Introduction to Our Trip

The crew:

Mary (me, the researcher and master planner of the trip, substitute high school teacher)
Bob (husband, quality control supervisor)
Zach (16 year old son, guitar lover)
Matt (13 year old son, avid hockey player)
Tim (9 year old son with a great imagination)
Dates: October 11 - 18, 1997

Accommodations: Quality Suites Main Gate

Transportation: TWA out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Avis rental car

Background: I must start out this report by stating that I never, ever have had any desire to go to Disney World. Our annual family vacations are the outdoor type trips that include camping, hiking, and just generally enjoying nature and God's creation. In late August we spent two weeks exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, the Tetons, and Yellowstone. My husband is a mountain/rock climber so our vacations usually take us places where he can climb. Disney World just didn't fit into my idea of a fun place to spend a vacation. I figured a trip there involved heat and humidity (which I hate), standing in long lines and fighting crowds, and lots of money to pay for the over-priced tickets and food.

So how did we end up at WDW? This past March we got together with Bob's family in Chicago for a belated Christmas celebration. The gifts had been all opened (or so we thought) when Bob's mother handed us one last present. Inside was a copy of Birnbaum's 25th Anniversary Edition of the Walt Disney World Guide and a very generous check with a note that said "Take my grandkids to Disney World!" Needless to say we were very surprised.

Bob's brother and family had just been to WDW last year so they were very eager to give us their opinions and tips. They were so enthusiastic about the whole experience that I started to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. The 9 hour drive back to Minnesota gave me an opportunity to start reading the Birnbaum guidebook. In fact I couldn't quit reading and finished the whole book by the time we got home.

The long drive also gave us some time to discuss when we wanted to take the trip. Since our camping vacation had already been planned and involved another family that was traveling with us, we decided it would be better to not do two trips in the summertime. Minnesota schools have two days off in mid-October so teachers can attend the Minnesota Education Association (MEA) convention so it was decided that our trip would be October 11-19. Birnbaum said this was one of the least crowded times to visit WDW which appealed to me.

However, my travel agent informed me that EVERYONE in Minnesota goes to WDW during MEA week and making airline reservations proved to be a little tricky. After checking numerous flights to compare times and prices I finally made reservations to leave early on Saturday, October 11 and return late on Saturday, October 18. I would have rather stayed over until Sunday but my husband wanted a day off before returning to work and it would also save us the cost of a night's lodging.

Now that the decision was made of when to go I started researching where we would stay. I called several of the places listed in Birnbaum's guide and asked for brochures. Next I got a copy of the Kissimmee/St. Cloud Visitor's Guide and started comparing prices and amenities of the different accommodations. Having five people in a family limits you somewhat in choosing a place to stay. Most places have a maximum of 4 persons per room. If we are only staying in a place for one night, having one of the boys sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor usually isn't a problem. However for a week long trip this was not an arrangement that I thought would be suitable. I also liked the idea of having at least a microwave and refrigerator so we could cut down on food costs some.

Eventually in late April I made reservations at Days Suites using the Kissimmee Guide coupon rate of $49 per night. This was a one bedroom suite that slept six and had kitchen facilities. From the brochure it looked like a great place to stay.

It was also in the latter part of April that I finally got around to getting a modem installed on my PC and was able to get Internet access. Being on-line gave me a wealth of additional information on WDW and it didn't take long before I discovered RADP. I checked the posts several times a day because I was afraid I might miss something if I didn't. I also discovered Deb Will's page and the enormous amount of information that she has available. My kid's started telling me that I was becoming obsessed with Disney, but I couldn't help myself! My online search for WDW info also lead me to Brian Bennett's page and the wonderful trip reports. Reading first hand reports from WDW visitors was something I just couldn't get enough of. Being a substitute teacher often means just baby-sitting a class of teenagers while they take a test or watch a video so I would print out trip reports and take them with me to school to read.

Besides all of the great information I was gathering I also started to have doubts about some of our plans. I discovered that the week we were to be at WDW was also when the Oldsmobile Golf Classic was to be held. At first this didn't seem like any big deal to me but the more I read the more I worried about how this would affect the crowds. My biggest fear was that we would spend most of our time in lines.

My next worry came when I started reading less than favorable reports about the Days Suites. I corresponded with several people via e-mail who had stayed there and finally decided maybe we should find someplace else. Some of the people who e-mailed me suggested I check out Quality Suites which was located next to Days Suites. I had actually called this place earlier but was unable to get reservations at the coupon rate offered in the Kissimmee guide so that was when I decided to go with Days Suites. Well I called them back a second time and the voice at the other end of the line said they had both the one bedroom suites and two bedroom suites available at the coupon rates of $59 and $69 respectively. I booked a one bedroom suite but after thinking it over for about an hour I called back and changed the reservation to a two bedroom suite. The thought having two bedrooms and two bathrooms sounded too good to pass up. Quality Suites also has a free continental breakfast and a manager's reception in the afternoon which Days Suites did not offer. A couple of weeks later I received my Orlando Magic Card and I noticed that their rate was $65 for a two bedroom suite at Quality Suites. I called them back and was able to get the lower rate for all seven nights.

I felt better about where we were staying until I continued reading the posts on RADP. It didn't take long for me to get the message that most RADP'ers wouldn't think of staying anywhere but a Disney resort. I started to have second thoughts again and tried to get into a trundle bed room at Dixie Landings (remember we have a 5 person family). I was only able to get three of the seven nights at DxL. The resorts were all booked because of the golf tournament. I worried some more. By now it was August and I wasn't very hopeful about getting the other nights.

We went on our trip out west and I planned to start really trying to get those other nights at DxL as soon as we returned. Most of that trip was spent tent camping but the two nights we spent in a motel made me decide right away that spending a whole week in one room with my three rambunctious sons was not going to be very enjoyable. Forget the Disney magic--I wanted two bedrooms and a little privacy! The three night reservation at DxL was canceled and every time I had doubts about the decision I would just remember what it was like for the five of us to share a room! Also the fact that staying at Quality Suites would cost about half as much as staying at DxL made the decision a little easier.

My next major worry was when I started reading (in May) on RADP that the 5 Day World Hopper passes were being phased out. We were going to be at WDW for a week and spending two of those days at the water parks was something that my kids were counting on. I checked into prices of passes and at the time the best deal I could get was to buy a package that combined the cost of the passes with an Avis rental car. The prices of the passes had just gone up (it figures) but we were able to get them at a discounted rate of $205/adult and $160/child. A four door mid-sized car was $201. We had to book the car for 8 days since we would be flying in several hours earlier on the 11th than we would be leaving on the 18th. Total cost for the passes and tickets was $1181. The travel agent said that the Disney passes would be sent out just before we left on the trip. I insisted that I get them immediately because at that time I was worried they would be phased out in just a matter of days. After several phone calls she was able to get this taken care of. I paid an additional $11 to have the tickets shipped Federal Express (a charge that I would have had regardless of when they sent the tickets.)

Through RADP I heard about the Magic Kingdom Club (MKC) cards and I had Bob check into it at work. He could get a free card! Had I known about this earlier I would have used the MKC card to buy the Disney passes from the Disney store and took more time looking for a good rate on the rental car. Oh well, hopefully we will still be able to use the card for other discounts.

Once details about the flight, hotel and rental car were taken care of I turned my attention to more fun things like our trip itinerary and priority seating times for the restaurants we wanted to try. I started a notebook of information that included menus and tips that I had gathered on-line. I read every trip report I could find and spent time navigating my way around the parks via the maps I downloaded off of Disney's official site. My local library even ordered a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney by Sehlinger at my request. I copied the touring plans and laminated them onto index cards to take with us to the parks.

It was obvious that the rest of the family was getting tired of hearing about all of my wonderful discoveries about WDW so I tried to contain my excitement. Zach was sure that I was going to ruin the whole week by forcing everyone to run from one attraction to another so that no one would be able to enjoy the parks. Matthew was a little more optimistic but admitted that he was really just excited about going to the water parks. Tim said he didn't care if we went to WDW at all, he was just glad he was finally going to get to go on an airplane! Thank goodness Bob humored me and even gave some input on which restaurants we should eat at.

Finally the time came for the trip...

Total spent:

Airline tickets: $1277.50

World Hopper Passes: $980.00

Delivery Charge for tickets: $11.00

Rental Car from Avis: $201.00

Total: $2469.50

Day 1 - Saturday, October 11, 1997

About a month before we were to leave, Zach found out the camp where he had counseled during the summer was having a weekend fall retreat on the same weekend that we were to go to WDW. He was feeling really bad that he had to miss being with all of his friends and would have gladly given up the trip just to be able to go to the retreat. We finally compromised and allowed him to just spend Friday night. That meant the rest of us had to get up an hour earlier so we could drive to the camp and pick him up at 5:30 a.m. and still make it to the airport for our 8 a.m. flight. All three boys slept all the way to Sioux Falls so it was a quiet trip. (Zach only had about 3 hours sleep that night.)

This was Tim's first time to fly and the other two boys had been so young when they last flew that it was all new for them too. The plane was completely full and many of the passengers were children. After we took off the pilot's voice came over the speaker welcoming everyone. He asked how many on the plane were on their way to Disney World and a loud cheer went up throughout the whole plane! It was obvious where many of the Minnesotans were planning to spend their "MEA week" when the kids had two days off school.

We had a short layover in St. Louis and my sister, who lives there, was waiting at the gate when we got off. She brought us a bag of homemade cookies to munch on and after a very brief visit with her we were boarding our flight to Orlando. Lunch was served on this flight--a large sandwich, chips, cookies and a bag of raisins. The kids thought it was fun to eat on the plane and it meant we didn't have to stop for lunch once we got to Orlando.

Once at MCO we took the monorail and gathered our luggage. We put the boys in charge of watching the stuff while Bob and I went to the Avis counter. We passed a very long line at National but only had to wait a couple of minutes at Avis. Several months ago I had gotten my hands on a free upgrade coupon but when I called to inquire about using it was told that since I had booked the car as part of a package they wouldn't honor the coupon. I decided to give it another try and when I asked the lady at the Avis desk about an upgrade she said sure, no problem. We had booked a 4 door midsized car and she said we would be able to get a 2 door full sized car instead at no extra cost. As it turned out we ended up getting a 4 door full size car. The extra room was nice--especially since I'm not sure our luggage would have fit into a mid sized car.

A word of caution to new travelers in the Orlando area. Be ready for the toll booths. My husband is from Chicago so we have had lots of experience driving on toll roads but we were caught by surprise here. We had no problem going through booths that were manned where we could get change. However as we were turning off the toll road to go to our hotel we encountered an unmanned toll booth. The toll was 50 cents and we could only come up with 45 cents. We had no choice but to go through and throw the 45 cents in the basket (we couldn't turn around). I heard a click as we went through the red light and just knew it was a camera taking a picture of our license plate. All week long I worried that when we turned in the car to Avis there would be a huge charge applied to our bill to cover the fine for being 5 cents short on the toll! With so many out of state drivers you would think they would either warn you ahead of time of the toll or provide an employee to make change.

