Paula Beverly -- April 2002 -- Walt Disney World (ASMoR)


* Who: The Beverlys...
Paula (me), 31, 2nd trip
Robin, 34, my husband, 2nd trip
Allison, 10,our daughter, 2nd trip, Jasmine fan
Adam, 8, our son, 2nd trip, secretly in love with Minnie
Erica, 6, our daughter, 2nd trip, Princess Aurora fan
Ethan, 5, our son, 2nd trip, dreams of meeting Buzz Lightyear and Woody
When: April 6-April 14, 2002


Introduction

This was the second trip to Walt Disney World for all of us. Our family went last year in June. It was sooo HOT! We knew that we wanted to return again this year, but not during the summer months. Therefore, we decided to take the kids out of school for a week so we could (hopefully) get some nicer weather. After dodging fourth grade proficiency tests, and off-grade proficiency tests, we finally decided on the week of April 8th. I informed the school during February of our trip, and the teachers were really good about getting the kids' homework to them early. Most of the homework was completed before we even left.

Anyone with six or more members of their family knows how difficult it is to find a resort to stay in! Those that could accommodate six people were way out of our price range. Therefore, we decided to stay at the All Star Movies resort, and request connecting rooms. This was our first time to stay on-site. Last year we stayed at the Holiday Inn Family Suites, which was wonderful. However, it was very close quarters, and there was only one bathroom, which took some getting used to.

We ordered our Annual Passes in February. We went with the Annual Pass this time because we have become addicted to Walt Disney World and we will definitely go back next year! It was the best deal for us.

Saturday, April 6, 2002

Awoke at 6 am. Kids were up by 6:45 and very excited! We had packed most of the suitcases in the Durango last night, so there were just a few last minute items to throw in. We were out the door at 7:45. The thermometer in our car read 28º this morning! We arrived at the Columbus airport and got through security OK. Had some time to eat a snack before boarding the plane at 10:45. Smooth ride and we arrived at the Orlando airport at 12:55. We were welcomed by sunny skies and a temperature of 81º, a far cry from the 28º we left behind in Ohio!

Robin got in line at Avis to get our rental van. The line was huge and it took forever! Is this a common thing here? Last year he was in the Budget line for an hour! We had a hard time finding a deal for a rental this year, due to spring break. We ended up renting at Avis for the price of $359/wk.

We finally got the van, and made our way to the All Stars Movies. Checked in at 3:35. CM Cari told us that she couldn't tell us our room number since the carpets were being shampooed and check in wasn't officially until 4:00. So we looked around the gift shop for a little bit and then called the number that we were given at 4:01. Our rooms were 858 and 859 in building 10, Buzz Lightyear. The kids were thrilled, especially Ethan, who is a Toy Story fan. The rooms were immaculate.

After settling in, we went to the Magic Kingdom to activate our annual passes. The CM asked for the two "real" adults to show ID. Allison is an "adult" this year, since she is now 10. We were only a few feet through the turnstiles when our first purchase was made! Adam bought a Buzz Lightyear light chaser for $13. He is our only child that doesn't have one, and since we were going to see the parade and fireworks tonight, we let him get it as soon as we entered the park. Our other three children were armed with their light chasers, as well. (Tonight and Friday are the only days during our trip that we could see the fireworks) By the way, all the kids have been saving their allowances since January. They bought most of their souvenirs with their own money!

We walked back to Pinocchio's Haus to have dinner. We got 3 hot dogs, one pb&j and one coke. Robin and Adam didn't want to eat anything here. We found out later in the week that Pinocchio's had closed for refurbishing on the next day. We looked around in a few shops and then made our way to Frontierland to get a spot for the parade. One of the bands that played was from Marysville, Ohio, which is about 30 miles from our home. Weird!

Spectromagic was wonderful, definitely a great way to start our trip. After the parade, as we made our way over to the Tomorrowland bridge, Erica whispered in my ear that she was so happy that we brought them on vacation. It's so good to hear things like that from them! I was hoping to videotape Tinkerbell flying out of the castle this time. I had read several times that the Tomorrowland bridge was a good spot to see her, and it definitely was! She flew right over us.

After the wonderful fireworks, we stopped in the bakery and waited in a long line. Robin wanted a snack since he didn't have supper. We bought 2 chocolate chip cookies, a cherry turnover, and an OJ. We rode the monorail to the TTC, and discovered that it is somewhat chilly and breezy now. (65º) Should've brought our jackets tonight. Got back to the resort and everyone was in bed by 10:30, which is really 11:30, since we move the clocks ahead tonight. I really wanted them to be in bed earlier, since it has been a long day! We'll pay for it tomorrow for sure! Set the kids' wake up call for tomorrow at 7:35.

Quote by Adam after the fireworks: "My feet feel like it's just bones left." If he only knew what lie ahead...

Food total $42

Sunday, April 7, 2002

During the night, starting at about 3:00, I woke up every hour! This is usually the way it is for me during my first night at a hotel. Finally, the alarm went off at 7. The kids decided to take turns every day answering their phone for the wake-up call. Erica was the first one to get to answer, but she couldn't remember what Mickey had said! Robin had answered ours, and HE couldn't remember what Mickey said! Guess I'll have to listen for myself. Out the door by 8:05, and we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom for our breakfast with the princesses. By the way, it IS possible to get a priority seating at the castle for breakfast on the first try! I was very surprised that I did, after reading how difficult it is.

