Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Suite
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie
Comments: Viki and her family spent several days aboard Premier's Oceanic, then added a few more days at WDW and other land-bound attractions. One of the neat aspects of Viki's report is the many tips that she points out during the narrative.

Introduction to this lengthy trip report:

We are:

Viki, age 42, geologist, and trip planner

Bob, hubby, 42, engineer, all-around-good-guy

Kirsten, age 10 (chatty, but not brave)

Eric age 6 (the quiet kid)

This trip was 4 months in planning. I'd been to Florida long ago, Disneyland, also long ago, but none of us had been to WDW. Well, except that Bob had been to Epcot on business (stayed at the Swan) for 2 days in 1994. He remembered just a little. He didn't like Body Wars but liked the Energy Pavilion.

What's in each section:

1: Alamo car rentals, Cocoa Beach

2: The Big Red Boat trip to the Bahamas

3: Kennedy Space Center

4: Homewood Suites

5: Disney/MGM Studios

6: Magic Kingdom #1

7: Epcot, the RADP meeting

8: Magic Kingdom #2

9: Sea World

10: Overview

Although this is a Disney group, I've included the rest because I've seen various postings and was interested in them myself, so I hope to aid someone else doing these things too.

I got the kids involved in planning by buying them the WDW for Kids by Kids book for Xmas. We also borrowed a copy of the WDW Explorer. They gave me ideas of what they wanted to see. My husband began planning about 30 minutes before we got there.

Alamo Car Rental - Cocoa Beach Holiday Inn:

We flew United from Denver to Orlando, arriving at 4:00 p.m. We retrieved all our luggage and carted it to the rental pickup area. The Alamo bus picks up at the far right, so we dragged our luggage around some construction and got on the bus. Not overcrowded, but the bus was full of people and stuff. We made it to the counter at 4:40. Wasn't crowded.

Our Big Red Boat package included an Alamo midsize car, which was a red Chevy something. Alamo charges an additional $3.50 a day for an additional driver, even if you are married, which is a big rip-off. With additional taxes for the airport and for Florida, we paid an additional $73.00 for 9 days.

Some rental car tips:

* One of the first things I like to do when renting a car is to find a hardware store and have a second set of keys made.
* We wrote down the license plate number so we could find the car again in a lot full of red Chevy somethings.
* My daughter tied a piece of white plastic bag to the antenna. I was surprised how visible it was in a parking lot.

We didn't rush off from the car rental center until 5:15, and got to our room in the Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach at 6:30. The tolls on the Beeline from Alamo to Cocoa Beach were $1.25 total.

The Holiday Inn was a good deal. As part of the BRB package, we paid $64. including tax. AAA also has this great rate. Don't know if it includes tax or not.

Being from dry dusty Colorado, we marveled at the humidity. It was very damp in the room, so much so that we felt like we were sleeping in a sauna. We noticed it more in this room than any other on the trip.

The day was very windy and blustery, with a little p.m. rain, and major rain in the night. We awoke and it was nice enough to swim, although it was hazy. The waves were challenging, and my son lost one of his water shoes right off his foot. We never could find it again (it sank in the waves).

The kids were shocked when they got their first taste of salt water from a wave. We couldn't train them to keep their mouths closed during a wave. Almost had a rebellion! This was their first ocean visit.

TIP: Watch out for beach tar. You don't really notice it until you get it on your feet/shoe/car seat. The hotel has cool packets of beach tar remover which worked well.

After breakfast (kids eat free) and the swim, we headed to Port Canaveral and the BIG Red Boat.

Day 2-5 Featuring the Big Red Boat cruise:

We drove to the north dock and there she was! It's big, it's red, it's the Oceanic! I read on RADP that the Atlantic was sold recently and this one's up for sale. So this may be one of the last trips (maybe not).

We turned in all our forms and tickets at one desk and were able to enroll our kids in the kids' programs at another desk before getting on the boat.

TIP: Do fill in all your forms before arriving. It saves lots of time. Then we had a departing photo taken and boarded the boat. This was our first cruise ever and we had little idea of what it would be like. It was busy!

We found our room on the restaurant level, larger than I had expected, with two bathroom areas - one for showers and one not. We dumped our stuff, tried to spread out our wet stuff from morning swimming, and went to the buffet at the pool deck. Good selection. Both pools were empty. (Sometime during the trip, they filled up). We ate and gaped, then we had a practice life boat drill. We all grabbed our life jackets from our rooms and filed into a holding area and lined up. After everyone finally got there, we were dismissed.

We had just enough time to get ready for dinner at our 6:00 seating. We were assigned a table for the trip, with a waiter, Alain from Brittany, and a busboy, Dragi, from Macedonia. They were interesting to talk to, as many of the waiters and staff have come from economically depressed countries and have a different view of things. Our table mates were a couple from New York City (natives) with two kids. They'd had a long and hectic trip from NYC that day and were drained.

TIP: Don't try a big plane trip and expect to make it to the boat on the same day. No way could we have made it, and even this couple in the same time zone were miserable trying to do it all in one day.

BIG SURPRISE!!! While we were gone, our room maid had put all our suitcases away, hung up our wet stuff, arranged our dresser tops, and made up the bunk beds for the night. I have never seen this done in any hotel. All during the cruise this was done for us. I liked it!

Each evening, our kids would go off to their activities, and Bob and I went to the show (Elvis/Bobby Darin/Blues Brothers, a musical revue of 50's and 60's music, and a juggler/comedian were nights 1,2 and 3). This lasted 1 hour, just right! Then we'd wander the ship.

TIP: The Oceanic's main stairs have wall art, and there's a pattern to it. This can help you find the right stairs or to figure out where you are. The front (or back?) has tile figures, men on right stairs and women on left stairs. The back (or front) has metal figures, men and women again. therefore, we knew to look for tile women to find our room.

TIP: The crossing to and from the Bahamas was rocking the ship, and I got seasick. Someone else used acupressure wrist bands sold in the ship store and did fine, although she often gets motion sick. I'd try it next time.

