Joseph Riccitelli, Jr. - June 1999 - All Star Sports

[Trip Reports]

Summary

Accommodations: All Star Sports
Dates: June 4-18, 1999
Experience: 3rd trip to WDW
Cast of Characters: Me (30), and 2 friends, Rich (31) and his brother Phil (25)
Travel Methods: Plane, Tiffany Town Car, taxi, friend’s auto, and Disney Transportation
Background

This is my third trip to WDW. My first trip was from July 12-21, 1996, for which I am guilty of never writing a trip report. My second trip was in 1998 when I was part of the Walt Disney World College Program. I worked at the Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom from June 2-August 23, 1998. I did write a trip report for the time that I spent living, working, and playing there!

My friend, Rich, has been there twice before as well…but not for as long as me. He went to WDW for the first time in 1993 or 1994, I am not sure of the exact dates. His second trip there was with me in 1996. His younger brother, Phil, went to WDW for the first time with Rich and me in 1996. That trip also included three other people.

Planning the Trip (1996-1998)

I started talking about a return trip to WDW even before my first trip in 1996 was completed! We were walking around the Disney Marketplace on our last day there, killing some time before we had to catch our plane, and I suggested coming back in 1997. The talk escalated after we returned home, and after some serious planning, I even booked a stay at WDW for July 1997. However, Rich and Phil ran into some money difficulties, and I scampered around to find replacements. I convinced another one of my friends, Louis, to go, but I had to cancel that reservation and make another one for October 1997 to accommodate him.

As the months wore on, Louis, who had never been to WDW, seemed excited about going, but he started complaining about his own financial problems. This was quite understandable, as he had an old car that was dying and his housing situation was precarious at best. In September, I did the honorable thing and told him I was canceling our trip. This helped him out, because his car went soon after that and he had to buy another one. In early 1998, he found himself in a position where he had to find another place to live, and after months of searching, he bought his first house in May 1998.

I was determined to get back to WDW, although my dream of making it during the 25th Anniversary Celebration had died. To my delight came my friend Rich, who decided that the time was right to go back to WDW. Although he would not have the money in time for his vacation in June 1998, he told me that he would definitely be able to go in June 1999. Therefore, on January 20, 1998, I made reservations at the All-Star Sports for June 5-20, 1999. At the time, I made it for four people, because another one of our friends, Dave, was planning to join us.

On February 5, 1998, I mailed in our deposit of $116.48 for the room. Later that same month, I had the opportunity to interview for the Walt Disney World College Program, and in March 1998, I was accepted. I told my friends that this would not affect our June 1999 trip, and I told them to continue saving for it.

Starting in June 1998, I spent three glorious months at Walt Disney World, which was chronicled in my trip report for that summer. Upon returning in August 1998, I had a clearer understanding of some of the tricks of experiencing WDW, as well as 3 free one-day passes, which I donated to my friends for next year.

For the rest of 1998, I just talked about the trip and saved up the money to go. I mentioned to them that I wanted to book the flight in January, so they needed to have their money for the plane fare by then.

Planning the Trip (1999)

Around the second week of January, I talked with the others and told them that it was time to make the plane reservations. I discussed the cost of the trip, as well as the length of the trip with them, and discovered that some changes had to be made. The first one was that there would only be three of us instead of four. Dave ran into his own money troubles and could not afford to go any longer. The second problem was that Rich and Phil, who work at the same place, would not be able to get three consecutive Saturdays off. We had to rearrange the trip to come home on June 18 instead of June 20.

After confirming everything with them, I did some more figuring. It was at this time that I discovered that if we left on Friday night (June 4) instead of Saturday morning, the amount of money we would save on airfare would just about cover an additional day at the resort. The cost for leaving on Friday would be $182 each for a round trip ticket on a Delta Airlines Express flight, down from $218 if we had left on Saturday. The amount the three of us would save by leaving one day early was $108, which was only about $9.00 less than that cost of one day in the room ($116.48). So, on January 14, 1999, I called up Disney and changed the reservation to June 4-June 18. After completing that telephone call, I booked the airline tickets, making sure I got myself a window seat!

In February, I read on RADP that Annual Pass discounts were available for June, so I called and was delighted when I was given one. The entire package for the room was $1317.12, which worked out to be $94.08 per night. This meant that it would cost us $22 less by arriving on a Friday night instead of a Saturday morning and not $9 more! More importantly, we would have an entire Saturday at Disney instead of half a day!

Earlier in the planning stages, we decided that we would pay for as much as we could in advance. On my last two trips, I always came home with more charges on my credit cards than I wanted to. In addition, by charging the room I would never budget out the money in advance and the interest on the cards made the room more expensive than it would have been if I paid for it in cash. Disney already had my deposit ($116.48) since February 1998, and in March 1999, I sent them payment for the remaining balance ($1,200.64). The room and the plane fare were now paid for; all that was left to pay for in advance were the park tickets.

In early April, my friends gave me the money for the park tickets and I went to my local Disney Store and purchased them two 6-day All-In-One Hoppers, with my MKC discount. Being an alumnus of the Walt Disney World College Program, I am able to get a free MKC card every year for life. Not a bad deal and it is not something that is well publicized. I would say that 90% of the alumni do not even know about this bonus!

Anyway, when I arrive in WDW, I am planning to trade in one of the 6 day passes for a 7-day pass. This will mean that they will both have 8 days in the parks (remember I had 3 free One-Day Hopper passes from working there last year). I did not buy my ticket yet, for a very good reason…I want to see if I can get in the parks free. Since I worked there last year, I could go back at any time and work again. If I do so, I will get a new Disney ID, which will get me into the parks free. My old one expired, so I can no longer use it. At this point, it is not yet known if I will find the time to do this. If I am able to go, then I will trade in one of their 6-day passes for an annual pass, since we need it for the room rate. If not, I will just buy an annual pass for myself when I get down there.

The next thing I planned was transportation to and from the airport. At first, we planned to take a Mears Shuttle using the coupon that came with the Disney reservation. However, after talking with a few people on RADP, I decided to book a Tiffany Town Car. Using the $5 off coupon from their web site, the cost of the car would be about the same per person as the Mears Shuttle would have been. In addition, we would have the added benefits of a stop at a grocery store and direct service to our resort. I made the reservation online, and received a confirmation within 24 hours.

During the middle of April, I started to plan what we will be doing each day while we are down there. I called Disney and made plans for the Polynesian Luau (20% annual pass discount) and the All-American Backyard Barbecue. Although I would love to go to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue again, I had gone there last year. I wanted to experience some things that I never did before and these other two shows were what I picked. I also made reservations for a character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s and several other priority seatings at some of the restaurants at various resorts, and one at the Studios.

At about this same time I picked up a used copy of Bob Sehlinger’s Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (1998 Edition.) Most of the information and touring plans should still be useful, and I could just make any modifications to them based on what I learned touring the parks for 3 months in 1998. I also contacted someone I met on RADP, and he made me three 8-hour tapes that were filled with almost every episode of Walt Disney World Inside Out, which I sorely miss watching. I will never understand why the Disney Channel canceled that wonderful series. The combination of Brianne Leary, J.D. Roth, and George Foreman was wonderful! I even enjoyed the first season of the show, when Scott Herriott was the host! In any case, watching those three tapes gave me many hours of enjoyment while I anxiously waited for our departure date of June 4.

I wanted to take a class in photography at the Disney Institute, and I called their fax-back system to get a list of classes that were being offered during my stay. After deciding which one I wanted to take, I called…only to find out that ‘day visitors’ to the Institute were only allowed to make reservations 30 days in advance. Therefore, I marked my calendar for May 11 so that I could call back and reserve the class I wanted to take on June 10. I hope that there will still be a space available!

I started work on an Excel Spreadsheet and planned out a day-to-day itinerary of what we be doing. I wanted to make sure I did and saw everything that I wanted to, and planning it out should allow that. I hate coming home and thinking about things that I should have done, etc. This should prevent some of those ‘regrets.’

I planned to meet up with some of the people I worked with last year and hang out with them on June 12. This left that day free for my friends to do whatever they wanted. They considered going to visit Universal Studios. I had gone to twice in 1998, so I had no interest in going again this year. I scheduled them to go to Universal Studios on that day, but they later found out that there was a Sports Card show scheduled for that weekend at the Belz Outlet Mall and they might want to go. Since we had definite plans on the 11th (Disney Quest/RADP meet) and 13th (Islands Of Adventure/Luau), they could not do them on separate days, but they could attempt both of them on one day. It is their decision once the days arrives, and I am curious as to what they choose!

I also made plans to join a RADP Cruise on the Seven Seas Lagoon on June 6. I would love to go to Deb Wills’ RADP meet on June 5th at the Magic Kingdom, but since it is not only an Early Entry Day, but also Gay Day, I expect the crowd levels to be extremely large. That is not something I want to tackle on my first day at WDW, so I am scheduling that day to be Epcot. As the day approaches I may change my mind, but Deb will be on the Cruise with me the very next day, so I will still get a chance to see her. As of this writing, these are the only two RADP meets scheduled during my stay. There is another one scheduled for the opening of Tarzan on June18, but that one is scheduled for 2:00 PM and my plane takes off at Noon! If I had know about it back in January when I booked the flight I would have chosen an evening flight back home! I am planning to extend my Disney vacation once I arrive home by going to see Tarzan, although I really wish I could watch it at WDW. I saw Mulan at WDW last summer and I think it is more special watching a Disney movie at Walt Disney World then it is back home.

On May 10, the formal invitation and boarding pass for the June 6 RADP Cruise arrived in my mailbox. The next day I called the Disney Institute and registered for the Traveling Photographer class on June 10. The class begins at 8 AM and runs until Noon. I am looking forward to class because I love taking pictures and this particular class allows us to enter and tour Epcot’s World Showcase before it is open to the general public. Later that day, I called my local Disney Store and ordered my Premium Annual Pass, with MKC discount. I really would have rather gone to WDW sometime in May to work and get a new employee ID. However, the cost of traveling to Florida (plane fare, food, etc.) just to get the pass would have been almost identical to the cost of Premium Annual Pass, and the ID does not include entrance into the Water Parks! So, I gave up hope of continuing my employment status there and just ordered the pass.

The rest of the trip planning had to wait until the E-Ride Nights were determined. Once they are announced, I can plan the park touring days and strategies. I still have a few items on my shopping list that I must pick up before I leave (like a water-proof disposable camera for the water parks, sum block lotion, etc.), but for the most part I can now relax and wait.

Well, on May 17, E-Ride Nights were announced for June. I will be at WDW for four of the five nights…the only one I will miss is June 1! However, one of those four nights is June 4, the day I arrive, so I am not sure if I will go to that one. The other three nights are the 8th, 11th, and 15th.

After reviewing my tentative schedule up to this point, I noticed that it worked out perfectly! The 8th was a day I scheduled for the Disney Studios…which closes at 9:30 PM. E-Ride Night at the Magic Kingdom starts at 10:00 PM, so I can just head on over there instead of going back to the resort, which had been the plan!

The 11th I was planning to go to the Magic Kingdom in the evening anyway to meet some friends that I met online, so I will just stay longer than I was planning to! The 15th was also a day that I planned the Magic Kingdom in the evening…so either I am extremely lucky, or someone at WDW looked at my tentative schedule! J

The only problem that I ran into was that I had scheduled a Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s for 8:00 AM on June 16. Since E-Ride Night on the 15th would not start until 11:00 PM, it would last until 2:00 AM. By the time I get back to the resort and into bed it would be almost 3:00 AM. In order to get to the Contemporary in time for my priority seating, I would have to get up at 6:30 AM, which would translate into 3 ½ hours of sleep! That is not something I look forward to doing. So, I immediately called Disney and was able to change my priority seating from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. This will allow me to sleep until 8:30 AM, and five and one-half hours of sleep are plenty for me when I am at WDW!

At this point, I started to plan each day of our trip…that is, until May 22! On this date, Walt Disney World announced not only new ticket prices, but also new tickets! Gone are the All-In-One Hoppers that I purchased for my friends. They have been replaced with Park Hopper Plus Passes. If you recall, I was going to trade in one of the 6-day All-In-One passes for a 7-day All-In-One pass when I arrived. However, that plan is on hold until I decide if the new Plus pass is suitable to our needs.

These new passes have some benefits, most notably the ability to use a 7-day pass over 11 days…if you go to the water parks/Pleasure Island on days that you do not go to the major parks. A 7-day pass is good for 7 days at the major parks and four visits (not days) to the smaller ones. What this means is that if you visit a water park and Pleasure Island on the same day, it counts as 2 visits, whereas with the All-In-One passes it only counts as one day. My plan was to visit all three water parks and to spend at least three evenings at Pleasure Island. This could be accomplished with the All-In-One passes, but not with the new passes. Therefore, I must decide if I am still going to turn in one of the 6-day All-In-One passes for the new 7-day Park Hopper Plus Pass. If I do, then one of my friends will only be able to go to Pleasure Island once…since we definitely want to go to all three water parks. If I do not trade it in, then my friends will only be able to spend 7 days in the parks instead of eight. It would be unfair to give one of them two of my free one-day passes and the other one only one. I still have 2 weeks before I must make that decision, so I will discuss with them how important it is for them to visit Pleasure Island more than once.

After discussing the ticket options with them, the decision was made to keep the 6-day All-In-One Passes instead of exchanging them for the new 7-day Park Hopper Plus passes. We decided to buy a single one-day pass and use it for our very first day since will plan on going to Epcot and not park-hopping on that day. Those 6-day tickets combined with the one-day pass, and the three free one-day passes from last year will give my friends a total of 8 days in the parks.

I started to contact a few people who I will be meeting down there. On June 12, I am supposed to meet up with a few people who I worked with last year. We made the decision to meet that day at 10:30 AM at the Disney Studios. I also compared my touring schedule with a few others who had trips planned at the same time. I found out that there were some days that were had the same thing scheduled. On June 13, a woman who I met on a Disney mailing list, Binnie, is also planning on going to Universal’s Islands of Adventure. We discussed transportation to the park, and decided that my party of three and her party of four should share a ride. I will get a cab large enough for the seven people and pick her up where she is staying, at the Port Orleans. From there we will travel to IOA and split the cab fare seven ways. Another person is planning on being at Typhoon Lagoon the same morning as me, but we have not made plans to meet up as of this writing. There is also a possibility of me heading over to Epcot in the afternoon on June 12 for an Internet Postcard session at Innoventions at 1:00 PM. It all depends on what my friends from last summer want to do. If they do not mind, then I will go…if they want to do something else, then I will. We shall see.

On June 1, I called the Disney Store where I ordered my Premium Annual Pass and found out that it was ready to be picked up. They tried to call me, but I do not have an answering machine so I did not know! I will go tomorrow and pick it up.

I also faxed my room requests to the Room Assignor at the All-Star Sports. I requested a room in the baseball section (Home Run Hotel) and for a non-smoking, first floor room. I stressed that being in the baseball building was highly important…I only booked the All-Star Sports because I love baseball. The other two requests are not that important. I am a former smoker, so if I get a smoking-optional room, the smell will not bother me. Also, being on the second or third floor will not ruin my vacation, but after walking the entire day, I would rather not have to climb stairs. I plan on calling tomorrow and asking in person in case the fax did not get to the person responsible for assigning the rooms.

The next day I drove to one of the local Disney Stores and picked up the Premium Annual Pass ($418.72 with MKC discount) that I ordered. I was wearing one of my cast member shirts from last summer and I got quite a few comments from the cast members. We struck up a nice, pleasant conversation about where I worked at WDW, etc. It really is nice that the Disney Magic is alive and well at your local Disney Store. The cast members there are well trained and are just as wonderful as the ones at Walt Disney World. And, I have had the pleasure of working at both places…I worked briefly at a different Disney Store in my area for a few weeks near Halloween last year.

Later that day I called the All-Star Sports directly to re-affirm my room requests and, to my surprise and delight, all three were met. When I asked the room assignor to place me in a room in the baseball building, she told me that I was already there! After expressing my thanks, I told her I had two more requests. I asked for a non-smoking room, and again I was told that the request was already met. At this point I was pleased and did not even care if the last request was met, but I asked anyway. I told her I would like a first-floor room and she again said that I was already assigned one! I told her how happy I was at my room assignment, and she said she would make sure that the room was not switched on me. It really is wonderful how accommodating Disney can be!

The day before my trip I started to pack, and made sure my VCR was set and had a tape in it. There will be two episodes of Mouseworks broadcast on ABC on each Saturday morning that I will be in Florida! I cannot miss my Disney cartoons, even for Walt Disney World!

Friday, June 4, 1999

The day had finally arrived and we were off to Walt Disney World. This departure would be different from the last two times I visited. During the two previous trips, I always took an early flight out so that I could enjoy most of the day in Florida. However, this time I could not do that. My two friends had to work this morning; in fact, Phil had to be in work at 5:00 AM! In order to accommodate them, I had scheduled an afternoon flight. It was originally scheduled to take off from Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT at 4:00 PM. However, sometime in February or March I received a call from the airline informing me the flight was moved up to 3:15 PM. I checked Delta’s website last night and I noticed that the time was again moved to 3:25 PM. Either way we were leaving my house at 1:00 PM for the 45-minute drive to the airport.

Since I had some time to kill before they came to pick me up, I sat down in the living room with my father and looked through the 4 albums worth of photographs that I took during my 3 month stay there last summer. I made a few telephone calls to say goodbye to some friends, and then I went online to check my email on last time before I left. I also checked the weather in Orlando…the next 4 days all call for scatted thunderstorms! I really hope it does not turn into anything major…especially since we were planning on going to River Country on Monday morning. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Rich came to pick me up promptly at 1:00 PM and we made the short trip to his house. From there, we transferred my luggage from his car to his other brother’s car (Mike). After that the four of us piled into Mike’s car and we drove to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. We unloaded our luggage, thanked Mike for the ride, and checked in. The line for check in was very long, all flights to Atlanta were canceled and everyone was scrambling to find an alternate route and it increased the lines for all the airlines. Once we reached the podium, check in was quick and smooth and we made the short trip to the gate and waited for them to allow us to board.

Take off was late, about 3:35 PM, and we arrived at Orlando International Airport at 6:25 PM. We walked to the baggage pickup and met out Tiffany Town Car driver, Darcy. We chatted with him for awhile about the Yankees and other sports teams while waiting for our luggage to appear. Once our bags came through, we gathered them together and made the short trek to his car. One thing I found quite interesting was that his Town Car was not the usual Florida color of white! His Town Car was a maroon color. I liked the fact that it was not like all the others. While walking to the car we passed a sea of white Town Cars and Cadillacs, and Darcy’s maroon vehicle was a pleasant departure from the norm…plus it made it easy to find!

We made a quick stop (about 15-20 minutes) at Publix where we picked up some bottled water, snacks, and an ice cooler. There was an enormous amount of traffic on the highway, so Darcy asked if we wanted to take the scenic route to the All-Star Sports. Since we were not in much of a rush, we agreed. The ride there was longer than it should have been, but we were able to see much of Orlando and the surrounding areas.

We arrived at the resort around 7:45 PM and paid Darcy. With the $5 off coupon from the web site, the total for the round-trip Town Car ride was only $70. We gave Darcy the entire amount; in addition, a $10 tip…making the total $80. We set up a time for him to pick us up on the 18th for the ride back to the airport and then we inside the All-Star Sports’ lobby to check in.

The wait to check in at 8:00 PM was about 20 minutes. Once I got to the desk, I was given our room cards and directions to our room…#8160. All my requests were filled and I was given a non-smoking room on the first floor of the Home Run Hotel (Visitor’s Side) facing the pool. I could not have picked a better room if I wanted to! I also purchased a ticket for E-Ride Night on June 8 ($10.60 including tax) and then we made the trek to our room. One interesting note is that I booked the room using an annual pass discount. When I checked in, the CM did not ask to see it, nor did she even ask if I had one. I thought that was interesting.

Upon arriving in the room, we discussed our plans for tomorrow and I set the alarm that was in the room. Then, as my friends unpacked, I made sure all the room keys worked and then I left to go to a park. My original plan was to purchase an E-Ride ticket for tonight and go to the Magic Kingdom, but I was somewhat tired and I wanted to get to bed early tonight. I did not think it would be worth the extra money to only spend one hour at the Magic Kingdom. When I checked in, I was told that the bus stops had been temporarily relocated to the back of the resort in the parking lot. This might have been a hassle for some people, but it worked out perfectly for me. The bus area in the front of the resort was being redesigned so it was closed off and they moved the bus stops to the parking lot that was between baseball building number eight and Tennis building number five. Since I was staying in building number eight; this was a much shorter walk for me every day than if the bus stop was still in front of Stadium Hall!

I went to the bus stop and caught the first bus I saw…to the Disney-MGM Studios. This worked out perfect for me again, because that is the park that I decided to go to as I was walking to the bus stop! The bus that I stepped onto was not even supposed to be there…it was for the All-Star Movies, but he was dropping off a guest who had gotten on the wrong bus.

I talked with the driver for the entire length of the ride and we discussed many things, including the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. He was surprised to know that I knew about the Cast Previews that we to take place next week!

Upon arriving at the Studios, I went directly to Guest Relations and handed in my Annual Pass Voucher for an actual pass. The CM, Kevin, was very helpful and explained all the benefits of the pass…although I already knew them! I also purchased a one-day one-park pass for my friend to use tomorrow at Epcot ($46.64).

I entered the park about 9:15 PM and headed directly to the Tower Of Terror! This ride is greatly improved since last summer when there were only 3 drops. Now there is something like 6 drops. They happened so fast, that I lost count. I was also having too much fun to even care about the number of drops! It definitely made a great ride even greater!

After the Tower, I walked around a bit and stopped by the ABC Commissary to grab something to eat. It was about 9:50 PM and I had not eaten since about noon. I ordered the chicken strips, but I did not want the french fries that came with it so I asked if I could get it without them. The cashier was unsure about what to do, but fortunately, the server helped her out. She told her to charge me for a child’s nuggets meal (which was about $2.00 cheaper, and she would make sure that I got the strips instead of the nuggets. I also ordered a bottle of water to wash down my meal with. Since the nugget meal includes a drink, ordering a bottle water with it was only $.70 more! Total price was $5.74.

After I ate, I walked over to the new Drew Carey attraction, Sounds Dangerous. It was okay, nothing great. A definite improvement over the boring One Saturday Morning attraction that was there last year, but still not as good as the Monster Sound Show that was there during my first trip in 1996. The sound effects are decent, but the lack of guest interaction is sorely missed. Drew Carey was great as usual, but they definitely need to bring back the interactive nature of this attraction instead of the sit-back-and-listen feature that is has now.

At 10:35 PM, I walked over to the Fantasmic Show that was scheduled to start at 11:00 PM. Four for a Dollar did the pre-show, and they were just as good as I remember from seeing them last year as the pre-show for the Beauty and the Beast show. Fantasmic lasted about 25 minutes and was excellent. If you have not seen this show, then you are missing one of the best attractions at Walt Disney World. My only complaint is that they relied too heavily on projecting images on the water screens. It seemed like half of the show was made up of that. It is a nice feature, but I think it is being overused here. Other than that, the production and special effects are great! Moreover, if you go during a time when they are performing this twice a night, go to the second show because you can get seating almost up until show time. The theater was about three-fourths full when the show began. However, the earlier show is almost completely full about 45 minutes before showtime.

The walk to the bus was about 15 minutes, and I caught the very first one back to the resort. I arrived home a little after midnight and my friends were already asleep. I jumped in bed and tried to sleep, but the combination of the bed (very uncomfortable) and trying to adjust to a different bed than my own caused me to get only about one hours sleep during the night. This problem was solved the next evening when I switched beds with my friend. This bed was much more comfortable and I had no problems sleeping the rest of the trip. It worked out perfectly, because my friend had trouble sleeping in that bed the first night, but after we switched beds, he slept comfortably the remainder of the trip. It is too bad that we did not discover that the first night!

Saturday, June 5, 1999

The alarm rang at 6:30 AM, however I was already awake. I showered quickly, ate a pop tart for breakfast, and then loaded film into Rich’s camera (he always loads it wrong so I had to do it for him the entire trip.) I then went outside to snap some photos of the resort.

We caught a bus to Epcot at 7:30 AM and immediately went to the line for Test Track. There were already a lot of people in front of us when we got in line at 7:45 AM. They did not open the attraction until 8:00 AM and it took us about 20 minutes before we reached the front of the line. We were the very next to go in when there was a slight technical problem that delayed us another 15 minutes.

All I can say about this attraction is that is was definitely worth the 2-year wait! I loved it! If you want to ride this and see the entire queue area inside, then go to it first thing in the morning. The singles line, which I used every other time I rode this attraction, does not take you through the queue area inside the building. The queue is worth seeing at least once, but I would never use it again…I will always go the singles route!

After Test Track we journeyed our way to the opposite end of Future World and saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience. It did not open until 9:00 AM, s we had 15 minutes to kill. We spent some time watching the jumping fountains and the reverse waterfall. I found out that it was Rich and Phil’s first time seeing this show. During their previous trip they spent very little time at Epcot, I think it was about two or three hours and they did not experience much. Therefore, I had my work cut out for them to show them how fun Epcot can be!