After a wrong turn (my fault giving directions) we were at Quality Suites by 3:30 but our room wasn't going to be ready until 4:00. A guy in the lobby tried to lure me into sales pitch on time shares by offering me 45 Disney Dollars. I said no thanks. Instead I asked him to give me directions to the nearest grocery store so we could pick up a few things while we were waiting to get into our room. He said there was a new Publix nearby--just turn left onto 192.

After making the left turn onto 192 we drove and drove. We passed the turnoff to WDW and still drove west on 192 for some time before we finally found the store. It was a large Publix store and we were able to get the things we needed for about the same prices that we would pay here at home. By then it was 4:30 so we headed back to Quality Suites. Guess what--when we were turning in we noticed that there was a brand new Publix store right across the street from the hotel! It doesn't directly face 192 though and we had driven right past it without noticing it! It did require making a left hand turn out of the hotel parking lot though so I'm sure it is the one that the time share guy had meant. Oh well at least we knew it wouldn't take long to get any additional things later in the week.

Our room was ready and the first thing we did was change into our swim suits. Quality Suites is a five sided building built around a nicely landscaped courtyard area where the pool is located. It was such a treat for us to see palm trees and the beautiful flowers in October! The pool water was very comfortable and we had a relaxing time swimming. We also took advantage of the free manager's reception that is held each afternoon and got our free cups of pop (beer and wine are also available.) After a short time in the spa I headed up and fixed a quick dinner in our suite.

The suite consisted of two identical bedrooms each with two double beds, two bathrooms, a living room with a pull out couch and a small kitchen area. The kitchen had a small sink, a two burner stove, dishwasher, microwave and an under counter refrigerator. There was a counter with two bar stools and a table and four chairs. We ate a quick dinner and then it was off to Downtown Disney.

Besides not wanting to miss his camp retreat, Zach was just not excited about spending a week at WDW. At his age being with friends is much more important than spending a week with your family even if it is at WDW! Since he is such a guitar lover I thought a visit to the new Guitar Gallery that just opened in Downtown Disney's West Side would be a good place to start and maybe it would get him a little more excited about the week. I was pleasantly surprised when we were in the parking lot about 10 minutes after leaving the hotel. (I had figured the drive would take longer.)

Guitar Gallery was a great place for a guitar lover. The store is small but has guitars from floor to ceiling, most with very large price tags. Although Zach loved looking through the store it had the oppositie effect than what I had hoped. Instead of getting him more excited about being at WDW it made him sorry he wasn't going to be able to play his guitar for a whole week! Oh well, I tried.

We spent some time looking through the Virgin Megastore--very big and very loud! From there we just wandered around checking out the stores. The one Bob and I most enjoyed was one that I think was called Starabilia that had all kinds of celebrity autographed pictures and memorabilia. Again everything was sporting a sizeable price tag but it was fun to look. Bob spotted a yellow, antique Donald Duck bicycle in the window with a sold sign that had Oscar de Lahoya's name on it. Bob is somewhat of a boxing fan otherwise the name wouldn't have meant anything to me. Too bad we couldn't see the price tag on that one! When Zach realized we were just across the bridge from Pleasure Island he really wanted to go over and check out the music but I didn't want to use up a day on our tickets so I told him he would have to wait. (As it turned out, our plans changed later in the week and we could have gone to Pleasure Island and still had enough days on our World Hoppers to do all that we wanted.) For those who may not know, a Five Day World Hopper pass gives you five full days in the major parks which never expire. It also lets you visit any of the minor parks for seven days after the first time you use the pass. Theoretically you could use the pass for twelve days if you just visited the minor parks for the first seven days. All of this is history now though since the World Hopper Pass has been replaced by the All in One Hopper Pass. This pass is only good for the number of days that you purchase it for but can be used at any of the parks, major or minor, and the days never expire.

We were all exhausted from our long day so we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. I was glad to have the two bedrooms because I didn't have to deal with the argument of who is going to have to share a bed. Zach and Matt took the bedroom for the week and Tim slept on the pull out couch. This was a very good arrangement because the two older boys like to stay up a little later and watch TV. Tim on the other hand goes to bed earlier but is first to get up and wants to watch TV in the morning. There was a TV in both the living room and the bedroom that the boys had. We didn't care that there wasn't a TV in our bedroom--we were just glad to have the peace and quiet of our own room.

Total spent:

Tolls: $2.45

Groceries: $45.80

Total: $48.25

Day 2 - Sunday, October 12, 1997

The kids weren't too excited but I got everyone up early so we could make it to EPCOT when it opened. Quality Suites offers a free continental breakfast so Bob and I went and got the food and brought it back to the suite. The meal wasn't anything fancy, just cereal, rolls, milk, juice and coffee but throughout the week it saved us quite a bit of time and money. There was a coffee maker in our kitchen but they encouraged you to bring your pot and fill it up at breakfast so I never had to make coffee myself. (Coffee and filters were provided for free if you wished to make your own though.)

We left the suite shortly after 8 a.m. and were waiting at the turnstiles at EPCOT before 8:20. There was no traffic at all and we were able to park very close so there was no need to wait for a tram. Shortly after we got there the Jammitors showed up to entertain everyone waiting to get in. As soon as the park opened we walked onto Spaceship Earth. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this ride but we all liked it. Bob especially enjoyed the music.

I had brought along my laminated card with Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide's touring plan for EPCOT and we followed it somewhat during the day. Our next stop was Living with the Land which was fascinating. Bob has a degree in agriculture so it was particularly interesting to him. We skipped the rest of the pavilion and headed over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We walked in just as the Kodak preshow was starting. None of us thought much of this preshow--it was too long and just not very interesting. After reading so many trip reports I had a good idea what was going to happen in this show. Tim was sitting with his legs up in the seat so I made sure he put them down to experience all of the effects. I did not realize just how neat the 3-D effects really would be though. Throughout the week Zach was most impressed with the 3-D effects in this and the Muppets show as well as the holograms used in the Tower of Terror and the Haunted Mansion. Tim had a great time playing around the leap frog fountains as we exited the show. We had watched a TV program not long ago that featured the inventors of this fountain and how it works so it was fun to see it in action.

We walked on Journey into Imagination with no wait next. By now it was just 10:20. My touring plans said we were supposed to be heading into the World Showcase but since it wasn't open yet we crossed over and went to Body Wars with no wait. (A visit to Test Track was listed on the plans but we didn't have to worry about getting to that attraction!) Bob ended up getting a little sick and closing his eyes through most of this ride but the boys and I had fun. Next came Cranium Command where we had a two minute wait to get in. We had a good time teasing Matt about what it would be like to try and control his jr. high brain! Throughout the morning it seemed like we were staying just one step ahead of the crowds. We would walk into an attraction with no wait only to exit and see that a line had formed. I think the kids finally realized the benefits of getting to the park early.

I wanted to get to the World Showcase early so we headed that direction. We looked around Mexico a bit and then rode Rio de Tiempo with less than a 5 minute wait. Over to Norway next and onto Maelstrom. By now the crowds were starting to catch up with us so we had about a 10 minute wait here but the kids thought the ride was great (especially where the boat goes backwards and almost over the waterfall.) They were expecting to find fast, exciting rides in EPCOT and they said that Maelstrom was the closest thing they found! It was for that reason that I chose to do EPCOT first and MGM second. I was afraid that those parks would seem dull after visiting the Magic Kingdom (MK).

We were all starting to get a little hungry by then so we found a bench overlooking the lagoon and ate the bagels that Bob was carrying in the fanny pack. We had bought a fanny pack for our trip out west in August and it was really handy to have at WDW. It held two water bottles plus had enough room to carry some snacks and our rain ponchos.

Slowly we walked around the World Showcase enjoying the countries of China, Germany and Italy. When we got to America we waited inside where it was cool for about 10 minutes and then were entertained by the extraordinary Voices of Liberty. I can't begin to describe the talent that those folks have. As soon as they were finished we went into the American Adventure. About half way through Zach leans over and asked me if the people are live actors. They really did seem lifelike and you could almost believe you were seeing the actual people they portrayed. I came out of this show with a great pride in this country where we live.

There was a brief rain shower as we came out of the AA but it didn't last long. We continued our tour of countries passing by Japan, Morocco and finally to France. We rested there for about 10 minutes and waited on the Living Statues to come out. Only one statue came out but it was really interesting to see the reaction of spectators that would walk up. Some weren't sure whether she was alive or not. This is one area where Disney excels--they are able to blur the lines between real and make believe so well that you sometimes just aren't sure which is which.

Rather than continue on around the lagoon to see the other countries, we backtracked towards Norway where we had a 3:25 priority seating (PS) time at Restaurant Akershus. At Morocco the Festival Marrakesh was taking place so we stopped to watch the singing and dancing. There was a German band performing when we get to Germany so we stopped again. They had a yodeling contest with audience members which was pretty funny.

Next the kids stopped to explore some of the Coke machines in the Outpost. This may sound silly to someone who has never been there, but each machine would "do" something--make a noise, squirt water, etc. Leave it to Disney to make simple Coke machines into a fun play area for kids!

We were still a little early for our PS at Akershus so we stopped in at China. The movie was just getting ready to begin so we stayed. After hearing the spiel all day about no flash photography in the attractions we all had to chuckle when the Chinese castmember (CM) who was introducing the movie announced that there should be "no frash frotography". Throughout the week when we would hear the CM's giving instructions at the beginning of each attraction we would remember this and laugh.

The movie was done at 3:15 so we got to Akershus just a few minutes before our PS. We had a couple of minutes wait and then we were seated. The restaurant was mostly empty at this time of the day. Our waitress took us up to the buffet and explained what each item was (and many needed an explanation) and then we got our food. Matt, Bob and I are adventuresome and gave most everything a try. Tim and Zach are more fussy. I think Tim ended up eating mostly just meatballs. My favorites were the meat salad and the mushroom soup. Bob really liked the mashed rutabagas and figured out the distinct flavor must have been nutmeg. I was excited to see that there was lefse (like a thin potato pancake) offered in the bread basket. There are lots of Norwegians who live in our area of Minnesota and I've come to love the lefse that they make. I was disappointed to find that there was no butter--my favorite way to eat lefse is buttered with a little sugar. The waitress offered to bring some and in the meantime Zach wanted to try the lefse so I offered him my piece. It took forever and a second reminder before I finally got the butter and when I went back to the buffet to get more lefse it is all gone. I guess I will just have to wait until Christmas (the Norwegian families make lefse for the holidays.)

Having lunch so late in the afternoon proved to be a good choice for us. We avoided the crowds at noon, got a chance to rest our legs in the middle of the day when we were most tired and by eating so late we didn't feel like eating again until we got back to the suite that night. We also took advantage of the lower lunch prices. Our meal with the MKC discount came to $50.62 (before tip) for the five of us.