When we arrived at the TTC, there were long lines of people waiting to get in to get on the monorail. I told the CM that we had priority seatings for breakfast, and she let us through. The only monorail running was the resort monorail, so we hopped aboard. At this point, it was about 8:45, and we were starting to worry if we were going to make it on time! After the resort stops on the monorail, we made it to the Magic Kingdom and through security. Went to the turnstile way over on the left where there was a CM holding a sign reading "Priority Seating Check-In." We walked really quickly (as quickly as four children will go) up Main Street and made it to the podium at 9:00. 5 minutes to spare! They immediately took us up the red circular stairs. Our server was really good with the kids, asking them questions about what they had done so far, their favorite princess, etc. The food was excellent, especially the French toast and the chocolate muffins. The princesses started coming around. Belle was somewhat of a dud...she was not much of a talker. She just asked to sign their autograph book and then left! Snow White and Princess Aurora were very good with the kids. Aurora is Erica's favorite princess and she happened to be wearing her Aurora locket, and so the princess made over it. She asked the kids questions and got them to talk, as did Cinderella. The Fairy Godmother was very amusing and I snapped a few pictures of her hugging Robin, as she commented how she remembered him from when he was a little boy.

As we left, we saw Mary Poppins and Bert in the waiting area and the kids got their autographs and we got a photo, too. Allison said, "Isn't that the same lady who plays the Queen on Princess Diaries? She must be wearing a wig because she looks different." Just goes to show that even though she is 10 now, she still believes!

After breakfast Snow White's Scary Adventure had only a 5 minute wait, so we rode that. We then got Fastpasses for Space Mountain. We didn't ride this last year and the kids were looking forward to it. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority to bide the time, then got in line for Space Mountain. Ethan, who has no fear, insisted on sitting in the front. At one point, I saw him with his hands in the air, and then I heard Erica, who was sitting behind him yell, "Ethan! Hold on!"

After Space Mountain, we got a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear, and then did some browsing in shops while waiting for our time. We decided to head over to Agrabah, and do some shopping in Allison's favorite shop. Jasmine is her favorite princess, and so she cleaned up here. We saw Aladdin and Jasmine from afar. The line was huge to meet them, so we decided to wait until later. After this, both the girls got grumpy and both broke into tears at different points. I told you we would pay for the late night! After the breakdowns, we walked back over and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride. The kids really like this. Then we took a breather on a little bench with some Mickey ice cream bars and a "Kadoozie" for Ethan. Had a family meeting on the bench about arguing, grumpiness, tears, etc. and we all decided that we were going to try to have fun in spite of our tiredness! Agreed!

Earlier I had explained to Allison about the lanyards that the CMs wear and how people can trade pins with them. She thought that was very cool and decided she wanted to start collecting/trading. So, we stopped at a pin station in Tomorrowland and she bought her lanyard and a few pins. Ethan bought one of the flashing 100 years of Magic pins.

We headed over to Adventureland and got in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. We were packed in there like sardines! I couldn't believe it. This was one of our first signs that the park was getting very crowded!

By the way, it was very smart of Disney to make the exits from most of the rides empty into a gift shop! A pirate hat, bandanna, 2 eye patches and earrings, and a pirate Mickey pin later, we were on our way towards Splash Mountain. Got a Fastpass, and then rode the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island. After exploring for awhile, we got a bite to eat at Aunt Polly's, and watched the Share a Dream Come True parade from there. We fed the ducks, but ended up attracting a "Flock of Seagulls!" (Then we ran, we ran so far away...)

We rode the raft back over, and got in the Fastpass line for Splash Mountain. It was a five-minute wait, total, and it was awesome. Ethan wanted in the front seat-AGAIN. We viewed the picture afterward and saw that our little daredevil had his hands up in the picture and that Adam was...missing? He was nowhere to be seen! He had ducked down to avoid getting splashed. It was pretty funny; I kind of wish we had bought it now!

Adam had seen someone wearing a coonskin cap and decided it was pretty cool, so we spent some time looking for one. When we found them, none of them would fit his head, even the adults sizes. What is with that? We tried every one of them. Hmmm... He was disappointed that he couldn't get one. We picked up a few postcards, though, for the kids to mail to their classes.

We decided we'd had enough of the Magic Kingdom for today, so we started to make our way out. We made a pit stop in the bakery, first, however. We got a Napoleon, 6 cookies, and 5 drinks, to the tune of $26! We are going to have to stop coming to this bakery!

Back at the resort, we decided to look around a little. We checked out the pools and the food court, and decided to get supper. We then stopped in at the gift shop to pick up milk , OJ, and apple juice. We were second in line, and there were about 8 people behind us. A rude lady walked up to the side of the counter, expecting to be checked out next. The CM said, "I already have a line here. You'll have to wait in line. " She was mumbling profanities as she walked away. Good for him! This was the first of our many experiences with RUDE people during our trip.

Kids were in bed by 10, we followed at 10:30.

Today was breezy, with a high of about 80º. Gorgeous day! Food total was $177.50.

Tip for Today: If you have a Priority Seating and need to be there before the parks open, allow plenty of time. We thought an hour was enough time to get there, but with the monorail to the Magic Kingdom not running yet, we ended up being a little behind schedule.