We were let in at promptly 9:00 AM and saw the first performance of the day. During the part of the show where the mice came through, Phil put his feet up for the remainder of the show! Afterwards, Rich told me that he liked this better than the Captain EO attraction that was there during his first trip in the early 1990s. I never saw that one, so I could not compare the two.

After the show they wanted to see ‘the Figment ride’, but I had to tell them that it was closed We walked over to the Land Pavilion and walked right into the Circle of Life movie with a two-minute wait. The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies, so I enjoyed this movie greatly. It has a real powerful message, so I hope it helps people understand about protecting the environment.

After that we headed downstairs and walked right onto the Land boat ride. This ride is very interesting and someday I will take that walking tour that spends more time in the greenhouses. We then headed over to Food Rocks, which was another walk on. Rich remembers the old Kitchen Kabaret, but he enjoyed this new musical just as much. By now it was about 10:00 AM and I let Rich and Phil use my calling card to call their mother back home since their card wasn’t working.

Once they were done, we left the Land Pavilion and went into the Living Seas. Again there was no wait and we entered the hydrolator for our trip ‘under the sea’! I spent quite a while in here last summer, but Rich and Phil were not interested in it so we left quickly.

As we walked to Spaceship Earth, we stopped and watched the Jamminators perform at around 10:40 AM. I always enjoyed their performance, and I wish I had caught it again later in the trip, but I never did. Spaceship Earth had a 20-minute wait, so we passed it for now and headed over to Ellen’s Energy Adventure, but it was closed today. It was a planned closing because it was listed in the guide map, which I did not look at until I saw that this attraction was closed. I do not know why it was only closed for one day; it could not have been for a refurbishment. In any case, we made plans to come back another day for it and headed to the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Inside there, we went directly to Body Wars, which had a 10-minute wait. Then hit Cranium Command. They never saw that before and walked out of it smiling. It really is interesting to go on rides and attractions with people who have never done them before. Their thoughts and impressions of them can be fascinating.

After Cranium Command, we walked right into the Making of Me. Again, it was their first time seeing it and they enjoyed Martin Short’s performance…as did I.

It was now around 12:15 PM and we headed out of Epcot via the International Gateway and walked to the Beach Club. I showed them Stormalong Bay (someday I will actually swim in it) and then we headed inside to Beaches and Cream for lunch. We sat at the counter and I ordered a cheeseburger/fries combo with a bottle of water. For desert, I ordered a delicious vanilla sundae with butterscotch topping. My share of the bill, including tip, was $13.00. While we were there, the cast members brought out balloons, cake, and gifts to the cook. It was his last day there. I do not know if he was leaving Disney or transferring to another location, but it was enjoyable to see them treating him like family. They dimmed the lights when they started the festivities…and they even tied the balloons to the back of his apron while he was cooking!

After we finished we walked back to Epcot and re-entered the park. We headed right and walked right into "Impressions de France." The Hunchback of Notre Dame was outside signing autographs, but we passed on that. I was never into collecting character autographs, and getting a photo of myself with all the characters is not a major goal for me right now. Someday it will be, but for now it is not a major item on my list.

From France we headed through Morocco and then through Japan. We did not spend much time in each country for two reasons. Rich and Phil are not really interested in the architecture and ambiance of each nation so they would have been bored if I spent time in each one. The second reason was that I had a Traveling Photography class scheduled for later in the week and I would be spending a lot of time in World Showcase before it opened to the public. I would be able to enjoy the countries then without feeling rushed.

We finally stopped at The American Adventure, sat down in the America Gardens Theatre, and watched the International Storybook Show at 2:15 PM. I never saw this show in its entirety last summer, so I was pleased that I was finally able to catch the whole show. It was very enjoyable and I would love to see it again. Perhaps next trip.

When the show was completed, we headed inside the pavilion. The Voices of Liberty were not performing today, which was a disappointment for me since I watched them many times last summer. We walked around the gallery for a little while until the show started. Again, they had never seen this before. In fact, they had never even been to World Showcase before today! How could you go to Epcot and never even enter World Showcase? I had seen the show a few times last summer, and since I only had one hour sleep the night before, I almost dozed off during it. Those seats, combined with the lighting, make it very difficult to stay awake if you are tired!

We walked quickly through Italy, Germany, and the Outpost and entered China just as it was starting to rain lightly. We watched the ‘Wonders of China’ movie and then set off for Norway. It was here where we hit our first significant line of the day. We entered Maelstrom about 4:15 PM and waited about 35 minutes for it. I had never been on this before, so I did not mind the wait. It was not that bad of a ride, probably the best one in World Showcase. In addition, we did watch the movie, "Spirit of Norway," afterwards!

After the movie ended, we walked over to Mexico and walked right onto El Rio del Tiempo. This ride is similar to It’s a Small World, but not as annoying! I was happy to see that it was open, because it had previously been announced that it would be closed for refurbishment. I am looking forward to it being converted to a Donald Duck attraction, unless the powers that be change their mind. There is not enough Donald Duck at Walt Disney World! There used to be an excellent ice cream shop called Donald’s Dairy Dip at the Marketplace, but it was closed sometime in 1997 to make room for the McDonald’s! A huge mistake if you ask me.

After Mexico, we stopped briefly at a food cart so that Phil could buy some lemonade, and then we were off to Canada. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the next showing of "O Canada," but we needed to rest our feet anyway so we had no complaints. After the movie, we walked to Spaceship Earth were we found it to be a walk-on.

After the ride, we went over to Innoventions West where we did the IBM Planet Rider, and then checked some sports scores on one of the IBM Internet Stations. The other Internet station (I think it was sponsored by AT&T) was closed for refurbishment…as was the entire Innoventions East. They are undergoing a complete revamping for the Millennium celebration that is set to begin on October 1. Sometime in September, the rest of Innoventions West will close for its refurbishment.

After checking the scores, we went over to one of the Digital Postcards stations and sent a couple of postcards to some friends. It was now about 7:15 PM, and we headed over to the Electric Umbrella in Innoventions Plaza. I grabbed a dinner consisting of a cheeseburger/fries combo and a coke ($7.84) and then headed off towards Test Track. The wait was one hour, and I had no interest in waiting that long to ride it again.

We caught the Friendship II boat and crossed the lagoon over to Morocco. From there we ran to the America Gardens Theatre and caught the 8:00 PM showing of ‘Lord of the Dance.’ This was the first day that it was being performed, and it was the fourth (and last) show of the day. We did not make it in time to get a seat, and we had to stand behind the ropes, but the view was still good. It was a wonderful show, although one of the male dancers fell during the performance. I really would have liked to see this a second or third time, but time constraints did not allow it during the remainder of my trip. It will only be there until the end of September, so if you want to see it you should make your plans now.

After the performance, we walked casually to the World Showcase entrance and sat down at about 8:45 PM and waited for Illuminations to begin. At promptly 9:00 PM, the show began. It was just as nice as I remember, but it just does not give me the same emotional feeling that Fantasy in the Sky at the Magic Kingdom does. I could watch Fantasy in the Sky every night, but I only need to watch Illuminations once per trip.

Upon completion of the show, we rushed to the bus stop where we caught a bus back to the resort. I went to bed almost immediately, but I did not fall asleep until about 1:00 AM. However, once I did fall asleep I rested comfortably.

Sunday, June 6, 1999

The alarm woke me up promptly at 6:00 AM and I hopped into the shower. While they were getting ready, I ate my pop tart breakfast! We made it to the bus stop around 6:40 AM and caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom. The bus that actually picked us up was for the Transportation & Ticket Center. Since there was no one waiting at that line…or any of the other lines…the bus driver picked us up and took us to the Animal Kingdom.

We arrived at 6:50 AM and I thought they would be letting us in at 7:00 AM. Before I left for Florida I checked the opening times on the Internet and it listed Animal Kingdom as having a 7:00 AM opening time, however when we arrived we found out that it opens at 8:00 AM. Therefore, we had to wait around for about a half-hour because they let us in at 7:30 AM.

We walked in and headed left towards Asia and Dinoland U.S.A., while 90 % of the crowd headed towards Africa to go on the safari. Phil grabbed a bite to eat while we waited for the rope drop at 8:00 AM.

As soon as the roped dropped, half the people waiting in this section headed towards Dinoland U.S.A, while the other half (myself included) headed for Asia. We entered the long queue line for the Kali River Rapids ride and walked right onto it. Rich and Phil only rode it once, while I stayed on it for three rides. I really enjoyed this ride and wish I could have ridden it again. However the wait was too long later in the day, and the next time I came to Animal Kingdom (specifically to ride it), it was having technical difficulties and was closed! Rich and Phil had a good time controlling the elephants and squirting me as I passed under the bridge. I acted like I was mad at them, but I did not mind. After all, I was on the ride to get wet and they were just trying to help me!

After my river adventure, I went to the Radio Disney River Cruise. I had been on this attraction last summer when it was called the Discovery River Boat and had a different theme. This ‘improvement’ was not much better. Since we had gone on it early, we only had to wait 10 minutes to board a boat. When we exited the boat, the wait was up to 30 minutes. I really felt sorry for anyone who has to wait that long for it, as it is definitely not worth it. I hope that Disney will come up with something for the attraction that works, because what they have now certainly does not!

After our boring boat ride, we headed to Countdown to Extinction. This was another walk on. The first time I went on it last summer it was really fun and exciting, but with each subsequent ride, the thrill gets smaller and smaller. For me, this attraction is like Alien Encounter at the Magic Kingdom…thrilling the first time, but almost a waste of time to do it again. Some people find it exciting and scary every time they ride it, but the repeat value of it just is not there for me. As a side note, the water fountains they were in front of the ride entrance have been changed. The water has all been drained, and the fountains have been completely filled with potted plants. I do not like this change at all. The water was much nicer to look at then more plants. It was a nice place to cool off and I always saw children playing in the water. I wonder why it was changed? Perhaps some child was hurt while playing in the fountain? Oh, well, there is nothing I can do about it except recall the days when the entrance looked nice.

After Countdown to Extinction we headed over to the Tree of Life and saw It’s Tough to be a Bug 3-D movie. This is my favorite 3-D movie at WDW, and it was even more enjoyable this year now that I have seen the movie, "A Bug’s Life."

By now it was about 10:00 AM. I stopped briefly at Beastly Bazaar to picked up a crushed Donald Duck Penny. There are five Donald Duck pennies at WDW. I obtained three of them last summer, and the last one is in the lobby of the Dixie Landings Resort. From there, we headed to the Kilimanjaro Safaris where we encountered a half-hour wait. There were still plenty of animals active at this time, so we got some good photos.

After the safari, we decided to get something to eat. We walked over to the Flame Tree Barbecue, but they did not see anything on the menu that they liked (this would happen often during the trip), so we went over to Pizzafari for lunch. I had the pepperoni & cheese pizza, a side salad, and a diet coke ($8.68).

When we finished eating at about 11:40 AM, we went to the Maharajah Jungle Trek and saw some interesting wildlife, including bats and tigers! Although I enjoyed the Jungle Trek, I think that there are too many self-guided walking tours at this park. Besides the Maharajah Jungle Trek, there is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and, to a lesser degree, Conservation Station. I know this is "Animal" Kingdom, but although this is the biggest of the four Disney parks, it has the least amount of things to do. I know that watching and studying the animals is a large park of the park’s appeal, but how long do normal people actually look at each animal? I know I look for about a minute or so, snap a photo, and then move on. Perhaps I just like actual rides and attractions more than live animals, but I think two self guided walking tours at the same park is too much. One would have been sufficient. I had walked through the Pangani Trail last summer (when it was still called the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail), so I skipped it this year. The Maharajah Jungle Trek was nice, the buildings and trails were stunning, and the animals were nice to look at, but as far as repeat value, there is just none for me.

Anyway, after the Jungle Trek we headed over to the Flights of Wonder show that was scheduled to begin at 12:45 PM. This show has changed since last year. When I saw it last year, it was on a big outdoor stage, with open-air bleacher type seating. This year it was inside a tent with chair, and floor seating. It was also air conditioned, which made it more enjoyable than last summer! I watched the show in near 100-degree weather in full sunlight last year and it was almost unbearable! The explanation that I was given was that the outdoor stage was being refurbished. Why a one-year old stage already needed refurbishment is beyond me, but perhaps they are going to enclose it so that the guests watching the show do not suffer as I did last year.

The show itself was wonderful. I think it has changed slightly since last summer, more humor has been added, and more interaction with guests. It was a very enjoyable show and a definite improvement over last year’s version.

After that show ended, we headed over to Camp Minnie-Mickey at about 1:20 PM and we were seated at Grandmother Willow’s Grove for the 1:40 PM presentation of Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends. While waiting for the show to begin, it started to rain again, but it only lasted about 10 minutes.

Immediately after the show ended, we headed over to the Lion King Theater and we were seated in plenty of time for the 2:30 PM presentation of the Festival of the Lion King. I saw this last summer and it is, in my opinion, one of the best shows on Disney property! My friends enjoyed it immensely, and we made plans to visit it again later in the trip.

As soon as the show ended, we did some shopping at Island Mercantile. I picked up several items including a 9" Donald Duck Safari Doll, an Animal Kingdom magnet (for my magnet collection), and three postcards to mail to friends back home. Total with tax was $18.24.

By now, it was 3:30 PM and we were finished with the Animal Kingdom. We had ridden all the rides and seen all the shows. The only things we had not done was walk through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and take the Wildlife Express to Conservation Station. I had done both last summer and, from experience, I knew that my friends would not be interested in doing either of these things. So, we talked to the bus stop and arrived just as a bus was getting ready to leave for our resort. We hopped on it and we were home by 3:50 PM. I snacked on some granola bars while watching a little television.

At about 5:15 PM I went to the lobby and to guest services. I had gone there to pick up the tickets to the dinner shows that I had scheduled, as well as pay for them. The first one was for the All-American Backyard Barbecue, which I had scheduled for Thursday, June 10. Total for three adults was $110.99, which I paid for in cash.

I then ran into a little problem when I tried to get my tickets for the Polynesian Luau. I had scheduled the show for 9:30 PM on Sunday, June 13. However, when Julie, the guest services CM, looked at my reservations she said that they had been canceled! I told her I never canceled my reservations and asked her to find out why it was listed that way in her computer. She picked up the telephone, called the Luau directly, and talked to Carol, who told her that effective immediately all Sunday and Monday performances of the Luau were being discontinued. Anyone holding reservations for those days had them canceled. Since it had only been decided a day or two before, there was no time for them to contact me to let me know. Julie continued to talk to Carol and found out that there was still room at the 9:30 PM show for Saturday, June 12 if I wanted to go then. It was also the last day that there would be a show held that late. Starting Tuesday, June 15, the Luau will now be held at 5:15 PM and 8:00 PM. Mickey’s Tropical Luau, which was held in the late afternoon, has also been discontinued.

Since I had never been to the Luau before, I did not want to miss it this trip, so I agreed to the day change. Julie and Carol stayed on the telephone while the reservation was changed, because Julie was unable to book a discounted reservation from her computer. She had to book it at full price, and once it went through the computer system, Carol discounted it from her end. Total for three adults, with my 20% annual pass discount, was $111.18.

I thanked Julie for her help and returned to the room at 5:50 PM. I told my friends about the change and then I left for Epcot at 6:30 PM. My plan was to ride the Universe of Energy because it was closed when I was there yesterday, but the bus ride was one of the longest of the trip. It stopped at Blizzard Beach before it went to Epcot, and it was a little past 7:00 PM when I finally arrived. I knew there was no way to enter Epcot, wait in line at the attraction, ride it, and then get over to the Polynesian Resort in time for the 8:00 PM RADP meet. So, I just walked past Epcot’s entrance and hopped about the monorail to the TTC.

From the TTC, I took a leisurely stroll to the Polynesian Resort. It was still too early to check in for the meet, so I walked over to the Shades of Green entrance and photographed the entrance sign. Last summer I photographed all the entrance signs to all the resorts on Disney property except the Shades of Green and the Disney Institute, so I had some catching up to do. After the photograph, I walked back to the Polynesian and grabbed a bagel and milk at Cook’s ($2.28). I ate outside at one of the tables and a large bird, I think it was some sort of crane, stared at me the entire time hoping for a handout!

Around 7:45 PM I walked over to the Polynesian dock and I was met by CM Jenny who greeted me and put a lei around my neck. I chatted with her for awhile until the others arrived and I found out that she was from Chicago and in the college program. We discussed the program a bit, since I had done it last summer, and had a few laughs.

This meet was a cocktail party thrown by Michael Lane Blanchard and it was to take place on Disney’s Grand One yacht on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake! Lane made the announcement for the meet on March 24 on RADP, and space was limited to the first 12 people (21 and older) who responded. Luckily, I was one of those 12! By 8:00 PM everyone had arrived, Lane and Mike Scibetta were already on the yacht when it docked at the Polynesian. The other attendees were Deb Wills, Sarah, Barb (Gardenia), Mike, Kelly, Bruce Metcalf and his wife, Marta, Tom and his wife, Aimee, and, of course, myself. Before this trip, I had only met Deb, but I had read about most of the others either in RADP or in trip reports, so it was nice to finally put faces to the names!

The Grand One is a gorgeous white and gold 42-foot yacht that Disney rents out for small parties. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms (including shower) along with a dining room. Space is limited to 12 guests, a driver and second-mate, as well as a bartender.

Lane certainly knows how to throw a party. Before hand he had asked each of us what are preferred drink was, and he made sure that there was plenty on board! In fact, at the end of the evening whatever was left he gave to us to take back with us! There was an awesome buffet consisting of some of the largest shrimp I have ever seen, as well as many different types of cheeses, crackers, and fruits.

As the music blared throughout the yacht, we danced and sang along to the songs enjoying the spectacular view. We sailed from the Seven Seas Lagoon to Bay Lake and back all evening. It was a beautiful and comfortable evening, with temperatures in the low to mid 70s and a slight breeze. The sunset was gorgeous, I could not think of a better place to watch one from.

As we sailed by other boats, we waved to the other people and they usually waved back. We traveled almost every inch of the two bodies of water, and at one point even sailed into a backstage area. We also caught a glimpse of one of the submarines from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction that is now closed. Disney is storing them in dry dock in near the back end of Bay Lake and if you know where to look, you can see them.

We had a prime view of the Electrical Water Pageant at about 9:10 PM, and we settled into the perfect location at 10:00 PM for a viewing of Fantasy in the Sky fireworks! For this special viewing, our bartender, Michael, served us all champagne.

The cruise was only supposed to last until 11:00 PM, however around 10:30 PM it was announced that we would be staying out on the water until 11:30 PM. This was not a problem for me or anyone else on board, we all wanted this night to last forever, and it was truly magical.

However, alas, all good things must come to an end, and at 11:30 PM we docked back at the Polynesian and disembarked. We took a group photo and said our goodbye to the yacht and its crew.

Since it was nearing midnight, getting from the Polynesian to the All Star Sports would be rather difficult, especially since I was carrying a cooler filled with beer. Bruce offered to give rides to some of us, and I accepted the gracious invitation. Bruce and Marta first drove Deb, Sarah, and Gardenia to the Boardwalk Villas, and then they took me to the All-Star Sports. Upon arrived home at about 12:15 AM, I promptly went to bed and fell asleep immediately!

Monday, June 7, 1999

The pre-trip plan for today was for us to go to the Magic Kingdom for early entry and then head to River Country. This sounded good to us while we were back home in Connecticut, but last night I shot the plan down for several reasons. The first reason was that we did not want to wake up at 6:00 AM since we had just done that two days in a row. The second reason was that we did not want to carry towels with us while at the Magic Kingdom. In order to save time at the water parks, we bring our own towels from the resort instead of waiting in line to rent them at the park. I also figured that since we were ahead of schedule due to the short lines at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, we would have more time to go to the Magic Kingdom later in the trip This new plan of sleeping an extra hour was readily accepted by my two friends!

Anyway, the alarm rang about 7:15 AM and I woke up my two friends and we headed to the Food Court for breakfast. I had the French Toast with bacon and a large milk ($6.19), and then we caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom. Once there, we caught a boat launch to Fort Wilderness.

While we were on the boat, it started to rain lightly. Upon arriving at Fort Wilderness, we walked to River Country and entered it exactly at the 10:00 AM opening. There must have been only about 20 guests there, besides us. The rain was keeping people away, so we had the run of the park. We had no wait for anything the entire time we were there!

The first thing I went to was the Whoop ‘n Holler Hollow Body Slides. I did not try the smaller slide; all I did was the larger one. Throughout the morning, I must have slid down it about 15 to 20 times! At one point, the lifeguard at the top of the slide was a CM named Shawn. From talking with her I found out she was from Chicago and in the College Program. I chatted with her for a good amount of time about my experience last summer, as well as some tales about Vista Way, the apartment complex that CPs live in.

I also rode the White Water Rapids Tube Ride twice and spent a good amount of time in the Bay Cove Swimming Hole. As a break from all that activity, I went over to the Upstream Plunge Pool and went down Slippery Slide Falls a few times.

A one point Goofy pulled up in a boat off Bay Lake and visited with everyone. I posed for a photo with him and then went back to swimming. About an hour later, Goofy and Minnie made an appearance near the pool and I took photos with them. It was right about that time when Phil stepped onto a bee and was stung. He went over to first aid and was given some medication to put on it, but we tried not to push him too much the remainder of the day because he had difficulty walking after that.

Rich and Phil rode the Body Slide with me as soon as we arrived in the morning, but they did not go on anything else during the entire time we were there. They can be so boring sometimes! It did not matter too much to me because I can have fun without anyone else around.

At noon, they announced that they were closing the park because of the threat of lightning. After two hours of playing in the water, I was ready to go anyway so it did not affect me at all. My only complaint was that I forgot to pick up a Typhoon Lagoon magnet to add to my collection! I made a note to stop by later in my trip to pick one up, but I never got around to it, which leaves another thing for me to do on my next trip!

After leaving the park, we walked back to the dock and caught a boat back to the Magic Kingdom. From there we transferred to a bus and went back to the resort, arriving about 1:00 PM. I took a quick shower, grabbed a granola bar snack and headed to Sport Goofy Gifts and Sundries, the gift shop in the All-Star Sports lobby. There I bought a Donald Duck key chain, two magnets, and eight more postcards to mail to my friends back home. Total cost was $13.17.

I went back to the room and relaxed for a little while and then we headed off to the Disney-MGM Studios at 3:45 PM. The bus was waiting for us, and, in 15 minutes, we were walking through the gate of the Studios.

The first attraction we went to was Muppet-Vision 3-D. It was a walk on, and we timed it perfectly so that we also saw the entire pre-show. If you go to this attraction, make sure you watch the pre-show as it is one of the best and funniest of all the Disney pre-shows! This was my favorite 3-D attraction at WDW until last summer when I first saw It’s Tough To Be A Bug. This one is still great! In fact, I think it is much better than Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, but it is now my second favorite! Rich and Phil somehow never saw it during their previous trips(s); I wonder how they missed it?

Anyway, when that let out we hustled over to the Backlot Theater and entered the Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure Stage Show just as it was beginning. The CM at the entrance would not let us enter because the show was about to begin, but she directed us to the exit and told us to step over the rope and enter that way. I do not understand why she wanted us to do it that way, but we had no time to argue since the show was about to start. Once inside the theater we found an empty row and settled in for the half-hour production. This show ranks among the best of all of Disney’s stage shows. The cast is so talented and the songs and staging are indescribable! This one is a "must see" when you are at the Disney Studios!

Once the show ended we headed over to Star Tours and had a walk on. This ride is tame after riding it dozens of times; I am really looking forward to the rumored new movie.

After Star Tours, we headed to Mickey Avenue and we saw Pocahontas outside signing autographs. Phil decided that he wanted to have his photo taken with her, so I said go ahead. I jumped into the line of people (mostly children) waiting to meet her, but Phil just doesn’t understand the concept of patience and respect and walked right next to her and stood their while Rich snapped a photo. Now, I know it only took about 3 seconds for the photo, but it is downright rude to cut a line like that, especially when there are children waiting patiently. I made them know how angry and disappointed I was about what they did.

After that incident, we entered Soundstage 2 to catch a live taping of "Petsburgh, USA." This show, which is shown daily on the Animal Planet, is in the process of taping its second season. The host of the show is Brianne Leary, who most of you may know as the host of Walt Disney World Inside Out. Although that show was a favorite of mine, I remember her from the television show "CHIPS", where she played Officer Sindy Cahill during the show’s second season way back in 1978/79.

I will admit that I had a huge crush on her when she was on "CHIPS." However, after she left that show I did not see her in anything again until around 1995 when she took over for Scott Herriott on Inside Out. It was after I ‘re-discovered’ her that I found out that she spent a considerable amount of time on "Good Morning America" as a correspondent. She also made many guest appearances on such 80s shows as "Night Court", "The Love Boat", and "Simon & Simon", and was the host of a few other short-lived talk shows in the early 90s.

Why I am telling you all this? Well, it is because in-between the taping of a few segments with a horse named Rocky, I went up to her and told her that I remembered her from "CHIPS." Her initial reaction was, "Wow, now I feel old!" but she was only joking with me. She asked my name, and we started talking. After a minute or two, I asked her if I could take a photo with her. She said sure and led me over to the set. I handed my camera to one of the assistants who worked on the show and sat next to Brianne on the couch in the middle of the set. I put my arm around her (I asked her first) and the assistant took our photo. After it was taken, another assistant came over and told Brianne that she needed a wardrobe change for the next segment, so she had to leave. She said goodbye to me and told me to come back and see another taping when I had a chance. I thanked her as I left the studio and waved goodbye. Meeting her was a highlight of the trip because, even after all these years, I still have a small crush on her. As you will see later in the report, I had plenty of time to come back for more tapings!