Next AM we were at Nassau, among some very nice, new, huge ships. We opted for Salt Cay and Dolphin Experience. I'd recommend it, although at first we wondered, because they were selling their photo opportunities. We were the last family to encounter, and because I'd answered some of the questions asked by the trainer, I got special treatment and poses with the dolphin.

A boat takes you to Salt Cay. We almost had an unpleasant encounter, because our boat nearly backed into another while picking up some guests at another dock. The driver "didn't see him".

Then on to lunch (a boat takes you around the island, although the walk isn't far at all). We hung around in hammocks, then rented a little kayak for the kids and paddled around the bay. Warm as bath water, the whole area about waist deep.

Next day we took the little red boat (a tender) to Port Lucaya. Shopped a little in the straw market, checked out the pool that BRB-ters can use, and walked across the street to the beach that BRB-ters can use. This beach is full of native vendors, so be prepared to resist (or not) having your hair braided, necklaces, conch shells, and beverages. The returning boat was full of braided kids, and these 'dos aren't cheap (60-80 dollars). You can get by with a few braids for a couple dollars.

We didn't eat lunch here, so grabbed whatever junk food was left in our rooms. We could have had ice cream at the parlor.

Packed that night, which didn't help the seasickness at all. Bags must be in the halls by 3:00 AM. All days previously, we'd opted for the buffet breakfast rather than the 7:00 Am seating. (We were still on Denver time, 2 hours later). On the final morning, the buffet is coffee and pastries only, so I hauled myself and kidlets to full breakfast, so's we'd get fed. I had been awake past midnight, so this day was extra tiring.

TIP: After breakfast, they want you out of the rooms and into the Broadway Showroom or at least on the Lounge Deck. Getting off the boat takes time, and passengers are called from the top decks down. If you're on ship bottom, don't rush to the showroom, because it's crowded and nothing is going on there.

One of the neatest things we did: Bob and I woke up at 4:00 one morning and took turns going on deck to watch the Hale-Bopp comet. No one around but the cleaning crew.

Summary: Loved the food, liked the boat, but relaxing? Not really, because we filled up every moment with activities! Especially if you go ashore both days.

TIP: They push you to bring a suit jacket for the "fancy" dinner. Our table mate wore a silk Hawaiian shirt and they let him eat. Not everyone is dressed up, some wore jeans. Some were dressed up. Don't pack it if you don't want to and don't worry about what strangers think.

Interesting note: our table-mates were also visiting Kennedy and Walt Disney World-but they had no plans whatsoever about visiting the park. I really wonder how they fared.

Day 5 - Kennedy Space Center:

We passed through customs, breezed out to our car, and made the short drive from Port Canaveral to the Visitor's Center at Kennedy. I had visited twice: in 1968 and 1969. Things had certainly changed.

We had Big Red Boat vouchers for the bus tour, so I spent some time looking for "Guest Relations" which isn't called that on the map (it's Group Services). Got our tickets ($8 for adults, $5 for kids). Grabbed a quick lunch at one of the fast food windows; watched starlings slumming for a bite. We'd already seen the IMAX films about space in Denver, so we went right to the bus. There doesn't seem to be the red-blue tour differentiation any more. However, there is a new, cool visitor center halfway through the bus tour, so maybe no one wants to take the blue tour anymore. The brochure lists them as "Kennedy" and "Cape Canaveral" tours. This latter tour seems to be a visit to unused launch pads (zzzzz).

The buses are double-decker with large windows. We drove by the vehicle assembly building and launch pads 39a and 39b. One of the shuttles was on the launch pad ready to fly in a few weeks - pretty cool. Then we arrived at the new museum area. this has nice displays, another fast food place, a Saturn 5 rocket, someone to answer questions, and a really moving re-enactment of the lunar landing. Very much like a Disney production - capsule comes down from the sky, etc. This building is called the "Apollo/Saturn V Center". It begins with a firing room re-enactment.

I think this area is very new-my brother in law had not seen it 6 months ago. Really worth the trip.

We boarded a return bus to the main area, spent some cash in the huge gift shop. All day long, I felt like I was still moving on the boat; very disorienting. This lasted almost 3 days for me. Didn't bother the kids at all.

Day 5 - Homewood Suites:

Part of our Big Red Boat package includes a stay at the Homewood Suites, at the northeast intersection of I-4 and US192 - which is about 10 minutes away from MGM Studios. They have a web site with clear directions. AAA rates are $110 a night.

We loved this place! The rooms include a living room/kitchen area, and a large bedroom with 2 double beds. Lots of space. The pool was really nice, although we didn't use it as much because we stayed at the parks late nearly every night.

What made this place perfect was the free breakfasts. They serve waffles, bagels, muffins (homemade), breads, juices, coffee, tea, fruit (2 kinds), cereal (cold, instant oatmeal). Pretty much all you can stuff. We saved a lot of time by eating here every morning. Hours are from 7:30 -9:00.

They also have beer/pop/hot chocolate from 5:00 - 7:00 nightly (except Saturday).

The bus to the parks didn't suit our schedule-pick up was at 8:45, which doesn't obey the mantra "get there early!" So we ended up driving every day and paying the $5 parking fee.

Our BRB package included a value pass (4 days) for each of us, which we picked up at the hotel.

On the first night, too tired to go out anymore, we had pizza delivered to the room. They give you lots of these brochures in the rooms. We could have had almost any kind of food delivered to the room.

Day 6 - MGM/Disney Studios:

Left Homewood Suites at 8:15 and were at the gates by 8:30. (I told you it was close!) The park was already open (official time was 9:00). This was not an early opening park day, and the crowds weren't bad at all.

