April 14th-22, 1999

Cast of Characters:

Lindy (Me) - Twenty-Something, I work as an Office Technician III. Mother of Samson, my four-year-old Yellow Lab. I love traveling, music, theater, and of course, all things DISNEY!

Della - Thirty-Something sister, works in accounting in the same office as me. Mother of Luli, the resident queen feline of the house.

We’re both single and very content to be so, how else could we go on all of these trips?!?

Introduction:

I’ve been home from my cruise now for a few weeks, we booked our Orlando airfare and my leave approval has been signed by my supervisor . . . so now it’s time to start the next trip report!! <Insert FANFARE!!> Usually we do the cruise and the WDW vacation together but when we received a phone call a few days before Christmas from our travel agent with a too-good-to-turn-down cruise, because of finances, we decided to do them separately. So . . . the cruise was wonderful and better yet, we had Disney World to look forward to!

As a little reminder about me, I am a Disney nut, having gone to Disneyland every year with my family growing up. In 1993 I finally got to go to WDW after wishing and hoping for years and years. To say the least I was hooked!! We (my older sister Della and I) have been back nearly every year since, either before or after a cruise. As I said earlier, we’ve already done the cruise in February and we’re thinking we sorta like it this way, our vacation time is more spread out.

As for plans . . . we have our APs we purchased for our trip last May which is why we’re going in April, hopefully most Spring Break/Easter folks will have left. We have reservations at All Star Movies (what acronym are we using for that? . . . How ‘bout ASMv?) I feel like a true radper because at one point I probably had five separate reservations in CRO’s system. Originally our ressies were for April 14 - 24, Saturday to Saturday, so we would only have to take five days off of work but we waited until after our cruise to book airfare and there weren’t a lot of options left. We could fly with a connection in St. Louis (yuck! I hate connections! Besides it would cut almost a full day out of our touring!) or we could fly direct for about $600 round trip (Lindy: Excuse me? Is that per person?!? Delta reservation clerk {insert sarcasm} Well, yes ma’am, it is.) After this and calling just about every airline to find a better deal with no avail, we called our buddy and travel agent Pam. She found us a Wednesday night flight leaving after work and coming back the following Thursday in the later p.m. for $238 round trip per person, we’d have to take more time off but we would definitely have more time at WDW. I called CRO, hoping we would be able to make the change but doubting it! CRO operator: No problem at all and do you have an extra day to spend exploring Animal Kingdom? Lindy: I wish, but we already added an extra night on. We called Pam and booked the airfare! Now it really feels like we’re going!

We really enjoyed All Star Music when we stayed there for seven nights last May so we are really looking forward to staying at the Movies this year, I’m hoping to be one of the firsts to stay in the Toy Story complex since it is scheduled to open in April. I put in a request with a very nice CM at CRO, named Paul, he seemed to think there would be no problem. A few days prior to leaving I called the room controller at ASMv and put in another request. I talked to Barbara and she was very helpful and nice. She also thought there would be no problem, although she wouldn’t be able to guarantee anything.

We’ve been to lots of fun restaurants in the past but we’re going to try some new ones this time, as well as some of the favorites. We’re both vegetarians (we eat nothing that had eyes, except for potatoes.) We’re not really big spenders when it comes to food but we’re satisfied ordering an appetizer and an entree and sharing. It’s much cheaper, we don’t get uncomfortably full and we can eat at more nice places. Buffets just aren’t worth it to us because of the vegetarian thing, with the exception of Spoodles breakfast buffet (I’m hoping that Shane will still be working there as a waiter!)

As far as touring goes, we aren’t commandos . . . well, I guess we sorta are. We don’t have kids slowing us down and we pretty much like the same things so we do what we want and call it a day. We don’t do afternoon breaks, that’s when the parks get less crowded because everyone else is taking an afternoon break. I did promise Della this trip would be less comandoish and there would be time relaxing and tanning at the pool, neither of us are swimmers. I snorkeled once on this last cruise and let me tell you, once is enough for me, the non-water girl. That said I haven’t set a foot in a water park. We really enjoyed the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, our favorite park, last May. We even got to see Davy Jones from the Monkees, which was great fun. We found out Davy would be there again this year, yeah! We’ll also be there for the opening ceremonies and the Earth Day celebrations. We missed “Off Kilter” last year because their new stage was being built but this time I emailed them directly and they’ll be there (yeah!!!) I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but we’ll be sure to ride Test Track . . . , visit the trolls in Norway (my favorite pavilion), enjoy Voices of Liberty and have a moment of silence for Figment and the Dreamfinder. Also, we loved Animal Kingdom, especially the Festival of the Lion King show! We’re anxious to see Asia and ride the new Kali River Rapid ride. We also plan on hitting an E-Ticket night while we’re there. We did it last year and it was the greatest fun I had ever had at the MK. Since the MK is always so crowded, we usually don’t even stay for very long during regular hours. Of course, we’ll hit the Tower of Terror (with its new drop sequence!!) several times!! As well as the Hunchback of Notre Dame show and Fantasmic! I love the Disneyland version of Fantasmic! and I’m a little partial to that one but am excited to see this one, in an actual stadium, sitting down (hurray!!). We’ll make sure to take post cards and I’ll jot down trip report notes to pass the time waiting.

As far as transportation, I have Tiffany Town Car’s electronic coupon printed and have a reservation. We’ve used Mears (ahem, never again!) and Florida Town Car (FTC), so we thought we’d give Tiffany a try, since they offer that coupon and get such good comments on radp. I really would like to go to the Belz Factory Outlet and check out the Character Premiere/Warehouse and the Planet Hollywood store. After our cruise we stopped in at the Sawgrass Mill in Ft. Lauderdale and I went nuts at the Character Premiere and Rainforest Café there. I’m trying to find out if we could take a taxi or bus or possibly rent a car for a day, but we’ll see. By the time we spend a lot of money getting there, we’d probably end up spending more had we just bought our souvenirs at the World of Disney store, A.K.A., “The Scary Store” (bad experiences!) at Downtown Disney. So that’s probably a no go.

I have spent hours planning and scheduling, although I arranged no priority seating times. I have learned from last year, though, that planning doesn’t always work out so whatever happens, happens. I’m at Disney World and that’s the main thing! I have everything all ready, my video camera was in the shop and I was worried that it wouldn’t be fixed in time but my persistence (and nagging) paid off and it’s ready. I have my radp pin, my Off Kilter cd to be signed, my MKC and AP . . . everything I could possibly think of. Get ready Disney World ‘cause here I come!!!!

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I’m home and I’d rather be back at the World!! I’m listening to my newly purchased Hunchback of Notre Dame CD and wishing I was at the Back lot Theater!! My planning actually worked most of the time! I found that when we followed my schedule we faired much better. That way we avoided most of the ‘what do you want to do’s?’ No matter what you do at WDW, though, you’ll have a blast! Heck, I could fly cross country and bide my time between the Hunchback show, Off Kilter and the Festival of the Lion King show!!!! Don’t believe me . . . read on!

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Wednesday, April 14th DAY 0, travel day

We decided to work until 2:00 p.m. today. I felt sort of like a zombie, since I had stayed up so late. It was so hard to believe that later today I’d actually be in Orlando!! I had plenty to do at work and poor Della was swarmed with last minute, ‘Della before you gos . . . ,’ I thought I might have to carry her out. We did manage to leave almost at 2:00, our parents had gotten us Taco Time to eat before we headed on out to the airport. I double-checked everything, kissed Sammy, the dog and Luli, the cat and we were on our way. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:45 p.m. and so by the time we checked our bags and made our way to the gate, it was almost time to board. Our brother and his family were planning on seeing us off and they hadn’t arrived yet, so we were worried we would miss them. Fortunately, they got there just in time. They have three kids and each kid (little kids; 3, 1 ½ and infant) had to go through the metal detectors, the baby even had to be scanned by some sort of contraption. They also had to fold up their stroller and have it scrutinized by airport security. I know it’s just for our own safety but sometimes it’s just plain annoying. No one would really put a bomb or drugs in their baby, would they? What a sad world!

By then, it was time to board the plane. The boarding process seemed very efficient and we thought that for once we’d leave on time but I think we were in line waiting to take off for almost a full hour! The first queue of the trip!! We made up most of the time in the air and were just about 20 minutes late arriving in Orlando. The flight was pretty uneventful. My walkman batteries were dead and I didn’t bring any extra batteries, number one thing that I forgot. So much for my Disney compilation tapes I made for the flight!! I had printed a ton of trip reports from Brian Bennett’s site to read. It was killing me the weeks before I left not to read them but they were perfect to read on the plane. The meal choices were chicken or beef . . . neither was my choice but took the beef because it had the most veggies. Boy, Sammy would love that hunk of meat, I felt so bad to throw it away! The veggies included spinach mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans and a salad with an odd raspberry vinaigrette dressing and a roll. The dessert was apricot cake, also weird. Next time, we’ll call in and order the vegetarian special. I had brought some munchies, mainly breakfasty things to eat as we got ready in the morning including granola bars, fruit roll-ups, mini cereals and those s’more Golden Graham cereal treats. We dipped into that stash a little. The movie on the plane was Val Kilmer’s (woo woo!) latest which I would’ve liked to see but movie watching on the plane is so hard so I passed and just read my trip reports the whole flight, a little over four hours. I had a lot of trip reports!!

