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Billy Atkins -- April 2000 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite)April 1-7, 2000 Cast o' characters:
Travel Details: Wife, son, and I air travel from Dallas, TX, Apr 1-7. Nana and Papa air travel from Mississippi, Apr 2-6. Hotel: Summerfield Suites, off property 2 bedroom/2bath/LR/Kitchen suite. Located just North of Crossroads. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION My wife and I have visited Disney World several times including May 1990 (her first trip), Dec 1991 (honeymoon), May 1995 (just because), Jan 1999 (son's first trip, also included Nana and Papa). I also have visited many times with my parents (Nana and Papa) as well as one Disneyland trip in Oct 1998 with coworkers. I was unable to write a trip report for last year's trip, but you can read about our 1995 trip at /dtp/trip.rpt/report_files/wdwtrp96/atkins95.htm Since we were there last year (at Dixie Landings), I will probably make many comparisons to last year's trip (what has changed, what is better or worse, etc...). When we were there last year (see, I'm already doing it) we did not plan on returning for several years. In January we found out we were pregnant. We decided we could squeeze in one more Disney trip before the new baby because it will be several years before we can return. PLANNING THE TRIP The earliest we could find a time to go was mid-March, but with Spring Break (SB), we decided to wait until early April. Our hope was that we would hit between the SB crowds and Easter crowd. Since April is peak time, our favorite on-site hotel, Dixie Landings (DL) was $169/night. Ouch! Last year in Jan, we got a MKC discount off the value season for $99/night. My wife found a listing for Summerfield Suites (SS) in a guide book and called for info. We got a AAA discount for $179/night for a 2 bedroom, 2bath, Kitchen, Living room suite. There is also a sofa sleeper. It is located 3 traffic lights north of I-4 on 535 (535 splits off at the 2nd light). It is just north of cross-roads, about 1.5 miles from Downtown Disney (DD). Since we had invited my parents to come (and they accepted), we would only need 1 of these rooms. Besides, Wife's biggest complaint last year was getting Son to go to sleep with us in the room. Now we could watch TV after his bedtime. We got a good deal on the plane tickets: $209 per person, non-stop from Dallas to Orlando on American. However, there is one catch: The flight leaves at 6:30am and we live about 45 minutes from the airport! We plan on waking up at 4am that day. The return flight is much better: Leave Orlando at 4:15pm on Friday April 7. We like to get back and still have a weekend at home. Wife wants to spend one day at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). There were no launches scheduled so we picked Sunday for KSC and then planned Monday at Epcot, Tuesday at Magic Kingdom (MK), Wednesday morning at Animal Kingdom (AK), Wednesday afternoon at MGM, and Thursday hitting anything we missed. This schedule also met with Nana and Papa's approval (they didn't want to go to KSC). Then we make Priority Seatings at several restaurants during our trip. Since we are staying off-site (and planning a trip to Kenneday Space Center) we need to rent a car. On alamo's website, last year, I got a full-size 4 door for $120/week. With luggage it was cramped, but worked. This year, the same car was $170/week. I reserve an SUV for $200/week instead. I keep checking the website for a discount, and right before we leave, no more SUVs or minivans are available on the website. Just to be safe, I reserve a minivan on Dollar's website for $200/week also. Besides, they're at the airport. SATURDAY, APRIL 1 (TRAVEL DAY) The alarm goes off at 4:00am. Wife and I didn't sleep too well last night due to excitement and VERY noisy neighbors. Luckily we were all packed. We put the luggage in the car, took breakfast to go, and put Son in the car seat still in pajamas. We arrived at the airport about 5:20 and had no problems. In flight, after eating "breakfast", Son and I took a nap while Wife read. After picking up our luggage we headed to the Dollar counter. No problems there and soon we picked up our minivan. It smelled like smoke (they have no non-smoking cars) but since I already loaded it, we decided to keep it. Then when I put it in gear it made an awful squeeling sound. In short, they gave us a full-size van instead (no extra charge) because there were no other minivans. The full-size only had 8 miles on it and no smoky smell. We're off to Summerfield Suites (SS). Checkin is at 4, but we are hoping for an early checkin. We arrive about 11:30. Nothing is available but we are put on the waiting list. There is an Eckard's drug store right across the street and a Giordano's restaurant. I ate at Giordano's recently in Chicago and *LOVED* their deep-dish pizza. We eat there for lunch. A medium cheese pizza, garlic bread and sprite runs us about $25. We had leftovers (should have ordered the small) but the room still wasn't ready so we had to trash them. We head over to Downtown Disney (DD) to pass the time waiting for the room. We let Son play at the Lego store, then shop at the World of Disney (WOD). Wife finds a nice hat: white with Minnie and an extra wide brim. I get one of those Mickey Ears antenna balls. Total (with MKC discount) $16. We then get 2 frozen lemonades to split 3 ways: $5. Boy is it getting hot. We let son play in the water fountain for a few minutes before deciding to go back to SS to play in the pool. The room is still not ready at 3, so we change in the lobby restroom and just as we finish, the room is ready. First floor (Nana has trouble with stairs) and non-smoking. It faces the parking lot (oh well, can't have everything). The room is smaller than we expected but has everything it claimed (including 3 tvs and phones, dishwasher, microwave, fridge). We dump off our luggage and head for the pool. After swimming we clean up and I run over to Eckard's to get necessities (milk, gatorade, water, snacks). We have PS at Ohana's at the Polynesian at 6:40. I thought the MK fireworks were at 8 but they are at 8:30 so we will probably leave before then. This is our first trip to the Poly since our 1995 Luau. The hotel is much prettier and green than we remembered. We both thought it would be really relaxing to stay here. Ohana's is an all-you-can-eat restaurant. They serve you at your table. One guy walked around playing music on a ukulele and singing. They also have games for the kids including hula hoops and a broom ball race with coconuts. The food is cooked over a huge grill in the middle of the place. The appetizers were OK (spring