Monday, April 8, 2002

We all slept in today and then had breakfast in our room. I had packed miniature cereals boxes, plastic bowls, and spoons. It worked out rather well!

Today was supposed to be our day at Blizzard Beach, but since it was only in the lower 70s this morning and breezy, we decided to head to Downtown Disney instead. We leisurely got showered and dressed. By the time we got there, parked, and walked the two miles to the Marketplace, it was nearing lunchtime. We decided to try our luck at getting into the Rainforest Café. It ended up that we walked right in. I knew this time to split a few of our meals, since the portions are large. I shared a pizza with Erica and Adam, and Allison and Ethan had mini hot dogs. Robin got a grilled chicken sandwich. Everyone finished their meals, which was amazing in itself. We ended up spending $30 less than we did last year. This was a much better experience!

On to the World of Disney! Allison has really enjoyed collecting pins for her lanyard. She chooses each of her pins carefully. With the plethora of pins here, she was in pin heaven. Ethan and Erica are starting to get into pin collecting, also, so we bought one of the packaged lanyards that comes with 2 Mickeys and 2 Minnies so they can each get a pair. Then we bought a separate lanyard for Ethan. We bought at least 15 pins today between the three of them!

This is starting to be an expensive hobby!

Robin made the comment when we first saw all the pin stations that he can't believe that people get sucked into pin trading like that. "$6.50 a piece!" Well, we took a look at three of our children, with their lanyards full of pins. Yep, sucked right in!

We were in the World of Disney for at least two hours. We ended up spending about $300, but we saved $30 from the Disney Club. We bought all of our T-shirts here for that reason! Robin also surprised me with a stuffed Donald Duck.

It was now a sunny 85º, so we decided to go back to the resort to do some swimming. The pool was not that busy for such a nice day. The space shuttle was supposed to take off this afternoon, so for awhile, several people we just standing there looking up at the sky. Don't really know if you could see it from that far away, though. After awhile, Robin got a few cokes and some cookies to snack on while we started to dry off.

We had planned on going to Epcot this evening to see Illuminations, Reflections of Earth. Ethan kept asking, "When are we going to 'Epicot'?" It was too cute to correct him. However, Allison and Adam jumped at the chance!

We got there and found a spot. While waiting, we got a Beaver Tail from Canada, which was good. The kids had brought along their glow sticks and glow bracelets that we had purchased at a Wal-Mart at home, so that kept them occupied while we waited. (These were $2.98 for a two-pack at Wal-Mart, compared to $10.00 and up here for the glow toys!) Illuminations was awesome. We knew that it had fireworks and lasers, but we weren't expecting it to be this cool!

Erica and Ethan are very grumpy at this point. As a matter of fact, those two have been grumpy the entire day, even though we slept in and it was a non-park day. Something's gotta give here!

As we were driving back to the resort, Adam was complaining about a spot on his leg that has been itching him for a while. I had taken a look at it yesterday; it is a red, bumpy area. Actually, he has complained about it for a few weeks. When we took a look at it at home, it looked similar to poison ivy. However, now it is circular in shape with a ledge around it. The heat could have possibly irritated it. Hmmm...could it be ringworm?

Robin went out to see if he could find something to put on it. Ended up putting anti-itch cream on it, and sent Adam off to bed. Also, Robin came back with a Daisy Duck to go with my Donald. It is 11:00, and we are all whipped! We'll take a look at Adam's leg tomorrow and decide what to do.

Food total: $85

Tip for Today: Save most of your souvenir shopping for World of Disney and take advantage of the Disney Club discount.

Tuesday, April 9, 2002

Up at 8:15 and feeling well rested for a change. Had breakfast in the room again, and went out to the van to make our way to Epcot. After assigning seats to our kids who were arguing about who gets to sit where in the van, we were on our way. (We didn't have to listen to arguments for the rest of the trip about who gets to sit where!)

Last year, we felt that something was missing from Epcot. We had spent most of our time in Future World, and only a little bit in the World Showcase. We really liked World Showcase, so we wanted to spend most of our time there today.

As we came upon the parking lot, Ethan saw Spaceship Earth, and exclaimed, "There Epicot is!" We went through security, which we have decided is for our peace of mind, since all they do is glance in the bags. We rented a double stroller ($15) for Erica and Ethan, to hopefully cut back on the complaining.

We got a Fastpass first thing for Test Track, and the time was for 12:20. Went to Spaceship Earth and were told that it was closed due to "technical difficulties." Saw Ellen's Universe of Energy, which we all thought was good, and then went to Innoventions for a short time. It was time for Test Track, so we made our way over there only to find that it was closed due to "technical difficulties!" Ice Station Cool was also closed today. The kids were disappointed about this. (Our last name is Beverly, you know) :)

We decided to have lunch in The Land. We had the kids save two tables for us, and Robin and I split up to order at two different counters. I got the food, and returned to the tables to find that a group of rude people had taken four of our seats, and our timid children were too afraid to say anything! *Sigh* We relocated to a different table with six chairs (we got lucky...the place was packed!) and the kids began to eat while I went to find Robin and help him carry the rest of the food.

After lunch, we decided to try Test Track again, and it was up and running. We all love this ride. We then went into Mouse Gear, looking specifically for a passport that the kids could take with them to the different countries in the world showcase. Got the passport, and proceeded to the World Showcase. So much for spending most of the day there, it was already 2:00!

