Anne Rice - December 2002 - Fort Wilderness Cabins

Time of Year: Holiday Season
Travel Method: Plane
Resort: FWC
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent, Rookie
Comments: Anne is still waiting for the chance to fulfill her dream of working at Disney World. Until then, she has to be satisfied with the infrequent trip from Texas. On this, her third trip, she finally gets to bring her kids along and share the magic.


Anne Rice -- December 2002 - Walt Disney World (FWC)

Cast Members

Anne - 40, Trip Report writer and overall instigator and organizer of the trip. Dizzy for Disney but only 3rd Trip to WDW.
Marty - 41, husband. 2nd WDW Trip. Along for the ride. Likes Disney, but not as much as me. Has a pretty hefty cough the entire trip.
Madison - Rookie, almost 7 (Dec. 31). 1st Grade. Has no clue what she’s in for. Has only Six Flags over Texas to compare to. Relatively shy but likes to occasionally try new things. Gets lots of confidence when she does. Loves all the princesses and Pooh.
Sam - Rookie, almost 5 (Jan. 4). Preschool. Also has no clue what to expect. Just wants to see Buzz Lightyear.
Contents

Documenting the Trip
Personal Background
Planning Process
Daily Reports
Saturday, November 30 - morning of travel, evening at Magic Kingdom (SpectroMagic)
Sunday, December 1 - Morning at MGM, evening at Epcot (Tapestry, Illuminations)
Monday, December 2 - Animal Kingdom all day, swimming, Downtown Disney
Tuesday, December 3 - MK until late afternoon, MGM for dinner and Fantasmic
Wednesday, December 4 - Epcot until early evening, Campfire Show at Fort Wilderness
Thursday, December 5 - Magic Kingdom and travel home
Notes on Fort Wilderness
Notes on Disney Transportation
Notes on the Weather
Notes on the Trip Timing and Crowds
Notes on Taking Our Kids
Highlights and Disappointments
Expenses
Documenting The Trip
I have always used a small digital voice recorder because my brain seems to work best when I have absolutely nothing to write with or on. It’s a small pocket sized recorder that can record your voice in small increments. It’s not a microcassette recorder. You can jump from one message to any other on the recorder but it keeps them numbered and in the sequence that you recorded them. You can delete individual messages as you need to. This was absolutely invaluable on this trip. I kept the recorder in my back pocket the entire trip and pulled it out to make small memos (anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes.) The recorder can hold up to 30 minutes of messages but I never filled it up. I would transcribe my memos in the evening into a notebook and embellish them then. I typed the report onto my computer within a day or so of returning home so everything would be fresh on my mind and I could add details while I could still remember them. I then had all the information I needed for my scrapbook.

I also have a full size Minolta 35mm camera that I carried everywhere. It’s pretty heavy but I’m used to having it around my neck. Marty tried carrying it occasionally but he didn’t like it. Consequently, there’s not nearly as many pictures with me in them. I prefer the regular 35mm over digital because I don’t like the quality of photos printed from the computer. I prefer to have my processed by chemicals. I get triple 3 inch prints at Sam’s Club for $5.00 per 24 exposure roll. I could never print my own pictures for that price. This way I can have pictures for my scrapbook and my kids’ scrapbooks inexpensively. I brought my video camera into the parks for the nighttime shows and on the last day in the Magic Kingdom. I didn’t carry it all the time because it is an older style that is rather bulky and doesn’t have that nifty little screen on the side. Someday...

Personal Background
I’ve only been to Disney World twice in my life. Once with my parents when I was 15 and once with my husband-to-be when I was 30. The first time, my exposure to the parks was limited. The second time I was hooked. When I had children, I couldn’t wait for them to be old enough to take to Disney World. When I graduated college, I actually applied to work there. It was far fetched and fruitless, but it’s still a dream of mine to work there or at least live there. It’s a dream, I’m sad to say, will probably never happen, seeing as I am now 40 and rooted in Texas. Whereas many other families I know seem to be able to go every year or two, our trips will be much fewer and farther between. This trip will be 5 full days and 2 half days. I’m probably much more excited about this trip than both my children put together. Their theme park experience has been limited to Six Flags Over Texas (BIG difference). I want to be at Disney as much for me as for them. Marty has been to WDW only once - with me.

Planning Process
I’m a compulsive planner. When my husband, Marty, and I went to Disney World in 1992, we were not yet married. We stayed offsite at a Marriott Residence Inn and rented a car. I had my daily itineraries on paper and he thought I was out of my mind. He literally laughed at me until he realized how much time we saved by following it. He vividly remembers making a dash for Space Mountain when the ropes dropped.

Now we’re married and we have two children. Sam is about to turn 5 and Maddie is about to turn 7. We’re taking them out of school for 4 days because we simply don’t want to brave the parks during a peak season. Sam is only in preschool - no big deal. Madison is in first grade - we’re hoping to make up work during the Thanksgiving holiday before the trip. We’re hoping the school doesn’t freak out that we’re taking her out for four days for a vacation.

So here I am, compulsively planning again. I purchased “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World” and have found it such a wonderful help. I’ve actually copied the pertinent pages back to front at 50% size and will be bringing them into the parks with me. (Told you I was compulsive.) I’ve also been surfing the web extensively and have found so many wonderful sites that are infinitely helpful. I have learned, though, that I cannot plan as tight a schedule as I did on my last trip. A preschooler and a grade-schooler will totally preclude that. So I’ve tried to make my plans very flexible. I’m worried about the weather. Will it be cold, cool, warm, hot? It seems we have to prepare for everything. We may have more suitcases than I thought.

Our current plan is to go back to our hotel, Wilderness Cabins, for a rest each afternoon. I didn’t think that we’d be swimming but from reading other Trip Reports, that might be possible this time of year. Gotta pack for that too. We’ll do one park in the morning and possibly a different park in the afternoons so that the kids won’t get worn out or crazed all at once. We’ll know if that works pretty quick, I’m sure.

We’re looking forward to staying at the cabins. We have friends who’ve been there before and swear by them. I’ve also heard it takes a lot of travel time to the parks, but I’m hoping the time of year will make up for that. Post-Thanksgiving is supposed to be the absolute slowest time of the year according to my book source. The Holiday decorations will be out too. My kids LOVE Christmas stuff and I’m a real emotional softie when it comes to Christmas.

As for communications within the parks, I had originally thought to buy walkie talkies. We found out that it didn’t cost much to upgrade our cell phones to a national plan for a single month so we did that. It turned out to be cheaper than the $100 walkie talkies I’d heard were some of the best. The cell phones worked just fine in the parks and there was no static or interruptions from other walkie talkies.

I’m bringing my best camera (a bit of a honker) and I’m still debating whether to bring the camcorder. Ours is a little older and bulkier and doesn’t have that nifty screen on the side so you spend a lot of your time with one eye squinted shut trying to find whatever it is you’re trying to film. I’ll bring it and decide then. I’m also bringing disposable cameras for the kids - 2 each. We’ll see how long they last!

Here we go.

Saturday, November 30 (Day 1) --- Leave Dallas, Evening at Magic Kingdom
Our alarm went off at 5am. Ugh. Who planned this trip anyway? Sam had been up already a lot during the night - we suppose because he was just too excited to sleep. Marty had already moved to the guest room because of his coughing and Sam found him in there and tried to lay down with him. Sam the kicker, I might add. Neither slept much after that (4:00am). At 5:30, we got Maddie up. She had gone to bed all ready to leave - in her jeans and shirt. She was cute. I gave them their first Disney souvenirs, a Princess sweat jacket for Madison and a Buzz Lightyear sweat jacket for Sam (which I purchased at half price at the Disney Store locally. We loaded up our van and headed out. As we were leaving our neighborhood, Maddie says sadly, “I’m going to miss our street”. Oh, Maddie. No you won’t.

The offsite airport parking we found on Expedia.com wasn’t too bad. A shuttle picked us up right at our parked car and dropped us at our Delta gate. There was another family going to Disney on the same flight. We got to the airport in plenty of time and had breakfast at Burger King in the airport. Our first of many expensive meals but we are expecting that. Sam had a semi-meltdown already over Cini-Mini’s. Hey, he’s been up since 4am. What should we expect? ($13.99)

The plane took off on time (7:30). Sam said the first of what would be many memorable quotes. Sammy Said, “I’m scared. No, I’m not scared... I just don’t know what to think.” Both kids did great on the plane, even with plugged up ears. Sam just got over an ear infection, thank goodness. They intently experienced takeoff and Sam immediately lay down across two seats to sleep. Maddie tried to do the same, but just never drifted off. We got lucky to have extra seats for both of them. We landed at 10:45am, almost 15 minutes early. Sammy Said, “Why did we come back to the airport?” Maddie was curious to know that, too. You get a mild Disneyesque experience even at the Orlando airport but I just assumed souvenirs here would be expensive. The monorail-like tram that took us to baggage claim felt like our first “ride” according to the kids.

