill based on recommendations from radp and were definitely not disappointed. It was just a hop skip & jump from our hotel. The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. Mom ordered a bowl of soup for $2.50 and got something the size of a punch bowl. We shared calamari, pizza with a variety of cheeses, pignoli, and herbs, salads, etc. Two of the kids got kids' pizzas. Total bill for the 6 of us was around $36.00, which was probably the cheapest restaurant meal we had on our entire trip.
We were ready to drop from exhaustion at that point and returned to Quality Suites. The kids decided it was time to go swimming, but none of the adults had the strength to go down and supervise, so we all went to bed. I took a bunch of Tylenol to try to bring down my fever.
Day 1 Sunday 12/01
Got up in time for free poolside breakfast provided by hotel. This was basically just cold cereal, donuts, bagels, etc. which was fine, as we're not usually big breakfast eaters. These were distributed by a surly bartender who obviously did not appreciate being put on the Raisin Bran detail. We checked out and found that we had been incorrectly charged for something, and it was taken off the total without an argument. I purchased tickets for Gatorland from their Guest Services person, who lowered the price by $1 per ticket when I told her I could get them cheaper elsewhere.
Gatorland was a hoot. A little expensive for what you get, but the kids loved it. This was where we found out that my daughter had removed our camera from the bag and neglected to put it back in, so we had no camera for our trip. No problem, Mom had hers on loan from my dad, who is a professional photographer. Anyway, the highlight was the Gator Jumparoo show, where a brave gentleman hangs out whole chickens on a metal clothesline and induces the gators to jump out of the water for them. The boys were beside themselves. The gators seemed to prefer jumping for the leg quarters that he held in his hand, no doubt hoping he would bend down a little closer... The Snakes of Florida show was interesting and educational.
We left for Disney Marketplace at about 12:30. It was extremely crowded, as we should have guessed with it being Thanksgiving Sunday, so it was not easy to do any shopping. We headed for Rainforest Cafe with our first-available-seating coupons so kindly provided by the Warners (thanks again, Michele). We presented our coupons and were ushered to the front of the line (to withering stares from those in line) and given a seating time in 15 minutes-longer because of a party of 6. It seems that the priority seating system does not work well with groups of larger than 4. Of course, they "lost" us, and when we returned after half an hour, they apologized and seated us immediately. It wasn't a problem, as there was plenty to see and do- a bird demonstration, a huge aquarium, etc.
We were seated in the Gorilla Room. Everything was cool until the first "thunderstorm" when Danica freaked out. She's at the age where they get these weird irrational fears, which is a definite disadvantage at WDW, which you will notice in the upcoming narrative. She was screaming and hiding during the storms and couldn't wait to leave. The food was very good. Service was polite and pleasant but *very* slow. We started with Quesadillas (which were just OK) and waffle fries which were crispy and hot, especially good with remoulade sauce. Mom and I had Chinese Chicken salad, which was good with huge portions (took half of it home). Matt really liked his Rasta Pasta, which was like a bowtie fettucini Alfredo with a kick to it, some red bell peppers, etc. Alex had Mojo Bones (ribs), Nick had pizza, and Danica had the hot dogs (which were shamefully overpriced for 2 mini dogs with some chips). They all liked the food very much. Desserts were fabulous- Gorillas in the Mist banana cheesecake with chocolate and coconut bread pudding to die for. Total for the 6 of us was about $77.00. I can understand the negative comments I've seen about RFC on radp-too noisy, too dark, etc-but we just enjoyed it as part of the atmosphere.
We decided to give up on shopping and head for Ft Wilderness for check-in. The check-in process was slow, as it was very crowded. The homes looked a lot older and more run down than I remembered. We had originally planned to go to the campfire program and then watch the Water Pageant, but it began to pour. The kids fell asleep at 6:30 and slept all night long. The adults picked at our RFC leftovers, watched a little TV, and planned the assault on the parks the next day. I took more Tylenol and ran over to the trading post for some more Hall's.
Day 2 Mon 12/02
We woke up at the crack of dawn to get to MK for Early Entry. Danica started sniffling and complaining of a sore throat, not a good omen. We ate a quick breakfast of cereal and rolls in the room, then drove to the TTC lot to find it quite crowded already. The turnstiles were pretty bottlenecked even at 7:45. We hit Space Mountain first (big mistake) and had a 15 minute wait. Then we headed for Fantasyland, as Danica was jonesing for Dumbo in a big way. The wait at 8:15 was 45 minutes! This was a big shock for us. I know it's been a while, but on our previous trips, always in the 1st wk of Dec, there were minimal to no lines, never more than a 15 minute wait for *any* ride at *any* time of day. Was it the 25th anniversary? Or was it because it was Thanksgiving Monday?
Anyway, we waited for Dumbo because we knew it wouldn't get any better. Matt took the boys on AE with a 10 min wait. The boys had the bejeesus scared out of them but much later expressed the desire to do it again. Matt laughed through it, but then he's a pretty strange guy. While waiting for us to exit Dumbo, they also rode Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, and the Carousel. At this point, Mom found that the fancy camera Dad lent her would not work. She went off to have it checked out, and Danica and I went on Small World *3* times in a row (no wait, boats half empty)!!! No wonder I was gibbering by lunchtime. It became her favorite ride of all, and I was stuck with that song looping through my head for the rest of the week.
I needed to do The Toad after that, so Matt and I went on. Alex declined, saying (cover your ears, JT) it was lame. We simply sniffed at him and felt secure in our superior taste. Kids today are too jaded. As we passed "Rapunzel," I shouted, "Look, it's the naked lady!" Matt nearly snapped his neck off, but he did see her too. We did the rest of Fantasyland (although Danica was scared of all the "dark rides"), fighting dreadful crowds then headed for our 11:30 lunch seating at Crystal Palace.
The buffet was very good, and in my opinion, not unreasonably priced for a character lunch with the MKC discount. The characters were very attentive and funny. The hot food portion of the buffet was some pretty pedestrian stuff, but the cold foods were superb. Too many good things to mention, but if you go, don't miss the grilled marinated veggies, which were to die for. The dessert bar was incredible with waffle cones, choc/vanilla ice cream, lots of different toppings, cookies, cakes, etc. (drool)
At this point, we had had enough of the oppressive crowds and headed for our room (FWH). As it was not too cold, we decided to go to River Country. This turned out to be one of our best decisions of the week. We stayed all afternoon. The kids had a fabulous time, even swimming in the cold, cold lake for hours.
We headed back to the room and changed, rested for a little, and left for Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth (no line), Horizons (no line), and visited Innoventions. Nick and Danica, my little cyberheads, were in heaven and it was near-impossible to pry them out of there. My computer-guy husband and I had some neat conversations with some of the CMs there.
We strolled through World Showcase to Marrakesh and were seated immediately. I especially love the decor there. Our waiter was a disaster. He was very, very painfully slow and screwed up most of our order, and then we had to go beg the maitre d' for the check so we could get out of there to see Illuminations. He was really having some trouble with English, so perhaps he was new. Matt and I had the Feast for Two, which was excellent but overpriced. The kids had the chicken brochettes from the kids menu, which were delicious. Mom was not feeling up to a big meal and just had soup and coffee. The belly dancer was excellent, as were the musicians.
