Alan Schaefer -- January 2000 -- Wilderness Lodge

[Trip Reports]

Alan Schaefer -- January 2000 -- Wilderness Lodge

1/7 to 1/13/00

The Cast:

Al (the storyteller), 42 year old theatre production manager and certified Disney nut. Diane (my wife) 42 year old pyscho-social rehabilitation worker and certified shopper. Both of us have been to WDW many times. I've also visited DL twice and Diane has been to DLP twice. We live in Central New Jersey. Resort: Our favorite, the Wilderness Lodge.

Intro:

Our planning for this trip began back in July when I decided I really wanted to get an MKC rate for this trip. After selecting our week to coincide with the WDW Marathon (I knew that at least one of my sisters were planning to run) I called CRO. Of course MKC rates weren't out yet. We decided to book a room at full (1999 rates) price (Woods View) and keep calling for a MKC rate. After weeks of getting "The MKC rates won't be out until (pick a week/month) I finally spoke to a CM who told me that they were out and quoted me at $169 night for Woodland View. Sounded great to me! When my modified "yellow slip" arrived, it showed (the much discussed here) "Insider Millennium" rate even though I only have a regular paper MKC card.

Planning consisted of reading RADP when I could (my work sometimes leaves me little free time), reading menus and other information on the WDIG (http://wdwig.com/) and on and the Unofficial D.I.S. (www.disneyinfo.com) (which has a great schedule feature for fireworks, parades etc.). We bought a 2000 edition of Birnbaum's Official Guide, but that was more for getting psyched purposes than information (which was a good thing, because it didn't have much ). We had a decent fare on Continental Airlines at $171 round trip each (tax etc. included). Had I booked two weeks earlier, I could have gotten a slightly better fare, but I was waiting to see if the fare dropped more. A rental car from Dollar ($129 pre tax etc. for a compact) rounded out out transportation.

Day One, Fri. 1/7

The car service we had booked for our short trip to Newark Airport proved to be a yellow taxi! But he was on time, courteous and cheap, so we weren't complaining. The ride to EWR at that time of the morning 5:00 AM) only took about 25 minutes and there were no lines for curbside check in. The flight took off a little late (as does every Newark flight) but we landed at MCO on time. Only one monorail was running, so it took a few minutes longer than usual to get to the main terminal. After claiming our baggage and rental car, we were on our way down the Greenway (Rt. 417)! The rental was a stripped down Neon. I didn't know they even _made_ mono radios with a single front speaker anymore!

I love driving to WDW since they built the Greenway. I don't mind paying the $2.50 in tolls to just cruise down an empty highway right to that Magic archway (after just passing the Mickey power pylon) that signifies that you've arrived at the happiest place on earth! I whooped for joy as we passed under it and followed signs to the MK Resorts.

Check in at WL was smooth. Our room was ready, and my requests (non-smoking, facing MK) were both met. I inquired about E-Ride night and we were given a brochure. The Millennium Package gift that was a part of our "package" turned out to be a shoelace style lanyard. I stuck some DS pins on the plastic cardholder part for trading. We didn't bother unpacking; we just made sure the room was in order and we were off to the WL dock.

A boat came quickly and we were soon happily sailing (ok, motoring? ) across Bay Lake to MK. We stopped at Guest Relations to buy Annual Passes. After asking for our IDs, the CM handed us two APs. We strolled to the gate and activated them. Only while we were looking at them at lunch did we realize that they had our names on them and I was now Diane and Diane was now Al . Lunch was our first stop. It had been eight hours since breakfast (unless you count the little thing of cereal they served on the plane) and Diane was ravenous. We decided to eat at the Plaza Pavilion, thinking we got an MKC discount there. Guess what? No MKC discount there in 2000. The food was okay, nothing special and the service matched. But what a pretty place!

Since we were almost in Tomorrowland we started our touring there. We headed for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin first. It was a ten minute wait and we had a blast (pun intended). I didn't write down our scores, but they were nothing to write home about. We crossed the road to an old favorite: the TTA (Peoplemover). I always enjoy buzzing around TL but this ride was special. The lights were on in Space Mountain!

Next was the oldie but goodie-- COP. After reading the rumors about Disney wanting to replace COP, I was gladdened to see that there was actually a wait to get on! Other guests wanted to see this attraction! For the first time since the "new" Tomorrowland opened, I actually got to see the whole pre-show video (about 8 minutes ?). After singing along with "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," we stopped at Space for a Fastpass. It was for an hour later and Diane wanted to go on the Indy Speedway. Since I drive everyday, their not high on my list, but hey, one must compromise... This would prove to be our longest wait-- 20 minutes.

We strolled into Fantasyland and checked out the new Pooh ride where we discovered that you can only have one FastPass at a time . Undaunted we visited Never Never Land with Peter Pan on his Flight (10 minute wait). Diane wanted to visit the singing dolls next so we headed to IASW which was a walk on. During the ride, Diane whispered to me: "Don't they ever repaint this ride or anything." I explained to her that they do periodic rehabs and agreed that this ride was overdue. Paint was faded and costumes needed help. Nothing drastic, but to the WDW veteran, definitely noticeable.

Our SM FP time had come, so it was back to Tomorrowland. Diane doesn't do coasters (I don't do many) so she rested while I rode. There was no wait now (it was listed at 45 minutes when we got the FP) in either line, but I used the FP lane anyhow. I chose the right side and blasted off on one of my favorite thrill rides. After picking up Diane, we headed to Fantasyland once more and grabbed FPs for Pooh. Diane's shopping urges were calling and we started visiting shops. I noticed that there was no wait and I mean _no_ wait for Snow White's Scary Adventures so we hopped on a Grumpy car and watched out for that mean scary witch! This and Peter Pan are such classics. I do enjoy SWSA more though since they added more of Snow White, and I love those dwarves. More shopping: Diane bought a very cool denim millennium jacket with some help from an excellent CM at Sir Mickey's. It was our appointed time for our Pooh FPs. The line with FP was still about 10 minutes, which sure beat the hour plus wait in the standby line. Ok, flame me, but I like this ride. I considered it a delight! It was short, but fun and I loved bouncing with Tigger, heffalumps and woozles (which I thought was a brilliant re-creation of the movie) and swaying down the river. Toad fans, I'm sorry you lost Toad, but I'm glad we got Pooh. We walked through Frontierland into Adventureland with the intention of going on POC, but found the doors closed and a tired CM telling everyone it was out of order. It was almost time for our PS at California Grill anyway, so we headed down Main Street and into the Monorail station. A few minutes later we were traveling that highway in the sky and we got off at the Contemporary. I love the WL, but it's my dream to stay here some day. Ever since I was 16 and we took our first family trip to WDW I've wanted to stay here and some day I will!