Car Rental: We booked a car rental through Expedia.com with an unknown company. Marty really likes to save money so we tried it. He asked me to remind him not to let him do that again. The “Rainbow Bus” picked us up to take us to the AmeriCar lot. Sam loved the Rainbow Bus and was looking forward to it on the return trip. Americar gave us a Pontiac Sunbird with a trunk that wouldn’t shut (after we got all the luggage in it, of course). We unloaded that car and they gave us a two-door Mustang. Cool if it were just us adults. Cramped for four people, even if they are kids. The poor kids had to sit with one of our pieces of luggage between them in the back seat, falling side to side on top of both of them. We got a $74 a week rate, though. That was cool. Marty was very afraid of what we might experience when we returned this car. Oh well, onward.

I hadn’t researched where the Publix grocery store was so I never saw it. I wish I had because we stopped at the tourist trap called Goodings. Our “budget” meals in our hotel totaled $90. This store was a ripoff. Those who wrote that it was reasonable must shop at terribly overpriced stores at home. I was not happy with this place at all. Having done that unpleasant task, we shoved the groceries in the crevices we could find in the car and headed toward Fort Wilderness.

Fort Wilderness Cabins were relatively easy to find. We didn’t realize you actually entered the Magic Kingdom to get to them so we were a little confused while looking for it. No problem though, the CM at the MK entrance just let us know we had to cross over 6 lanes of traffic to get to the Fort Wilderness exit only about 100 yards away.

I believe that the Fort Wilderness check-in might have been the longest line we waited in the entire trip. We were in a pretty good mood and the check in CM was very nice, knowledgeable and helpful, so it didn’t matter. I introduced the penny press machine to the kids and they each got one. We drove to our cabin on the 2500 loop (#2533). It was the last cabin number on the loop and so was right at the entrance of it. We were concerned that this would be loud with the buses going by but it turned out to be great. Whenever we took the bus, we didn’t have far to walk to get to the cabin. This was a great location. We had some ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, settled in with our belongings and headed out for the Magic Kingdom around 3pm.

The closest bus stop was right across the street. That and the close proximity to the pool was why I requested the 2500 loop. After only a 10 minute wait, we boarded a bus at our bus stop and it dropped us off at the Settlement Depot (the north end of the property) where the marina is. After a short wait, The ferry took us straight to the Magic Kingdom entrance. As we entered the park, Sam asked at least 4 or 5 times, “Where’s the big white ball?” Should’ve done Epcot first, I guess.

The Magic Kingdom was decked out for Christmas with wreaths and garland strung across Main Street and all over the trees and buildings. It seemed a bit crowded, but I expected that since it was Saturday. We chose Magic Kingdom for our first day to make an impression on the kids and so we could see the SpectroMagic Parade. It’s only showing tonight and Wednesday night. Our first stop was the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Just the thought of a huge treehouse is inviting for kids. The kids had recently seen the movie for the first time and liked this one but were disappointed they couldn’t play on it more. At 4pm, we got FastPasses for Jungle Cruise for 4:45. Marty hadn’t done the research that I had and wasn’t very familiar with FastPasses. They soon became his best friend and priority.

We boarded Pirates of the Caribbean with only a 10 minute wait. These lines are nothing compared to what we experienced at Six Flags over Texas in August. We waited 45 minutes for most rides in the middle of Texas summer. This is a breeze. Pirates terrified Sam at first but he began to think it was pretty cool about halfway through the ride. That’s right, we figured we should traumatize our children for life with the very first ride at Disney World.

We went back to the Jungle Cruise with our FastPasses and passed by everyone. Marty loves these FastPasses and wonders why most everyone else is clueless. The Jungle Cruise was just as I remembered it, hokey. The kids liked it though. I must remember to see everything from their point of view. It’s all brand new to them. The Jungle Cruise desperately needs new microphones and speakers. Most of the stuff just passed right by the kids because they couldn’t understand what the guide was saying.

We moved on to the Enchanted Tiki Birds. From everything I’d read, I’d written off this attraction as to far-out for the kids. “Too intense” seemed to be the comment from many parents. Marty talked me into taking the kids in. While he waited with the kids for the next show, I ran to get Fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad hoping we could get Sam to ride on it. He’s not a roller-coaster kind of kid. The Tiki Birds were a breeze for the kids and I never had anything to worry about. You just never know how your child will react. You just have to take your chances with each attraction, I’ve found.

While Marty and the kids got ice cream outside the Liberty Belle Ferry ($5 for two), I picked up Haunted Mansion FastPasses (again hoping Sam could be coerced into riding). So we were holding two FastPasses at once now. Later in this trip, I found that the machines would only let me hold one at a time. I’m still confused about that. We headed back to Big Thunder and rested for 15 minutes while waiting for our FastPass time. With only a 5 minute wait in the FastPass line, we got Sam to go on, but he was practically terrified the entire ride. I was so busy consoling him that I never did see any of the scenery. Marty said it was pretty cool though. Maddie sailed through this ride, so to speak. She’s the roller coaster queen. No more coasters for Sam. Sammy Said, “Mama, when I dream about the roller coaster, I’ll try to dream that I was smiling.” You go, Sam. Positive thinking.

On to the Haunted Mansion. Now Sam has been talking about this ride for a couple of months since he started watching the Disney promotional video that they sent us. He was ready... until he saw it for real. Just the sight of the outside of the attraction made him nervous and he vowed he would NOT get on this ride. Marty, being the persuader of the trip, convinced him to brave through it. He did, but he said afterward that he wouldn’t do it again. Of course, he sits with ME so I don’t see much of the attraction. Maddie, of course, loved it. When the lights went out in the stretch room, that solidified Sam’s distaste for this ride. It felt like a cattle call moving into the ride area. I didn’t like that much.

It was time for dinner and we were passing by Columbia Harbor House. I knew about where I wanted to be for the parade, but I didn’t research specific restaurants so we just chose as we went. The kids both had macaroni and cheese with drinks. I had a Galley Salad (very good) and Marty had fish and chips (not so good). ($23.80)

At 7:30, we sat in front of the Sleepy Hollow Snack House to watch the SpectroMagic Parade. It finally got to our area about 8:15. The kids absolutely loved this parade. They’ve never seen anything like it. There’s a Light Parade in Fort Worth that they saw years ago, but nothing like this. Maddie thought Ursula was pretty cool, but was most impressed by Ariel. I videotaped the entire parade while also trying to take pictures. Marty had to keep an eye on the kids. We can’t both be preoccupied. The kids were so entranced, they forgot to wave at the characters.

As for the Characters: So far, neither of them will have anything to do with any of the characters. They don’t want to get anywhere near them. I’m glad I decided not to do the autograph thing. Lots of kids their age love hugging the characters, but I figured mine wouldn’t and I was right. It took about 3 days for them to warm up to the idea of just standing next to them for pictures.

After the parade, Sam was just too tired to do anything else. He and Marty headed back to the cabin and Maddie and I went toward Space Mountain. There was a 30 minute wait with no FastPasses available, but it was so close to closing, we just decided to go ahead and wait in the line. As we were getting in line, a man asked if we would like two of his FastPasses that would be valid in 10 minutes. By this time, Maddie understood the FastPass concept and was very excited. (She thought every ride should have one, of course.) We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority while we waited. Maddie really like this one. It was fun to go inside the other rides. We saw a glimpse of the fireworks while winding through Tomorrowland on TTA. With only a 10 minute wait in the FastPass line, we were on Space Mountain. Maddie had ridden a dark coaster before at Six Flags and was ready for this one. We passed by what seemed like hundreds of people in line, including a kid that was counting the people passing him by in the FastPass line. We were one hundred something. The ride was fun for a little bit for Madison, but then it started making her feel queasy. That’s never happened to her before. She said she almost threw up and didn’t want to ride that one again. We sat for a few minutes until she recovered herself. That surprised me.