I had avoided letting the kids even walk through Innoventions in the morning because I knew they would want to stop and spend some time. By late afternoon the crowds had cleared out of Future World so we went back and let them have a look. I also knew that Innoventions West was closing on the 15th so knew they wouldn't have a chance to see it later in the week. Bob and I had no interest in Innoventions so we parked ourselves on the wall by the fountain. We sat there for about 90 minutes waiting on the kids and could have stayed even longer. Watching the fountain perform was one of the highlights of the whole week for us. The sun was shining which made a rainbow in the fountain spray that just added to the experience. A nice breeze was blowing which caused the fountain to occasionally spray unsuspecting people as they passed by. It was pretty funny to catch their reactions.

We had planned to do the rest of the attractions in Future World later in the week but it was still early so we headed over to Horizons. On the way we encountered the Epbots who were interacting with a small group of people. We stopped to watch and the female Epbot insisted I take a picture of her with Tim. The Epbots are actors dressed as robots. They communicate with all sorts of sounds and special effects--very unique.

Horizons had no line at all so we walked right on. Not an exciting ride but enjoyable. As we got to the Universe of Energy, the preshow had just started for Ellen's Energy Adventure and we were able to get in with no wait. I thought it was clever how you are sitting in a theater watching a movie for the first part of the attraction and then doors open up and the same seats move and take you through the rest of the ride. It fits in very well with the whole concept behind the attraction (Bill Nye is taking Ellen on a trip back through time to learn about energy).

We still had time before Illuminations so we all walked through Innoventions East. All three boys got a kick out of the exhibit where you sat in front of a video camera and it looked like you were part of a TV show. They did all three choices--the sports news, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Saved by the Bell. Then it hit us--the wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies. We wandered by a small kitchen area just as a lady came through the door. The phone rang and the person on the other end of the line told her that they needed seven dozen cookies for a PTA meeting in ten minutes. She proceeded to tell us how this is possible with her new GE oven. When she opened the oven door, sure enough there are seven racks all filled with cookies. The display is basically an advertisement for GE appliances but we did get to sample the warm, chewy cookies.

I had read so many different suggestions as to where to watch Illuminations that I didn't know where we should go. We thought that if we stayed on the end of the World Showcase closest to Future World that perhaps we wouldn't have to fight such a crowd to get out of the park. Bob decided sitting on the wall of the bridge leading over to Mexico would be a great spot for us. It was only 7:45 so we had over an hour wait but by then we were ready to just sit and relax anyway. The kids wanted to ride Maelstrom again so we sent them off with instructions to come back to the bridge when they were done. We hadn't even sat there for 5 minutes when a CM from Mexico came along and told us (and several others) that we couldn't sit on the wall. We got down from the wall but kept the spot though and just sat on the ground until it was time for Illuminations to start.

Sitting next to us were three teenagers wearing matching t-shirts. After a short while several more joined them and I realizef that it was one of the Brazilian tour groups that I have heard so much about. Eventually the group grew to about a dozen teenagers and the tour group leader who was carrying a flag. I was having serious doubts about our choice of viewing spots by then. I suspected that once the show started the group would try and crowd us out of our spot but it never happened. They had a good time and were just a little on the loud side but not rude.

Not having anything else to compare it to, we thought Illuminations was great. I was glad that we noted the wind direction and avoided the smoke from the fireworks. I would have hated to be watching from Canada or the United Kingdom.

Once Illuminations was over the mass exodus began. Even though we were close to Future World, the walk through it to the gate took forever. Mixed in among the crowds we saw several different Brazilian tour groups. Each group was singing and clapping and following their leader who carried a flag. Zach and Matthew were amused watching the groups and decided they would join in on the fun. Zach stuck his cap up in the air (like a flag) and Matthew followed behind with the songs and clapping. I was much more annoyed by the noise my own kids were making than that of the Brazilians!

The traffic was pretty heavy as we left EPCOT and it took a while to get back to our home away from home (the only time all week that we were bothered by the traffic.) Our Norwegian lunch had worn off by then so we all had a little something to eat and then hit the sack to get ready for our next day at MGM.

Total spent:

Parking - $5.00

Lunch at Akershus - $50.62 (before tip) with MKC discount

Total - $55.62

Day 3 - Monday, October 13, 1997

Happy Birthday to Bob today! We went through the morning routine of Bob and I getting breakfast and bringing it to the room and then woke the boys. Zach was still behind on sleep after his night at camp and he had a hard time getting up. I wanted to leave the room before 8 a.m. but it was about 8:05 when we finally walked out. When we got to the gate at MGM it was already open (it had opened at 8 a.m.) We sent our tickets through the ticket reader and headed down Hollywood Blvd. to the rope. It was only a couple of minutes before the rope dropped and we followed the crowd (who follows a couple of CM's) down Sunset Blvd. to the Tower of Terror. This was what Tim has been looking forward to and he started to run down the street. Zach was grumbling about everyone rushing and said that he was going to take his time getting there. A man walking next to us pointed out the crowd following behind us and laughingly said that if Zach slowed down he would be trampled to death!

There was no line so we ended up rushing through the lobby and missed seeing what all is there. I was expecting more to happen before the drop and the ride was over before I knew it! I really had expected it to be much worse than it was. I'm not sure why anyone would be too scared to ride this ride. The kids wanted to get back on and ride again but I was anxious to get to some of the other attractions before the lines got too long so I vetoed the idea.

The next stop was The Great Movie Ride. Just as we got there they opened the other queue so we walked right in. We were on the tram that saw the western scene. At the end of the ride the doors didn't open to the let the tram go through so the CM was left to adlib. We were in the front seat next to her so she ended up doing a mini interview with Bob. I think she was very relieved when we were finally able to finish the ride.

We hustled over to Star Tours next and just as we got there so did a very large group of Brazilians. The leader was trying to get the group organized so I tried to rush and get by them but ended up getting separated from Bob and the boys. I realized that the left queue was open and no one is using it so we quickly got in that line and got ahead of the whole group. We had a short wait, less than 10 minutes. Just like Body Wars, Bob was bothered by motion sickness. As we exited the ride we noticed that the line had grown and was very long.

Muppet Vision had just started when we got there so we had a little wait until the next show started. There was so much to see and look at in the preshow that we didn't mind waiting. This was a fun show--Zach's favorite for the whole week. I liked it but thought there was more to experience in Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

I was worried about getting in to see Indiana Jones so we got in line at 10:20 for the 11:00 show (the first of the day.) We waited in line for 10 minutes (in the shade) and then they opened the theater. I was glad we had gotten there early because it didn't take long for the whole theater to fill up plus we got to see the hiliarious preshow by a very witty comedian posing as the janitor. There were some Brazilian groups in the audience and when he made several comments in Portugese they went wild.

Next we made our way to Beauty and the Beast (BatB). We got there about 11:40 and the next show didn't start until 12:15 but we decided to wait. It was only about 5 minutes before they opened the theater but that was plenty long enough since we were waiting in the hot sun. I was really disappointed that there was no preshow here. Tim was getting a little crabby by now and just sitting for a half an hour with nothing to do didn't help his attitude. Isn't this the show where 4 for a Dollar performs? I am really sorry we didn't get to hear them sing after all of the great reviews I have read about them. Three of Zach's friends (who happen to be female) told him they wanted him to bring them back something from "Belle" so he was busy taking pictures during this show. It was impressive to see the live doves that were released at the end of the performance.

By the time BatB was over we had just enough time to get to our 1:00 PS at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Even at a "regular" restaurant Bob loves to tease the waitresses so I figured this would be the perfect place to celebrate his birthday and let him have some fun. When I made the PS time a couple of months ago I mentioned that it would be Bob's birthday. As we checked in I mentioned again that it was Bob's birthday--they had no record of it from when I made the PS. I told the man at the podium I wanted them to do all they could to embarrass Bob. He suggested sending dancing girls to the table!

We were seated in the living room area of the restaurant for about 10 minutes. Bob and I had fun comparing the decor to what our homes had been like as kids (we are both 40-something). The time passed quickly watching the old black and white TV clips and it wasn't long before we heard "Mom is ready for the Miller kids." As we got to our table our server, Auntie Jill, gave me a big hug and talked about how much the boys had grown and how long it had been since she had seen us. I hadn't told anyone in the family what to expect from this restaurant so Tim was a bit bewildered. Auntie Jill was busy with another table so while she took care of them she made us set the table and gave us crayons so we could color. As soon as she was gone Tim asked "Do we really know her, Mom?"

Bob and Zach each got the special of the day--pot pie. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas. Each of our meals were about $12/each. Matthew was wanting a hamburger but since there wasn't one on the main menu, he (and Tim too) ordered the child's hamburger meal. I was disappointed in the food although I had read enough about the place to know it wouldn't be the greatest. Bob and Zach both agreed the pot pie was good but the serving just wasn't enough to fill them up. I ended up sharing some of my meatloaf with Zach who agreed it wasn't anything special. Really the best deal turned out to be the kid's meals. For $4.95 their meal included a decent hamgurger, fries, drink and ice cream. The adult meals didn't include either a drink or dessert.

We had just about finished the meal and still Auntie Jill had not mentioned Bob's birthday and I was getting worried that she hadn't gotten the message. I went to the bathroom and on the way back motioned to her that I wanted to talk to her (without Bob knowing). She knew right away what I wanted and said not to worry that she was taking care of it.

It wasn't long before she showed up with a birthday hat (made out of a placemat) and a small cake. Auntie Jill had all of our "cousins" in the room sing Happy Birthday to Bob and then he blew out the candle. She even brought a Disney birthday card and had everyone in the restaurant sign it. He was thoroughly embarrassed which was my intent all along! Before we left Auntie Jill praised us all for cleaning our plates and then took Zach's picture he had colored to hang it up on the refrigerator.

The Hercules parade was just ending as we came out of the restaurant but we hadn't planned to see it anyway. We rushed and got to the Hunch Back of Notre Dame just before the 2:30 performance. We were able to get in but missed all of the preshow with Matt the juggler. The show was quite good and Tim thought all of the bell shaped confetti that dropped down on the audience was really cool.

I had noticed that the Goosebumps attraction started at 3:00 but figured there was no way we could get to it on time. We walked over that direction anyway and realized that the show is held outside on a stage at the end of the street. Tim is a big Goosebumps fan and was so excited when I told him that the show was opening just a few days before we were to get to WDW. There was a big crowd and it was so hot standing in the sun that even Tim agreed that he didn't want to stay and watch it. He saw the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and decided he would rather go there instead. By that time in the afternoon the place was really packed. Tim played around for awhile but then skinned his knee and was upset and wanted to leave. As we exited the playground we came upon the Goosebumps gift shop and that made Tim forget all about his knee. Cuddles (one of the Goosebump characters) was posing for pictures in the shop and Tim rushed right up to him. A year ago I would practically have to threaten Tim to get him to let me take a picture of him but at WDW he was always wanting to get in front of the camera.

There were still quite a few things I was wanting to see at MGM but it was hot (remember we are from Minnesota) and the kids were getting tired. I knew if we left there wouldn't be time to come back later since it was only open until 7 p.m. but it wasn't much fun with the kids complaining anyway. As we started down Dalmation Avenue to make our way out of the park I saw that The Making of George of the Jungle was to start in just five minutes so I convinced the kids that we should stop. Zach was very impressed with the post production booths, computers and sound equipment that we saw. The theater was only about half full for the movie but it was cool inside so the kids enjoyed it.