California Grill:

This was our second time here and it was the culinary highlight of our trip last time. We checked in and were seated right away despite being almost 20 minutes early. I asked for a window seat, but they were all taken and we were given a table one back from the window, overlooking the MK. We both ordered cocktails, but the sever soon came back to inform Diane that they didn't have the ingridents to make her a Bellini. I sipped my Margarita and wondered what happened to the ice water I had ordered (I'm a two fisted drinker! ). We placed our orders. I went for the sushi appetizer and the pork tenderloin and Diane went for the Tamarind Barbecue Beef Filet. My sushi soon came out and was delicious. Small pieces, but excellent. I finished and the fireworks began. They dimmed the lights, but the music was absent until the very end. Beautiful view. Now came the wait. We sat there, watching our waiter ignore us (my water needed refreshing) as he fawned over the people who ordered wine (that'll teach us to not drink wine!). Finally, easily 40 minutes later he stopped by and asked me if he had brought me my sushi yet!! I should have lied and gotten another sushi platter out of him, but I didn't. I was suddenly very, very tired. Finally our dinners came out. Diane loved hers. I was disappointed in the tenderloin. I didn't find it to anymore special than the tenderloin I'd cook on our backyard bbq. I also discovered I'm not a fan of polenta and the balsamic smothered cremini mushrooms tasted way too sweet to me. So on to dessert! The waiter was trying to sell us on a Double Lemon Meringue Pie Soufflé, but Diane's a chocolate freak. She ordered the Chocolate Quake which she loved. I tried the Laura Chenel's Chevre Cheesecake with blood oranges. Guess what? I learned I don't like blood oranges at all. They taste suspiciously like grapefruit to me which I despise. The cheesecake itself was nice, but blood oranges: yuccchhh. After watching the server kiss butt with wine lovers some more, we finally got a check. I paid cash because I didn't want to wait another half hour for him to claim the check and bring me back my credit card.

Exhausted (after getting up at 3:30 AM), we went to the Contemporary's boat dock and awaited a launch back to WL. It was now freezing, and I was in short sleeves and without a jacket or sweatshirt (stupid Al you know better!). Shivering, Diane let me break her brand new millennium jacket. We hopped the first launch even though it was going to Fort Wilderness first. Despite the dinner snafus and the chill, I was just so happy to be in WDW in a boat with a fake smokestack crossing Bay Lake. We soon saw the twinkling lights of the Wilderness Lodge. After settling in our room we went down to Roaring Forks and filled our mugs (which we brought back from our last trip). It had been a good ay and I couldn't believe that this morning we had been in New Jersey. Disney magic was working already. Sleep soon overtook us.

Day Two, Sat. 1/8

I awoke about 8:30 AM and found Diane gone. But I knew she was! She's a big Jacuzzi fan and a morning person, so usually on vacation she gets up early and visits the Jacuzzi while I'm still in slumberland. Usually by the time I shower, she's back and it's time for breakfast. So by 9:00 AM we were at Roaring Forks. I had a breakfast pizza (good, but would be better without sauce). Diane had a breakfast platter (scrambled eggs, hash browns & bacon). We both used our refillable mugs. I wish they had better coffee, but since the mug paid for itself on the last trip, I can't complain, it's free! The new dining area at Roaring Forks (which was the arcade) looks terrible! They just took out the machines and put in tables. There's no theming, no pictures, just white walls and carpet that's patched with duck tape. This must of been our trip for this, because I commented to Diane how bad it looked and on Monday they closed it for rehab!

Epcot:

We took a bus to TTC and the monorail to Epcot. I know this is longer, but I like arriving at Epcot from the monorail. It was about 10:30 when we arrived and we went right to the pin station. I bought a few pins and Diane suggested I get a "real" lanyard since the "gift" lanyard didn't hold pins well. So I did. We walked to TT and got a FastPass. The ride was down and the FP was for 3:30!

It was now 11:00 so we headed to WS via the path by the closed Odyssey restaurant, stopping to admire the plantings and enjoy the view. Mexico was our first county. We headed right for the boat ride which actually had a line. It turned out to be because they had just fired the ride up and were cycling it through with empty boats. A few minutes later we were on our journey. I really like the dancing skeleton guys and the fiber optic fireworks. Afterwards, Diane checked out the merchandise, while I kept an eye for Paragon (didn't see her :-( ). I admired the tequilas and wish they sold small bottles so I could sample the exotic ones (I don't drink much, but I love good tequila). A quick stroll through the art exhibit and we were on to Norway.

The line for Maelstrom was nonexistent. We stopped to chat with a very friendly CM who told me some of the ins and outs of pin trading and told me about some of the rare ones to watch for. Maelstrom was fun, but I thought the drop used to be more exciting. We browsed through the shops and I bought some candy to nibble on.

Next we visited the gardens in China and the big store. Since we moved to a house I've become much more interested (and appreciative) of gardens and landscaping. These gardens are gorgeous and very relaxing. I bought some carved chopsticks from a cart. After which I watched the model trains Germany while Diane visited a rest room. I love what they do with that train layout! There was a Mickey shape cut into a farmer's "field". In another field, the farmer's truck is broken down and he's working on it. And the 7 dwarves mine is there! It was getting close to our PS time of 1:00 at Le Cellier so we started the trek to the other side of WS.

We were seated immediately upon arrival. I love those candle light fixtures! Of course I had to start with their delicious cheese soup. Diane ordered her favorite, a blu cheese burger. For an entree I ordered the grilled ceasers salad with steak. I tried a Canadian green apple cider (hard). As usual, the food was great. I wish I had some of that pretzel bread right now! One of my favorite meals of the trip. But alas, they don't offer the MKC discount anymore :-( After a walk around the pavilion, we visited Canada's shops. I found some "Anne of Green Gables" merchandise and bought a bookmark and a pen for my niece Ali. She's has read the series some many times she's worn out the books!

From Canada we headed to MilVil. We were underwhelmed by this pavilion. The building itself looks tacky and cheap. We didn't find the attractions to be of much interest. Sweden was okay, mini golf in Scotland was of no appeal. Our big question about the Israel ride was: why? Why is there a motion base here? The film would have been fine without it. Neither of us felt it added anything to the movie. Some of the moves seem gratuitous; they had nothing to do with what was on the screen. It also seemed slightly out of sync. I generally like simulator attractions, but this one made me a little nauseous. Diane shopped a little and we left. In our opinion, the rest rooms were the nicest attraction in MilVil!

We returned to Future World for out TT FastPass time. Even with the FP, it took 20 minutes to reach the briefing rooms. Stand by time was an 90 minutes. I really like this ride! My only complaint is that it's very difficult to buckle the seat belt. It's also a little nerve-wracking that they take your car out of the loading area before you can get the darn thing bucked. Of course there's another area just past there where you can get it bucked (just before the CM checks them), but you don't know that when you pull away. Anyway, I had a great time, but Diane isn't so sure about this one. The photo showed Diane clinging on for dear life and me with an ear-to-ear grin! She wouldn't let me buy it!