It was beginning to get warm, and a little humid. The temperature was up to about 88º, the warmest that it had been since we arrived.

We rode Rio de Tiempo in Mexico, and bought a Mexican Donald (from the three Caballeros). Here we started the Kidcot masks. The kids really enjoyed doing this last year. We started getting the passport messages this time, too.

We visited all the countries, getting the masks and the passport stamped. Adam decided after about the third stop that he was tired of doing the mask. Maybe it wasn't as exciting since they did it last year?

We saw Aladdin in Morocco and some cool drummers in Japan. We stopped at the Kringla bakery in Norway, and got a sweet pretzel and drinks. It was very good. Reminded me somewhat of a cinnamon roll with icing.

Everyone was pretty tired of being at Epcot. We decided that we wouldn't care if we didn't go to Epcot next time we were here. Test Track would be the only thing we would miss. We left around 6:00, and went back to the resort.

I had brought peanut butter and jelly with us, so we made sandwiches for everyone and then went to the food court for ice cream.

It was absolute chaos in the food court! We bought 2 ice creams, popcorn for the girls (which we popped in the food court microwave), and Robin and I shared a sundae. Also, I finally convinced Robin that it was a good deal to buy the refillable mugs, so we got two of those. Adam, our clown, who always has a one-liner for us to enjoy, was watching Ethan inhaling his ice cream cone that he was so looking forward to. He then said, "Ethan is so happy in his little cone world!"

After our desserts, we went back to the rooms, and the kids were in bed at 10:00. Robin and I discussed Adam's "growth" on his leg, which was starting to spread. There was now a pink ring around the red circle. We decided that tomorrow we would look into finding someplace to take him to get it checked out. Got to bed by 11:00.

Food total for today: $76.

Tip for today: Buy refillable mugs at the beginning of vacation.

Wednesday, April 10, 2002

Woke up at 6:55, and the kids were awake at 7:25. We decided to eat breakfast at McDonald's, since it is on our way, and we were getting bored with cereal.

We arrived at Disney-MGM Studios at 8:55. The first thing we did was grab a Fastpass for the Tower of Terror. All the kids are tall enough this year, so I had announced several weeks ago that we are planning on riding it, just to get them mentally prepared. Not sure if that worked.

We decided to see the Muppets, since we didn't get a chance to see this last year. Several other things are on our missed last year list, as well, such as Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, and Hunchback.

We made our way through to the blue hat. I had my coupon that I had printed out from the Internet for the free Internet pin with the purchase of a 100 Years of Magic pin. I bought the pin, asked the CM if they still had the Internet pin, and she gave one to me. I then let Ethan wear it on his lanyard.

The kids loved the Muppets. It was very cute. On our way out, we spotted Buzz Lightyear and Woody by Al's Toy Barn. Of course, we had to stop and see them and get their autograph. Ethan was in heaven! Something different we noticed here was that there was a CM taking pictures of the kids with the characters. Trying to squeeze more money out of our pockets, I guess.

We decided to see Beauty and the Beast, which ended up being very good. The kids thought Belle's gold dress was beautiful. After this, it was nearly time for our Fastpass time frame to end, so we hightailed it to the Tower of Terror. Walked right through the Fastpass lane, and into the library. I could tell that Allison and Adam were getting pretty nervous about the ride. We piled into the ride, and my new 100 years pin started lighting up! The ride was awesome! Allison was screaming the entire time. Adam was behind me and I could hear him screaming, too. Erica and Ethan were pretty quiet, though. After it finally slowed down, Allison said, "My stomach doesn't feel so good."

Walking out, Ethan kept telling me how much he loved it and wants to do it again. I swear, he is five years old and loved it, and his ten-year-old sister was so nervous and as white as a ghost! Something is wrong here!

We walked up past the blue hat again, on our way to Mama Melrose's for our Priority Seating. We got sidetracked by the characters that were out... there were at least ten of them! After seeing Milo Thatch, Hercules, Alice, and Mulan, we made it to Mama Melrose's.

The restaurant was not busy at all yet. Our server was very nice, and she interacted with the kids, which is always a plus with us. (She asked Allison what her favorite ride has been so far. She answered the Tower of Terror, which I thought was interesting!) The food here was very good! We were all stuffed.

As we were walking, we noticed Mike from Monsters, Inc., and so the kids got their picture with him. We then got a Fastpass for Star Tours, and went to wait in line for Indiana Jones. We liked Indiana Jones, but I think the kids were confused as to what was going on.

We decided to stop at the Sci-Fi for ice cream to try to get rid of garlic mouth. Milkshakes all around, except for Erica and me, who went for the 100 years dessert. Everything was excellent, and most of the milkshake glasses were emptied! (Usually that is not the case) However, we still had garlic mouth.

We then went on to Star Tours. After this, we noticed lines were beginning to form for the parade. We needed a break, anyway, so we sat down on the ground and waited. We really liked the parade, especially the kids, because each and every one of the characters we had seen was in it! Ethan used an entire roll of film on the parade alone. We started making our way out of the park, shopping as we went.