We watched Illuminations from near Mexico. The show was lovely, but we knew we couldn't see everything and planned to come back later in the week and watch from the other side of the lake. We took our time and enjoyed the (relative) quiet and emptiness as we left.
Before crashing, we made a run to Goodings. Augh! Prices were unbelievable, but still cheaper than eating breakfast in the park.
Day 3 Tues 12/03
Again got up early for EE at Epcot, although we had a very different experience. Crowds were reasonable, minimal lines. We walked onto Spaceship Earth and Horizons again with a 5 minute wait for HISTA. We all loved it with the exception of Danica, who was scared witless and announced that she was not going to any more of those 3-D things. Again, crowds were quite manageable, quite a different experience from the previous day at MK. UofE was much, much better than before. Although Ellen and Bill may or may not be your cup of tea, anything would be better than that dry-as-dust Exxon commercial that always left me praying to be put out of my misery. We, for our part, really liked the new show.
Lunch at San Angel Inn, wait less than 5 minutes with Priority seating. It is so beautiful with the night sky and the volcano with the mariachi band playing in the marketplace. If you close your eyes, you can fantasize that it's all real. Anyway, my only complaint is that it's so dark you can't see the menu or the food. This is one of our favorite restaurants, however, and the food was very, very tasty. Matt, Mom, and I had Tacos al Carbon (?) with refried beans and rice with their incredible flan for dessert. The kids had typical Mexican kids meal stuff, tacos, etc.
At this point, we left Epcot and returned to the trailer, rested, and headed for MK, leaving the minivan behind and using Disney transport. We saw the 3 pm parade (OK, but not really impressed) and rode a bunch of stuff we missed-Swiss Family Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, PotC, Splash Mountain, etc. We found a nice spot by the Pecos Bill Cafe to watch SpectroMagic. The kids had an extended conversation with the parrot outside PotC. Then we watched the fireworks from the Adventureland side of the Castle.
We took our time leaving, as the park had become very crowded and they all seemed to be leaving at once. We stopped at Casey's on Main Street to sit and have drinks and people-watch. When things were a little less crowded, we took the resort monorail to the Poly for an 8:30 dinner at Ohana. There was actually a line for the penny press machines there. We were seated immediately. The staff there is extremely gracious and welcoming. This was one of our best meal experiences of the whole trip. The food was incredible, although a little heavy on the meat for me. Skewers laden with huge shrimp, chicken legs, turkey, beef filet, and sausages were supplemented with several delicious salads, potsticker dumplings, and dipping sauces. Dessert was an unlikely combination of fresh pineapple wedges with caramel sauce which was actually exquisite. The strolling entertainer was a howl, getting people up and moving and dancing and laughing. At one point, he asked who was here on their honeymoon, and one couple raised their hand. He asked them to come up, and they declined. He humorously insisted, and it turned out the bride was very, very pregnant. You could see him blush, even in the darkened room! Anyway, we had a great time.
We walked on the beach at the Poly after dinner, then took the monorail to the TTC and then the bus back to FWH. All in all, it took only about 25 minutes! Good timing, I guess. Went to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Day 4 Wed 12/04
Early Entry at MGM-another very bad experience with EE. Crowds were horrible. ToT wait was about 30 minutes even with EE. The ride itself was great, but seemed very short. When it ended, we looked at each other and said "That was it?" The CMs were great, though, never broke out of character. One in particular was so deliciously grim. As he shut us into our car, he said "Thank you for staying with us. Goodbye." in a sepulchral voice. I really enjoyed the detail of the queue area with the cracked stucco and empty lily pond, etc. The ambiance was impeccable.
On to the Great Movie Ride. Looked like no line but actually ended up being about 15 minutes. The kids really enjoyed it and actually recognized a lot of the old films since Matt and I are such film buffs. The kids also *loved* the Monster Sound Show and wanted to spend a lot more time in the aftershow part, but we had to move on. We saw the Little Mermaid Show (which Danica was afraid of but did enjoy by the end) and did some character meet&greets. Then we headed for an early lunch at Pizza Planet. The kids were a little disappointed, and I didn't feel that Disney's heart was really in the planning of this attraction/restaurant. There were a lot of details from the movie that could have been incorporated but weren't, but the delivery truck out front was a nice touch, with Buzz strapped in to the front seat. Buzz and Woody were inside, but it was very crowded. The pizza was quite good and more than enough for one. The feeling I got was that Pizza Planet was an afterthought and will disappear as soon as the video sales start to drop.
After lunch we saw Muppets (Danica protesting about not wanting to see any more 3-D but liking it anyway) and did Star Tours, one of our favorites. We then found a spot atop a wall for the parade and had some slushies and popcorn while waiting. Preteen sons were hungry constantly throughout this trip! As the parade was beginning, a very rude man with a camcorder jumped up on the wall next to me, elbowing us out of the way, poking me in the side with his camera bag and stepping on my sandaled feet (yes, he was an American) in order to get a better shot. When I politely asked him to stop, I heard some words that my kids would get soap in their mouths for, and he moved to another spot and began to torture the people there. (We encountered a lot of very rude people on this trip, but none of them were foreigners except for some Asian folks who were in such a hurry to get somewhere that they would mow you down if you were in their way.)
I was so completely frazzled at this point that I just had to get out of MGM, so we went back to FWH and rested. Mom and I took the kids to Discovery Island while Matt made business phone calls and joined us later. The kids loved the bird show and reptile show. I liked the "infirmary" with the lizard x-rays, operating room, etc. It was peaceful and relaxing, a perfect antidote to a day spent shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of people.
We returned to the trailer and changed for dinner at Cape May, where we were meeting Barb (gardenia) and Melanie and her girls for dinner. Barb was not hard to spot, as you know if you read her posts. We had never dined at Cape May before, and it was wonderful, especially the company. Barb, I'm waiting to see the photos you took! After dinner, we walked around the Beach Club then took the boat over to the Boardwalk and then to the International Gateway. There we met Lisa Harris, waving her little flag, and went on to watch Illuminations from the "down-the-stairs" spot near the Rose and Crown under the bridge that Barb mentioned in her recent post, although we found it quite by accident. It turned out to be a superb spot, and we could see everything. Matt and I both maintain that the show was a little different and much better on the second viewing on Wednesday night.
We walked via the International Gateway to the Beach Club parking lot and drove back to FWH in an incredibly short time. Another run to Goodings for more milk and orange juice (and Halls). At this point, two of the kids were ill and Matt was starting to come down with it.