TIP: I am about the most organized person you'd ever meet. I've been planning this trip for months, and had each ride listed in order on a small card, with length of "ride" or "event" in case of changes. I pasted the list on a 3x5 card and laminated it for rain protection. I had one card for each day in the park. This was handy to keep in my pocket for quick reference. I'm not saying we religiously followed it, but it was a start. The books were a good source of determining which rides we would enjoy. Definite NON-choices: ToT. No way. Not us. We also got a lot of help as to which rides we should start with in uncrowded mornings.

First up: Little Mermaid, starting at 9:00. We all liked this very much, it was a good introduction for the kids. By 9:45 we were in line for the Great Movie Ride. Wait was short, spent most of the time walking through the preview area maze. Got in the "wild west" car.

Note: my kids don't like loud noises, and Eric (age 6) doesn't like fire. He didn't like the guns and fire, so this wasn't one of his favorites, but Kirsten (10) wanted to ride it again. My husband and I loved the Munchkin Land part. Alien part wasn't as scary as I'd expected. I liked watching "Sigourney Weaver's" eyes in that scene.

Then on to Muppets 3/4D. Wait was short there, too. Sat near the front. I had no idea how realistic the visual effects are! Bob discovered that if you tilt your head, the effects disappear, so it must have something to do with polarized light. He's an engineer, he thinks about things like that! He thought that a book about the science of WDW would be a hit.

Still early, so we went to Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. Kids liked this a lot. Not crowded yet, so they could play without getting crunched. Took the standard photos of kids in film canister.

It was now 11:00, and we went to the Monster Sound Show. Eric liked this, he told us later. I was more bored than I expected. BTW, the Disney Explorer CD-ROM has a monster sound show game to play when you click on the ride. Lots of fun, just as realistic as the ride is!

We had reservations for 11:30 at Prime Time Cafe, so we got there a little early (11:20). Waited a few minutes then were seated in the front room. Raymond was our "brother" waiter, and was good. Bob had special of the day burritos (Mom and Dad honeymooned in Mexico, don't you know); kids and I had burgers. All good. We took our time, weren't rushed by the staff. Kids get free desserts with this (actually all) of their meals. They had ice cream.

TIP: Most of you know that anyone can make "priority seating" reservations 60 days in advance, even those not staying on Disney property. We did this for Prime Time, Liberty Tree, and Ohana. First two in the parks, we opted for lunch, because it seemed more likely we'd still be on schedule that early. This worked out well. Big schedule changes for us were near dinner, which gives flexibility if you don't have dinner reservations.

Got in position for the Toy Story Parade. We were in front of the Great Movie Ride (facing it). Didn't have to get there too early - about 15 mins.

TIP: Certain crosswalks are kept open along the parade route for folks crossing, but just before the parade begins, these are closed. That means if you are standing near it, you can move to the front row when the rope is placed across what was the crosswalk. We did this here and for Remember the Magic/Spectromagic.

I'm a sucker for Toy Story. I love the green army men. I loved it when the "commander" instructed the troops to "adopt standard army men positions" and they posed like they popped out of the bucket. My daughter liked Buzz's smoke and the pig. Everyone liked the barrel of monkeys.

At 1:30 we were in the Animation tour, then on to the Backlot tour. This tour begins at a long ramp where you watch footage from some submarine thriller which name escapes me. It was beginning to get crowded, wait was about 10-15 mins. Then we were in the water tank area, where two lucky souls demonstrate the water action. Loud noises and fire-kids didn't like this as well.

Books say that you can split this tour, but that's changed. Kenny Cottrell reports that some of the tour has been moved to the "Dalmations" (current) and "Evita" tours. We were put on the trams right after the water stuff. I loved Catastrophe Canyon, kids were utterly amazed. Eric wasn't sure about reality at that point, but he could see I wasn't panicked, so he didn't scream. Finished this ride by 3:10.

We got in line for the Hunchback Stage Show at 3:20, waited a bit. We almost got in the handicapped line by mistake, but one kind soul pointed us right. We all loved this show. It was my husband's favorite "ride" of the day. This show ended by 4:40 (or we were on the street by then, takes a few minutes to empty the stadium).

Kids had snacks at Pizza Planet, no Buzz or Woody to be seen there. Kirsten wanted to go on the Great Movie Ride again, and we walked right on. Got the gangster side this time. We all took a final stroll down Sunset Boulevard to watch the brave souls on ToT, and left the park at 6:10. Closing time was 8:00, but no more shows were scheduled.

We missed more rides here than at any other park, mostly because they are longer "events". We missed the last Indiana Jones show because it was full, and couldn't fit in Beauty and the Beast, or the "Making of Dalmations" or Evita (didn't think the kids would like E, and we didn't like 101 as a movie).

My overview of MGM/Disney: I liked this park almost best of all, perhaps because my expectations weren't as high. I thought of it as the third park in popularity. But there was a lot of variety: rides, shows, education. I would like to go back here, definitely.

Back to the hotel, ate peanut butter and leftover pizza and just caught the free beer in the lobby. Everyone swam while I organized, and then I MADE EVERYONE GET BACK IN THE CAR AND GO TO EPCOT. I'm tough on my family.

I read that you can get in to Epcot for free just before IllumiNations (9:00), and I though this would save time on Epcot day (Thursday). So we drove to the Boardwalk. First we got really lost driving around, got useless directions at Epcot entrance gate after we missed the turn-off. Warning: Boardwalk isn't on the list of Resorts on the purple signs. We also got really lost on the way home. We had crummy maps, and later I realized we were on Buena Vista Drive and not World Drive. We passed Pleasure Island, lots of hotels. I'm usually a good navigator, I do it for a living (I'm a geologist).

Finally found Boardwalk, parking attendant directed us to non-staying guests parking (very nice about it, but it was 8:15 PM). Walked around this beautiful resort. It reminded me of New Jersey when my family vacationed there. We walked to the International Walkway Entrance and waited for opening. Picked up Epcot passports for the kids ($8.95 each) to save time on Epcot Day. About 8:53, a CM approached us and asked us to sing "Happy Anniversary" to the gate guard, Vaughn, who was celebrating 5 years with Disney. So we did, and then for this brave act, we were let in early!