Back at the hotel the kids went for a swim and we had dinner in our suite. A damper was put on Bob's birthday when we heard on TV that John Denver had been killed in a plane crash. The two of us are long time fans of John Denver and even chose to name our first son, Zachary, after listening to the song "Merry Christmas Little Zachary" on his Christmas album many years ago.

Knowing that we could sleep a little later the next day we decided to go to Pleasure Island in the evening. We found a parking spot right next to the future McDonalds and went through the gate to Pleasure Island. Our first stop was the Adventurer's Club. All I had read about this place made it sound so intriguing and it was. A group was just taking their membership oath when we got there and we were able to watch them from above on the balcony. The large talking head on the wall was really strange! When the group was called into the Treasure Room we went downstairs. Bob followed the group but the kids and I just sat down in the main room. Zach was busy looking at all of the artifacts on the wall and didn't even realize that the French maid was following him around carrying a plastic fish. She was trying to make a face so she would look like the fish and got Zach into the act with her. She wandered off into another part of the club and yelled at Tim to come with her. He said he could hear a guy's voice inside a vent and she had Tim trying to help her get the vent off so they could rescue the guy. Pretty soon Tim said he heard the noise of a big fan and then some screaming inside the vent. The maid said "Oh well, he's confetti now" and she just left. Later the maid and another actress dressed like an adventurer (I can't remember any of their names now) were plotting to fry Tim up in a big skillet. They went on and on for some time about how they were going to do it and whether they should fry him in lard or butter (I didn't hear the beginning of all of that so I'm not sure what it was all about.) I had hesitations about whether we should even take the kids to Pleasure Island but the Adventurer's Club was great fun for Tim. We were there early in the evening--I don't think kids would have fit in as well later at night.

We stayed long enough to learn the Kungaloosh sign and sing the Adventurer's song with the little man on the wall. Bob had stayed with the group in the Treasure Room and said the leader was talking to a hologram head inside one of the cabinets during the time he was in there. When they invited the group into the library we decided it was time to leave.

Zach wanted to go hear the group play at the Jazz Company so that is where we went next. Tim was not enjoying the club at all so Bob offered to take him over to the Marketplace while I stayed with Zach and Matthew to listen to the music. After listening there for some time we left and went to the Rock and Roll Beach Club. There weren't many people in the club and I noticed several kids down on the dance floor. After several songs the smoke and noise were getting to me so I convinced Zach it was time to move on. Frankie and the West End Boys were just getting started on the outdoor stage so that is where we ended up. I enjoyed this music much more and it felt good to be out in the fresh air. Bob and Tim met back up with us here although they had a little bit of trouble getting back into Pleasure Island. Bob hadn't taken the tickets with him and just figured the hand stamp was enough to get him back in--not so. They wanted to see the hand stamp AND a ticket. After explaining the situation to the guy at the gate they finally let him come through.

Pleasure Island was starting to get more crowded by then and I felt like the kids were a little more out of place than earlier in the evening so we decided it was time to go. Even though Bob and Tim had just been there the rest of us wanted to stop and look through the Marketplace. The Lego store had just opened and we enjoyed looking at all of the large Lego figures on the outside. (There is a similar store at the Mall of America in Minneapolis that we have been to several times.) Matthew pointed out the old man made of Legos who is sitting on the park bench and said "That looks just like Grandpa". A lady standing next to us got a chuckle out of that but you know what--the guy did look like Grandpa! I looked through the Disney store to see if I could find any Donald and Daisy Duck items. My parents' names are Donald and Daisy (for real!) and I thought it would be fun to find something unique for them. There were very few items that had both Donald and Daisy on them and I didn't get anything. I saw a couple of tiny plastic figures but wasn't willing to pay $3 a piece for them--they looked like something you would get in a Happy Meal. The Rainforest Cafe looked neat but we didn't take time to check it out. The Mall of America also has a Rainforest Cafe (and a Planet Hollywood) and we are planning a trip there this winter.

Total spent:

Parking - $5.00

Lunch at Prime Time Cafe - $51.04 (before tip)

Total - $56.04

Day 4 - Tuesday, October 14, 1997

The day the kids have been waiting for--Typhoon Lagoon! We let them sleep a little later since the park didn't open until 10 a.m. but we still kept to our policy of getting there BEFORE the gates opened. Once inside the park I was able to get a locker quickly. There were lines for the large lockers but not for the small ones which is what we wanted. (The small lockers are $5 but you can get $2 back when you return the key.) We had worn our swim suits to the park so didn't have to bother with changing there. We stashed our fanny pack containing our money and tickets and our shoes inside the locker. We kept our swim bag containing our towels, camera, etc. and our cooler with us.

It was still a few more minutes until the rest of the park opened but once it did we were able to find chairs close to the wave pool and quickly dropped off our stuff. Finding our way around the park was confusing but it didn't take too long to find the tube slides. We did the three slides with very little wait--the family slide was particularly fun. Matthew is a real fish lover so I wanted to get to Shark Reef before the lines built up. We picked up our equipment--a vest, mask and snorkel--and headed over to where a CM was giving instructions. The rules: swim straight across the reef, no diving under water, and don't bother the fish. The water was deep but there was a rock island in the center in case someone couldn't make it all the way across.

We started out. At first I couldn't get the hang of breathing through the snorkel so I would take a big breath and hold my head under until I thought I would burst and then come up gasping for air. I was half way across the reef before I could relax enough to breath normal. (Once I figured it out I wished that I could start over so I could enjoy it.) The vest that we were given was not a flotation device. It was for warmth because the water was very chilly (and also very salty.) There were lots of fish to see. Most of them stayed towards the bottom of the pool but I had one come up right next to me and I had to wait for it to move before I could continue swimming. A sting ray was sitting next to the stairs where you exit and Tim almost stepped on it before he saw it.

Tim wanted to try going down Humunga Kowabunga but no one else in the family wanted to. After hiking up all of those stairs the ride is over in just a couple of seconds and you are left trying to pull your swimsuit out of places that it wasn't meant to be. Instead we all tried the storm slides. There are three different slides but we thought the one where you go through the dark tunnel was the most fun. I was wearing water shoes and had to remove them to do the body slides. No one else in the family would wear shoes and by the end of the day Tim had a very sore toe from walking and climbing the concrete stairs.

Although all of the slides at Typhoon Lagoon are a lot of fun they require climbing many, many steps. I was tired and voted that we all relax by floating around Castaway Creek. By that time the park was getting pretty crowded and it took awhile to get tubes. Everyone waits by the entrances to the creek like vultures just waiting to grab the first available tube. Bob and I each got tubes but the kids decided it would be more fun to swim with the current in the creek. We made a loop and a half around the park and then the boys decided that they had to try out the wave pool.

Once we got in the water we waited and waited and waited, but no waves. Finally the bobbing waves started but that was not what the kids were wanting. We were all getting hungry so decided we would just get out of the water and eat lunch. Disney allows people to bring coolers into the park but we saw very few other people who did. By bringing our own food and drinks we saved a considerable amount of money plus didn't have to stand in any lines at the food stands. (We had brought the cooler from home and checked it on the airlines as one of our pieces of luggage.) One piece of advice here--if you plan to eat at the waterparks, try to avoid getting chairs in the sandy areas. As careful as we were we still ended up having a gritty lunch. It gave new meaning to the word SANDwich.

As we were finishing up our lunch we heard the sound of the waves starting so the kids dashed back into the pool. When Bob and I joined them we realized just how big those waves really were! The kids loved it but I got tired of being knocked off my feet and slammed under by the waves. Floating around Castaway Creek was much more enjoyable to me and everyone agreed to go with me. This time Bob and I were able to get a double tube which was nicer than trying to stay together on single tubes. After floating for awhile Bob and Zach decided they would go back and do the slides some more. Matthew and Tim headed for the wave pool and I was just going to relax on the beach. I got to our chairs and although they had been in the shade during the morning they now were in full sun. I am a fair skinned redhead and knew I had better be careful about how much sun I got. I reapplied my sunblock, put on a t-shirt and decided to sit in the shade at the edge of the wave pool instead.

I sat down on one of the wooden beams along the edge of the pool and was surprised to find out that it was actually made of soft foam. My second surprise came when a wave came along and drenched me up to my waist! I sat there for some time people watching and just enjoying the beautiful day. (It had snowed in Minnesota the day before!)

One observation I made was what an incredible number of British people there were visiting WDW. I felt like we were just one of a few people at Typhoon Lagoon that day who did NOT have an English accent. Another thing I noticed (and so did the rest of the family) was that lots of British middle aged men wear skimpy Speedo swimsuits. I mean teeny, tiny swim suits that leave very little to your imagination. While I was sitting there I saw a man who looked just like Mr. Bean (a British comedian who my kids love.)

Once Bob and Zach got back from the slides we joined Matt and Tim in the wave pool for about a half hour. By then it was 3:00 and I decided we should leave so that we would have time to rest a little and get ready for our dinner at 'Ohana. The kids would have stayed much longer if I would have let them.

When I returned the key, the girl at the locker rental place gave me my choice--did I want my $2 deposit back or would I like to have a cup? I just assumed it was some cheap plastic cup so I took the money. As I started to walk away I saw what she was referring to. The cups were actually insulated mugs with Mickey and the 25th anniversary logo on the front. Luckily she let me change my mind so I gave her back the money and took a mug. Later in the week I saw the same mug for sale at EPCOT but it cost more.

Back at the hotel I didn't have any trouble convincing everyone that they needed a rest. After naps we got up and showered and got ready to go to the Polynesian for our dinner at 'Ohana. We had no trouble getting through both the toll booth for the Magic Kingdom and the security gate for the Poly just by mentioning that we had a PS for 'Ohana. Neither asked us for the confirmation number, they just waved us through. We got to the restaurant a little early but were seated right away. Being so early there weren't many other diners in the restaurant. Before being seated a photographer took our picture and told us to stop by after our meal to check it out. I resent being put on the spot to buy a photo here or in the parks and we declined to even look at it later.

Before being seated the hostess showed us around the restaurant and explained how the meats are cooked over the grill. Once seated it didn't take long for the food to show up. We had a very friendly waiter and he saw to it that we had plenty to eat. First came the appetizers and then rice and vegetables and finally various kinds of meat that he would bring to our table on a long skewer. The food was put into a pan in the middle of the table on a lazy susan. Each of us had our favorites and after swimming all day we were hungry enough to really enjoy the food. Matt and Tim both liked the appetizers better than the meat and got a second plate of the spring rolls. Zach liked the chicken that was cooked in banana leaves and I lost count how many of those he had. Bob and I liked just about everything. The dipping sauces were also unusual and very flavorable.

Part way through our meal they announced that they wanted all of the kids to come up for a game of Hawaiian hockey. All three boys are hockey players so Tim jumped up eagerly. The game involved hitting a coconut around the room using a small broom. Tim's hockey skills didn't translate well to this game. He did manage to get around the room although certainly not in first place. Each of the kids who took part got a handful of Hawaiian candy. Later they also had a kid's hula hoop contest and a Hawaiian sing-along with everyone in the restaurant.