After Space Mountain, we had time to ride Carousel of Progress. Everyone seems to love this attraction in the trip reports I’ve read. I assume because it’s just a long-standing tradition. It’s never done much for me, even in its updated version. It’s educational for the kids though. The faces all seemed awfully shiny. Perfect place to rest after getting a queasy stomach. It was 9:50 when that ended so we started heading for the exit. She saw the Alien Encounter sign and surprised me again by saying she wanted to see that. For some reason, she was feeling briefly brave. When we walked into the pre-show, she changed her mind and we headed out the chicken door in that room. I’m glad, though. I don’t think she could have handled that attraction in her state.

I forgot that there was a second parade that started at 10:00 so we got sort of jammed up by that. We crawled toward the park exit and boarded the full ferry back to Fort Wilderness with Maddie seated in my lap. Maddie was in bed by 11:00 and I sat down with my notes until about 11:45. All in all, it was a great first day.

Sunday, December 1 (Day 2) --- Morning at MGM, Evening at Epcot
Up at 7:30am. Marty made pancakes and sausage for everyone so we could get some fuel for the day. Our intentions of hitting the parks at opening times were dashed already, but no bother. We left at 9am for MGM in our car. It took only about 12 minutes to drive there. We parked in the Stage Lot, Row 46 and took the Tram to the entrance. Maybe the bus would have been comparable considering it probably lets you out at the entrance so you don’t have to take the Tram. I don’t know.

When we entered the park, we were greeted by the humongous sorcerer’s hat and minimal Christmas decor. My touring plan for this park was not detailed at all, so we checked our map to see where Tower of Terror was and set out for it. We stopped for sunglasses for Marty (he hasn’t been able to locate his) and a Wheelie Toy for Sam and a fuzzy pen for Maddie. ($25.67) The Beauty and the Beast Show was about to start so we detoured and sat down for that. Marty left to get FastPasses for Tower of Terror. I didn’t plan to see Beauty right away today but I figured we would have time to do everything we wanted even if it wasn’t in order. We saw... we did. The Beauty show was wonderful. Very colorful and entertaining.

At 10:20, we headed for Tower of Terror. Maddie is looking forward to this ride (she thinks) and Sam has refused to ride. He can’t be coaxed this time, no way. We gave him the option of taking the regular elevator down and he had to ask us a few times while in line just to make sure that was still the plan. We assured him that even Mickey and Goofy ride the regular elevator sometimes. Actually, all Sam talks about doing today is going swimming. It’s a little cold for that-- mid 60’s. We’ve been trying to talk him down from that all morning. We made many promises that we will go swimming eventually. Maddie and I rode Tower of Terror while Sam and Marty went down. Maddie closed her eyes and dug her face in me for most of the ride. I envisioned this attraction as just being an up and down ride. I had no idea the elevator actually moved into the building. That was cool. The effects are excellent. None of that regular audioanimatronics. Maddie was buzzing from her first ride and, without thinking much, went to ride it again with Marty after we exited. I waited with Sam and we looked at the pictures from the ride. Ours was funny but I just couldn’t bring myself to pay $16.95 for a photo. After the second ride, Maddie decided she didn’t ever want to ride it again.

Upon exiting Tower of Terror, we moved to get FastPasses to Rock N Roller Coaster. Marty was missing one of our cards and we freaked out because it was a card with charging privileges. Turns out, he had left it at the Tower of Terror FastPass area and a CM had it. Whew. We got our FastPasses, four of them just in case Sam decided to Ride.

We went to the Bakery for a quick snack. Mint Fudge for Sam, Cookies N Cream fudge for Maddie and a white chocolate pretzel for Marty. Those fudge pieces were huge. We had to save the rest in our small backpack for later. ($7.16) It was great stuff. Marty also stopped for a Powerade and carrot sticks ($4).

We headed for Rock N Roller Coaster. Sam wouldn’t ride and we didn’t push him. Marty and Sam had to wait for Maddie and I to completely finish and exit the ride before we could swap kids. It took us 15 minutes from entry to exit. Maddie got queasy on this ride also and wouldn’t ride again. Marty didn’t want to ride alone or make us wait 15 minutes for him to do it so he gave away our other two FastPasses.

Outside Rock N Roller Coaster, I had the bright idea of trying to get Maddie to swallow a Dramamine so she could try the coasters again later in the day. She’s never swallowed a pill in her life. This one almost made her gag. She spit it out and we just gave up the indoor coasters for awhile.

We walked over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, got a FastPass for a 1:00 return and went to see Playhouse Disney. This was cute but sitting on the floor was quite uncomfortable especially when the kids wanted to sit in our laps to see better. Forty year old knees just can’t take that. Sam actually got up to dance a little. Maddie just doesn’t do that. She gets too embarrassed. They both liked this show, though. Maddie did remark that she knew they were just puppets. I gave Marty the camera to take a picture of Sam and me. I knew it was the last picture on the roll. He must not have actually taken it because, when I thought it had rewound, I opened it up and there was the film, exposed. Poop. I closed it up but couldn’t remember how to manually rewind the film. I’d have to figure it out later.

We went straight to the Mermaid show upon exiting Playhouse and walked right in with our FastPasses. Sam loved the rain in this attraction and both agreed the whole effect was really cool. During the show, I covered my lap with all the coats, opened my camera and physically pushed all the film into the canister. I put in a new roll and hoped for the best. It turns out, all I lost were the three pictures I took in Playhouse Disney. The rest of the roll was fine!

We headed for Muppet 3D and Sam had a mini-meltdown over his need for ice cream. We don’t usually bow to our children’s tantrums, but we are on vacation and he IS very tired already. We stopped for two Mickey bars for him and Maddie and went on to 3D. They let us go in the pre-show with them. That surprised me. This was the first real 3D show the kids have seen and they absolutely loved it. Sam kept testing to see what it looked like without his glasses and especially liked the blown up walls at the end. He was amazed that the walls went back to normal while we exited the auditorium. I had decided on MGM early in our trip because this 3D movie was supposed to be the tamest. I figured I’d work them up the Bug 3D in Animal Kingdom.

I had planned to get a pin for every park like I did 10 years ago. I bought my first pin here at MGM and it was an astonishing $7. At this point, I still intended to get all 4 plus a Fort Wilderness pin. I would soon give up that notion and exchange them for one 100 year pin and one Fort Wilderness pin. That pin trading must surely be an expensive habit.

We went out of MGM and drove back to the cabin. The kids tried to eat lunch there. They were both pretty much catatonic. Sam still wants to swim but we forgot his water wings. He had a meltdown over this. Marty called to see if there was any place to get some. They suggested we get a life jacket from the Bike Barn, no charge. He drove over there to get one. The kids fell asleep by the time he got back. We let them sleep for about 45 minutes. It was 3:30 and the room had not yet been cleaned. Housekeeping came by but I asked them to come back at 4:30. We hoped we could persuade Sam to wait another day to swim so we could get to Epcot in time to see the tree lighting. When they woke up, we started the persuading. Sammy Said, “but Mom, the water is always the same warm temperature, I won’t be cold!” It’s hard to argue with him sometimes. We convinced him to wait nonetheless. We reminded him what it would feel like getting out in 60 degree weather with only a puny towel to cover him.

We drove over to the Beach Club and parked there so that we could walk over to Epcot. There was plenty of parking and this was a very nice walk. We stopped at the beach there. These kids can’t pass a pile of sand anywhere. They could have spent the rest of the evening right there. Isn’t it usually the simple and inexpensive things that they love the most? The rest of the evening, Sam only wanted to know when we could go back to the beach. That got old. We entered Epcot through the International Gateway.

We saw the tree lighting from a not-so-great angle but it was still pretty. I had the video camera with me. We walked counter clockwise around World Showcase to get a spot for the Tapestry parade. I must have misunderstood where the parade was to end. The map showed it ending between Mexico and Norway but in fact it was further up into the Showcase. We found a decent spot and sat. The kids loved these amazing puppets and a couple of them actually came close to them. I had seen this parade in numerous promotions, but you really have to see and hear it to believe it. It’s simply unique.

The parade was over at 6:35. We were farther up into World Showcase than we intended to be and we made the mistake of continuing counter clockwise around to get to Future World. Not sure why we did that. As we rounded the corner toward Future World, Maddie exclaimed, “Hey, that must be God’s golf ball!” I had to agree. It was so funny at the time. We planned to ride Spaceship Earth knowing it was tame enough for both kids. Sam was very concerned that it would turn him upside down. With more coaxing, he rode it and enjoyed it. There’s a part where the cars are going backwards through what feels like the inside of a computer cable with long colored streams of light above. Sammy Said, “It feels like we’re inside a GameBoy!” This from a child who has never even played one.