After meeting Brianne, we all decided that we were hungry and we went over to Pizza Planet for a bite to eat. I ordered a pepperoni pizza and a medium diet coke, which came to $8.47 with tax. Since it was dinnertime, around 6:30 PM, all the tables we filled. It took us awhile to find an empty one to sit at, but with three of us looking, it was not as difficult as one might imagine. We just went to separate corners of the eating area and waited for someone to leave and then we pounced on the table, claiming it for ourselves!

From there, we walked over to the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour. It took us about 15 minutes before they let us in to the water effects area, and then another 15 minutes waiting in the line for the tram. There are quite a few hidden Mickey’s in that queue area, so looking for them made the time go by faster. This attraction is rather boring as you see the same thing repeatedly. They rarely add anything new. In fact, since last summer there are only two new things that stick out in my mind. The first one is the George of the Jungle Treehouse, which may actually have been there last summer, I do not recall. The second new item was the Armageddon vehicle, which was on display in front of the Chinese Theater last summer. I also think the vehicle from My Favorite Martian is on display there, but my memory fails me now.

I also did not recall seeing Walt Disney’s plane on the tour last year, but it was there this year. It is on the left-hand side of the road, across from the ‘bone yard.’ I was loading my camera with film as we sped by it, so I was not able to photograph it this time. I have to go through the attraction one more time before I depart for home so I can take a few photos. If you want to take a decent photo of this plane, make sure you sit on the left-hand side of the tram and photograph it as you are approaching Catastrophe Canyon, not after you have already been through it. The reason for taking this seat is that you drive by it slowly on the way to Catastrophe Canyon, but you speed by it on the way out of Catastrophe Canyon. Just remember to look for it on your own, because they do not point it out until after you have been to Catastrophe Canyon.

After the tour, we headed to the Great Movie Ride. For some reason, I never get too excited about this attraction. The audio-animatronics are very good, as well as the choice of movies, but the acting of the CMs usually leaves much to be desired. I think it would be more fun and interesting to go through the attraction without the western or cowboy scene. We boarded the vehicle that takes us through the attraction and wound up getting the cowboy scene. In fact, we went on this ride more than once so I can look for the hidden Donald and Mickey in the hieroglyphics, and we got the cowboy scene every time. I never saw the hidden Donald/Mickey and I was sure I was looking in the right spot. From what I was told, it is in the Indiana Jones scene, on the left-hand side near the bottom corner. There are two rooms for the Indiana Jones sequence, one you ride right through, and one that you stop in so the CMs can continue with their bad acting. Both my friends and I looked for it, but could not find it. If anyone has a more detailed location for the hidden characters, please let me know!

Another interesting note, the movie clip at the end has changed a bit. I am not sure if they removed any of the old clips…or even if they shortened a few of them, but there are new clips that have been added to the movie. I saw brief clips from Armageddon & The Lion King. I am sure a few others were in there as well, but I do not recall them as I write this. I also noticed the 1999 copyright date at the end of the movie. I think updating the movie occasionally is a good idea, however I am not sure if Armageddon belongs in there. Sure, it was a good movie, but certainly not a great one. It definitely does not fit the mold of a classic. Now, on the other hand, Titanic should have had a clip in there, as that is a classic film that will be remembered for many years to come. However, Armageddon is a Disney movie and Titanic is not, so that has a lot to do with it being selected.

After leaving the Great Movie Ride we wanted to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, but it was only 8:25 PM and the next show began at 9:00 PM. We did not want to wait 35 minutes for a show we have all seen many times, so we postponed that one for now and headed to the Tower of Terror.

Back in 1996, I was the only one of us who had the guts to ride the Tower. I even bought the photo of me in it as proof since I did not think I would ever go on it again. Last summer I rode it about a dozen times, and fell in love with it. The new drop sequence, which I first experienced on Friday, has made me love the ride even more! There was a 15-minute wait for the attraction, and I did not feel like walking the entire queue alone so I convinced them to walk it with me. They could take the regular elevator down once we reached the loading area. I also wanted them to experience the pre-show areas of the lobby, library, and boiler room since they just sat on a bench outside when I rode it in 1996.

I embarrassed them once we reached the front of the line by telling the CM that I was riding alone since my two friends had ‘chickened out!’ The CM tried to convince them to ride, but they refused. She led them to the normal elevator as I was boarding the ride.

After meeting up with them near the photo area, we went back on the Great Movie Ride so I could look for the hidden Donald/Mickey. Again, I had no luck finding them!

From there, went over to see, or should I say ‘hear’, Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey. I saw this on Friday and was disappointed with it, however my friends had not experienced it yet so I had to sit through it again. When it was all over, they voted it one of the worst attractions of the trip…along with the Radio Disney Cruise. What makes it even worse is that we had to wait about 10 minutes before we were let in! I wonder if Drew Carey’s star power is enough to make this weak attraction last? I say bring back Chevy Chase and Martin Short in the Monster Sound Stage Show!

After that extremely boring attraction, we walked around for a bit and did some window-shopping. At 10:15 PM, we headed to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater and were seated for the 11:00 PM Fantasmic Show. There were two Streetmosphere characters dressed as bellhops from the Tower of Terror performing at the bottom of the seating area. They did some very funny comedy routines that contained some good juggling and balancing routines. One of them even walked the entire length of the stairs on his hands!

The show was excellent, probably even better now that I was seeing it a second time! My friends loved it and wanted to see it again on another day, but due to scheduling conflicts (and sore feet), we never made it back!

When it ended we ran to the bus and got on the first one, which was waiting there for us, and sat back and relaxed as we were driven back to the resort. We arrived home at 11:50 PM and went directly to sleep.

Tuesday, June 8

The alarm woke us up at 8:00 AM. I showered quickly, grabbed a pop tart breakfast, and then caught the 8:45 AM bus to Epcot. Our original pre-trip plan did not include Epcot today. However, since we completed more attractions at the Studios last night then I expected, we had some extra time today. My plan was to go to the Universe of Energy and see Ellen’s Energy Adventure since it was closed when we went to Epcot on Saturday. I ran short on time Sunday when I attempted to see it by myself, so I was wondering if this attraction was jinxed!

We went directly to the attraction and joined the line. After about 5 minutes of waiting the side doors opened and guests started to exit. They announced to us as they walked by that the attraction had lost power and they were taken off the ride before it was completed. A CM, who came outside and walked the line, confirmed the situation by explaining what happened to everyone who was waiting.

By now, I was wondering if I would ever see this attraction during this trip. I was zero for three at this point! Since it was the only attraction left to see at Epcot, besides the performers in World Showcase, which wasn’t open yet, we decided to leave and head to our original plan for the day, the Studios.

Before we left the park I stopped at the Centorium and made the first of two WDW Forever CDs that I would create on this trip. The total with tax came to $21.18. I thought this was expensive for a CD that only had 10 songs (with a running time of only about 30 minutes.) However, I ignored the facts and purchased it anyway! I had it shipped to the resort since I didn’t want to wait the 10-15 minutes it took to create it. I heard that some resorts no longer deliver the package to your room directly. Instead they leave it at the front desk and you have to pick it up yourself. As I found out the next day, the All-Star Sports delivers the packages directly to your room, which is much more convenient.

As we were walking out of the store, the fountain was performing one of its amazing water shows, so we stopped to watch it. I really enjoy watching the fountain; I made sure to stop and watch it at least once a day whenever I was in Epcot last summer. However, with the stage that is now in front of the fountain, as well as all the construction that is going on near the back of Spaceship Earth, it is hard to get a good view of the show. I used to stand in front of the fountain, on the side near the World Showcase entrance, and face towards Spaceship Earth. That view of the fountain with the geosphere in the background was breathtaking; however, with the new stage that is used for the Cast In Bronze show, the fountain show loses some of its magic.

On the way out of Epcot, we passed Spaceship Earth, which was also without power. It was then that we realized that it was a park wide problem. Funny, there was still power inside the restaurants and shops. It seemed only to affect the attractions, which leads me to assume they are on a separate power system.

We hopped aboard the second bus that was heading to the Disney-MGM Studios at about 9:45 AM. We arrived there a short while after and we had problems getting in. Since we had just entered Epcot a short while ago, our passes were denied when we put them into the ticket machine. My friends had to show their hand stamp and I had to show a photo ID, since I own an annual pass. Once that was settled we went directly to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, which only had a 10 minute wait.

When it ended at 10:40 AM, we went into the Magic of Disney Animation Tour, although it was a 20-minute wait until the next one began. I really enjoy this tour, especially the Robin Williams/Walter Cronkite film. I especially wanted to see it today because it was a weekday and there would be animators working. It seems that in 1996 and 1998 when I went on the tour I always went on a Sunday when no one was working. I did not plan for it to work out that way; just my bad luck I guess! Anyway, Phil did not want to go on this tour at all, and Rich was less than enthusiastic about it. I reminded them that although I made the touring plan up, they were not slaves to it. If they wanted to do something else, they were free to do so. All we had to do was set up a meeting time and place for later in the day. I would rather enjoy an attraction alone than with someone who went with me but complained about it. They decided to stick with me and follow my plans, but I made them promise not to complain during the tour.

When we reached the room with the Disney animator does a quick drawing and answers some guest questions, Phil actually was interested. He even raised his hand a few times, but he was not called upon. As we were walking out of the room he went over to the animator and asked him a question.

By the time the tour was over, it was 11:40 AM. We had priority seating for 2:00 PM at the 50’s Prime Time Café, but I was hungry now so we went there to inquire about early seating. We were told that the wait would only be about 10 minutes, so we had a seat on the couch, and waited for my name to be called.

We were finally seated near the back of the restaurant, and our Uncle John waited us on. He was funny, and really played up his role…that is until Phil spoiled it for everyone. Phil and Rich are, how shall I say it, cheap! They have no problems spending huge amounts of money for their baseball card collections, but when it comes to actually going out an enjoying themselves they keep their wallet in their back pocket! I understand that they do not have a lot of money, neither do I. In fact, I admit it, I am also cheap in everyday life, but I am on vacation now. I am a totally different person on vacation. I spend more freely, I do not let the little things bother me, and I just let myself go and I try to have a good time in spite of any negativity around me. They have a problem letting go of reality when they are on vacation. Sometimes I wonder why they go on vacation if they continue to act the same way they do back home. I thought the point of a vacation was to have fun and escape your everyday life. That is how I look at it. If I wanted to act as I do everyday when I am on vacation, I would just stay home and save myself a few hundred dollars instead of traveling 1200 miles!

However, I have gotten off track. When we were seated, Phil looked at the menu and instantly complained about the high prices. He refused to order anything, not even a glass of water. Uncle John even offered to bring him a free bowl of soup, but he turned that down! Rich, on the other hand, did some complaining about the prices, but he ordered a small salad anyway. I ordered a turkey sandwich and a diet coke. Uncle John noticed the fact that Rich and Phil were not ‘into’ the restaurant and he did not interact with us as much as he did with the surrounding tables. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food, and I cannot wait to come back…I will just remember to do it with more energetic people. My share of the meal was $14.00.

After we left there, Phil decided that he wanted to eat. We headed off to Pizza Planet again where he ordered a boring pizza. I was in the mood for a snack, so I bought a chocolate chip cookie ($1.45).

After Phil ate, we headed over to see the "Doug Live!" stage show. We waited about 20 minutes for it to begin. I never watched the cartoon before, so I was not sure if I would like it, but I thought it was good. The guests that were picked to star in it were hilarious, and the songs in the show were enjoyable. Rich and Phil, as usual, hated it. Oh well, some people are just grouches!

At this point, we separated briefly. They were to use the restroom and I went over to the front gate to check what times they would be letting in to watch Petsburgh, USA. Then I walked over to an area near the Tower of Terror and went backstage. I went to the CM cafeteria to look for copies of the cast newspaper, Eyes and Ears, but none were around. I bought a bottle of ice tea from the vending machine ($0.60) and then headed to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular entrance where I met up with Rich and Phil.

We waited about a half-hour for the 2:45 PM show, which was as wonderful as ever. Funny, last summer I remember them returning the car that flips over in flames to its upright position during the show. This time they left it upside down and just put a few racks of clothing in front of it. I wonder why this was changed?

After the show, they headed back to the resort, while I headed to Soundstage 2 to catch another taping. I entered the stage about 3:45 PM and grabbed a seat in the front row.

This one had another segment with the horse, Rocky, as well as a few segments with puppies. I started talking to the announcer/warm-up comic, James, during some of the breaks. He would entertain the audience during the down time between takes. He is funny and does improvisational comedy on the weekends at a club in Orlando.

At around 6:05 PM, they stopped taping and broke for dinner. All the guests were asked to leave at this point because it would be about an hour or so before they resumed. I asked James if I could go onstage and ask Brianne for an autograph. He told me that it was okay to do that, so I went up to her.

She saw me walking over and extended her hand towards me as she got up from her chair and said, "Hi Joe!" Just the fact that she remembered my name was more than enough to make me happy! I shook her hand and talked to her for a few minutes. Since she was just sitting down to eat I didn’t want to delay her any longer, so I told her that I would let her get back to dinner. First, I asked her if I could get an autograph. She said sure and asked me if I had anything to sign. Sadly, I said no, so she suggested a script from the show! I told her that would be great, so she looked around and found a copy of that day’s script (Show #202). She picked up a pen and signed it for me, "To Joe! Thank you! Brianne Leary" and handed it to me. I told her thank you, and shook her hand again. Then I let her get back to her dinner and I exited the soundstage.

I walked to the bus stop and waited for a bus to show up. About 1 minute after I arrived, so did a bus! My timing on this trip, for both the busses and attractions, has been excellent so far!

I settled into my room for about 15 minutes. We then headed to the Food Court to grab dinner, as it was almost 7:00 PM. I was not too hungry, so I only had the broccoli and cheese soup, a side dish of mashed potatoes, and a grape Frutopia. Total was $6.29.

After eating we walked to the bus stop and caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom. This was my first visit to the Magic Kingdom during this trip and as soon as I entered the gates, I felt like I was finally back home again. The Magic Kingdom is, like many others, my favorite park. The fact that I spent 3 months working there last summer just added to the reasons why it holds a special place in my heart. When I told my friends that I was ‘back home again,’ they just gave me a weird look. They do not understand the Magic of Disney as I do!

I went immediately to the area next to City Hall and exchanged my E-Ride ticket for a wristband, and then we walked up and through Cinderella Castle. I made a quick trip into the utilidors to grab a few copies of this week’s Eyes & Ears and then I headed to the Columbia Harbour House to see if I knew any of the CMs who were working. I did not recognize anyone inside. They mainly looked like new College Programmers, but when I went outside to the fruit wagon, I saw an old friend.

I was not wearing my glasses, but from a distance the figure working behind the wagon looked familiar. She happened to be looking in my direction and noticed me. When she saw me she ran from behind the wagon and came up to me. It was Joann, who I worked with a few times last summer. She mainly worked the outdoor wagons, so we did not work together much, but when we did, we had a lot of fun. I gave her a hug and talked with her for a little while. She ran through the list of the people who were still working at CHH from last summer. However, it was not a very long list, as most people realize, fast food has a high turnover rate. Many of the full-timers who worked there when I did have either left Disney for other opportunities, transferred to another location within Disney, or simply moved out of Florida! Why anyone would leave Florida, especially when he or she lives so close to Walt Disney World, is beyond me! My goal in life is to move to one of the cities surrounding WDW!

We could not talk long because she was working, but I told her to tell the others I was in town and that I would be stopping back to see them. My friends and I then went to the Haunted Mansion, because it had a short wait and it is one of their favorite attractions!

From there we started to walk to Adventureland when a CM working the entrance to the Liberty Belle Riverboat saw my shirt and commented that he liked it. The shirt was a Cast Member Mickey Mouse Cruise Line shirt that I bought last summer at Company D. I thanked him, but I could not stop to talk since we were headed over to The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management before the next show began. We arrived just as the pre-show was ending and we walked right in. My friends saw this on our last trip in 1996, when it was still in its original form. Sadly, I missed the original version of this attraction back then as my first visit to the Tiki Room came in 1998. They enjoyed this new version; in fact, later in the trip they went to see it again!

By this time it was starting to rain lightly, so I went into the House of Treasure and asked the CM behind the counter if I could have a bag. He handed me one without question and I put the copies of Eyes & Ears that I was holding into the bag.

We headed to the Jungle Cruise, as I had never ridden it after dark before, and we were treated to the best skipper at the attraction! ‘Jungle’ Jim was our skipper, and he really got into his role. We were seated up front right next to him and there were times where he really made it feel like we were in the deepest jungles of Africa! In fact, at one point when the boat was turning to escape an animal, he leaded all the way over, put his feet up on the wheel and started to turn it with them. Even my friends commented on how fantastic he was! If you ever ride the Jungle Cruise when it is a walk-on, ask if ‘Jungle’ Jim is working. If he is, then wait for his boat…it is worth it!

By now it was about 9:00 PM and we wanted to see the Main Street Electrical Parade. We headed over to Frontierland and situated ourselves at the very end of the parade route…on the side of Pecos Bill, where the parade enters the backstage area.

I have ambivalent feelings towards this parade. The floats were spectacular; many of them were better than the SpectroMagic floats. In fact, my favorites were Pete’s Dragon and the America float that ends the parade. I also think that the mine car that Dopey drives has a dazzling display of lights to simulate the gems.

However, I have some negative comments that I must express:

1 - I have not timed either parade, but it seems like this one is shorter than SpectroMagic. I could be wrong, but even if I am, it SEEMS shorter!

2 - The music to the MSEP is nice, and I know many people love it, however I have a special fondness for the SpectroMagic theme. I supposed it is because it was the first night parade that I ever experienced (1996) and because I saw it almost every night in the summer of ‘98!

3 - Donald Duck is not in this parade! He was in SpectroMagic, so it would not have been too difficult to make him appear in this parade!

4 - I know it is a ‘classic’ parade, so the newer elements of Disney are not represented, but I miss seeing the Little Mermaid floats that were in SpectroMagic.

These are all my personal opinions and are not meant to be representative of my group or of anyone else. I would love Disney to combine the two parades, using the best floats and elements from them, and setting it to the SpectroMagic music. That, however, is a dream that will never see the light of day. I just hope that when the MSEP leaves in 2000, they bring back a revamped SpectroMagic!

This is not to say that I did not enjoy the parade, because I did. It is definitely a spectacular parade and I would watch it again before I left; however, I do not have the same fondness for it that others do.

When the parade ended at 9:40 PM, we headed to the middle of Main Street, near Casey’s Corner and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and waited for Fantasy in the Sky to begin. At promptly 10:00 PM, the lights dimmed and the music began. Tinkerbell made her wonderful flight from the top of Cinderella Castle and the fireworks began.

I watched these fireworks countless times in the summer of ’98, and I still cannot get enough of them. Many people prefer Illuminations, and some even preferred the Sorcery in the Sky fireworks display that the Disney-MGM Studios used to have daily before Fantasmic opened. However, for me, watching fireworks with Cinderella Castle in the foreground is just about as magical as it can get!

It was now after 10:00 PM, the park was officially closed, and E-Ride night had officially begun. My friends did not by E-Ride tickets, so I handed them my bag to carry back to the resort for me and said goodnight to them. They left the park and I headed directly to Space Mountain.

While in line there, I met a gentleman from Colorado and his two daughters who had arrived that day. In fact, they had just entered the park about an hour earlier and this was the first attraction that they were going on. His 11-year old was frightened, but his 9-year old was not! I talked to them for the entire time we were in the queue line (about 15 minutes) and convinced the 11-year old that there was nothing to fear. However, I could not get her to ride in the front car! When the time came to choose which side to ride on, we choose the left-hand side. The ride was just as fun as ever, but I still can not shake the feeling that I get when I ride it. Since I cannot see the track very well, I always worry that I am too tall and that I am going to hit my head on the tracks above or on the side of me!) I know that there is plenty of room for tall people, but I suppose that that is part of the effect they are trying to achieve with the darkness. It works for me!

After leaving that attraction, I headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. This attraction was being built when I was here last summer, so this was my first time on it. I do not know how people get those high scores that I hear about; I have a hard time aiming the gun at the targets. When I think it is lined up, I pull the trigger and nothing registers. Other times when I think it is not pointing anywhere near a target, the points pile up! I guess I will never be an expert at this ride.

My score was 116,900, which made me a Planetary Pilot. Not bad for my first time, however I rode this a few more times during the remainder of my trip and I never scored that high again! Although I am not an expert, and probably never will be, I enjoyed the ride and think it is a definite improvement over the old Take Flight attraction that was there on my 1996 trip!

After blasting away inside Buzz, I headed to Frontierland and boarded the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with only a 10-minute wait. This roller coaster was the first one I ever rode, back in 1996. Before that I was petrified of roller coasters and refused to get on them. There is something about Walt Disney World that takes away all my fears. When I am here, I feel and act like a totally different person. I do things that I would never, ever consider doing back home. Although this attraction conquered my initial roller coaster fears, I still had some left in me after my 1996 trip. I braved BTMRR, but I skipped Space Mountain. It was not until 1998, when I was on the college program that I finally rode Space Mountain…and I loved it. I have been on it many times since then, and I am even going to attempt an inverted roller coaster for the first time when I go to Islands of Adventure next week.

After Big Thunder, I headed to Splash Mountain and it was a walk-on. I rode it three times in a row, however I had to exit and rejoin the line each time. The second time I sat in the front seat of the log and got soaked. The third time I had the rear seat and I survived without as much as a drop of water hitting me!

I decided that three times in a row for Splash Mountain was enough, so I headed to Big Thunder again. It still had a 10-minute wait, which is much better than the 45-minute to one-hour wait it gets during the day!

After riding the runaway mine car, I took a slow, peaceful walk along the Rivers of America on the footpath. I exited it at Liberty Square and then headed across the park, through the hub, and into Tomorrowland. By now, it was 12:45 PM and I they were broadcasting the goodnight speech & music over the loudspeakers, while Cinderella Castle was basked in a wondrous display of colored lights!

Since E-Ride night was now ending, I headed to the Astro Orbiter and rode that with a 5-minute wait. I rode this back in 1996, but it was one of the few attractions that I skipped in 1998. I figured I would give it a ride at least once on this trip, especially since it had such a short wait. During normal operating hours it is not uncommon for this ride to have a wait of nearly an hour…and it certainly is not worth the wait!

Since it was now 1:00 AM, and the rides were officially closed, I walked over to the hub and sat on one of the park benches for a few minutes just soaking in all the magic. Then, I pried myself off the bench, walked to the bus stop, and caught a bus home with about a 10-minute wait.

The driver was one of the more enthusiastic ones working for Disney and he kept us entertained by asking us trivia questions. I answered two of them that no one else knew, Donald Duck’s middle name – Faunteleroy and the names of Daisy’s 3 nieces – April, May, & June.

We arrived back at the All-Star Sports at 1:45 AM and I dragged my weary body back to the room and went to sleep.

Wednesday, June 9

Happy Birthday, Donald Duck! My favorite character is 65 today! About the only thing special that I noticed for his birthday was a limited edition watch that Disney was selling. I was rather disappointed that they let an anniversary like go pass by without a major celebration. A day or two later, my friends said they saw Donald Duck posing for photos and signing autographs in a special 65th birthday outfit, but I wasn’t with them. I am disappointed that I missed that!

The pre-trip plan for today was to wake up at 7:00 AM and go to the Magic Kingdom in time for the 8:30 opening. I planned it that way only because I was not sure how long it would take the three of us to get ready in the morning. In addition, I did not know if we were going to have a small breakfast or a large one at the food court. After spending a few days sharing the room with them, I learned that it only takes the three of us about a half-hour to get ready and to grab something small to eat. Therefore, because of that, I set the alarm for 8:00 AM instead. This would give us an extra hour of sleep, which we all needed, and we would still get to the Magic Kingdom early enough to visit the attractions I wanted to.

Anyway, the alarm woke us up right on schedule! I showered, grabbed a pop tart breakfast and we caught a bus over to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at 9:00 AM and we heard the opening speech & music that is played every day!

I headed immediately to Splash Mountain because, as much as I enjoy riding this at night, I love it even more during the day. If you do not head there first thing in the morning, then expect a long wait for it later. My friends are afraid of this ride, so they skipped it. They have no idea what they are missing!

After riding Splash, I headed over to Big Thunder Mountain so I could ride that during the day as well. They had no idea that it was a roller coaster ride, and when they asked what kind of ride it was I told them it was a nice train ride, which isn’t much of a lie! The line was very short, only about a seven minute-wait, so they were not by the window long enough to see that it was a roller coaster.

When we boarded the car and starting pulling out of the station I told Rich that it would be a good idea if he took off his hat, since I didn’t want him to lose it. He gave me a weird look after that, but he survived the ride okay. Afterwards he said it was not that bad, but he still would not ride it again!

