Tom Prange - July 1997 - Dixie Landings

[Trip Reports]

Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: DL
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie
Comments: Tom shares a lot of information on planning his family's trip in this report. The balance, of course, discusses how the trip itself. The play-by-play account is fun because since everything at WDW was viewed by Tom and his family in such a fresh way.

My friends in the (AOL) DVC Chat room know me as CoachTomm. It is because of them that my families first trip to Walt Disney World turned out to be such a wonderful experience. They've threatened to not let me back into the chat room unless I submit a trip report, so here goes.

Let me start by introducing myself and my family. I'm Tom, 39 (until Christmas Eve ) from Newington, CT. My wife Gina , younger than me,(hint: see Day 6) and I, have two children. Justin is our oldest, he turned 12 on July 21, and our daughter Lindsay is 9 years old. They were the reason for planning our trip to Disney. We've wanted to go for awhile and finally last January we decided we better go down before they were too "old" to enjoy it. We booked our trip through AAA Travel Agency and signed up for the Delta Dream Vacation Package. Gina and I went one morning while the kids were in school as we wanted the vacation to be a surprise. Everything seemed to be settled, we chose the Caribbean Beach Resort, got our flight times, wrote a check for the deposit and we were all set. I thought to myself ,boy this is a piece of cake, sit back and relax everything is done.

Well, little did I realize that the fun was just beginning. Many of our friends began to offer advice on where to stay at Disney. We started to have second thoughts about choosing the Caribbean Beach so I decided to try to find out more about the different resorts. Kathy , our AAA Travel Agent had described each resort and suggested we look at the Disney home page on the computer. She said there was a lot of Disney information on-line and we could even see pictures of each resort. Gina is the on-line specialist in our house so she got me into the Disney page . Once I began to read all about Disney , I came across the (AOL) bulletin boards, chat rooms, Disney Vacation Club and all the other wonderful, all-consuming Disney information on-line.

Through the bulletin board , I read the debates on Where to stay, Where to eat, When to go, What to bring , Is F&F worth it, Surprise Mornings, Hidden Mickeys, found out about Deb Wills and Brian Bennett and most importantly learned about this Disney Vacation Club. Actually, after reading some advice that DVCMom (Harriett) , and Dznymom (Chris) had given people about Disney on the bulletin board, I decided to be bold and daring and send them an e-mail asking their advice on where the best place to stay would be. This was my first experience in sending e-mail to anyone, so again with Gina's able assistance, I sent the e-mail. I was so excited when they actually answered me. I sorta didn't expect they would. ( You have to remember I was new to all this what did I know ? ) . DVCMom told me about the DVC chat group, where I could find all the advice on any Disney subject I could think of. It just so happened to be a Thursday that I got her answer and Thursday nite is a traditional dvc chat nite.

Going into the DVC Chat room that first nite was my downfall. I haven't stopped "chatting" there since. With the help of all my wonderful friends from the dvc group chat, we changed our resort to Dixie Landings, second floor-corner room, called early enough (Feb 10) to book the Hoop De Do show for July 12, 7:15 show, bought our rain ponchos, made Character Dinner ressies for Chef Mickeys, Liberty Tree Tavern and The Garden Grille and planned a basic itinerary for where we would spend each day. Included in the plans was perhaps the most important advice we received which allowed us to "survive" our 14 hour days. Go early, TAKE A MID-AFTERNOON BREAK, go back. Here's how we spent our 8 days at WDW.

Day 1

The alarm was set for 4:30 AM. Unfortunately it went off, but not before Justin and Lindsay were already awake. ( I think they were a little excited about the trip ). We planned on leaving our house at 5:30 which would get us to Bradley Airport-Hartford CT by 6 for our 7:00 AM flight. We didn't pull out of the driveway until 5:45 so we were rushing when we pulled into the Park and Fly parking lot. The shuttle bus was waiting so I ran inside to leave the keys and had the attendant load the suitcases. I jump on the shuttle looking at my watch hoping the check in line isn't going to be too long and worrying about being late. As we're pulling out of the parking lot it hit me, what a way to start our vacation, I asked if Justin had gotten Gina's curling iron from the trunk knowing that there was no way he could've known I set it there to cool off instead of putting in the suitcase. Nope , it was still in the trunk. Needless to say, Gina wasn't too happy about not having her curling iron with her. Well, we'll buy one when we get to Disney I told her. The look in her eye said I should do that the minute we get off the plane.