Hustled to the walkway by Great Britain, by the water near a wall and behind a rail. We could almost see everything except Canada, but we didn't have to wait at all, so it was a good trade-off. I loved IllumiNations. The kids liked the visual, but the music was loud, the fireworks were really loud, so the kids didn't enjoy it as much. They do this to us at 4th of July, so don't take it personally! We dawdled afterwards, peeked into shop windows and walked through the boxwood maze behind Great Britain. Waited for a boat back to Boardwalk, although we were told that the tram was faster. We enjoyed the boat, however, because the driver made us all sing songs during the ride. We touched down first at Beach, then Swalphin, then Boardwalk.

Beautiful ride.

Got into our car, got lost again, returned at long last to World Drive, and sat in a long traffic jam (see my warning posted on the newsgroup). Bottom line: keep right. That lane was almost empty, and sheep that we are, we didn't test it. The left lane is closed due to construction, so they merge into the center lane.

Back at hotel at 11:15. A little late, ready to start the day early tomorrow-Magic Kingdom!

Day 7 - The Magic Kingdom:

We arrived at the TTC at 8:15 and discovered that the crowd was being held here until 8:30. We waited in lines near the ticket booths behind a fence. At 8:30 there was a "countdown" by some lucky family, a tiny opening ceremony, and then we all rushed to the monorail. Note: those going to Epcot or the resorts were allowed through-just go up to a CM and let them know.

I thought this would ruin our plan to be present at rope drop. We made it on the second monorail, walked down Main Street and over to the bridge near Crystal Palace. The rope was still in place, and we ended up near the front. At 9:00 the rope dropped and we were off to Splash Mountain! We did what my husband calls the "Boy Scout Run", walking and running alternately. Took the short cut to Frontierland across from Swiss Family Treehouse (where restrooms are) and hoofed it. Got right in line, walked all through the waiting maze, and pretty much got right on. Eric and I sat in the front seat (I didn't really want to, but I didn't get that wet). We loved this ride! It was Eric's all-time favorite. I sang the "How do you do" song for days afterwards.

We were off the ride by 9:20, and got right on Big Thunder RR with no wait at all. We loved this ride, too. The big train circling the park gives a slower view of some of this ride.

(One disadvantage to getting on both rides so quickly was that we didn't get to appreciate all the detail in the waiting area until we rode them later.)

At 9:40, our third ride was Jungle Cruise. We waited 10 mins, although the sign said 20. Our cruise guide was pretty lame, told very few jokes, and mumbled so that you couldn't understand him. Must have partied late the night before.

Off to Swiss Family Treehouse at 10:00, not that many folks here so that we could stop and linger at things. Took nice family photos without many people in the way. Done by 10:10.

Did the potty break thing (fluid management), went to Pirates but it was temporarily out of commission. We chose the Country Bears next, and had a 13 minute wait, where we pressed a few pennies and got to sit down and catch our breath. Kids liked this show, and it wasn't as lame as I'd heard. I liked the mounted wall heads.

We were out at 11:15, so we headed off early to our 11:30 priority seating at Liberty Tree Inn. We were really early, because the thing doesn't begin seating until 11:30. So we gave our names and settled in. Soon we were invited to open the restaurant as a family by ringing the bell from the second floor balcony and shouting "Hear ye". The staff took our picture with our camera (at their suggestion). I think we were selected because of the reservations- the place was also seating walk-ins, lots of room. Then we were seated in the Paul Revere room. This is a beautiful restaurant, food was very good. Bob had the turkey dinner, I had the chicken/ham/cheese sandwich. Kids had hot dogs. I had checked out the restaurant menus on the web page, so I had an idea of what I wanted ahead of time. We all left very full and happy.

We next hit the Hall of Presidents, showing every half-hour.

It was 12:30 and we walked right in, and the show began. Show wasn't full, we sat near the front. I really liked this show, being a history buff. The animatronics here are truly impressive. Even the kids liked it.

At this point (1:00) I realized that we were seeing many more things in a short amount of time than my little card had planned-so I totally revamped the afternoon and we did what I had planned for Friday afternoon instead (I said I was organized but no inflexible!). Off to Haunted Mansion, which I remembered from a visit to Disneyland 20 years ago. We were in line at 1:10 and out by 1:35. The line was just to the end of the canopied area but moved quickly. Kids didn't say much during the ride, but afterwards really liked it. (No fire or loud noises). My daughter is an especial wuss (she's 10) so use this a guide for your kids.

We moved on to Fantasyland. I noticed that the walkway seemed much more narrow, there are more strollers (especially those particular terrors, the double-wide strollers), and in general the area showed the crowds. Peter Pan had a 40 minute wait-too long for us. Instead we went on "small World". This ride had a 10 minute wait and a 10 minute ride. The song didn't drive us nuts. I had a worse time with Peter Pan, because they pipe that into the waiting area too. Maybe OSHA prohibits playing Small World in its waiting area. I notices the unique color combinations that scream 1960! But the ride was relaxing and we had fun identifying the countries.

Fantasyland was otherwise too crowded, so we went back to Liberty Square, had a snack, and got on the Riverboat. The CM said that there would be no characters on that particular ride but that they should be at the dock to greet us at the end. Turns out that Davey Crockett and pals were indeed on the lower deck signing autographs (we missed it altogether) and they booked quickly after we landed. Characters who are going "off duty" have a pace and determination not met by those of us seeking them out, and they quickly disappeared. So look for characters on lower deck. I liked all the displays on the shores that can only be seen from the boat or the train. Didn't expect them.

Off the boat and into position for the 3:00 parade by 2:50. We opted for the wall area right across from the Diamond Horseshoe and the Liberty Tree. This has lots of good options:

its a walkway until right before the parade, and you can move into front position after the walkway closes, OR you can sit on the wall, or if you are really late, you can stand in the shrubbery above the wall (like I did), if you don't mind a few branches in your legs. We liked it so well we returned at 7:45 for the 8:00 parade. There were fewer people for the SpectroMagic parade. Also, the floats stop right in front of you. 3:00 parade goes from Frontierland to Main Street, nightime parade goes the other way.