rolls, meatballs, and something else with sauces to dip). The food was good: A bowl of noodles and vegetables with salmon. Then they bring you shrimp, turkey, sausage, and beef on long skewers. They push the food from the skewers to your plate. My wife's favorite was the salmon. I liked the shrimp and turkey. The turkey was marinated in something and it was wonderful. Neither of us ate much beef because it wasn't well done. Son just nibbled on everything. We claimed him as a 2 year old at the restaurants because he just doesn't eat much (less than than an average 2 year old, much less than a 3 year old). No one questioned us. The pineapple and caramel sauce dessert was just fabulous and was included with the meal. Drinks and other desserts are ala carte here. Price: $51 (2 adults). After the meal, we ride the monorail around to all the resorts. We don't get off anywhere. We just needed to ride so that Son would have a ride today. All day he kept talking about riding Dumbo and the Train (his 2 favorites). We told him the monorail was like a train so this was fine for today. However, my wife felt like it was too much to ask to make him wait until Tuesday to return to the MK so we change our schedule and decide to go to MK on Sunday and we will postpone the Space Center until Thursday. We'll still go to MK on Tuesday with Nana and Papa. After the monorail ride we are all very tired so we go back to the hotel without seeing the fireworks. We leave the Poly about 8:30 and get to the room about 8:55. SUNDAY, APRIL 2 (MAGIC KINGDOM) Our original plan for today was the Kennedy Space Center, but we were all too excited to wait so we decided to head to MK. I don't know what time we set our alarm, but at 6:20am we were awakened by the sound of tour buses driving through the parking lot right outside our door. They ran every 20 minutes after that. We lay in bed for an hour trying to go to sleep before Son awoke. We were still tired from yesterday so we moved very slowly this morning. When we finally got ready, we headed down to the lobby for breakfast. SS (the hotel) has a free breakfast for customers. It includes cereal, muffins, fruit, juice, milk and coffee. You can get an omelette or a waffle for $3. We stick to the free stuff. We normally just eat cereal anyway. Today I take a "shortcut" by taking the Epcot exit from I-4 and following the signs to Epcot until you see the signs to MK. Then follow those. I figure it cut about 7-8 minutes from our travel time. When we do finally make it to the MK we got lucky to park in the Diamond lot so we didn't have to use the tram. It was a long walk, but Son will ride the stroller without fuss. We take the ferry ride because the line is much shorter than the monorail. We load up on the sunscreen on the trip over and plan our attack. Once inside the MK, we head straight through the castle into Fantasyland. I get in line for Dumbo (Son's favorite ride. He always talks about it) at exactly 9:50 (we were moving slowly this morning). Wife and Son head to Winnie the Pooh to get Fast Passes (11:00-12:00). In line, I'm talking to the lady ahead of me who is on her first trip to WDW. She has her two kids in line while her husband sits and waits. I explain the FastPass system to her. She calls him over so that he can go get FPs for them also. She asks me all kinds of questions about things to do (I love answering questions about WDW). We finally ride Dumbo at 10:30. A 40 minute wait! As usual, Son loves it. ME: Do you want to go up and down? SON: No, I just want to go up. Next we move on to the Carousel (no wait), Snow White (10 min) and Small World (10 min). Last year Son was fearless on Snow White. This year the witch scared him. He rode half the ride with his hands over his eyes and his face buried in Wife. But afterwards, he wanted to do it again. He loved Small World and spent the whole ride standing between us rocking to the song. Peter Pan had a 30 min wait posted so we headed over to Winnie the Pooh. Pooh had a 40 min wait time posted, but with the FPs we waited about 5 minutes. It appears that they hold the FP line while loading standby. Then on the 5 minute mark, they switch and hold the standbys until all the waiting FPs load (2-3 minutes). Then switch back to standby. I liked Toad's Wild Ride, but most kids don't know the story. Everyone knows Winnie the Pooh. Son really enjoyed this ride. There are lots of bright colors and scenes to hold their attention. My one complaint is the "background" music was louder than the "narration" so you couldn't follow the story very well. We were all surprised by the "bouncy" tigger scene (if you've ridden you know what I mean, and if you haven't, I won't ruin the surprise). I also really liked the sleeping Pooh rising into dreamland scene. Afterwards we all wanted to ride again so we got more FPs (6:00-7:00). Actually everything we did today, Son wanted to do again. We kept explaining that we would do "lots and lots" of rides and shows, but that we could only do 1 thing at a time and we had to "wait for our turn". He does pretty well sharing his toys so he understands about taking turns for things. He just needed reminders. Whenever he wanted to do something "again" we reminded him that we were going to do something different that would also be fun. Keep reminding the kids that you will do "lots of stuff" and that you will find other "fun things to do" too and it will cut down on the frustrations. Since today was a change to the schedule, we had no PS. So now we headed to Crystal Palace to make a PS for dinner. I waited in line for 15 minutes behind people who couldn't understand that there was no more PS available for lunch, but they could wait it out in the "standby" line. Finally I made dinner PS at 6:45. We ate here last year (twice) and enjoyed it both times. We headed over to the Diamond Horseshoe for lunch and a show. Do yourself a favor if you eat here: go in and go to the cash register by the stage to order. EVERYONE stood in line at the cash register by the door. We walked right past them to the other line (3 people deep). Wife took my order while I took Son to find a table. Wife arrived with 2 turkey sandwiches, ham sandwich (all with chips) and drinks $21. Son didn't want the ham, wouldn't eat the turkey, so I had to go back and order him PB&J $4. Next time I'll make sure Wife gets Son's order too before splitting up. Right before the show started Wife ran out to get 2 Mickey Ice Cream Bars $4.50. She had one and Son and I split one. We only stayed for half the show because Son was looking VERY tired. Once we got outside, he didn't want to take a nap so we headed to Tomorrowland. Wife rode Carousel of Progress (her favorite since our