Justin and Lindsay had never flown before. We got to the gate about 6:35 and walked right on the plane. ( Or should I be more specific and say we got IN the plane). Justin had a minute to sit in the Captains seat and Gina took his picture wearing the Captain's hat. ( Picture #4 of 188) By the way, Gina has a passion for taking pictures of the kids. I was assigned the job of finding all those Kodak "Photo Spot" signs . I literally mean I had to find every single one in all three parks. ( I guess I passed because we have pictures from each spot to show our friends.) Takeoff went smoothly as did the rest of the flight. Lindsay loved having her chocolate milk and snack from the flight attendant. Justin got to drink soda at 7:30 AM so he was happy too. Flight landed at Orlando at 10:50 AM. Orlando is a marvelous airport. I travel a bit for work and had only flown to Tampa before. The tram to the terminal was our first "ride" at WDW.

Mears transfers were included in our package. It took a few minutes to find their booth, ( it's quite large I just didn't read the signs from baggage claim . Come on what "guy" reads direction signs? ). If the waiting line at the Mears booth was a hint of what was to come it was going to be a very long week. As I'm getting into line, a driver calls out anyone for Dixie Landings, hey I think this is great we can get right on the bus. I run over to him and say yes, we're going to Dixie. But we can't get on the bus until I have my stupid little yellow ticket from the BOOTH. Back in line I go, losing about 4 places from where I was before. Well we finally get on the bus , luggage too ( I hope).

Mears bus is pretty full with both Port Orleans and Dixie Landings guests on board. Lindsay and Justin sat together but Gina and I couldn't as we were the last ones to get on the bus. ( Well, better than having to wait for the next bus) No sooner had I sat down when the girl next to meet starts telling me about her aunt and uncle driving from North Carolina ( 12 hours ) but she flew, she wasn't gonna spend that long in a car. What struck me was the friendliness of everyone. It seems that every bus ride we took ( believe me there were lots of them) it was so easy to start a conversation with the other people on the bus. Standing in those long lines too, the people we met were so friendly and fun to talk to. It really stands out in my mind as making the trip as fun as it was. People we didn't know from all parts of the country sharing their trip with us, it was reassuring in this day and age when we hear so much negative news (enough of my digression).

The lobby at Dixie Landings is so quaint. It makes you slow down to look around no matter how rushed you are. Check in time isn't till 3 PM. It's 11:15, we'll see if we're lucky enough to have our room ready. The line is long but it moves fast. We get a trainee at the check-in desk (oh-well , we all have to learn sometime but why am I the lucky one? ) We get our ID's, map of resort, Disney guide book but no room. Try later. OK, what next. We talk about what we should do. I tentatively had planned on eating at the Rainforest Café if we got in early enough. It's 11:45 , plan B. The first of many times that we would go to Plan B on the trip . Colonels Cotton Mill (food court). Kids are starved - me too , we walk down the hall past Boatwright's which closes at 11:30AM, to the food court. Hardly anyone in line, lots of tables, hum this could work out well. We walk past the registers to the order windows and check out the menus. YES, Justin yells they have Pizza. OHH- Lindsay's turn , Hamburger's!. Wow 2 for 2 , I'll take that any day. We pick up our Refillable Mugs and Lunch ($42) and sit down to eat. Lindsay wants a cookie for desert and so does Dad. With out stomachs full and a little time to sit we all feel better.

What to do, it's 12:30 and the room won't be ready till 3. Hmmm, we walk around the marina and see the Surrey Bikes for rent. Neat way to look around , we decide to get one. These bikes seat 4 people and you all MUST peddle. We're told to follow the signs and we can circle around the resort. Off we go. Even with the canopy roof , I'm starting to sweat. It's 94 and humid. ¾ around we come to a dead end. ( Hey I admit I'm a guy , scroll up and review). Gina finds our way out ( as usual ) . She just gives me one of those looks . We make a second loop and our 30 minutes is up. We drove past the Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou sections and Gina loved the pillars and architecture of Magnolia Bend. She hints maybe we should see if any rooms are available in Oak Manor. Back at check in our room isn't ready so I ask about a second floor room at Oak Manor. Well guess what, they have a corner room with a waterview we can go into right away. Can you guess what I said? 10 minutes later we're driven to our room and we sitting in the cool comfort of Oak Manor. 3 picture's later the kids are in their suits (I'm kid #3), we unpack in about 7 minutes and off we go to the pool for a dip.