Robin and I have decided to take Adam to an urgent care center that a CM at the front desk of our resort recommended. The rash on his leg is not getting better; in fact, it is looking worse. Therefore, we are leaving the park a little earlier today than we normally would. Tomorrow we had planned on going to Blizzard Beach. Instead, we are going to come back to Disney-MGM Studios to finish up a few things that we did not get to see today.

We arrived at the urgent care facility around 6:45. The place was filthy and smelly. We felt as if we could almost see the germs crawling up the walls. We managed to pass the time (two hours) until they finally called Adam's name at 8:50! Robin went back with Adam to see the doctor, and I took the other three children out to van because... frankly, you see all kinds of people in a place like that, and after two hours, we were a little tired of it! Nearly an hour later, Robin and Adam finally appeared and.... ringworm confirmed! There was a pharmacy inside, so they had already picked up his prescription for some cream to apply to the area. (For those of you who aren't aware...ringworm is not actually a worm. It is a skin fungus. Basically, it is athlete's foot on another part of your body. The things you will learn in a trip report!) Finally got back to All Star Movies, and let the kids have the very nutritious supper of cereal before sending them off to dreamland. What an ordeal this was!

Today the temperature reached about 85º, and it was slightly humid. Still, it was breezy, as it has been pretty much all week, and that cools things off somewhat.

Food Total: $98

Tips for today:
Make early priority seatings for an uncrowded lunch. (Ours was 11:30)
The back of the park has very few crowds right after opening.

Thursday, April 11, 2002

I woke up at 7:30 today, before the alarm. What is with that?! I decided to get a load of laundry done before it was time to leave for the kids' Pirate Cruise at the Grand Floridian. We had to be there by 9:45 to check in. We have been keeping this a surprise and gave them only a few hints when they asked us. (Mommy and Daddy aren't allowed to do it, and it involves a boat.) They were so excited, just from it being a surprise!

We ended up leaving around 9:30 or so, due to the dryers taking longer than the time that was posted. They said it only takes 30 minutes for drying. I ended up splitting my one load of laundry between two dryers, because I had a feeling that was incorrect. The clothes in one dryer were completely dry, and the clothes in the other one were still soaking wet! Therefore, we were stuck with wet clothes, because we had to be on our way! By the way, dryer #1 at the All Star Movies laundry room, is quite efficient, and will dry the clothes in 30 minutes, for future reference!

On the way to the Grand Floridian, we told the kids where they were going. We made it to the Grand Floridian by 9:50, still plenty of time before the cruise began. After entering the Grand Floridian, we asked a few CMs where we needed to go. Their instructions were so vague, that we couldn't find the Marina. We thought we had found it, but there were no boats or children to be seen. Turns out, we had gone straight, instead of taking a left. We found the correct marina, and checked the kids in. The kids picked out a life jacket, and a CM put a bandana on all of their heads with nametags.

After we saw them off, Robin and I walked around the Grand Floridian, checking out the lobby and the gift shops. We looked at the menu for 1900 Park Fare, and discussed having a character meal here. Found a pressed penny that we hadn't gotten yet, so we got one. We kind of seemed uncomfortable here, like it was out of our league!

We then hopped onto the monorail and rode to the Polynesian. We really liked the looks of this resort. It was more our style! We found a few more pressed pennies. It's a good thing, because once we get one pressed penny, that means we must find three more so every kids gets one! We took a look at the restaurants, and it was time to move on. On to the Contemporary! We did a little bit of looking around in the shops, and then it was time for us to get back to pick up our pirates.

We waited at the marina for a few minutes before we saw their boat coming. I videotaped it coming in, and all the pirates were singing, "Yo, ho, Yo, ho, a pirate's life's for me. Arrrr!" It looked like they were finishing up their lunches, which were, Uncrustables PB &J, Rice Krispie treats, gummi bears, and a Capri Sun.

As they each got off the boat, they were handed a bag from the treasure chest, which consisted of rings, eye patches, plastic bugs, and necklaces. It looked as if they all had a good time. The Pirate Adventure Cruise costs $24.95 per child (10 years and under), and is two hours long. Adam, who is missing a few teeth in front, told us that one of the CMs said to him, "How can you find a treasure, if you can't even find your teeth?" That was pretty amusing.

On our way out, we stopped in at 1900 Park Fare, and made priority seatings for 5:15 on Friday for a character dinner with Pooh and friends.

We went to Disney-MGM Studios to finish what we didn't accomplish yesterday. Robin and I were starving, so we stopped at Rosie's All-American Café for some cheeseburgers, cokes, fries, and chocolate cake. The CM taking our order said, "I love it when people order dessert. Everyone should have dessert!" It was turning out to be a beautiful day, about 82º, no humidity. That is perfect in my book!

We started on our way to get a Fastpass for Voyage with the Little Mermaid, but ran onto a ton of characters, so Robin went on to get the Fastpass while the kids and I collected autographs and pictures. We get autographs on one side of the autograph book, and leave the opposite page blank. When we get our pictures processed, we put the picture next to the corresponding autograph. It makes a nice little souvenir that the kids can take to school to show to their friends. We got autographs from Robin Hood, Stromboli, Jafar, Kido, Prince John, Meg, Governor Ratcliffe, and the Queen of Hearts, who stole Erica's sunglasses to wear in the picture. We have declared Disney-MGM THE place to see characters!

We did Who Wants to be a Millionaire...Play it!, which was very fun. A high school boy, who was there with his band, made it to the hot seat, and played to 500,000 points! He did very well for a kid! We really like this attraction. The kids enjoy it, too.