first trip in 1990. She is sad to hear it may close), while I walked Son to sleep (pushing him in the stroller). Then I settled down on a bench under the TTA (peoplemover) in the shade to wait for Wife. She took over the nap watch while I waited in line for Astro Orbiter (30 min). When I was ready to go up the elevator Wife brought Son over so he could ride. She went up with us, but did not ride. This ride is much faster than Dumbo. It is also very high when you go all the way up, which Son insisted upon doing. You get a very nice view of MK from up here since you can't ride the Skyway anymore, but it is a long wait for a "canned" ride. Next we rode the TTA all around Tomorrowland. Of course Son wanted to do it again, Wife and I were resting nicely, and there was no line. I asked the CM if we could just ride through and she nodded as she forced our door closed. After the 2nd ride we were very thirsty (it was a hot day) so we got 3 frozen drinks (basically Icees) for $7. Wife and Son had strawberry while I got a blueberry just to be different. None of us liked the blueberry. These were a nice treat while we walked over to Mickey's ToonTown. We wanted to try out Barnstormer, a "baby" coaster for ages 3 and up. I asked the CM if there was a height restriction: No, just 3 years and older. Pregnancy restriction: Yes, do not ride. So Wife was out. The line was 15 min and we kept checking with Son in case he chickened out. He didn't. This ride is very cute. Part of the line goes through a "barn" with chickens. The coaster also passes through the barn and scares the chickens. It goes very fast. When we started, I put my arm around Son to hold him against me. Then I held his head against my chest because I didn't want his head bouncing around. He LOVED it and sure enough wanted to do it again. We stood in line again for 15 min and he loved it more the second time. His first roller coaster ride and I was there for the whole thing. Very exciting for a father. After Barnstormer, he played in Toon Park until it was time for our Pooh FP. Well it was actually about 5:50 but they let us on anyway. We all enjoyed it again. As we passed Snow White, Son begged us to ride it again. We reminded him that it was scary but he insisted. The line was about 5 min and sure enough he got scared as soon as we saw the witch. Same thing - hiding his eyes and burying his head. It didn't traumatize him, he just didn't like the witch. We agreed that we wouldn't do this again on Tuesday. We still wanted to hit Peter Pan if the wait wasn't too bad, and it was only 10 min. Son finally got to see pirates (since Pirates of the Carribean was closed). Then we headed to Crystal Palace for our 6:45 PS. Both times we ate here last year we were seated on the porch side where people on the porch could look through the window and watch you eat. This time we sat on the other side, facing the creek you must cross to get to AdventureLand. This was much more relaxing. Crystal Palace is an all-you- can-eat buffet with non-alcoholic drinks and desserts included. The salmon was better here than at Ohana's, but the shrimp was better at Ohana's. The mashed potatoes were just OK, but the mashed potatoes with cheese and shredded beef was very good. The English call this a shepard's pie, but they called it mashed potatoes with cheese and shredded beef. I had German Chocolate Cake with ice cream for dessert. All 4 characters spent time at our table (in fact twice). We had pictures and they colored with Son: Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet and Pooh. We all left stuffed. Decided to call it a night (finally) so we left after dinner (8:15) before the fireworks. Besides, Nana and Papa arrived today and went to the early show at Cirque du Soleil at Downtown Disney. Son would get to spend some time with them before bed if we leave early enough. We ride the monorail back to the TTC and watch about 5 minutes of the fireworks from there. It's not as good without the music so we leave for the hotel, arriving by 9pm. Nana and Papa arrive after Son and I finish showering and we all go to bed. MONDAY, APRIL 3 (EPCOT) Once again the buses roared through the parking lot about 6:30. Then the trash truck came to empty the dumpster near our room at 6:45. Since this has been our only complaint about the hotel, we may stay here again if we can get a room on the "pool" side. Wife called the office to ask about the buses and was told that they are convention buses and will only run til Tuesday (one more day). We all eat breakfast at the hotel. We move the car seat to Nana/Papa's car because they will return early with Son while Wife and I stay for Illuminations (or so we planned). Arrive at Epcot about 9:30. Nana and Papa rent an electric wheelchair scooter (ECV) while I head to Test Track to get us 3 FPs (11-12). Wife will sit this out because of pregnancy. My parents brought their hand-held radios, so we use these to meet up afterwards. Had trouble giving directions to Papa because he doesn't know the layout of Epcot very well. I finally give up and tell him to get directions to Test Track where we are waiting (Go through innoventions. I'm inside innoventions. Don't go inside, go through the breezeway. I didn't see a breezeway. That's because you went inside. You said to go through it. Arghhh.). Nana can walk, but she gets tired easily because of her health (arthritis, surgery, diabetes, etc...). She can stand in line and walk around, but uses the ECV to go from place to place to conserve her energy. Finally I see them and tell them to veer left because we are going to Wonders of Life. We let Son play in the hands-on exhibits until time for Cranium Command. We love this show about the characters who control your brain. Actually, the brain of a young boy. Jon Lovitz is the left brain, Charles Grodin the right brain, Hanz and Franz are "pumping" the heart, George Wentz (? Norm from Cheers) is the stomach, Bobcat Goldthwait controls adreneline, you get the idea. Very enjoyable. Then we saw "The Making of Me" a movie about how babies are made. It isn't explicit, but could serve as a good starting point for a discussion with a pre-teen about, well, you know. Wife wanted to see it because of its timeliness (with her pregnant). Finally it was time for Test Track. We headed over and went in the FP line while the standby time was 50 minutes! We waited maybe 10 min because the FP line actually merges with the standby line inside the building. So you do have to wait a bit. The single rider line looked like about a 15 min wait so you could try that option too. The cars seat 6 people: 3 in front and 3 in back. Since there were only 3 of us (Nana,Papa, and me) we rode together. You go