We swim till about 3:30 then go back and shower and get ready for our character dinner at Chef Mickeys booked for 5PM. (ILUVDVC recommendation) Get the bus to Epcot about 4:30 then the monorail to the Contemporary. Walk into Chef Mickeys about 5 minutes before 5. No more than a two minute wait, just enough time for Lindsay to get Goofy's autograph and picture, before we're seated. The food was great. It's served buffet style which for our kids is perfect. They both like different foods and they had more that enough choices to keep them happy. Lindsay really loved the salad here. All through our meal the characters come over to the table and sign autographs and pose for pictures. ( Minnie told me no when I asked her for a kiss : ( . We walked through some of the stores in the Contemporary after we ate, then headed back to the room. By the time we finished swimming it was 8:30 and we were all ready for bed (we'd been up since 4:30). This was the earliest bedtime of the trip.

Day 2

Before the alarm goes off I'm desperate for a cup of coffee. The food court opens at 6. I walked in at 6:02 with two refillable mugs in hand. I picked up milk for the kids and headed back to the room. What a shock, the coffee was a major disappointment. I drank it anyway as my mornings don't start without my coffee. Gina had the same reaction when she took her first sip. Next time more creamers and sugar. Kids wake up at 6:30 ; while they eat ( we brought breakfast bars and snacks with us ) Gina and I take showers. We walk to the bus stop around 7:30 but have to wait about 20 minutes for the Epcot bus. We pass our cards through the entrance gate about 8:15 after finding a Kodak Spot on the way in. What first? We had heard so much about Honey I Shrunk the Audience, we join the line. The wait is about 45 minutes. It was well worth it. Disney at it's best. The preshow was funny even if you couldn't sit on the floor. We heard "once you pick your row please move all the way down" for our first time too. It's amazing how you're made to feel like you've shrunk. Even though I knew some of the special effects, I still was squirming along with everyone else. Lindsay had to pick up her feet when the mice came, but she loved the show so much we went back again on our last day.

Next was Spaceship Earth where we got our first look at the brightly colored t-shirts worn by the tour groups. We happened to be behind a large group in line so our wait was about 35 minutes . This was one of the rides the kids didn't rave about but I think they'll remember it in years to come. Exiting Spaceship Earth we headed towards the World Showcase. This was my first encounter with those "magical"

fountains. I was dumbstruck as I watched them dance to the accompanying music. I just stood there , staring while Gina and the kids kept walking. I don't know why but I couldn't take my eyes off them. After calling me to come on and catch up. Lindsay finally walked back to where I stood and took my hand and started pulling me along.

The World Showcase was an attraction Gina had put high on her list of favorites. Our first stop was at a streetcart where we bought the Passport for the kids. We sat down with frozen lemonade to read it over and find some shade. The Passport was a souvenir which we felt was a "keeper". Before we got to Disney we talked to Justin and Lindsay about spending money and souvenirs. ( more excellent advice from the dvc group ) . They were allowed to buy whatever they wanted to with their spending money ($100.00 each). Our suggestion was to look for special, long lasting souvenirs which they could show their own children someday. I must admit our "kids" showed us just how grown up they're becoming.

We took the launch to Morocco and spent some time shopping in their market. We learned that Passport's are only signed after 1pm after we looked all over Morocco to find the Kidspot. We headed to Japan without any stamp in our Passport. We did find a cm at a shop in Japan who signed our Passport for us. We chatted with her about her native land and what she liked about the United States which was the next country we visited. Standing in the rotunda we listened to the Voices of Liberty whose harmony was so wonderful. I felt so proud to be an American as we watched the "show" about our country. The other "American Way" also hit home when I donated $8.00 to the Coca-Cola fund drive. Where else, but the good old USA, would people gladly pay $2.00 for a bottle of soda and stand in line for 10 minutes waiting their turn? It's time for us to head back to the launch as we had ressies at the Liberty Tree Tavern for 5pm.