We landed and made our way to baggage claim to find our Tiffany Town Car driver, our first fun surprise . . . Ian!!! Ian was our first class, first rate, all-around-fun-guy from Tiffany Town Car. This was the first time that we’ve gone with Tiffany. The main reason for doing so was the coupon that they offer on their web site but I was thoroughly impressed with them and especially Ian. He had so many fun little tid bits of information and we grilled him on celebrities that he’s driven. Hey Deb Wills, you were listed among the celebs, good company too, including JFK Jr. and the Backstreet Boys. We’ve driven with several folks but Ian would have to be my fave! Ian told us the weather had been hot all week, up to the 90's! He also informed us that there was a drought going on. Orlando hasn’t received substantial rainfall since January! With our luck, it would probably rain the entire week. When we passed through the Welcome to Walt Disney World sign, I thought my heart would drop! I LOVE THIS PLACE! Ian dropped us off at the All Star Movies resort with a promise to pick us up next Thursday at 4:30 p.m., it seemed so far away, yet it would sneak up on us quickly.

We walked in with all our luggage in tow, it was late, midnightish, and the bell service desk was closed. We waited for quite a while at the check in desk. A lady was very unhappy because she was put in Fantasia and she certainly didn’t want to be there. I worried that I wouldn’t get Toy Story, which had opened only the Saturday before we arrived making us the second in the room. It was our turn and we did have our request filled, Toy Story, non smoking. Barbara had made a comment in the computer to the effect of, “don’t give her room away, she’s very excited!” Thanks Barbara!! Although if I could go back in time, Toy Story wouldn’t be my request. Oh well, live and learn.

We were all checked in and made our way to Toy Story. It was such a lovely, peaceful night! I wish I would’ve enjoyed it more! Boy, what a shocker walking to our building! What looked like 80 foot tall Buzz and Woody smiling at us. As well as all the other characters, Bo Beep, Rexie the Dinosaur, Remote Control Car, all much smaller than Buzz and Woody though. There was also, huge blocks and a gigantic checker board. I mustn’t forget the tons of little army men that stood guard from atop all the Toy Story buildings. You can’t beat the location though! We made it to our room, which kind of takes you back when you first enter. Our room was actually facing Andy’s play room and Buzz was always smiling at us. The bed spreads are . . . I can’t really think of a word that expresses how bizarre they were. I have to admit that first night I was a tad bit disappointed. After I saw the fire hydrants and the little Dalmatians as we pulled up, I wish I wouldn’t have called the room controller! More on this later . . . I did like the bathroom. I’d seen pictures on the net and thought it was pretty cute. The room did not look like we were the second inhabitants, there were several signs of wear and tear. I don’t know if they just cut corners or what but it didn’t look all that brand spanking new.

We got organized, well, Della got organized and I threw my stuff in my appointed drawers. Since we were only going for a week (no cruise after) we didn’t really have all that much stuff. Della’s drawers were very organized by the way. Mine, well, weren’t. We were expecting our Mom to call us, it’s cheaper to have them call us rather then us call them collect. It’s 12 cents a minute to call from our house but almost a $1.00 to call collect even when using 1-800-CALL-ATT or 1-800-COLLECT. Although, we hadn’t heard from her yet and it was past the appointed time for her to call so we ran down the stairs to the pay phone, needless to say we ran down the stairs the instant she called, it seems they couldn’t find us since we just registered under an hour ago. We gave her our room number and she called us back. We each talked to her for a few minutes and I talked to Robert my 3 ½ year-old nephew, who already missed me . . . ahwww! He would love it so much here. He’s a Toy Story fan. Since we had such a long day and it was late, we decided to call it a night but you know first nights at Disney World . . . if the parks were open at 1:30 a.m., I would’ve been there! Finally dosed off but woke up every few minutes starting about 5:00 a.m., because of noise level and crowds excited to play on the blocks, checkers and Woody’s lap. This would become an everyday sort of thing. If we hadn’t been unpacked and the wonderful location, I probably would’ve requested a move.

Total spent for the day: $40.00

Tiffany Town Car - $70.00 ($35 each)

Ian Tip - $5.00 from me.

Thursday, April 15th DAY 1

Weather was warm, not hot but very muggy!

Got up about 8ish this morning, which turned out to be our “norm.” It worked out best for us to try and sleep a little later and stay in the parks the full day. I feel bad Della never got her time by the pool but there were actually several of the days that were too cold for us to do so. It didn’t stop others from going and even swimming, though.

The bed was very uncomfortable, I don’t know if it was just extra hard or what. Well, we got all ready and decided that since we were later, we’d head out to Animal Kingdom. I originally had planned a couple of hours at the Studios for a ride on the Tower of Terror (new ride sequence) and a Hunchback show. We headed out, just a hop, skip and jump to the bus stop, waited about five minutes for the bus and were whisked away to Animal Kingdom. We got to the gates and whipped out our APs, slid them in the scanner and did the finger thing for the first time this trip. I think I’m going to cry . . . I’M HERE!!!!! The initial idea was to wait to eat at Rainforest so we could get our AP discount by coming later but after I saw it and heard all the fun Rainforest Caféish sounds, I just couldn’t wait. It was just a few minutes to 11 so we made our way to the side entrance, asked how long till we could get in and the hostess said, “um . . . how ‘bout now.” YES!!! We walked through the store to the elephant and were told we would be in the Elephant Room, waited just a couple minutes by the aquarium and were seated right next to an elephant. I mean his trunk rested on my shoulder, keep this in mind as it will come into play later. We didn’t even need to look at the menu, Forest Flatbread previously known as Amazon Flatbread ($7.99) and a Plant Sandwich ($10.99) with waffle fries ($1.25 extra). Had the best service ever at RC, and we’ve been several times. As we were waiting for our food, I started jotting down trip report notes and Della was taking notes for her records as well. . . she’s very organized. When all of a sudden . . . this elephant we were sitting by erupted!! We just about jumped out of our skin! His trunk, the one that was resting on my shoulder rose up, and just about scared me to death! Ah, the mighty pachyderm!! It was very fun and we were trying to be prepared after that but it still snuck up on us. The Forest Flatbread came and it was wonderful, as always! The sandwich came soon after and was also delicious! We were in and out within an hour! Woo- Hoo!!! That’s got to be a record!! Total before tip: $21.45. Della and I halved the cost making the total $10.73.

Next was the Festival of the Lion King. It was so heartwarming walking through the Oasis and seeing the Tree of Life. We made our way to Camp Minnie Mickey, not getting lost this year. The first time we went to Animal Kingdom last year we got completely lost, a lot. Not this time though, we knew our way around for sure, especially to the FOTLK theater. I didn’t think we would make the show that would be starting soon but we did and we were in the Lion section, my favorite spot, perfect viewing. Two of my favorite characters were even there, Nakawa and the crocodile! My Kiume wasn’t there but he was the best we saw all week. It was so wonderful, just how I remembered!! I was just so emotional . . . it’s my first day!!!!!!

We then meandered (we never rushed unless we were trying to make a show) over to Africa to see what the line was like for the safari. We were so excited to be back that we waited in one of the longest lines of the trip, half hour. It was a wonderful safari! I think we saw everything except warthogs (which we’d never seen!) and the lions. We were driving along in our safari jeep, our guide pointing out gazelle, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, etc. and Della points and says, “ooh look, it’s a bunny!” Funniest thing ever!! After getting off of the ride we decided to go through Gorilla Falls, I mean Pangani Forest Trail, it’s so hard to keep these things straight! We had taken just a few steps into the trail and my foot somehow managed to fall between all the little indentations in the pavement causing my ankle to give out and I fell PLOP! Della along with a very nice lady rushed to my side to make sure I was okay. I wasn’t actually worried about me at that point though . . . I was more concerned about the video camera that was out and in hand! It was okay but my ankle was in pretty bad condition, along with a nasty scrap on my knee and elbow. I have a scar on my knee from the fall and it’s sort of sentimental! Any ways, I got up and hobbled through the rest of the trail. All the animals were out. I don’t remember there being so many last year. The gorillas were out in force, especially by the water. One of them had a water bottle that someone had thrown in and I was so annoyed with the litterer! The gorillas were even pounding their chests and putting on quite the show!