through a "normal" car testing procedure (skidding brakes, antilock brakes - which my Mom and Dad have never experienced, uphill, downhill, heat and cold) then you accelerate for a crash test but the wall opens and you race downhill and out the back, around a big curve, then up the straight away to 65 mph before doing the final banked curve around the front of the building. Very exciting. Nana felt it was too jerky for her, but Papa and I would do it again in a second. It was now time for our PS at Garden Grill in the Land. We had talked this place up last year to Nana and Papa, but alas it was not as good. The menu was the same, but the food wasn't as good. This is all-you-can-eat (notice our trend) but they bring it to you. The first serving you get everything, then you ask just for what you want. Flank steak (too rare), chicken, fried catfish, mashed potatoes (which were no where near as good as last year), broccoli, mac&cheese, drinks, and apple cobbler a la mode. Although we did have Chip, Dale and Mickey all come to the table during lunch for pictures and videos. We were all stuffed: 4 adults - $80. After lunch we waddled our way down to ride the boats in Living with the Land. We always like to see this exhibit every time we go because it is so interesting (all the plants and fish, etc...). Even Son likes it because he gets to ride a boat and he sees fish, eels (he still calls them snakes) alligators and robots. There was only a 10 minute wait. Last year we rode right after lunch (in Jan) and the wait was over 30 minutes! Timing is everything. We left the Land and headed to the Imagination Institute. I had read about how bad this was on radp, and shared that with Wife, but we still wanted to see it. I'm glad we did. The in-line pre-shows (on TV monitors) were cute. There wasn't much of a line (about 10 minutes). And to be honest, the ride wasn't that bad. Sure I think it should be better by Disney standards, but we didn't hate it. They should definitely add more Figment. Son really enjoyed playing in the hands-on exhibits after the ride, especially stepping on the floor to make sounds and pictures and using your arms to make music. I miss some of the old exhibits like the table full of nails you could push your hand in. Nana bought Son a small figment doll with magnets in the hands and feet and a figment penlight. The light was for "dark" rides and the doll was just plain cute. We all enjoyed sticking and clipping him to various items during the trip: Look we can hang him on the stroller. We can hang him on the bag. We can stick him to the fridge. We can stick him to the computer Oops! We decided to skip the 3d show because Nana and Wife have a fear of rats and we thought this year Son might get scared of the snake. Last year I don't think he even noticed. We debated between heading to World Showcase or the Living Seas. I was leaning toward the Seas because it wasn't very crowded in Future World so lets stay. Then we heard the Jammitors cranking up near Innoventions which sealed the deal. Nana and Papa love Stomp, and this is pretty close (on a much smaller scale). Three guys dressed as janitors play music by beating their trash cans with drumsticks. We watched them for a few minutes and then headed to the Seas. In the Seas, we skipped the preshow and headed to hydrolators. I've always thought they were lame. It's just a delay tactic to control the crowds. Once we got inside, Wife started feeling very tired. She had been going strong up til now, and it was almost time for Son's nap. She decided to bail and find a quite spot to rest. The rest of us stayed. Papa and I got to see some divers feeding the rays. They actually had to push fish out of their way to give the rays the clams/mussels. The divers were also giving a presentation and their talk was piped in through the speakers so they could tell you what they were doing. Very interesting. We found Wife and Son right outside resting in the shade, but Son had not napped. We bought 3 strawberry ice's ($7) and headed off to Mexico. In Mexico we stopped to finish our drinks and listened to some drummers finish their set. Then we went inside for the boat ride. It was literally a walk on. Inside was so cool and peaceful and restful that we decided to do it again, with still no line. Ahhhh! This is how I enjoy Disney World. By now it was about 3:45. It was very hot (the high reached into the 80's). And we noticed it was more crowded than before. We walked over to Norway, but the line for their ride was too long. Wife was looking very tired. She decided she needed a break, from everything. We decided to skip our tour of World Showcase and head back to the hotel for a break. We agree that if she feels better, we will return for our PS at the Rose and Crown so we can see Tapestry of Nations and Illuminations. Plus I was really hoping to see the British Invasion (love that stye of 60's music). So we leave Epcot. When we get to the hotel, Wife feels better, but is too tired to return to Epcot. We still have 2 big days ahead and she doesn't want to wear out too early. I'm pretty tired too so we just all go eat at a local place called Chevy's in crossroads. It's billed as "fresh-mex" so we're thinking it's like Tex-Mex. It is, but Tex-Mex in Florida just can't be the same, so I get the salmon. Food is average, nothing special, but the salsa is hot. One end of my salmon is cooked, the other is raw! I send it back, but instead of getting another, they cook it and return it on the same plate. I only ate the "good" end and we left very little tip. Total: $60 for 4 adults and 1 kid's meal. Back at the hotel, I decide to take Son for a swim so he can show off for Nana and Papa. Nana and Papa are amazed at his lack of fear. Son probably enjoys swimming more than visiting the parks anyway. After cleaning up, Nana and Papa want to go shopping at Downtown Disney so I go along too. Nana buys a hat just like Wife's, because of the extra wide brim (did I mention it was HOT today? and sunny). I break down and get one of those Safari hats with the 4 pins of the parks, cost $38. It's more than I wanted to pay, but it looks good and has a brim that goes all the way around (like a cowboy hat). I justify it with "Son will be playing soccer next year and I'll be spending a lot of days standing on the sideline". We return to the hotel about 10:30 exhausted. TUESDAY APRIL 4 (MAGIC KINGDOM) We just couldn't face another "hotel" breakfast this morning, so I get ready first and head to Chick-Fil-A for some of their yummy chicken biscuits ($8). We eat in the room and leave at 9. It is supposed to get cooler today so we all bring jackets, but this morning the sun is very bright so the new hats come