After dinner we rode the resort monorail around to get a look at the other resorts and we got our first glimpse of the castle cake. Back at the Poly we browsed through the gift shop and then walked down to the beach. On the way we passed one of the pools which was closed and it made me appreciate the fact that the pool at Quality Suites was open until 11 p.m. At 8:30 we watched the MK fireworks and then hung around to see the Electrical Water Pageant. The Water Pageant was beautiful but different from what I was expecting. Our home town has a lighted boat parade so I was figured this would be similar. I should have known that Disney would make it something really special. The boats are more like barges and each has a "screen" mounted onto it that displays a lighted moving figure--dolphins, sea serpent, octopus, turtle, etc. and King Triton. Each boat would light up as it passed the Poly and music played throughout.

I was worried that we would get caught in the traffic leaving EPCOT and the MK but we had no problems and were back at the hotel in just a short time. After a very busy day we crawled into bed looking forward to our first visit to the Magic Kingdom.

Total spent:

'Ohana: $98.32 (before tip)

Day 5 - Wednesday, October 15, 1997

Bob and I got up first and went down to the pool area to pick up breakfast. (Our suite was on the fifth (and top) floor which was designated a non-smoking floor.) We brought the food back up and then woke the kids. It didn't take them long to get ready (once we were able to get them awake) and we were at the TTC by 8:15. I just assumed that the monorails would be running and then we would wait at the gates to the MK until they opened at 8:30. Wrong. We were kept waiting in a line at the TTC that continued to grow. By the time the monorails did start there was a sizeable crowd. It seems like it would be much more effecient to just start running the monorails around 8 a.m. The poor CM at the TTC was a short guy and he made everyone raise their right hand and take an oath that we wouldn't run over him when he opened the gates! There were 3 guys with instruments (that appeared to be a dixie land type band) at the TTC but they were just sitting around and didn't play while we were there. It would have made the wait just a little easier if they had.

Even with the wait we were still through the gates at the MK, down Main Street, and to the rope at the Adventureland bridge well before the park opened at 9:00. There was a TV crew filming on Main Street and a guy was instructiong people to please stay on either side of the street on the sidewalks. Perhaps they wanted Main Street to look less crowded while they filmed. Once the rope dropped we followed the crowd heading to Splash Mountain (SM). I was looking for the shortcut through the restrooms mentioned in the Unofficial Guide and it was funny when we got there because you could tell there were others in the crowd who had also read the book. A small group of us took the right turn while the rest of the group kept going.

The wait for SM was two minutes at the most. The flume ride at Six Flags in St. Louis has always been one of my favorites but the details of SM make it so much more interesting. The ride was much longer than I had expected too. As soon as we got off of SM we dashed over to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR) and again got on with just a couple of minutes wait. The kids had been waiting for some exciting rides and they all thought that these two rides were great.

We headed back to Adventureland and walked right on to the Pirates of the Caribbean and then onto the Jungle Cruise (JC) with about a 10 minute wait. Zach could not get over the string of bad jokes that the JC operator told. The operator never missed a beat or even snickered while telling the jokes and most of them went right over Tim's head. Since the Swiss Family Treehouse and the Enchanted Tiki Birds were both closed for renovations we left Adventureland and headed over to Liberty Square.

We got to the Hall of Presidents (HoP) just after a show had begun so the CM told us to come back later. Instead we went to the Haunted Mansion and walked right in without a wait. Rather than being frightened, Zach was again intrigued by all of the special effects--they really are superb. I think I could ride it many times and still not see every detail. By then it was almost time for the next show at the HoP and we are able to go in with only about a 5 minute wait. Although this was very similar, I think I enjoyed the American Adventure in EPCOT better.

After exiting the HoP we took time out to have a quick snack from the fanny pack. Bob carried the pack all week and didn't complain. I thought it was a little heavy with the food, water bottles & ponchos, but after mountain climbing with his huge pack he said it didn't bother him at all. I had really planned to eat several fast food meals in the parks, but with the food we brought in and our meals at the sit down restaurants we just didn't get hungry enough or want to take the time to eat any other meals than what we did. I know bringing food into the parks is really against Disney's policy but we saw others doing the same and no one said a word to us about it. The water bottles were especially nice to have also.

Since we hadn't encountered any long lines yet we wondered if we could also get on Space Mountain without too much of a wait. We walked through Fantasyland on the way to Tomorrowland and saw that there was no line for It's a Small World. I told the kids they probably wouldn't enjoy the ride much (that was an understatement!) but I really wanted to do it once. Zach said the only thing that would have made the ride worse was if it was longer. After riding it we all appreciated the Jungle Cruise operator's joke--he said any kids that got left on his boat would be taken to It's a Small World and they would be bolted down by their feet and forced to sing for the next 37 years!

Although they aren't exactly thrill rides I really did want to do Peter Pan's Flight and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride just because I had read so much about them. All of the attractions in Fantasyland had lines of at least 25 minutes or more though. I knew we would be back later in the week and I figured we would hit those rides then so we headed on over to Tomorrowland.

Judging by the lines in Fantasyland, I figured the line to Space Mountain would probably be close to an hour and was really surprised when we got there and the sign said 15 minutes. The wait was actually closer to 20 minutes but it was worth it. I'm not a big roller coaster fan but I loved sailing through the dark not knowing which way we were going to go! There were no lines for Take Flight (only a so-so attraction) and Time Keeper (which would be better if you could sit down) and we got into Alien Encounter within 5 minutes. I knew too much of what takes place in Alien Encounter so instead of being scared I just kept waiting for each thing to happen. Bob didn't have a clue what to expect and thought it was fantastic. This was one of those times that being so prepared was actually a bad thing.

It was apparent that the lines were getting longer and we were all starting to feel the heat so we decided to head back to the hotel. Bob was also coming down with a cold and not feeling the greatest. On the way out I stopped at the Welcome Center and picked up our Guest of Honor pins. (I use that word loosely--there is just an adhesive strip on the back--no pin.) We started in to watch the movie of coming attractions but I decided it probably wasn't worth the time that it would take. I was going to get the lithograph on the way out but a large line had formed and I didn't want to wait.

Once back, the kids went for a swim and then everyone but Zach had a nap. (I don't know if it is just a teenage thing or what. Zach never wants to sleep at appropriate times. Instead he would stay up late and then fall asleep in shows, etc. While we were all resting he was watching a movie on TV.) After naptime we had a quick dinner in the suite. Zach decided he needed to do some homework so he stayed behind while the rest of us headed back to the MK. On the way we made a quick stop at the Publix across the street so Bob could stock up on cough drops to treat his cold and sore throat.

Going in to the MK we were able to sit up front with the monorail driver. He told us about all of the TV crews that were setting up at WDW for the Oldsmobile Golf Classic which was to start the next day. We mentioned the crew on Main Street that morning and he said they were probably just shooting footage to show as part of their coverage of the golf tournament. A blimp was flying overhead also--probably to get aerial shots of the tournament.

Once inside the park we took the train around to Frontierland. The lines for SM and BTMR were both over 30 minutes so we went to the Country Bear Jamboree. This was a cute show but not too popular with Matt and Tim who had their hearts set on more exciting rides. As we came out we saw that a few people were starting to line up for Spectromagic. I started to sit down on the curb but Bob spied a couple of stools that must have come from Pecos Bills so we grabbed those. Since it was only about 7:00 now I told Matt and Tim to go ride SM and then meet us back at that spot to watch the parade. A few minutes after they left Bob decided that he would walk over and watch.

h the kids come down the big drop. I stayed to hold our spot and just enjoyed being able to "people watch". A couple of CM's got a game of jump rope going with some kids using the extra rope that was going to rope off the bridge once the parade got started. After a little while they switched and used the rope for a game of limbo. There was a young boy who started doing some flips in the street. Since the street was pretty empty, the CM's encouraged him to do more and he entertained everyone for some time with his gymnastics.

I was starting to worry that Bob and the boys were not going to get back in time for the parade but around 7:30 they walked up. Matt and Tim had stopped in the bathroom on the way to SM so Bob had gotten there about the same time as they had. They talked him into joining them and the three of them had ridden SM together. It was 7:50 before the parade got around to Frontierland. Bob joked about how it really put our hometown parade to shame. (Ours is mostly politicians and firetrucks!)

Immediately after the last float had passed us we ran across the bridge to BTMR and got on with only a 5 minute wait. I noticed a lot of effects that I had missed when we had ridden the ride that morning (such as the shaking rocks) and it was just a lot more fun after dark. One special added feature--a huge full moon was just rising above the castle! Wow! It was exactly 8:30 when we exited the ride but we ran around again and were able to get on one more time. The CM was on the phone as we entered the queue so maybe hadn't gotten the ride closed as quickly as he would have otherwise. This time we walked right on and besides the spectacular moon we also were treated with fireworks. What a great way to end the day!

Up to this point we had pretty well followed the itinerary that I had put together but I was beginning to have doubts about my plans for the rest of the week. I had planned to go to MGM and EPCOT on Thursday and then spend a whole day at the Magic Kingdom on Friday. Saturday we had a 5:30 flight but I figured we could still spend a good part of the day at Blizzard Beach. Since we had seen most all of the attractions at the MK that I had hope to I didn't know if we really wanted to spend another whole day there. I had figured that would be our favorite park but Bob and I actually enjoyed MGM and EPCOT more. Typhoon Lagoon had been the favorite for the kids. Rain was forecast for Saturday and I was afraid we would end up missing Blizzard Beach if we waited.

I revised the plans and decided we would spend all the next day at Blizzard Beach. The kids had complained when I had made them leave Typhoon Lagoon at 3:00 in the afternoon the day before so I wanted them to be able to stay as long as they wanted. Avoiding early entry parks made scheduling the other two days a little more complicated. I decided we would hit MGM on Friday morning since we had missed the most in that park and then go to the MK in the afternoon. That left EPCOT to do on Saturday although we would have to leave early in order to get to the airport on time.

We had a 2:00 PS at the Crystal Palace for Friday but I was afraid that would rush us too much at MGM. As we walked by the Crystal Palace on our way out of the MK I stopped to see if I could make the time a little later. The CM said their computers were already down for the evening but I could stop at City Hall and change the time. We did just that and made a new PS for 2:45, the latest we could still get in for lunch prices. While we were there we also asked about Bob's hat. Sometime during the day he realized he didn't have it any longer. He wasn't sure but suspected that he had lost it on Space Mountain. It wasn't there and the CM said it would be later that night before the lost items from Space Mountain were turned in. He gave us the phone number for the central lost and found but we never bothered calling--the hat wasn't worth the trouble it would have been to try and search for it. I felt sorry for the poor lady who was in there to check for her lost wallet.

Going to bed that night it was nice to know that we would be sleeping in a little later the next morning...