After TT, we did one of Diane's favorites, The Universe of Sleep-- I mean-- Energy. I think this ride is just too long. IMHO, a straight documentary approach would be more interesting than Ellen, but I know others (including Diane) who think she's the best part. I could especially do without the section where you sit in the room with the "radio station" counting down the eras. I'm not known for sleeping in public places, but I was fighting to stay awake during that scene.

Our next stop was the MK for MSEP. So we headed to the exit and the monorail.

MK/MSEP:

The parade route was already packed. I'm a big MSEP fan (I visited DL for the "Farewell Season") and was realized that we should have arrived earlier. The crowds in the parks had been so light so far, so I didn't anticipate this kind of crowd and otherwise would have left Epcot earlier. We walked the parade route down into Frontierland and finally found a spot alongside the rope. I loaded my camera. We crowd watched and enjoyed the Frontierland ambiance and background music (they have some great arrangements of classic country/bluegrass tunes). At long last the lights went down, the announcement played and the Blue Fairy rolled down the street! Yea! I love this parade! Before we knew it, The America float passed, the music played out and the first show was over. We strolled towards the castle for Fantasy in the Sky. Diane wanted to shop in Sir Mickey's again. When she finished, the fireworks were about to begin, so watched them from the back of the castle, sitting on a planter. We could see Tink pretty well, but many of the low rockets were hidden by the building facades. There are no speakers in that area, so it was difficult to hear the music.

Diane was hungry, so we stopped by The Pinocchio Village Haus for a hot dog. They were getting ready to close and finding condiments became a treasure hunt as they had already emptied out and cleaned up all the condiment stations but one. Almost everyone with a tray was wandering about looking for this well hidden area. After she ate, we went back to Frontierland to watch the second running of MSEP. This time something was amiss. No countdown or introductory announcements were played, the lights didn't go out until the Blue Fairy was upon us, and the music didn't switch from the Frontierland background to MSEP until Mickey's Drum made it's appearance. This really robbed the parade of some of it's magic.

After the parade we trudged back down Main Street to the WL/FW launch dock where they were making multiple announcements that this boat was not going to the MK parking lot. The FW and WL runs were combined into one and they were really cramming people into the boats. This would be fine, but some of the boats don't have anything for standees to hold onto. After we departed the boat at WL (despite the "no parking lot" announcements), a very tired looking family asked us in broken English if this was the MK parking lot . I felt sorry for the family as they obviously didn't understand English well. It's funny that they have the announcements in Spanish on the monorail, but everywhere else it's just English.

After stopping at Roaring Forks for my daily cookies and milk (I didn't even have to ask the late night CM for a to-go bag by the second night, he'd just wrap 'em for me). I put in a wake up call for (gulp) 5:30 AM so I could watch my sisters in the WDW Marathon the next morning. I also called my friends Sue and Eric who are now locals (and Sue is a CM at MGM) to make plans to get together. I visited our balcony and watched the monorail go by and the distant castle. Even at 11:00 at night this was a pretty view. I hit the sack and passed out.

Day Three, Sun. 1/9

I awoke before the wake up call and seriously debated with myself if getting up this early could possibly be worth it. I love my sisters, but would they even see me at the viewing area? The phone rang. It was Mickey! He told me it was time to "get up and at 'em. Corny as it may sound, this gave me the impetuous to get my behind out of bed. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my mug and headed to Roaring Forks which had open at 3:00 AM for Marathoners. After filling my mug with coffee, I walked to the bus stop to await a bus to the viewing area at the Contemporary.

There was no sign of any bus. When I had called the Front Desk yesterday and asked about transportation for Marathon Spectators, I was informed that there would be continual bus service all morning. That didn't seem right to me, so I asked the woman if she was sure. She assured me that this was indeed the case, I had nothing to worry about. Well now at 6:15 AM with the Contemporary viewing area window beginning at 6:45, I was worried. I asked the sole other person at the bus stop if she was also waiting for a bus to the Contemporary viewing area. She told she was and basically had been given the same story that I had. I grabbed the house phone and called the Front Desk. "No sir, there's no buses to the Contemporary viewing area. Who told you that? I'm sorry, sir she was wrong." "Well then how do we get to the Contemporary viewing area then?" I inquired, anger beginning to build. "I suggest a taxi, sir." She replied. Now I was angry. I passed this info on to my fellow viewer. Her husband was running and counting on her for water as well as moral support. We stormed into the lobby where several other irate guests were gathered around the Front Desk with similar complaints. For some reason, the WL management had left letters in our rooms, encouraging people to watch the race and suggesting Contemporary viewing area as the closest, yet had no idea how to get their guests there. The CM behind the desk aplogized and told us that we could watch the race from the road not far from the Lodge. He told us to cut through Cast parking and how to walk to this area. Off we went.

It turned about to be a perfect viewing area. It was right at the bend of World Drive and gave us a great view. There were a handful of us gathered there. The first few runners (in wheelchairs) came by. We all cheered and clapped. The next group came by and we did the same. Soon runners came by so thick I found myself continually clapping and cheering, only stopping for sips of coffee. It was great fun! The clapping and cheering energized many of the runners and I received lots of "high fives" and smiles from strangers. Suddenly I heard a cry of "Hey Alan!" and here came my sisters, Kim and Jodi along with their friend Sue (not to be confused with my friend Sue K.)! A quick high five and I remembered my camera around my neck and snapped off a few pictures! Now I was energized.

I asked one of the security guys if the Half Marathon Finish Line was within walking distance. He told me it was, and pointed to the MK parking lot. Off I trudged. It felt weird to be walking along a road which normally I had only seen from behind the wheel or through the window of a bus. As I walked through the parking lot, I began to wonder-- how will I know if I beat my sisters there or if they preceded me and were back at their resort already? I knew my brother-in-law, Paul, who is very devoted to Jodi would be there. I'll just have to find Paul I thought. It also seemed a good bet that Kim's friend Jen would be there. Then I remembered that I had Paul's cell phone number in my pocket. I pulled out my own phone and tried calling Paul to no avail. I wandered around the grandstand and the parking lot looking for them. I finally gave up and started walking back to WL when I saw Paul and Jen walking towards me. They assured me that girls hadn't crossed the finish line yet and off to the grandstand we went. Moments after we found a place to stand, Jen spotted them. We cheered and yelled and ran off to meet them.

The girls were rightfully pleased with themselves were happy and felt good. Jodi was ready for a park! After the usual embraces, I bought my sisters some race gear as a belated Christmas present. We all walked to the Poly (which was right next to the Half Marathon finish line) where Paul had parked. They offered me a ride, but rather than squeeze into their truck, I hopped a monorail to TTC and a bus back to WL.

I found Diane, showered and ate breakfast. Our plan for the day was Epcot followed by dinner at Narcoosies with my sisters and their friends. Rather than go right to Epcot (where we had a PS for Coral Reef), we decided to visit Downtown Disney to do some MKC shopping, and then hit Epcot. The valet fetched our rental car and gave us directions and a map. Off we went.