Day 5 - Thurs 12/05
Back to MGM today to see what it's like without EE. Started at Soundstage CB which was our favorite CB ever. The food was fabu! Jafar's home fries were very tasty, and Abu's blintzes were great, too (and as Aladdin assured us, untouched by human hands!). Characters were Aladdin, Genie, Quasi, Esmeralda, Meeko (who seems to be everywhere), and Clopin. All the characters were very attentive and in rare form. Then off to Star Tours, more ToT, and the shows we missed yesterday. The pre-show lady at the Indy show was absolutely side-splitting. The crowds were much, much less today, however, there were also many more foreign tourists in groups and individually-just an interesting note. I actually got trampled to the ground by an Asian fellow who was pursuing the Toy Story parade with camera at the ready.
After the animation tour, we stopped for snacks at SciFi. I know a lot of other radpers hate it, but it was one of my favorite meals at WDW. We *love* those movies and could identify every one within 5 seconds. Our server, Brent, was wonderful, honoring special requests and (when he found out that Matt is involved in web site design) even giving us his email address and asking for our URL for our cult films page, as he is an aspiring web designer. Anyway, the nacho platter was yummy, and the desserts were great, albeit somewhat overpriced. However, we considered it as much an attraction as a restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I just wish we had been there for the roller skates and popcorn.
Alas, during the afternoon Danica left her autograph book and pen in a rest room, and by the time we returned 5 min later it was gone. She was heartbroken, as she had many, many autographs and some from hard-to-get characters. We asked a vendor outside the restroom if anyone had turned it in to her, and she advised us to come back in an hour. At that time, no one had turned it in, and she gave Danica a new book at no charge. It was very sweet of her, but the autographs were irreplacible, this being our next to last day at WDW.
Anyway, we got a lot more done today at MGM than we did on the previous EE day. Despite all the testimonials to the contrary, our experiences with EE were disastrous at MK and MGM. Epcot EE, however, was worthwhile. As we prepared to leave, I checked MGM lost and found for the autograph book, to no avail. We stopped at Crossroads of the World just inside the entry gate to buy a new pen, where a delightful young gentleman named Chris listened to our sad story about the lost book. He asked us to wait there for 5 minutes and ran off. When he returned, he presented us with a large envelope. Inside were 8x10 color pix of Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Jafar, and Minnie Mouse (Dani's favorite of all characters), autographed by each of the characters. Chris explained that he went backstage and rounded up all the characters he could find and explained our situation, so they very graciously sent the beautiful autographed photos. Dani was thrilled, and I was nearly in tears. To me, Chris personified the Disney spirit, and is another example of why folks return to Disney time after time instead of going elsewhere. Yes, I did write a glowing, detailed letter to MGM Guest Services upon our return, and I hope he has been rewarded.
At this point, we hauled *** back to FW for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue as it began to pour down rain. Fortunately, we had the car! The show was nearly identical to what I remember last time, but corny and fun. Danica howled at all the funny parts, and even my very jaded sons grudgingly admitted that there were parts they found quite amusing. Mom loved it as well.
We returned to our FWH after the show. Everyone was tired, and Matt and I hoped to sneak out and go on the hay ride and see the water pageant alone. Of course, this was not possible, as Alex sensed we were about to be alone together and could not allow this to happen. So he tagged along. The hay wagon is bigger than it used to be. Chris, the driver, is a real cool lady. All the passengers were from PA or New England. We rode, jingling all the way and singing carols, through the darkened loops, into the woods and to a deserted beach. There we watched the water pageant and then the MVMCP fireworks-breathtaking. I still love the water pageant, but please bring back Handel. When it was over, we lay back in the sand on the dark FW beach and looked out over the water.
Day 6 -- Friday, 12/06
A very, very long day. Too long perhaps, for a sick woman and her sick husband, tired mother, and 2 out of 3 sick kids. Perhaps that is why we didn't seem to enjoy things as much. We ate breakfast in the room and headed to MK for Dumbo-or-die at rope drop. It was very crowded for non-EE, which we are now avoiding like the plague. Mom, Danica, and I hauled booty over to Dumbo and actually made it into the second load. The look of sheer delight on Dani's face was worth all the indignity. Matt and the boys did SM twice and Big Thunder. We hung out and got wet at Ariel's Grotto and did the ex-20K Leagues character meeting area (gotta get back some of those autographs!). And of course, we did Small World a couple more times, as my sanity could not be damaged any further at this point. Rode Mr. Toad again but could not get anything but the MacBadger car! Complained to CMs, but they simply looked at me blankly. Rode Peter Pan again, which still rules. Then we walked toward Adventureland and did Jungle Cruise and Pirates again.
Lunch at Columbia Harbor House was quite good. Matt and I had the clam chowder in the bread bowl, which we liked a lot. Mom had a huge pasta salad with seafood thingies in it. Kids had chicken tenders, which they liked also. It's a nice place, not fancy, and not bad quality.
We rode the train all the way around, just to say we did it. Checked out Toontown but didn't stay long. Boys were not interested and all 3 wanted to do Tom Sawyer's Island. What a disappointment! On previous visits, it was a lot better kept. The only functioning rest room was disgusting, stinking of urine, with water and god-knows-what on the floor, all the toilets used but not flushed. It had rained heavily overnight, and the walkways were covered in places with wet leaves. Guess how I remembered that? I slipped on one of those patches and fell down a staircase. No serious injuries, but minus a few ounces of skin off one elbow and knee and a bump on the head. And I do agree that the caves smell like pee, although I think it's probably animal pee rather than human. I couldn't wait to get back to the mainland. While waiting on the landing for the raft to go back, a teenage boy was rocking one of the rocking chairs so hard that it tipped over backward, ejecting him headfirst into the wall. There was actually some blood, and I bet his lump was bigger than mine. His friends got a good laugh out of it. Not a good day for Tom Sawyer's Island.
We took this as a sign, and headed for Epcot. Got to "drive" the monorail. The boys asked the driver many "intelligent" questions- Have you every hit one of those seagulls that sit on the track? (no) What would happen to you if you touched one of those rails (zzzt!) and Do you really drive this thing or is it automatic? (sort of yes, sort of no).
We revisited some of our favorites at Future World and spent the rest of the time touring World Showcase. The Chinese acrobats were amazing. Tried to do Maelstrom before dinner at Akershus but line was 40 minutes! We had mixed reactions to Akershus. The restaurant itself was beautiful. Our server was named Ronald and another was Mary. I was really hoping for something more on the order of Sven or something. Anyway, we arrived for a 5:30 seating and contrary to other reports, we were *not* charged the lunch price and paid the full dinner price. Food reviews-Mom was not impressed (but then, she seldom is). Matt liked it quite a bit, but felt it was too expensive. Alex loved it- his favorite of all our meals this week. Nick liked it also. Danica would not eat one single thing on the entire buffet-I had counted on the mac & cheese, but it didn't look orange enough, I guess. So we had to order her spaghetti. I was disappointed in the food. I liked the cold shrimp and the gravlax (but missed the shots of Absolut to wash it down!), but the rest of it I felt was pretty bland and uninteresting.
We decided to ride Maelstrom after dinner - big mistake. Looked like no line, so we went in to find a 20 minute wait with no ventilation. It was very hot and stuffy, and I was feeling really sick by the time we got on the boat, especially to hear at the end from my son, "Was that it?"