Total spent:

Parking: $5.00

Day 6 - Thursday, October 16, 1997

The one nice thing about our water park days were that we got to sleep a little later since they didn't open until 10:00 a.m. By always getting to the parks when they opened and beating the crowds we got to see far more than we ever could have otherwise but I'll admit that getting up early on vacation was hard.

We missed our turn on the way to Blizzard Beach but by doing so we got to drive by Coronado Springs. I only got a glimpse of the resort but at least I can visualize the place when I read reports about it now. The park had just opened when we got there and we followed the same routine as we did at Typhoon Lagoon. We got a small locker for my fanny pack and some of our clothes (the small lockers are just exactly that--SMALL) and then found chairs. Our home base was next to the ski lift--a spot that was easy to find later. The waterparks are very large and it would be easy to forget just where you left your stuff!

The line to the ski lift was growing fast so I figured that if we wanted to try it we should go right away. As we were waiting in line I struck up a conversation with the British family in front of us. I was curious about why so many people from the UK were at WDW that week. She explained that the schools were closed for the mid-term break the following week. Although we waited for quite awhile (15-20 minutes) our visit made the time pass quickly. (And yes--her husband had on one of the teeny Speedo type bathing suits like so many of the British men were wearing at Typhoon Lagoon!)

By taking the ski lift we avoided the thousands of steps (or at least it seemed like that many) to get to the top of the slide. And by taking the ski lift all of the people who took the stairs got there before us so by the time we reached the top the lines were very long. The one slide that I wanted to make sure we did was Teamboat Springs (a family raft ride) so we headed there first. It must have been about a 10 minute wait and then we were on our way down--I thought it was great fun even though I made a fool of myself trying to get out of the raft.

Tim had his heart set on going down Summit Plummet--he wanted to go home and brag to his friends that he had gone down the world's tallest free-fall slide. Tim was really the only one who wanted to go down Summit Plummet so the rest of us got in the line for the Slush Gusher (the lines are adjacent to each other.) It wasn't quite as high and had a couple of dips instead of a straight drop. After about 15 minutes we were just about to get our turns and Tim still hadn't even started up the final set of steps for Summit Plummet (a 30 minute wait from that point.) I convinced him to change his mind and come with us instead. After waiting all that time it only took about 3 seconds to go down (and then another 5 minutes to undo your wedgie!) Definitely not worth it in my opinion.

While waiting in line we watched the toboggan style slides and they looked like fun. However not only did you have to climb lots and lots of steps you also had to carry a foam mat most of the way up. Being a little heavier paid off on this slide--it was eight lanes across and the heaviest person was always the fastest! We also tried the slalom-style mat slides in same area. There were three of these slides which kept the lines from getting too long. I was getting a little tired of climbing at this point but agreed to go one more time because everyone wanted to try the toboggan slides again. On the way up Tim decided to take a detour and go down the tube slides instead. (If you haven't figured it out, he is very independent for a 9 year old.) He headed off one direction to get a tube and we went the other way to pick up our mats. Just as we were getting to the top of the hill Tim caught up with us. He decided the lines at the tube slide were too long and he wanted to ride with us after all. One problem--he hadn't picked up a mat. Even though I was huffing and puffing after climbing all the stairs I did what all good mothers would do--I let him have my mat and I walked down all those stairs that I had just struggled to get up. (I plan to remind him of my sacrifice often.)

Time for lunch and it was back to our chairs where our cooler was with sandwiches, pop, fruit, and cookies. No gritty lunch today--we had learned from our mistake at Typhoon Lagoon and got chairs on concrete instead of in the sand.

After lunch all I wanted to do was get into a tube and float lazily around the park. Getting a tube took a few minutes but then---aaahhh how nice! Zach and Matt took off on their own to explore but I didn't trust letting Tim go with them (I know they would have ended up in an argument and just gone off and left him somewhere.)

We floated completely around the park twice. As we went through the cave Bob made sure he pushed me under the waterfall both times--brrrr! Tim was with us but chose to swim instead of using a tube (too confining for him.)

Tim wanted to check out the Ski Patrol Training Camp (an area for pre-teens) so Bob and I went with him. That place was packed and most things were too tame for Tim but he had fun playing on the icebergs. I was in the mood to just relax so I went back and napped on a lounge (which luckily stayed in the shade all day) while Bob went off with Tim. Tim had not given up on his pursuit to do Summit Plummet. Bob was going to just watch him come down but ended up going also.

When I woke up no one was around so I wandered over to the wave pool but didn't stay long. By the time I got back to our chairs, Zach and Matt were there. Matt was irritated at Zach because they had waited about a half an hour to get tubes for one of the slides and then when they got to the slide they found out they had the wrong kind of tube. (Each slide had differently marked tubes. While floating in the creek, Bob ended up with a tube from one of the slides and a CM made him give it up.) It took another 15 minutes for them to get on the correct slide. They had also tried the Runoff Rapids which had both open and enclosed slides.

Bob and Tim got back about then and we decided to go to the Runoff Rapids. Zach and Matt thought they were really fun and said they lines weren't too long. Zach opted to stay and snooze so we went without him. Again there were three slides in this area which kept the lines from getting too long. One slide was completely enclosed, the other two were in the open. You had your choice of a single, double, or triple tube although you could only use a single tube on the enclosed slide. We tried the enclosed slide (definitely the best) and one of the open ones. I didn't want to climb the stairs again but waited while the guys went down one more time, this time on one of the triple tubes.

At this point (around 4:30) I was ready to call it a day. Tim hadn't been in the wave pool yet so Matt took him for a short time while we dried off. None of the boys liked the wave pool at Blizzard Beach. The waves at Typhoon Lagoon were much more exciting for them.

There was a group (who I presumed were Brazilians) who had occupied a group of chairs near ours all day and they were getting ready to leave at the same time we were. Bob couldn't believe it but he watched one of the men in the group COMPLETELY strip down and change into his clothes right there! Luckily I missed the show! As I turned in my locker key I was once again given the option of getting my $2 deposit back or taking a mug. I took the mug.

We debated about stopping at McDonald's near the hotel to pick up dinner but decided we would cook our own and hit McDonald's the next night. Bob and I dropped the kids off so they could start packing and we drove to the Publix across the street. You could tell they really cater to tourists because right near the door were several freezers with a big sign that said "Ready to heat meals". We grabbed some burritos and fixins and were back at the suite in a short time.

After dinner the kids swam while Bob and I did our packing. At 8:30 we walked around to the other side of the hotel and could see the MK fireworks off in the distance. At 9:00 we were also able to see some (although not much) of the fireworks from Illuminations. Another busy day and our beds felt soooooo good.

Total spent:

Groceries at Publix: $9.66

Day 7 - Friday, October 17, 1997

Another early morning for us. Instead of the blue skies that we have seen all week, the morning was cool and foggy. Tim's fourth grade teacher had asked him to keep a journal during our week long stay but he was always too tired at night. Instead he got into the habit of writing each morning during breakfast about the previous day's activities.

I was looking forward to this morning--we were going back to MGM to try and catch some of the attractions that we had missed on Monday. I regretted that we had left so early that day. The park was open when we got there at 8:15 and our first stop was Guest Relations. Zach still hadn't found any "Belle" items to take to his friends back home so we asked where we could find a Belle penny press. The CM had no idea where we could find one and unfortunately the computers were down or he would have printed us out a list of all penny press locations. At the end of Hollywood Boulevard "Tuba Four" (a quartet of tuba players) was entertaining everyone while we waited for the rope to drop. We followed the crowd to Tower of Terror and got onto the ride immediately. Tim was able to get the seat belt seat. (All of the seats have a bar across them except one in the center back row. Reports that I read said this seat was a little more exciting since the belt didn't hold you in as tight as the bar.)

My plan was to make it to the 9:00 showing of Little Mermaid but the kids begged to go one more time on ToT and I relented. This time the CM gave us assigned seats (which hadn't happened the two previous times). No one was in the seat belt seat so she allowed Matt to take it. He said he didn't think the seat belt seat was any better--he preferred sitting in the first row where he could see without looking over someone's head. The first time we rode this on Monday the ride was over before I knew what was happening. Now by the third time I was anticipating the drop so much it was actually scarier.

Although we had missed the first showing of Little Mermaid, we got in line and didn't have too much of a wait until the next show. The effects in the theater added so much--you don't just watch, you experience the show. The rain and bubbles coming down made you feel as if you really were "under the sea". The actress playing Ariel was superb.

Next came the Magic of Disney Animation tour. We had a little wait--probably 10 to 15 minutes but were entertained once again by "Tuba Four" so no one minded. "Genie" (from Aladdin) must have just been going off his shift at the Soundstage Restaurant next door because he kept peaking over the fence and putting on his own little act to entertain us. At the beginning of the tour the group was packed into the lobby so tightly that it was impossible to see the displays along the walls that the guide was describing. There were animators at work on the latest Disney film--"Mulan." I'm not sure if it will be a movie I will like but it was kind of neat to see it in its earliest stages. I was surprised so much of the animation is still done by hand rather than computer generated--up to a million hand drawn images can go into a full length animated movie. Bob was impressed enough that he watched several of our Disney videos when we got back home.

The Studio Backlot Tour was another attraction that we had missed on Monday so we headed there next. Our timing was off by a hair--they cut off the group going into the show just as was got to the turnstiles. Since we were first in line for the next tour I took the opportunity to ask the CM at the turnstiles if he knew where we might find a Belle penny press. He made a couple of calls but still wasn't sure. He was told that the penny press was in a certain gift shop but when he looked for it on the map he couldn't even find a shop by that name. When it was time to open the gate for the next group to go in he insisted we wait while he made one more phone call and assured us he would make sure we would still go with that group. The rest of the group squeezed past us at the turnstile as we waited but all he could find out was that "maybe" we could find the penny press at the Soundstage Restaurant.

As a kid I always wanted to go to Hollywood to see how movies and TV shows were made but never got to go. This tour was finally my chance to get a backstage glimpse of things. All in all the tour was about what I expected. I do wish I could have taken my time to see things better, both on the tram portion and also the walking part of the tour. Workers on the backlot street were busy putting up LOTS of Christmas lights on all of the houses. I just hope that the park is open late enough during December so that people can have a chance to really enjoy the lights. A couple of days after we got home we saw the re-run of Home Improvement where Tim was using the riding lawn mower that we had seen on display in the prop warehouse.

After the tour, the new Goosebumps show was just getting ready to start. There was quite a crowd gathered in the street but at least today it was cloudy and much cooler than when we had been there on Monday (and didn't stay). Tim was unhappy because he couldn't see the stage well but a nice lady overheard him and insisted he move to the front. Tim has read all of the Goosebumps books and seen the videos so he enjoyed the show. For most other people it probably is not a must-see attraction. We were quite relieved when Tim decided to give up the fun house portion of the show because of the large crowd.