After tricking them onto Big Thunder, we walked to Adventureland and walked right onto Pirates of the Caribbean with no wait. Back in 1996, when I rode this with them, we had a 45-minute wait! This attraction, while still good, is not worth that kind of wait. I am glad I spent so much time here last summer, because now I know the best times to hit most of the attractions. Our average this trip was about a 10-minute wait, with only one or two that were longer than 40 minutes…and we only waited in those lines because they were for attractions that I had never ridden before!

We then went to Tomorrowland and got in line for the Tomorrowland Speedway. I rode this in 1996, but because of long lines all last summer I skipped it in 1998. I did not want to skip it this year, so we braved the line (15 minutes) and I got my own car, with Rich and Phil sharing a car right behind me. I took my foot off the gas a few times in order to allow them to reach me and bump into my car. Unless you crash into someone, or let someone crash into you, the ride is just not any fun.

We then headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, where my score was lower than last night…108,500. It was good enough for a Planetary Pilot ranking, but still disappointing.

We were right next to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress so we walked over to that. It was now 11:00 AM, and the carousel was open for its first show of the day. I always enjoyed this attraction, perhaps because it was one of the few attractions that Walt actually worked on. There is a lot of history involved with this attraction, and it is great to see the film clip of Walt outside the entrance!

After our musical journey through the 20th century, we decided to head for Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and grab some lunch. It was 11:30 AM, and if we waited any longer we would have to start fighting the normal lunch crowds. I ordered the chicken breast & wing meal, which came with mashed potatoes and a medium coke. Total was $7.80. I went over to the fixing bar on the other side and put some mushrooms on my plate. I know they are supposed to be used as a topping for a hamburger, but they make a tasty side dish. I did not feel guilty about it because I had purchased something there. If I just walked in and put some on a plate, then I would have something to feel guilty about.

We walked to the lower section, grabbed a seat in front of Sunny Eclipse, and enjoyed his show while we ate. I never watched him before, and it was quite enjoyable.

When we finished eating, it was nearing noon. Since we were right around the corner from Cinderella Castle, we decided to catch the ‘Every Day’s a Holiday" show on the Castle Forecourt Stage. It was delayed about 10 minutes because of a passing shower and they had to wipe down the stage. This is an excellent show, with a memorable theme song. I just cannot seem to get it out of my mind! I wish it were available on the WDW Forever CDs. Last year they performed this show and ‘Disneymania!’ on this stage. Since they stopped performing the Galaxy Star Search (which I loved) at the Galaxy Palace Theater in Tomorrowland, they moved the ‘Disneymania!’ Show there. I tried to catch it this trip, but I always seemed to miss it. It is not a big deal because I saw it a few times last summer, but it would have been nice to see it one more time.

When the show ended at 12:30 PM, we walked over to Liberty Square and into the Columbia Harbour House again. I wanted to see if I recognized anyone. I saw ‘Miss Annie’ on one of the registers, but she had a long line so I did not stop to say hi. She was a very sweet older lady who trained me on the registers. I also saw Louis in the kitchen, but since I was not able to go backstage, I could not talk to him. I suppose it was my mistake to go there during the lunch rush.

We walked out of CHH and went over to Mike Fink’s Keelboats for a leisurely ride around Tom Sawyer’s Island. We had to wait about 5 minutes for the boat to arrive and unload, and then we climbed aboard the Bertha Mae (lower level), and were treated to some interesting commentary by our skipper, Moonshine Mike!

After disembarking the keelboat, we headed over to see the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Review. I always seemed to miss this last summer, so I was determined to catch a show this time around. We arrived 15 minutes early for the 1:15 PM show, and found some seats on the top floor right on the edge. We had a perfect center stage view of the show. It lasted about 50 minutes and was very entertaining. The crowd interaction is hilarious, and the girls are attractive! We all enjoyed it immensely.

From there we went down the road and caught the Country Bear Jamboree show. This is a classic show that we all enjoy. Our favorite is Melvin the Moose, who is mounted on the wall above the exit doors. I recently found out that for a period of about 5 years, ending sometime in the early 1990s, Melvin the Moose had his own Character Breakfast at Fort Wilderness! If that were still around, my friends and I would have been there at least once during this trip!

After the show, we headed back to Main Street and got a front row seat for the Remember the Magic Parade. It was right in front of the cart that sells the engraved nametags. I love this parade, and caught it many times last summer. Even though it was not the first parade I saw here at Disney, Mickey Mania in 1996 was, it is still awesome and my favorite of the two.

After the parade, we caught a bus back to the resort. Our driver was Anthony, and he was highly entertaining. He made us sing songs like, ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ and ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da.’ I wish more of the drivers was like that, it certainly makes the ride more enjoyable…especially if you have to stand the entire way!

Once we arrived back at the resort, I took some more photos of the Home Run Hotel and the inside of our room. I then went to pick up the roll of film that I dropped off sometime yesterday ($13.72). I normally do not get my film developed until I get back home, because it is about 1/3 the price. However, this roll had the photo of Brianne and me on the set and I wanted to get it enlarged so I could have her sign it. In order for me to do that, I needed it to be developed first.

I also went up to Guest Services and purchased my E-Ride ticket for June 11 ($10.60) and I mentioned to them that I need transportation to a class at the Disney Institute tomorrow morning. I was told just to see the CM outside when I need to go and they would call a taxi over and fill out a voucher for me. I thanked her for her help and started the journey back to my room. Just before I left the lobby and stepped outside, the sky opened up and it started to pour. I tucked the photos under my shirt and ran back to my room.

We hung out at the room for another hour or so, then we headed to the bus stop. It was still raining lightly, but the rain does not bother me. In fact, I think I like it better. The temperature is cooler and the parks are less crowded because many guests run back to their room to avoid the rain.

When we reached the turnstiles, both Rich and I had no problems entering, but Phil’s card was unreadable. He somehow damaged the back of the card and he had to go over to the guest services window to have it replaced.

Once he entered the park we went over to the Columbia Harbour House for dinner. I had the chicken & fries combo and a large coke, which came to $7.53. When I was half way through the meal, I realized that I did not order my normal clam chowder in a bread bowl. There was no way I could eat it now, but I made a mental note to return another day and get one. I also noticed that almost the entire menu has been changed since I worked there last summer. The big items like the chicken, fish, and clam chowder remain but that is it. Everything else is different! It came as quite a shock to me since the people I stay in touch with that still work there never mentioned it to me!

After dinner, we headed to Fantasyland and walked right into the 6:15 PM Legend of the Lion King show. This show is always fantastic, and I make sure to catch it every trip.

We then went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures, which is another boring dark ride that the children seem to love so much, with a 5-minute wait. I do not care for them, and I only ride them if the wait is small and just because I like to do as many of the attractions as possible. Just for fun, I looked at which car we were riding and it was Dopey’s! How appropriate for the three of us!

The remainder of the Fantasyland rides all had long waits, so we left there and headed to Tomorrowland. We went to Alien Encounter, which only had a 10-minute wait. This attraction has no repeat value for me, as the scare factor of the first visit is completely gone. However, my friends said they never saw it before, and since I like to be complete, we went on it.

After having an Alien breathe on us, we walked over to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and were immediately seated. This ride never has a wait, which is nice because the only reason to go on it is to relax and enjoy the view and breeze. If I had to wait in line for it, the whole idea of relaxation would be destroyed.

We then crossed the park via Cinderella Castle and the Hub and went onto It’s A Small World with no wait! I really enjoy the song, and it does not irritate me as it does other people! However the actual attraction is boring and I only ride it because a trip to Walt Disney World is not complete unless you have ridden it!

We then made our way over to Mickey’s Toontown Fair to photograph and visit Donald’s Boat. I wanted to ride Goofy’s Barnstormer, but after their experience with Big Thunder, they refused to go on it. Even my explanation that it was made with little children in mind they could not be convinced! Oh well, I rode it last summer and I really did not need to ride it again this year.

We hopped aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad just as it was getting ready to pull out of the Toontown Station. We rode it until we reached Main Street, and then we disembarked. We went into the Town Square Exposition Hall to kill some time before the parade began.

Once the Main Street Electrical Parade began, in fact, the parade did not start until 9:10 PM because of the weather; we left the Hall and we were treated to a prime view from just behind the ropes. I guess since it had just finished raining it made it easier to find a spot at parade time.

The parade was just as enjoyable the second time as it was the first time. When it ended, my friends left the park and went back to the resort. I went back into the Town Square Exposition Hall and waited for the fireworks to begin. I watched a Disney short, Flowers and Trees, which I never saw before, and walked around inside for a little while. There is a fantastic mural of dozens of Disney characters painted on one of the walls at the rear of the building. If you have a few extra moments, go inside there and check it out!

Around 9:55 PM, I exited the Hall and proceeded to the area behind the flagpole and watched the fireworks once they began. Because of the weather, Tinkerbell’s flight was canceled, but that was to be expected.

As soon as Fantasy in the Sky ended, I turned around and exited the park. I caught a bus back home and I was there by 10:40 PM. I made a quick trip to the gift shop before they closed to see if they made 8x10 enlargements of photos, but I was told that it takes 3-4 days. I wanted to get the photo of Brianne and me enlarged so that I could have her sign it. Since it would not be ready by tomorrow, I decided to wait. Petsburgh only tapes Mondays through Thursdays, and since tomorrow was Thursday, there was no way it would be ready for her to sign. I still had one week left, which gave me plenty of time to get a copy made since Petsburgh still had two weeks left of taping.

I returned to the room about 11:00 PM and watched a little television before falling asleep.

Thursday, June 10, 1999

The alarm went off right on schedule at 6:15 AM. Since my friends were sleeping in, I shut it off quickly so I would not disturb them. I showered, grabbed my usual pop-tart breakfast, and walked to the lobby. I went outside and talked to the CM at the podium. I told her that I needed a taxi to the Disney Institute for a class that I was taking, and she waved over to one that was parked in the parking lot. She filled out a voucher and handed it to the driver and I was on my way.

I arrived at the Disney Institute and entered the main lobby. I walked over to the Program Services desk and checked in. The cost for the Traveling Photographer class was $69.00, which I paid for in cash. I received directions to the studio that my class was being held in (North Studio F), and I took the 5-minute walk over there.

I walked into the classroom and met my instructor, Brent. Since I was early, he told me that there was free coffee and bottled water in the other room. I grabbed a cup of water and returned to the room. By that time, the other two people in the class had arrived. There was Brue, and his daughter, Hope. They live in Atlanta, Georgia, and Brue is the photographer for his local school, so he knows a little more about cameras than I do.

I was the only one who brought my own camera. The others had to use the camera that Disney provided, which was fine because it was a good camera. However, if I am going to learn tips on how to take better photos, then I think it is best if I learn on my camera instead of one that I will never use again. Brent instructed the others on how to use the camera, and he made comparisons to my camera to see how similar they were. Disney gives the guests a Nikon camera to use (I do not know the exact model), while I own a Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 3xi. I purchased mine in 1991 or 1992, so their camera was definitely newer than mine was. Their camera had a few features that mine did not, but there is no point in learning how to use the features on someone else’s camera!

Disney also provides us one roll of 36-exposure film, 100 speed. I normally use 400 or 800 speed in my camera, but for the kind of photos we were taking (outdoor in bright sunlight), 100 speed was more than sufficient. An interesting note here, the film is not your normal ‘print’ film. It is ‘slide’ film, which I did not notice until I went to get it developed. Because of that, the lab developed them as slides and I had to have them made into prints later…at a more expensive cost.

Brent started the class with a slide show and a detailed explanation of various techniques and tricks that photographers use to take good photos. He also held a question and answer session for us. Since the class was so small, we finished up the classroom part early and we left for Epcot at 9:00 AM.

We hopped into a Disney Institute van, and we arrived backstage at France at 9:15 AM. We walked into World Showcase at that time, almost 2 hours before it was open to other guests, and we were given free reign to walk anywhere we wanted! We were told that we could take photos of anything we wanted…using some of the techniques that Brent had taught us.

We split up and I headed off past France and into Morocco. I started taking some photos of things that I never would have given a second look at before. I also took some photos of various vehicles and CMs that were doing work on various pavilions.

In Morocco, I there was a few CMs that were washing down the clay-like building that has the ‘Kingdom of Morocco’ sign on it. Moreover, in Japan, there were a few men on the end of a crane doing some repair work to the top of the temple.

Later, in Italy, I took a few photos of a commercial shoot. They were a few dozen people running around filming a commercial for the upcoming Millennium celebration. I did not stick around there long, because I did not want to get in the way; in addition, I wanted to visit the rest of World Showcase while there still was no one around.

By the time I had reached Germany, the sun was breaking through the clouds and I was able to get some awe-inspiring shots of the pavilions with a blazing sun in the upper corner of the photographs. I did some experimentation with camera angles and lighting and the results were fantastic. I never thought I could take pictures as I have seen in books and on postcards, but I think a few of them are definite candidates.

I continued onward into China, Norway, and Mexico, finally reaching the entrance to Future World. I cannot tell you how great it was to see people on the other side of the rope trying to enter World Showcase. I felt somewhat important being on the other side where they were not allowed yet!

I passed a few of the tours that Disney offers while I was in Norway and Mexico, but for the most part, it was empty. What I really liked about being here before the opening was that I was able to visit some of the pavilions that I passed right through on all my previous trips. For instance, I never went into Italy before, and when I did this time I came across the loveliest statute in the corridor near the rear. I sat down, took some photos of this awesome sight, and wondered to myself why I never came here before!

After I was finished photographing an empty Mexico, I headed back through World Showcase again. Before we started, we set up a meeting time of 11:15 AM in France, and it was now 10:00 PM. I rushed through the pavilions to get to Mexico, now I could take my time and make a slow journey back to France.

Along the way, I took some interesting photos of Spaceship Earth, framing them using various methods. For instance, in Japan, I framed it in the center of Vermillion Torri Archway that server as the entrance to Japan.

I took, what I think is my best photograph in France. There is a fountain in front of the entrance to the building that is has the Eiffel Tower behind it. I stood directly in front of this fountain, crouched down a bit and centered the camera with the building entrance in the center. The beauty of the architecture and landscape really shine in this photo, and what makes it even more amazing is that there are no people in the photo. I took two shots of it, one horizontal, and one vertical, and I really must scan them so that others can see the beauty of France!

I also photographed two ‘Hidden Mickeys.’ One was in Morocco and was made of three plates hanging on a door. The other was one of the bushes in France.

By now it was about 10:55 AM and I had made my way all the way through World Showcase from Mexico to France. I had about 20 minutes before I had to meet up with the instructor and the other two students. I left the closed portion of World Showcase (just as the CM was dropping the rope) and I entered the United Kingdom to take some photos.

I went to the garden behind the shops and found that it was empty. This is one of the best-kept secrets of Epcot. This lovely garden is usually empty, even in the middle of a busy day, and it has some relaxing benches to rest your weary feet. If you have a significant other, it is the perfect romantic spot to take them!

I wanted to get over to Canada to photograph the Victoria Gardens, but it was nearing the meet time, and it looked crowded. One day I will return to Epcot at its time of opening and head directly to Canada to get some photos without any guests in view.

I walked back to France and met up with Brent and Brue who were already there. It was here that I photographed the Hidden Mickey in the bushes. Brent mentioned that there was one there, but he could not find it. After searching for a minute, I found it and hopped on a bench to get a better view of it. The best view would be from one of those cranes that I saw earlier, but I did not have one at my disposal!

A few minutes later Hope arrived. We snapped photos of each other and then headed backstage to hop back into the van. Brent passed out bottled water to us and drove us back to the Disney Institute. Once there, we had a short wrap up in the classroom, then gathered our belongings and left.

I walked to bus stop 8 and caught the first bus to the Disney-MGM Studios, which was about a one-minute wait!

I arrived at noon and immediately went to Soundstage 2 for another taping of Petsburgh, USA. As I entered the soundstage and walked up the stairs to a seat, Brianne, who was rehearsing a segment right next to the entrance, saw me and said, "Hi Joe!" I looked back at her and said, "Hi Brianne! How are you today." She responded that she was tired!

Not only was I happy that she still knew my name, but also that she acknowledged me while she was working. When I sat down, the guests next to me asked me how I knew her. I acted like someone important and said, "Brianne and I are old friends!" Of course, it is not true, but everyone likes to feel important once in awhile, and this was one of the few chances I would get in life to act that way, so I grabbed it!

I snapped a few candid shots of Brianne while I was sitting, but they only taped one segment that lasted about 15 minutes and then they announced that they were breaking for lunch! I was somewhat disappointed, because I wanted to watch the taping for a little while, but I was also hungry, so I left and went to the ABC Commissary for a small lunch of my own.

At the Commissary, I ordered the chicken strips and fries meal, along with a diet coke, total was $8.43. When I was finished eating, I walked around for a little while and then went back to Soundstage 2 at 1:15 PM.

Taping was just about to resume, and I entered the soundstage and grabbed ‘my seat’, which was in the center section, first row, first seat. This was also where James, the announcer & comedy relief, usually was and where he stored his microphone. I got to know him well, and Rob, who filled in for him one day.

During a break in the taping, Brianne, who was holding a puppy, brought it over to the audience so that we could get a closer look. She saw me again and said, "Hi Joe…back again!" I just told her that I love the show and that I wanted to see as much of it as I could while I was here, which was pretty much the truth!

At about 3:30 PM I had to leave. My plans for today had already delayed enough. The pre-trip plan was to meet my friends at 1:30 PM at the Winter Summerland mini-golf. We were to play golf and then take an afternoon break back at the resort. But, since those plans were made before I knew about the filming of Petsburgh, I told them last night that I would meet them at the resort by 4:00 PM, and we would head off to golf at that time. They had no problems with that because they wanted to relax as much as they could on this trip.

I arrived at the room at 3:45 PM, dropped off the material that I had received during the photography class, and settled a bill with my friends. Since today was a day out of the parks for them, they wanted to do some more food shopping since we had gone through most of the water and snacks that we had purchased last Friday. So, while I was at my Disney Institute class, they boarded a bus to Downtown Disney and then walked to Goodings and bought some food. When I cam back to the room, I gave them my share of the cost ($10.50) and then we left the room and boarded the Blizzard Beach bus at promptly 4:00 PM.

Since Winter Summerland is directly next to Blizzard Beach, they share the same bus stop. This is convenient because you only have to make one stop for two places, but it can be an annoyance when you are going home from Winter Summerland (or traveling to Epcot.) At certain points in the day, the Blizzard Beach and Epcot busses are combined into one for the All-Star Resorts. This makes the trip to Epcot longer, and messy. Many guests do not fully dry themselves when they leave Blizzard Beach, so the bus seats can get very wet. Another annoying factor is the smell of Chlorine that is on all the guests and their clothing. When you are at the water park, you really do not notice it because you are getting wet yourself. However, if you are coming from Winter Summerland, or going to Epcot, the smell of the chlorine can be overpowering at times. It certainly is not something worth complaining about, as it is not a big deal, but it is something to keep in mind when staying at the All-Star Resorts.

Earlier in the day, Rich and Phil had done laundry and I asked them to wash a few things of mine so I could wear them again later in the trip. As we were walking to Winter Summerland from the bus stop, I jokingly offered Rich a quarter for washing the few items. He snapped it out of my hand and said thanks! I figured he would take it, so that is why I only offered him a quarter instead of a dollar or two! I am cheap too! Ha, Ha!

When we arrived at Winter Summerland, the CM who waited on us was very amusing. When we approached him, he said, "Are you guys ready to bowl?" Although I did not expect his joke, I did not miss a beat when I said in return, "I don’t think Disney would appreciate it if I rolled a bowling ball over the golf course. However, if you want to pay for any damage I cause, I will be more than happy to bowl!"

He made a few more amusing comments, all very good, and then we paid for the round of golf. Total cost for the three of us was $19.61, which is the regular cost for two people. Since I have an annual pass, two people can play here, or at Fantasia Gardens, for the price of one. We had to pay for two people, since there were three of us, and now that I think about it, I could have ‘treated’ one person in the party behind us to a free round of golf. Since I paid for two people, I could have gotten two people to play free. The party behind us had four people in it and they paid full price. Next time I will remember to be a little more generous!

We choose Winter Summerland to golf at for two reasons. The first was, quite simply, the fact that it was brand new. It opened in March of this year, so none of us had even seen it before, let alone play there before. The second reason was that we had all played at Fantasia Gardens during out 1996 trip, and I played there again last summer.

We played on the ‘Winter’ side, so I do not know how the ‘Summer’ side is, and I really enjoyed the course. The themeing was wonderful, and the trees provided some much-needed shade that is absent at Fantasia Gardens. However, even with the shade, it was very hot in the sun. If you want to golf at either place, go in the morning or in the evening. We had to fit it in between two pre-scheduled events, so we did not have the luxury of golfing at a time when the temperatures are lower.

We all finished under par, which was 56. I won with a 46. Rich came in second with a 48, and Phil brought up the rear with a 50. We all had a few hole-in-ones. Mine were on holes #7, 9, 10, and of course, 18. Rich had then on 9, 13, and 18. Phil only had two, on 9 and 18.

We all had a hole-in-one on hole #9, which is interesting because the par for that hole is four, while most of the other holes are three. This means it is supposed to be one of the more difficult holes, however we did not have any problems with it. Hole #9 is the one where you have to hit the ball over the moving drawbridge and into the castle. Once it is in the castle, it falls through a tube, which drops the ball down to the lower part of the green, and directly into the hole. My ball went into the castle, but did not come out. I started to walk to the counter to get another ball, but I found one in the trees next to hole #11 and I went back to hole #9 to finish. By this time the party behind us had reached hole #9 and we playing it. I figured I would wait for them to finish and then I would play the hole over. However, the first person in their party hit the ball into the castle and when it came out, my lost ball came out with it. It also went directly into the hole, so I claimed a hole-in-one, picked up my ball, and said thank you to the guest who rescued my ball from the castle!

The entire course took us about an hour, and we returned our clubs and walked to the bus stop. We caught the first bus to Fort Wilderness (3-minute wait) and then walked to the petting zoo area. We visited with the famous cow with the ‘Hidden Mickey’ on here, ‘Minnie Moo,’ and I took a few photos of her to replace the ones that were on the roll I took last summer that I lost. Then we walked over to the River Country Cookout Pavilion, where the All-American Backyard Barbecue was to be held.

We showed our tickets to the CM, had our photo taken in front of the sign (we did not buy it) and then, at 6:30 PM, we were let into the pavilion. The food there is plentiful, and very good. I do not remember everything on the menu, but there was chicken, ribs, beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. There was also corn-on-the-cob, peanuts, and all the soda, water, beer, etc. that you could drink.

We all ate for about a half-hour, and then Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale, all came out to entertain the children and sign autographs and pose for pictures. Then, the show began. First, there was a comedy team of a cowboy and cowgirl that entertained us. Then a talented cowboy who performed some good roping moves.

The band came out and sang some fine renditions of some country classics and there was some interesting line dancing going on. First an instructor came out to show those who dared, myself not included, the moves. Then the band performed a few songs while the new line dancers attempted the fancy moves. A few people actually knew what they were doing, but to see all those people on the dance floor trying to line dance was very entertaining. I am not making fun of them, because at least they had the guts to dance up there and I did not, but it truly was a funny sight to see!

Mickey and the rest of his gang came out again and even joined in on the dancing. It really was funny to see Chip & Dale doing the Macarena!

The party ended about 9:15 PM, and it was now raining. We ran to the bus stop and caught a Crockett bus (one was there already) back to the TTC. From there, we took the Express Monorail to the Magic Kingdom and Rich and Phil caught a bus back home. I, on the other hand, decided to enter the Magic Kingdom and watch the fireworks, since it was 9:40 PM.

I killed the few minutes before the fireworks began by entering the Town Square Exposition Hall and taking some photographs, and then I watched the fireworks from the same spot as the day before…right behind the flagpole.

The pre-trip plan was changed again. Originally, I had planned to go to Pleasure Island by myself immediately after the barbecue. However, I had been up since 6:00 AM and I was really starting to feel tired. I wanted to catch a Comedy Warehouse show, but I knew that I would never be able to make it back home afterwards because I would have been exhausted. Although tomorrow was a lightly planned day, I did not want to push myself too early. We still had seven full days left at WDW!

So, after the fireworks, I walked over the bus stop and caught the second bus (5-minute wait) back to the resort and went to bed at about 10:45 PM.

Friday, June 11, 1999

Here was another change in the pre-trip plan. Since the plan was to have a long night at Pleasure Island last night, the plan today was to awaken at 9:00 AM. Since I did not go to Pleasure Island last night and went to bed rather early, I decided to get up earlier today. Instead of 9:00 AM, I woke up at about 7:10 AM, while my friends continued to sleep. I showered, grabbed another one of my pop tart breakfasts, and then caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom.

I enjoyed the Kali River Rapids ride so much that I wanted to go on it again before I left. However I do not think it was meant to be!

I arrived at the Animal Kingdom at 7:45 AM and waited for the rope drop to Asia. At exactly 8:00 AM, they let us in and I headed directly to the Kali River Rapids. It was there where my hope of riding it again was shattered. The CM said they were having some sort of technical problem that would not be resolved any time soon. In fact, he said that they were draining the ride of all its water so they could fix whatever problem they had. I knew there was no chance of me riding it today, so instead of making my visit to the Animal Kingdom a total loss, I headed to Dinoland and rode Countdown to Extinction.