We then headed for MVMCP via monorail. I don't know if things have changed that much, or if it's a 25th Anniversary thing, or what, but it was much, much more crowded than the other 2 times we went. It was hard to believe this was only supposed to be 20,000 people. There seemed to be that many on Main St alone. We got our picture, rode SM with about a 10 minute line, less than 10 min for Dumbo, <20 min for Splash Mountain. Watched fireworks from Adventureland bridge. We were pretty tired, so we then took our positions for the 11:30 parade. In previous years, by 11:30 things were emptying out, but not this time. I simply could not believe how incredibly crowded it was after the second parade! As the kids were falling asleep and we adults had some serious foot-pain action going on, we took the launch back to Ft Wilderness, which was probably the nicest part of the entire day.
Day 7 -- Sat 12/07
We woke up just 5 hours after going to bed, as we had check-out and a CB at the Wilderness Lodge at 8:15. We were moving kinda slow, so we decided to have breakfast first and then finish checking out. It was pouring rain all morning long, so we weren't able to really visit the grounds at WL. Despite Priority Seating, we waited half an hour for our table. This was our least favorite character meal. The server was rather aloof and inattentive. The characters were very entertaining, especially Meeko, of course. The food, however, I felt left something to be desired. It was just ok, nothing special. They brought a big plate of stuff and some really bad muffins with a slimy coating. When the server was asked for more of a certain item (not just our server, but others were doing this, too), they would bring a minuscule quantity, and you felt like a pig if you asked again. I thought the much-maligned wheat pancakes were pretty good, but everything else was pretty average and quite expensive. The lobby was beautifully decorated, but we weren't able to see much outside due to the very heavy rains.
We returned to our trailer, checked out, and headed out for International Drive, as we had a few hours to kill before our flight. We visited Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, which was definitely worth the visit, especially for a family with preteen boys. Mom and Danica were not interested and found another place to go, where they read storybooks and colored for an hour. Museum admission was $10, but we had coupons for 1.50 each. The boys were fascinated. It really was fun and interesting.
We then headed over to Disney Marketplace to get all the shopping out of our systems. We bought some Christmas gifts and some stuff for ourselves. Danica got her coveted Cinderella bride outfit. And mommy was happy because she got the 10% MKC discount. We went to Planet Hollywood for an early dinner at 3:00 to find it was *very* crowded- 45 minute wait! When I informed the host that this could not be, as I had been told that if you go at off times, there will be no wait, he simply shrugged and told me that it was because of the rain. So we waited anyway, as we had nothing else to do, and checked out all the cool stuff hanging on the walls.
One thing I really hated about RFC and PH (perhaps all the PI restaurants) was the rest room attendants. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why they have to station someone in there to put the soap on your hand and hand you a paper towel (they try not to let you do it yourself), and then you feel obligated to give them money. With 3 kids and a husband not known for his large bladder capacity, they'll be in and out of the restrooms several times in the course of a 2 hour dinner, and I don't feel like dinner should end up costing an extra $5 or more because we visited the bathroom. There, now I feel better. Sorry.
Anyway, the food at PH was a pleasant surprise, as so many people seem to think it's bad and overpriced. Matt and I had Cajun Chicken sandwiches which were excellent with truly superlative fries-their praises were not exaggerated. The kids had pizzas. Mom had a pasta primavera, which she said was good. We skipped dessert, as we were in a hurry to get to the airport, but later regretted it. This was a very, very noisy place, as we had been warned, but like Hard Rock, it's part of the nature of the place, and we expected it.
Anyway, the rest is anticlimactic. No problem returning car, changing into winter clothing again, and catching flight(s) back home. Major ear pain again for most of us due to URIs. Arrived home late Saturday night. I put on my Mickey PJs and closed my eyes, pretending I had never left WDW. I rolled over and cuddled up to my husband and whispered "Hey, Honey, how about the Poly in Jan. '98?" He pretended not to hear me.
Conclusions and Observations in Retrospect
I don't think we will rent a car next time. It was a lot of money for a car big enough for 5 of us. We didn't really save a lot of time, and we enjoyed it more when we took Disney transportation. Maybe if we want to do anything off site, we can rent a car just for a weekend.
I think we have outgrown Ft Wilderness and will stay somewhere else next time. It was perfect when the boys were little, our touring pace was more relaxed, and it was nice to be able to spread out and not have to worry about noise bothering the people in the next room. However, now they are older and more interested in getting maximum park time. Now our priority would be a fabu pool/beach area and proximity, so we will either stay at the Y&B or Poly.
Now that the kids are a little older, we will try more of the "grown-up" type restaurants next time.
The castle looks cheap and ugly and just too damn pink. I don't care if 80% of the people surveyed liked it, it just looked cheap and crappy to me, compared to its majestic beauty without all that ugly pink paint and balloons.
We noted many more foreign visitors on this trip than we had on previous ones, although there were far more Asians than South Americans. All of the groups we saw, however, were well mannered. There were a few rude nasty people, all of whom were Americans-including the woman who my son bumped accidentally, and when he apologized she told him she would break his legs if he ever did it again. Sigh. Have a Disney Day, Ma'am.
I would love to see a casting session for Jungle Cruise tour guides...
The awesome pre-Columbian artifacts on display at the Epcot Mexican Pavilion should not be missed.
Taking boat rides between the resorts and parks is one of the nicest experiences you can have at WDW. Ranks up there with the attractions for me.
I don't think it's worth it to drive out to Goodings or any other market to buy breakfast foods. When you count your time and trouble, a refillable mug for your morning caffeine and a muffin or bagel from the snack bar is probably worth a little extra money.
No radp'er should visit WDW without hooking up with someone else in the group who is a resident or will be visiting at the same time. It really makes for some special memories! (Thank you, gardenia and Melanie)
Cape May key lime cheesecake is really good, even if it *does* have green stuff on top.
If you want to be picked by the belly dancer at Marrakesh to dance with her, sit at one of the tables in the corner along the wall closest to the kitchen.
I will never, ever do early entry again for MK or MGM. However, I will admit that it is possible that our week was exceptionally bad, being the week after TG weekend as well as during the 25th. Epcot EE was fine, though.
A Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for listening.
Linda
Wannabe Discovery Island Talent Coordinator
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Fort Wilderness Campground
Accommodations: Fort Wilderness Home
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult, Senior
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent
Comments: Linda Tomsho and her husband, three kids, and mother all visited WDW in early December. Very interesting narrative. Linda and her family were struck with illness during the trip, which dampened things.
The Players: Myself (37 y/o writer/medical language specialist), husband Matt (38 y/o computer consultant), Alex (12 y/o son), Nicholas (9.5 y/o son), and Danica (6 y/o daughter) plus my Mom (59 y/o grandma of above mentioned kids).
I decided to get the flu early this year-just before Thanksgiving and in time for our first WDW trip in 7 years. Hoped I would feel better by Saturday, but didn't. Weather was cold, dark and windy with freezing rain on the day of departure. The plane ride was very crowded and turbulent, and with my resp. infection it felt like someone was sticking knives in my ears. Fortunately, it's just a 2 hr flight. Kids loved it, as they had never been on a plane before.