The drive to DD was easy, but parking was already getting crowded. We headed towards World of Disney but stopped at a jewelry cart outside Studio M. There Diane found the palm tree charm she had been searching for. We had to pay in Studio M where I found the WDW Forever kiosks. Diane left me there while I created my CD and fetched her charm. I turned in my slip and happily discovered they accepted the MKC card there. While my CD was being burned, we headed to WoD. I found a nice clock that could be etched for my friends, Sue and Eric and a book about the making of AK. Diane found some clothing. We dropped the clock off to be personalized (very nice CM) and picked up my CD. The CM at Studio M noticed my pins and after offering to trade, asked me if I had picked up the new E-Ticket pin at WOD. I confessed I knew nothing about it. She explained that they were limited editions and that "It's A Small World," limited to 1000 had just been released this morning and was still available at WoD. We hurried back to WoD which has a huge rack of pins. I asked a CM who was filling in the rack about it and she pointed it out to me as well as some other E-Tickets which were larger printings. I bought two Small Worlds (one for me and one for Sue K.), a POC pin and a HM E Tix. I brought them to the register and handed the CM my MKC card expecting her to tell me that pins were excluded like they do at DS. But she gave me my discount! It was getting late for our PS at Coral Reef, so I picked up the clock (it came out great!) and headed to Epcot.

There was only one lane open at the parking lot toll booth at Epcot, making for slow going. Having our WL parking permit on the windshield (also helps you find your rental car ), we were waved right through. We parked pretty close and went straight to the Living Seas. It was about 1:45 now, (the PS was for 1:00 PM), but they seated us almost right away, in the first tier next to the tank. We had a very upbeat, attentive sever. I had the enchiladas and Diane had a steak (sense a pattern here?). Both were very good, but it's the tank that's the star here! We used our AP free dessert benefit and I had the Millennium Dessert (hollow chocolate Spaceship Earth ball filled with mint creme and chocolate chips) and Diane had warm chocolate cake. They were both excellent. We enjoyed lunch and would return again.

Our next stop was the Land. We rode "Living with the Land" with no wait. The guide was much more enthusiastic than the one we had last year. Diane and I both enjoy this attraction, but I miss the old song. We walked to the new Imagination ride, trying to keep an open mind since this was an old favorite for the both of us. Boy were we disappointed. We walked off the ride wondering what the point was and why they had scrapped a perfectly good ride for this. First they insult you (you have no imagination. Me have no imagination?! Them's fightin' words!!) Then they ride you through darkness, loud sounds and a few special effects. We skipped Imageworks (we were so depressed we just wanted out) and made our way out through the gift shop. None of the guests around us seemed to be impressed with this incarnation.

We crossed over to the East Side of FW and visited the new MouseGears shop. It's huge! Some nice stuff, but we didn't buy anything. I wanted to go on Test Track again and Diane wanted to go to WS, so we split up. This pleased Diane immensely as she likes to do stuff by herself. I'm from a big family (6 brothers & sisters) and am used to always being with lots of people and I typically don't like to do anything alone. This has changed as I 've grown older and now I don't mind it, and sometimes I actually like to be alone. So off I went to the TT singles line. I asked the CM where it was and he told there was no (singles) line, just walk right in the door over there. I walked in and was immediately directed into Briefing Room One. About five other people joined me. After the briefing, we walked out to the loading area where I was directed to fill in the front seat of a car immediately! I was with a group of early teens. They turned out to be a lot of fun! The hooted and screamed and laughed and had the time of their lives which really added to my enjoyment of the ride! I was almost tempted to buy the picture of me with strangers!

I was supposed to meet Diane in about 40 minutes in France, so I headed to WS. The sign for Maelstrom said "0" minutes wait, so I stopped there again. However once I got inside, I saw there was really a queue. I figured there must have been a problem and the line would start to move fast in a moment. Wrong! There was only one hostess working the load who seemed overwhelmed and it took a good 15 minutes. I skipped the movie knowing I'd now be late to meet Diane so I hurried along. I rounded the bend by America and who do I see walking in front of me but, Diane! So we join up and decide to see American Adventure.

They had the lobby of AA closed for a private group so we didn't get to see Voices of Liberty. Instead they had us enter through the exit which had been roped off into two lanes. I know some people consider this attraction a snooze fest, but I really love it. There's some great music (I especially like the song about the two brothers during the Civil War segment), amazing audio-animatronics and I always feel good when I exit. It made me wonder if an attraction like this could ever be built under the current Disney management.

Tapestry of Nations was about to begin when we emerged from AA, so we grabbed a spot and watched. This parade is awesome. It's beautiful, moving and great fun all at the same time. The interaction with the performers is really cool. We had several puppets come play with us! The music is great (but repetitive) and the drummers were amazing to watch. I thought we'd get back to Epcot another night to watch the parade again and take pictures this time, but it never happened. (Not to worry we'll be back in September or October)

We headed towards the park exit as we had 8:10 PM PS at Narcoosies with my sisters, et al. Since I had no idea how long it would take to exit, grab the car, drive to GF and find Narcoosies, I figured we'd better leaveplenty of time. We were there by 7:50, but no one else from our party was there yet. The hostess was snippy when I inquired. About 8:15 my sisters joined us. They had been wandering around the GF lobby, not knowing Narcoosies was on the dock. Jodi checked in and was also given attitude by the hostess. Her and Kim both work in the food service industry and were shocked at her snotty attitude.

Our party consisted of 8. Five of our party ordered two bottles of wine while Diane and I ordered soft drinks. Once again we were subject to the non-wine drinkers deserve to be ignored treatment. While our server and an assistant fawned over the wine drinkers, Diane, Sue (who ordered a cocktail) and myself were ignored. The server didn't even pay enough attention to me to get my dinner order right! I ordered the paella, and she insisted I ordered the shrimp pasta. Hmm- don't even sound alike, and don't tell me I ordered the wrong thing! However, the paella was very good, overflowing with lobster, huge shrimp and other seafood. Diane ordered the fillet mignon. Everyone enjoyed their meal and as an extra bonus we got to see the Electrical Water Pageant right from our table! None of the desserts excited Diane and I so we passed. It was a great group and so much fun to see everyone. However, the snootiness of the waitress and the hostess made Diane change her mind about wanting to stay at the GF. She'd been coveting a stay there, but after this experience she decided the WL is just fine by her.

We retrieved our car from the valets and made our way back to WL where we turned the car back over to those valets. I love this free valet parking. It really makes for a nice end of the night when you're exhausted and you don't have to look for a parking space, don't have to remember where you parked or even what the damn rental car looks like.

After going to our room to retrieve Diane's mug, we stopped at Roaring Forks. I got my usual big cookie and two milks. They rape you on milk! 95 cents for a half pint! I pay $2.79 for a gallon! Oh well, I'm on vacation... I step out on our balcony and watch the castle change color... I love this place!