I checked the tip board in the slim hope that the river ride was functioning again, but it was not. So, I left the park and caught a bus over to Epcot. I figured that it was still early enough for me to get onto Test Track before I had to meet my friends.

How wrong I was! The line for Test Track, at 9:00 AM, was two hours long! I asked about the singles line and I was told that I was supposed to wait in the regular line until I reached the CM on the left-hand side who would direct me to the singles line. The wait looked to be about an hour, minimum, before I would reach that CM, and about ten minutes after I entered the line, I left it. I love this ride, but it is not worth a wait of longer than 40-45 minutes!

I was determined to ride Test Track again before I returned home, so I made plans to come back another day. As I was walking away from the line, I had a brainstorm. I found a loophole around the 2-hour wait time and a direct entrance into the singles line! I entered the ride immediately and rode Test Track with only a 5-minute wait! My car reached a speed of 64.7 MPH. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately rode it again. Unfortunately, even with my shortcut, I had a 10-minute wait, which was perfectly acceptable. This time my car reached a top speed of 64.9 MPH. I have never seen, or heard, of anyone’s car reaching 65 MPH, so I am not sure if it actually does.

It was now 9:45 AM, and I had just ridden Test Track twice in one-hour. I was supposed to meet my friend’s back at the room about 10:30 AM, so I knew I had time for one more ride on Test Track. This third ride within a one-hour period had a 5-minute wait, and it only reached 64.7 MPH.

How did I ride Test Track 3 times in one hour, when the line was 2 hours long? Unfortunately, I cannot disclose that secret, otherwise it would no longer be a secret, and the next time I visited Epcot to ride it, the ‘shortcut’ would have a much longer wait. I would like to state that I do not know anyone who works there, so no one is letting me line cut. I also want to let everyone know that when I get in line to actually board the car, I am in the singles line, so I am not taking up any seat that could be used for someone else.

Another thing, if you have ever really watched the cars, they are constantly sending cars with empty seats…even with a singles line! The reason for that is that everyone has to watch the movie first. If you have been on Test Track before, then you know the boarding area is broken down into three parts. The first section is when you pass the CM and line up in front of one of the three rooms. The second section is the room where you watch the movie that describes what to expect. The third section is another line, after you have watched the movie and left the room, where you actually board the car.

Very often, the third section empties out, usually the singles line, while people are still in the room watching the movie! When this happens, cars that have one or two empty seats are sent out onto the track. Therefore, with my ‘shortcut’, I am only filling a seat that would have been empty to begin with.

I think that the singles line should skip the movie altogether. This would make for faster loading, and it would stop cars from being dispatched with empty seats. Nothing makes me angrier then to see a ride have empty seats when there is a 2-hour wait to get on it! When you enter the singles line, you miss the entire queue area anyway, so missing the movie is not a big deal at all!

Anyway, after my third ride on Test Track, I left Epcot and walked to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus (5 minutes), two girls were at the stop with me. One of them took her camera out and said to the other one that she wanted to get a photograph of her waiting at the bus stop for the last time. The other one said that she could not believe they had to go home in a few hours. I overheard this, and my cast member training from last summer just took over! I approached them and asked them if I could take a picture of the two of them waiting at the bus stop. They said that was very nice of me, and they handed me their camera. I took the photo of them and handed the camera back. At that exact second, the bus pulled up! They thanked me and we all boarded the bus and headed back to the resort.

I arrived at the resort at about 11:00 AM and immediately ushered my friends out the door! We caught a bus to Downtown Disney and got off at the West Side. We walked over to DisneyQuest and purchased three tickets. Total, with my Annual Pass discount, was $67.57.

We entered DisneyQuest, where I had my hand stamped for the first and only time the entire trip, and went directly to the second floor and into ‘CyberSpace Mountain.’ I had ridden this a few times last summer and really enjoyed it. I designed a roller coaster, as did my friends. However, when it came time to ride them my friends chickened-out and left the line! I know they are afraid of roller coasters, but this one is a simulation! How could you be afraid of that?

Anyway, while they went off to play in the arcade room I joined the line to wait for my turn to ride. When it was my turn, I told the CM that I was not happy with my design because it was only a level three coaster. I asked him to let me ride a level five, so he picked out one for me and led me into the room. Although it was a fantastic coaster, it was still tame. I think there could be some definite improvements to this simulation, perhaps designing some more difficult tracks and raising the level to a six or seven. Even with all that said, I still enjoyed the simulation and would have gladly ridden it again if the line were not so long!

I met up with my friends, who were in the Underground Arcade on the third floor, and we went down to the first floor to ride the ‘Virtual Jungle Cruise.’ It had a 15-minute wait, and was a fun and entertaining simulation. I did not ride it last summer, because of time constraints, and I would love to ride it again. We made it about three-fourths of the way through. Someday I would actually like to make it to the end safely!

From there, we headed to ‘Hercules in the Underworld,’ which I had experienced last summer. This is one of my favorite attractions at DisneyQuest, although I have still not seen the movie! I choose Hercules, Rich choose Pegasus and Phil choose Meg. We told Phil that he should take Phil, but he wanted to control the female! Rich got the most bolts, 33, while I came in second with 32. Phil only got 26.

After Hercules, we went to the third floor and into ‘Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster.’ There was a 15-minute wait to board, and once we did, I rode alone while they shared a vehicle. It was a fun ride, although it was tough to steer the vehicle and load and shoot the cannon by myself. It definitely is a two-person ride!

We then headed upstairs to the fifth floor where we went on ‘Invasion! An Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter.’ There was a 10-minute wait to enter, and once we did, I choose to be the pilot while they were the gunmen. Our score was only 193. They destroyed 34 aliens, while I saved 11 colonists. Not bad for our first time, but not good by any stretch of the imagination!

It was nearing 2:30 PM, and I was getting hungry. My friends had eaten back at the resort while I was at Epcot, so they went to the Sports Arena Arcade while I ate. I had a cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke. Total was $8.17.

After eating, I met up with them and we proceeded to play a few rounds of the basketball toss. They beat me every time, probably because they play basketball a lot more than I do!

From there we headed to the third floor where Phil and I played on a life-sized pinball machine, ‘The Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam.’ The first time I scored 1,171,250 using ball #1. We played again, this time I switched to ball #3, and scored even lower…756,750! I did not win either time, but it was fun!

We returned to the first floor where I controlled a vehicle in the ‘Treasure of the Incas’, while Rich and Phil directed me to the various treasure points. I found four treasures during my allotted time, which was much better than last year when I had no one shouting me directions!

We had ridden all the attractions that we wanted to. The only ones we skipped were ‘Ride the Comix’ and ‘Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride.’ I had tried Aladdin last summer, so my not riding it again this time was no big deal. I would have liked to try out the Comix ride, but they were not interested. This was one of the few times where I did not go alone, which I should have because I regret not trying it at least once. The only positive thing that I can make out of it is that it gives me a reason to return to DisneyQuest on my next trip!

We exited DisneyQuest at about 3:30 PM and went in the Virgin Megastore where we did some CD shopping. The prices in this store are outrageous! CDs that would cost $12.99 at my local record store sell for $16.99 here. The only CDs worth buying at this store are the singles, which has comparable prices back home, and imported CDs, which are cheaper than if I were to buy them from an online company like CDNOW.

I purchased two import CDs from one of my favorite artists from the 1980s, Kylie Mingoue, and then we headed out of Downtown Disney and across the street.

After crossing the street, we walked into Team Disney and signed in at the desk. Then we went into the huge sundial that makes up the center of the building and I took some photographs. I visited the Team Disney building last summer, but I never went inside, so I had to make up for it this year.

Once we left Team Disney, we walked up the street to the Casting Center, stopping at the Exxon gas station along the way so I could buy a Powerade ($1.05). I had wanted to visit the Casting Center last summer, but I never made it. This trip I made sure that I took the time to go there. I went inside and took a great deal of photographs. I especially love the murals on the wall that lead up to the front desk! Disney sure knows how to set a mood! How could you not want to work for them after visiting here!

We then crossed the street again and re-entered Downtown Disney. I did some window shopping at the World of Disney, and did some actual purchasing at the Art of Disney (1999 Photo album and a souvenir photo book, total with MKC discount was $24.76.)

Once we were done shopping, we caught the bus over at the Marketplace bus stop at about 6:10 PM. Almost as soon as we stepped on the bus, it started to pour! We had a long ride home, as the bus stopped at Pleasure Island, the West Side, and Typhoon Lagoon before heading back to the resort.

The plan had been to go in the resort pool once we arrived, but due to lightning, the pool was closed. This was a recurring theme throughout the trip. Every time I had the idea of going in the pool, it was closed. I never did make it in the resort pool during this trip! Perhaps if I was staying at the All-Star Music, where Donald Duck is the centerpiece of the pool, it would have been a different story. Nothing against Goofy, who is the centerpiece at the All-Star Sports’ pool, but Donald has more meaning for me!

The entire afternoon was different from my pre-trip plan. I had intended to visit the All-Star Movies resort after DisneyQuest to photograph it and to buy a magnet to add to my collection. However, we finished at DisneyQuest early and I decided that since I was already in the area I could visit across the street and get some shopping done now. I had all that scheduled for June 16, but if I could get it out of the way now I could do something else on that day. Since it was only a 10-15 minute walk from my building at the All-Star Sports to the All-Star Movies, I could go anytime to visit. It was a long bus ride to Team Disney and the Casting Center, so they could wait!

I did not stay at the resort for long. At 7:00 PM, I caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom and I was walking through the entrance by 7:30 PM. I went immediately to the Columbia Harbour House where I said hello to Don, who I worked with and hung around with last summer.

Since he was working, we did not talk for long, but I told him I would come back later in the week to spend some time with him. I then went into the utilidors so that I could pick up a few copies of ‘Eyes & Ears’ to distribute at the small meet that I was attending at 9:30 PM.

From there I went to Main Street and exchanged my E-Ride ticket for a wristband. I then headed back to Liberty Square and saw a Hall of Presidents show at 8:00 PM.

Once the show was done, I headed over to Mickey’s Toontown Fair to see if Bruce Metcalf (a RADP regular) was working. He works on the Railroad, and I was hoping to run into him either at the station or at one of the other ones. It turns out that he was at this one and when I arrived, he was arranging the many strollers that are left at each station.

I went over to him and said hello. We talked for a few minutes until the next train arrived, and then I said goodbye to him and boarded the train. I exited the train at Frontierland and I went over to the entrance to Splash Mountain. The meet was scheduled for 9:30 PM, and it was about 9:05 when I arrived.

The marching band leading the Main Street Electrical Parade was passing by at that time, so I went over and watched. A few short minutes later the parade made its way past and I watched some of it from the bridge over Splash Mountain as I looked for people wearing the red RADP buttons.

Two ladies walked by wearing them and I approached them to ask them if they were there for the meet. I approached them and found out that they were, indeed, there for the meet. I introduced myself and I found out their names, Barbara and Carol!

I had known both of them from a Disney mailing list that we are all on. They are sisters and Carol surprised Barbara by taking her on this trip! I wish my sister would surprise me with a vacation to Walt Disney World! Barbara, you are very lucky to have a sister like Carol!

Almost immediately after that the others showed up. There was Binnie and her husband, Joe, Jimmie, who is Binnie’s sister’s boyfriend, Laurie and her husband, Don, and their daughter, April, and her finance, Shawn!

Danielle, who I met last summer at a Tower of Terror meet, was also supposed to join us, but we never met up. From reading her trip report, she was there at the same time as us, but we never saw her. We were standing on the bridge on the other side of the entrance to Splash Mountain. She must have walked right by us as we were talking. I know she was going on the same Disney cruise with Binnie 3 days later, unfortunately, from reading Binnie’s trip report they never met up…but they had some close calls!

At 10:00 PM, we entered Splash Mountain and it was a walk-on. We all filled one of the logs. I choose the front seat, actually I was forced into the front seat because none of the others wanted it, but I did not complain because I love sitting in the front. It is the best seat to have! We had a nice, if short, view of the fireworks from the top of the mountain. It would have been better if the ride stopped briefly while the fireworks were being shot off because the view was spectacular, but you cannot have everything!

We then went over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and rode that with a small wait. From there we left Frontierland, headed to Tomorrowland, and rode Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. This wound up being my worst score of the trip, 63,500 and I was demoted to the rank of Ranger First Class! I was very disappointed with my performance and I hope I get better on my next trip!

At this point, Laurie and her party left the group, while the rest of us went on Space Mountain. Since I was first in line, I choose which side we would ride. I had ridden the left side earlier in my trip, so this time I took the right side. As a side note, I wound up being in the front seat of ship #23! As you may not know, I am a huge fan of the New York Yankees’ Don Mattingly and he wore #23, so I was more than pleased to ride in that number car!

After Space Mountain the rest of the group split up and went their separate ways. I headed back to Frontierland and rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain one more time before exiting the park.

Although there still was about 55 minutes left for E-Ride night, my feet just could not take anymore and I had to get off them. A brief rest in the park would not have done me any good because I would have had to fight the lines for a bus ride home. Leaving this early guaranteed me a short wait for the bus, as well as a seat!

Upon arriving home, I had a small snack and then retired to dreamland at about 1:30 AM.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

The original, pre-trip plan was to awaken at 9:00 AM and meet some friends that I worked with last summer at 10:30 AM at the Disney-MGM Studios. As much as I wanted to get together with them, their schedules would not allow it. Except for one of them, they were all scheduled to work today. So, earlier in the week I changed my plans and decided to awaken one hour earlier to go to the gift shop and try to get the picture of Brianne Leary and I enlarged.

Although I set the alarm for 8:00 AM, my internal clock woke me up at 7:45 AM and I did not resist. I showered, ate my usual pop tart breakfast, and then woke up my friends. They were catching a Tiffany Town car to the Belz Mall where they planned on attending a sports card show that was being held there this weekend as well as do some shopping. I was running low on film so I asked them to pick me up a few rolls while they were out.

I headed to the gift shop at 9:00 AM and talked with a CM about getting an 8 x 10 enlargement made. She informed me that it takes 24 hours, which I said was fine, and then I headed to the bus stop where I caught a bus to the Studios.

Since it was only 9:30 AM and I was not supposed to meet the only friend that was showing up, Debra, until 10:30 AM, I decided to enter the park and do some shopping. I went to the Celebrity 5 & 10 and purchased a few discounted Disney-MGM Studios items. They were a license plate, a hat, and two magnets. The total came to $19.05 and I had them shipped to the room.

I walked around the entrance to the park doing some window shopping, then I left the park and sat at bench in front of the Studios under the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster sign and waited for Debra to show up. I waited until 10:50 AM, and when I did not find her I re-entered the park and headed to the ABC Commissary for some lunch. I ordered a delicious chicken wrap sandwich with fries and a chocolate pudding for dessert. I washed it all down with a diet coke. The total was $9.58.

Since Debra did not show up, I decided to make another meet that was scheduled with the same people as last night. It was to take place at Epcot in front of the fountain at 1:00 PM. Since it was only 11:20 AM, I decided that I had enough time to see the 11:30 AM showing of Beauty and the Beast, which we had missed on our previous visits to the Studios this trip.

I arrived just as the show was beginning, so I missed any pre-show entertainment that they had. The show itself was great. It could have been a little bit longer, but it was still highly entertaining.

After the show ended, I started on my journey to Epcot. Instead of a boring bus ride there, I decided to catch the boat the runs from the Disney-MGM Studios to the four resorts near Epcot. I walked over to the boat launch and waited about 10 minutes for a boat to arrive. I boarded the Friendship III, and then relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful ride to the Boardwalk resort. I exited here, walked to Epcot, and entered via the International Gateway.

I walked through Canada and the United Kingdom, and into Future World. I watched a fountain show that was performing, and then entered Ice Station Cool for a free drink. From last year’s experience, I skipped the Italian flavored drink!

At about 12:50 PM I went back over to the fountain area and met up with the others. Binnie was there with Joe and Jimmie, but the others were no where to be found. We waited a few minutes for them, but then we decided to enter Innoventions without them and send an Internet Postcard ourselves.

It was at this time that Binnie offered me an opportunity that I had to pass up. Her sister had been part of her trip, but she became ill and returned home earlier in the day. They had four tickets for Cirque du Soleil, but now only had three people. She offered me the ticket, and I would have jumped at the chance if I did not have the Polynesian Luau to attend tonight! Thanks for thinking of me Binnie; it was very generous of you to offer!

We had just finished sending one when Laurie and her family showed up. A few minutes after that, Carol and Barbara arrived and we all took a group shot in the postcard booth.

Carol and Barbara split off on their own after that, I believe they had lunch reservations. Therefore, the rest of us headed off to Test Track where I showed them my ‘shortcut.’ Only Jimmie, April and Shawn took the shortcut with me. The others decided against it and waited for us at the exit. Jimmie and I wound up in the same boarding chamber, but we rode in separate cars. April and Shawn somehow cut into the front of the regular line instead of the singles line, so they were able to ride in the same car together. Since they had never ridden this ride before they probably did not know where to go. The singles line, which included Jimmie and me, had just been admitted into the chamber, so when they entered the building, there was no one in the singles line. I suppose they simply ducked under the rope that separates the regular line and the singles line because they did not know what else to do!

The ride was excellent (64.8 MPH), as usual, and definitely worth the 5-minute wait that we had, although the posted wait time was 85 minutes! After the ride, I posed for a photo with Laurie and her group split off.

The remainder of us went over to the Universe of Energy where I hoped the curse would end so that I could finally experience Ellen’s Energy Adventure this trip. Either my bad luck had ended, or the rest of my groups’ good luck prevailed because I was able to see the attraction this time with no wait!

After the ride, Binnie and I finalized our plans to share a cab tomorrow. During our planning, we discovered that we were both going to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park on June 13. I suggested that we share transportation there to make it cheaper. She thought it was a good idea, and we exchanged room numbers so I could call her in case something changed. After that, they left for their own lunch reservations and I did some window shopping before deciding that I, too, was hungry again. I went over to the Wonders of Life pavilion and ordered a very delicious chicken wrap and chips along with a cup of water ($5.83). I then left Epcot and caught a bus to the All-Star Movies so I could photograph it.

As you may recall, I had planned to go here earlier in the trip, but postponed it until a time that was more suitable to my schedule. Since Debra had missed our meeting, the entire day opened up for me and I had to find a way to fill it.

I arrived at the All-Star Music and immediately starting photographing it. I also entered the gift shop and purchased a magnet with the All-Star Movies logo ($4.28).

I walked the grounds of the resort and I think it is fabulous. My favorites were the Fantasia and Herbie buildings! If I come here on a budget again, or with a busy (very detailed) schedule of things to do, then I would definitely book this resort. The budget resorts are perfect for people on a tight budget or for people who plan on spending very little time at their resorts. This trip I fit both categories, which is why I picked the All-Star Sports. I think the All-Star Music is the worst choice of the three All-Star resorts. The reason for this is because, except for the Magic Kingdom, every bus that I caught at the All-Star Sports stopped at the All-Star Music as well. Most of the time they were almost full, so very few people from the Music were able to board. Plus, on the way home, the bus stops at the Sports first, so you have to wait even longer to get back if you are staying at the Music. The Movies, on the other hand, seems to share only one or two busses with the other two All-Star resorts, so that makes it a decent choice as well.

Once I was finished visiting the All-Star Movies resort, I walked back to the All-Star Sports, via the All-Star Music!

I was very, very tired at this point and did something I did not think I would do the entire trip, I took a nap! I lay down on my bed about 4:00 PM, thinking I would just relax for an hour or two, but I quickly dozed off! When I woke up at 7:30 PM, my friends were in the room watching television. I settled the bill for the film with them, 12 rolls of 400 Speed for $36.04. I then set up a meeting time for the Luau and caught a bus to Epcot since the line for a bus to the Magic Kingdom was immensely long. I had time to spare. The Luau wasn’t to begin until 9:30 PM, so instead of waiting in line at the resort for a bus, I decided it would be more interesting to ride the monorail from Epcot to the TTC.

After taking the monorail from Epcot to the TTC, I grabbed the express monorail to the Magic Kingdom and did some shopping at the Emporium (a Donald Duck pin for $6.36). I ran into Austin, who I worked with at the Columbia Harbour House last summer. He transferred over to the Emporium and was now in a much better position that last year! We talked briefly, and then I left the park.

I went outside the gate and over to my left. Right on time, at 9:15 PM, waiting at our meeting spot in front of Guest Services, was Rich and Phil.

They relayed a message to me that Debra had called, so I picked up a pay phone and called her ($0.35), but she wasn’t home. I left a message with her brother and then we boarded the resort monorail and disembarked at the Polynesian Resort.

We walked over to Luau cove, had leis put around our necks and then entered the Luau. I really enjoyed the food, especially the chicken, but my friends were reluctant to eat anything that wasn’t a common item at any fast food restaurant. They didn’t try any of the appetizers, but they did like the chicken.

The show was wonderful! It exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to see it again! Even my friends enjoyed it, and they are very picky when it comes to trying something new and exotic!

When the Luau ended at 11:45 PM, we caught the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom and joined the long line waiting for a bus back to the All-Star Sports. I ran into Laurie and Don at the bus stop, as they were also staying at the All-Star Sports.

We finally caught a bus home, about a 20 minute wait, and then went off to bed at about 12:40 PM. I feel asleep rather quickly, which amazed me because of my long nap during the afternoon!

Sunday, June 13, 1999

The alarm went off right on schedule at 7:00 AM. I showered quickly and ate my daily pop tart breakfast. As my friends got dressed and ready, I looked through the phone book and looked for a company to call to pick us up. I called two or three places before I found one, Chestnut Hill Transportation, which had an available cab that could carry 6 people. I arranged for them to meet us at the front of the All-Star Sports at 8:00 AM. Then I called Binnie’s room at the Port Orleans Resort to confirm that we were still picking her and her group up. I talked with Jimmie and told them we would be there by 8:15 AM.

We walked to the front of the resort and found the cab waiting for us. We boarded the cab and instructed the driver to take us to the Port Orleans to pick up the other three passengers. Once they were aboard, we proceeded to Islands of Adventure and arrived at 8:25 AM. The ride came to a total of $30.00, but with six people, it only cost $5.00 a person, which was reasonable!

The distance from where we were dropped off to the entrance to IOA was great. It took about 10 minutes. We did walk through Universal’s new City Walk, which is supposed to rival Pleasure Island, but at this early hour, nothing was going on there.

The cost for the park was $46.64 per person and no discounts are available yet. Universal Studios has a AAA discount, but I asked and there isn’t a similar one for IOA.

We entered the park immediately and were stopped underneath the Hulk roller coaster at the entrance to Marvel Super Hero Island until the 9:00 AM rope drop. As the empty Hulk cars traveled overhead, I declared that there was no way I was getting on it! A few minutes later, a car with only two people on it went overhead and they were both screaming. I suppose it was two employees taking the first test ride in the morning.

I had searched the Web in the weeks before my trip to find the ultimate touring plan for this new park, and the one that I found worked wonders! We never waited more than 20 minutes for an attraction, and most of them were under 5 minutes! Sure, we skipped a few of the ‘kiddie’ rides, but we did all the major ones without much of a hassle!

Anyway, at 9:00 AM, the rope was dropped and half the people headed to Hulk, while the other half, including my group, headed to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. We walked through the entire queue and once we reached the loading area we had only a 10-minute wait, which was fine, because they cartoon they show there on the proper loading procedure is hysterical!

The ride itself is awesome. The mixture of 3-D and physical effects works perfectly! This is definitely one of the top 3 attractions in the park. My friends are big Marvel fans, so they loved the ride immensely! If the line weren’t so long later in the day, we would have ridden it again!

From there, we headed directly to Toon Lagoon and onto Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls! This ride is similar to Splash Mountain in that it is a flume ride, however the similarities end there. The themeing inside is okay, but I never watched Dudley’s cartoons so it was as fun and cute for me as Splash Mountain is. The actual drop is awesome. I am not sure if Splash Mountain’s drop is steeper (I think it is), but this one drops you down and then straightens out for a second or two as it goes under a building. Then, it drops you again. It is different than Splash Mountain, but just as fun!

My friends, as usual, didn’t ride it. They saw the initial drop and were scared off! They don’t know what they missed!

We then went to Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. This is similar to the Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. Since my friends didn’t care for Kali, they skipped this one as well! While the themeing to Kali is more interesting, this ride was just as fun. It wasn’t better, but certainly not any worse! Both this, and Dudley were walk-ons!

We left Toon Lagoon and headed into Jurassic Park where went entered the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I told my friends that this was just a boat ride like the Pirates of the Caribbean, but at the last second Rich chickened out saying his back hurt! Phil went on it with me and enjoyed it, but said he would never ride it again. This is another flume ride, like Dudley, but with a lot better themeing. I think that Dudley has a better drop to it.

From there, we went into the worst attraction at any park, the Triceratops Encounter. This boring walk-through attraction puts you in a room with a 24-foot animatronic Triceratops. The dinosaur was lifelike and the employees seemed to be halfway decent actresses, but overall it was a boring attraction and not worth the 5-minute wait we encountered! I still don’t understand why we had to leave the room, walk the path around the building, and then re-enter the room! What a waste of time and energy for all of us involved!