Refreshed after showers and the comfort of the AC in the room, we catch the bus to Magic Kingdom about 4:40. Things don't look too good as it's 4:59 when we walk through the MK gate. Not sure exactly where the Liberty Tree is, we stop a cm and ask directions. Rushed as we are I tell Gina no we don't need a park map, it's right down here. Did I mention before that I'm not good about "directions" of any kind. Well I thought the cm said take your first left but I didn't see how we could eat in a "treehouse". Gina smiles sweetly (NOT) and says maybe we should ask again. This time I let her ask and two minutes later we walk into Liberty Tree .(It's 5:20pm) We're not late,I tell Gina, we're being fashionable. The thought of losing our table because we're late is flashing through my mind. Fortunately we only had to wait about 5 minutes before we were announced and seated.

The meal is served family style starting with a gigantic salad. Gina and Lindsay both love salads so they were both happy. Ordering beverages, we found they offered birch beer, a second cousin to my favorite drink. It sure was nice to not have a Coke for a change. The turkey, ham and pork were all very good (the kids ate without complaining on my scale). Just about the time we ordered coffee we got our first taste of the Florida "rain". What amazed me is how everyone else just threw on their ponchos and kept on going. We spent the next 40 minutes huddling on the porch watching the "yellow" parade walk by. We had bought ponchos based on the "remember to bring dvc list" but they were back at the room. Gee, I thought to myself I wonder if there's a shop close by where we could buy ponchos.

Standing on the porch we met a CM originally from Connecticut. He enlightened us about all kinds of disney information from the amount of land they have to where to buy ponchos. It was such a pleasure to listen to Bill talk about how much he loved working for disney , it was almost sad when the rain started to let up. We walked next door to the Christmas shop and paid our admission to join the yellow parade. Wearing the official uniform we joined our fellow members in the streets.

We spent the next hour walking around Fantasyland looking for an attraction we wanted to see that didn't have a waiting time. Thinking we could beat the crowds was not a smart move. The more we tried the more frustrated and frazzled we got; if I can reiterate what we were told before we went down pick out your favorites and wait. It's a Small World and Peter Pans Flight were both fun to see and after we toured the Haunted Mansion we headed back to Dixie. As disappointed as I was that we hardly got to see anything it was probably for the best as the rest of the trip was so much easier once we stopped trying to beat the crowds and learned how to go with them and wait when we had to.

Day 3

Water Park was penciled in for this morning. Justin and Lindsay had read about the three parks and were really excited about going. The tough decision was which one to go to today. It didn't surprise us that Justin wanted Typhoon Lagoon and Lindsay's choice was Blizzard Beach. Why is it that our kids always seem to agree to disagree. I wonder sometimes if parent's should wear black and white striped shirts and a whistle around their necks. Well we settled the discussion by picking Typhoon Lagoon for today and Blizzard Beach for Friday. ( Does giving in to your kids count against you when you're on vacation ?) ((Got an LOL from my proof reader)) We couldn't have timed getting to Typhoon Lagoon any better. We were standing in line waiting for the 9 am opening with maybe 50 other people. We found a perfect place to set up where Gina could catch her rays and the kids the waves. You have to experience the "surf " pool to believe it. Let me tell you I wasn't surprised to learn that after the park closes it can be rented out for real surfers.

We did manage to pull the kids out of the pool long enough to enjoy Mayday Falls and Castaway Creek two of the more tame water rides. Justin and I also got the chance to swim with the sharks. If you have the chance give the Shark Reef a try. Just be warned that the water sure is cold. Actually you needed to cool off every 10 minutes sitting in the sun on the beach. It doesn't take long to figure out why everyone spends most of the time in the water. As the afternoon clouds rolled in they turned black very quickly. When the lifeguards blew their whistles the kids didn't understand why they had to get out of the water. Within 10 minutes as the thunder and lightning moved closer it made sense. Just as the rain started to get torrential our bus pulled up to bring us back to Dixie. By the time we got off at the South Depot the rain had stopped, pretty good timing I'd say.