At 3:40 we took a raft to Tom Sawyer Island. Did fluid management, bought 2 lemonades and split them four ways. Parental units found 2 lovely rocking chairs at Aunt Polly's and told the kids they had an hour to explore. What they did mostly was to spy on Mom and Dad (big excitement, huh?). They found the barrel bridge but never found the rope bridge to the fort, so we went with them to explore. This is a cool place to get away to and relax.

TIP: Aunt Polly's hours on March 19 were 1:00 - 4:00. I had planned a light dinner here, but we missed it.

By 5:30 we were back at Pirates, now open again. There was a 7 minute wait. Eric didn't like loud guns and fire.

At 5:55 we hit Pecos Bills for burgers/hot dogs. Wasn't too crowded, we sat far in the back.

Back to Fantasyland, where the crowds had dropped (tired kids had left, I guess). Line for Peter Pan was much shorter. It was beautiful but way too short. We were in line at 6:40 and done by 7:00. Headed off to 7:00 Lion King, got in just at the last minute (no wait). Watched the pre-show (everyone asked at the end "Is that it?"), but no-off to seats in the main show. We sat about 3 rows back. We loved this show, especially the live actor Rafiki. Then Eric, who had wanted to revisit Small World, got his wish, and we walked right on this time.

Back to our parade post at 7:45. Loved SpectroMagic. Hope those pictures come out-I tried it without flash. We followed the parade to Big Thunder Mt. and got on with no wait at all. Then we hit Splash Mt. again, no wait at all. The kids didn't want to see the fireworks after IllumiNations (noise), so this was our alternative. You can see some of the fireworks from both rides.

The train doesn't run after the parade, so we walked to Main Street. I picked up the lithograph (button place was closed, we got them Friday AM). Bob and Eric waited at Lost and Found-Eric had lost his hat first thing. Amazing- it was there. The wait here was bad-way too few staff, one family was dealing with a major ticket problem. A CM from Space Mountain, who was labeling a pile from that ride was able to look through the hat box and help us (although it wasn't in her job description, she was very nice to help).

This time, we got in the right lane and moved right down World Drive. Took a few cars to let us in the center lane at the split to east 192, but nothing like we'd experienced the night before.

Tired, but happy, we collapsed in our beds about 10:00.

Tomorrow: Epcot!

Day 8 - Epcot, RADP meet!:

8:35 We are in the gate (opened at 8:30). Spaceship Earth was open, with a swiftly moving line across the front, but we never really "waited", mainly got right on. There seems to be a window at the beginning of each day when a significant proportion of entrants are trying to read their maps and figure out what they're going to do. So those with direct purpose can move right in and get going. He (or she) who hesitates is lost.

We all loved this ride, and I hoped we could do it twice but there was never time again that day. Oh well.

At 9:00 we went to the first Honey I shrunk the audience (HISTA). I knew that some things were coming but not exactly what, so I was better prepared than the rest of the family. After the you-know-what's did you-know what to the crowd, the kids were scared. They didn't like the frightening animals either. This to them was scarier than Haunted Mansion. I really liked it myself.

We hit Journey into Imagination at 9:30 with no wait. Everyone liked this, too. At 9:45 we played a bit in Image Works, because the crowds were light.

10:00! Time for the RADP meet at Fountainview Cafe! We were just a few minutes late, but found Beth Floro with her mouse ears and RADP sign with no trouble at all. Also appearing were Donna and her husband, Jack, Brian Pastor (ToT CM), Whit, Pam, and some families. Barb/Gardenia couldn't make it to the cafe, but was waiting at the gate, so we walked back to the entrance and there she was! Mouse tattoos, too! Too cool, Barb! We shanghaied a stranger into taking photos. Then Kenny Cottrell sauntered over. How he figured out where we had moved to, I'll never know (will he tell?). The entrance is not particularly close to the cafe. Is he part elf? Meeting these folks was a special treat, cosmically ordained somehow, because I had already planned for Thursday to be Epcot day for our family. So what are the chances of having a meeting planned for a day and place I'd never been to but anticipated? See---cosmic!

Family had moved on to the World Showcase autograph signing at 10:00, so I caught up with them at 10:40. (the meeting had taken the time I'd planned for Land stuff, but it was worth it). Now, I had purchased the Epcot passports for kidlets on Tuesday night, with the great idea that we could put the stickers in the book before today. Well, with the late nights, this hadn't happened. So we spent the 20 minutes before WS opening sitting on the sidewalk pasting stickers in the passports. Didn't quite finish, so spare minutes in the day we'd get back to it.

TIP: The passports are very nice. It inspired the kids to want to visit every country. The passport stamping folks have a free piece of paper that they will stamp and initial, but passport holders get a marked preferred treatment. Our kids had personalized messages written for them, greeters would interrupt crafts they were making with other kids to sign our kids books. Tables outdoors at countries' entrances were set up; however, after the rain started, the stamping took place inside, at sales counters, and weren't always easy to find. So hope for good weather.

We breezed through Canada and Great Britain (skipped the Canada movie). At 11:30 we were in the France movie, which was beautiful, the music stirring, the seats comfy. We decided to eat at Au Petit Cafe (11:55), no wait. The food here was to die for. Bob and I had the quiche, lots of free rolls. Kids thought the burgers were the best they'd had. During the meal, the kids would leave for nearby autograph sessions (Esmerelda and associates in France, Belle at the International Walkway, Jasmine at nearby Morocco). Being at the sidewalk cafe made this easy. Kids were really getting into the autograph thing. We had found books at home, and a big pen. It wasn't easy to find these things, and the Disney ones are only $5, so I guess I worked too hard on it. The kids even asked out waiter to autograph our books. He was extremely nice. We chatted about how few tourists from France we meet. He thought that they were intimidated by English, most find it hard to learn. He'd always wanted to come to the US, and was very thrilled at being here. So why did I think that the French were stuck up? (PS- the coffee is excellent)

Left the cafe at 1:15. Trotted through Morocco and Japan, watched the drummers there, shopped a bit (prices were very high, maybe because of the exchange rate of the yen).