After that fiasco, we decided that it was time to eat…especially since we were right next door to Burger Digs, which is where I had planned on eating. Burger Digs is where Debra, who I was supposed to meet yesterday, and one of my old managers from CHH last summer now worked. However, neither of them were there when we arrived (11:00 AM).

I purchased a cheeseburger and fries combo with a diet coke. Total cost was $9.10. The fixings bar had cole slaw, which was good. It even had pineapples in it, which I had never seen it made like that before!

From there we left Jurassic Park and entered the Lost Continent. We went into Poseidon’s Fury, where we ran into Binnie and her party! This combination of show and special effects was terrific, definitely worth the 15-minute wait! I really thought the water vortex that you walk through was spectacular. I only wish that I was standing in one of the front rows to see more of the effects up close, but I had to stop and wait for my slow poke friends to catch up to me!

When it ended, we went right next door to the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show, which stated just as we were walking in (noon.) This was a good blend of action, humor, and story. I was thoroughly entertained by it!

After the show, we stopped briefly at ‘Frozen Desert,’ where Phil bought himself an ice cream. After that brief stop, we headed into Seuss Landing and onto the Cat in the Hat. This ride stopped about 30 seconds after our car took off and we sat there for about 5 minutes while they worked on the problem. Once the car finally did get moving again, it stopped briefly two more times…and we saw at least two or three technicians with flashlights walking throughout the length of the ride. The outages and the technicians lost any enjoyment that this attraction would have given us.

After that disaster, we soured on the remaining attractions in Seuss Landing and decided to turn around and retrace our steps. There were two reasons for this. Number One, it gave us a chance to take photographs. In my rush to get all the major attractions done before they became crowded, I forbid my friends and I to take any photographs until our second pass through the park. This would allow us to take a leisurely pace and to get better photos instead of hurried photos taken during our first pass. The second reason was that I was considering a ride on the Dueling Dragons and we had to get back to the Lost Continent for me to ride that!

Phil also provided a third reason for our return to the Lost Continent. He had a pounding headache, and first aid was located there!

After he took his aspirin, we walked over to the fountain near the Sinbad show. A hidden employee controls it (I think he was in the tower above it to the right, but I am not sure.) He controls the water spray and he talks through it. I got closer with my camera to take a photo and it said to me, "Yeah buddy, bring that expensive camera closer to me!" I pushed my friend in front of me and told him to protect my camera. The fountain then responded with, "It’s only water, what are you so afraid of!" He then starting harassing a little boy, who was sneaking up on the fountain, so we left.

When we approached Dueling Dragons, I watched it for awhile…timing how long the ride lasted. From the top of the launch area to the end of the ride, it was not even one minute. I figured that I could survive one minute of terror, so I entered the line. When it came time to choose, I picked the ‘Ice’ side. I don’t know if one side is better or worse than the other, so I just went with the line that looked shorter. In less than 5 minutes, I was being strapped into my seat. I originally was in one of the two inner seats, but the gentlemen next to me in the outer seat was much heavier than me and they couldn’t get the seat belt to fasten in that seat. I guess the inner seats can accommodate larger individuals because they asked the two of us to switch places. This made me even more terrified because I was now on the outside!

We took off and I survived. Although I admit to having my eyes closed half the time, it wasn’t that bad. I even opened them for the last inversion and I thought it was nothing! I would have loved to ride it again on the other side, and my friends even said that I should! However, I needed some time to regain my composure because this was the first inverted roller coaster that I had ever ridden…and I loved it!

We then walked back into Jurassic Park and downstairs into the Discovery Center. It wasn’t that interesting to me. There is a museum near my home that has dozens of dinosaurs and when I was in school they took us there on field trips every year, so seeing dinosaurs isn’t all that exciting for me anymore.

We kept going forward until we finally arrived back at Marvel Super Hero Island. We checked on the time for Spider-Man, but it was close to an hour. I did not feel like waiting that long; in addition, my feet were hurting me. My friends went off to do some shopping, while I went over to ‘Freeze’ and bought myself an ice cream cone ($3.71).

We met up in front of Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, which I wanted to ride but the wait was also close to an hour. I decided that if I could survive the Dueling Dragons, then I could attempt to tide the Incredible Hulk Coaster. The wait for it was only 10 minutes, so I joined the line. This ride, which terrified me this morning, didn’t scare me as much now. In the Dueling Dragons, you are strapped to a seat where your feet hang. In the Hulk, you are actually seated in a seat, which gave me more security.

I braved the line and boarded the Hulk coaster. The gentleman next to me had ridden it 3-times in a row, so my fears started to vanish with his confidence. We took off, and I kept my eyes open the entire time. When it was over, I wanted to go again, but the line was about 15-minutes long and my feet were really starting to ache!

My friends didn’t want to repeat any attraction, and against my better judgment, I left the park with them. I really wish my feet had not given out, but it was the end for me. If I had pushed them today, then the rest of the week would have been a complete disaster. If I wanted to enjoy myself the remaining 4 days, then I had to listen to my body now.

We walked to the taxi stand and caught one back to our resort. Total individual cost (including tip) was $9.00. We arrived back at the resort at 3:30 PM.

I changed my shoes to the more comfortable pair that I had brought and I dragged my weary feet to the gift shop to pick up my 8" x 10" enlargement. When I got there, I found out that it was not processed. The envelope that I had filled out was there, but it now had a sticker on it, which said "3-day service," and a note asking, "Is this Okay?" No, this was not okay. It is posted on the display where I dropped off the film that special services, which include enlargements, take 24 hours. Not only has it been more than 24 hours, but if I agreed to the 3-day service, it would start counting from this point on…and not from yesterday when I dropped off the negatives!

I expressed my disappointment, and took my negatives back. I figured I would get them done elsewhere…perhaps at one of the parks.

I went back to the room, where we watched television and relaxed until 5:45 PM. At this time, I decided to finish up my shopping at Downtown Disney, which I had originally scheduled for June 16. Since we finished up IOA early, and the Luau, which I had originally scheduled for today, was moved to last night, we had the entire evening free.

We boarded a Downtown Disney bus with a 5-minute wait and headed out. On the way there, it started to pour! We got off at the Pleasure Island stop and ran to the front entrance of Pleasure Island where we stood under the awning of one of the ticket booths until the rain slowed.

Once it slowed down, we walked to the World of Disney store and did some shopping. I bought two T-shirts, some Mickey Mouse stickers with my name on them, 4 magnets and a pair of Goofy earrings for a friend back home. Total cost, with MKC discount, was $55.81. I had them all shipped back to the resort.

I met up with my friends and we discussed the plans for the remainder of the day. They caught a bus back home, while I caught a bus to the Dixie Landings Resort. The reason for this visit was that I could pick up another Donald Duck pressed penny. There was one in the lobby of the Dixie Landings that I did not get last summer. This was also on my plan for June 16, but I decided to get it out of the way now.

It took forever to get to the resort, with four stops to make first, but once I arrived I went directly to the lobby and got my penny. I browsed in the store for awhile, but since I could not have it shipped to my room from another resort I decided not to buy anything.

I walked back outside and to the bus stop. It was still raining, but lightly, and I caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom. Upon arriving, I went immediately to the Columbia Harbour House for dinner. I had the clam chowder in a bread bowl, a slice of apple pie, and a glass of water. The total this came to $7.85.

I would have liked to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, but it was canceled due to the heavy rain and the lightning. I decided to subtract a few attractions from my lit of things to do, so I headed to Tomorrowland and entered the Timekeeper just as it was beginning. This attraction isn’t that interesting. Robin Williams is hilarious as ever, and some of the circlevision film has some awe inspiring photography, but the overall story and presentation is weak.

As soon as it ended, I walked to Main Street and watched the fireworks. Tinkerbell did not make her flight due to the weather. I then walked to the bus stop where I caught a bus back to the resort. It must have known that my feet were tired because it was sitting there waiting for me and left almost immediately after I boarded. I arrived back home and relaxed for a little while before retiring to bed.

Monday, June 14, 1999

Today the alarm didn’t wake me up, the sound of the phone ringing did! It was 7:00 AM and Debra called. She wanted to know where I was the other day! I explained to her that I waited as long as I could and that she was the one who didn’t show up! We apologized to each other and then rescheduled our meeting for tomorrow at 3:00 PM.

I went back to bed, but I couldn’t fall back asleep. At 8:00 AM I woke up my friends and told them to get ready as I walked to guest services and purchased an E-Ride ticket for tomorrow night.

When I returned it was 8:30 AM and we left the room and caught a bus to Typhoon Lagoon. We entered the park at opening and found a spot to put our belongings. I immediately went to Humunga Kowabunga two times in a row. First I rode the center slide and then I rode the left-hand slide. Although my bathing suit rode up on me a little bit, I thought the ride was awesome!

From there, I headed to the Storm Slides that were right next door and rode all three slides. I don’t remember the names to each slide, or which one I preferred, but I can say that they were awesome. I think they were better than the comparable body slide at River Country!

I went back to Humunga Kowabunga and rode the right-hand slide before I headed to the two raft rides, Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls. Both were excellent and I would have loved to try Gang Plank Falls, but that was for two or more people only and my friends do not do any of the slides! I guess next time I will have to bring some souls that are daring!

I decided to take it easy and I rode a tube along Castaway Creek, just relaxing and taking in the beauty of the park.

After an almost complete trip around the park, I decided it was time to try out the Surf Pool, more commonly referred to as the wave pool! At first, I only went halfway in, because the wave started to approach me as I was entering it. But after that first taste I knew I had to get the whole experience and I went all the way to the rope…until I was yelled at by the lifeguard to stay 10-feet from the rope! How was I to know? I have never been there before. In addition, there are no signs to warn you against getting too close to the rope.

Anyway, I moved back and waited for the waves to come. They were awesome, and there is nothing like being at the beginning of the wave! When it approached, I would turn from it and start swimming. The wave would lift me to the top of the wave and I would come crashing down with the wave! It was awesome! I must have spent about 30 minutes catching waves! The only bad thing is that near the rope, it is almost 7 feet deep so you have to exert a lot of energy to stay afloat. I reached my limit after a half-hour. I hope I never am on a boat that sinks way out in the ocean, because my arms and legs tired after 30 minutes of constant moving!

I left the pool and headed over to Shark Reef to swim with some sharks and fishes. I picked up my gear and entered the line of people who were getting in the water. I don’t know how the fishes like that water, because it was freezing! I’ve have never swam with live fish before, so it was a fascinating sight! I would have gone again, but the combination of long lines and the cold water prevented me. I washed off the equipment and returned them. Then I stood under one of the ‘showers’ and rinsed off the salt water.

After the shark experience, I returned to the Storm Slides and rode the center one 3 times in a row! I then went to Humunga Kowabunga and rode the right slide, which I had skipped before. It was now time for me to get back in the wave pool and experience those waves again!

After 15 minutes of fun, I decided to meet my friends, who were lying on the chairs we put our stuff on earlier, and asked if they were ready to leave. If I wasn’t with them, I might have stayed longer, but I had plans for the rest of the day and if we were to keep them then we had to get moving.

Just before we left, Phil reminded me that I needed to pick up a magnet from here. I thanked him for reminding me, went to Singapore Sal’s Beachwear, and picked up one ($4.24). I then cursed myself because I forgot to pick one up at River Country last week! I made a mental note to myself to stop back in there to get one, but I never made it!

We left at noon and caught a bus back to the resort with about a 10-minute wait. Once there I took a shower and then headed to the food court for some lunch. I brought a can of soda from the room and purchased a cheeseburger and a yogurt. Total cost was $6.72.

From there I went directly to the bus stop and caught a bus, which arrived just as I did, to the Disney-MGM Studios. My friends went back to the room and planned on heading to the Magic Kingdom shortly afterwards.

The bus pulled into the bus stop at 1:25 PM and, upon entering the park, I went directly to Soundstage 2 so I could see another taping of Petsburgh, USA. Unfortunately, they were on a lunch break and I was told to come back later. I decided to get another attraction that I had missed earlier out of the way and I headed over to the Backstage Pass Tour. This tour is approximately 30-minutes long, and not all that interesting. I’ve done it on both of my previous trips and the only good thing I can say about it is that you get inside some air-conditioning for awhile. It’s a nice afternoon break on a hot, muggy day.

The first part of the tour is a look at some of the audio-animatronics that were used in the live action movie, "101 Dalmatians." I still have not seen this movie, although I taped it when it was on the Disney Channel, so I was not as impressed as I might have been had I seen the movie.

The next part a guest is chosen to be part of the ‘blue-screen’ filming process. This would be interesting if I had been the actual participant or if I knew the person who was, but after seeing it more than once and not knowing the person, it is pretty boring.

From there, we head into the walkway above the three soundstages. The first one was used for Mortal Kombat: Conquest, which is a syndicated series. The filming for it was completed, but the set was left intact for the guests to see it during the tour. Soundstage 2 is, of course, used for Petsburgh, USA. My only complaint is the large cutouts in front of the window; it makes it difficult to see the entire stage from up here. They were not there last year during the tour. We were also treated to a wonderful short film with Brianne Leary while we were in the area above this soundstage.

Soundstage 3 was empty, so we more or less bypassed this one and were led directly into the last segment of the tour which held various props and sets for the ‘101 Dalmatians’ movie. Again, it might be more interesting if I had seen the movie. This part is self-guided; you can stay for as long or short as you wish. I bypassed everybody in the line and was the first to leave.

By now, it was 2:30 PM and I went back to Soundstage 2 to see if they were done with lunch. They were, and I was let in immediately. James, the regular ‘Joke Man’, was not here today. He had done some traveling over the weekend for an appearance, so he was given the day off. Rob, who usually runs around the set collecting the loose animals and other odd jobs, was the fill-in. He did an excellent job, and at times his jokes were funnier than James’ jokes!

The episode being filmed today was special to me, because it is to be aired on December 14, which is my birthday! It is amazing that something being filmed in June will not be aired on television for 6 months!

Brianne did not have any opportunities to come over to the audience today, but when she saw me, she waved hello. I would have loved to go down and talk to her during some of the breaks, but I didn’t want to seem overbearing or anything. I watch television and read the newspapers, I know how it is when a fan spends too much time hounding a celebrity. That celebrity starts to fear the fan, and the fan can become obsessive and possibly a threat to the celebrity. I would never hurt anyone, in any way, and the last thing I want to do is scare someone. For that reason I kept my distance from her and only spoke to her if she said something to me first. I did not want her to become worried or anything else of that nature. I’m sure she didn’t think of me as a ‘psychotic fan’ or anything like that, so I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Meeting a celebrity that you are a fan of is nice, but becoming obsessed about it is another thing totally! That is something I would never become. The only reason I spent so much time watching the filming was because I like the show and I am a fan of Brianne’s. I also spent so much time at WDW last summer, that there wasn’t much left I needed to do. Instead of taking afternoon breaks at the resort, I just stopped into Soundstage 2 to sit down, relax and enjoy myself.

Anyway, I stayed until about 4:45 PM, when I left to catch the 5:00 PM ‘Bear in the Big Blue House’ show. Yes, I know it is geared towards a much younger audience, but I am one of those types that must see and do all the attractions at least once in their life. For that reason, I went to this show, and it wasn’t bad! The performance and the story were rather good. I had a fun time, and watching all the little children get up and dance made it more enjoyable!

It ended at 5:20 PM, and I had to meet my friends at our meeting spot in front of the Magic Kingdom. I figured the quickest way there was to catch a bus to the Contemporary and walk over from there…so that is what I did.

The line for the bus to the Contemporary was extremely long. In fact, the first bus to arrive became full before I reached it. Luckily, a second bus arrived less than 5-minutes later!

Once I arrived there, I walked over to the Magic Kingdom while I looked at the engraved bricks. Sometime last summer, I saw a brick during this walk that was from someone from my hometown. I didn’t have my camera to take a photo of it, and every time I have walked this path since then I have been unable to relocate it!

I arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 6:05 PM, and my friends were already there waiting for me. We walked over to the boat launches and caught one over to the Wilderness Lodge.

Once there, we walked around the pool area for a bit because they had never been there before. Even with all the construction going on, it was still beautiful, and my friends really liked it. Although we had priority seating at Whispering Canyon for 7:10 PM, we checked in early at 6:30 PM. We were seated immediately.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was pleasant, and the items on the menu looked delicious. However, my picky friends do not seem to have the same taste for good food that I do. They would rather eat a plain old hamburger than something Apple Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken or Maple Glazed Pork Chops! The prices of the items also scared them away, although they wouldn’t admit it.

I tried my hardest to convince them to try something on the menu, but although Phil acquiesced a bit, Rich was adamant that he wasn’t going to eat anything. I did not want a repeat of what happened at the 50’s Prime Time Café, when Phil refused to eat and Rich only had a small salad. Therefore, I told them that it would not bother me if we left and ate elsewhere. They agreed, and instead of telling the waiter the truth, they made up a tale about how Rich wasn’t feeling well and that we were just going to go back to our room. I don’t know if he believed us or not, but he was pleasant about it and hoped that Rich felt better.

After walking out of there, they stopped in the gift shop so Phil could buy some items with Tigger on it. We then walked down the ramp at the rear of the resort and entered the Roaring Forks food court. They saw the menu and said, "Now this is real food!" Oh well, what can I do. Someday I will get to eat at the Whispering Canyon or Artist’s Point!

We ordered our food. I had a cheeseburger, small side salad, an awesomely delicious cupcake, and a small Cherry Coke. Total was $10.86. We didn’t have refillable mugs, we just bought a small soda, but we noticed that everyone in the place was going up for second and third fillings of their sodas. I am not one to be left out of the fun, so I went up and refilled my soda. I am not sure if this is allowable, but the CM near me did not say anything to me and I am sure she saw me.

After eating, we walked over to the bus stop, and caught a bus (20-minute wait) to Downtown Disney. We were informed that the Pleasure Island bus stop was closed for refurbishment, so we got off at the Marketplace stop and walked over.

We watched the dancers on one of the stages. They were very talented, but it was a short performance. It was really hot, and I was sweating just standing there watching them, so I didn’t expect a long production.

When they were finished, we walked over to the Comedy Warehouse to see when the next show was. It was now 8:15 PM, and then next show was at 9:20 PM, so we had some time to kill.

We went into the Adventure’s Club, which I fought to be quite charming. I had heard so much about it and I really wanted to spend some time in there and try a Kungaloosh, but my friends were bored. No adventure in them at all! I told myself I would come back on another day, but I never did. Next trip I guess!

From there w headed to the Wildhorse Saloon, which was having amateur night. There was a young woman was singing "How Do I Live" and my friends started making fun of her singing. Sure, she wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t terrible. I informed them that she had the guts to get onstage and perform, and I didn’t see them doing anything so bold. I told them that if they didn’t have anything nice to say, then they shouldn’t say anything at all. They have good hearts deep down, but sometimes they can be rotten. I’m not perfect either, but I try not to intentionally hurt others…even if that person can’t hear me.

We started our trek back to the Comedy Warehouse, and saw the dancers on stage performing again…so we stopped to watch them. They really are good, and I wish I could have seen them a third time, but we had to get going.

It was about 9:10 PM, and the line for the next show was forming, so we joined in. Frankie and the West End Boys were performing on stage during our wait, so we had some entertainment.

At 9:20 PM, we were let in and we were seated right next to the sound booth where the technician worked. I liked all the decorations hanging on the walls, and saw at least 2 "Hidden Mickey’s."

The show itself was fabulous. I love improvisational comedy, even if it did cost me $4.25 for a Bud Light (including tip!) I just hope that when I go again, I am lucky enough to be seated next to a phone that rings!

After the show was completed, my friends had no interest in seeing another comedy show, nor did they want to go into the Adventure’s Club. My feet were really hurting me, all this walking was catching up to me, so I decided to leave with them. Since the Pleasure Island bus stop was not open, we had to walk to the West End bus stop, stopping at the Virgin Megastore on the way to window shop.

The bus arrived at 10:55 PM, and we were home by 11:15 PM, where we watched some television before drifting off to sleep.

Tuesday, June 15, 1999

The alarm woke us up promptly at 7:45 AM. I ate a quick pop tart breakfast and then we were on our way to the bus stop. We caught the first bus to Blizzard Beach and entered the park at 8:45 AM. We walked all the way in until we reached the rope barrier where we were entertained by a CM and Ice Gator until the actual 9:00 AM opening.

Once the rope dropped, we hurried into the park and found a place to put our stuff near Melt Away Bay. I left my friends and headed over to the Chair Lift for transportation to the top of Mt. Gushmore.

I exited the lift and joined the line for Slush Gusher. I wanted to try Summit Plummet, but decided to break myself in by trying the smaller slide first. It was amazing. Near the end of the slide, I was actually airborne for a second or two! I loved it!

At the end of my slide there was a big surprise waiting for me. I was wiping the water from my eyes and standing up when I heard a woman say, "Joe!" At first, I did not think they were talking to me because I did not come here with a woman. I looked up and saw the lifeguard sitting in her chair. She looked right at me and called my name again. I strained my eyes, which were still blurry from the water, to look at her and it was then that I recognized her. It was Carla, who I had worked with last summer at the Columbia Harbour House! I had kept in touch with her through emails, and she mentioned that she applied for another internship this summer. She had told me that she had been accepted again, but since you aren’t told where you will be assigned until you arrive, she couldn’t tell me where she would be working.

It was great to see her again, and we talked for a few minutes, but I didn’t want to keep her from her job and I wanted to go down Summit Plummet before the line increased. I said goodbye, and told her that I would visit with her later in the day.

The view from Summit Plummet was awesome. I think the view is comparable to the top of the Contemporary. You can see all four of the park’s landmarks, as well as many of the resorts. The only complaint is that Blizzard Beach is so close to the roads, it ruins the effect at times.

The slide itself is spectacular! I think it is worth the trip to Blizzard Beach! Although there was fear in me as I sat down and prepared myself to slide, the result was worth it. If it had not been for the increased line, I would have ridden again! Carla was no longer at the bottom of the slide, since lifeguards get their positions moved about every 20 minutes or so.

I went on the Snow Stormers mat slide (left lane) and then walked over to the Downhill Double Dipper tube ride. This ride provided me with an even scarier experience than Summit Plummet did. I went down the slide, and through the tunnel, but as I exited the tunnel, I was airborne. From watching it beforehand, I didn’t see anyone airborne after coming through the tunnel, so I was slightly scared. In fact, for whatever reason, I let go of the tube while I was in the air! Luckily, I did not come out of the tube, and I landed safely. I was airborne for about two or three seconds! My speed was 7:13 seconds.

When I landed, I saw that Carla was the lifeguard at the end. She joked with me to make sure that I returned the tube once I exited the pool. I told her to get in touch with me after she returned to school in the fall and then I said goodbye.

I bumped into Phil as I was walking away and I convinced him to ride some of the body slides with me. We walked up to the Toboggan Racers and raced. He claimed he won, and I claimed I won. I had a late start, but since I weigh much more than him, I caught up rather quickly. Since we weren’t sure who actually won, we had a rematch, which I won easily. This ride is all about weight. The more you weigh the faster you travel.

From there, I went back to the Snow Stormers (center lane) while Phil waited for me at the bottom. Once I was done, we both went to Runoff Rapids where I went down the enclosed slide, while he went down the open side. It was so much fun, that I decided to try the open slide. They both were amazing, but the enclosed one is much more fun!

We then went to the Melt Away Bay wave pool where I ran into Carla again. She told me I better not drown because she didn’t feel like saving anyone today! We talked again briefly, until she was moved to another location.

This wave pool is nice, but no where near as fun as the one at Typhoon Lagoon. They are both fun, but for my tastes, Typhoon’s beats this one hands down!

As I was exiting the pool, I saw Carla again. Since it was right near where I had my camera, I grabbed it and handed it to Phil and he took a photo of Carla and me. I then said goodbye to her for good, since I was getting ready to leave.

I took the camera up to the top of Mt. Gushmore and I went to the observation deck where I snapped the remaining photos. There were two ways down from the top of the mountain, walk, or slide. Since I was there to have fun, I decided to slide, although I had my camera with me. It was a disposable waterproof, so I wasn’t worried.

I walked to the Snow Stormers where I slide down the third and final slide (right lane.)

I met up with Rich and Phil and we started to exit the park. I stopped at the Beach Haus and bought a magnet ($4.24) for my collection, and Phil and I had our picture taken with the statue of Ice Gator.

We only had to wait about 5 minutes for the bus to arrive, and we were back at the resort by noon. I took a shower and then we headed to the food court for some lunch. I brought another soda from the room and I bought a cheeseburger/fries combo with a yogurt. The total came to $6.72. This was the slowest food service I encountered the entire trip. I reached the front of the line to order immediately, but it took 15 minutes for my burger to be made! You would think that during the busy lunch rush they would have enough burgers cooking so that the wait is minimal. Oh well, it was the only time it happened so I cannot complain.

We made plans to meet up later and, while they went back to the resort, I caught a bus to the Disney-MGM Studios. Why? To see another taping of Petsburgh, of course! However, that was not the only reason. Yesterday I made plans with Debra to meet her at 3:00 PM in the same spot we were supposed to meet last week. Let’s see if she is on time today!

When I arrived at the Studios, I remembered that it was near lunchtime so they might not be filming at this time. Instead of wasting my time walking there, I noticed on the tip board that the Tower of Terror had only a 15-minute wait time. So, I headed down Sunset Boulevard and onto the ride! This trip was a first for me as I actually held my hands above my head instead of holding onto the bar! I am getting braver in my old age!