After we got out, I decided that I needed a coke, I had fallen after all! Last year it was my goal to find the best coke in the World. It ended up being at the China Pavilion in the Lotus Blossom Café. We walked into The Tusker House and bought my coke, I even remembered to use my MKC card ($2.15 for a large)! YES! I love saving money, even if it’s just a quarter! We asked for a glass of water for Della and they gave us an empty glass and directed us to the warm water fountain. An older CM saw her getting the water and went back and brought her a whole glass of ice, Della was pretty impressed by this! NEW BEST COKE! This coke was the best ever! The perfect consistency of syrup and carbonation! I ordered the large size and drank every little drop! This would be the only time I finished a large drink in the parks. I have this philosophy where I will buy the larger size because it’s only like a dime more but when I don’t even finish the whole thing, it kind of defeats the purpose! I didn’t catch onto this until about the sixth or seventh day. It was so lovely sitting outside facing the water, we were almost alone out there and it was so pleasant! My knee was stinging pretty badly from the fall so Della pulled a MacGuyver and offered her medicated lip gel, Carmex. It worked like a charm! Quick thinking, Del! And my ankle felt a little better after it had been up for a little while.

We were very excited to see Asia and the Mararajeh Jungle Trek, so we made our way over there. It was pretty crowded but by this time, manageable. Asia was really cute, very well themed as other trip reports have said. Animal Kingdom is so beautiful and the theming is amazing! Where else but WDW can you go on an African safari, eat at a French bistro, experience a haunted mansion, careen down a 13-story elevator (living to tell the tale), and witness the best live entertainment this side of Broadway!?! Although maybe not in the same day . . . but I ramble, back to business . . . Asia! We watched the monkey while I finished my heavenly coke. Then we moved onto the trek . . . it was incredible and was to become one of my favorite places. I could simply watch the bats and tigers all day! The trek was very pleasant and in all the times we went, it was never really crowded. Another complaint with guests is several times we saw people who would knock on the glass, clap, yell and otherwise disturb the animals, which is not what they are there for. These beautiful animals are there for us to enjoy in their natural environment, not to tease! Okay, off soapbox . . . back to my bats . . . I know Bram Stoker, Count Dracula, blood suckers, etc., not these bats . . . they are vegetarians, like me so there’s an instant bond there. They’re Fruit Bats. They have a body that looks like a baby fox, not at all what you would guess a bat would look like. They were hanging on a clothes line like rope and they walked, or rather crawled along and licked, with their extra long tongue, at cantaloupe and bell peppers. Bats are nocturnal so they weren’t all that active, and so we decided we’d come back later at night sometime to see them. Onto the tigers . . . they were adorable! There were several different viewing areas so if the first one is really packed, move on, odds are you’ll get a closer look-see. They also were taking a siesta, so we spent quite a while watching (and filming!) them sleep. We finished the trek and managed to get out of the aviary without getting bombed.

We checked out Kali River Rapids but the line was way too long! So we lingered as we walked to the exit. We tried to spot the sloth but it’s nocturnal as well so we missed him, we did catch a glance at an anteater though. Throughout the day we actually noticed several really dry areas affected by the drought. It was so sad to see all the brown places. Oh, okay, it can rain one day while we’re here!

Our destination was EPCOT so since a Studio bus was waiting, we hopped on, deciding to take the boat over to the Yacht/Beach Club and walk to the International Gateway. Our bus driver was really fun, he did all sorts of trivia, which I am pretty good at. He thought I was an undercover CM and when we got off at the Studios my fellow trivia competitors were glad their competition was leaving. We waited about 10 minutes for the boat which I dubbed the “slow boat to China.” If you’re in a hurry, this is not a good mode of transportation, otherwise, it’s very relaxing. It runs every 20 minutes or so and takes you to Swan, Dolphin, Yacht/Beach Clubs and the Boardwalk. You can also take another boat from the resorts to EPCOT but we like to walk to the International Gateway. Thanks to trip reports and radp, we discovered this last year and it quickly became our favorite way to enter EPCOT. I grabbed an entertainment schedule and we made a bee line to Canada and the Off Kilter stage. These guys are great! Their music is a little hard to describe . . . rock, folky, Celtic, new ageish with a bagpipe thrown in for good measure. We managed to snag a bench and loved every second of the show! Man, I love these guys! I brought my CD that I ordered over the net, for them to sign but I’m such a coward!!

We were feeling pretty hungry so we made our way to China and the Lotus Blossom Café, which is one of our favorites. The menu had changed so our veggie stir fry was history but the veggie lo mein ($4.50) was okay. We also shared an order of rice ($3.95). I didn’t get a coke, since I had gotten the one earlier at Tusker House . . . see how good I am . . . well, I started out good! Total was $6.96.

We headed over to Norway for a sail with the Vikings and trolls, my favorite EPCOT ride. It used to be tied with Journey into Imagination . . . ahhh, Figment!! Which we all know is HISTORY!!! Aarggh!! We caught the movie that we missed last year, yeah!

We hit the last Off Kilter show and made our way out of the park before the Illuminations crunch. I checked my watch . . . 8:55, could we possibly . . . I mean, should we try!?! We did, I asked Della if she was game to check on Test Track. We were the second to the last that they let in the building. I though about the singles line but I thought the wait would only be about 15 minutes any way, which it was. I just kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t break down!! We made it to the pre show movie, which wasn’t even going any more and onto a vehicle. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!! Don’t get me wrong, it was an okay kind of fun, but I mean, we’ve been waiting for this ride for like what? Four years? And this is what they’re giving us? I guess I was just expecting more. I’m sorry, I know a lot of people really like it, but seriously . . . If I were you, I wouldn’t wait any more than 15-20 minutes for it! Some people I talked to had wasted 2-3 hours waiting and it broke down just before they were to get on. Take the advice of the many who were smart enough to find the singles line . . . make sure and ask a CM about it.

By the time we were off the ride, Illuminations was over, so we put ourselves right in the middle of the looooong bus wait. I met a cute little girl from Boston that has a dog named Mulder. She was just cute as a button! We finally got to the front of the line and scored big time! A lovely, cushiony tour bus came along to take us home.

I folded and got my All Star Movies mug with a coke refill . . . it really doesn’t add up to much if you put a lot of ice in. I know . . . excuses, excuses, excuses. But I did fall! Total for mug, $9.62.

Tried to sleep but the noise was just too much, probably drifted off around midnight or so . . . woke up with the dawn and more noise!

Total for day: $30.73

Friday, April 16th DAY 2

Weather: Warm

Today is Magic Kingdom to do the non E ticket things. We got up around 8ish and waited for quite a while at guest services to purchase our E Ride Night tickets, $10.60. After that we caught a bus and made it to the MK around 10:30ish. We put our names down for the Liberty Tree Tavern and made our way to the Haunted Mansion while we waited for our lunch time. We both wore our Utah Jazz shirts today and got a lot of attention.

Haunted Mansion was great, a virtual walk on. I have a tape that I made of Disney songs and over and over we listen to the Haunted Mansion song and the narrative that was included in the 75 years of music CD set and the evening at the Haunted Mansion cassette. It was hard to believe we were actually there and on the ride instead of in my car on the way to work!! After our narrow escape from the ghosts, we made our way back to Liberty Tree Tavern. I had told Della about the patriotic ambiance of the Tavern and she was really excited, being as close to Sam the Eagle from the Muppets as possible, but when we went in she was just beside herself! We were called . . . here ye, here ye, let it be known that the Highams from the territory of Utah are called to be seated . . . or something or other. We sat in the Benjamin Franklin room and had a great basketball discussion with the hostess. She loves the Orlando Magic, which I love too. Michael Doleac, their rookie center, played for the University of Utah and I loved him there. Our waiter was Cheung from Viet Nam who also loves the Jazz. We ordered the Tavern Fried Cheese, yum! ($4.75) the Capitol Idea, which is a veggie, rice and bean mixture . . . delicious ($9.75) and a side of fries ($1.75). Total, before tip and after MKC discount $15.52. They brought us tasty warm rolls with honey butter and apple butter, they even asked us if we would like another round. If I wasn’t so full I would’ve loved some more! We didn’t need the fries but they were very good dipped in malt vinegar. We just weren’t sure how filling it would be and we didn’t know about the wonderful rolls. The meal was delicious and all our servers were the best. Cheung even split our Capitol Idea onto two plates for us! This was one of the best meals the whole week, Della’s favorite, but I think we could have just gone in and eaten the fries and she would’ve loved it! The atmosphere was great and the food was yummy! At night they have Thanksgiving-like Dinner with the characters but lunch is a menu. It is a definite must for us from now on!

After lunch we went over to Hall of Presidents, one of Della’s favs. For some reason, I wanted to do the Fantasyland rides and the Legend of the Lion King but Fantasyland was mobbed so we moved onto Tommorowland and rode the TTA and the Carousel of Progress both with no wait. We then took the pathway to the train station, rode round trip and got off at Main Street the second time around. My ankle by this time was killing me so Della mentioned we should go to First Aide to see if they had an ace bandage. They did, but I didn’t think the nurse was going to give one to me until she asked me how I did it. I think they are constantly worried that they are going to be sued, she must have thought that I was a concern. With my ace securely pinned, we were going to be on our way out but the afternoon parade was in full steam so we ducked into Adventureland and rode Pirates with little wait. By that time the parade crowd had thinned. We stopped at the bakery and Della treated us to chocolate chip cookies.