Day Four, Mon. 1/10

We decided to treat our selves to a nicer breakfast this morning and visited the Whispering Canyon Cafe. It turned out to quite disappointing, especially for the money. Diane ordered the pecan french toast-- and spent time searching for the pecans. There weren't many to speak of. She rated it as only "okay." I went for the "Grizzly, eggs any style, potatoes, sausage, bacon & biscuit. It came swimming in grease. The potatoes weren't very good, the one link sausage (I thought they always came in at least a pair) was tasty, but greasy. Eggs were fine, and I've had better biscuits at fast food joints. The coffee was good however, the best I had in WDW on this trip. At close to $20 with tax and tip, this was not worth it. I could get twice the breakfast and half the grease in Jersey diner at half the cost.

Next we took the bus to MGM. We had the clock for Sue & Eric and other presents we were shelping with us for our dinner later, so we rented a large locker at Oscar's. We strolled down Hollywood to Sunset Blvd. and got a FastPass for ToT. There wasn't much of a wait, but we weren't ready for the Tower after that big breakfast! We walked to GMR where there was no wait. The CM in the queue was controlling whether you ended up in the right of left maze ("cowboy" or "gangster" ) and we got cowboy. The fire effect is nice, but we like the gangster sequence better. We like this ride, but it needs updating. BTW what happened to the Alien in the ceiling? It didn't come down as far as I could tell in either of our two rides. Someone mentioned here (RADP) not too long ago about the Sorcerer's Apprentice section being thrown in at the last minute to replace something else. Boy is this obvious!

We headed through the studio gate to the new animation tour. It's not bad and I'm glad they kept Robin and Walter but they really march you through the area where you see the animators at work so you really can't see anything. I missed being able to really watch them and check out what was on the walls, their desks, etc.

It was time for our FP for ToT, so back down Sunset we went. There was no need for a FastPass, literally there was no one in line. We walked right into the Library, only pausing to take a photo of the lobby. I liked the new drop profile, Diane wasn't as crazy about it. Serious air time! We shopped a little on the way out. I bought a Twilight Zone eye earring. Looked at the pins, but at $6.00 or more apiece, they add up fast.

We browsed the shops on Sunset and made our way to the Hollywood Brown Derby for 1:00 PS. We were seated right away, on the far raised side, overlooking the piano player. Diane had (you guessed it!) a steak which she enjoyed. I had the Cobb Salad with shrimp, which I thought was delicious. I wasn't that hungry and it was perfect: not too little or too filling. The atmosphere is wonderful as was the service. Last time we ate here, Streetmosphere players interacted with you, but none did this time. Diane really missed that.

Next stop was the Backlot Tour. Nothing has changed here. It's getting kind of stale since there's apparently no real production going on here for them to show off. The costume shop and scene shop had no activity in them at all. It's amazing that Catastrophe Canyon recently had a rehab, you could never tell! We looked around the exhibits in the AFI Gallery. I took a picture of Kermit from Muppet Christmas Carol for my buddy who's a big Muppet fan. Diane bought a mug in the gift shop and asked to have it sent back to our room. The CM didn't have a clue how to do it and we hoped it would make it to WL before we checked out. We continued on to Muppetvision 3-D. I love this show! We ended up in the front though, and the 3-D effects are not as good this close.

We headed for the 2:45 show of Bear in the Big Blue House. This is indeed a cute show (as reported by RADPers) and you don't have to have seen the TV show to enjoy it. But they really need seats in this theatre! Sitting on the floor for a half hour causes my legs (and I'm sure other people's) to go numb.

It was now Diane's turn to choose and she chose...shopping! Actually I made the first buy. I had been looking a hooded, pullover sweatshirt and I finally found one. It features all the parks and Mickey and came in my favorite color: green. As we made our way down Hollywood Boulevard, the sun started to be seen less and less and a big black cloud was coming to visit. It started to rain soon after I picked up our stuff from the locker and we walked towards the boat dock.

The rain became harder as our boat pulled away from the dock. It was raining pretty hard by the time we got to the Boardwalk to switch boats for an Epcot launch. I figured I'd by a poncho as soon as we got to Epcot, but the rain stopped as we approached International Gateway. We turned left and headed to Japan to meet Sue and Eric on top of the long, steep staircase outside the Matsu No Ma Lounge. ToN was about to begin and we wondered if this would hamper Sue and Eric from meeting us on time. We started to watch the parade and I felt a tap on my shoulder. They were here! Sue and I have worked together in technical theatre for about 14 years and Eric is her husband of about a year. They moved to Orlando last year and Sue is a CM at MGM. After the hellos we went into Tempurakiku and put our name on the list. Eric was really hungry and needs to eat regularly so we sat down at a window seat in the Matsu No Ma Lounge and ordered drinks and appetizers. We exchanged Christmas presents. They gave us an assortment of tee shirts from the Hard Rock and Planet Hollywood and Diane a Villains bag. Cool stuff! We gave them the clock, the pin and I gave Sue the latest crew shirt I designed for my theatre.

Our table (counter space ) was ready at Tempurakiku. Eric and I each ordered a Sushi Deluxe and an extra roll. The women both ordered tempura. The sushi was good, but not awe inspiring (California Grill's is better, but more expensive). Sue and Diane rated their tempura a good, but not great. The service was hampered by a severe lack of English of the half of our server. If I were to go here again, I'd probably just go to the Matsu No Ma Lounge where they serve the same sushi and you have a great view of the World Showcase Lagoon.

Sue and Eric couldn't stay late as they both needed to get up early for work the next day (work! I had forgotten about that). Sue wanted to see if her friend was stage managing at the MilVil stage, so we stopped by there. No shows were scheduled, so he wasn't working. We talked and strolled around WS looking for a viewing spot for Illuminations 2000. We ended up on the Future World side, right before the gift shop closest to Canada. After hugs all around, Sue and Eric left. Illuminations 2000 started right on time. We enjoyed it quite a bit. Some of the images on the globe are unclear and there's some long passages with too much reliance on the globe. There's hardly any lasers, but I still like this show a lot better than Illuminations 25.

The good thing about watching from FW was we were very close to the exit. We beat the post Illuminations crowd and walked right onto a waiting WL bus. There was no one else on the bus! We teased the driver about our "private limo" as we rode back to "home." Soon we were enjoying the ambiance of the WL lobby and then on to Roaring Forks and our room. Once again I stood out on our balcony watching the colors change on the castle. What a way to end a day!

Day Five, Tues., 1/11

We decided to eat our breakfast (from Roaring Forks) outside today. It's an extraordinarily beautiful morning. So far our weather has been good this trip. The first few mornings were foggy and cloudy, but by the time we hit the parks it would burn off. But today it was gorgeous, bright blue skies and sunshine! The dining area in Roaring Forks is mobbed now that they closed the former arcade seating area for a much needed rehab. So it's nice to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

The AK bus came quickly and we were soon exploring the Oasis. What a beautiful place! I had studied the park map for AK both online and in the guide books so I wouldn't get lost like I did last time. Now we would put it to the test! We went straight to KjS for a FastPass. As I was about to put my pass in the machine a CM said don't bother, it's a walk on. So we walked through the empty queue and right onto the next truck. Like most RADPers, I love this attraction, but I could really do without the "big red" thing. The guide was good, but really gave away the whole bridge bit and all. We saw most of the animals, but no lions.