I then headed back to Hollywood Boulevard and into ‘The Darkroom’ to see about getting the negative of Brianne and me enlarged into an 8" x 10". I was told that it would have to be sent out to the lab, and that could take a few days, but if I had the photo, they could enlarge it using their computer and scanner in about 15 minutes. I didn’t have the actual photo on me, just the negative, so I told them thank you and that I would be back tomorrow with the photo.

It was now about 2:10 PM and I headed to Soundstage 2 to see Petsburgh. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of shooting and I couldn’t enter until 2:40 PM. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see any filming today because I had to meet Debra, so I walked around to kill some time. When I came to the restroom/phone in the Animation Courtyard, I decided to call home and see how my family was.

At around 2:30 PM, I decided to walk out of the park and see if Debra was there yet. Sure enough, she was…a half-hour early! I had a feeling that she would try to be early since we missed each other last week.

We talked briefly, catching up everything, and then we entered the park. The wait for Tower of Terror was still only 15 minutes, so I told her that we were going on that first. She was scared, as she had never been to this park before, let alone the Tower of Terror, but I told her there was nothing to be frightened of.

Once we were seated, I told the woman next to me that this was Debra’s first ride and we did all that we could do to scare her! It really is fun to go to an attraction with someone who has never been to it before! I told her that if she closed her eyes I would make her ride it again. I put my hands in the air again, and I definitely must say that it makes for a better ride that way!

Once it was over, she was shaken up a bit, but she liked the ride. We looked at the photo and, sure enough, her eyes were closed. I threatened to make her ride it again, but I did not want her to have a heart attack on me…and the line was now about 25-30 minutes long.

We walked around the park for a few moments wondering where we should go, when we came across Star Tours. It was a walk on, so we couldn’t pass that up!

She enjoyed it, but I am ready for it to have a new movie! I know this one by heart now. It is still fun, but it is getting old.

There really wasn’t much left at this park that I wanted to do. I was not in the mood for any shows, and the other rides remaining were lame to take someone on. I wanted ‘thrill’ rides during the brief time we were hanging out.

It was then when I asked her if she had ever ridden Test Track. She said that she hadn’t, so I asked her if she minded if we left the park and headed to Epcot. She said that would be fine, so we headed out of the park and to her car. An interesting note, in my previous trips to WDW in 1996 and 1998, I had never ridden one of the parking lot trams. In 1996, I used bus transportation every time I went to a park, so I had no need to use it. However, in 1998, I rode to the park in a car once. The tram was just leaving as we pulled into the parking space, so we would have to wait for the next one. However, the walk to the front gate was less than 5 minutes so we decided to hoof it there instead of waiting. That was the closest I ever came to ride in one of the trams…until today.

So, at about 3:40 PM., we boarded the tram and jumped into her car. We drove to Epcot, and she drives just like a tourist…she had no idea where she was going and cut into other lanes, slammed on the brakes when she missed a turn, etc. I kept telling her that she ‘drove like a tourist’ and that I was going to put it in my trip report. She laughed and told me to go ahead. She also promised to improve by the time I can down again! It was rather funny, and it felt just like an attraction!

We boarded another tram to the entrance to Epcot and entered at about 4:00 PM. We headed directly to Test Track where I showed her my ‘shortcut’ and we were riding (in separate cars) within 5 minutes, passing by the 85-minute wait!

My car reached 64.9 MPH again, leading me to believe that it doesn’t actually hit 65.0 MPH. We met up at the exit and headed over to Ice Station Cool where I had her try all the different flavors, including that horrid Italian flavor!

We then headed back to Test Track for a second ride (64.8 MPH) before we divided and went our separate ways. She stayed at Epcot and visited some more attractions, while I left the park and caught a monorail to the TTC.

Upon exiting the monorail, I walked over to the Kennel Club to photograph it and it’s sign. They had just completed a refurbishment of the kennel, and I wanted to compare it to the photos I took last summer. I liked the old sign better with its gold letters instead of the painted purple/orange/white letters that they have now. In addition, Pluto’s doghouse has changed position. It used to face Pluto, now it faces out into the parking lot. Does anyone else think it is weird that I am analyzing the changes to something so insignificant as a doghouse?

I then stopped at Mickey’s Gift Station and purchased an ice tea for $2.25. I still can not get over how expensive it was! You can buy the exact same bottle out of a vending machine backstage for 60 cents! Why in the world do they charge $1.65 more just because it is available to the public?

After purchasing my drink, I boarded the Richard F. Irvine ferryboat and took a leisurely trip across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. Upon disembarking, I walked to the front of the Magic Kingdom, near guest services, where my friends were waiting to meet me. It was now 5:50 PM, and it started to downpour!

We walked into the park and through the stores along the right side of Main Street, until we came to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Phil decided to buy an ice cream, and since Rich did not intend to walk in the rain, I bought one too ($2.50).

We waited about 10 minutes there until the rain slowed up, and then we crossed through the hub and Cinderella Castle into Fantasyland. Phil is a big Tigger fan, almost as big a fan as I am of Donald Duck, so one of his goals was to ride the newest attraction, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh."

We went over to it, but it had a 30-minute wait, which none of us were in the mood for. So, we headed to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café so Rich could have his fried chicken sandwich that he raved so much about last time we ate there. I decided to try this chicken sandwich, so I ordered one along with a diet coke ($7.16). I picked up some mushrooms at the fixings bar, and we sat down for a decent meal. The chicken was excellent, Rich wasn’t lying!

After dinner, we tried Pooh again, but the line was even longer. Peter Pan also had a 10-minute wait, so we decided to postpone riding them until Thursday, when we were coming here for Early Entry.

They still had not gone to the Hall of Presidents, so we arrived there at 6:50 PM for the next presentation. It was just as delightful as ever, and I wonder how they will change it when the next president takes office. Will they continue to use Maya Angelou as the narrator? Will Clinton lose his speaking role? Will the next president record his own voice? I suppose those questions will all be answered after the next presidential election.

Our next attraction was the Liberty Belle Riverboat, where we relaxed and enjoyed the view. As the trip was ending, Rich pointed out the Haunted Mansion and said he wanted to go there again. The line wasn’t long, so we visited the Grim Grinning Ghosts immediately after our riverboat trip ended!

I then stopped in the Columbia Harbour House where I saw Javier. I talked to him for a few minutes, and then he went in the kitchen to get Louis. I greeted Louis once he came out and we all caught up with each other, but since Louis was in the back cooking, he could not stay long. I talked with Javier a few more minutes, but he had work to do so I left.

It started to rain heavily again, and lighting was seen every few minutes, so my friends decided to leave. It was about 8:20 PM, and I handed them my camera to take back home, and they left the park. I then exchanged my E-Ride ticket for a wristband and I used the phone near First Aid to call a friend back home. It was raining very heavily now and I didn’t want to walk in it since my feet were killing me.

We talked for about 15 minutes, and then I walked over to Fantasyland to see if any of the lines had subsided due to the rain. However, it was just the opposite, the lines had increased! Instead of leaving the park, I imagine that many people just jumped into whichever line was the closest to them.

I headed over to Tomorrowland, where I purchased a Space Mountain T-shirt (20.14), which I had shipped to the room.

My feet were really bothering me now. I supposed I pushed them too much this entire trip and it was catching up to me now. The fact that it was raining and my socks were now soaked did not help!

I walked over to Fantasyland again, to check the lines one last time, but they were impossibly long. I went over to Tinkerbell’s Treasures, sat on the bench, and decided that I would watch the fireworks (it was now 9:30 PM) and then head home. Even though I had purchased and E-Ride ticket, I was not going to use it. With the lightning that was in the area, the chances of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain being open were slim. That left only Space Mountain for me to enjoy, and it was not worth the torture on my feet.

I walked down the path along the side of Cinderella Castle and I passed by Sleepy Hollow, which is part of the Columbia Harbour House Complex. I noticed that Don was working there. Don was the one person who I hung out with the most from CHH. We tried to get together during this trip, but our schedules just didn’t coincide. I stopped to talk with him, and I had one of their delicious chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to talk longer, but he had to close the place up at 10:00 PM, and I had to walk down to the front of the castle, near Casey’s, so that I could watch the fireworks.

Tinkerbell’s flight was canceled, of course, but the fireworks went off just as lovely as ever. I then left the park and caught a bus home with a short wait. Upon arriving home, I kicked off my soaked socks and shoes, climbed into bed at 11:00 PM, and fell directly asleep.

Wednesday, June 16, 1999

I was not awakened by the alarm today; instead, I woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing. It was 6:15 AM, and I didn’t schedule a wake up call. I immediately thought that something had happened back home and I answered it after only one ring. Thankfully, nothing was wrong. It was Debra calling. She said she was calling this early only because she knew I was never there during normal waking hours. She wanted to thank me for yesterday. I thought it was very nice, however it was too early to call. Later, I found out that she had called yesterday and Rich suggested that she call early for me since that is the only time I am in the room. Thanks Rich!

I went back to bed and the alarm re-awoke me at 7:30 AM. I showered, ate my pop tart breakfast, and just relaxed for awhile as my feet were still bothering me.

We all left for the bus stop at 9:00 AM and caught one to the Magic Kingdom. Once there, we boarded the monorail and headed to the Contemporary Resort. We walked down one flight and went to Chef Mickey’s where I had priority seating for 10:00 AM. It was about 9:40 AM when we checked in, and we skipped having our picture taken since we knew we weren’t going to purchase it.

We were called in at about 10:20 AM, and immediately started eating. Only Chip, Dale, and Pluto visited us during our meal. Phil and I missed Mickey because he came over when we were up in the buffet line, but Rich was there when he came over! Minnie never made it to our table, and Goofy spent his time in the waiting area outside. The food was delicious, and we were so stuffed afterwards!

We didn’t join in on the napkin twirling, but I did enjoy watching the children (and their parents) having fun! The total, with tip, came to $50.00.

It was now about 11:15 AM and I took the elevator to the top of the resort to show them the view. They were not as impressed with it as I am, but they enjoyed it. I think their fear of heights stopped them from really getting into it.

They decided to leave and return to the resort, while I hung out at the top for a few more minutes. I then walked down the stairs on the outside of the resort and entered it on the 11th floor, since that is the only floor where the doors are unlocked. I caught the elevator from this floor, went down to the bus stop, and caught a ride to the Disney-MGM Studios.

Upon entering the park, I went back into ‘The Darkroom’ and I had them enlarge the 4" print of Brianne and myself into an 8" x 10" reproduction. Their scanner and printer were acting up, so it took them five tries for them to get an acceptable copy. The total cost for one print was $12.67, but they gave me all five copies since they had no use for them!

The next seating for Petsburgh was not until 2:40 PM, and it was only 1:00 PM. I decided to leave the park and head over to the Boardwalk via the boat. At 1:20 PM I boarded the Friendship 8 and disembarked once we reached the resort.

I headed over to the bakery, where I purchased a diet coke in a collectible "Summer 1999" mug, with Donald Duck on it ($3.45)! I have the summer 1998 version, so I decided that I would start a collection of summer mugs!

I then walked around inside the Boardwalk before I caught the Friendship 3 back to the Disney-MGM Studios. Since the Boardwalk is the first stop on this trip, we had to stop at the Yacht/Beach resorts and then the Swan/Dolphin resorts before reaching the Studios at 2:15 PM.

Upon re-entering the park, I purchased a bottle of water ($2.50) and then went to Soundstage 2 at 2:30 PM. Although I was early, they were even earlier! They came back from lunch early and started letting people in at 2:15 PM. By the time I arrived, filming had begun and I had to wait until 3:00 PM before I could enter the soundstage.

After finally being let in, I was seated in my usual front row seat, but this time the large crane camera blocked my view. I believe it was episode #248 that they were filming, and is scheduled to air on December 1, 1999. I do remember that they had monkeys, and the trainer that was on the show kept the baby monkeys in her hair!

As soon as the segment was over, Brianne left the stage immediately for a wardrobe change and for a brief break. Since I was on the opposite side of the stage, I couldn’t ask her to sign the photo for me. It was now about 5:15 PM, and as much as I wanted to stay and watch some more, I decided it was time to leave.

I went outside to discover that it had started to rain, so I protected my photo and caught a bus back to the resort at 5:35 PM.

I relaxed there for awhile, until I became bored, and I caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom. I went immediately into the Utilidors, where I was able to get a few cast member tickets for the Cast Member Preview for the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster tonight. I knew you needed a ticket and an ID to get on the ride, but I decided that I would go there tonight anyway and try. I had nothing to lose!

I returned to the park and headed to the Columbia Harbour House to get some more clam chowder. Since I was leaving in 2 days, I wanted to enjoy this delicious meal one last time! It only cost $4.75, because I got it with a glass of water. I was still rather full from the huge breakfast this morning, so I didn’t even eat the entire bread bowl!

While I was eating, I saw Javier working and he came by. He was working with a girl name Kristy, who was on the College Program this summer, and the three of us chatted for about 10 minutes. However, since they were working, they could not talk longer.

I then headed over to Sleepy Hollow to see if Don was working again. He wasn’t, but Christine was. I worked with her last summer, and she was one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet. Most of the other people on the CP with me didn’t like her, but I thought she was great. We got along so well, I think it might have been our common interest. I am an accounting major, and she used to work in accounting. One of her daughters is also an accountant, so that helped. I talked with her for awhile, but since the manager was there at the same time, I did not stay long. It was great to see her again. There are a few others people that are still working for Disney that I would have liked to see and talk with. However, they transferred to different locations and I do not know which ones!

By now, it was nearing 9:00 PM, and I headed down Main Street and watched the Main Street Electrical Parade at its entrance into the park. After it passed by me, I exited the park and walked over to the Contemporary Resort where I headed to the observation deck and waited for 10:00 PM so I could watch the fireworks.

I had never seen them from up here, and I was excited. I love these fireworks and I have seen them from many different positions, but each time I see it from a new location it is like I am seeing them for the first time!

At promptly 10:00 PM, Tinkerbell flew above the Magic Kingdom and lit up the sky with her fireworks display! The view from up here is wonderful; the only complaint is that you can barely hear the music that corresponds to the display from this location. The music is piped into the California Grill, which is atop the Contemporary Resort, but when you are outside the doors and on the observation deck, the music becomes muffled. I think they should add a speaker outside so that the people watching it from the deck can hear it as well! Many of the people surrounding me were dining in the resort, but came outside to watch the fireworks.

I then walked down the entire flight of stairs outside the resort and caught a bus over to the Disney-MGM Studios. The cast previews for the new roller coaster were being held until 11:30 PM and I wanted to take a chance on riding it!

I arrived at the Studios at about 10:45 PM and headed directly to the backstage entrance next to Rosie’s All-American Café. I approached the CM who was standing at the entrance and showed him my CM ticket. He asked me to show him some ID. Although I had a CM ticket, and I was wearing a CM shirt, he still needed an ID. I told him that I had left it at home and I would have gone home to get it, but I had just left work. I told them that I worked at the Columbia Harbour House and that they could call to verify it. I knew they wouldn’t, but I was trying to make it sound believable. I told them that in my hurry to get to work, I had forgotten it. I explained the procedure you have to go through if you leave your ID at home. You need it to clock in; otherwise, you are not paid. However, if you forget your ID, there is a form you need to fill out in order to be paid. He told me that he never doubted that I was a CM, but his manager was checking for Identification at the ride entrance and if he let me through without an ID, then he would get in trouble. I practically begged him, because I knew it was the last day for cast previews, but he wouldn’t budge! I was disappointed, but I was also glad to see that the levels of security to prevent unauthorized entry were working.

I thanked him and then I turned and left the Studios, catching a bus home and into bed at 11:15 PM.

As a comparison to my pre-trip plan for today, it is only slightly off the mark. After the character breakfast, I had scheduled visits to various locations. Some had already been achieved earlier in the trip: the pressed penny at the Dixie Landings, photographing Team Disney and the Casting Center, and shopping at Downtown Disney.

The things that I did not accomplish today were photographing the Shades of Green (although I had earlier photographed it’s entrance sign), visiting the Coronado Springs for a Donald Duck refillable mug, and photographing the entrance sign to the Disney Institute. I also had planned this day as a fill-in to do all the things that I missed earlier in the week. Some of those activities included going to River Country to pick up a magnet, or going to Fort Wilderness to get a Donald Duck refillable mug. They were all small things, but time consuming due to the travel time. Nevertheless, the biggest reason for me not completing all these tasks were that my feet just could not take it. I pushed them too hard during my previous 13 days, and I didn’t give them enough of a rest earlier in the trip. I learned my lesson though. Either my next trip will be shorter in length, or I will not schedule so many activities that require standing or walking without scheduling a decent rest period for the feet. My ambition was there, but my feet weren’t…especially after that blister on my toe developed!

Thursday, June 17, 1999

Well, this is it…our last full day at WDW. I am ambivalent about the situation. On one hand, my feet are dead tired and I really couldn’t take much more of the walking. However, on the other hand, I am sad that this awesome trip is nearing its conclusion.

The alarm went off as scheduled at 6:30 AM. I showered and caught the second bus to the Magic Kingdom for early entry. We arrived at 7:30 AM and headed immediately to "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," which was quite a contrast to our previous attempts to ride. This time, instead of a 30+ minute wait, we walked right on! It was a decent ride, more interesting that Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which it had replaced, but still nothing great. These small ‘dark’ rides are geared towards little children, so my opinion of them should not be taken as law.

We then walked right onto Peter Pan’s Flight, and then I rode Cinderella Carrousel alone. Rich and Phil would not ride it because it was a "kid’s ride!" "And Winnie the Pooh isn’t?" I asked in return! Oh well, everyone is different!

After finishing up what we wanted to do in Fantasyland, I headed to the gift shop next to Space Mountain to inquire why the T-shirt that I purchased Tuesday night hadn’t been delivered to my room yesterday. I was instructed to see the manager, who was at Mickey’s Star Traders. I went there and spoke with her, and after she made a few phone calls, she noticed that I had purchased the T-shirt at 9:30 PM. She then told me that their last pick-up was at 9:00 PM. Anything purchased after that wouldn’t get picked up until the next day, which meant that it wouldn’t be delivered until today. I told her that the CM who sold me the T-shirt isn’t aware of that information because he told me that it would arrive the next day. I thanked her and met up with my friends, who were waiting outside the store.

It was now 8:30 AM and we headed to the Main Street Bakery, where we grabbed some breakfast and read the local Orlando newspaper, which someone had left behind on a stool. I had a plain bagel with cream cheese and a muffin, which I washed down with a bottle of water. Total cost was $5.56.

Upon completing our breakfast, we departed from the park and caught the Admiral Joe Fowler ferryboat over to the TTC. We walked over to the bus stop and caught a ride over to the Disney-MGM Studios with only a 5-minute wait.

The plan for today was very lenient, about the only plan I had was that I wanted to visit all four parks! It was something that I had done three or four times last summer, and I wanted to do it at least once this trip.

We arrived at the Studios shortly afterwards and went directly to the Backlot Tour so that I could photograph Walt Disney’s plane. That was the one and only reason that we rode this a second time!

At this point, we split up. Rich and Phil headed to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular so they could see it again, while I headed over to Soundstage 2 so that I could get Brianne to sign my photograph. Since I was leaving tomorrow, today was my last chance to obtain it. Moreover, even if I was staying another day, Petsburgh only films Monday through Thursday. It was now or never!

I went inside the soundstage almost immediately. I grabbed my usual seat in the front row, and James said to me that if he sees me here again he was going to put me to work! I wouldn’t have minded that at all, unfortunately, I was leaving tomorrow. It would have been nice to stay one more week, because that is all the time left that they had to film. They would be finished filming in 7 days! An entire season, 65 episodes, was filmed in about 2-3 months!

I watched them film an episode in which a dog rounds up sheep. It was very interesting how this dog, using commands from his trainer, was able to guide and control the sheep’s movements! The entire set was surrounding by bales of hay to keep the sheep at bay; it was quite a mess. I would hate to have been the one who had to clean up afterwards!

As soon as the segment was finished filming, I saw that a bunch of kids had corralled Brianne in a corner and were asking her for autographs. I went over to her and waited patiently while the children obtained their autographs. As she was signing an autograph, she looked up and saw me. She said hello, and then answered a question that one of the children had posed to her. When she was finished with all the children, I went up to her and said hello again. I asked her if she would sign my photo, to which she said of course! I pulled the photograph out and she said that it came out lovely. She said it was a beautiful photo of the two of us. I mumbled something in return about how it was only beautiful because she was in it, but I felt silly about it afterwards! Oh well, I cannot be cool and sophisticated all the time! Ha! Ha!

I then spoke with her for a few minutes, asking her about her other show. I forgot the name of it, something like ‘Weekend Update", which she films in New York City (where she lives) on the weekends. She flies to Orlando and films Petsburgh Monday through Thursday, and then flies back to NYC where she films this other show on the weekend. It is a local show, on Time Warner Cable; so, even with me living so close in Connecticut, I do not get it. I would love to see it; perhaps someone who reads this lives in NYC and gets the channel. If that describes you, can you tape it for me?

After we finished talking, I told her that I was leaving tomorrow, and she said thanks for coming to the show. I smiled and said goodbye to her. I will miss my daily fix of watching the show being filmed. However, I can always see it three times a day on the Animal Planet, and about two or three times a month an episode of ChiPS with her in it is shown on TNT.

It was 11:30 AM, and I left the park and caught a bus home so that I could safely store the photograph instead of carrying it all day. I had made plans to meet my friends back at the room at 1:00 PM, and they arrived about 30 minutes after I did. I grabbed a small snack, and then sat back and watched some television.

At 1:45 PM, we walked to the bus stop and caught one to the Animal Kingdom with only a 5-minute wait. We arrived just in time for the 2:30 PM ‘Festival of the Lion King’ show. It rained slightly while we were in line, but nothing serious.

The show was just as fabulous as ever and I could watch it every day! However, that will never happen.

After the show, we went into Island Mercantile, where Phil purchased some more Tigger items. We then headed out of the park and caught the second bus back to the resort (10-minute wait.)

We arrived home at 3:50 PM and sat around watching television while I rested my feet. It was pouring outside, so that was an incentive to stay inside for a little while. I still had plans to hit Epcot in order to make all four parks, but my friends backed out and did not go anywhere the rest of the day. They stayed in and did laundry…washing another two shirts for me.

At 5:45 PM, I caught a bus to Epcot. However, it wasn’t a direct trip there. We stopped at the All-Star Music and Movies first, and then we went to Blizzard Beach. This is where the smell of chlorine really became overpowering!

It was 6:20 by the time I arrived at Epcot. I decided to grab something to eat, so I headed over to the Wonders of Life Pavilion so that I could have one of those excellent Chicken Veggie Wraps with potato chips that I had the other day! I also ordered a bottle of water, with the total coming to $8.33.

Although I had done all four parks in one day, I did not go to any of the attractions at this one. After dinner, I went over to the Centorium and made another WDW Forever CD, with the total cost coming to $21.18.

While the CD was being made, I watched the fountain show. I really love the fountain when it performs its magic! I wish I had more time this trip to appreciate it fully.

Once the CD was ready, I picked it up and caught a monorail to the TTC. I transferred to the Express Monorail, and I was walking through the gates to the Magic Kingdom a few moments later.

I went immediately into the utilidors to see if I could get a copy of the latest Eyes & Ears, which had come out today. It was a special color issue, which are given out only when the CMs pick up their checks. The normal issues can be found in boxes at one of the information booths, but the special color issues are printed in smaller amounts and distributed differently. I was hoping to find one in the break room, and as I was walking to the break room, I saw one lying on the top of a locker…so I picked it up. I didn’t see anymore of them lying around, but I did pick up a few copies of the CM Health & Safety Handbook with Ludwig Von Drake on the cover!

I left the park at 8:30 PM and went back to the resort. My feet just could not take anymore. I would have loved to view the parade and fireworks one last time before I left, but I just couldn’t make it. It was very depressing. I also had planned to spend my last night at Pleasure Island until it closed, but that was also out of the question. I just barely made it to the food court where I purchased two milks, a muffin, and a piece of delicious German chocolate cake. Total cost was $8.42

I brought it back to the room, and ate it while Phil slept and Rich watched television. I read for a little bit, and then went to bed at about 11:30 PM. This was not the way I wanted the trip to end, but I had pushed myself too hard and my feet had just given out. I could barely walk on them at this point and the blister on my toe was giving me immense pain. I could deal with the pain of my feet hurting from being on them too much, but the pain of that blister was unbearable and I had to surrender to it!

Friday, June 18, 1999

Well, this is it…the day we leave. I dreaded this day since we arrived and I felt as though it came too quickly, however I was ready to leave. A trip as busy as mine was is sure to catch up to anyone, and it had caught up to me. I know that if I lived here things would be different because I wouldn’t schedule so much all at once. I learned that last summer when I took it easy, but I think I accomplished more in these last 2 weeks than I did in 3 months last summer!

I woke up at 6:15 AM and tossed in bed for awhile, falling back asleep sometime around 6:45 AM. However, that dreaded alarm clock woke me up again right on time at 7:30 AM. I showered and then walked with my friends to the front desk where I checked us out. I settled the bill for the phone calls that my friends and I made. Each call, not including local calls, had a 75-cent connect charge. The total amount was $14.25 and, except for the one call I made back home from the room, they all belonged to my friends.