Last year, we bought several Christmas ornaments while we were at Walt Disney World. As we put up our Christmas tree last December, we looked at all of our Disney ornaments, and it brought back lots or memories from our trip. The kids were thrilled because they had forgotten that we had bought them. We decided to make a point of getting an ornament for each of them on our return trips.

Therefore, we ended up in the Christmas store (I forget the name). We found several ornaments that we wanted to get. A nice lady who was walking by told us that if we were eligible for the Disney Club discount, that the Christmas store at Downtown Disney had the same ornaments and we could use our discount there. Of course! What were we thinking?! Thank you to that nice lady for reminding us! We will stop by Downtown Disney after we are done with this park.

We stopped to get some ice cream for the kids, and a root beer float for us. Erica didn't want ice cream, so she got a coke in a souvenir mug for $4.00, which we thought was a relatively decent price!

The last attraction on our list today was Walt Disney...One Man's Dream. I loved it! The kids moved through a little fast for me, I guess they weren't as thrilled about it. Anyway...we left Disney-MGM, and headed to Downtown Disney. We went into the Christmas store, which was very uncrowded. Each child picked out an ornament. Robin and I also picked out a few that we liked, and we got a storybook ornament set, "Mickey through the years," which I thought was very cool.

We then went into Disney at Home, and bought a Mickey toothbrush holder and soap dish for our bathroom. We had seen them earlier in the Grand Floridian gift shop and thought they were cute. Robin asked the CM at the cash register what the name of the movie or character underneath their name meant. Allison had noticed a few days ago that every CM's was different and asked me why. The CM answered that when they are hired, they are asked what their earliest (or favorite) Disney memory is and that is put under their name on the nametag. This particular CM remembered Fantasia as the first Disney film she ever went to see. Therefore, hers said Fantasia underneath her name. We thought that was pretty nifty.

We went back to the resort and the kids went swimming for awhile. I thought it was getting a little too chilly, and very breezy. The kids didn't seem to mind, though.

We got changed and went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few breakfast items since ours had run out. We also bought some water bottles and some snacks to take to the parks. We drove through McDonald's for supper. Love those fruit and yogurt parfaits!

Got the kids in bed, and Robin, bless his heart, ran down to do another load of laundry. He got a good dryer this time (dryer #12)!

Food total: $72

Tips for Today:
Use dryers #1 and #12 at All Stars Movies for quicker drying!
Take advantage of the Disney Club discount at Downtown Disney!
Disney-MGM Studios is THE place to get character autographs.

Friday, April 12, 2002

We woke up at 6:55 this morning. The night was too short! We left the resort around 8:15, after having our breakfast in the room. There was a huge line of cars arriving at the Magic Kingdom, presumably because it was Friday? We finally made it to the parking lot, and rode the tram in. There was a huge line for the monorail, so we opted for the ferry. We got cut off as it was our turn to get on. How does this happen every time? We waited another 10 minutes or so for the next ferry. We were on the next ferry at 9:15. We had been on the rode for an hour, and this is all the farther we had gotten! As we unloaded, we noticed the hoards of people who were waiting in the security line. We waited about 10 minutes to get our bags checked. This is by far the worst the crowds have been for the bag check. We got through security, and turned around to gather everyone and found that Robin was still at the security table! Another rude lady, who had been at the table beside Robin's decided to cut in front of him, with her entire family! What is the matter with people?

After he finally came through, we got on the train and rode to Frontierland, probably the smartest thing we could have done on such a busy morning. Frontierland was...empty! I have a feeling all those people that were at security are now in Fantasyland! Erica is whining already, and we have only been in the park for 10 minutes. I think perhaps the long days are starting to get to all of us!

We grabbed a Fastpass for Splash Mountain, and then waited in a five minute line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We walked on the Magic Carpets, and then rode Splash Mountain. We then did the Hall of Presidents. We still think this attraction is amazing. They are so life-like! We missed Maya Angelou, however.

The skies had been cloudy all morning, and it looked quite threatening, so we took cover at the Plaza Pavilion. We ordered our lunch, and had a CM with an attitude taking our order. This is our first experience that we have had with a rude CM! The straw that broke the camel's back was when she made a comment about Robin's name. That's when he told her what he thought.

Turns out, the food was only so-so, and with the CM experience, we didn't want to come near the Plaza Pavilion for a long time. By the way, this was the last meal that Erica actually ate today. More on that later. Also, it never actually rained...it just sprinkled a little.

We headed over to Toontown Fair, which was packed. We stood in line to see Minnie. The line wasn't too bad, though, maybe 10 minutes. Minnie gave Adam two kisses, and that is all he talked about afterward. He was contemplating telling Mickey that she had kissed him two times!

We then rode the Barnstormer, after standing in line for 25 minutes for the 2 minute ride. Definitely not worth it! We decided to make our way out of the park for an afternoon break, since it was so congested.

We made a pit stop in the confectionary. We bought a toffee pretzel (which was awesome, by the way), a Dalmatian pretzel, fudge, and some Nerds. We decided to look quickly in the Exposition Hall, since we had never been in there. Allison was looking at some pins, when a lady came up to her. She had noticed the kids' lanyards and asked if they would like to trade some pins. She told them that she would trade any of hers with them, just like a CM would do. Allison, Erica, and Ethan all traded (Adam still isn't into it). The lady then told them that since they were the first ones that she had traded with today, that she had a little gift for them. It was a seven dwarfs pin! She gave one to all three of them. I think that moment made up for all of the rude people we have encountered. They had their first official pin trade!