in handy. Once inside the MK we split up again: Nana and Papa rent the ECV. Wife and Son to get FPs for Pooh (10:50-11:50). And I get in line for Dumbo at exactly 9:55. This time, the Dumbo wait is only 30 minutes. While in line, Nana and Papa take Son on the Carousel. Then Papa and Wife switch with me so they can ride Dumbo with Son. While waiting I run over to check the lines for some other rides and find Small World at only 5 minutes! After Dumbo we head to Small World but the line has now grown to 20 minutes! What happened in the last 10 minutes? Oh the Lion King show just let out. Great. We go ahead and use the ECV to go in the wheelchair entrance, which is wise because Nana has trouble going up stairs or ramps. This time, Son sits with them and again dances through most of the ride. Why is it that it takes longer to get OUT of Small World than to get IN? Oh well. Next we head to Pooh. We have about a 10 minute wait in the FastPass line because the ride is stopped for an emergency repair. Once it restarts, they let all the FP people go first before the standby. Nana and Papa also give Pooh a thumbs up. After Pooh we head to Crystal Palace for our PS at 11:55. We arrive at 11:40 so we wait about 15 minutes and get seated at 11:55. Wow! The lunch menu is VERY similar to their dinner menu, but they didn't have the good mashed potatoes (with beef and cheese), only the (what we now call) yucky mashed potatoes. The salmon was still good (boy I've had a LOT of salmon this trip) and we all seemed to have cravings for fruit today. Of course we load up on dessert too. We get more pictures and videos with all the Pooh characters. This is a great place to eat if you have kids. The food isn't the best you can get, but it is good and all-you-can-eat. There is a wide selection (including mac&cheese, pizza, and chicken nuggets for kids) and the kids get so excited seeing the characters without being rushed off for the next person in line. And to be honest, $16 lunch is too bad when you consider a burger, fries and drink will run you $8 with no entertainment. After lunch we head to Adventureland and get FPs for Jungle Cruise (2:15- 3:15). Since it's about 12:45 we get in line for the new Tiki Room. I saw the original show. Thought it was, well, goofy. Wife never saw it. This one was better, with homage to the original with the opening song. The "stars" are Zazu and Iago so you should see Aladin and Lion King if you want to keep up. Son enjoyed it too (dancing). The one part when the Tiki Idol comes to life and rises from the middle could be a little intense for young ones. Luckily we were sitting on the far right after you enter so it mostly faced away from us. Next we headed to the Country Bear Jamboree. Wife had never seen this either. She says I would never let her. I always told her it was cute but kinda silly and we always had more rides to do before. I think she enjoyed it, but she agreed it was kinda silly. Son liked it. He liked all the shows we saw with singing and dancing. When we came out we rode the Jungle Cruise with the FPs and only waited 5 mintes (instead of 50). Then headed over to find a spot to watch the Parade. Oh Boy! We had not noticed how crowded it was today. Where did all these people come from? That will teach us to wait until 2:45 to find a spot for a 3:00 parade. The only spot we could find was in the handicap section near the Libert Bell in Liberty Square. So Nana backed in her ECV and sat on the front row. Wife sat on the wall behind her. Son sat in Nana's lap on the ECV. Papa and I stood several feet behind them, but against the little metal fence around the bell. This wasn't too bad because no one could stand in front of us and we could see the parade as it rounded the corner. Son was invited out to dance during one part, but was a little nervous, until he saw Chip (or Dale, I couldn't tell) and then he ran over and gave him a hug. Next he was invited out to rub the lamp for Aladdin. He started to do this until he saw Jafar. He has never even seen Aladdin, but he knew that Jafar was "scary". We tried to follow the parade to cross over to Tomorrowland, but it was moving too slowly and everyone was trying to follow it. Eventually we made it to Carousel of Progress just as Son fell asleep. We bought some drinks and icees and popcorn for a snack and took turns shopping. After nap we went on CoP. Son even liked this too because there was a doggy in every seen and the music basically repeats so you get used to it. When we came out, boy did it get cooler! The temp must have dropped 5 degrees and the wind picked up. We rode the TTA (we all still call it the peoplemover) and up there could really feel the breeze. We decided we needed those jackets now, but we left them in the van! We had intended to put them in a locker. Any other park wouldn't be too bad to run to the car, but not MK (you have to ride the monorail or ferry to get to your car, and back, adding at least 20 min to your trip). We decided to split up. Wife wanted to do some shopping on Main Street without a stroller, I would get the jackets (since I could run once I got to the parking lot, luckily we were close enough to skip the tram too), and Nana and Papa would take Son on some rides. We would meet at Toon Town Park at 6:30. It was currently 5:20. I took one of the radios just in case, but every time we tried to use them before this there was just too much traffic. Wife and I split up on Main street after picking a spot/time to meet: a certain bench at the castle end at 6:15. Now I'm off. I jog down Main Street, boy there is a lot of people out here, get my hand stamped, and run to the monorail. At the TTC, I jog down the ramp and across the entryway until I reach the sidewalk near the tram pickups. I pick it up to a run, under the bridge to the closest (non-handicapped) parking (the Minnie section). Now to row 36, looking for a white van. I had tied a bright orange ribbon to the top of the van to help find it in the parking lots and it came in handy on several occasions. Got the jackets, dropped off my hat and other non-essentials and I'm off again. Back to the monorail. I'm exhausted by now and enjoy the ride. I actually wished it was longer. Now I'm noticing there is quite a few people heading to the MK. They can't all be picking up jackets can they? Once back inside the park, something catches my eye. A little sign off to the left near City Hall: E Ticket Exchange. Oh no. That is why so many people are coming to MK this late, for E ticket night. Oh well, I'm actually about 10 minutes early to meet Wife so I pass in and out of shops on Main Street looking for a nice polo style shirt with Mickey, etc... I like this style because they