Tower of Terror and MGM were this evenings attractions. I'll say this, if Lindsay hadn't wanted to go on the TOT so badly, I wouldn't have. I'm sure glad she did though. We'll have the picture to look back on for many years. She loves to tease Daddy about why his eyes were closed. We met back up with Gina and Justin and enjoyed Muppet Vision and Voyage of the Little Mermaid ( Great advice ILUVWDW, thanks ). Both would make all of our Top 10 List. Sourcery in the Sky was probably our favorite fireworks show too especially because of how the choreograph the music and fireworks. I'm not sure if it's the smaller size or my personal taste but MGM was my favorite park to visit.

Day 4

MGM to see some of the attractions we missed was the kids ( all three ) choice. First stop was the Indiana Jones stunt show. This time we timed it perfectly. We were among the first group allowed to enter. The wait in line was well shaded so the 30 minutes went by fast. It was done so well, a mix of action and entertainment. They ask for audience participation which added to the enjoyment. Sitting across the aisle was a family from NY whose 7 yr old son was asked to play the young Indiana Jones. His mom was disappointed she hadn't brought her camera so Gina offered to take his picture. As he went up on stage to announce the start he walked past his mom and dad; the look on his moms face was enough for Gina to make sure she got a picture of him. I guess that 6th sense that all moms have paid off as Chris couldn't thank Gina enough as she wrote down her address. ( We sent them the picture and the negative when we got back and the Thank You note they sent was so sincere )

The Backstage Studio Tour was as action packed as the Indiana Jones show. In some ways it was even better. Make sure to add it to your list for your trip. The Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast and the Kids Adventure Zone of Honey I Shrunk the Audience, mixed in with lunch at the ABC Studio Commissary left us tired enough to catch the bus back to Dixie. After a long swim in the pool and showers we headed to the Wilderness Campground to find the "Chip" bus.

Everyone in the dvc chat room had talked about the Hoop-De-Do show, especially Deb and Rich. When we first booked our trip they warned me that I better make reservations for any diner shows 6 months in advance, so I did call in February and book the 7:15 show. Good advice , again, as there wasn't an empty seat. "Howdies" at the front porch reminded me of Barney Fife. We had over an hour to wait until show time but it worked out perfectly. We all had time to relax and unwind, while being away from the "crowds" of the parks. Justin found a craft cart of leather goods and found a wallet that he really wanted. He went back and forth trying to decide if he should buy it. ( He couldn't resist ,as we were leaving the show he decided to buy it ). Lindsay ended up with a "collector's version " of a Disney pressed quarter. The vending machine repair man was coming out the next day.

We were entertained by Aubrey as we sat on the porch steps and waited for the doors to open. Aubrey was an adorable two year old who was not shy in the least. By the time we went in to see the show Lindsay wanted to take her home with us. Our table gave us a great view of the stage as we sat back and waited for the show to begin. We weren't disappointed. When the actors entered to clanging pots everyone clapped. It just got better and better. The comedy intermixed with the songs combined with good food just added up to a great time. By the way, try to save room for the Strawberry Shortcake, it's awesome. Justin and Lindsay were having a blast with spoons and washboard in hand as the show ended. Just before the actors departed I saw why Debkay says Richym1 looks nice in pink.

Our day wasn't done yet even though it was after 9 pm. We headed to the Magic Kingdom which was open till midnight. NO LINES at all. We walked on to just about any ride we wanted, it was wonderful. Lindsay's bravery came through again as dad got to go on Splash Mountain with her. I'm not sure who was squeezing each others hand tighter, but we survived. Lindsay wrote in the journal for that day, " it was really S-C-A-R-Y. My legs were shaking when we got off". So were dads. Leaving the park it was 11:30 pm as we boarded the bus. One good thing about it being so late was the short line at the bus stop. We took seats in the first row and closed our eyes wishing we were already in our beds.

