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Doug Corey -- June 2000 -- Walt Disney World (CR)Names: Doug (Dad), Kay (Mom), Rebecca (age 9.5) and Erin Corey (age 7) June 22 - July 1, 2000 Welcome to my second Walt Disney World trip report. If you read the first one, and you are reading this one as well, I commend you for your perseverance. I tend to get carried away with details in these reports. However, that is intentional, because the main reason I do them is so that the family (mainly the kids) will remember the trips. The Corey family consists of me, Doug, referred to as Dad in the report, my wife Kay (referred to as Mom), and daughters Rebecca (9 and a half) and Erin (7). So, without further delay, here's my report. Day 1 - Thursday June 22 We decided to leave late afternoon Thursday on a 5:30 flight. The plan was to arrive 8:00 Thursday, rent a car at the airport, and stay in a motel off property Thursday night. Then we could get up early Friday morning and get in a full day on Friday. In past trips we have flown early in the morning for a late morning arrival. By the time we got to Disney World, checked in to the hotel and made it to a park, it was 2 or 3. We would get there at the peak time for crowds at the park, plus we were tired from traveling, so it was almost a wasted day. The cost of the motel was about $80, which we figured was worth the extra park time, plus we figured we would be less tired this way. This plan would have worked great had our flight not been 3.5 hours late. We believe the delay was mostly due to a mechanical problem, plus a change in route due to weather that added another hour. So, we arrived at 11:30, had dinner at McDonald's at 12:15, and went to sleep after 1. To make things perfect, we requested a non-smoking room, so of course the room reeked of smoke. We were too tired to try to do anything about it. They probably gave away all the non-smoking rooms before we got there. I will be doing very little complaining the rest of the report, so I'll get it all out of the way now. We took Delta Express, because it was cheap (around $150 round trip per ticket). Well, you get what you pay for. The plane had the least leg room of any plane I've ever been on. And you'd think with a delay that long that was mostly their fault we would get something besides a bag of peanuts. Not even a free drink! (which I could have used). We were starving by the time we got to our hotel (thus the late night McDonald's trip). Day 2 - Friday June 23 We got up at 7:45. We were tired, but excited so we didn't mind. We had the hotel (Comfort Suites) continental breakfast, and headed to the Contemporary. By 9:30 we had gotten our passes and were headed to Magic Kingdom. We left our luggage in the car, which was parked in the Contemporary. We took the monorail, which is not the fastest way to get there, because you have to stop at every station (4 of them) before you get to the MK. It is much quicker to walk, which is what we did the rest of the trip. On the other hand, going back from MK it is probably quicker to take the monorail, since the Contemporary is the first stop. Anyway, around 10 we were in the park and heading for Frontierland. We got our first of very many Fastpasses, for Splash Mountain, then hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (15 min wait). Then Haunted Mansion (walk on). The ride stopped 3 times, which made the ride less enjoyable. Still, this is a Disney classic. Back to Splash Mountain. With Fastpass, the wait was 10 minutes. We didn't get too wet, much to Erin's chagrin. Took the train to Toontown. I headed to Space Mountain to get Fastpasses. The kids went through Minnie's house I think, then we were going to do Goofy's Barnstormer, but there was some lightning in the area, so they closed it (it never did rain, but it did rain later). So, we went for an early lunch at Cosmic Ray's. The kids wanted chicken nuggets, so I got in the chicken line (there are three different lines, each with different food). Surprise, no chicken nuggets in the chicken line. The chicken nuggets are in another line (burger line I think). I believe the only kids meal in the chicken line was corn dogs. Doesn't make sense. One other interesting thing. We went to find the talking trash can, but a worker said someone stole the tape recorder from it. Is nothing sacred? We had some time to kill before Space Mountain, so we did Tomorrowland Transportation Authority. For some reason, Erin really liked this. Space Mountain was a 10 min wait. This is the kids new favorite ride at Magic Kingdom, replacing BTMR from our last trip. Next Timekeeper. We had never done this. It was pretty fun. The kids like Robin Williams. I wouldn't wait a long time for this one though (we didn't-maybe 10 min). Next we got Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear. Apparently this was the first day they had Fastpasses at Buzz. Good timing. Then at 2 Mom got a curb spot on the circle for the 3PM parade (Remember the Magic). She got a good spot. The curb was full at 2:20. I did Snow White with the kids while she waited (20 min wait). I got a root beer and a pineapple float from Aloha Isle (I think that's what it is called-where they sell the Dole whips) for the rest of the wait. They were delicious. The kids participated in the parade (the Beauty & the Beast and Snow White parts). Rebecca held Dopey's hand when they got in a big circle. After the parade we rushed to Buzz to make the Fastpass time. It was a big hit with Erin, because she scored more points than Rebecca. Mom barely outscored me. Next Astro Orbiter (just kids-Mom and Dad can't handle going around in circles) (20 min wait). Then a Buzz rematch (I think we used Fastpasses again). I got 372,000 points, winning easily (Mom had around 100,000). It helped that the ride got stuck for a little while and I found a target worth 25,000. Next we headed back to the hotel to get our room. It started pouring just as we were exiting the park. We put our ponchos on and dashed for the monorail. (Ponchos are an absolute must at Walt Disney World this time of year). We got pretty wet anyway. We got and found our room, then I took the car to the car care center to return it while the kids showered. They have a shuttle bus every half hour or so to return guests to their hotels. Unfortunately, I didn't time it very well, because I had to wait 25 minutes for it. This wait was the only down side to using a rental for transportation from the airport, because it actually is cheaper than the Mears shuttle (the rental