don't need ironing and I can wear them to work. I have several but always am looking for more. I don't see anything that jumps at me, but I do find the red Mickey hockey shirt I noticed last year. It was $56 so I passed then, but here it was on sale for $30. Maybe this time. But it was time to meet Wife, so I passed again thinking I might come back for it. Wife had bought a Mickey ice cream scoop, something for Son, and SURPRISE, the red Mickey hockey shirt for me. Great minds think alike I guess. We hiked back to Toon Town and found everyone at the Park. Nana, Papa, and Son had ridden Buzz Lightyear (about 35 minute wait) and the Barnstormer. Then Son had just been playing in the Park. I don't know what the big deal is, but every kid in there seems to love it. Next we rode the train all around the park (we had to, to retrieve the ECV). And headed off to dinner. We ate dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. It is on the border of Tomorrowland/Fantasyland/ToonTown. It has 3 different places to order, but they all share the dining area (like a food court). One counter is burgers one is sandwiches (club, cheesesteak, etc..), and the 3rd is chicken (both rotisserie and sandwiches). We broke up to stand in line and guard a table. 3 chicken sandwiches with fries, corn dog nuggets, and 3 drinks cost $28. They have a separate bar for putting toppings on your sandwiches so you can build up quite a salad on your sandwich there. Warning: The chicken place closes a bit earlier than the other counters so beware. After dinner, we wanted to ride one more thing so we headed through Fantasyland looking for something with a short line. This was our 2nd big mistake of the day. We were hoping to hit one more ride, then head out and ride the ferry while watching the fireworks. Small World had just a 5 minute wait so we did that. We rode with some teenage boys who did complained the whole trip. If you don't like it, stay off the ride. Don't ruin it for the rest of us. After that we headed down Main Street. But it was PACKED. I've never seen Main Street so crowded. It was elbow to elbow. We were able to get the stroller up on the sidewalk, because you couldn't move in the street. Nana and Papa couldn't get the ECV up and down the curbs on the sidewalk so they got stuck in the crowd. Well at least we got to see the fireworks with the music this way. And as soon as the show was over, we thought there would be a mad dash for the exit. Well there was, but not as bad as you'd think. I guess a lot of people were staying for Enight. There was a huge crowd lining up for the monorails so we went to the ferry instead. We were already on that side after turning in the ECV. That wasn't too bad after all. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5 (ANIMAL KINGDOM, MGM) So today we thought the (so called) convention buses wouldn't wake us up. They didn't. Remember the trash truck from Day 3 (Apr 3)? It came again today: AT 5:00am! Luckily we were able to go to sleep again. This morning we decided to get a few things from the hotel breakfast, some bananas, and pop tarts we brought to eat in the van on the way. We get to Animal Kingdom at 9:30. Again we split up. I go to Kilamanjaro Safaris to get us FPs while they rent the ECV. After getting the FPs (10:50-11:50) we meet at the Festival of the Lion King show. They are already inside getting seated for the 10:00 show when I arrive. Bad news: The foot rest strap on our stroller finally broke. (What do you expect for a $11 stroller?). We enjoy the show, just like last year. Son comprehends more of it this year. He's asking about watching the Lion King Video now. After the show I head back to the front to get a rental stroller ($7). I noticed that some of the trees in the Oasis near the front are banana trees with little green bananas on them. We all meet up again at a store near Pizzafaria. It was much cooler today so we all wore jackets, but Son was still cold. Wife bought a AK sweat shirt for Son and a stuffed Simba (14 inches - how are we gonna pack that?) for $32, the shirt was on sale from $20 to $12. Now off to the Safari. With FPs we would wait about 5 minutes, but they make Nana ride the ECV all the way up to the front, and then divert you to a handicapped loading zone where there is 1 vehicle (maybe 2) waiting solely for handicapped passengers. We sit in the front most whole row (there are 2 half rows, I assume for wheelchair passengers) since Wife is pregnant (consensus is this would be the least bumby). My advice: If you want good videos or pictures or a good view, sit on the right side. The best view we got on the left was warthogs and rhinos. Wife's opinion (from a pregnancy perspective): It wasn't any rougher than riding when I am driving. Ha Ha. Very funny. As we exit, we turn to go on the Forest Trail to see the gorillas. The trails are pretty narrow, although we didn't have trouble with the ECV, but it made the whole path pretty crowded. When we get to the gorilla room, one of the youngsters is showing off for the crowd. And there is a crowd here. It wasn't worth waiting to move up to the front so we just headed out. We decided to just do lunch and go over to MGM. And a good thing too. It was getting VERY crowded by lunch time. The family decides to eat at Pizzafaria, but I've been looking forward to the Flame Tree BBQ sauce ever since last year. I leave them to wait in line while I go get a Chicken and ribs platter ($7.50) with lots of BBQ sauce. It comes with cole slaw and corn-on-the-cob. I bring it back to Pizzafaria so we can eat together. The pizza/pasta/drinks run $34. I trade Son the corn (which he loves) for a piece of pizza. This pizza is GREAT! I've had pizza at several Disney places and it is just average if not bad. This is good stuff here. Next time, I'll have to eat 2 meals at AK. We left AK and drove to MGM. It was warming up, so we all left our jackets in the van (we had pants on). We were parked far enough away that we had to use the tram at both AK and MGM. Wednesday at MGM is early entry so I expected it to be crowded, and I was right. It's funny, with all the crowds from yesterday and today, you would think the waits would be longer. It just seems like everyone is there just walking around. It takes longer to get from place to place, but once you are there it's not too bad. Inside we split up (broken record!). I go get 2 FPs for Rockn Roller Coaster (6-7) at 2:00 exactly. Everyone else gets the stroller and ECV. We're lucky we came over when we did. Nana got the last ECV! We didn't have to pay again here, just show our receipts. Ditto for parking at MGM. We were about 40 minutes before a Bear in the Big Blue House Show (BBBH) and in hindsight