At 7:50pm, we have dinner at Electric Umbrella in Future World. I convince Marty to get a pizza for each kid thinking they would be very hungry. These things were huge and one would have been more than enough for them to share. Live and learn. Marty and I each had a double bacon cheeseburger. Marty’s was cold but mine was fine. Watch out for the mayo dispenser on the toppings bar - you’ll get about three burgers’ worth. ($31.00)

The Land was closed and Test Track was a 50 minute wait with no FastPasses left so we headed to Honey I Shrunk the Audience to pass some time before Illuminations. When I found out how long it was, I was concerned we wouldn’t get a good enough spot in the Showcase to see the show. We continued into it anyway and hoped for the best. This was a great show for the kids. For some reason, Marty never felt the “rats” around his legs. The kids had their feet up in the seats which was just as well. They would periodically take off their glasses but they really enjoyed it.

As we exited, it was after 9:00. Illuminations would start at 9:30. We hustled up to the Showcase and saw it from a spot near the International Gateway (since we were parked near there). Illuminations was wonderful for us and the kids both. Finding a spot so late wasn’t too difficult. Our view was a little obstructed by a tree but that didn’t bother the kids at all. We were sitting right behind one of the triple cannons that are located along the lakeside so it was about 5 feet from us. That took us by surprise when the first one went off. Sam’s whole face lit up with that. They both adore fireworks. On the way out, Sam spotted a sprinkler head and said it was a fireworks cannon. I simply agreed. Why not.

We walked back toward the Beach Club through the International Gateway. The nighttime walk was beautiful. We stopped again at the beach where the kids played before. Despite the fact it was about 48 degrees out there, the kids stripped off their shoes and socks and ran for the sand. Sam skittered back shortly thereafter wanting them back on. We let them play in the sand for a good 20 minutes before demanding they come back. That 45 minute nap earlier in the day really revved them up for the evening. They were literally wired. That got Sam into trouble in the park a few times too.

By 10:45 we were back at the cabin where the kids found two balloons each tied to birthday cards. One was for Sam signed by Buzz Lightyear and Woody and one for Maddie signed by Snow White. They were thrilled. We had mentioned that this trip was to celebrate both our kids birthdays coming up (they are only 4 days apart). Fort Wilderness really came through for them.

We coaxed them into bed at 11:00 and they crashed, as did we. Thank goodness for the Murphy bed. Marty was still having some pretty bad coughing fits, so we put him out there while the kids and I had the bedroom. They love those bunk beds and are good at taking turns with the top bunk each day.

Monday, December 2 (Day 3) -- Animal Kingdom

Our original plan was to do one park in the mornings, back for lunch and nap, and on to another park in the evenings. We changed that today and decided to do Animal Kingdom all in one day and make an early evening of it. Today was early entry day for AK.

We were up at 6:30 and had cereal. We rode buses to the Animal Kingdom this time. It wasn’t so bad. It took probably 30 minutes or so. Sammy Said, “I’m going to see so many things, I’m going to forget my name!”

On the way to Safaris, we stopped to see a CM with a tarantula specimen and another with some bones. Sam thought that was pretty nifty. He’s such a boy. We also stopped to get a family picture with Goofy. I guess it was ok to stand by a character as long as Mom and Dad did it too. Kilamanjaro Safari was a walk on. There were a lot of animals to see. I was surprised they had so many of each animal out there. They were definitely active. The okapi were running and the cheetahs were out. We saw a lion and lioness and lots of elephants, rhinos and giraffes. It was wonderful. Of all things, Sam was most impressed with the termite towers and the bones.

Next we took the train over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The kids didn’t understand too much of the conservation stuff but they liked the exhibits nonetheless. They both like all the bones and specimens. The train ride was a treat for them. Generally, the cast members have been much spunkier in this park than in the others. The kids wanted to go in the petting zoo area. This one newer than the one at Fort Wilderness (which we never went to). The CM said they learned that the animals were much calmer when guests are not allowed to feed them. He said if kids have ever been frightened at a pitting zoo because of aggressive animals, this was the place to bring them. I agreed. The animals were very calm. Fort Wilderness still lets you feed the animals, because, evidently, once you start the policy, you can’t stop.

After returning from Rafiki’s, we went straight to the Tree of Life to see It’s Tough To Be a Bug. I had made sure that the kids had seen Muppet 3D and then Honey I Shrunk the Audience before seeing this one. That was part of my reasoning for the order of the parks so far. I wanted to build up the intensity of these 3D shows since they’d never seen one before. On the way, we saw that the Festival of the lion King was about to start. What an absolutely amazing show. Every bit of it entertained us. By far our favorite show of the trip. At The Tree of Life, The Bugs were pretty intense, although a shorter show than I anticipated. It went by fast. The kids took off their glasses more often than in the other shows, but that’s ok with me. The kids got a kick out of the special physical effects. The bugs leaving the theater startled Marty and the kids just laughed. My bench wasn’t working, but I could hear it. Hilarious. Actually, my favorite part of this show was the movie posters in the waiting area.

At 12:20, we got hungry and I’d read the Flame Tree BBQ was good. Marty thought he could use a good BBQ so we tried it. He really liked his sandwich. It turned out to be his favorite meal of the trip. My chicken salad sandwich was different but very good, lots of celery if you’re interested. The kids had the mini hot dogs. They weren’t very mini. There were two of them and they were almost full size in my opinion. They both had french fries and ate almost every bit. One of the better meals we’ve had so far. ($23.60)

Sam really wants to ride Dinosaur. Another thing he saw on the Disney advertising video. He saw the kid excited about seeing the T-Rex and so now he thinks he has to do it. I’m skeptical. We headed that way. Maddie really didn’t want to ride so Marty and Sam got in line while we waited in the shop at the end. The ride broke down as did Sam’s resolve to do it later. Nevertheless, we got 4 FastPasses to return at 3pm.

We walked over to DinoRama and rode TriceraTop Spin. We rode in the back while the kids took over the front. Of course, they like being high up most of the time. We then got FastPasses to ride Primeval Whirl for me and Madison. No coasters for Sam. Maddie originally didn’t want to have anything to do with another coaster until she saw the entire thing was outside and she could see each turn.

We headed to the Boneyard to wait until our FastPass time for Primeval Whirl. As I had predicted, this was Sam’s favorite part of the park. Anything he can dig in is heaven for him. Maddie was very intent on digging up something. She and I left for awhile to ride the Whirl and she really went for this ride. As we were leaving, Sam uncovered a big plastic dinosaur with a tag on it (ok, so Dad really found it, but he covered it up really quick and called Sam over to “discover” it.) Sam took it to the CM and got a certificate for being an honorary paleontologist. Cool! Unfortunately, we lost all of Sam’s pressed pennies in the Boneyard. His pocket wasn’t as secure as I thought. They just couldn’t survive Sam tumbling and making sand angels. He didn’t seem too concerned as long as he could keep digging. He insisted on remaining in the Boneyard forever.

We peeled Sam away from the Boneyard to hit Dinosaur with our FastPasses. Sam’s not so keen to do this ride now, but Maddie pipes up and says she will. Go figure. Marty convinces Sam to get on with us and I give them both their jackets to cover their heads. This ride really was too intense for them. Sam only peeked out once to see a grass eating dinosaur at my prompting. Otherwise, he covered himself and was buried in my lap the entire time. Maddie did the same thing. Hey, Marty and I enjoyed it! In the picture at the end, it looks like he and I are riding alone in the back seat. Since Sam braved the ride and never actually got scared by anything he “saw”, he claimed this to be his favorite ride so far.

After Dinosaur, we stopped for ice cream (seems to be the kids’ snack of choice). Maddie had the standard Mickey bar, Sam had a Pawprint bar (insisting on cleaning and keeping the stick afterwards) and I broke down and got an ice cream bar with caramel in it. Oooooh, that was good. ($10.50)

We headed to Primeval Whirl for a second ride. This time Maddie went with Marty. Sam was actually willing to ride this but he wasn’t tall enough. You have to be 48”. That’s a shame. I got some good pictures here.

We went straight to see the parade after the Whirl. We got fairly decent places although the kids had to stand up to see. This parade was a surprise. I didn’t think it would be that interesting so I didn’t originally have it on my must-see list. It was well done though. All the “animal” contraptions were really cool. We had fun trying to identify what animals were being represented.