Munching, we hopped on the Yacht and Beach Clubs bus and took “the slow boat to China” over to the Studios. We immediately checked the wait board for the Tower of Terror, it had a ten minute wait time so we made our way to check in. The new villains’ shop was cool but Della’s favorite “gone to war” windows were . . . just plain gone. We walked all the way through the whole queue and right into the library. The left queue of the boiler room was just a few minutes wait and we were on our elevator. I am a HUGE TOT fan and I was so excited about the new sequence but I got to tell you I was disappointed and I liked the old one much better.

We had a little time to spend before we should make our way to the Fantasmic! Theater. I didn’t think we’d have time to do the Hunchback show so we went to the Great Movie Ride. We again walked right through the queue and right into the loading area on the gangster side. Drat! I wanted to see the bank blow up, so I asked the CM if we could wait for the cowboy side. She directed us to the front row of the tram/car . . . wouldn’t you know it, the cowboy turned out to be a cowgirl and here I was hoping for a cute hombre and our driver, who was monotone and expressionless, looked like Drew Carey. It was fun sitting in the front though and the bank explosion was really cool.

We stopped in one of the gift shops and bought post cards to write while waiting for Fantasmic! to start. Postcards and stamps were $6.24, I think I bought 10 of each. We thought we’d get a carmel apple and a pretzel to take into the theater with us. The villain’s store has a great candy store inside. The carmel apple with nuts on the top was $3.50. Della was a trooper and stood in line for the pretzels ($3.00) at the little food area across from the theater . . . Sunset Catering Company? as I sat and rested my ankle. A family at the table next to me was feeding a swarm of birds . . . very scary! We made it into the theater and the Mickey section was full so we went over to our right and about ten rows up, hoping the water screens wouldn’t get us wet. By the way, they have venders inside the theater so there are still food options inside. The pre show was good but you can’t see it very well unless you are in the center but those Tower ushers made for a fun time waiting. I did get some trip report notes down and I started writing one of my postcards. Della on the other hand was a busy little beaver and had written quite a few. The CMs that were ushering the show really had us squished in, I mean we were there and had waited a really long time and then they wanted us to be sardines so we wouldn’t even be able to enjoy the show as much. Bad call! One CM noticed maybe 4-5 inches between me and Della and she told me to move in, that Della wouldn’t bite. I said that I hope not. She’s my sister!!! I know it’s a popular show and I realize that they need to accommodate as many folks as possible . . . but let’s keep it enjoyable and fun!

The show . . . well, I’ll warn you I’m a fan of Disneyland’s show and this one just didn’t quite measure up for me. The Pocahontas part was . . . w-a-y too long! I liked the part with the Indians coming in on canoes and the Colors of the Wind part with Pocahontas and John Smith but Peter Pan just works better. Also, they have the Indians coming to attack the villagers, excuse me . . . did they even watch the movie? Too much use of the water screens (we got really wet!), more Chernabog, Pink Elephants, Hefalumps and Woozles, floating Ursula, etc., etc. I am a big villain girl, when I was little all the other girls wanted to be Snow White. Me, I was the witch from Snow White. I liked the Steamboat Willie but not as much as the Mark Twain, I guess ya just can’t please this girl. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the show, the effects, music and the general idea of this show are just awesome . . . if I didn’t have Disneyland’s version to compare it with . . . I will say that it was heaven to sit down, even if the benches didn’t have backs and also being so close to the action was a definite plus. The seating for the Disneyland version is abhorrent! I remember sitting on the cold, hard cement of New Orleans Square for three hours and then at the last minute people came in and thought they could take us over. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t let them . . . mwa haaa haaa!

Tip: Don’t feel embarrassed to start a conversation with someone while you’re waiting for a show, a bus, a ride . . . it’s so much fun to meet people from all over the world. Plus, the time goes by so much faster!

On a side note, I really thought about doing the Brown Derby/Mama Melrose priority seating package but decided against it. I was glad when I saw where the seats for the priority folks were, all the way to the very right edge! It did take us a long time to get out but I anticipated that and we just hung out until it cleared a little.



Tip: Make sure and take a jacket or sweater, it gets cold especially when you get wet!

We meandered to the bus stop, by the way there were several stores open for your shopping pleasure. The park was very peaceful, all dark and closed. The Studio bus system was handled very well. Epcot take notice! We were back home in no time, Della sprinted back to the room for my mug and I realized that the pretzel just didn’t do it for me. So I bought an individual pizza and bread sticks from the food court that Della and I shared. They were pretty tasty and much better looking, not to mention cheaper than the individual sized pizzas at the Studios.

We made our way to our little room. Buzz was still carefully watching over us. Our Mom is very protective and worried about us when we’re away so I’m sure she’d be glad to know Buzz was there. The noise was still pretty loud, parents and children alike . . . um, don’t they know WE’RE TRYING TO SLEEP!?!

Total spent today: $32.84

Saturday, April 17th DAY 5

Weather: COLD and rainy.

What . . . no children playing this morning? It seems we slept a tad bit longer without hearing a lot of noise. After Della had finished showering and looked out the window, we knew why. It was pouring rain! We both got ready, though neither of us, really wanted to go out in it. We watched several shows on TV and continued writing post cards (which didn’t arrive until after we got home!) Then finally we decided to brave the storm donning our bright yellow Mickey ponchos from three years ago. This is probably the last year we’ll use them, they’re starting to smell a little moldy. Next time, I’m getting a beige Animal Kingdom one. It was freezing so I put on the warmest clothes that I brought, Della gets cold very easily and so she was prepared with a jacket and was still cold.

This was our one day I said it was okay to rain and boy did it ever! It even set a record or two. Our destination: Downtown Disney’s West Side, we decided we’d try Wolfgang Puck’s. The bus arrived shortly and we were whisked away. The bus was pretty empty and actually sort of gloomy on the rainy day. We decided to stay on until West Side and when they made a Pleasure Island stop we were alone. The bus drivers changed and the new bus driver told us that the very bus we were on was HAUNTED!!! This is like so up my alley!! He recounted what another bus driver had told him; on a cold rainy night, he was driving this very bus, and thought he was alone. He was driving along and in his rear view mirror he saw a woman in the back of the bus. He didn’t remember anyone coming on so he turned around and she was . . . gone!! Dun dun dun dun. Several bus drivers have seen her in the same way but only at night or on gloomy, rainy days like today! Only a few of the bus drivers will even drive the bus at night and rainy days. Our driver said he’d never seen her but he’s always on the look out. I could kick myself for not remembering the number of the bus!! He was a great bus driver!! He even drove us up closer to the West Side and we made our way to Wolfgang’s, which turned out to be over an hour wait. It seems we weren’t the only ones to decide to do that. We shopped a bit around the West Side but not much we’d ever buy there. I saw an All Star Café shirt that I really liked but passed. We ended up at an outside table under an awning. Downtown Disney had planned some outdoor festival today and there was a bunch of people scurrying around trying to salvage their stuff. I ended up finishing my post cards as we waited and then our beeper that was sitting on the table started to bounce all around. We were seated in a really squishy area and ordered the veggie spring rolls ($7.95) and Thai noodles with stir-fried veggies ($10.95). Very interesting, um, we won’t be going back here. They served bread as an appetizer which was also interesting, I’m a very ‘normal’ eating girl, I don’t get into all these different or unusual foods. Sometimes on cruises I will actually lose a few pounds because the food is very exotic and I’m not. Total before tip $10.02

After wandering around all through Downtown Disney and the World of Disney store, we pondered a movie at AMC but since the rain was thinning I thought the animals might be out in force today. We made a stop back at ASMovies to freshen up after having been rained on. The gift shop was clearing out the 1999 sweat shirts ($21.18) we had seen them the night before and didn’t take the opportunity then, Della’s size was gone but I grabbed me one. I debated whether I wanted a refill in my mug so I grabbed it and put our ponchos in a Disney bag just in case we might need them again. I decided against the coke so I threw the mug in with the ponchos. We caught a bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (lovingly referred to now as DAK) and entered the empty park. This was the most pleasant experience we’ve ever had at DAK!! Every animal was out, the sloth and wallaby (I didn’t even know they had wallabies) in the Oasis, every bird. It was so nice being there, no crowds, not hot and all the animals were really active. We went right back to Africa to go on the safari and on the way we actually saw kangaroos and deer by the Tree of Life, which I had never seen before. We walked right into a jeep, the very first row and had Safari Timothy as our guide. What a difference a guide makes! This was such a fun safari, the guide was GREAT, the animals not only were out, they were so playful. The elephants, hippos, cheetahs everyone was having a great time! We then meandered over to Asia where the bats and tigers were at their best! The bats were flying and the tigers were playing so cute. We even saw a CM photographer at the first tiger viewing area and I mentioned that it must be a good time to view the animals if he was there. He said that it was, they had been playing all afternoon! On our way out we stopped at Countdown to Extinction and walked right onto a jeep without even seeing the pre show. Like other reporters have said, the ride seems to have more stuff going on to see. We could’ve stayed right on as there was no one waiting but once is enough for us. The foliage everywhere was so green and beautiful! The rain today was already making them happy! I hope it put out the fires we heard about on the news!