The kids were grinning from ear to ear all the way back to the resort. I started packing up some clothes, since we had to check out tomorrow. Robin took a nap while the kids watched some TV and played. I noticed Erica looked really tired. Could that be why she was so grumpy today? I suggested that she lie down and take a little nap, and she actually did. She fell asleep right away. When it was time to get ready to go to our supper at 1900 Park Fare, Erica didn't want to wake up. The nap didn't help her grumpiness...she was worse than before her nap!

On the way to the TTC, I happened to brush my hand against Erica's head. It was hot! I felt it again. Sure enough, she was running a fever. No wonder she was acting the way she was. I get the mother of the year award!

We decided to go ahead with our supper plans, since we were already there and Allison, Adam, and Ethan were looking forward to it. Erica said it was OK if we went, but she wasn't too hungry. We rode the monorail to the Grand Floridian, and went into the restaurant. It was very nice in there! There was hardly anybody there yet, not even the characters. By the time we got our first round of food, the characters had appeared. Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger all came around to our table. Erica was feeling well enough to get up and show Pooh that she had a Pooh pin on her lanyard. She got a hug from him for that.

The food was really good, and the kids all ate well, except Erica, of course. They had mini hot dogs, mini hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, fruit, and cupcakes, fudge, & cookies for dessert. We had prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and lots of dessert! 5:15 turned out to be a good time for our priority seating, since the restaurant was pretty much empty for a good half hour after we got there! As we left, we noticed there were quite a few more people there.

When we got outside, we noticed it had cooled down significantly, so we were glad that the kids had brought jackets along, especially Erica. Erica said that she felt well enough to go back to the Magic Kingdom for a little bit, so we rode the monorail over.

We rode Peter Pan, it's a Small World, and then got in line to see Ariel. The sign said it was a 40-minute wait, but the kids really wanted to meet her, so we waited. Turns out, we waited for about 15 minutes without even moving, and someone told us that she wasn't even in her grotto! Finally the line started moving, and we got our autograph and picture. It was indeed 40 minutes before we got to see her.

We made our way through horrific parade crowds to get to Tomorrowland. We rode the TTA. We wanted to ride Space Mountain again, but the wait was 55 minutes, so we skipped it. We decided we were done in the Magic Kingdom, so we started down Main St. The parade was just ending, so it was a mess! We escaped into the Exposition Hall. Allison wanted to look for an Abu pin, so Robin took her, and I stayed with Adam, Erica, and Ethan. Lady and the Tramp was playing on a TV, so that entertained them. Erica was curled up in a chair and she looked like she was about to fall asleep. Allison ended up buying the Abu pin, and trading another one of hers with a CM for Jafar. Looks like she is collecting all the pins from Aladdin.

We got on the monorail, where we watched the fireworks on the way to the TTC. Back at the resort, Erica took some Tylenol (her temperature was 102.1º!), the kids fell into bed, and we packed the rest of our things.

As I mentioned before, we had brought with us several snacks and breakfast items. We packed them all in one suitcase, knowing that when the food was gone, we would pack all of our souvenirs in the empty suitcase. It worked out fine, except for the fact that we bought too many souvenirs! After rearranging some items, we managed to find space for everything. We fell into bed at 12:00.

Food total: $115

Tips for Today:
Friday is definitely one of the busiest days at the Magic Kingdom! Avoid it if possible.
If you have kids, you never know when they are going to get sick. Carry a few Children's Tylenol with you, just in case! I had packed it, but left it back at the resort. Next time, I will put a couple in my purse!

Saturday, April 13, 2002

We woke up at 7:30. As the kids were eating their breakfasts, we began packing the last of our belongings. Every child was tired and grumpy! Erica is still running a fever of 101.1º. Gave her Tylenol, and seemed better. We took our luggage down, where we were told they would hold it for us while we visited the Animal Kingdom. We arrived at 9:15; security was a breeze.

We chose to go to Dinoland first. Robin really waned to go on Dinosaur, although I warned him it was supposed to be quite scary. He told the kids to close their eyes if they were scared. Basically Adam, Erica, and Ethan had their eyes closed the whole time. I don't really blame them, since we were in the front row! I even closed my eyes on that last dinosaur! Ethan, our daredevil, the only one of our children that wasn't scared of the Tower of Terror, the one who had his arms up in the picture on Splash Mountain...didn't like this ride. I would say any child under 10 is probably too young.

We then went to Primeval whirl. The height requirement is 48", so only Allison and Adam qualified. Robin said he would take Erica and Ethan on Triceratops Spin while we rode Primeval Whirl. As we entered the line, the CM told me to have Adam's height checked. He barely made it. I think he is exactly 48"! We waited in line for approximately 20 minutes, and as we were getting ready to board, I could see the CM eyeing Adam. She told him to walk over and get his height checked...again. She said he was all right, so we got in the car. I knew I should've spiked his hair today! Honestly, I was somewhat disappointed in this ride. I reminded me of the Tilt-a-Whirl (from our county fair) combined with a very, very tame roller coaster. Makes me wonder why the height requirement is 48", and why they were so strict about it for such a tame ride. The kids liked it, though, so that's OK.