We saw pretty much everything we were interested in, so we headed toward the exit after the parade. We stopped to replace the two pressed pennies Sam had collected and lost that day. He was cool with that. I started keeping all the pressed pennies in my camera bag after that. MUST keep Madison’s and Sam’s separate though! We stopped for a quick photo op in front of the Animal Kingdom Christmas tree. It took a long time to get back to the cabin this time. It was 5:40 when we arrived (we had left around 4:30). Sam fell asleep on the bus. That was good though, he needed a little rest so he could SWIM finally. Marty figured he better just bite the bullet and brave the cold instead of trying to convince him to wait another day.

Marty took the kids to the pool while I cooked a frozen pizza. I worked on my trip notes while it cooked. We didn’t have any more plans for the evening except strictly downtime. Marty gave me the night off. Since I’m so enamored with Disney, I wanted to do some exploring on my own. The pizza was done and I left it in the oven to keep warm. I made the short walk to the pool to give them a kiss goodnight and take a couple of pictures of them. It was quite cold outside, but the kids and Marty were toasty warm in the pool and they were having an absolute ball. The pool was steaming up into the cold air. What a sight. I caught a bus at 6:30 to the Outpost to go on to Epcot. This was the first time I saw female bus drivers. Marty and the kids stayed in the pool another hour and hightailed it through the cold back to the cabin. They dried off, donned their pj’s, ate their pizza and settled down to watch.... Fear Factor. Ugh. That’s what happens when Mom has left the coop.

At Epcot, I rode the ride in Mexico and Norway just to see if the kids would like them. I figured they’d be ok with them. I tried to find some wine at France but was disappointed with the selection. I wanted to go to Downtown Disney so I headed for the Future World entrance and got caught by the second Tapestry parade. I hadn’t anticipated that. The only way to get to Downtown Disney was to board a bus or monorail to one of the resorts and get on a bus to Downtown Disney from there. I didn’t know which bus to take, so I just hopped the next available one which happened to be Port Orleans. I arrived at Port Orleans and there was a Downtown Disney bus right there waiting. How fortuitous. Hey, it was still better than driving and a lot safer.

My first stop at Downtown Disney was the Christmas Store. I really wanted a family ornament from our trip ($14.84). Personalization was to take a week so I opted not to go that route. I have special pens that I can personalize the ornament with the date on my own. I also picked up a box of Disney Vacation stickers for my scrapbook and a Minnie antennae ball at World of Disney ($9.54). Jeez, I’ve never seen so much Disney merchandise in my life. I asked for a Princess lunch box but only Thermos makes them as a licensed product. They don’t sell them in Disney World. Go figure that one. I grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s (Marty won’t believe I actually ate McDonald’s at Disney World) ($5.29) and walked further down the marketplace to have a look around. I wasn’t as impressed with the rest of the shops. The Lego store had a hands-on area but I guess I was just expecting more. I would like to have eaten at some of the restaurants there. On our last trip (sans kids) we had an evening at Pleasure Island and had lots of fun there. Oh well. Next time. I headed back to Fort Wilderness on the buses and crashed about 11:30.

Tuesday, December 3 (Day 4) -- Magic Kingdom till late afternoon, MGM for dinner/Fantasmic

We had planned to be at the Magic Kingdom by 9am but didn’t make it until 9:45. The kids and Marty had pancakes and sausages for breakfast and sort of took it easy. At the Settlement Depot, I stopped at the Trading Post for lotion for my dry hands ($1.86 for a sample size!). Everyone else played on the playground for a bit. Maddie slid down a wet slide and her wet pants proved to be a problem. She was quite bent out of shape about it. We entered the Magic Kingdom and stopped to watch Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration (scheduled surprises, interesting). Afterwards, we changed Maddie into her shorts. She was a little cold but it was better than a wet hiney.

We went straight over to the Mad Tea Party (Sam had missed the tea cups at Six Flags and has been waiting for this a long time). We picked up FastPasses for Winnie the Pooh and tried to get Peter Pan FastPasses also but the machine wouldn’t let us hold both at the same time. I didn’t understand that since we were able to before. We saw Cruella D’vil but the kids didn’t want to stand with her. Not ready for villains, yet. We rode the Carousel with no wait (the kids love ALL carousels) and pretty much rode things as we came across them. Crowds were relatively light and it wasn’t an early entry day. We boarded Snow White’s Scary Adventure with only a 5 minute wait. This is another one I had been warned might be too scary for kids. Not to worry though, we laughed at everything as it came along and kids eventually joined in the attitude. If we don’t stress the scary aspect of these rides, they don’t think of them as scary. On the it’s a small world with no wait. Sammy Said, “I think my teeth are chattering because I LOVE this!” Ohhhhkay. I had trouble identifying the various countries on this ride for the kids, I guess because I’m not as culturally educated as I should be. We went back to use our Pooh FastPasses and the kids really enjoyed this ride. Hey, it’s geared right at their age group. Maddie has taken on a love for Pooh she didn’t have before this trip. We offered to get her a light chaser and she chose a Winnie the Pooh Honey Pot one ($13).

After that, we sat down for pretzels, one each with cheese for the kids, one with salt and mustard for me ($15). Marty thought he was getting the small pretzels but they ended up being the very large ones. He helped the kids eat theirs. We went to Peter pan’s Flight with our FastPasses and were surprised that it is actually a “flight”. The ships hang from a rail throughout the ride and most everything is below you. Exceptionally neat.

On to Goofy’s Barnstormer in Toontown. It was about at 10 minute wait. We had to talk Sam into this one but it helped that it was all outdoors. Turns out, he loved it but was quite disappointed at how short it was. Probably the shortest ride in all of Disney World. We stopped at Donald’s Boat but there was no water due to the cooler weather, not much to do there without water. We went on to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz Lightyear with no wait. Sam has been looking forward to this one too. Our first ride served only to get us oriented. It was very difficult for the kids to see where they were shooting. They couldn’t see the red laser dots and they sat too low in the seats. Sam actually got up on his knees. On this first ride, Marty spun the spaceship for Sam and I spun ours for Madison. We came out and went straight back to get in line again. The kids scored below 2000 each time but they had a blast (so to speak). Marty made it to 76,000 once but I understand that even that isn’t so great, comparatively speaking! On our second ride, Maddie and I got a spaceship that wasn’t working so we got to hop on the one behind us and go through again. As we exited, Buzz was meeting people right outside. Marty took the kids to get their picture with him while I stood in line for Alien Encounter.

Alien Encounter did not impress me much. There were startling effects and I wouldn’t have taken my kids in to see it, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as I had read. I laughed through most of it. My phone rang right in the middle of the ride. Marty wanted to tell me where they would be waiting for me. That was interesting.

We took the Railroad to Frontierland. I used my cell phone while on the train to make priority seating arrangements at the Prime Time 50’s Cafe in MGM. It was 11:00 and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get in. We wanted to do an early dinner there and go over to Fantasmic at 6:00. I got seating at 4:10 which was perfect. Maddie wanted to do Splash Mountain so we got off the train at Frontierland. Marty took her while Sam and I waited. I got him a Buzz Lightyear Light Chaser ($13) which he adored. When they got off the ride, they both insisted that we HAD to ride it. We would love it, even Sam. With a little coaxing for Sam, we did. We threw the thin orange ponchos that we bought at Target on the kids and braved it. It was cool and we didn’t want miserable wet kids the rest of the day. Sam thought the ride was really cool but he didn’t want to do that drop “into the prickles” again. I had no idea this attraction was so long! It was great! I tried to keep my camera dry during this ride by tucking it under my jacket. I didn’t have the strap around my neck, forgot about it and got off the ride. My camera crashed to the concrete breaking the UV lens behind the lens cap. I got it off ok, but couldn’t get the lens cap off the broken UV lens. I went around the parks the rest of the day terribly nervous with the lens exposed on my camera. I wanted a new Mickey lens cap anyway. Now we just have to find one. I’ll get a new UV lens when we get back to Dallas. We got our Splash Mountain pressed pennies and got back on the train to go back to the entrance.

We took the express Monorail to the TTC and a bus to MGM. It is sort of like taking connecting flights, but missing one isn’t the end of the world. There’s always another one coming along. We hit MGM and headed straight the the Prime Time 50’s Cafe and got there just 5 minutes before our seating time. They called the Rice kids and sat us at a very good table in a poodle kitchen with a TV right at the table. The TV clips were a hoot. Our babysitter, Elizabeth, sat and talked with us a bit and reminded Marty that hats weren’t allowed at the dinner table. She took our order, left, and we soaked in the atmosphere. It was sort of like being in my grandmother’s kitchen again.