After settling the bill, we headed to the food court for some breakfast. I just had two muffins and a glass of water. Total cost was $3.62.

Upon completion of breakfast, we went back to the room and completed our packing. At 9:00 AM, we headed to the lobby to wait for Darcy from Tiffany Town Car to pick us up at 10:00 AM.

Rich was kind of angry that there was a 75-cent charge to call a 1-800 number, but it clearly states that in the phone instructions that are beside the bed. However, yesterday he had told me that he lost $2.00 in one of the machines in the laundry room, so I told him to go over to guest services and see if they could reimburse him. We had time before Darcy arrived, so he went. He had to fill out a form and sign it, but he had no problems getting the money back. It made him happier, but he was still angry about the phone charges. He has no one to blame except himself, because he didn’t read the booklet.

I walked over to the food court again and picked myself up one last crushed penny and a crushed quarter. Then I returned to the lobby, sat down, and waited for 10:00 AM.

Darcy was exactly on time; he pulled up just as my watch reached 10:00 AM. We greeted him and put out luggage in the trunk. We said our goodbye to the resort and Darcy drove us directly to the airport. During the trip, we told him how our trip was and I mentioned that I might come back down in August. He said that if I did, to give him a call because that is when his birthday is and he is throwing a massive party and I was invited! If I make it down there in August, I am holding him to that invitation!

Once there, we said goodbye to Darcy (and gave him a nice tip!) We then checked in outside, where I tipped the baggage handler $2.00, $1.00 for each one of my bags. We then did some window-shopping, except for Phil, who actually purchased some items in the Warner Brothers store and then walked over to Gate 96 and waited for our flight home.

At 11:20 AM, we boarded Delta Express flight #2530 and settled into our seats. The flight took off exactly on time at noon. After an uneventful flight where I finished my last roll of film by taking photos of the clouds, we landed at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT at about 2:30 PM.

We rented one of those carts to carry our luggage (50 cents per person), and collected our luggage. We then walked outside where we were met my Rich and Phil’s other brother, Mike, who drove us back home in about 40 minutes, thus ending a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World!

NOTES, COMMENTS, AND VARIOUS MUSINGS

OVERALL TRIP:

This trip was well planned and thought out, and it showed. Except for it raining a lot, I don’t have any complaints. The first week we were there, the temperatures ranged from the middle 70s to the high 80s. The second week it became hotter, usually in the 90s, but it rained more often. I knew from my experience last year that the weather would be like this, but that did not bother me. The crowds are also lower in the beginning of June than they are later in the month, so it was a perfect time to go. The parks switched to their summer hours the second week we were there, so we had plenty of time to have an active vacation. Had we gone earlier in the year, when the parks have shorter hours, we would have had more of a leisurely vacation due to so much "down" time. I prefer an active vacation to a leisure vacation. I suppose it is because I can always sit around my house and do nothing. Why should I spend all that money to go on vacation when all you are going to do is sit in a room or swim in a crowded pool?

This is not to say that I would never plan a vacation of that type, because I would. However, it would be of a shorter length and in a more expensive resort. If I am going to spend most of my time in the room, then I want it to be a nice room with more amenities than the All-Star resorts provide!

RESORT:

The All-Star Sports is a lovely place to stay. I love baseball, so the themeing of the building I was in was perfect! The photographs of various sports personalities at Disney on the wall of the lobby are a nice touch. However, due to the sunlight they are fading. I feel that that is a tragedy and someone should develop a better way to display them.

The resort wasn’t very crowded, as one might expect staying at the cheapest Disney resort, but that might be due to the fact that there are two other All-Star resorts right next door. This spreads out the crowds because they all cater to different interests for the same price

I didn’t get an opportunity to swim in either pool, mainly because I spent very little time at the resort. When I was there, however, it was usually raining and the lifeguards would shut the pool down because of the threat of lightning. I did like the Goofy statute that was in the middle of the baseball pool! I think Disney should highlight it’s "Fab 5" more at the resorts and parks.

TRANSPORTATION:

The bus service was excellent, we only waited as much as 20 minutes for a bus a few times, but on average, the wait was 5 minutes or less. This was true at the parks as well as at the resort!

The fact that, at slower times during the day, the bus also stops at the All-Star Music (and sometimes the All-Star Movies), was not much of a factor. Yes, it did make the trip a slight bit longer and more crowded, but it wasn’t at all an inconvenience.

My wait for the monorail was never longer than 5 minutes either! I did hear rumors from someone who works in Disney’s transportation department that within the next 5-10 years there are major plans for expansion of the monorail system, including extending it to the Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom! New monorails will also be added. How true this is, I do not know, but it does sound like a perfect plan! There are not enough buses to transport guests, and by expanding the monorail, they can eliminate a few of the bus routes!

While I am on the subject of transportation, I would like to know why some of the moderate and premium resort’s bus stops are sometimes further away than the cheaper resort’s bus stops? I expect to have the furthest bus stop when I am staying at the All-Star Resort, but if I was paying double or triple that amount, then I expect a shorter walk to the bus stop from the park. I noticed a few of the bus stops for the Contemporary and the Dixie Landings were further away from the entrance than the All-Star Resort’s bus stop was! The more you pay, the closer your bus stop should be, at least in my opinion!

WATER PARKS:

This trip marked the first time I entered any of the water parks. Although I spent 3 months working at WDW last summer, I never went to any of the water parks. Why? Because cast members only get free entrance to the four major parks and not into the water parks. Some CMs have called this policy unfair, but I think it is a good one. Just think about it, Disney has about 35,000 cast members on average, and on any given day, there are probably 10,000-15,000 working during the peak hours. So now, at the very minimum, 20,000 cast members are not working. If it was an extremely hot day, and they had free admission to the water parks, they could, theoretically, fill Blizzard Beach and force it to close to guests because there would be no room left! This, of course, would be unfair to the paying guest. Therefore, by not giving CMs free admission, it reduces the amount of them that would go to the water parks. However, they do get discounted admission, but there are many people who would rather not pay at all.

I didn’t go last summer, not because I didn’t want to pay, but because I didn’t want to go alone. I asked many of my friends and co-workers to go with me, but none of them seemed interested in the water parks. I thought that I could only have fun if I went with someone, but that is not true. Although I went to the water parks with my friends this year, I spent most of my time there alone because they were afraid to go on the slides, etc. I was forced to go alone, and I had just as much fun alone at the water parks as I had alone at the major parks. Next trip, I am going to the water parks with or without a friend!

Although the best ride at any of the parks is Summit Plummet, I enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon more than the other water parks. They all have their good and bad points, but for overall fun, I nominate Typhoon. You just can’t beat that huge wave pool! In addition, their slides are just as fun as the ones at Blizzard Beach, with shorter walks to the top!

River Country is the perfect place to go to get away from the crowds. I happen to go on a day that was overcast and drizzling slightly. This made the crowds smaller than usual, but I still cannot see this park becoming extremely crowded when there are two other, more modern, water parks that are easier to get to. I think that anyone who goes to the Magic Kingdom in the morning and plans an afternoon break back at their resort to swim should reconsider and go to River Country for their break instead. You will have much more fun their than your resort pool, and it is quicker to get to!

DISCOVERY ISLAND:

I know, you read the whole trip report and didn’t see one mention of Discovery Island, so why am I writing about it here? Well, for one thing, not many people realize that it is still open. Although Disney announced that it was closing in April, it has remained open, and will remain open until at least September 1999.

I had gone their once last summer because CMs had free admission, and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to get there this trip, but I didn’t schedule a day or time before hand and I never found a way to work it into the schedule. During the end of my trip, I had some free time that I could have spent there, but my feet killed those plans.

My friends never got a chance to see it, and I wish they had. If you are taking a trip there before this upcoming September, make sure you pencil it into your plan…it is definitely worth the trip!

DOWNTOWN DISNEY:

This place has expanded greatly in the past few years, and since my last trip in 1998, they have opened Cirque du Soleil, which I will definitely see next trip!

I feel that this place has gone somewhat commercial and that Disney has ‘sold-out,’ but that is just my opinion. I remember back in 1996, there was no West Side, and almost everything was owned and operated by Disney. Now they have eliminated many of the places that gave it that Disney feel and brought in all these big name franchises to replace them. Goofy’s Grill disappeared and now there is a McDonald’s. Donald’s Dairy Dip faded in the dust and was replaced with Ghirardelli’s Ice Cream. Even Minnie Mia’s is gone, replaced by Wolfgang Pucks’ Express! I know that they were all business decisions designed to bring in more income. Nevertheless, why did it have to be at the expense of the quaint little places that made the Marketplace so special? As I said previously, Disney does not use it’s "Fab 5" enough. They had three prime places at the Marketplace that promoted them perfectly, but they removed all of them. Only Mickey remains prominently featured, as Team Mickey is still there, however it has moved to a new location since 1996. I guess that is what they call progress.

DINNER SHOWS:

Last year I attended the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, which I loved. This year I wanted to experience Disney’s other dinner shows and I booked the Polynesian Luau and the All-American Backyard Barbecue, which is only held in the summer.

Both were excellent, however the Luau had a better show, while the Barbecue had more guest interaction. The food for both places was top notch. However, I wouldn’t go to the barbecue again unless I planned to get up and dance!

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Review is by far the best. The food is awesome, and the show is one of the funniest and entertaining on property. The Luau has its moments of humor, but it is more entertaining than funny and I prefer humor! The barbecue had a little of both, but as I said before it was more guest interactive and I didn’t interact as much as I should have.

UNIVERSAL’S ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

This brand new park is leaps and bounds ahead of their older one. I went early and followed an excellent touring plan, so I actually did everything I wanted to do in this park by 3:00 PM! I do not expect it to always work out that way, but I cannot argue with my success.

I enjoyed this park as much as any Disney park. The rides are all top quality and comparable to Disney’s, the only thing is that Disney’s rides have better characters! Not that I have anything against Popeye or Dudley Do Right, but I would rather see Brer Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh than one of them!

This park is definitely going to give Disney a run for its money. I know many people, like me, plan a Disney vacation and visit Universal on one of those days, but if they keep opening parks like this, then Universal may start stealing another day or two from people’s Disney vacations! I hope Disney realizes that more and more people enjoy ‘thrill’ rides and plans more of them. They have been doing that in recent years, but they need to expand that idea and plan more. I certainly won’t complain about increased prices if they added a few more ‘thrill’ rides!

Anyway, if you only have one day out of your Disney vacation to visit another company’s park, then this is definitely the one! Universal Studios is nice, but no where as interesting and fun as this park. I’ve never been to Sea World or any of the other area parks, so I cannot comment on them, but for my non-Disney day, this will always be the choice for me!

DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM:

Before I entered it for the first time last summer I was not sure I would like it, but after my first trip there I was hooked. It is an extremely large park with a great deal of walking, but the amount of rides and attractions compared to its size is minimal. I hope they go through with their plans to add another land, because although it closes earlier than the other parks, with the proper touring plan you can complete this park with hours to spare!

Since my visit last year, a new land has opened…Asia. During my 1998 trip, only the Flights of Wonder bird show was open in Asia. Now, two more attractions have opened. The first one is a walking tour entitled the Maharajah Jungle Trek, which is somewhat interesting, but really doesn’t take much time. The second attraction, which quickly became my favorite attraction at the Animal Kingdom, is the Kali River Rapids! This raft ride is the best one I have ever ridden on, and I really like the fact that other guests can get involved and wet the guests on the ride with the squirting elephants!

Also new since last year was the redesigned "Radio Disney River Cruise," which replaced the similar Discovery River Boats. All I am going to say is I hope version 3 of this attraction is better than the first two!

The Jungle Book stage show, which I enjoyed last summer, has also closed and was replaced with, shortly after I left for home, a Tarzan stage show.

This park, while not my favorite, is still fun and entertaining. They need to expand it some more by bringing in more attractions.

DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS:

This park, which had been my least favorite, is now 3rd on my list right before Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The thrill rides here are among Disney’s best. I love the Tower of Terror, and Star Tours is still entertaining, though old. The main showcase of this park is its shows, which are all wonderful. However, there are still plenty of duds in this park that need improvement.

Since last year, many new attractions have opened and old ones have been improved.

The Tower of Terror has improved for the better with a new drop sequence and some more special effects during the drop. The new nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic, is worth the price of admission alone! The new shows, Doug Live and Bear in the Big Blue House are both nice, but geared for a younger audience. Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey is a snore and I hope they replace it with something more interesting.

Gone are the One Saturday Morning Sound Show (no loss) and Superstar Television, which I will miss, but it was getting outdated. The Soundstage Restaurant with its character meal is also history, and hasn’t been permanently replaced yet. For the summer, the Bear show is replacing it, but only until late August/early September.

The Rock ‘n Roll Roller Coaster, which opened after I left, should really improve the status of the park. However, I question why they would put this right next to three of the most popular attractions at the park, Tower of Terror, Fantasmic, and Beauty and the Beast Stage Show. The combination of these four attractions will make Sunset Boulevard the crowdest part of the park, while the back of the park is virtually empty and in desperate need of something to draw the crowds there. It is not uncommon for New York Street to be virtually empty during the middle of the day! Anyone who lives in or near New York City (as I do) knows that it is never empty!

Overall, the park has definitely improved the most since last year, but it still has a way to go. Perhaps this new roller coaster will be the thing to put it over the top; I shall wait and see.

EPCOT:

What can I say about this park? Test Track is awesome and definitely was worth the 2-year wait for it!

Since this park is gearing up for the Millennium Celebration that is slated to begin in October, there was much construction going on that took away from the magic, but I think the end result will be worth it. I hope that I can return during the celebration to see the improvements!

Epcot also held the record this trip for most closed attractions. Animal Kingdom and the Disney-MGM Studios only had one each that wasn’t open yet (Tarzan show and Rock ‘n Roller Coaster), while the Magic Kingdom had everything open.

Epcot, on the other hand, had Horizons and Journey into Imagination closed. Innoventions East was also shut down, as was half of Innoventions West. Although it was scheduled to be closed while I was at WDW, the El Rio del Tiempo ride in Mexico remained open…only to be closed for rehab a few weeks after I left.

By far the best new attraction at WDW since last summer is Test Track. I could ride this ride repeatedly, and I did! The other rides at Epcot are not as thrilling, but this park is known more for its beauty than its rides, and it succeeds on that level. The architecture and landscaping of Epcot is the best of all the parks. My main reason for coming to Epcot is not the rides; it is the park itself…such beauty is rare.

A new show also opened while I was there, Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, which I nominate as the best show at Epcot. It is too bad it is only there for a limited engagement!

Due to scheduling conflicts and inclement weather, I didn’t get to see any of the performers in each of the pavilions, but I intend to rectify that next trip!

Also, due to all the construction going on there, I didn’t appreciate it as much I did last summer, but it is still my second favorite park after the Magic Kingdom.

MAGIC KINGDOM:

My home away from home! This is my park! I love this place and could spend hours on end here just walking around. To me, this park exemplifies exactly what the Disney Magic is. You can’t help but feel it here, there is so much history wrapped up in this little park, I just can’t get enough! I wish Walt had lived to see it, he would have been proud.

As far as changes go, since my last trip, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride has closed. It has been replaced with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Neither ride is particularly better than the other is, they both have their good points, but they are both dark rides in Fantasyland, which is geared toward children. I suppose a child would be able to give you a better review and comparison of the two rides, but I cannot.

Also new is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which was being built during my last trip. It is an improvement over the old attraction that was there, Take Flight, but it is not something that I will run back to…unless I improve at it!

The Galaxy Search Stage Show at the Galaxy Palace Theater in Tomorrowland has closed, which is unfortunate because I enjoyed that show. It has been replaced with the Disneymania show, which moved from the Castle Forecourt Stage to the Galaxy Palace Theater.

The Main Street Electrical Parade has returned and replaced SpectroMagic. For my money, I prefer SpectroMagic, but that is because I had seen that parade many times and the floats and music have a special meaning for me. This new (old) parade gives others the same warm feeling that SpectroMagic gives me, so I do welcome it’s return, I just hope that one day my parade will return!

The Fantasy in the Sky fireworks display is the best that I have ever seen. I absolutely love them and I wish I could see them every night. Some people prefer Illuminations, but the combination of the fireworks, Cinderella Castle, and the music make Fantasy in the Sky a misty eyed experience!

I try to spend more time at this park than the others. Just as some people have a ‘home’ resort, this is my ‘home’ park!

FAVORITES/MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS:

Islands of Adventure: Spider-Man, Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Dudley Do-Right, & Poseidon’s Fury.

Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland: Both are wonderful, each has its own special quality and your own personal preference will decide which one is your favorite.

Downtown Disney: DisneyQuest, the Comedy Warehouse, World of Disney, & The Art of Disney, plus MKC holders get 10% off purchases!

River Country: Whoop ‘n Holler Hollow body slide and Slippery Slide Falls. Least crowded of the three water parks!

Typhoon Lagoon: Wave pool, Humunga Kowabunga, Storm Slides, Shark Reef.

Blizzard Beach: Summit Plummet, Slush Gusher, Runoff Rapids, and Snow Stormers. Why is their park map (and DisneyQuest’s) folded into quarters, while all the other ones are not?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safari, It’s Tough to be a Bug, Festival of the Lion King, and Countdown to Extinction! In addition, the best character breakfast on property, Donald’s Breakfastosaurus!

Disney-MGM Studios: Tower of Terror, Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, MuppetVision 3-D, and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.

Epcot: Test Track, Lord of the Dance, Fountain Show, Illuminations, and walking around the pavilions!

Magic Kingdom: Fantasy in the Sky, Cinderella Castle, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Diamond Horseshoe Review, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, and the best clam chowder on property at the Columbia Harbour House!

Favorite Resort: Dixie Landings! This resort is the most beautifully designed and landscaped of all the Disney resorts! I can’t wait to stay here someday!

WHAT I MISSED/WORST ATTRACTIONS:

I saw all the major attractions that I wanted to see, but there were a few that I missed even with all my planning.

Islands of Adventure: I skipped everything in Seuss Landing, except The Cat in the Hat. The others either did not appeal to my friends, and after our bad experience on the Cat in the Hat, we were not about to waste any more time in this land. I also did not ride on the ‘Fire’ side of the Dueling Dragons, although the opportunity was there! In Jurassic Park, I skipped the Pteranodon Flyers, and I missed the Pandemonium Cartoon Circus in Toon Lagoon. In Marvel Super Hero Island, I missed Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, and at the Port of Entry, I missed a chance for a boat ride across the lagoon in the Island Skipper Tours. I also missed the various shows that are offered in each land, except for the Sinbad show, which I did see. Except for the children’s rides in Seuss Landing, I regret missing these attractions, but it leaves me something to do on my next visit!

Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland: Although I didn’t go to Fantasia Gardens this trip, I had been there twice before. Each time I did the interior, or Fantasia, course. I still need to do the outer course. At Winter Summerland, I need to do the summer course, because I did the winter course this trip.

DisneyQuest: I missed the following attractions: Ride the Comix, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, and the various games and toys in the arcade rooms and the children’s section. I had done Aladdin the previous trip, and I regret missing it this trip.

River Country: I didn’t experience the various swings/rides in the middle of the lake. I don’t know why, perhaps because the park was so empty, it would have stood out. I guess I thought I would look silly sliding down a cable or something. I hope that it will be more crowded on my next trip and I will not stand out so much. Perhaps then I will try it. On Whoop ‘n Holler Hollow, I only rode the large body flume and not the smaller one. I could have tried it, and should have, but the larger one was so much fun I was afraid the smaller one would have been a disappointed compared to it. I also didn’t walk the Cypress Point Nature Trail. Next time I will bring a good camera and take this walk.

Typhoon Lagoon: I did not experience Gang Plank Falls, because it was for groups of 2 or more and my friends did not want to try it. I also didn’t experience the Mountain Trail. Just like with River Country, I will do this next trip when I bring a good camera.

Blizzard Beach: The group raft ride, Teamboat Springs, was missed for the same reason as the one at Typhoon Lagoon. At the Downhill Double Dipper, I only went down the left-hand slide and not the center or the right-hand slides. I know they are identical, but I like to experience everything! On Runoff Rapids, I did not go down the right-hand open slide. I do not think it is identical to the left-hand open slide, so I will have to try it next trip.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: The only attractions I missed were the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Dinosaur Jubilee, and Conservation Station. Missing them did not make me sad, as they are just walk through attractions observing animals and fossils. I had done them all last summer, and they were not high on my list to repeat. If we had the time, I would have liked to run through them quickly, but a break in the schedule never appeared. I also passed on the March of the ARTimals parade, which I had caught last summer. I didn’t care for it then, so I didn’t go out of my way to see it this year.

Disney-MGM Studios: I saw every attraction, except the Streetmosphere characters. I saw them on Hollywood Boulevard a lot, but I never stopped to watch them. I wish I had, but I usually caught them near the end of their performance. Just once, I would like to see them perform from the very beginning. I also missed the Mulan parade, which, again, I saw last year and did not care much for it. I don’t believe it will be there much longer as Tarzan is the new animated movie, so there should be a Tarzan parade soon, if it is not there already!

Epcot: I saw every attraction, except for the many ‘people’ attractions that are strewn throughout World Showcase. I wanted to see the AnaComical Players at the Wonders of Life, Cast in Bronze at the Innoventions Fountain Stage, Pu Yang Acrobats in China, The Living Statues in France, and a few of the other performances. However, the tight schedule that we followed on our only full day at Epcot; in addition, the horrid weather the other times, prevented us from seeing any of these performances. However, the good news is that it leaves plenty for me to experience on my next trip.

Magic Kingdom: Although I spent the most time at this park, I also missed the most here. I still have never ridden in any of the Main Street vehicles on any of my visits to this park! This is something I must rectify on my next trip. I also did not ride the railroad for a complete trip around the park. I rode it twice, but never for the full trip. I missed the Flag Retreat Ceremony in Town Square. In Adventureland, I didn’t climb the Swiss Family Treehouse, or play with Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats. I also did not participate in the Adventureland Challenge or the Missing Quote Challenge. In Frontierland, I did not visit Tom Sawyer Island, or go shooting at the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade. In Fantasyland, I passed by Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party (which I regret), and the Skyway. I also missed Merlin and the Sword in the Stone performance. In Mickey’s Toontown, I did not get the opportunity to ride Goofy’s Barnstormer. Finally, in Tomorrowland, I missed the Disneymania show at the Galaxy Palace Theater. Some of these missed attractions I had done on previous trips, while some I still need to do for the first time.

Resorts: Although I have visited every resort, except the Shades of Green, the only pools that I have been in at them were two of them at the Caribbean Beach back in 1996. I would love to experience the other pools, but I could not even find the time to go in the pool that was right outside my door at the All-Star Sports. Because of that, there was no chance of me sneaking into Stormalong Bay at the Yacht & Beach Club! I also have never ridden any of the bikes/surreys/etc. that various resorts rent.

Character greetings: I did not go to any. The only times that I met with any of the characters or was photographed with the characters was either at the character breakfast or at River Country. I did not go out of my way to meet the characters, nor did I want to. I have nothing against them; in fact, I still get a childlike feeling when I see them! The reason is that meeting the characters takes a lot of time out of your schedule, and I did not want to sacrifice time from another activity to meet with them. Someday I will try to photograph myself with as many characters as possible, but for now I won’t go out of my way for them…except, of course, for Donald Duck!

Worst Attractions: Triceratops Encounter (Islands of Adventure), Radio Disney River Cruise (Animal Kingdom), Sounds Dangerous (Disney-MGM Studios), Living Seas (Epcot), and Astro Orbiter (Magic Kingdom).

EXPENSES:

Plane Fare on Delta Express $182.00

Tiffany Town Car Transportation (My share) $30.00

Round trip cab fare to IOA (My share) $14.00

Room at All-Star Sports for 14 nights (My share) $417.12

Premium Annual Pass (MKC) $418.72

E-Ride Tickets (Three) $31.80

Dinner Shows (Two) $62.17

Disney Quest Ticket $23.57

Islands of Adventure Ticket $46.64

Winter Summerland Mini-Golf Ticket (My Share) $5.61

Disney Institute Class $69.00

Food/Drinks (June 4-18) $244.43

Souvenirs $216.12

Crushed Quarters (2) & Pennies (5) $5.05

Miscellaneous Expenses (Film/photo enlargement/etc.) $52.56

Developing cost 22 rolls of film $112.72

Reprints of some of Rich’s photos $3.22

Converting 37 slides into 37 prints (4") $Not completed yet

I also had pre-trip expenses for items that I brought down to Florida with me. Among those items were pop tarts, film, granola bars, etc. Rich & Phil paid for them as sort of a ‘thank you’ for my intense trip planning and scheduling. Total cost of those items was approximately $37.00.

Grand Total (not including the slide to print conversion) $1,934.73

By comparison, my 1996 trip, which lasted 10 days/9 nights and had only 4 days in the park plus a rental car, cost me approximately $1,350.00. For only $600 more, I had a longer stay, dinner shows, water parks, and admittance to the park every day! It definitely was worth the extra amount, as this was my best trip yet! I only hope that my next one can go off as well as this one did! Thank you Walt Disney World!

Joseph Riccitelli, Jr.

Yankees23@donniebaseball.com