Next we headed to Asia, new to us since our last visit. Kali Rapids was a walk on. We were enjoying the queue theming and literally let people pass in front of us. It's too bad the theming isn't better on the ride itself. We lucked out in terms of getting soaked. The poor girl (teen) in front of us took the brunt of it. I hardly got wet at all and Diane took a little water. I loved the giant blow dryers! Now that's a Disney touch!

We strolled the Maharajah Jungle Trek, enjoying the wonderful theming here, too. It's just amazing how close you appear to be to the tigers! The guides we encountered were great too! Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Diane shopped at the carts along the road out of Asia and we headed to Safari Village for nachos that Diane had spotted earlier. There was a 20% discount at Tuskers House after 4:00 with our APs, so we figured on a late lunch/early dinner there before e-ride night. While Diane was munching, I heard music and saw the frog critters from Artimals come out and do a short show. Too bad they don't do that parade anymore. :(

While we were in the area, we figured we'd check out ITTBAB. Another great queue area, with no one in it! The Tree of Life is just spectacular. Description and photos don't do it justice, you just have to see it. And the same with the area around the tree, with it's waterfalls and critters. Just a great environment! The show was fun. but Diane couldn't handle it and had to leave. That sting effect is great!

CTX was next on our agenda. There was a long stand-by line 45 minutes, so we grabbed a FastPass and did some shopping. I must say at this point we ran into some many wonderful CMs in this park. I heard that many of the best CMs from the other parks were transferred to AK for it's opening. It appears that many stayed. I also had the most guest contact with pin trading here. Up to this point, I had only had CMs offering to trade. In AK I ran into several friendly, pin trading guests (they all wanted my ITASW E Tix pin). I bought a cool Hambre hat. I don't remember what Diane bought.

Our FastPass time was now, so we headed back into DinoLand. I love the theming of Restaurantosaurus, but I hate McDs. We walked pass the long line with our FP and right into a briefing room. An enjoyable ride, but Indy in DL is better. Next we headed for Tarzan Rocks, which we both hated. The lead singer was obnoxious and not very good. The band was okay, rollerblading does nothing for me and it was way too LOUD! Thank God I always carry ear plugs. The acrobatic stunts were good, but we renamed this show Tarzan Sucks.

Our next stop was Festival of the Lion King which we considered excellent, right up there with HOND (which is our favorite). I though the set looked familiar and asked one of the CMs after the show if they were recycled from the Lion King parade. She told me that indeed they were. It was time for dinner and we headed to Africa to Tusker's House.

I consider this to be amongst the best fast food in Disney (or anywhere). Diane got the fried chicken and carrot cake. I had the roasted chicken. Both were very good. The chicken was tasty and plentiful, the garlic mashed potatoes yummy, and the string beans were either fresh or the best frozen ones I've encountered. A very good value and 20% off with our APs!

Stuffed, we meandered out of AK to catch a bus to MK. The bus took us to TTC and we decided on the ferry to MK. Halfway across Seven Seas Lagoon, Fantasy in the Sky started. It was neat to watch them from the water getting closer and closer. I still hadn't seen this show with the music and that was fast becoming a goal. We traded in our E-Tix for armbands (how come the E-Tix are printed on hard plastic stock and the APs are flimsy cardboard?) besides City Hall. Rather than make our way against the crowd streaming down Main St., we decided to hop on the train. The park was still officially open and I figured we'd get off at Frontierland. But the train had a technical diffcculty and didn't manage to pull out of the station until 7:00 PM, exactly park closing (was this on purpose Zazu?). At that point we decided to ride to Toontown and see what the Indian Village and such looked like at night. Much of it wasn't lit or wasn't working, so, so much for that idea. We walked through a closed Toontown to a closed Fantasyland towards Splash Mt. We figured we'd get wet while it was the warmest out. There was no wait whatsoever. We sat in the back (had our choice). Sheer genius this ride! We got a little wet and I went on BTMR to dry out. This was my longest wait of the evening. It appeared that only one train was running, so it took about 10 minutes. I think I like this better at night! I rejoined Diane and we went to Peco Bills for hot chocolate. It was getting nippy!

We sipped our hot chocolate strolling through Frontierland to the Country Bear Jamboree. It seems weird that this is open for E-Ride Night, but Pooh isn't. Don't get me wrong-- I love CBJ. My Mom used to always tease me that I sang like Big Al (I do ) and that was my nickname in high school. It was fun as usual, but in need of a rehab.

The Haunted Mansion is really creepy on a deserted E night! A young couple was ahead of us and they impatiently knocked and tugged at the closed doors. A very in character CM came out shortly and scared them to laughs! He was great! I can't remember any of his lines (take notes Al!), but he had his own take on the script which was hysterical. This guy really added to the HM experience. Is it me, or did they change the lighting in HM to almost all UV? I seem to remember more just low light levels and more color, not just UV glowing color. You also only got a very short bit of Grim Grinning Ghosts. I thought you heard more of it before (melody playing before and after in the Doom Buggy speakers). A great ride, nonetheless.

We started to cut back through Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, but the way was blocked and a CM directed us towards the hub. There were characters out along the hub and I had my picture taken with Pluto (for my dog ) and Donald. We walked right to Space Mountain so I could get my fix. It was once again a walk on. Next we went on Buzz, where Diane's gun refused to work. I thought about trying Astro Orbiter which I've never done, but that actually had a line, and I didn't want to keep Diane waiting. We decided to do Timekeeper (a great job by Robin Williams!) and that brought us to park closing. They have this timed perfectly. In our allotted three hours of E-Ride, we went on everything expect AE and Astro Orbiter and it took the whole three hours. Folks who get multiple rides on everything during E-ride must run from attraction to attraction! It was very weird to walk down a closed Main St.! The boats weren't running, so we took the monorail back to TTC and a waiting bus back to WL.

After the usual stop at Roaring Forks, we headed to our room. Another long, full day at WDW had passed, bringing us (sob) to almost the end of our vacation. I called my friend Sue to make plans for tomorrow. She told us that Eric had caught the flu, so they couldn't join us for our Artists Point ressie the next night. But she was off and would meet us in one of the parks. We chose MK and a meeting time of 3:00 PM.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my TR. Comments welcome.