Day 0 Saturday 11/30
Arrived in Orlando about 8 pm, 68 degrees. Airport staff brought our bags down to National's check-in, but we were on our own lugging all that out to the garage where the cars are kept. We were pretty sweaty, sore, and cranky by the time we finally found the minivan. We had no trouble at all navigating the new road and were even able to watch the fireworks above the trees as we approached WDW.
As we were unable to extend our stay a day early, we had reserved an off-site hotel for our first night. We stayed at the Quality Suites Maingate East on 192 for $69 for a 2BR suite with full kitchen. It was a clean, spacious, reasonably nice room. I don't know if I'd want to spend a week in it, though, but it wasn't bad. They had a lovely courtyard in the middle of the hotel with a nice pool.
Once settled, we went out for dinner to the Macaroni Grill based on recommendations from radp and were definitely not disappointed. It was just a hop skip & jump from our hotel. The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. Mom ordered a bowl of soup for $2.50 and got something the size of a punch bowl. We shared calamari, pizza with a variety of cheeses, pignoli, and herbs, salads, etc. Two of the kids got kids' pizzas. Total bill for the 6 of us was around $36.00, which was probably the cheapest restaurant meal we had on our entire trip.
We were ready to drop from exhaustion at that point and returned to Quality Suites. The kids decided it was time to go swimming, but none of the adults had the strength to go down and supervise, so we all went to bed. I took a bunch of Tylenol to try to bring down my fever.
Day 1 Sunday 12/01
Got up in time for free poolside breakfast provided by hotel. This was basically just cold cereal, donuts, bagels, etc. which was fine, as we're not usually big breakfast eaters. These were distributed by a surly bartender who obviously did not appreciate being put on the Raisin Bran detail. We checked out and found that we had been incorrectly charged for something, and it was taken off the total without an argument. I purchased tickets for Gatorland from their Guest Services person, who lowered the price by $1 per ticket when I told her I could get them cheaper elsewhere.
Gatorland was a hoot. A little expensive for what you get, but the kids loved it. This was where we found out that my daughter had removed our camera from the bag and neglected to put it back in, so we had no camera for our trip. No problem, Mom had hers on loan from my dad, who is a professional photographer. Anyway, the highlight was the Gator Jumparoo show, where a brave gentleman hangs out whole chickens on a metal clothesline and induces the gators to jump out of the water for them. The boys were beside themselves. The gators seemed to prefer jumping for the leg quarters that he held in his hand, no doubt hoping he would bend down a little closer... The Snakes of Florida show was interesting and educational.
We left for Disney Marketplace at about 12:30. It was extremely crowded, as we should have guessed with it being Thanksgiving Sunday, so it was not easy to do any shopping. We headed for Rainforest Cafe with our first-available-seating coupons so kindly provided by the Warners (thanks again, Michele). We presented our coupons and were ushered to the front of the line (to withering stares from those in line) and given a seating time in 15 minutes-longer because of a party of 6. It seems that the priority seating system does not work well with groups of larger than 4. Of course, they "lost" us, and when we returned after half an hour, they apologized and seated us immediately. It wasn't a problem, as there was plenty to see and do- a bird demonstration, a huge aquarium, etc.
We were seated in the Gorilla Room. Everything was cool until the first "thunderstorm" when Danica freaked out. She's at the age where they get these weird irrational fears, which is a definite disadvantage at WDW, which you will notice in the upcoming narrative. She was screaming and hiding during the storms and couldn't wait to leave. The food was very good. Service was polite and pleasant but *very* slow. We started with Quesadillas (which were just OK) and waffle fries which were crispy and hot, especially good with remoulade sauce. Mom and I had Chinese Chicken salad, which was good with huge portions (took half of it home). Matt really liked his Rasta Pasta, which was like a bowtie fettucini Alfredo with a kick to it, some red bell peppers, etc. Alex had Mojo Bones (ribs), Nick had pizza, and Danica had the hot dogs (which were shamefully overpriced for 2 mini dogs with some chips). They all liked the food very much. Desserts were fabulous- Gorillas in the Mist banana cheesecake with chocolate and coconut bread pudding to die for. Total for the 6 of us was about $77.00. I can understand the negative comments I've seen about RFC on radp-too noisy, too dark, etc-but we just enjoyed it as part of the atmosphere.
We decided to give up on shopping and head for Ft Wilderness for check-in. The check-in process was slow, as it was very crowded. The homes looked a lot older and more run down than I remembered. We had originally planned to go to the campfire program and then watch the Water Pageant, but it began to pour. The kids fell asleep at 6:30 and slept all night long. The adults picked at our RFC leftovers, watched a little TV, and planned the assault on the parks the next day. I took more Tylenol and ran over to the trading post for some more Hall's.
Day 2 Mon 12/02
We woke up at the crack of dawn to get to MK for Early Entry. Danica started sniffling and complaining of a sore throat, not a good omen. We ate a quick breakfast of cereal and rolls in the room, then drove to the TTC lot to find it quite crowded already. The turnstiles were pretty bottlenecked even at 7:45. We hit Space Mountain first (big mistake) and had a 15 minute wait. Then we headed for Fantasyland, as Danica was jonesing for Dumbo in a big way. The wait at 8:15 was 45 minutes! This was a big shock for us. I know it's been a while, but on our previous trips, always in the 1st wk of Dec, there were minimal to no lines, never more than a 15 minute wait for *any* ride at *any* time of day. Was it the 25th anniversary? Or was it because it was Thanksgiving Monday?
Anyway, we waited for Dumbo because we knew it wouldn't get any better. Matt took the boys on AE with a 10 min wait. The boys had the bejeesus scared out of them but much later expressed the desire to do it again. Matt laughed through it, but then he's a pretty strange guy. While waiting for us to exit Dumbo, they also rode Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, and the Carousel. At this point, Mom found that the fancy camera Dad lent her would not work. She went off to have it checked out, and Danica and I went on Small World *3* times in a row (no wait, boats half empty)!!! No wonder I was gibbering by lunchtime. It became her favorite ride of all, and I was stuck with that song looping through my head for the rest of the week.
I needed to do The Toad after that, so Matt and I went on. Alex declined, saying (cover your ears, JT) it was lame. We simply sniffed at him and felt secure in our superior taste. Kids today are too jaded. As we passed "Rapunzel," I shouted, "Look, it's the naked lady!" Matt nearly snapped his neck off, but he did see her too. We did the rest of Fantasyland (although Danica was scared of all the "dark rides"), fighting dreadful crowds then headed for our 11:30 lunch seating at Crystal Palace.
The buffet was very good, and in my opinion, not unreasonably priced for a character lunch with the MKC discount. The characters were very attentive and funny. The hot food portion of the buffet was some pretty pedestrian stuff, but the cold foods were superb. Too many good things to mention, but if you go, don't miss the grilled marinated veggies, which were to die for. The dessert bar was incredible with waffle cones, choc/vanilla ice cream, lots of different toppings, cookies, cakes, etc. (drool)
At this point, we had had enough of the oppressive crowds and headed for our room (FWH). As it was not too cold, we decided to go to River Country. This turned out to be one of our best decisions of the week. We stayed all afternoon. The kids had a fabulous time, even swimming in the cold, cold lake for hours.