As the doors to the bus closed, it didn't take long to realize this would be an interesting ride home. " Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to ……… THE BUS OF TERROR " announced the bus driver as he flashed the inside lights on and off a half dozen times. The "laugh" that Lindsay let out was enough to wake the dead. "Disney policy prohibits passengers from smoking or drinking " in a very official voice exclaimed our driver; in a loud whisper he added "doesn't say anything about drivers though"! He continued , " Here's something you haven't heard today, Flash photography IS ALLOWED. As Gina raised her camera she looked towards me; "Go ahead" I told her. The instant the flash went off the whole bus broke into laughter. Turning his head for a second , I'm not sure if Paul was looking to see who took the picture or who was laughing so loudly. He reached over as we came to a stop light and handed Lindsay a card saying to her " That's for having the best laugh of the day". Lindsay was an Honorary member of the Disney Bus Drivers Association. As we pulled into the bus stop at Dixie, Gina voiced what we were all thinking, " Can't we just stay on and ride back and forth all nite?" I thought to myself as we walked back to the room , "It doesn't get any better than this, Disney dreams DO come true!"

Day 5

Thank goodness we had nothing planned for the morning because we all slept in. We sure needed a chance to catch up on some lost sleep and recharge our batteries. We spent the rest of the morning at the main pool at Dixie until lightning started. We had a late lunch at the food court and headed over to Epcot. Our dinner reservations for the Rose & Crown were for 7:30pm with the plan being to watch Illuminations from the restaurant.

Touring the World Showcase was a great experience for the kids. Where else could they have the opportunity to get a taste of what life is like in such far off places. Italy and Germany were of particular interest as their great-grandparents were born in each. Gina had visited Germany back when she was a teenager and the authenticity was remarkable. We added China and Norway's stamp to our Passport and rode Maelstrom which we all enjoyed and made our way towards the United Kingdom.

Chapter after chapter of the guide books and endless message boards discuss the unanswerable issue of the Best Viewing for Illuminations. Everyone who's been to Disney has their secret spot which some arrive at hours before to claim. Maybe I was too engrossed in the rest of the planning of the trip or didn't believe it could be that hard to pick a spot ; when I read that the Rose & Crown was the only restaurant on the lagoon it made the choice pretty simple.

The wait for our table did take longer than I expected. It was close to 8pm by the time we were seated. We were able to get an outside table as we requested but it was on the left side of the patio not the back side which directly faced the lagoon. Isn't it funny how your expectations sometimes are so far off from reality. I guess I'm trying to say that the meal was not impressive. The menu choices sure are limited. The options for the kids were even less. The Prime Rib and Fish and Chips as Gina's grandmother would say , "well…., you can eat it." As we ordered our coffee , the announcement that it was time for Illuminations to begin was broadcast and the lights around the lagoon were dimmed. We walked to the back of the patio where the kids found a spot to sit under the railing. I will admit that the first five minutes were truly impressive, with the spotlights and the abundance of fireworks. I must add that after the smoke had built up, it was impossible to really see anymore fireworks. I don't know if it's this way all the time or not but I was so disappointed that I went back to our table and drank my coffee. Oh well, maybe I better read up more on this subject for our next ( soon I hope ) trip. Hmm, I wonder where I can find some advise on viewing Illuminations? ( good excuse for Tues. and Thurs. nites ).

Day 6

Friday , wow the time is sure flying by. We leave on Monday and there's still so much we haven't seen or done. How can we fit it all in. The original itinerary is dumped and we rethink our planning. Magic Kingdom is where we decide for this morning. Which rides, I have no idea other than to quote Lindsay's journal " we went on a bunch of cool rides at Disney as mom calls it ". Which ever ones they were, in the eyes of a 9 yr old girl they sure were fun. A side note, the last time Gina was at Disney (1974, she was 13 and the "only" Park at Disney was the Magic Kingdom ), so each time she talked about the Magic Kingdom she called it Disney and the kids would tease her about this the whole trip.

I had every intention of keeping a daily log of our trip to disney. Well , I didn't. Between the "no problem I'll remember it, I don't need to write it down " excuse and the late nite-early morning routine ; this trip report would be so much shorter without my kids journals, and Gina's knack for remembering everything. So , my advice for everyone planning a trip report - write down each day's activities or take my kid's with you on your trip.

Justin's journal entry for the day talks about the awesome pizza at the Pasta and Piazza Restaurant at Innoventions West at Epcot so we either did go to Epcot after MK or his journal is wrong. My guess is he's right because if there's one thing Justin remembers well it's food, especially pizza. If anyone is looking for pizza places , in the expert opinion of a 12 yr old, try the Pasta and Piazza at Epcot.