American Experience! Watched a cool drum and fife group at 2:20. Had a bad experience with a video taping zombie- guy taping just walks right in front of me and stands there taping. I have a theory that the electrons so close to the brain have given temporary lobotomies to many video taping (mostly) men and they become oblivious to the world outside the viewfinder. We also wonder, who the heck is going to watch all this? We were once forced to watch our neighbor's tape of South Dakota as seen from the front windshield of their RV. This was probably to pay for some sin we'd committed in the past. End of rant.

We must have just missed the beginning of AE, so kids and I went back outside and caught a Mickey and friends show at the garden pavilion. Short and sweet. Got the kids minds off the wait. Back inside, the Voices of Liberty were beginning, so we moved under the dome and got to sit and listen. They are terrific as everyone has written. I'm glad we had the wait! (ps, they sing in the center of the room facing the wall to the right of the entrance.)

Got out of the Experience at 3:50 and it was lightly raining. We had both umbrellas and our own ponchos. The umbrellas alone were just fine for the light rain that continued until closing. We could close them indoors and not have to sit on rides in wet ponchos. I think that would get hot (tourist in baggies phenomenon).

Off to Italy, nothing happening outdoors because of rain.

Breezed through China, same story.

Successful hunt for passport stamping stations.

Hit the Norway bakery at 5:00, bit of a line and a wait while you passed and slobbered over all the desserts ( good thing they are behind glass). Prices for desserts weren't bad, I thought, and they were delicious. Good coffee again.

Had our first really long line at Maelstrom - 25 minutes - in a room filled with yellow poncho'd people who smelled like brand new plastic. Kids liked it, but I don't think it was worth the wait.

6:15 went to Mexico, did Rio de Tiempo with no wait. It was relaxing and the pavilion itself is pretty.

Out of the World Showcase and on to Horizons at 6:50. No wait. We liked this ride very much, one of our favorites, especially the large screen and flying over the city-very realistic. We couldn't decide fast enough on the final destination; seems like space is the default.

7:10, found Cranium Command, had a 9 minute wait before the preshow. This was terrific! You need to go on it several times to catch all that is going on, but we didn't have the time. We'll just have to come back some day.

AT 7:50 we were at World of Energy. We missed part of the preshow, which I regret, but this show is long and I didn't want to wait for a second round. We liked the dinosaur part, I very much liked the Ellen part too.

Out of the park at 8:50 -- remember we had already seen IllumiNations. and we wanted to beat the crowds. By doing IllumiNations. on Tuesday, we could spend the later part of our day in Future World when the crowds were really low.

Tomorrow: Back to the Kingdom and our final day at WDW.

Day 9 - Revisiting the Magic Kingdom:

By today we felt like old pros at touring-we could find the right parking lots quickly, could feed our passes into the machine without causing backups. Arrived again at 8:15, again we were held at the TTC until 8:30, then quickly to the rope drop for Splash Mountain. (Sing Small World song here). I found myself standing next to someone familiar-it was the kids' physician's assistant from back home! I tipped her off about going to Splash first (they planned Pirates, but changed their minds). We raced off to Splash, made it to the entrance of the building and were suddenly shunted back to the exit because the ride was down! Major bummer :{ "Go to BTMRR," we were told. So we dashed over there and it, too, was down! Double bummer! We opted to stand in line anyway in the optimistic hope that things would get back to normal. About 10 minutes later, all was back in business. We decided that not enough CM's had shown up for work yet on these rides and they couldn't start up. Because we'll never know the truth, this explanation will have to suffice. We were off BTMRR by 9:20, could see people on the Splash drop, so got in line. About 10 min. wait, so since we LOVE THIS RIDE, we got in line again! We were done with our two rides by 10:40, the second wait longer than the first. This time we got to see the details around us.

We took the railroad to Toon Town. You can see the Indian Village well from here, and they play Pocahontas songs and stuff. You can also see BTMRR more closely. Our family likes trains as a rule, we ride even the most lame ones and this one is a good one.

We were in line to meet Mickey by 10:50. At least we thought we were in line; a Brazilian family saw some air space and moved in front of us as if we weren't there. Line was a little long, we waited about 15 mins. before we had our Mickey moment.

Out into the gift shop, found the lines for Princesses/Friends/ Villains. Kids had lots of princess and friends autographs, so we opted for Villains, which pretty much had no wait.

SPOILER+++

We entered the room with 2 other families. It was 3 villains, one per family. Radcliff and Sheriff of Nottingham were in their "niches" greeting the other families. Jafar was not in his niche, but against the wall. A female CM told us that the actor playing Jafar couldn't make it, so this animatronics figure was here instead for us to pose with. It made the typical animatronics movements. The kids were a bit afraid of Jafar, so I made my husband pose with it for the picture... and just as I took the shot, the "figure" came alive and grabbed my husband! Yep, we fell for it, hook line, and scimitar! I'm glad the kids weren't standing there, we might have had an instant potty break. Got all three autographs.

+++END SPOILER

Visited Minnie's house, but the line was pretty long so we left Toon town at 11:45. We caught the white rabbit's autograph. There were problems here (and elsewhere) with line jumping. Those waiting for 'graphs stand back so families can snap photos without us strangers, but others don't see (or refuse to see) the line and crowd up to the characters. I got mean with some, told them to get in line. Kids appeared not to understand English.

This whole part of the park was new to us. We walked over to Tomorrowland and grabbed a bite at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe.