We headed back to the room and changed, rested for a little, and left for Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth (no line), Horizons (no line), and visited Innoventions. Nick and Danica, my little cyberheads, were in heaven and it was near-impossible to pry them out of there. My computer-guy husband and I had some neat conversations with some of the CMs there.
We strolled through World Showcase to Marrakesh and were seated immediately. I especially love the decor there. Our waiter was a disaster. He was very, very painfully slow and screwed up most of our order, and then we had to go beg the maitre d' for the check so we could get out of there to see Illuminations. He was really having some trouble with English, so perhaps he was new. Matt and I had the Feast for Two, which was excellent but overpriced. The kids had the chicken brochettes from the kids menu, which were delicious. Mom was not feeling up to a big meal and just had soup and coffee. The belly dancer was excellent, as were the musicians.
We watched Illuminations from near Mexico. The show was lovely, but we knew we couldn't see everything and planned to come back later in the week and watch from the other side of the lake. We took our time and enjoyed the (relative) quiet and emptiness as we left.
Before crashing, we made a run to Goodings. Augh! Prices were unbelievable, but still cheaper than eating breakfast in the park.
Day 3 Tues 12/03
Again got up early for EE at Epcot, although we had a very different experience. Crowds were reasonable, minimal lines. We walked onto Spaceship Earth and Horizons again with a 5 minute wait for HISTA. We all loved it with the exception of Danica, who was scared witless and announced that she was not going to any more of those 3-D things. Again, crowds were quite manageable, quite a different experience from the previous day at MK. UofE was much, much better than before. Although Ellen and Bill may or may not be your cup of tea, anything would be better than that dry-as-dust Exxon commercial that always left me praying to be put out of my misery. We, for our part, really liked the new show.
Lunch at San Angel Inn, wait less than 5 minutes with Priority seating. It is so beautiful with the night sky and the volcano with the mariachi band playing in the marketplace. If you close your eyes, you can fantasize that it's all real. Anyway, my only complaint is that it's so dark you can't see the menu or the food. This is one of our favorite restaurants, however, and the food was very, very tasty. Matt, Mom, and I had Tacos al Carbon (?) with refried beans and rice with their incredible flan for dessert. The kids had typical Mexican kids meal stuff, tacos, etc.
At this point, we left Epcot and returned to the trailer, rested, and headed for MK, leaving the minivan behind and using Disney transport. We saw the 3 pm parade (OK, but not really impressed) and rode a bunch of stuff we missed-Swiss Family Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, PotC, Splash Mountain, etc. We found a nice spot by the Pecos Bill Cafe to watch SpectroMagic. The kids had an extended conversation with the parrot outside PotC. Then we watched the fireworks from the Adventureland side of the Castle.
We took our time leaving, as the park had become very crowded and they all seemed to be leaving at once. We stopped at Casey's on Main Street to sit and have drinks and people-watch. When things were a little less crowded, we took the resort monorail to the Poly for an 8:30 dinner at Ohana. There was actually a line for the penny press machines there. We were seated immediately. The staff there is extremely gracious and welcoming. This was one of our best meal experiences of the whole trip. The food was incredible, although a little heavy on the meat for me. Skewers laden with huge shrimp, chicken legs, turkey, beef filet, and sausages were supplemented with several delicious salads, potsticker dumplings, and dipping sauces. Dessert was an unlikely combination of fresh pineapple wedges with caramel sauce which was actually exquisite. The strolling entertainer was a howl, getting people up and moving and dancing and laughing. At one point, he asked who was here on their honeymoon, and one couple raised their hand. He asked them to come up, and they declined. He humorously insisted, and it turned out the bride was very, very pregnant. You could see him blush, even in the darkened room! Anyway, we had a great time.
We walked on the beach at the Poly after dinner, then took the monorail to the TTC and then the bus back to FWH. All in all, it took only about 25 minutes! Good timing, I guess. Went to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Day 4 Wed 12/04
Early Entry at MGM-another very bad experience with EE. Crowds were horrible. ToT wait was about 30 minutes even with EE. The ride itself was great, but seemed very short. When it ended, we looked at each other and said "That was it?" The CMs were great, though, never broke out of character. One in particular was so deliciously grim. As he shut us into our car, he said "Thank you for staying with us. Goodbye." in a sepulchral voice. I really enjoyed the detail of the queue area with the cracked stucco and empty lily pond, etc. The ambiance was impeccable.
On to the Great Movie Ride. Looked like no line but actually ended up being about 15 minutes. The kids really enjoyed it and actually recognized a lot of the old films since Matt and I are such film buffs. The kids also *loved* the Monster Sound Show and wanted to spend a lot more time in the aftershow part, but we had to move on. We saw the Little Mermaid Show (which Danica was afraid of but did enjoy by the end) and did some character meet&greets. Then we headed for an early lunch at Pizza Planet. The kids were a little disappointed, and I didn't feel that Disney's heart was really in the planning of this attraction/restaurant. There were a lot of details from the movie that could have been incorporated but weren't, but the delivery truck out front was a nice touch, with Buzz strapped in to the front seat. Buzz and Woody were inside, but it was very crowded. The pizza was quite good and more than enough for one. The feeling I got was that Pizza Planet was an afterthought and will disappear as soon as the video sales start to drop.
After lunch we saw Muppets (Danica protesting about not wanting to see any more 3-D but liking it anyway) and did Star Tours, one of our favorites. We then found a spot atop a wall for the parade and had some slushies and popcorn while waiting. Preteen sons were hungry constantly throughout this trip! As the parade was beginning, a very rude man with a camcorder jumped up on the wall next to me, elbowing us out of the way, poking me in the side with his camera bag and stepping on my sandaled feet (yes, he was an American) in order to get a better shot. When I politely asked him to stop, I heard some words that my kids would get soap in their mouths for, and he moved to another spot and began to torture the people there. (We encountered a lot of very rude people on this trip, but none of them were foreigners except for some Asian folks who were in such a hurry to get somewhere that they would mow you down if you were in their way.)
I was so completely frazzled at this point that I just had to get out of MGM, so we went back to FWH and rested. Mom and I took the kids to Discovery Island while Matt made business phone calls and joined us later. The kids loved the bird show and reptile show. I liked the "infirmary" with the lizard x-rays, operating room, etc. It was peaceful and relaxing, a perfect antidote to a day spent shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of people.
We returned to the trailer and changed for dinner at Cape May, where we were meeting Barb (gardenia) and Melanie and her girls for dinner. Barb was not hard to spot, as you know if you read her posts. We had never dined at Cape May before, and it was wonderful, especially the company. Barb, I'm waiting to see the photos you took! After dinner, we walked around the Beach Club then took the boat over to the Boardwalk and then to the International Gateway. There we met Lisa Harris, waving her little flag, and went on to watch Illuminations from the "down-the-stairs" spot near the Rose and Crown under the bridge that Barb mentioned in her recent post, although we found it quite by accident. It turned out to be a superb spot, and we could see everything. Matt and I both maintain that the show was a little different and much better on the second viewing on Wednesday night.