We were trying to decide what to eat as we were walking out enjoying the lovely evening. We thought about going back to the Rainforest Café but we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to catch a bus back to the resort now that the park had closed. When we got to the bus stop a Yacht/Beach Club bus was ready to take off, so I suggested Beaches and Cream. Yup! We made it to Beaches and Cream and actually got a table. We ordered a grilled cheese with fries ($3.70) and a fudge mud slide ($5.95) to share. I also got a vanilla coke (YUMMY!). Perfect! Free refills, even! (around $1.50), total before tip $6.00

We went into EPCOT via the International Gateway and walked right through the park to the bus stop where we waited just a few minutes for a bus and we were home. The Jazz were playing the Lakers on NBC tonight so we actually got to watch it. By the way, we won! YEAH! After the game we called our Mom, can’t be away from her for too long without calling. We discovered that the sack that had my mug and the ponchos in it, only had the ponchos in it now. We figured it probably fell out at Beaches and Cream so I called the front desk thinking they would track it down for me but instead transferred me to the Beach Club and then they transferred me to Beaches and Cream . . . it was there safe and sound ready to be picked up in the morning. Lights out, not quite as noisy tonight, it’s too cold!

Total for the day: $40.43

Sunday, April 18th DAY 4

Weather: Still cold but sunny.

Woke up, noise back, got ready and made it out to the Studios bus stop, then “the slow boat to China” over to Boardwalk for breakfast at Spoodles. A lot of people use Downtown Disney as a connecting point but the Studios is closer to the All Star Resorts and it’s closer to the destinations that we wanted to go to anyway. Spoodles is a favorite of ours and so we were really excited about going, there’s a waiter that we’ve had two years in a row and we were hoping to see him again, but he wasn’t there. We made it just in time, the breakfast would be getting over soon. We had gotten our plates and our juice. We were a little chilly and so we asked for cocoa but it was extra, it never was before. The food just wasn’t what it was in the past, in a word I was disappointed. I was still holding out hope that my pancakes would be as wonderful as I remembered but I never got a chance to find out. Our server appeared and told us there was a fire drill and we would need to evacuate the building . . . we stayed outside waiting for quite a while but others were leaving so we asked our server if we needed to stay and she told us to go. We weren’t finished, we’d barely even started, but we didn’t want to wait any longer. We walked over to Beaches and Cream and retrieved my mug and onto EPCOT again via the International Gateway, it was cold! We went right over to the American Adventure to catch Voices of Liberty but they had a half hour to go so we stayed in the sunlight and watched the drum and fife group perform then headed into the building just in time for “Voices.” The group was fabulous as always! We happened to meet an ex-Voices of Liberty member on our cruise in February. He is now singing on the ship. Della got to be Susanna, man was she red!! I wish I would’ve had the video camera out! After the show we went into see the American Adventure, I really like this show! We meandered around World Showcase taking in the Flower and Garden Festival. It is really beautiful. Last year we were there at the tail end of the festival, this year, it’s the start and everything is brand new and fresh.

I wanted to go to Ice Station Cool, so we headed over that a way. It was still freezing and I was thinking about asking Della if she wouldn’t mind going back to the resort so I could change into long pants, she was actually cold as well, which wasn’t really surprising. Ice Station Cool was okay but I guess I’d rather just drink my trusty old coke. I didn’t try the Beverly but the ginger ale was okay. There was one that reminded me of coke but I can’t remember which it was.

Back to the resort to change . . . ahhhh, warmth! We decided to go back to DAK for a Festival of the Lion King show and to eat at the Rainforest Café, we were pretty hungry since we hadn’t eaten that much at breakfast before the fire alarm.

The FOTLK was bland today, none of the better principal actors were there, the dancers just weren’t up to par. The monkeys were still good, but the show on a whole just wasn’t as good. This should’ve been a hint to us to not go back but we did, hoping to get a better show. Thursday’s show was so amazing, I can’t believe they’d go from that to this. Oh well, onto Rainforest, let me tell you, I was hungry. The hostess said about 15-20 minutes to get seated, I thought I could do that but it turned out to more like an hour. We spent some of the time listening to the bird guy. He sure knew a lot of stuff! He had a game going on, where he’d ask a question and if the audience guessed wrong, he’d squirt them with his water squirter. Needless to say, we just watched. We finally got in the dining room, didn’t even crack our menu, told our server exactly what we wanted and it was almost another hour before we were served! I was so hungry I was about ready to eat anything! This was the first time absolutely everything we ordered was devoured. The food was still yummy but when you get such bad service, it sort of spoils the experience.

We decided that we’d catch the Yacht/Beach Club bus and spend the evening with Off Kilter. In between shows we went to France to get our traditional chocolate/raspberry decadence. Unfortunately, they changed their menu and that was axed. Della had her mind set on that and simply nothing else would do. We thought we’d catch Flo and Eddie from the Turtles but we couldn’t take them for very long! Way annoying!!

We called it a night after one more Off Kilter show and headed back to Buzz.

Total spent today: $12.00

Monday, April 19th DAY 5

Weather: Cool but warmed up quite a bit!

I wasn’t sure how to dress today, since I’d been so cold yesterday, so I decided that I’d wear jeans and carry a pair of shorts with me, just in case. I was hoping to ride Kali River Rapids today as well so I toted my shorts and the poncho in a Disney shopping bag, a-l-l d-a-y! Yesh, what a pain! Any ways . . . Today we got going a mite earlier in order to get to Port Orleans for breakfast at Bonfamille’s. We went to our usual transportation location, the Studios. Where we made it right onto a Port Orleans bus. We got a beeper and mosied around a bit, I just happened to gaze at the menu and noticed the strawberry pancakes that we came for weren’t even on the menu, I asked the hostess about it and she ducked in the kitchen and said there would be no problem! We were seated and ordered the pancakes ($6.29) and strawberries and cream ($4.49) for an appetizer. Both items shrunk compared to last time, we were both very disappointed with breakfast. I bought a half of a flat of strawberries and a whole pint of cream when I got home and it was still less than 10 small strawberries and the small scoop of cream we got. Odds are we probably won’t be doing Bonfamille’s again anytime soon. Total before tip, $5.75.

From there we took the boat over to Downtown Disney so that I could get a watch that I saw at our resort with my MKC discount. The World of Disney store a.k.a. “The Scary Store,” since most every time we go it is mobbed and confusing and I don’t like it all that much. Today on the other hand, was very quite and peaceful. I picked out a pair of Mickey ear rings (a tradition), an Animal Kingdom CD (which is wonderful!) and went in search of the watch. The watch lady was very helpful, found my watch and checked us out right then so I had a very good experience at the WOD for a change! Yeah! Now I’m carrying another bag . . . Spent $79.66 with the discount on all three items.

We decided we’d catch the EPCOT bus and spend the afternoon there and move over to Animal Kingdom in the early evening. Once we arrived, we headed over to the World Showcase and Mexico. We rode Rio Del Tiempo for the final time, I felt kind of sad, rumor has it that it will become a Three Caballeros ride. Man, I’ll miss that song . . . really! After debarking our journey south of the border we decided we try out Norway’s bakery. Can you believe Norway is my favorite pavilion and I’ve never had any of their baked goods? We were hoping to find something to replace the French pastry . . . we did. I treated us to a yummy but very rich chocolate mousse cake, although a couple of forkfulls were plenty for me. Approximately $3.50.

We made our way over to Canada and Off Kilter’s first performance. It was there I decided it was time to change into the shorts, which I did. Ahh, that’s much better but my jeans weighed much more than the shorts did. Double yesh! We went back to the next Off Kilter show, actually managing to snag a bench. More benches please! It was at the end of the show that I really thought that I spied Deb Wills but I lost her in the crowd. Drat! I’ve been wearing my radp pin every day and I’ve been looking all over for folks to no avail. It is a big place, though.

On our way out of the park we stopped to hear Cast in Bronze, very cool! The bells were just amazing! Then we were off to DAK. We decided to get a bite to eat at the Flametree, which was delicious. We ordered the salad in a bread bowl ($6.95 same price without the turkey, what’s up with that? Fantastic Asian dressing!!) and the seasoned fries ($3.25) YUM! We should have just split a fry because there was no way we could eat one order a piece. I was craving corn on the cob so I ordered one (1/3 of one) for more than a dollar! Later found you could get a full BBQed corn in Asia, which is what I really wanted. I also got a coke, $12.75 after MKC , gotta love discounts!