I noticed too late that each counter served different things: burgers and dogs; chicken; and soup-sandwich. Not bad food. Kids liked the "lounge singer" and his (its) jokes. Bob and I kept waiting for the "Star Wars" theme like Bill Murray sang on Saturday Night Live years ago. (Our kids think those words are really from the movie.. the ones that go "Star Wars, Nothing but Star Wars, Beautiful Star wars, ...duh duh duh duhhhh).

We got in to Timekeeper, no wait, stood in the front row. People seem to look only at the front screen, but there's neat stuff all around, so don't forget to look everywhere. Then on to TTA, again no wait and pretty empty.

TIP: Although 4 can fit in a TTA car, 2 sit backwards that way. After riding backwards the whole time, I suggest splitting up and going 2 and 2 all forwards. There's plenty of room.

At 1:10 we waited briefly to get in to the Carousel of Progress. This was one of the family's favorite shows! I didn't understand how the theater moved from descriptions in books until I experienced it. A few times, the character's voices cut out (worn tape?) Otherwise, pretty interesting.

That was all we were brave enough for in Tomorrowland - we skipped the allegedly boring things and the really scary things. We wanted to take the sky cars back to Fantasyland, but they were stopped with folks just hanging there immobile. So we walked.

Didn't seem as crowded as Wednesday. Got on Mr. Toad with about a 10 minute wait (folks are resistant to sharing the 4-seater cars with strangers, so many went off with only 1 or 2 in them). After all the spectacular rides we'd been on, this seemed so pedestrian, but my son liked it. Too short, too. We saw the naked lady picture. Then we hopped in to a similar ride, same line length: Snow White. Not much to write about. We can say we did it.

It was hot and the kids needed a break, so we went to the new Arial's Grotto, a water fountains play area. The line for Ariel's autograph was too long, so we just played and rested.

Back on the train at Toon Town station-rode it all around to Frontierland. There was a long delay both at Main Street (about 10 mins.) and on the bridge before Front. station-I think this was because of the 3:00 parade (we boarded at 2:50 and arrived at 3:10). We followed the end of the parade to the Diamond Horseshoe Review, walked in just as the last float was passing by so we got a nice table. Grabbed ice cream cones and water. Sat down about 3:20 for the 3:30 show. If you want to go to the 3:30 show, don't hesitate. Move fast!

TIP: There are two food service lines, one at each end of the bar. The line nearest the stage is much under-used, because folks line up at the more obvious line near the door.

We loved the first act, a singing cowboy in the style of Will Rogers. He walked around the tables and joked with the audience (so that's why the tables are so far apart). The second act was a magician with card tricks (actually the same card trick repeated with different folks). The third act was a trio of dancing girls. Again, it was Bob's big day. He was selected (targeted?) as the object of affection by the girls, with the lead singer sitting on his lap and singing to him. She even noticed his stylish socks-and-sandals combination that is so popular in Denver, but probably nowhere else. (This is because you go off in the morning in warm weather and like as not it's snowing by the time you come home.) He ended up with a straw hat for his cooperation. Of course the kids were wide-eyed at this woman on Dad's lap! I particularly enjoyed it, since it is so out of character for my serious engineer husband. He was a good sport.

We were out of the show by 4:20, decided on a final Jungle Cruise. We waited only 5 minutes, the sign said 20. I think the line we were in had a missing loop, because the other line seemed much longer. We had a much better guide this time, numerous jokes. As we waited to disembark, he just shot out joke after joke. Some of the action animals seemed out of commission (do the hippos do anything?)

Since we went on Splash 4 times and BTMRR only three, we had to rectify this imbalance. There was a 15 minute wait, our longest for this ride.

Took the train again to Main Street. Today we were on 3 of the 4 different trains that run on this track.

We shopped a bit, Kirsten finally decided to spend her cash on a Disney Barbie (she collects Barbies). Left the park, but I made everyone get their hand stamped even though we didn't expect to return. I guess I just couldn't say goodbye.

We had some time before our dinner reservations and wanted to ride the monorails in front with the driver. We waited for 2 trains from MK to TTC, got our co-pilots licenses. Then we waited 3 trains to ride in front of the TTC-Epcot train. These don't arrive as often as they told us they do. But we loved the trip around Spaceship Earth. At Epcot, someone else was waiting for the front, so we moved to the next car back. All this riding and waiting left us at the TTC at 6:45, which was when we were supposed to be at Ohana!

This is where I blew it. I forgot that the resort monorail runs in the opposite direction of the direct monorail. If we had hopped on the resort one, we would have landed right at Ohana within a few minutes, but I thought it would go all around the track first. So I made everyone walk from the TTC to Ohana. I guess I couldn't remember everything, although somewhere I had read it. Mind like a sieve.

It was a pretty walk, though. Eric noticed the fire torches, was afraid it would burn down the trees. We were a bit (10 min.) late for Ohana reservations, but they didn't mind. They gave us a pager, we had enough time for fluid management, then we were led in. First you get a tour of the dessert tray. This is their only hope of selling any, because no way are you going to be hungry at the end of the meal. We were seated near the entrance of the restaurant. Kids did the coconut race. Bob hadn't any idea what kind of a meal we'd get and wishes he'd have been hungrier, but he did OK. We gave him all our shrimp so he had 8 giant ones. This things were as big as Yugos! Our kids are picky eaters and we thought we'd have to surrender and get burgers for them, but they did like the chicken and steak and some turkey. There are also lots of tasty salads and noodles, so it's not overwhelmingly meat. But if you're vegetarian, I'd eat elsewhere. Service was a bit slow. The family got to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Hawaiian really fast, which is not easy. We were at Ohana from 7:00 - 8:45. Probably could have done something to watch fireworks, but we had to go pack and wanted to miss the traffic.

Good-bye to Disney World.....

Tomorrow: Sea World and home!