Day 7

Blizzard Beach, as we had promised Lindsay earlier in the week. Friends of ours had moved to Windermere 4 years ago and we couldn't pass up the chance to see them while we were here. We made plans to meet at 5, so we plenty of time for the water park. The dvc tour of OKW was booked for 7 , as much as I was looking forward to seeing the Gurgling Suitcase in person, it wasn't meant to be.

Anytime you're fortunate enough to "view" the world from your childs perspective, don't miss the opportunity. The wave pool at Blizzard Beach "stunk" in Lindsay's opinion and Justin's choice of how he would describe it also started with an s ; however it ended in ed.

Anyway, I guess Blizzard Beach can take some consolation in the fact that the tube rides they have were great. Runoff Rapids ( I think ) allows a three person tube which was fun to do with the kids. Dad came in handy as the extra ballast I supplied made the tube go faster. Sure glad they didn't say that about mom. Body slides and mat slides of all speeds are available in multiple varieties. I did try some of the tamer ones but was still recovering from my TOT experience.

Day 8

Wow, where did the week go. Check out time is 11am. , packing to go home isn't the most fun part of the trip. Our return flight isn't till 8:30 tonite so we have the whole day. We call Bell Services after the suitcases are all packed and walk to the launch for the Marketplace. The boat had just left so instead of standing on the dock for 30 minutes, we walk to the bus stop. Our choice of drop off spots include Pleasure Island . Gina thinks even though it's noon we should see how long the waiting line is at Planet Hollywood. I say we should shop first and try around 2. Can you guess what happened when we walked up the stairs to Planet Hollywood ?

12:01 , seated at our table, ( can you guess who was right?) we take in the ambiance of Planet Hollywood. Boy is it impressive, although not as impressive as Gina's instincts. The meal was actually good but $9.00 for a hamburger is a bit much at non-disney restaurants. We walked around the three levels after we ate enjoying the memorabilia of some great movies.

Walking to the marketplace we enter the Disney store which they say is the largest in the world. I bet that's true. You could spend hours here. We decided to use our Flex feature's on souvenirs. Lindsay and Gina looked over the jewelry and Lindsay picked out an adorable mouse ears shaped gold ring. We picked up Mickey T-Shirts and headed over to have our picture taken. The Mickey and You Photo was something we could look back during those cold New England winters.

We picked up the Disney CD and the Disney 97 T-Shirt as two more Flex Features. Justin was the only one to still turn his in and he had talked all week about the water sprites. The Marina rules allowed him to drive but he needed an adult with him. The half hour sure went fast even though the water sprites didn't. Next time Justin will be old enough to drive himself and we'll do the sprites at Wilderness Lodge or Yacht and Beach. Justin still wanted a souvenir so we looked around some more. One of the shops had a glass blower which sure held his attention. His favorite sport is hockey ( guess he doesn't like his baseball coach), so he was thrilled when he saw a Mickey on hockey skates glass mug. We waited while his name was etched on it; he was so proud to show Gina his "lasting" souvenir.

The launch back to Dixie was in question as the skies turned gray. We enjoyed the ride past the Treehouse Villas and OKW to Dixie. The shuttle was due to pick us up at 6:30, just enough time for a quick bite at the food court. Why does the ride back to the airport seem so short? We had time to walk around after checking our bags and I found a Starbucks coffee stand too. Waiting to board the plane back home, we talked about what we liked "best" about the trip. Lindsay picked Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Justin said the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon, Gina chose the Hoop De Do show so all that was left for me was the Dancing Fountains at Epcot.

As much fun as all the major attractions and rides were I think what stands out to me is the "little" things during the trip. The friendliness of the people we met, the bus rides, the Disney ability to make things seem so real, going with the flow instead of trying to beat the crowds, the joy of being exhausted, the realization that our children are growing up, asking for a Pepsi at each restaurant, my morning walk to get coffee and most of all thinking to myself how true it is that "memories last a lifetime".

Sure hope this "qualifies" me to keep chatting in the dvc group; friendships can also last a lifetime.

Tom Prange