From there we thought we’d give the FOTLK another try but still not up to par. It was like 6:50 when we got out of the show but as soon as we got out of the main traffic jam, we high tailed it to Asia to hit Kali. Della didn’t want to do this one so I pulled out my poncho and went to the queue, which was closed off but I was led to another area and was the last person they let in for the night. I was put in a raft with a cute family who kept the dip a secret from the youngest girl in order to get her on. She was quite surprised with the little dip. As for the ride, it was cute but short! I’ve been on a couple of different raft rides that have been much funner. I think the only object of this ride is to get you wet. With my poncho, I was fine but would’ve been drenched! I’ll do it again, but only if it’s a walk on.

The walk out of the park was very peaceful since it was officially closed. I love DAK when it’s quiet like this! I thought that Davy Jones was performing tonight so we went back to EPCOT via the Yacht/Beach Club but after we rushed so fast it was Flo and Eddie again. I must’ve mixed up the days . . . but since we were here . . . Off Kilter!! Della teased me that I’d done it on purpose! Excellent show, we met a couple from Providence, RI as we waited for the show to start. We had fun chatting with them about the TV show Providence, and were comparing shows filmed in their hometown and in ours. On the way out we ducked in Spaceship Earth for a quick ride, we weren’t stopped even once! The bus situation was much better tonight than on Thursday! Into bed, mental note: never request Toy Story again!

Total spent today: $23.50, I stopped keeping track of my expenses - so I’m using memory and Della’s notes; which are MUCH better than mine! Daily totals from this point are approximate.

Tuesday, April 19th DAY 6

Weather: Warm

Today we got up and headed to the Studios and lunch at Sci-Fi. We went right over to Sci-Fi and put our names in and were seated shortly after. Christine was our server and she was excellent as was the food, we got the ‘They Grow Amongst Us’ sandwich ($8.75) and ‘Pod Creatures,’ deep-fried cheese fritters, as an appetizer ($4.65). We requested fries instead of chips with our sandwich but the cook forgot so we got both, the chips were actually quite yummy! I really love the Sci-Fi, it’s one of my not-to-be-missed restaurants. We really were planning on getting dessert but we were just too full even sharing. Total before tip and with a coke, $7.15.

After lunch we were going to hit the Hunchback show. I went to get seats and Della ran back to the villain’s store to get us a chocolate-covered strawberry, $2 a piece. I snagged us a pretty good seat and Matt started his routine, even though I saw Matt’s routine several times . . . I think he’s pretty fun! Della showed up with the berries, YUM! And then . . . the show started, it was more amazing then I remember, although some of the characters seemed the same. This Quasimodo, let me just tell you . . . WOW!!! With a voice like that, I’ll take him in a heartbeat no matter how big his nose, ears and hunchback are! I was indeed hooked!! Clopin and Esmeralda were wonderful too, I wasn’t thrilled with Phoebus, but I wasn’t last year either and he was the same, he did grow on me, though. Frollo, was not the best but with that Quasi, who cares!?! After the show got over and we exited the theater, we got right back in line! I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

We were planning on purchasing all the souvenirs for our nieces and nephews today so we made our way over to the Planet Hollywood store but decided to do the Tower again, boy was it better this time! It was the same, but I think the first time, I was just expecting it to be more different or more exciting than it was! I wanted to go once more so in a span of about 20 minutes, we rode it twice. There was a great CM there. He just stared at me for a really long time. I got quite uncomfortable and just when I started getting used to him, he really startled me! So . . . now I feel much better about the new drop sequence!

We made our way to the Planet Hollywood store and picked out shirts for Rachel and Rebecca and little onesie snugglers for Corey and E.J., the two new baby nephews, shared total $27.67. Katie, Robert and Kea are all getting stuffed animals from Animal Kingdom. We also found a shirt we liked so we each picked a different color ($21.20) and took our purchases to the desk. I told them about the AP discount, but they didn’t know what I was talking about, but gave it to us any way.

After making our purchases we took the DAK bus to DAK and tried the FOTLK again, no dice on a good group, although there was a very talented and attractive warthog . . . We decided to go back to the Tusker House for a slice of snickers cheesecake (yum!) and another heavenly coke, used MKC. The cheesecake was marvelous! I didn’t finish the whole coke though. We decided to check on the wait of the safari. The CM said the wait was however long it took us to walk to the front of the line. It was a good safari, not as good as last time and no Timothy but it was very fun. The warthogs were out in force, one of them even charged us like Pumbaa charged in the Lion King but he looks a lot nicer and happier than the real life warthogs. It was a great time but melancholy because we knew it was our last safari.

We scurried around and picked up the rest of our souvenirs, a stuffed safari Goofy for Katie, a Tigger for Kea and of course a T-Rex from Dinoland for Robert. I wanted to get one so bad for him last year but we were going on a cruise after and I didn’t know how it would survive. We each paid $25.97 for the animals.

We were pushing the time but we wanted to go back to the room to drop off our bags, change and snag the ponchos for Splash Mountain before heading to the MK for E Ride Night. The bus was right there and we were ready in record time. The plan was to grab a couple of egg rolls in Adventureland, and hit Haunted Mansion again before the park closed. We made it to the bus stop and waited, I’m dead serious, over an hour for a bus. If I were thinking right, we should have taken one of the many EPCOT buses that came by but we were optimistic thinking the MK bus would be along in no time. By the time we arrived at the MK, the fireworks were going off and the park was near closing. Plan B . . . ? Oh, wait, we don’t have a Plan B. We hurried and exchanged our cards for wristbands and like salmon, we tried to make our way in while everyone else was trying to make their way out. The CM who did the wristband exchange asked if I’d done E Night before. I told him that I had and how lovely it was, he warned me that tonight had been sold out and will be pretty crowded. GREAT! As we expected, the egg roll cart was closed, dang! We quickly ran to the Haunted Mansion, by the way owie ankle!! We made it and were in probably the last stretch room of the night. Man, that’s what you call timing! I love this ride! After we got off, the park was officially closed. I was really hungry though so we checked Pecos Bill’s, it was packed. I realize the importance to only have a couple of eating places open during E Night but more than one line would be good. We passed, my stomach protested!

We were going to wait and have Splash Mountain be last, in case we got wet so off to Tommorrowland. We walked on Buzz with only a small wait, cute queue! The ride was really cute, although, our guns didn’t work so we both scored zip! But I did record some of it, wait, is it over already, hum . . . very short! We then moved over to Space Mountain to wait a good 30 minutes, yikes! To boot there was 3 or 4 teens in front of us that were very obnoxious, seems this trip we’ve encountered that a lot. We’re actually starting to worry about the future when we see how the majority of the teenagers were acting this week. We shouldn’t have spent so much time waiting for this ride, but it was fun . . . although, with a line like that, once is enough! We popped in Alien Encounter to give it another shot ... nope, I still hate it.

I’m afraid I was a little grouchy because I was hungry. We checked Casey’s . . . maybe fries? Hot doggy scent was just too much for me . . . YUCK! We decided to hop on Pirates, which we did with very little wait, no walk ons all night though. I caved, waited in a long line and ordered a cheeseburger meal deal ($5.20) without the burger at Pecos Bill’s. The cashier must have thought I was joking because it came out with meat. The lady behind the counter thought I was nuts when I said all I wanted was a bun with cheese! She got it for me though, and we loaded it down with sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc. from the fixings bar. I even got some nacho cheese to dip my fries in. We shared the burger less burger and fries, it was really fun and we’ll definitely go back! One complaint that we have is that they charge us the same for things when we have the meat left off, what’s up with that? It costs them less, so it should cost us less, right? Oh well, good move finally getting something to eat!

We then moved onto Big Thunder which was about 15 minutes, we did get to wait for the back though, yippee! The Splash Mountain CM said the line was a 30 minute wait but ended up being no more than 15. We donned our yellow ponchos after we were in the log and past the loading area. The teen girls that were in the log with us were real jerks! They made fun of us, their elders, which didn’t bother me but they splashed water on us, which did. I think I put them in their place!! On our way out we checked out our picture and the CM at the photo counter was a radper . . . yeah!! The first one I have ever met face to face! Silly me, though, for the life of me, I can’t remember his name! DRAT! Hey, it was late and had been a long day!

We had just enough time to hit the Country Bears before our night was over. “All the guys that turn me on turn me down . . . ” I love this show! On our way out we got a German chocolate brownie ($3.50) to go, to eat back at the room. A bus was waiting for us and we made it home okay. Della ran back and got my mug so I sipped a lovely coke as we walked to our room.

One final thought about E Night, when they “sell out,” they should either consider opening another attraction or two to help manage crowds or sell fewer tickets in the first place! We did pay extra for this . . .

About the second or third day they started posting a security guard round the clock by Woody, who was right under our room. It didn’t help the noise situation but they might be able to keep people from climbing on Woody’s lap or the blocks. The brownie was heavenly! As I laid in my hard, uncomfortable bed, I kept thinking only one more night . . . waaaaaahhhh! I don’t want to leave!!