Day 10 - Sea World and home:

We have no Sea, aquariums, or things like that to speak of in Denver, so we thought it was worth our while to go. I had just found a coupon for free child's admission on a box of General Mills cereal and we had a AAA discount, so for a family of 4 it cost us about $115. to get through the gate. This was our first direct payment, so we were much more conscious of the cost. It's amazing that they consider a 10 year old an adult! Is this how they increase shareholder returns? IMHO, if Busch can't sell their beer to you, you shouldn't be considered adult.

To compensate for my assault-like planning of WDW, I had not planned every move for this park. I had read the Econoguide suggestions of best things to see, but I didn't even have a clear picture of the park layout. It worked out fine.

We arrived about 9:10. Sea World gives you a computer print-out with suggested shows and times, along with all shows and times. The suggestions seemed designed more for their crowd control than our convenience. We saw the first Dolphin show, but opted not to run clear across the park to Shamu for the very next show. Instead we took the park in a more logical fashion.

Each area has piped in music. I liked the Key West theme- Jimmy buffett and reggae (I heard more Bob Marley on this trip than I had heard in 20 years).

We watched the dolphin show, the sea lion show (Seamore and Clyde), and Shamu. I loved them all. I thought the "splash zone" would be from animals jumping and making waves-NOT! Shamu has been trained to run his flipper along the wall and really drenched the audience! We sat up in peanut heaven, but still could see well. Being pale northern folks, we try to sit in the shade. The mime before the Seamore show is a hoot. He works the crowd filing along the front. Most people are oblivious to the fact that the audience is watching him and them.

There was a line in the afternoon for Arctic display and ride. Both the "walking" and "riding" choices had about 15-20 min. wait. We opted for "walking", where they show you the same film that the ride "experiences". The display seems authentic. We were interested in Klondike and Snow, polar bears who were born and raised at our Denver Zoo. Only one was present, sleeping. The ride empties into a gift shop-there is a small dark room in the back where you can watch the "ride" room in action from outside- watch the thing being tossed and hear the folks inside screaming. Check it out!

We especially liked "Terrors of the Deep" and "Tropical Reef". We missed the penguins and the manatees from below (long line). I'd never seen a manatee before.

We had to leave the park at 4:00 to return our car (there is a 7-11 at exit 13 on the beeline - Narcoosee Rd- to fill up at) to Alamo. This is Alamo's exit. No wait, got right on the bus. Both going and coming, the Alamo bus drivers were personable and friendly.

Pretty much walked right on the plane. Though we'd have a long, relaxing flight home. Instead it turned into a party atmosphere, because a large group of parents and kids, all of whom knew each other, were traveling to Colorado ski resort for their spring break! They were up and down, changing seats, hanging out. It drove the stewardesses nuts trying to serve dinner.

The Monday after Florida, it snowed here.

WDW Summary, Insights:

How old should kids be to go to WDW?

IF you are planning this trip without restrictions, and if you are shelling out big bucks to do it, my 6 year old son was just old enough, IMO. Any younger and you may have additional stresses that make your visit less fun. Epcot especially is for the older mind.

Still, if someone else is paying, or if you live nearby, or other factors affect you...try your luck. I am glad we waited, but you may not care.

If you can wait until a stroller is not needed, the experience will be better. Pushing a stroller through big crowds is painful...and those double-wide strollers are even more scary.

What order should I see the parks?

We had four days. Staying off-site, I avoided the early-entry parks. We started with MGM Studios, which was a good choice, because it has so much variety without being overwhelming. Magic Kingdom spoils kids for more of the same, and Epcot is so large that you need a practice day of moving around in a park.

Then we did MK, then Epcot, then MK again.

We couldn't park-hop on our pass. If we could, I might have rearranged things.

Where should I eat?

I picked three very different restaurants: 50's Prime Time Cafe (MGM), Liberty Tree (MK), and 'Ohana (Polynesian Resort). I chose two lunches, because it was easier to schedule far in advance, and lunch was more predictable as to if we'd be where we'd think we'd be at lunch. The variety of places was great! Other meals we'd wing. The food wasn't as bad as I'd read about.

How were the crowds?

Less than I'd expected! It was spring break for some, but not the week before Easter. I saw only one Brazilian tour group. They were behaving nicely.

Tidbits:

* We noticed video recording at a frantic pace. Many of those behind the lens become oblivious to their surroundings and will walk in front of you to get that perfect shot. And they don't take many pictures of their families, just the events. We prefer pictures ourselves. Tip: don't stand on one side of a major walkway with your object across the walkway and expect everyone to stop while you shoot. Stand parallel or something!
* Also: don't stop walking in a crowd of exiting people. Some groups would trot along happily, and then just halt in mid-stream to figure out where they were off to next. Bad move, and even dangerous.
* I didn't like the castle, and it looked even more cheesy up close. It's mostly air-filled plastic, and the wind blows it around.
* Kids got into autographs, but more CM's are needed for crowd control. Some kids and parents don't see or won't see that there is a line, so they cut in. And I noticed that no one moves so directly and quickly than a character who is leaving an autograph session-self-preservation I guess. MGM and Epcot were best for autographs - fewer kids interested, I guess.
* Sunscreens have sure improved since the days in college when I'd go to Florida on spring break and FRY!!! We never got burned once on our whole trip!
* We gave the kids each $35, (credit) for souvenirs for the whole trip. We'd planned on adding money if this was too little, but they both spent within this budget. We bought all food, snacks, and the Epcot passports for them.
* Hubby and I each carried a backpack, and Kirsten (10) and I each had a fanny pack. Hers had the autograph books and fat pen. We carried ponchos, umbrellas, sunscreen, tiny water bottles,. We didn't carry the guidebooks, because I'd almost memorized them by the time we went. My husband brought along a book to read, and actually had a few minutes here and there.
* The get-there-early tip of all the books must be augmented with a plan-plan-plan tip! It does no good to get there early if you don't know where to go to make the best use of your time.

Thanks, RADP-ers for all the tips, advice, and ideas. I hope that you get a few ideas from this lengthy report!

Viki Bankey