Marty ordered meatloaf with green beans and mashed potatoes, Sam had a PB&J and Elizabeth said if he didn’t eat his crusts, she would - he liked that. Maddie had macaroni and cheese and they both had lemonade. I ordered the shrimp pasta (I don’t think they even used the word “pasta” in the 50’s did they?) and a Long Island Tea. The Long Island Tea came with a little light-up ice cube in it tat we got to keep. The kids loved that! We really enjoyed all the food. Maddie scarfed up the mac and cheese quickly. Sam loved the real potato chips with his sandwich. Marty said the meatloaf was ok. All of us cleaned our plates but didn’t hear anything about the “clean plate club” like I read online. Elizabeth wasn’t as much in character as I expected but it was very enjoyable. We thought the prices were in line with WDW, but not outrageous. For dessert, Sam picked out a “make your own sundae” where they give you ice cream in a dessert bowl and 6 different toppings in little plastic cups to sprinkle on as you please. He was VEERY pleased. Maddie had cheesecake (so grown-up) and they also received a cupcake with 2 candles in it to share for their birthdays. ($66.15 when we added tip)

We headed to Fantasmic at 5:25. I had expected to stand in line, but they let you into the auditorium to wait. We sat in the Jafar section. It looks to me like all the seating is fairly good. You don’t have to be seated in the Mickey (center) section to see well. I spotted someone selling hot chocolate in WDW travel mugs. I HAD to have one! They had just run out, so I booked it up to the refreshment stand. It was a reasonable $4 and they had lots of other good stuff including beer. As for the show, I was impressed with the “fan” water effect. That was really cool. Marty didn’t follow the story so well, so he wasn’t as impressed with the overall show as I was. He liked Illuminations better. The kids enjoyed it although there were some rather loud and scary parts in it. They got over that quickly.

We moved very slowly out of the auditorium, cattle call style, and headed over to the Light Spectacle. Marty sort of rolled his eyes at the fact we had to “rush” to see one more thing. He thought we were pretty much done for the day. I assured him the kids would love it. All I told him were that there were 5 million lights. Turns out he loved it as much as the kids and was very impressed by it. We picked up our 3D glasses from a CM at the New York skyline and were confused at how they would work in a live setting. We finally figured out that they form angels around the larger lights when you have them on. Otherwise, they just make everything blurry. They were fun for awhile, but we all took them off and enjoyed the lights after awhile. They are a fun souvenir to take home. The lights were absolutely incredible. I thought they would just be a single street but it winds around the backlot. The kids were most impressed with the “snow”, of course. I had to tell them not to catch the snow on their tongues. Sam didn’t listen too well and found out why. This entire attraction was much wider in scope than I imagined.

We headed back to Fort Wilderness and the kids were in bed by a blessed 8:30. We watched some TV and hit the hay to be prepared for early entry at Epcot the next day.

Wednesday, December 4 (Day 5) -- Epcot until evening, Campfire show at Fort Wilderness
Up at 6:30. Kids are dragging a bit. Madison insisted it wasn’t time to get up. We had cereal and were at Epcot at 8:00 for early entry. We quickly stopped to get a new Mickey lens cap at the Camera Store at the entrance. I had wanted one of these anyway ever since I saw someone else with one in the park. We moved rather quickly right to Test Track. Sam heard the loud cars going around the loop and immediately expressed his distaste for this ride. After a bit of coaxing (this is becoming a habit), Sam gets on with us. As soon as it was over, he insisted we ride again. So we moved quickly through the exhibits and boarded again with the kids in the front seat and us in the back. It felt nice to be “chauffeured” for once. We forgot our pressed penny after the second ride and never made it back to get it. Sam never mentioned it (miracle of miracles - he’s hooked on those things). I lost my brand new Mickey lens cap after the second ride and went back to the ride exit. They figured out what car I was in by identifying our picture and the CM waited for that car so he could take a look in it. Sure enough it was there. He was very patient and helpful. If it’s not attached to me at the park, it’ll get lost.

We rode Spaceship Earth again since it was no-wait. I can’t imagine a people-moving ride like this ever having a wait. Sam saw the painter and asked how long he had been there. Sammy Said, “well, he needs to change his clothes.” The headrests in Spaceship Earth are terribly uncomfortable, especially when you descend backwards. I’m terribly curious what kind of overhaul they’ll do to this ride in the coming years.

On the way to Universe of Energy, we stopped for a little brunch at Electric Umbrella. The cereal breakfast just wasn’t holding up. We got coffee and breakfast burritos which we thought were pretty good. The kids split one and ate every bite. ($20.81) This is where we happened across our first talking trash can. Maddie was quite amused with this and practically put her head inside the thing to see where the sound was coming from.

At Universe of Energy, we went directly to Ellen’s Energy Adventure and got in line to board the very next ride. Sam didn’t believe it was a ride since there were so many seats in one place. He was surprised. The dinosaurs scared Maddie a bit but Sam was cool with it. I think they would both ride it again though, now that they know what to expect. Sam still remarks about “the ride where we were in Ellen’s dream” and how the dinosaurs were “shy”. (The CMs told him that.)

From there, we strolled over to Wonders of Life and hit Body Wars first. Since Madison had been queasy on some of the roller coasters, I was a little worried that this would affect her. I didn’t need to, though. She was fine. Cranium Command was next and the entire concept went right over their heads. It was a waste of time for my kids but might be cute for kids a little older. After going through some of the Wonders of Life exhibits (which the kids really liked) I coaxed Maddie into going into The Making of Me. I thought she was a t a good age to at least approach the subject, if not have the all-out conversation. I left Sam with Marty to explore some more. They got bored while we were in there. There’s not enough to hold a 5 year old’s attention for a total of 45 minutes. The Making of Me was only 15 minutes long but the scene where the mother is pushing during the baby’s birth freaked her out totally. Her dream has been to be a mommy when she grows up and after seeing the pain the woman was in, she’s scared to ever have a baby. She said, “I want to have a baby but I don’t want to do THAT!” It took me 45 minutes to talk her down from that one. I pretty much lied and said it didn’t really hurt and you got a really great baby out of the deal. Of all the rides at Disney World, my kid freaks out over a movie. I should have known - she’s very sensitive emotionally. If your child is the same way, I’d skip this one.

We walked up to the Mexico side of showcase to hit all the countries. Maddie has been talking about seeing all of them. That surprised me for a 6 (almost 7) year old, but we did it, wondering if she would quickly get bored with it. Sam and Maddie both loved going through each country, seeing various street performers. Getting their pressed pennies and trying on hats from each country. Getting the pennies eventually became the primary focus somewhere around the USA pavilion but hey, they were getting a little culture right?

At Mexico, we rode the Rio del Tiempo. Cute for the kids and not scary at all. We stopped to watch the glass blower make Cinderella pumpkin carriages. Of course, Sam had a lot of questions about how that was done. I wish there had been someone there to explain the process. I did the best I could. I was more worried about keeping our little bull from touching anything in the store. That’s all I need it to purchase a broken Cinderella’s Castle for $2100! (But boy, was it gorgeous!!!) Got our penny and headed toward Norway.

At Norway, Marty spied someone with a beer and thought that looked really good. He got a Norwegian beer and picked up ice creams for the kids. Sam didn’t like the strawberry bar because it had seeds in it. Sammy Said, “ I CAN’T eat REAL strawberries!” Didn’t understand that one. I ate that one, and he got a Mickey bar. Why make a big deal of it. (Ice creams and coke $10, Beer $10 but worth every cent according to Marty). The kids played on the Viking Ship a little bit, Maddie was very disappointed in herself for not being able to climb the rope on her own. This girl can scale a door jamb and touch the ceiling by herself. She was to the point of tears so we had to distract her with the Maelstrom ride. I thought this might scare the kids, but I guess they’ve been on enough scary rides that this one was taken in stride. We try to go through the rides laughing at scary parts for them so they’ll be more comfortable. Sometimes it works. Maddie asked what country we were going to next. While I pulled out the map she pipes up, “New Jersey?” Where do they hear this stuff? There were some Norwegian dancers performing so we sat the kids down to watch them a bit. They tried to get Madison to come up to help them with some instruments. She was totally unprepared for this and refused to go up with them. They chose another smaller child and Maddie immediately wished she had done it. We told her to just be prepared for another time. We got our Norway penny and moved on up to China.