Total spent for the day: $87.69 (including all souvenirs from today)

Wednesday, April 20th DAY 7

Weather: Warm

Our last full day . . . sob! I made sure to call bell services and request a luggage pick-up for tomorrow, which gave them plenty of time. Last year we didn’t call early enough (one hour) so we had to lug our bags, lots because we were going on a cruise after, all the way from Country Faire. It didn’t help my I-don’t-want-to-leave-WDW blues at all!!

My objective today was to finish up and say good bye to EPCOT and DAK and tomorrow spend the few hours that we have left at the Studios with Quasi. We made it to EPCOT pretty near 11:00 so we headed over to World Showcase and Norway for one last ride with the trolls. I’ll miss you guys! Disappear! Disappear! I still haven’t decided which troll to buy this year, as is my tradition. The one that I really want is almost $80.00 and since tomorrow we’re going home, I’m feeling a little more frugal. I decided that I would think about it and for sure get it before leaving tonight! I really wanted to try Juan and Only’s at the Dolphin but thought that all the time it would take to get over there and back we could go to an extra show or two so we bagged that. San Angel Inn? No, we had a bad experience there last year. Cantina de San Angel? Okay. I ordered a non meat taco salad ($4.95) and a large coke ($2.25). Total, $7.64. Della got a non meat combo, which looked really good. We fed the ducks but did it over the rail by the water so we didn’t bother any fellow diners. A movie crew was eating at the table next to us. I was dying to ask them what they were filming but was chicken, yup, again! This would be an excellent place to stake out a place to watch Illuminations without going to the pub in the UK. It was on our plan but didn’t ever work out.

We went over to Future World via the Odyssey pathway, to the Wonders of Life pavilion, pitying the folks standing in the well over 2 hour wait for Test Track. YESH! We made it to our destination and waited just a few minutes for the Making of Me movie. It always chokes me up, and almost makes me want kids . . . but only for a few minutes! “Thanks Mom, thanks Dad!” I love this one and Della and I will go every time we’re here! We thought we’d hit Cranium Command while we were here, funny show! I haven’t seen it for a couple years. We tried for a cookie at Innoventions but no dice, we never had the timing down this year. We were going to go to Off Kilter’s first show but on a whim, I checked the entertainment guide and noticed the times were different today. We decided to head over to DAK and return back to EPCOT this evening. So off to the bus stop . . .

We shopped around a bit at DAK and found some thermal ‘98 shirts that they were clearing ($16.00). We were here in ‘98, so . . . I already have one but who’s counting? We then made our way back to bid a final good bye to the bats and tigers . . . do we really have to go? They were both as cute as always. Boy, did I really take that much video of the animals!?! We then hurried over to Camp Minnie Mickey for a final try of the FOTLK. The CM sat us in the nose bleed giraffe section. I went to ask if we could sit on a lower bench of the warthog section but they were very rude and told me “no, go back to your seat!!” The nerve!!! Then they let some other Joe Blow sit there, needless to say our seats were bad, really bad. It wasn’t a very enjoyable situation, so we’re leaving with only one really good FOTLK show, the very first one. We meandered out slowly taking our time sneaking another “one more look” at the Tree and sauntering through the Oasis, watching the Rainforest Café until it was out of sight. Yes, I am pathetic!

The bus ride back to the Yacht/Beach Club was pretty melancholy! First off, we got a strawberry Khaki Gori to eat ($2.00) and headed over to the Flower Power stage and caught Davy Jones’ act, which was identical to his last year act, I think he was even wearing the same clothes! But that’s okay, he was great and looked fabulous! He sure put Flo and Eddie to shame! We then made our way over to Off Kilter’s show, which of course was wonderful. My cd was burning in the camera bag, last chance Lindy!!! Okay I can do this . . . they were so cute when I timidly went up to them asking for autographs and they were excited to see someone bought their cd off the Internet. I am so so so glad that I got up the nerve!! We went back over to Norway and I got my troll, a very cute little rascal but one of the cheaper ones, $28.62 with tax. I told the very cute Norwegian CM that checked me out about my tradition for buying a troll every year. He was very nice and asked about all the ones that I have. My favorite is his favorite! What are the odds? He told me that a day or two before they sold one of the giant ones to a man for his winter lodge, I can’t remember the exact amount but it was in the $50,000 range. Yesh! Here I was too cheap to spend 80 bucks!!

I grabbed a coke from China, not anywhere near as good as the Tusker House coke, but I did get a medium ($1.80) and ended up not drinking all of it either. We went back over for a final Off Kilter show, again great show! We then had a beaver tail, yummy!! Della got a strawberry and cream and I got a chocolate hazel nut to share ($3.00 a piece). They were so delicious!! We sadly walked down the main pathway, waved sadly to Figment and the Dreamfinder and told them I missed them! And it was back to the resort.

Della went back for my mug and I got a Chinese veggie plate ($4.99) and 3 veggie egg rolls ($4.69, not as good as the ones in Adventureland) from the food court. Total was $10.36. It was very good and just hit the spot. Even though it was very noisy at Toy Story, I will really miss Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang! It has been a wonderful time here. The housekeeping wasn’t all the best but we were here and that’s what really matters! We got all packed up and lights out. I will miss this uncomfortable bed.

Total spent for the day: $70.42

Thursday, April 21st DAY 8

Weather: Very warm in Orlando! In Utah . . . brrrrrrr!

We actually made it out earlier than we thought and bell services hadn’t come yet. Della called and they told us we didn’t need to be there so we headed out but met up with bell services on the way out and Della went back up with him to make sure he got everything. We were worried the animals we’d gotten the kids would get scrunched in storage so we took them with us. We still hadn’t walked around the complex to see all the different sections, so we did that now. I think I like all of the sections better than ours with the exception of Fantasia. I even liked the Love Bug area but 101 Dalmatians is my favorite. We got to the bus stop and hopped on a Studios bus and were whisked over for the last time. We wanted to have a nice meal today since it was our last. We made a priority seating at both Brown Derby and Mama Melrose and headed over to the first Quasi show. I was so worried that my Quasi wouldn’t be there! Matt came out and did his act, sometimes I think he’s funnier when he messes up. The music started and out hopped Clopin who was different and no where near as good as the last, Frollo was better but what about Quasi . . . I was holding my breath but breathed a deep sigh of relief when I saw him. This boy could be on Broadway! Esmeralda and Phoebus were the same as well. What a marvelous show!! I could just sit here all day!

We decided on Mama Melrose for lunch. We both ordered veggie minestrone soup, a tomato cheese appetizer and a veggie pizza. Soup: ($3.95) delicious! Appetizer: had meat in it, we told the server that we were vegetarians, he should have told us that there was ham in it but instead made fun of us about it. Bad Server! Pizza: ($12.25) weird! All in all, didn’t care for Mama Melrose but we’ll be back for that soup! Total before tip, $21.36, we used the money Delta had sent us as a meal refund from the February cruise flight home. Tip from Lindy: don’t ever hesitate to write a letter if you feel you’ve been jacked!

We barely made it out for the next Quasi show and so we didn’t get very good seats. Dang! We walked out and I had to make a decision, one more Quasi show or another ride on the Tower, I picked Quasi! Watched one last Quasi . . . I want to stay! A very tall man sat right in front of me so my view was marred but I was there. This Quasi just has an amazing voice, put him with the first Clopin and Esmeralda and the show just BLOWS YOU AWAY! It sure did charm me.

We made our last walk down the park, pausing for several moments of silence, there was no wait on the Tower but Della wanted to be back in plenty of time. So we walked out, briefly stopping to pick up my “A Bug’s Life video” ($16.99, same price by the way as the stores at home were charging), a huge Disney bag to carry on the plane ($1.25) and a box of candy to take home to parents ($2.75 each). We made it back to the resort, picked up our bags and changed into long pants for cold Utah weather. I went back for one more coke and got us another German chocolate brownie and a rocky road brownie ($3.50 each). We ate the German chocolate one as we waited for Ian on a bench and saved the rocky road for the plane. Ian was 20 minutes early but we were there and had already been waiting for a while. The only good thing about the ride to the airport was riding with Ian, he’s the best. He let us off, tipping him (I tipped $5) and bidding farewell, we checked our bags. Up to the terminal, I wish I was one of those lucky folks who were just arriving rather than leaving!!!

Total spent for the day: $28.18, not including Delta refund money used for Mama’s.

We got on the plane and waited for a while, it was an uneventful flight . . . boring actually. The meal choices were chicken or beef again, we picked the chicken and Sammy and Luli (the dog and cat) loved every bite.

I didn’t want to think about going to work the next day at all. I would much rather go to the Quasi show or Off Kilter! Our parents were waiting for us at the airport. It was great seeing them again! It was freezing at home! I couldn’t sleep when we got home so even though it was even later in Florida, I finally fell asleep around 2:00 a.m. Utah time. I woke up early though and watched A Bug’s Life . . . how cute! Then I watched some of the videos I took, man I took a lot of the animals! By the way, I didn’t make it into work!