We walked via the International Gateway to the Beach Club parking lot and drove back to FWH in an incredibly short time. Another run to Goodings for more milk and orange juice (and Halls). At this point, two of the kids were ill and Matt was starting to come down with it.
Day 5 - Thurs 12/05
Back to MGM today to see what it's like without EE. Started at Soundstage CB which was our favorite CB ever. The food was fabu! Jafar's home fries were very tasty, and Abu's blintzes were great, too (and as Aladdin assured us, untouched by human hands!). Characters were Aladdin, Genie, Quasi, Esmeralda, Meeko (who seems to be everywhere), and Clopin. All the characters were very attentive and in rare form. Then off to Star Tours, more ToT, and the shows we missed yesterday. The pre-show lady at the Indy show was absolutely side-splitting. The crowds were much, much less today, however, there were also many more foreign tourists in groups and individually-just an interesting note. I actually got trampled to the ground by an Asian fellow who was pursuing the Toy Story parade with camera at the ready.
After the animation tour, we stopped for snacks at SciFi. I know a lot of other radpers hate it, but it was one of my favorite meals at WDW. We *love* those movies and could identify every one within 5 seconds. Our server, Brent, was wonderful, honoring special requests and (when he found out that Matt is involved in web site design) even giving us his email address and asking for our URL for our cult films page, as he is an aspiring web designer. Anyway, the nacho platter was yummy, and the desserts were great, albeit somewhat overpriced. However, we considered it as much an attraction as a restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I just wish we had been there for the roller skates and popcorn.
Alas, during the afternoon Danica left her autograph book and pen in a rest room, and by the time we returned 5 min later it was gone. She was heartbroken, as she had many, many autographs and some from hard-to-get characters. We asked a vendor outside the restroom if anyone had turned it in to her, and she advised us to come back in an hour. At that time, no one had turned it in, and she gave Danica a new book at no charge. It was very sweet of her, but the autographs were irreplacible, this being our next to last day at WDW.
Anyway, we got a lot more done today at MGM than we did on the previous EE day. Despite all the testimonials to the contrary, our experiences with EE were disastrous at MK and MGM. Epcot EE, however, was worthwhile. As we prepared to leave, I checked MGM lost and found for the autograph book, to no avail. We stopped at Crossroads of the World just inside the entry gate to buy a new pen, where a delightful young gentleman named Chris listened to our sad story about the lost book. He asked us to wait there for 5 minutes and ran off. When he returned, he presented us with a large envelope. Inside were 8x10 color pix of Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Jafar, and Minnie Mouse (Dani's favorite of all characters), autographed by each of the characters. Chris explained that he went backstage and rounded up all the characters he could find and explained our situation, so they very graciously sent the beautiful autographed photos. Dani was thrilled, and I was nearly in tears. To me, Chris personified the Disney spirit, and is another example of why folks return to Disney time after time instead of going elsewhere. Yes, I did write a glowing, detailed letter to MGM Guest Services upon our return, and I hope he has been rewarded.
At this point, we hauled *** back to FW for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue as it began to pour down rain. Fortunately, we had the car! The show was nearly identical to what I remember last time, but corny and fun. Danica howled at all the funny parts, and even my very jaded sons grudgingly admitted that there were parts they found quite amusing. Mom loved it as well.
We returned to our FWH after the show. Everyone was tired, and Matt and I hoped to sneak out and go on the hay ride and see the water pageant alone. Of course, this was not possible, as Alex sensed we were about to be alone together and could not allow this to happen. So he tagged along. The hay wagon is bigger than it used to be. Chris, the driver, is a real cool lady. All the passengers were from PA or New England. We rode, jingling all the way and singing carols, through the darkened loops, into the woods and to a deserted beach. There we watched the water pageant and then the MVMCP fireworks-breathtaking. I still love the water pageant, but please bring back Handel. When it was over, we lay back in the sand on the dark FW beach and looked out over the water.
Day 6 -- Friday, 12/06
A very, very long day. Too long perhaps, for a sick woman and her sick husband, tired mother, and 2 out of 3 sick kids. Perhaps that is why we didn't seem to enjoy things as much. We ate breakfast in the room and headed to MK for Dumbo-or-die at rope drop. It was very crowded for non-EE, which we are now avoiding like the plague. Mom, Danica, and I hauled booty over to Dumbo and actually made it into the second load. The look of sheer delight on Dani's face was worth all the indignity. Matt and the boys did SM twice and Big Thunder. We hung out and got wet at Ariel's Grotto and did the ex-20K Leagues character meeting area (gotta get back some of those autographs!). And of course, we did Small World a couple more times, as my sanity could not be damaged any further at this point. Rode Mr. Toad again but could not get anything but the MacBadger car! Complained to CMs, but they simply looked at me blankly. Rode Peter Pan again, which still rules. Then we walked toward Adventureland and did Jungle Cruise and Pirates again.
Lunch at Columbia Harbor House was quite good. Matt and I had the clam chowder in the bread bowl, which we liked a lot. Mom had a huge pasta salad with seafood thingies in it. Kids had chicken tenders, which they liked also. It's a nice place, not fancy, and not bad quality.
We rode the train all the way around, just to say we did it. Checked out Toontown but didn't stay long. Boys were not interested and all 3 wanted to do Tom Sawyer's Island. What a disappointment! On previous visits, it was a lot better kept. The only functioning rest room was disgusting, stinking of urine, with water and god-knows-what on the floor, all the toilets used but not flushed. It had rained heavily overnight, and the walkways were covered in places with wet leaves. Guess how I remembered that? I slipped on one of those patches and fell down a staircase. No serious injuries, but minus a few ounces of skin off one elbow and knee and a bump on the head. And I do agree that the caves smell like pee, although I think it's probably animal pee rather than human. I couldn't wait to get back to the mainland. While waiting on the landing for the raft to go back, a teenage boy was rocking one of the rocking chairs so hard that it tipped over backward, ejecting him headfirst into the wall. There was actually some blood, and I bet his lump was bigger than mine. His friends got a good laugh out of it. Not a good day for Tom Sawyer's Island.
We took this as a sign, and headed for Epcot. Got to "drive" the monorail. The boys asked the driver many "intelligent" questions- Have you every hit one of those seagulls that sit on the track? (no) What would happen to you if you touched one of those rails (zzzt!) and Do you really drive this thing or is it automatic? (sort of yes, sort of no).