At China, the storyteller had just started so we sat the kids down again, right in the middle of the audience. He was very cute, but I don’t think the kids understood the story. They probably didn’t care because he was entertaining anyway. At the end, he picked Madison to come up with him and this time, she hopped up. He got her to smile and bow and even lay on the ground to “bow lower”. Then he told her to sit down because she was cuter than he was. She’ll remember that. She was SO proud of herself. They announced that the Chinese acrobats would be performing in the next 5 minutes so we just turned around and sat for that. The kids were amazed at how young the performers were and thought the fact they could fit into tubes was pretty cool. The spinning plates were a sight. Marty liked the Norwegian beer so much, he ventured off for another one while we watched the acrobats. We searched in the pavilion to get our pressed pennies; however, China is the only country that doesn’t have one.

On the way to Germany, we explained that their uncle lived in the real Germany. Sam was quite confused because he thought he was going to see his uncle right then. The proximity thing is lost on a 5 year old. By this time, the kids were pressed-penny-bound so we didn’t stop to look at much here. I would have loved to strolled through but we didn’t get the masks or the passports for the kids to pass the time. We would have never made it through the countries had we done those things too. Had we had more time for the Showcase, we would have done that. Maybe next time...

At Italy we breezed through for our pressed pennies. Marty thought Italian food sounded great but we waited and we moved on to USA where we stopped only for our pennies. Between USA and Japan, Marty was starving, so he got a funnel cake to share with the kids. We stopped to watch a juggler for a bit and then got pictures of the kids in jester hats.

At Japan, we just missed a performance of the drummers. The kids would have really liked that. They loved the buildings here. I explained that another one of their uncles lived in Japan and, you guessed it, Sam wondered if we were going to see his uncle there. He’s nothing if not consistent. No penny press machine here, so we moved on.

AT Morocco, we found both Japanese and Moroccan pressed pennies. Aladdin’s Genie was here and both kids decided to get their picture with him. Those big characters hugging little bitty kids is always so cute. We zipped through France after that and got the requisite penny.

At the United Kingdom, it seemed very weird to be going through the quaint little British town with the sound of the Beetles belting from around the corner. We didn’t have time to sit and watch, I don’t think the kids were impressed with the music anyway. We grabbed some fish and chips here ($6.50) and pennies too, of course.

We finished all the countries at 4:15 having taken many pictures of the kids on various native hats throughout the Showcase. We rushed through them mainly so we could get back to Fort Wilderness to let the kids nap a bit before the Campfire Show. We took the bus back (Sam crashed on Marty’s shoulder again) to the cabin and ate dinner. The kids had hot dogs and we cooked up some chicken for a chicken Caeser salad. It was nice to relax in the cabin and eat. The kids took a 30 minute nap and were ready to hit the Campfire Show where The Jungle Book was showing. We took a bus to the show, picked up marshmallows, skewers and a coke ($3.50). When you buy the marshmallows there, you get a LOT of marshmallows. The weather was absolutely perfect for the evening. They roasted 4 or 5 marshmallows each and had a bunch to spare. The entire area is covered with pebbles which is one of Sam’s favorite things in the world. Give him a bunch of rocks and he’s a happy camper. He amused himself with that until the movie started. The sing-along was ok but she belted out versions of songs and made them difficult to follow along. The kids were introduced to the Mickey Mouse Club song for the first time. Sam and Maddie really enjoyed watching the movie outside. Sam sat right up front with a new friend he’d met. While they watched the movie with Marty, I walked over to the Meadows Trading Post and picked up some personalized key chains (the name Madison is hard to find sometimes) and traded some pins. After the movie, we took the bus back to our loop and the kids crashed. I packed up everything except what we would need the next day so we could check out in the morning and head to the Magic Kingdom until time to return our rental car.

Thursday, December 6 (Day 6) --- Our Last Day
We could have made it to the early opening at Magic Kingdom if we hadn’t had to return the life jacket to the Bike Barn. It didn’t open until 8am. As soon as we did that, we drove to the Magic Kingdom. We should have just parked in the Fort Wilderness lot and taken the boat over since you have to take the monorail or ferry even from where you park your car (the TTC). Oh well..

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom by about 8:30 and crowds were light. I brought the video camera into the park today to hit the highlights of MK. We finally got to ride Dumbo with only a 10 minute wait. They wouldn’t let the kids ride by themselves so Marty had to squeeze in with them. Made for great video. The teacups line was short so they made me get on this time. Videotaping in the teacups is an experience. Don’t try it. We walked over to the Speedway and got in line for a 20 minute wait. There’s no Fastpass here. Sam had to go to the restroom as we got halfway through the line. We jumped out of the line and rushed there and snaked our way back to Marty and Madison before they got to the cars. Everyone in line was very understanding as far as I could tell.

We got a Fastpass to Winnie the Pooh as the wait was already 30 minutes. Marty was starving so we stopped for some Dole Whips. As I ordered, Marty took the kids for pictures with Rafiki . Sam got vanilla, Maddie got pineapple and Marty got a Dole Whip float and a coffee for afterwards ($10). They loved them all. I was waiting to have a big lunch. We got pictures with King Louis and Baloo afterwards.

After that snack we rode Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Marty got pelted by the camel. I had forgotten that the camel spits at you. He was totally surprised. We tried Pirates of the Caribbean again since the kids liked it the other day. Not nearly as frightening the second time. Sam loved the shop at the end of Pirates. He wanted every device and hat he saw. We got him out of there as quick as possible. I just don’t need a sword and pair of shackles in the playroom. We found Captain Hook and Smee and got a picture with them there. We went back to use our Pooh FastPass and picked up a bobbing head Eeyore ornament for Madison from Pooh’s Thotful Shop. ($9.54)

Next, we stopped for a full lunch at Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Frontierland. This place is huge and has hundreds of tables. Marty had the Chicken Wrap, I had a cheeseburger and the kids each had hotdogs and french fries ($23.48). All of it was wonderful, especially after I went to the toppings bar. It had sauteed onions, mushrooms and all the other regular stuff. Marty saw my onions and mushrooms and went back to make an entire side dish of them. While I cleaned up lunch, Marty ran to get Fastpasses for Splash Mountain for him and Maddie. Sam opted out for this one this time around.

We waited out the Fastpass by going to the Country Bear Jamboree. I’d never seen the regular show and this one was the holiday version. It was cute but it didn’t make a big impression on the kids. It was restful though and it killed a little time.

While Maddie and Dad went on Splash Mountain, Sam and I headed over toward the Shooting Gallery. I thought Sam might be interested in that. We picked up a WonderBall chocolate ball ($2) on the way. At the Shooting Gallery, the guns were too big and too heavy for Sam to even pick up, so we went back to Country Bear Jamboree to get a pressed penny for him and Madison. Then we watched Splash Mountain until Marty and Madison got off. They took a chance and didn’t wear their ponchos this time, therefore Maddie was soaked and none too happy about it. Thank goodness it was almost hot today or she would have been miserable.

We didn’t have much more time left in the parks but we decided we could squeeze in the afternoon parade and book it back to the car. We went over to Tom Sawyer Island for about 15 minutes or so. The kids would like to have spent an hour there. This is when it started to rain for the first time. It was a very quick downpour. We ripped out the ponchos to throw on the kids. They got to play in them for about 10 minutes before the rain stopped. Then there was nothing the rest of the time we were there. Someone was looking favorably on us this trip. We boarded the raft and went back to Frontierland. We headed toward Main Street for the parade.

I had a little shopping I wanted to do before the parade. My first stop was at The Chapeau to get the kids their personalized Mickey ears. I was astonished that they were only $6.50 and the personalization was included. I figured this time-honored souvenir would cost some bucks. I got one for each kid and took some pictures of them in lots of other hats. I was amazed at the sewing machine used for the embroidery. The CM actually let me go behind the counter and try it out myself on some thick interfacing. It was HARD! I immediately tried to script the letter ‘A’ and failed miserably. I got to keep my handiwork but it ended up being just a bunch of curlycues. That was fun! The kids tried on some interesting hats for pictures and we moved on.

We headed quickly across the street to the Firehouse to get penny press collection wallets for the kids and then sat down on the curb right outside the Firehouse to watch the parade. This spot was the very tail end of the parade. Jasmine was right in front of us with a short line but Maddie was crying over the fact her Mickey hears wouldn’t hold onto her head very well. We just couldn’t coax her into having her picture with one of her favorite characters because she was embarrassed of her tears. Friar Tuck spotted her and tried very hard to comfort her with lots of hugs. She really like that and I was impressed. Marty took her to the Confectionary shop and got some white chocolate covered pretzels for me and some mints for the kids. The mints were the chalky kind and the kids hated them. Oh well, a $4 mistake. Pretzels ($4) were pretty good though. The kids sat on the curb outside the Firehouse for the parade. They’re pretty beat by now and relatively cranky. I can tell this trip is coming to a necessary end.