Our week was so wonderful!!! I want to go back even more than last year! If you’re planning on staying more than a week or plan on returning within the calendar year, annual passes are definitely the way to go! I think the souvenirs went over fairly well. I hope any way. I went back and reread my last trip report and I said that next time we won’t even do them, but we always seem to.

-Final Thoughts -

I really enjoy reading final thoughts and favorites in trip reports so I thought that I’d include that in mine this time. There isn’t too much that I’d change during our time at WDW. I would have not requested Toy Story and tried for the Dalmatians, I would’ve gone to the Quasi show earlier and done that instead of trying to find a good cast at the Festival of the Lion King show. The first one was so good I wish I wouldn’t have seen the others, except for the cute warthog one . . . , done the Tower a few more times, and gone to the Belz Outlet. I would’ve loved to have met some more radp folks, several were there when I was, Deb, Kathy and Stan Kula, Jim Pertierra and family, Laura Gilbreath and Lee Zimmerman arrived on our last day, plus many more. Next time if there isn’t a meet planned, I’m going to plan one. I would’ve liked to have seen Fantasmic! once more, ridden a few rides that we missed but on the whole we or at least I did what I loved and would go back in a heartbeat.

Although, I didn’t mention it very much, my ankle always seemed to hurt but I iced it every night and every morning. The ace bandage really helped, so remember if anything like that happens to you all, don’t suffer, go to first aid. I actually have a tan line right above my left ankle where the bandage ended . . . my other foot has a tan line around my sandal’s outline, it’s kind of odd but a fun memory.

I did really good writing down my spending until Monday . . . I tried, really. Della always keeps excellent records which are fun to go back and look at, so I did my best but I’m not all that organized.

Speaking of Della, she was a real trooper, going from show to show with me . . . what a pal!

Disneyland is on the drawing board, possibly twice before the end of the year, but after reading Al Lutz’s site, I’m not sure if it’s the place I remember. I haven’t been since 1996 and I think that WDW has spoiled me. I’ll for sure be writing another trip report, of course!

-Weather-

Weather on the most part, was fabulous! Not too hot and not too cold. We had rain only one day and it worked to our advantage as all the animals at DAK were out and playful. I wore shorts almost every day but about two, we were prepared with proper clothes for warm and cool temperatures and our ponchos we bought a few years ago.

-Resort - All Star Movies, Toy Story Complex-

Fun place, gotta admit that I’d rather stay at the Yacht/Beach Club or Boardwalk but if that meant I’d have to shave 2-3, possibly more days off my stay . . . then no way. All Stars are fine for me, they have a bed (maybe not a comfy one, but a bed), the refillable mug program (if you’re a soda drinker, get one. If you’re not, get one. They’re a great souvenir and a fun reminder, I use all of mine at home a lot), bus service is excellent, nice pools (which I don’t use any way, but if I were there with my nieces and nephews they would), the grounds are beautiful and the themeing is amazing. The food court is okay, but I’d rather eat in the parks anyway. The noise level really bothered me. I felt like complaining but the loud folks were just as excited about being at the World as I, there are common courtesies though. I’m sure that the Love Bug was very quiet, not unlike the Country Faire was at All Star Music last year.

We never used the laundry facilities but there were two, one at each of the pools. Housekeeping was not the best at all but they made the beds. There were a few times they left us no soap and when we asked them for some they would direct us to the dispenser in the shower. I was hoping to bring some home to send to the soap fund . . . maybe next time. Several windows that we walked by had cute displays of plush animals, beanies and souvenirs, which were fun and we always made a point to look for them when we were walking back to the room.

- Dining -

I am a food lover and dining is a big part of my experience, but remember, I am a vegetarian and a “normal” food girl! I did bring several breakfasty items to eat while we were getting ready so we skipped breakfast most of the time and went directly to lunch when we got to the parks.

-Favorite Meals-

Rainforest Café. Service was excellent the first time and lousy the next but when it comes to this place it’s the food and the atmosphere that I go for. The Forest Flatbread is delicious and the Plant Sandwich is one of the best vegetarian sandwiches ever!
Liberty Tree Tavern. A new must for us, the food was fabulous, and something very different. Again the atmosphere is great here. **Don’t forget to use your MKC card.**
Flametree BBQ. The cole slaw/salad without the turkey in a bread bowl with Asian dressing . . . yuuuummm! Their seasoned fries are wonderful as well. **Don’t forget to use your MKC card.**
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. See, I go for the atmospheric places. Again the atmosphere is great here, their veggie sandwich is also delicious and you can’t beat watching those old clips of the great “B” movies. Desserts always look so good but we’re always too full.
-Biggest Disappointments-

Spoodles- Just wasn’t the same . . . price had gone up, we were saved by the fire alarm.
Bonfamilles- More money, less food, still tasty, but not worth it.
Lotus Blossom Café- Still good but I really like the old veggie stir-fry better.
Egg Roll Cart MK- Missing it.
Mama Melrose- Hard to put a finger on what it was I didn’t like about this place. The food was more exotic and I didn’t care for our server. I will go back if only to get that yummy veggie minestrone soup. Their desserts looked yummy as well. Plus, it is the closest restaurant to Quasi at the Back lot Theater!! **Don’t forget to use your MKC card.**
Wolfgang Puck- Too unusual for me! Next time we’ll try the Express at the Marketplace for pizza.
-Favorite Desserts

Beaver Tails @ Canadian pavilion, EPCOT, My favorite was the chocolate hazelnut . . . only a seasonal special.
Snickers Cheesecake @ The Tusker House, Africa, DAK, YUM! **Remember your MKC!**
Cookies @ Main Street Bakery, MK, Very good, especially when hot!
Fudge Mud Slide @ Beaches and Cream, Beach Club
A spectacular ice cream thing, share - these puppies are huge!
Carmel Apple/Chocolate-covered Strawberry @ Villain’s candy store, Studios
Tasty, albeit messy!
Khaki Gori @ Japanese pavilion, EPCOT
Flavored shaved ice.
Biggest Dessert Disappointments - no chocolate/raspberry decadence in France! and missing chocolate chip cookie @ Innoventions!
-Best Coke-

**Tusker House, Africa, DAK (MKC discount)**
-Fav Shows-

“The Quasi Show” a.k.a. The Hunchback of Notre Dame . . . need I say more!?! Don’t miss this one, make it at all costs! Two visits went by that I didn’t and I regret it! The performers in this show, namely Quasi, Clopin #1 and Esmeralda could very well be performing on Broadway, what a treat to see them in this setting. I just wish that I would have recorded more, though!!
Off Kilter, hello . . . cute guys in kilts playing great tunes!! ‘Nuff said!! I got their autographs on my cd!! Cool!!
Festival of the Lion King, if you catch them on a good day . . . if you don’t then you won’t be able to compare it with the good day so you’ll still enjoy the show.
Fantasmic!, be prepared with a jacket. It gets cold when you’re wet. This is a spectacular show, just not quite as wonderful as Disneyland. The wait is long, very long. Make sure that you take plenty of books, toys, post cards, etc. to keep you occupied until the pre show arrives.
*We missed the British Invasion from the UK this year but is also one of my favorites*
-Fav Rides-

MK - Haunted Mansion
EPCOT - Maelstrom
Studios - Tower of Terror
DAK - Safari/Jungle Trek
-Biggest Ride Bummers-
(My opinion only folks!)
MK - Alien Encounter (I’ve done this one twice, but only twice)
EPCOT - Test Track

Studios - No bummer here that I’ve done, unless you count the first time on the Tower with the new drop sequence but that was more like momentary disappointment.

Animal Kingdom - Kali River Rapids, Disney’s answer to: how can we get wet?

-Crowds-

Either we were fairly lucky or extremely prepared. I like to think the latter. There were crowds but we very rarely had long waits, oh except for E Night . . . no really E Night is a good deal no matter what! The long waits we had, would’ve only been longer during the day and it is so fun to walk down a deserted Main Street on the way out.

-Recording-

I carried my video camera with me every day and although it was heavy and cumbersome, it was worth it. I just regret I didn’t take more, as is always the case when I get home. Unless you’re specifically told ‘no video photography,’ it’s open game. Shows, parades, rides, attractions, character interaction, whatever. What fun it is going back and watching these fun and special memories!!

Next up . . . August’s Disneyland report! I know August . . . yuck! Crowds . . . heat! But this time I’ll be going with my other sister, Sandy and her four kids (17, 12, 9 and 7 months) three of which would have to be pulled out of school otherwise. So we’ll see how the six of us fair during PEAK season!

Thanks for sticking with me! I know this has been a lengthy account, I think I got a bit long winded. My favorite trip reports to read are the detailed play by play ones, so I guess you write what you like to read. I had a blast writing it though, and how fun it is to remember our trip in detail. I hope that you all had as much fun reading my report as I do reading yours.

Till the next time!!!

Lindy Higham

nrdwr.mhigham@state.ut.us