The only three attractions that we had not seen were the Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians, the ABC Sound Studio, and SuperStar Television. Time was running short so we all agreed to do the ABC Sound Studio since it took less time than the other two. We each ate a quick snack that we had brought while we waited about 5 minutes for the next show to begin. There were two young boys in front of us who had their face (and even hair) painted to look like dalmatians. I thought perhaps they were to be volunteers in the sound show but they weren't. Does anyone know if maybe they were made up as part of the 101 Dalmatians tour? They were really quite cute. The sound show was OK but would have been more fun to be in than just watch. I think Zach paid more attention to the sound booth equipment than he did the show.

There were no lines in the post-show area, SoundWorks, so we took a little time to check out some of the booths. There were video screens showing different movies and cartoons and you could dub your voice over that of the stars. Be sure to take time to go into the sound-proof rooms and put on the headphones to experience the 3-D audio. The effects were so realistic that we found ourselves turning around to see where the sound was coming from.

Zach had hoped to see the Muppet show again but I was afraid we would be late getting to the Magic Kingdom in time for our priority seating at the Crystal Palace. We made a quick trip to the Soundstage Restaurant to check for a Belle penny press but couldn't find one. (Since getting home I saw on Deb Will's page that there actually was supposed to be one there--either we missed it or it has been moved.) Bob, Tim and I then waited on Sunset Boulevard while Zach and Matt ran down to check for a penny press at the gift shop near the Beauty and the Beast show--no luck there either. Sadly we left the park knowing it was our last visit to MGM and headed to the Magic Kingdom.

At the TTC we decided to take the ferry over to the MK. By that time the sun had broken through the clouds and it was fairly warm. I think we would have been smarter to take the air conditioned monorail and save the ferry ride for later in the evening.

Our PS at the Crystal Palace was for 2:45 and we were a little early so we took time to browse through some of the gift shops along Main Street. After checking in at the podium we had a short wait on the porch. The outside of the restaurant is so beautiful--I think it has a storybook quality about it. Once we were called to be seated I realized the inside is even more spetactular--the many windows make it a such a light and airy place. The topiaries of Pooh and friends inside the entrance added a fun touch. Our server explained how the characters work their way around the room and Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eyore each came by twice during the time we were there. Originally I hadn't planned to include any character meals during the week because I figured the boys are too old to really enjoy it. I am so glad now that I changed my mind--this was such a fun meal for the whole family. Tim usually hides when I get my camera out but whenever any of the characters came by he was the first to jump up so he could get his picture taken with them. Each character would make a complete trip around the restaurant and then head into the kitchen where I suppose he would be replaced by another CM in costume. We were at the buffet one time when Winnie the Pooh headed through the door and Tim actually saw him take take off the head to his costume through the window.

At that time of the day the restaurant was only about half full and they were busy getting set up for dinner buffet which started at 4:00. The kids were still a little leary about my choice of restaurants after their bad impression of Akershus but they loved the food at the Crystal Palace. With all of the tasty and creative dishes to choose from, Matthew's favorite turned out to be the mini corn dogs! I think Bob would have been happy with just the salads. Since we hadn't eaten many sweets all week long I was sorry that I didn't have more room when it came time to visit the dessert buffet. It featured make your own sundaes, strawberry shortcake, lemon bars and chocolate pecan bars. Both drinks and dessert were included in the cost of the meal. The dinner buffet was just getting started when we left and had we not been so stuffed we probably could have sampled some of the additional items that they had put out. The cost for our meal with the MKC discount was $60.98 (before tip).

We were full and rested when we left the restaurant and ready to take on the Magic Kingdom. The times on the Guest Information board stated that the line for Splash Mountain was an hour and Space Mountain had a 45 minute wait. I was glad that we had already done both since I didn't plan to spend that much time waiting to do any ride. Tomorrowland was our first stop and we got onto the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) without any wait. This was a nice relaxing ride to do after such a big meal. As we went through Space Mountain, the line looked like it would take every bit of 45 minutes and maybe even longer. For some reason I thought the Carousel of Progress was a "merry-go-round"--I must have been confusing it with what I had read about Cindarell'as Carousel. It was a surprise then when we went there next and I realized that it is the audience in the theater that actually goes around. I would rank this attraction as one of my favorites for the Magic Kingdom. The song "Its a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" is one that sticks in your head but isn't annoying like "Its a Small World".

Tim wanted to ride on Astro Orbiter but when he realized how long the lines were he changed his mind. (Having Zach and Matt make fun of him for wanting to ride it probably helped change his mind also.) We had seen all of the other attractions in Tomorrowland that we had planned to see so we took the back path over to Mickey's Toontown Fair.

No one was around Mickey's house and we were able to slowly walk through getting a kick out of all of the "Mickey shaped" items as we went. Tim made a quick trip through Donald's boat and probably would have stayed longer but there were mostly just small children in the boat and I think he felt self conscious about being so much older. Minnie's house had a long line as well as the Barnstormer roller coaster (30 minutes I think) so we skipped those.

We took a little time looking through the gift shop by the Hall of Fame. Still on our quest to find Belle we asked the CM if she was in the princess tent--again no luck. We didn't take the time to see any of the other characters since the lines were long.

Fantasyland was very crowded when we got there (I have never seen so many strollers in one place!) so we kept on walking and made our way over to the Haunted Mansion. There was no line here so we went through it twice. The second time there was just a short line but it gave us time to read the tombstones as we walked up to the mansion. Throughout our visit to the Magic Kingdom (and the other parks as well) I thought it was odd how one attraction could have such a long line when others had no line.

As we were walking by the Liberty Belle I saw that it had docked and was boarding for the last trip of the evening (it was closing at 6 p.m. that night. Wednesday evening I am pretty sure I saw it running later in the evening during Spectromagic.) This was one ride we hadn't been on yet so I voted we get on even though Zach thought it was going to be really boring. Tim wanted to go to Tom Sawyer's Island but since it was closing at dusk I knew we wouldn't have enough time. I figured the kids would rather be on the top level of the boat but they decided to go to the lower level. The benches were full so the kids just plopped down on the deck at the very front of the boat where they could get a good view. Since Zach had already decided he wasn't going to have any fun, he laid down and fell asleep.

Shortly after the boat left the dock the Country Bear characters showed up on the lower deck. I took some pictures of Tim with the bears and then told one of them he should try and wake Zach. The bear started tickling Zach's nose but Zach just assumed it was one of his brothers and refused to even open his eyes. Just when I could tell that Zach was really getting irritated, the bear got down on the deck and put his face right in Zach's face. About that time Zach opened his eyes and found himself nose to nose with a bear! What a laugh we had! There was a little boy, about two years old, that was just fascinated by the bears. One of the bears sat down on the deck of the boat next to Matt and pulled the little boy onto his lap and they all sat there together for most of the trip. Davy Crockett was on board too--he had started on the upper level and made his way down to us. It wasn't until the ride was almost over that most of the people on the boat even realized that the bears were there.

I still hadn't given up on trying to ride Peter Pan. When we got there the line was 25 minutes long but since we had seen most everything else that we had planned, we got into the line. After just a few minutes it didn't seem like the line had even moved. I decided I didn't want to spent my last evening at the MK waiting in line for a ride that my kids would probably hate so we slipped under the rope and left. (I think being able to get on most rides without any wait had spoiled us.)

Snow White's Carousel had no line so we rode it instead While we were riding I noticed that the Legend of the Lion King was going to start soon. As soon as the carousel stopped we ran over and were able to get in just before it began. Zach has been a member of our church's puppet team for several years so he was a bit critical of the show but the rest of us enjoyed it. Although they were similar type shows, we thought the Voyage of the Little Mermaid at MGM was better.

It had been a long day. Since we had already seen Spectromagic we decided to leave before the parade to beat the crowds. We waited almost too late though. As we started down Main Street the CM's were instructing everyone to get off the street and walk on the sidewalks. It was crowded and we just barely got to the gate before the parade began.

Back at the hotel I made the kids do their packing and then let them go for one last swim. We had planned to stop at McDonald's for dinner, but no one was very hungry after our late lunch at the Crystal Palace so we just snacked in the suite before we went to bed. I thought we had done a pretty good job of estimating what food we would need for the week when we had bought groceries. We had eaten most everything. We did have a few snack things left and those we packed into the fanny pack for our final day at EPCOT.

Total spent:

Parking: $5

Lunch at Crystal Palace: $60.98 (before tip) with MKC discount

Total: $65.98

Day 8 - Saturday, October 18, 1997

Our last day. I was up first so I went down and got our breakfast before waking the others. The day was gray and cloudy and it was sprinkling a little. Originally this had been the day that I had planned to visit Blizzard Beach. Maybe changing our plans had been a good idea. Instead we were going to spend our last day at EPCOT. Our flight was scheduled for 5:35 p.m. however, so it was going to be a short day .

It was hard to get Zach up and we still had a bit of last minute packing and had to check out so we were just a little later getting to EPCOT than what I had planned. (Still before 9 a.m. though.) The line to Spaceship Earth was very short and we got on in a couple of minutes. I saw many details that I had missed the first time--I imagine that this would happen no matter how many times you go on the ride.

We stopped by Guest Relations to pick up a map and I also discovered that they have a separate entertainment guide. I wanted to be sure to see the Cirikli (stilt birds), Zach wanted to see the British Invasion and Bob wanted to see the Chinese acrobats. Looking through the guide I was extremely disappointed to find out that neither were performing until late afternoon and we would miss them. I figured we should leave the park around 3 p.m. to make sure we had plenty of time to get to the airport and most all of the entertainment was scheduled for AFTER 3 p.m.

The Living Seas was the only pavillion in Future World that we hadn't visited so that was our first stop. Fishing is one of Matthew's favorite hobbies and he wished he could have brought his rod and reel (do you think he missed the point of the exhibit?) Had I not read otherwise, I would have thought the hydrolators were taking us down a great distance. I thought they were very realistic. Zach and Matthew, on the other hand, weren't fooled at all (Birnbaum's book says you only descend about an inch!) We spent about an hour at the Living Seas and were able to see the manatees getting fed. There were very few people in the pavilion and we were able to get a good look at all of the exhibits.

As we came out of the Living Seas, the rain had started. Bob and I put on our rain ponchos but the kids didn't want to bother wearing them. Our next stop was the Journey Into Imagination pavilion because Zach wanted to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience one more time. While we were waiting to get in, the CM announced that everyone had to take off their ponchos. She said that the electronic counters don't always work correctly when you go through the turnstiles wearing rain gear and it would allow more people into the theater than what there were seats.

After waiting about 5 minutes we went in for the Kodak pre-show. We didn't like it the first time and it wasn't any better the second time we saw it! Zach and Matthew tried to make the best of the situation by singing along (sarcastically) to the "True Colors" song. The show was just as amazing as it was the first time we saw it. I was able to feel the effects during the show better this time than before but Zach said he didn't feel much at all. We figured there must be some seats that don't work as well as others.

On our last visit we had started on the Mexico side of the World Showcase. This time we did the opposite and began at Canada. We saw the movie, "O Canada", which was pretty good. Bob, being a mountain climber, loved the footage of the Rockies. I just wish there were seats in the theater. My legs get much more tired just standing than they do if I were walking. I suppose if there were seats it wouldn't work to have a 360 degree screen in the theater. Coming out of the movie we admired the gardens but it was still raining and we didn't linger long.