we should have gone there first, because we might have been able to get FPs for Little Mermaid (in the same area). By the time we did get over there, FPs for Little Mermaid were gone and wait time was 1 hour. We decide to go to the Muppet Vision Movie (one of our favorites). There is a 20 minute wait (basically 1 show). Afterwards, Wife and Son take a break/nap in a semi-quiet corner. We get a mickey ice cream and a strawberry popsicle ($4.50). The rest of us plan to go do something like the backstage tour and meet for the next BBBH show. The line for the tour is too long so we head over to the BBBH show and discover that Little Mermaid is out of FPs. I guess we will skip it this time unless that wait time comes down (it never does). It turns out to be a good thing we got to BBBH so early (45 min). The line started 40 min before the show and after the parade, hundreds of people headed to it. I waited in line (again) while Nana and Papa shopped. Eventually everyone caught up with me and we got 2nd row seats inside. The CM outside told me that this show is not usually crowded but the last few weeks (spring break) they have turned people away. Bear is a children's show. If your kids have never seen it on the Disney channel, they might enjoy this show, but you could skip it. If your kids have seen it, they probably love it and would love this show too. Be prepared: there are no chairs, you sit on the floor. So the closer you are the better. Like I said we were on the second row. Before the show, Son was asked to come up and dance with Bear (and other kids) but he was feeling shy and said no. The "set" is the front of the Big Blue House and all the TV characters are there. If you stick around after the show, you can take a picture of your kid(s) on the steps of the house. We walk up the street to the theater for the meet-and-greet with the Toy Story characters. OK. I love Toy Story and so does Son so we both want to see this. We arrive at 4:45 and they closed the line at 4:50 (it was advertised to close at 5:00). We were the last ones in line for the day. A CM stood behind us and kept telling people it was closed. You could tell it just sucked the lifeblood out of some people. Nana and Papa didn't want to wait for this so they went off to the backstage tour (they saw the Home Improvement sets). It is a walking tour, but they allow the ECVs in. We agree to meet at the RRCoaster at 6 for our FP. After 30 min, we finally get inside and both Buzz and Woody are there. What luck! They said they rotate the characters so that you always see either Buzz or Woody (with someone else) but couldn't guarantee which one or that you would see both. The schedule worked out well for us this day. We got pictures and video of both Son and I with our 2 favorite actors :-). If you have an autograph book, they can't sign it (they are toys after all with their fingers stuck together) but they have signature stamps they can use to stamp your book. Next we headed to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. Son and I ran around in the "caves" for a while. When I got tired I left him with Wife to ride the slides. Then I headed over to the Coaster. I found Nana first because Papa was in a store. I gave her directions to our 6:25 PS at the Prime Time Cafe so she could do more shopping. Wife and Son would meet us there too. Then Papa and I headed over to try to get in about 5 min early. Fat Chance! They were not too strict on some of the FP rides, but for the Rockin Roller Coaster they were. In fact there was already a "line" of people with 6pm FPs waiting to go in. We waited with them. Finally the CM let us in at 5:59. We were out the door by 6:15. This was a great coaster. My dad had never been "upside down" before so this would be new to him. It was funny because he knows about Aerosmith, but couldn't pick any of them out of a lineup or recognize their songs. While waiting in the pre-show recording studio he asked "Is that Aerosmith?". "Yes". Then he realized, "That's a screen, they almost look real." When the doors opened, the CM asked us to "Walk this way". My dad didn't get it so I had to explain. When we got inside and saw the "launch" of the cars my dad was floored. The sound effects of the squeeling tires made it seem much more realistic. He said "Let those people go ahead of us. I want to see that again." Finally we got strapped in and the song playing in our car was oddly enough, "Walk This Way". He said "Oh yeah, I know this song". This is now one of my all time favorite coasters. Batman at Six Flags in Dallas is still number 1. We headed over to the Prime Time Cafe and checked in. We had never eaten here but heard a lot about it. It's everything you heard. Loud, but the food was good. Service was good too. Papa kept getting in trouble for putting elbows on the table. Everyone else learned the first time. Our waitress left her "family album" on the table for everyone to see. Nana and I had the pork chops but they came with mashed potatoes. Arghhh! I was able to sub the rice. They were very good. Wife had fried chicken and Papa had BBQ chicken. Son had the hot dog (I think). Everything was good. For dessert we had a banana split and an apple pie for all to split. Total bill came to $100 (with tax/tip) for 4 adults, 1 child. After dinner, we were full, we were tired, and we were getting cold again. We stopped in to look at the professional pictures with Buzz and Woody. One was pretty good so I got one and Nana got one ($22 for 2). Then we dropped off the ECV and stroller and headed for the hotel (8pm). THURSDAY, APRIL 6 (KENNEDY SPACE CENTER) No buses or garbage trucks today so we all got to sleep late. Nana and Papa are leaving today so we enjoyed a nice leisurely breakfast and then left them to pack at 10:15. We drove to the east coast to see Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was something that Wife has wanted to do for a long time, but we never had time. This trip, we were making time to do it. It takes about an hour to get there and about $2.50 in tolls. Admission is free, but they have two bus tours that cost extra. Wife wanted to do the most expensive one (which includes the cheaper one). I didn't but agreed to let her while I stay with Son. It doesn't work that way. You can't take one and then the other, they are incorporated together. I convince Wife to skip the big one because we don't want to be there all day. The one we bought includes a trip to an observation tower, the Apollo/ Saturn V center, and the Internation Space Center tour. Cost: $28. You get on the bus when you want and spend as much (or as little) time as you want at each place. But first, we need to eat lunch. We settled on the diner. The food wasn't too bad. The service was slow. This definitely wasn't Disney anymore. Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich, Chicken Pot Pie, and Grilled Cheese (water, no drinks) runs $23. Now we catch the bus to the LC39 observation tower. You learn a lot on this bus tour, mostly from the narration on the bus (driver and a pre- recorded message). For example: They don't paint the space shuttle because the paint would weigh 600 pounds. The KSC houses 12 eagle's nests. We saw one from the bus trip (on the right side, in fact, all the good views were from the right side of the buses). We pass by the vehicle assembly building (VAB) which is the 3rd largest building (in volume) in the world. The Statue of Liberty could fit through its largest doors. There is a flag painted on the side of the VAB. Each star is 6 feet wide. Each stripe is 210 feet long. The bus drivers call the alligators on property "unpaid security guards" (and there are lots of alligators). From the observation tower you can see several old launch pads to the east and the 2 pads they use for shuttle launches today. There was a shuttle there getting prepped for takeoff later this month. We skipped the short movie there and headed to the Apollo/Saturn center. First you see a short history of the Apollo missions (the moon missions). Then you see a simulation of the Apollo 8 launch (which circled the moon). Next you see a real Apollo rocket (the building was built around it). It is huge. There are also some displays setup. Another interesting bit: Alan Sheppard was paid $14.38 for his 15 minute Mercury 3 flight (first man in space). Armstrong and the other Apollo 11 astronauts were quaranteened for 18 days after returning from the moon for fear of "moon germs". Finally we saw a short presentation and recreation of the landing on the moon. They have a lunar lander come down from the ceiling and touch down in this huge sandbox that looks like the surface of the moon. It was interesting and fairly dramatic. When it landed, Son clapped and said, "Yea! They landed on the moon". Don't tell me that 3 year olds don't pay attention. We were getting tired and decided to skip the International Space Center and return to the visitor's complex. We looked around there some more and let Son play on the playground (which had a rocket ship to climb in). We saw a total of 8 alligators: 5 in the ditches along the side of the road driving in, 2 on the bus tour, and 1 in the water (pond?) at the visitor's center. Several turtles also. Finally we shopped at the gift shop. Wife bought a few space books and stuff. Son spent his $5 from Nana to buy a shuttle toy (his rocket) and a plastic astronaut (his space man). While driving back we stopped at a Kmart (got a map from the hotel) to get a new stroller, but they didn't have the kind we like. Then we found a Walmart Super Center: Take Orange Blossom Trail north to Sand Lake and then go west. Walmart had the strollers we like ($12). Returned via 1-4 to 535. For dinner, we just wanted something quick (it was already 8pm). We stopped at Chick-Fil-A for sandwiches ($8) and Olive Garden for a salad ($5). We took it to the room to eat. FRIDAY, APRIL 7 (SHOPPING AND TRAVEL) This is our last day of the vacation. We don't sleep in as late as yesterday because we need to pack and shop some more. Son wakes up and the first thing he says is, "Mommy, I dreamed about outer space." The NASA people must be smiling. To save time/money we just eat the hotel breakfast. Then we pack everything. We had already designated one of our suitcases as the "dirty clothes bag" so we didn't have to do laundry. Plus we made sure that we had some "empty" space to bring back stuff. Simba would have to be a carry-on. We check out about 10:30 (deadline is 11) and head to Downtown Disney. First we shop at Team Disney, but don't find anything we want to buy. Then we stop at the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop to get a chocolate frozen banana ($2.50). Wife and Son are not impressed. Fine, more for me. Then to the Gourmet Pantry. Bought some plastic princess plates for my nieces back home, trail mix for Wife, and jawbreaker sucker with a reusable wrapper ($15). We checkout Wolfgang Puck, but Wife doesn't like yuppy pizza so we decide to eat lunch back at the Pantry. Before that, we visit the Pooh store and Disney at Home. At the Pooh store we get a clock that Wife has wanted for over a year ($55). The catalog has been out of it. We also get a stuffed Piglet for Son, and a nightshirt for Wife. Total with MKC discount $86. We don't get anything at the Home store, but it is a nice place to look. For lunch at the Pantry, we get 2 chef salads, 1 sandwich to split, and a kid's bag lunch for $26. Wife doesn't like the salad so I get both and she eats the sandwich. We strip Son to the 'pullups' and let him play in the Mickey's head fountain that shoots water straight up in the air. He loves this and it's a nice break from the heat. Most of today he will be stuck in the stroller/car seat/airplane seat, so this helps him burn off some energy. After cleaning up, we head over to the World of Disney. I get one of those polo shirts with the WDW 2000 logo, Wife picks out a watch for her birthday, and finds a nightshirt she likes better than the one from the Pooh store so we exchange it there. Total (with exchange) $92. Wow! The souvenirs are going to cost as much as the trip. Let's get out of here before we spend any more. We leave at 1:50 (our flight was moved up from 4:15 to 4:05). We stop at the Exxon on property to refill the van ($26). It was actually a few cents cheaper than anything we saw along 535. An hour later (and $2 in tolls) we drop off the car and get a cart for the luggage ($2). After checking in and getting some water we settle down to wait for boarding. After landing in Dallas, Wife calls Pappasito's to make a reservation for dinner (now THAT's TexMex). We stop there on the way home. Sorry, but that's the best meal of the trip. I guess there really is "no place like home". The bottom line is we didn't see everything we wanted to, do everything we wanted to, or ride everything we wanted to, but we did see, do, and ride more than if we had not gone at all. That is all for this trip. If you have any specific questions about stuff in the report, email me because I don't always get to read radp. A big thanks goes out to Deb Wills because her web site was great for helping us get organized (packing list and menus). See http://wdwig.com Until next time, please remain seated until your vehicle comes to a complete stop. Billy Atkins atkins@usa.com Mail a Comment to Billy Atkins |
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