Day Six, Weds., 1/12

We awoke with the realization that this was our last night at the world! The time was going by sooo fast! As it had been too chilly to for us to swim at night , we had decided to spend the morning at the pool. So after breakfast at Roaring Forks, we changed into our bathing suits and headed out for the pool. Diane camped out in the Jacuzzi while I visited between the pool and the Jacuzzi. Diane is a big Jacuzzi fan and had spent early mornings there while I slumbered. The pool area is incredibly beautiful, and it was turning out to be one of the warmest days of our stay. I discovered that the pool has a water slide. It was really cool, not real long, but enough of a thrill for me. The first time I went on it though, I almost took out a young (2 years old maybe) girl. Her grandfather was stupid enough to playing with her on the bottom of the slide (despite the warnings telling you to keep clear of this area). I came barreling down the slide (it's fast) and as I rounded the curve, saw them. I yelled and in a nick of time he pulled her off the slide and out of the way. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the moron put her right back on the slide!

Diane had enough water and went back to the room. I visited the beautiful beach and actually got a little color. It appears that one of the Davey Crockett canoes is now moored at the boat rental dock. I could have spent hours here, but Diane wanted to go back to MK before our 3:00 meeting with Sue.

After perusing the pin cart on Main Street, we decided to take the trolley ride. This was something that neither of us had ever done, despite our many trips both as individuals and as a couple. I must say it was fun. It was neat to see main Street from a different perspective and watch the castle draw closer. The driver was nice and we chatted about pin collecting. We walked through the castle admiring the mosaic. Diane wanted to stop in the castle gift shop. I almost bought a couple of items here, but the lines at the register were way too long, so we moved on. We strolled though Fantasyland towards Liberty Square. I wanted to ride the Liberty Belle, but she was just pulling out, so we continued our stroll. We visited the shops in Frontierland and I bought some Tabasco Jelly Bellies (just had to try them!). They turned out to be yummy, more a spicy cinnamon than a peppery hot. It was now lunchtime so we stopped at the new Pecos Bill. We both got burger and fry combos. The fixings bar here is awesome! In addition to the usual pickles and onions, they have fresh sautéed onions and mushrooms which two chefs behind the fixing's bar are constantly cooking. They also had cheese sauce(which most places charge you a buck extra for). I really don't know why people put down Disney fast food. I always find it to be tasty, and with the exception of beverages, fairly priced.

Next on the agenda was POC which was closed (broken down) on our last visit to MK. It was a walk on, and I mean right onto a boat, no line at all. I dearly love this ride and hope they keep it for a long, long time. When we exited, it was time to meet Sue on Main Street, in front of the Gallery. We did some shopping with her at the Gallery and I ordered a custom Pooh drawing for my nieces from the animator doing drawings there. I knew Sue didn't want to do any attractions, so we grabbed a table outside the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Sue and I sipped sodas while Diane went for an ice-cream. That line is long even when the park is slow! Sue entertained us with tales of being a CM and I filled her in on the news from my theatre and our mutual friends. The afternoon passed quickly and soon it was time to pick up our drawing and for Sue to go take care of the ailing Eric (damn flu!). We said our good byes and made plans to meet briefly tomorrow at Epcot. I crammed the picture tube into my knapsack (Diane always makes fun at how big it is) and we ventured back into the park. I wanted another run on Pooh, so walked to Fantasyland. Pooh was only a ten minute wait, the shortest I had seen it yet! I enjoyed this ride as much the second time as I did the first and snapped off a few pictures. We browsed the gift shop on the way out, looking for a gift for our nephew Christopher who is about six months old. Diane spotted a wonderful Tigger cap with Tigger ears sticking up on it. We purchased it and headed back to Main Street where I picked up some nice liquid/glitter filled cups for my "adopted nieces" (friend's kids) at the Emporium (which was it's usual madhouse). I haven't been to WDW during peak season since I was a kid, and I can only imagine how crazy this store must get then, when it's this bad during the slow season!

We took the next boat back to the WL and got ready for our 8:00 PM PS at Artist's Point. We went down early, checked in at AP and got our beeper. From there we headed to the lobby to rock in front of the fireplace and soak in the wonderful ambiance. This lobby is just so special, truly one of the seven wonders of the Disney World . Our pager soon went off and we were seated overlooking Silver Creek Falls.

Our server was excellent and I started off the night with a very potent margarita while Diane stuck to soft drinks. This is a very nice room, airy and simple, but pretty and elegant. The bread and spreads was wonderful! I liked the roasted garlic and spicy peach butter while Diane loved the onion butter. For an appetizer I chose the Forest Mushroom Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms and Thin Porcini Wafer. If you're a mushroom lover like I am, it's to die for. Diane skipped having an appetizer. She ordered the Filbert & Herb Crusted Double Lamp Chops with Eggplant, Plum Tomato and Zucchini Stew. I ordered their signature dish, the Cedar Plank Wild Salmon with Baby Spinach, Spelt Pilaf and Maple Whiskey Glaze. Diane enjoyed her lamb chops, but didn't find the portion sufficient. I thought my salmon was one of the best meals I ever head. The salmon was flavorful, perfectly cooked and juicy. It was a nice size and the pilaf and spinach complimented it perfectly. Now came dessert. Diane went for the Warm, Flourless Chocolate-Almond Cake with Half Whipped Cream and Blood Orange Sauce. My choice was RADP recommended and the house specialty: Berry Cobbler with Cranberry Compote and Berries, Creme Fraiche and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was amazing! The cobbler came out the size of a small dinner plate! It was so big, I wondered if I had ordered a dessert for two! And it was as luscious as it was big. The berries were fresh and firm, their tartness offset by the creme fraiche and the ice cream. The cake underneath was sweet and crumbly (but not dry) and filled with blueberries. I never thought I'd finish it, but it was so good I made quite a dent. Diane, on the other hand, didn't fair so well. Her cake was overcooked, to the point that the outside third was more like a biscuit than a cake. The server didn't charge us for it, but it should have never been allowed out of the kitchen. I thought this was our best meal of the trip, but Diane liked California Grill's food better. (the service here was much, much better than at CG).

We visited the gift shop where I purchased a WL 2000 pin for my collection. I looked over the shirts, planning to replace my now much worn, much faded WL polo, but I decided to wait. We lingered in the lobby a bit, dreading what came next: packing. I must confess that on some vacations, I'm ready to go home by the end and don't mind packing. Not this one. It seemed we had just hit stride, the real world had finally completely faded and nowit was time to go home. There was still so much I wanted to do! We hadn't seen many live shows. I never rode the riverboat or wandered Tom Sawyer's Island or visited the Living Seas. Oh well, at least we had a late flight tomorrow. And with our APs we'd be coming back. So we did it. We packed and prepared to check out in the morning. I watched the distant castle change colors from balcony for the last time this trip and then hit the sack.