The Share A Dream Come True parade started about 10 minutes late. We were getting nervous about turning in our rental in time to get to the airport. The parade was much shorter, it seemed, than any other parade we’d seen but it was a wonderful way to end our Disney trip. Maddie gawked at the princesses. They both loved the whole thing and momentarily forgot how tired they were.

We took the monorail to the TTC, found our car and drove toward the rental place. We filled up the car with gas ($8.64) and turned it in without a hitch (that surprised us). With taxes, It was only $100 total for the week. Tiffany Town Car would have cost us $85 even with a coupon. We didn’t have to wait long for the little bus to take us back to the airport and we were there in plenty of time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the “Rainbow Bus” and Sam was very disappointed. We had a quick dinner meal at the airport and boarded at 6:00pm to go home.

Sam and I got a seat with no window and he frowned sadly at that. A lady and gentleman kindly switched seats with us so Sam could have a window. The kids hadn’t had a nap at all today so Sam watched us take off and promptly fell asleep in my lap until after we landed. Maddie drew many pictures of herself with various characters for most of the trip and then took a 20 minute nap. Marty learned all about going to Fort Wilderness in a pop up camper from someone sitting in his row. I wouldn’t be surprised it that’s our next big purchase now.

We landed about 15 minutes early in Dallas and got our luggage just fine. A courtesy van took us to the offsite parking where our car was. We check out of there for $42.22 (two days were free through Expedia). Marty was glad to be driving a large van again. That Mustang was just too small. We were home by about 9:30 and the kids gave the cats some huge hugs, had some quick cereal and crashed without a problem. Sammy Said, “I wish we could live at Disney World.” Me too, Sam, me too.

Notes on Fort Wilderness
The Cabins: Everything was pretty well stocked. They did have a spatula despite what I had been reading. I had brought one anyway - for pancakes. Water stinks and tastes terrible. Thermostat is easy to control. The beds weren’t too soft or hard for us although the one in the bedroom squeaked really bad. We didn’t realize there were extra towels in the cabin until the second day. It helps to read that little plaque on the cabinet in the bathroom marked “towels”. Nice wood floors, carpet in the bedroom. Extra blankets and pillows, iron/ironing board, etc. Buses weren’t too loud going by even though we were one of the cabins closest to the street. That was the best place to be, in my opinion, so we didn’t have to walk to the inner part of the loop from the bus. Our cabin on the 2500 loop (2533) was a very quick walk to the bus stop and just a skip to the Swimmin’ Pool. The only problem was the housekeeping tram that drops off housekeeping carts to each loop. That thing is loud!

The Pool: We only swam once and only in the Swimmin’ Pool near loop 2500. The water was VERY warm and it was VERY cold outside. It isn’t a very well themed pool (pretty much not at all) but the music being piped it made it very relaxing. As with everything else, it was very clean and well-kept.

At Fort Wilderness, you have to take a minimum of two modes of transportation to get anywhere outside the property. We thought this would be an outrageous waste of time. We had rented a car to get to some of the parks, but we found the bus/boat system to just be generally easier and less stressful. The kids began to tire of it, though. We would still stay here again.

Notes on Disney Transportation
As I mentioned, you have to take at least two modes of transportation to get anywhere from Fort Wilderness, but we never had to wait an inordinate amount of time for a bus. Sometimes, we would arrive on one bus and the next bus we needed would be waiting right there. Getting to the parks was not a problem and we never had to ask for much in the way of directions. Every time we got in our own car, we were never altogether sure of our route. It’s just less stressful to take the Disney system. It must have taken a logistics GENIUS to come up with the intricate system of buses, monorails and boats that crisscross this world. I can’t even imagine it.

Notes on the Weather
We were at Disney during the first week of December. The forecast had been for mid to upper 70’s the entire week but, in reality, turned out to be much colder at times. We had to wear pants and sweat jackets on our way to the parks each day. Some days, we stayed in the same clothes all day possibly only removing our jackets. There was only one day the kids and Marty changed into shorts. It actually became quite warm that day (our last). We didn’t have a speck of rain the entire time until the absolute last hour we were there. Then it was very short-lived. All in all, we believe it was a perfect time to be in the World (weather-wise).

Notes on the Trip Timing and Crowds
I had read that the week after Thanksgiving would be light crowd-wise. I found it to be about mid-range. Not overcrowded by any means, but not a walk-on to every ride like you sometimes hear. Overall we were pleased with this time of year. We got to see the park decked out for Christmas (although I would like to have heard more Christmas music and seen a lot more decorations - I love Christmas overdone - like having the Osborne lights all over the park!). Maybe next year we’ll try one week later. With the parks closing earlier, it was actually good for us. It sort of forced us to decide exactly what was important for us to do and then be back at our cabin at a decent hour for bed. I didn’t mind the shorter hours at all. The latest we ever stayed out was 10:30 because of Illuminations.

Notes on Taking Our Kids
Sam is just about to turn 5 and Madison is just about to turn 7. We think this was a great time to take them. They’ll remember it (especially when I finish the scrapbook!) There were a lot of attractions they just didn’t “get” but that was ok. Having never been to WDW before, they were extremely apprehensive about most of the rides and movies. Sam was always sure something would scare him. Usually he’d be ok after he tried something once. He’d feel brave, although he wouldn’t do it again. Dinosaur was definitely not for them. There were even some rides Maddie refused to do again. We had scheduled in naps every day but didn’t have to take them but a couple of times. They were relatively easygoing. Sam’s main thing was over exuberance to the point of hopping around and bumping into people. That got old. But he’s a great kid. They had only a few minor meltdowns but nothing that required us leaving the parks. We never did rent a stroller. I had anticipated that we would have to a couple of days but they were real troopers. I noticed that the strollers have plastic pockets hanging behind the handles to identify their owners. I had read that many people had trouble finding their strollers. I didn’t see many with any identifying scarves or such. Even though our kids normally go to bed at 8pm, we were able to keep them up sometimes until 10pm or later and still be at the parks by 9am.

Highlights

The beer in Norway
Generally speaking, the food. We may just be easy to please.
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom
The parades
Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights (aptly named)
Disappointments

Alien Encounter - not scary enough for me
Goodings grocery store - terribly overpriced
Expenses
We acquired our trip through an Expedia.com package which included airfare, hotel and park tickets. I broke down these expenses separately in this list but they were combined as a package. Souvenir jackets were purchased for the kids at the local Disney Store prior to the trip but are included here.

Parking at Departure Airport - $43
Airfare (2 children, 2 adult) - $1066
Car rental and gas- $110
Park Entry and Lodging at Ft. Wilderness (package) - $1982
Souvenirs - $380
Food and Snacks (including groceries) - $462
Total: $4043
Average per day (6 days) for 4 people: $674

Final Thoughts
This was a wonderful, wonderful trip. We would have stayed longer if Marty didn’t have to get back to work in Dallas for a special project. Next time, we plan to stay Saturday through Saturday or Sunday and have more downtime. The kids find enjoyment in some of the most simple things like exploring Fort Wilderness and swimming.

We would probably choose one week later in December. The crowds were thicker than I anticipated. I figure the Thanksgiving crowds had not gone home yet. We took our kids out of school for 4 days (Monday through Thursday) and would do that again just to avoid the crowds and make better use of our time. As they get older, the makeup work might get more difficult but I’ve know others who do it. It’s the best way to get your money’s worth, I think.

Next time, I’ll get a list of the penny press machines. The kids loved collecting them. They don’t realize yet that they each only collected less than 10% of the available pennies. We found only one machine that had a problem in all of the parks. I didn’t know a list existed until I returned, there’s even tips of what kind and date of pennies to use and which side to have pressed. I understand the internet lists are more up to date than the WDW list at Guest Services. We look forward to more of these inexpensive souvenirs. Even if you collected all of them, it would cost less than two of the adult sweatshirts.

We would definitely stay at Fort Wilderness again, possibly even in a pop-up camper. You never know. It would require more time away from home and a 21 hour drive each way. The facilities were very clean and well-kept in the campgrounds. We like having the option of making meals in our hotel and this was the perfect place for us. The extra bed came in handy. We love to camp, and this felt very at home.

Next time, I’d like to take more video of the children and less of the parades. The kids are much more entertaining.

Anne Rule