We revisited some of our favorites at Future World and spent the rest of the time touring World Showcase. The Chinese acrobats were amazing. Tried to do Maelstrom before dinner at Akershus but line was 40 minutes! We had mixed reactions to Akershus. The restaurant itself was beautiful. Our server was named Ronald and another was Mary. I was really hoping for something more on the order of Sven or something. Anyway, we arrived for a 5:30 seating and contrary to other reports, we were *not* charged the lunch price and paid the full dinner price. Food reviews-Mom was not impressed (but then, she seldom is). Matt liked it quite a bit, but felt it was too expensive. Alex loved it- his favorite of all our meals this week. Nick liked it also. Danica would not eat one single thing on the entire buffet-I had counted on the mac & cheese, but it didn't look orange enough, I guess. So we had to order her spaghetti. I was disappointed in the food. I liked the cold shrimp and the gravlax (but missed the shots of Absolut to wash it down!), but the rest of it I felt was pretty bland and uninteresting.
We decided to ride Maelstrom after dinner - big mistake. Looked like no line, so we went in to find a 20 minute wait with no ventilation. It was very hot and stuffy, and I was feeling really sick by the time we got on the boat, especially to hear at the end from my son, "Was that it?"
We then headed for MVMCP via monorail. I don't know if things have changed that much, or if it's a 25th Anniversary thing, or what, but it was much, much more crowded than the other 2 times we went. It was hard to believe this was only supposed to be 20,000 people. There seemed to be that many on Main St alone. We got our picture, rode SM with about a 10 minute line, less than 10 min for Dumbo, <20 min for Splash Mountain. Watched fireworks from Adventureland bridge. We were pretty tired, so we then took our positions for the 11:30 parade. In previous years, by 11:30 things were emptying out, but not this time. I simply could not believe how incredibly crowded it was after the second parade! As the kids were falling asleep and we adults had some serious foot-pain action going on, we took the launch back to Ft Wilderness, which was probably the nicest part of the entire day.
Day 7 -- Sat 12/07
We woke up just 5 hours after going to bed, as we had check-out and a CB at the Wilderness Lodge at 8:15. We were moving kinda slow, so we decided to have breakfast first and then finish checking out. It was pouring rain all morning long, so we weren't able to really visit the grounds at WL. Despite Priority Seating, we waited half an hour for our table. This was our least favorite character meal. The server was rather aloof and inattentive. The characters were very entertaining, especially Meeko, of course. The food, however, I felt left something to be desired. It was just ok, nothing special. They brought a big plate of stuff and some really bad muffins with a slimy coating. When the server was asked for more of a certain item (not just our server, but others were doing this, too), they would bring a minuscule quantity, and you felt like a pig if you asked again. I thought the much-maligned wheat pancakes were pretty good, but everything else was pretty average and quite expensive. The lobby was beautifully decorated, but we weren't able to see much outside due to the very heavy rains.
We returned to our trailer, checked out, and headed out for International Drive, as we had a few hours to kill before our flight. We visited Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, which was definitely worth the visit, especially for a family with preteen boys. Mom and Danica were not interested and found another place to go, where they read storybooks and colored for an hour. Museum admission was $10, but we had coupons for 1.50 each. The boys were fascinated. It really was fun and interesting.
We then headed over to Disney Marketplace to get all the shopping out of our systems. We bought some Christmas gifts and some stuff for ourselves. Danica got her coveted Cinderella bride outfit. And mommy was happy because she got the 10% MKC discount. We went to Planet Hollywood for an early dinner at 3:00 to find it was *very* crowded- 45 minute wait! When I informed the host that this could not be, as I had been told that if you go at off times, there will be no wait, he simply shrugged and told me that it was because of the rain. So we waited anyway, as we had nothing else to do, and checked out all the cool stuff hanging on the walls.
One thing I really hated about RFC and PH (perhaps all the PI restaurants) was the rest room attendants. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why they have to station someone in there to put the soap on your hand and hand you a paper towel (they try not to let you do it yourself), and then you feel obligated to give them money. With 3 kids and a husband not known for his large bladder capacity, they'll be in and out of the restrooms several times in the course of a 2 hour dinner, and I don't feel like dinner should end up costing an extra $5 or more because we visited the bathroom. There, now I feel better. Sorry.
Anyway, the food at PH was a pleasant surprise, as so many people seem to think it's bad and overpriced. Matt and I had Cajun Chicken sandwiches which were excellent with truly superlative fries-their praises were not exaggerated. The kids had pizzas. Mom had a pasta primavera, which she said was good. We skipped dessert, as we were in a hurry to get to the airport, but later regretted it. This was a very, very noisy place, as we had been warned, but like Hard Rock, it's part of the nature of the place, and we expected it.
Anyway, the rest is anticlimactic. No problem returning car, changing into winter clothing again, and catching flight(s) back home. Major ear pain again for most of us due to URIs. Arrived home late Saturday night. I put on my Mickey PJs and closed my eyes, pretending I had never left WDW. I rolled over and cuddled up to my husband and whispered "Hey, Honey, how about the Poly in Jan. '98?" He pretended not to hear me.
Conclusions and Observations in Retrospect
I don't think we will rent a car next time. It was a lot of money for a car big enough for 5 of us. We didn't really save a lot of time, and we enjoyed it more when we took Disney transportation. Maybe if we want to do anything off site, we can rent a car just for a weekend.
I think we have outgrown Ft Wilderness and will stay somewhere else next time. It was perfect when the boys were little, our touring pace was more relaxed, and it was nice to be able to spread out and not have to worry about noise bothering the people in the next room. However, now they are older and more interested in getting maximum park time. Now our priority would be a fabu pool/beach area and proximity, so we will either stay at the Y&B or Poly.
Now that the kids are a little older, we will try more of the "grown-up" type restaurants next time.
The castle looks cheap and ugly and just too damn pink. I don't care if 80% of the people surveyed liked it, it just looked cheap and crappy to me, compared to its majestic beauty without all that ugly pink paint and balloons.
We noted many more foreign visitors on this trip than we had on previous ones, although there were far more Asians than South Americans. All of the groups we saw, however, were well mannered. There were a few rude nasty people, all of whom were Americans-including the woman who my son bumped accidentally, and when he apologized she told him she would break his legs if he ever did it again. Sigh. Have a Disney Day, Ma'am.
I would love to see a casting session for Jungle Cruise tour guides...
The awesome pre-Columbian artifacts on display at the Epcot Mexican Pavilion should not be missed.
Taking boat rides between the resorts and parks is one of the nicest experiences you can have at WDW. Ranks up there with the attractions for me.
I don't think it's worth it to drive out to Goodings or any other market to buy breakfast foods. When you count your time and trouble, a refillable mug for your morning caffeine and a muffin or bagel from the snack bar is probably worth a little extra money.
No radp'er should visit WDW without hooking up with someone else in the group who is a resident or will be visiting at the same time. It really makes for some special memories! (Thank you, gardenia and Melanie)
Cape May key lime cheesecake is really good, even if it *does* have green stuff on top.
If you want to be picked by the belly dancer at Marrakesh to dance with her, sit at one of the tables in the corner along the wall closest to the kitchen.
I will never, ever do early entry again for MK or MGM. However, I will admit that it is possible that our week was exceptionally bad, being the week after TG weekend as well as during the 25th. Epcot EE was fine, though.
A Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for listening.
Linda
Wannabe Discovery Island Talent Coordinator