Day Seven, Thurs., 1/13 & Conclusion

Ughh. Our last day. The morning dawned bright and beautiful with a forecast for highs around 80. While at home in Jersey, it was snowing. Diane (as usual) was up before me, visiting the Jacuzzi, and informed me that the express check out wasn't on the door. She called the Front Desk while I showered and they told her we needed to stop by. We grabbed our usual breakfast at Roaring Forks and after the caffeine took effect we visited the Front Desk. There we were informed that we had a big credit coming to us and how did we want it? I told them that the credit was a mistake, that CRO had double billed my credit card and I had contested the charges, so just leave it alone. The desk clerk couldn't understand this. She went in the back to check with a manager (this was the same CM we witnessed not being able to answer a guest's question as to whether there was a fee for valet parking). I had little faith in her ability to resolve this problem. We waited and waited. She finally came back, telling us the same thing that she told us at the onset, how do you want your refund? I asked for a manager. One finally came out. We told him the story. He understood, but had to keep us waiting while he pulled up our file on the computer. Finally, he said, just leave it be, and let CRO and AMEX work it out. Fine, that's what I figured. But now I was angry: first the problems with being double billed in the first place, then the major misinformation about Marathon transportation and now wasting this time at the Front Desk. So I told the manager I was angry, that Disney had let me down three times now and that I felt something should be done to make up for this. He asked me what we had in mind and I told him a room upgrade on our next visit. The manager replied that "that would be no problem" and gave me his card, instructing me to call him after we made our next reservations and he would take care of it.

That out of the way, we called Bell Services to bring down our bags. I love this service! I'm used to do it yourself motels. The very nice CM not only brought them down for us, but packed them in the trunk for us! We drove to Epcot. Our first stop was Innoventions West. We never had visited Inoventions before, I doubt we will again. This was so commercial, just a great big advertisement for the participating companies. After experiencing "Medicine's New Vision" (CAT Scans are new?), we walked back out to meet Sue at the front entrance. She brought us some goodies including a posting of Disney openings ( a hint ? they wouldn't hire me anyhow, I have a ponytail, a beard and an earring). After looking around the "Art of Disney" with Sue, we said our good-byes as she had to run errands. We headed into Spaceship Earth. It's a classic, and I enjoy it, but I agree with recent posts about making the ride quieter and adding high fidelity sound.

We walked towards to World Showcase, first stopping at Ice Station Cool for a little refreshment. Our plan was Great Britain for fish and chips for lunch, and then France to watch the movie. The fish and chips were yummy, but I could have used more fish for the money. The movie in France was enjoyable as usual. Diane shopped around the French shops and we strolled back towards the main entrance to fetch the car and visit MGM.

Somehow at MGM we ended up in Cast Member parking. I'm not sure how, as we followed the "Guest Parking" signs but there was no one directing parking. Oh well. We walked past the kennel where I peeked in to see if they had any WDW gifts for dogs. Hey, I missed my dog. I kept me eyes out for cheap beanies for her, but didn't find any. No, they didn't have any doggie gifts. Hey Disney: How about a "My master went to WDW and all I got was this collar" collar?

Mostly Diane wanted to do shopping at MGM. I wanted to do ToT again and Star Tours as well as a repeat of GMR. We headed straight to the AFI gift shop where Diane had seen a shirt she wanted. Next we visited the Singing in the Rain umbrella on NY Street, but it was broken. We watched a female acapella group singing in front of the hotel facade while we sipped beverages. From there we visited what used to be "Ellen's Buy the Book" but is now "The Writer's Shop." I bought Diane a container of the chocolate mint cookie gems that she so loves and asked the CM for some of the MGM stickers she was giving out. Diane bought a big cookie that she said was fantastic. We shopped our way to Star Tours which was a walk on (it was an hour stand-by on Monday). From the moons of Endor we visited the GMR. This time we got the gangster side which we liked better. We had a good guide who was really into it, but the gangster wasn't too convincing. The drop down Alien was still missing. After the ride, we had enough time to go on ToT again, but I was getting my usual pre-flight butterflies (no, I'm not afraid of flying, but I always get pre-trip nerves, even when I drive) so we decided against it. We relaxed a little and continued shopping, this time down Sunset Blvd. We stopped to call our airline to make sure our flight was on time. Last year we didn't and we ended up in the airport for about five hours. Continental told us that our flight was delayed, but that it wasn't weather related (don't worry) and it was only about a half hour behind. So we finished shopping and headed for the airport via the Greenway.

Returning our car to Dollar went fine. We checked in with Continental and were informed that whoever we spoke to was misinformed. Our flight was quite delayed, and it was indeed due to weather. The weather in Newark was clear now, but the equipment had to make it's way from Newark to Orlando. Expected departure was now 10:00 instead of 7:30, maybe 9:30 if we were lucky. Ughh! We could have had dinner at WDW instead of the airport! We grabbed dinner at Burger King and then hunkered down at the gate. I'll give Continental credit. One of my big complaints about delayed flights in the past has been lack of information. This gate attendant kept us very well informed, updating ETAs, telling us where the plane was now and what would happen once it arrived. They also put out a cart with soft drinks and snacks.

We did take off around 10:00 with the flight attendants absolutely badgering people to be seated quickly, as we had a 10:00 PM take off slot that we must make. The flight home was a bit rough and we were surprised to discover that the people behind us who were kicking our seats and our feet turned out to be grown ups! We assumed they were children who didn't know any better, but they turned out to be 20 something adults!

I called my Dad to pick us up as soon as we got to the baggage claim. It was past 12:30, so I felt bad about him having to pick us up, but hey, I've done it for him and will do it for him again. I was glad I had taken Friday as a vacation day and that I wouldn't't have to get up in the morning (but poor Diane did). We thanked Dad & Nancy, hugged the dog and knew we were home.

Conclusion:

It was a wonderful trip. Seven days isn't enough time. We hit almost no lines, but there were still lots of stuff we didn't get to do. There were attractions we missed, we barley saw any shows, we never made it to the afternoon parade, and we barely touched Disney Downtown-- never mind Pleasure Island. I don't regret anything we did, or our touring plan, I just want more days! It looks like we'll return in September or early October (comments on which is better are welcome). We'll probably do seven days again, I don't think I can swing the extra money for 10. I'll try an schedule a slightly later flight to Orlando. All though it was great being in MK by noon, I was exhausted by dinnertime. I'm just not a morning person! My favorite meals were at Artist's Point and Le Cellier. Diane's favorites were the chicken nachos in AK, and California Grill. The Wilderness Lodge is still our favorite resort, even if the service has slipped a notch. It's compactness is very convenient and the theming can't be beat. We also like the launch service to MK and the Contemporary. My favorite parks list has changed. It used to be: 1) MK, 2) MGM, 3) Epcot, 4) AK. It's now: 1) MK, 2) AK, 3) Epcot, 4) MGM. Why the change? As has been discussed on RADP, I think MGM has lost it's heart and soul when it stopped concentrating on production. It now feels much more contrived to me, fake sets and a fake, unused "back lot," with stores going into what was once promoted as a standing set. AK, on the other hand is beautiful and offers a changing experience as well as exquisite theming. Favorite new "attractions:" ToN, Kali and Pooh. Least favorite: MilVil.

I hope you've enjoyed my LONG TR (I can't help it, I'm just longwinded ). Comments are most welcome. Thanks for reading.

Alan Schaefer