We made our way past the United Kingdom, taking a few pictures and looking into some of the shops as we went. We crossed the bridge over to France but the kids did not want to stay to see the movie so we moved on to Morocco. Here the Festival Marrakesh was taking place as it had been on our last visit except this time they had moved indoors to avoid the rain. There was a belly dancer who was accompanied by a couple of male musicians on various native instruments. Zach was intrigued by a guitar sort of instrument. They had the instrument for sale in the shop but I think it was more for decoration than to be played.

When we reached Japan it really started to pour. There was a KidCot Fun Stop outside the gift shop (but under cover) where a lady was demonstrating how to do origami. Since we would have been soaked trying to go any further, we just stopped and watched. No one else was around so Bob, Zach and Matt each sat down and made an origami tulip.

Next door at the American showcase the show was just starting at the America Gardens Theater when we got there. The seats were wet and it was still drizzling a bit so we didn't stay long. Zach did get a glimpse of Belle there though. The kids were complaining they were hungry so we went into the Liberty Inn to get something to eat. After our experience at the Prime Time Cafe where we thought that the kid's meals were a better value, we ordered five kid's hot dog meals. The hot dogs were smaller but the meal came with fries and a small drink for the same price as a single adult hot dog. I had also remembered to cut the coupon out of Birnbaum's book and got 10% off the total price. ($15.51 total).

The Matsuriza (Japanese drummers) were getting ready to start soon which Bob was anxious to see so he took his hot dog with him and left to get there on time. The kids and I took a little longer to eat and met up with him in Japan about half way through the show. The drummers put on a fantastic show. I was sorry that we weren't able to see more of the World Showcase entertainment since we had to leave so early.

I noticed that there were to be characters at France and figured we had finally found a way for Zach to get a picture of Belle! We got there about 5 minutes before the schedule indicated that the characters were to be there. We waited and waited but no characters showed up. I went into one of the gift shops and asked the CM if the characters were going to be there. Even though it had quit raining she said they probably wouldn't come since everthing was still so wet. I went through my story about how we had been having such a hard time finding Belle. She took my name and address and made a couple of phone calls and said she had arranged to have an autographed picture sent to our house. It has been a month now and no picture has arrived so I doubt that we ever see it.

Time was running out for us. We made our way back to Future World and stopped for one last show by the fountain. This had been one of our favorite things during the whole week and I was glad we were able to see it one last time. I got goosebumps as the music started playing and the water shot into the air. The fountain "performs" every 15 minutes and it is well worth waiting for.

We left EPCOT around 3:00 as I had planned and drove to the airport. This time we were ready for the tolls and had a very uneventful trip. Returning the car to Avis was very quick and easy. Before checking our luggage, Zach and I changed into long pants, but the others chose to stay in their shorts. We went through some of the gift shops at the airport and then the kids spent some time trying to catch up on their homework. Zach was having trouble with his Physics but as luck would have it I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me and he had a degree in Physics! He helped Zach while I worked with Matthew on his math assignment (I'm a former math teacher).

Our flight was on time and we had a stopover in St. Louis. My sister surprised us once again by being at the airport when we got there. She is a nurse and had arranged for someone to fill in for her for a couple of hours at the hospital while she came to the airport. Our visited lasted about an hour and then we were headed home.

Back in Sioux Falls it wasn't nearly as cold as we had expected but we did learn that they had snow one day during the week while we were in Florida. We made it home and were in bed by 11 p.m.--hard to believe knowing that we had spent most of the day at EPCOT!

Total spent:

Parking $5.00

Lunch at Liberty Inn: $15.51 with 10% off coupon

Tolls: $1.75

Parking at airport: $28.50

Total: $50.76

Thoughts and Observations:

I cannot begin to thank everyone for the information that I gathered from this newsgroup. Although I don't even begin to think of myself as a Disney expert I felt like I knew so much more than the average person making their first trip to WDW. Without this knowledge we wouldn't have been able to do or see half of what we did on our trip.

Regrets:

Even though we did far more on the trip than what I had imagined there were still things that had to be left out just because there just weren't enough hours in the day. I was sorry we had to miss:

driving around and visiting the Disney resorts. I have read so much about each one that I wanted to see them for myself. I was particularly sorry that we didn't get to visit the Wilderness Lodge. I have heard that it is modeled after the lodge in Yellowstone Park (which we saw this summer) and I wanted to compare the two myself. This was also an activity that the boys had no interest in whatsoever.
some of the attractions in Fantasyland. I really wanted to see Peter Pan's Flight and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride but the lines were always longer than what I was willing to wait in.
too much of the entertainment in the World Showcase of EPCOT. I had originally planned our second visit to EPCOT for the afternoon and evening which would have been perfect since that is when the entertainment takes place. By visiting in the morning instead we missed most all of the entertainment. Also by visiting on a rainy day (which we had no control over) some of the outdoor entertainment and character appearances were canceled.
meeting Belle or finding a "Belle" penny press. This was not really such a big deal at first but the more we looked the more determined we became and never did have any luck.
taking enough pictures. We were in such a hurry to do and see everything that we didn't take enough time to stop and take photos. We ended up taking most of our photos at the character lunch at the Crystal Palace and on our last day at EPCOT when it was rainy.
time to just enjoy the atmosphere of each park without feeling like we needed to try and ride one more ride.
having small crowds. Even though we were able to avoid lines most of the time the parks were much more crowded than what I had hoped they would be by going in October. I'm not sure how much of an effect the golf classic had on crowds or how much was due to the 25th anniversary. I do know the British were out in full force!
One other regret--I am sorry that Disney doesn't sell the World Hopper passes anymore. I think they were a much better value than the All in One Passes being sold now. With an All in One Pass I'm not sure we would have gone to both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon like we did on this trip.
Advice:

Get to the parks before they open! By doing so we stayed ahead of the crowd all morning long and were able to ride almost everything without waiting. It was worth giving up that extra hour of sleep to see and do as much as we did. Keep in mind that the parks usually open earlier than the posted times.
Pick up an entertainment schedule as well as a map at EPCOT. You can plan your time in the World Showcase around the entertainment that you want to see. Most entertainment is during the late afternoon and evening so plan accordingly.
Carry a water bottle and snacks in a fanny pack. We would fill our water bottles half full of water the night before and freeze them. In the morning we filled them the rest of the way with water and had cold drinks all morning long. By having crackers, etc. in the fanny pack to munch on while we were in lines, we saved a lot of money and time.
Put something in the window to help identify your car. Bob stuck the parking pass in the driver's side window and it helped distinguish our car from all of the other look-alike rental cars in the parking lot. Also make sure you WRITE DOWN the location of where your car is parked. You may never see your car again if you don't!
Pack a lunch in a cooler when you go to the water parks. Disney allows this and again it saves money and time. Rather than buying a cooler when you get to WDW just check one as a piece of luggage and fill it with snack items that you bring from home. If you don't have a refrigerator where you are staying, the cooler is nice to keep cold drinks and other things.
Avoid sand at the water parks. It is such fine sand that you end up with gritty food no matter how careful you are.
Avoid the dressing rooms in the water parks because they are crowded. We wore our suits to and from the park and didn't bother trying to change there.
Put sunblock on the tops of your feet. I wore water shoes and didn't have to worry but Bob ended up with a pretty bad burn on the top of both of his feet from when he was floating in the creek and standing in line for the slides.
Bring rain ponchos from home in some color other than yellow. I paid 79 cents each for the blue ones we had. They weren't very sturdy but worked just fine for us. You will pay much more (~ $5) and get lost in the sea of yellow ponchos if you wait to buy one at WDW. I also heard some people complaining because not every gift shop has ponchos for sale. You don't want to have to run around looking for one when it starts to rain.
Eat a snack in the morning and then have a late lunch. By doing this we avoided the big crowds and we usually ate enough so that we didn't feel like having dinner until we were back at our suite. This was also the time of day when the ride lines were the longest so it was a good time to take a break, rest and cool off. Lunch prices are always cheaper also.
Go to a character meal no matter how old your kids are. It is still fun. We preferred doing this at lunch rather than breakfast just because it gave us a needed break in the middle of the day. By going to a character breakfast you also waste that precious time of day when the lines are shorter.
Make your priority seating times at home. You can always change later if necessary.
Find out if you can get a free MKC card and use it to get discounts at restaurants and the Marketplace.
Buffets are a good choice for families. Everyone can find something they like, you can try different things and teenagers can actually get full.
Kid's meals are often a better value, even for adults. Although portions may be smaller they usually include drinks and sometimes dessert and the prices are much lower.
We averaged less than $50/day for food costs for 5 people. (Yes, that is less than $10 per day per person!) I do not feel like we skimped and we enjoyed trying out some of the sit down restaurants. Our savings came from having the free breakfast each day, carrying snacks in our fanny pack, preparing some meals in our suite, and taking the cooler to the water parks. We also just didn't get all that hungry--probably because of the heat.
Staying off-site has its advantages. I left this until the last because I know there are many people who will read this and disagree. I will not argue the fact that you are able to get more of the Disney magic by staying at a WDW resort but for some people the off-site places are a better choice. I think that the people who read and post to this newsgroup are such die hard Disney fans that they won't even consider the fact that there are advantages to staying outside the World and I just want to give my 2 cents on the matter.

For a family of five, like us, the cheapest accommodation you can find at WDW is a trundle bed room at Dixie Landings which was going to cost us $126/night plus tax. And regardless of how wonderful the resort is you have five people crowded into one room. We paid $65/night plus tax and had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a full kitchen. We saved well over $400 for the week plus what we saved by cooking some of our own meals and having the free continental breakfast each morning (a savings in both time and money). Most of all it saved my sanity. When we were together all day long in the parks we needed some space from the kids at night.

We did have to drive to and from the parks each day but I doubt that this took us any longer than if we had been staying in a Disney resort and using Disney transportation. The buses may only run every 20 minutes and we could leave the hotel and be inside any of the parks in that amount of time (including the time it took to park.) I think we would have probably rented a car even if we would have stayed in a Disney resort so that cost was not really a factor. By the time you pay for 5 people to take the airport shuttle, the cost of the car wasn't that much more and it gives you a lot more freedom to come and go when you want.

We also had the luxury of being able to swim at night. All of the Disney pools were closing at dusk due to the encephalitis scare but our pool was open until 11 p.m. (By the way, we didn't see any mosquitoes the whole week.)

Having said all of this, I will admit that if money were no object, I probably would have stayed at the Polynesian Resort or perhaps the Wilderness Lodge. The convenience of staying in a monorail resort can't be beat and if the Wilderness Lodge is half as great as what I've read it must be wonderful.

When we began planning this trip I told everyone that it was going to be a "once in a lifetime trip". Well I am happy to say that I was wrong. Now that we are home, Bob is the one who can't quit telling everyone about what a wonderful place WDW is. He has even started saving so that we can go back. It will be some time before we can afford to go (college costs are in our near future) but when we do it is going to be just the two of us. I can hardly wait!

Mary Miller

millers5@rconnect.com