When we got off of the ride, we found Robin, Erica, and Ethan waiting for us, and Erica and Ethan were both holding a stuffed fish. They had won it at a carnival game. Allison and Adam decided they wanted to try, so they played and won a fish, too.

Next, the kids played in the Boneyard while the while we waited for the time for Tarzan Rocks. We then got in line for Tarzan Rocks, and enjoyed the show. Afterwards, Robin and I discussed Tarzan's lack of body hair and wondered how often he has to get his full body wax. Ouch! That is one nasty wig, too!

We decided it was time for lunch, so we walked over to Africa and found a place to sit. I had brought some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas, and chips for the kids, so they got started on lunch while Robin got something for us at Tusker House. He got Peanut Chicken and I got chicken strips. During our lunch, 5 men appeared and started doing gymnastics and balancing acts. They were really good! We pumped some more Tylenol into Erica. She feels fine after it kicks in, thank goodness.

On to the safari! Other than two people squeezing into an already full seat and making Erica cry because she couldn't sit on the edge, the safari went well. We saw quite a few animals, even during the afternoon!

We then walked on the Pangani trail to see the gorillas. We finally found them and got a couple of pictures. On the way, a CM asked Allison if she saw any pins on her lanyard that she would like to trade. Allison spotted one of the Cheshire cat, face only. The CM told her that it was one that she could only get from a CM, and can't buy it in the store, so she should hang on to it. We later discovered that it is one of the pins in the new Lanyard Pin Series.

On to Kali River Rapids. You always know who is going to get drenched on this ride. If you are going up the hill backwards, then it is you! I was aware of this, and, indeed, Robin and I were the chosen ones. Our clothes were absolutely drenched. We knew enough to lift our feet up off the floor when we hit to avoid having wet shoes. So, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. However, I was very uncomfortable for the rest of the afternoon!

We stopped in to see Flights of Wonder, which I really enjoyed. We went into a few shops and then back to Camp Minnie/Mickey. We pretty much had Daisy, Minnie, Mickey, Rafiki, and Goofy all to ourselves. That was rather cool! Goofy goofed off with Allison after he saw her Goofy pin and the Goofy ears she was wearing, and Mickey sneaked up behind Adam and covered his eyes with his hands. The kids had a ball.

We then walked back up the trail to catch a little of the parade. Of course, we saw Daisy, Minnie, Mickey, and Goofy in the parade. The kids were commenting on how fast they changed their clothes for the parade! After that was over, we backtracked to see Pocahontas and her Forest Friends. On the way, we picked up some Mickey ice cream bars, and a couple of Simba bars. Ethan and I were the ones to get Simba ice cream, and they were slightly melted. When we opened them, they immediately fell off of the sticks. What a mess!

It was time to leave the park. We got in the van and went back to the resort to pick up our luggage. It was very busy with people checking in. We filled up our mugs one last time, and then drove to Winter Summerland to use our free tickets. It was a very nice miniature golf course, and it wasn't busy at all!

After we finished, we left Walt Disney World, and found a Steak n' Shake for supper. Our plane departs tomorrow at 8am, so we are staying the night at the Hyatt in the airport. After returning the van, we ended up checking in by 9:30, and the kids were asleep by 10:30. We followed at 11:30.

Tips for today:
Dinosaur is really, really, scary for young children!
Measure children at home so you know their height and what rides they are tall enough for. This will avoid embarrassment and disappointment.

Sunday, April 14

What a short night it was! The alarm went off at 5:00am, and we were downstairs to check our luggage by 6:15. Just enough time to have breakfast at Burger King, browse in the Disney store, and then board the plane. A few hours later, we were back in Ohio, where it was 50º, and pouring rain!

Next time...

Next time we probably won't rent a refrigerator as we did on this trip. Sure, we used it, but with the amount of money we spent on it, we could have bought a brand new one!
We will avoid the Magic Kingdom on the weekends.
Also, on our next trip, we will try to spend more time relaxing! We need to come up with a plan to take more time away from the parks, and more time resting to prevent grumpiness overload!
We will have our kids share more meals. They are not big eaters, and it is really aggravating to buy four kid's meals, and have them only take a couple of bites! We can save a lot of money by having them share.
We will enjoy pin trading again. The kids really loved it, especially when the CMs approached them and asked if they would like to trade.
Each child will take his or her camera to the parks on their appointed day to avoid having quadruple copies. This time, after getting their film developed, we discovered that they all took pictures of the same things (mainly parades)! If each child takes only their camera to just one park, we will get different pictures! (Robin gets credit for this idea.)
We will rent a van again. We didn't use Disney transportation to the parks at all. It is just more convenient for us to have our own vehicle.
Next time we will stay on Disney property again. Honestly, the distance that we drove to the parks was about the same as it was from the Holiday Inn Family Suites last year, but...being able to charge to our room, have our purchases delivered to the gift shop, and buying the refillable mugs are nice little perks that make it worth staying on-site. Plus, when Mousekeeping arranged the kids' stuffed animals every day, they loved it! They were so excited to get back to the resort to see where they had put the animals. You can't get that off-site!


Paula Beverly

bbunch@alltel.net