was $40). I met the family at the Concourse Steakhouse at 6:45 for dinner. It was a nice place to have dinner, although expensive. I had the filet mignon, which was delicious, which it should have been for $22.95. After dinner we hit the Contemporary's arcade (in the food & fun center). This was of course popular with the kids. It had a soccer simulator where you try to score goals on a goalie which my soccer playing kids (and I) enjoyed playing. We were back in the room and in bed at 9:30. At 10 Mom and I were awakened by the MK fireworks. Somehow the kids slept right through it, even though they were very loud. It was over in 10 minutes though. Day 3 - Saturday June 24 We wanted to get an early start for Animal Kingdom. I got up at 7 and went to the food & fun center to pick up breakfast. This became a daily ritual, as it was a quick and easy way to get breakfast. We spent about $15 per day on breakfast, which generally would consist of cereal, fruit, milk and juice. Pretty reasonable. I would bring the food back to the room in bags or on a tray, and we would eat while we were showering and getting ready. We were at the bus stop at 8:10, and at AK at 8:40. We grabbed Fastpasses for the safari, then walked back to Its Tough to be a Bug. We loved it. But it's not for kids who get scared. There were kids screaming and crying throughout. Next back to the safari. We bypassed lots of people because we had the we-we basically had no wait at all. The animals were not too active. Actually I was a little disappointed with the safari. We saw better animals when we did the walking trails later in the trip. We videotaped it but it was hard to tape because the ride was bumpy. Next, to Kali River Rapids. This was a walk on, much to our surprise. We did it twice. Erin loved it, because she loves to get wet. Mom got soaked. There are two places where you get drenched if you are in the wrong seat (or the right seat if you are Erin). This is a fun ride, but it could be better in my opinion. It is pretty much the same ride as Roman Rapids at Busch Gardens, but not as well done. Next we got Fastpasses for "Dinosaur" (used to be Countdown to Extinction-I'm guessing they changed the name as a tie in to the new Disney "Dinosaur" movie), then we headed for an early lunch at Dinoland. The place had McDonald's food plus a few other things like a chicken wrap, which was what I had. It was not crowded at all, since it was only 11AM. At 11:40 we did Dinosaur. It was a 5 minute wait since we had Fastpasses, instead of 40. This ride was a pleasant surprise. It was much more exciting and fun than I thought it would be. It is like the Indy ride at Disneyland, but a little better I think. We bought the picture they took of us. They take it when a scary dinosaur is swooping down on you. Everyone was ducking except me. After this Mom got in line for the Tarzan Rocks show. I took the kids to the Bone yard playground. It's a nice place to hang out when you need a break or are waiting to do something. It's pretty much like Honey I Shrunk the Kids at MGM, except it has the Mammoth Dig area, which our kids really liked. Mom was in the front of the line to get into Tarzan, so we ended up with seats in the 2nd row. The guy who did most of the singing, who was sort of the host for the show, smiled and waved at Rebecca several times. He looked and sang like a guy who wasn't quite good enough to make the Backstreet Boys. The show was very good. It moved quickly, and had a lot of variety, including gymnastics and rollerblading. Next we went back to the Mammoth dig because we didn't have enough time before. Rebecca was proud of herself because she uncovered a big bone. Next we went to the Legend of the Lion King. I really enjoyed this show. It was very entertaining. I liked it more than the Tarzan show, but I think the kids liked the Tarzan show better. But they both are worth seeing. Erin's general comment after our day at Animal Kingdom: Not too many rides! Next, we headed back to the hotel. We wanted to go for a swim before heading to the MK for the evening. Unfortunately, just as we arrived at the pool, probably 10 seconds before the kids were going to get in, they cleared the pool due to an approaching storm. And storm it did. So, we went to the fun center for a little while, then the kids showered, and we walked over to MK. We got there around 5:45 and headed straight for Fastpasses for Space Mountain. The rain had just stopped, and they had just reopened the speedway, so we went ahead and did it. This is a ride we would never wait more than 10 minutes for. I guess if you have boys it is more of a must do. Anyway, Mom and Rebecca had cars to themselves, and Erin and I shared one. Rebecca had a little trouble keeping her foot on the pedal, so she was a little frustrated with the ride. I operated the pedal for Erin, so all she had to do was steer. At first the car slammed back and forth against the middle rail, then she got the hang of it. Then, she decided it was more fun when the car slammed back and forth against the rail, so that's what she did the rest of the ride. I'm surprised the car was still in one piece by the end of the ride. We had a little time before we wanted to eat dinner, and the only ride we could find with a short wait was Small World, so we did it. We found the hidden Mickeys in the vines in the Africa section. We had dinner at the Plaza Pavilion. This place has typical fast food fare. Speaking of Plaza Pavilion, during this trip we discovered that cutting through it is a very quick way to get from Main Street to Tomorrowland. No matter how many times you visit, you always discover new things. Anyway, we did our Fastpasses at Space Mountain, bypassing a 70 minute posted wait. At 8:05 we headed to the circle to get a spot for the 9PM Main street Electrical Parade. Too late! We had to head up the Frontierland pathway. We ended up on the right side halfway between the bridge and the Hall of Presidents. Other than not being able to sit on a curb, this was a great place to watch the parade. The pathway starts to curve where we were sitting, so we had a good view of the parade as it approached. While mom and the kids waited I walked to Tomorrowland to get Fastpasses for Buzz (I found another good shortcut, this time a narrow path from Frontierland that goes behind the castle into Fantasyland). The parade was great. I don't think we had ever seen it before. After the parade, we walked to the Tomorrowland side of the castle to watch the 10PM fireworks. We stood on the bridge that runs from the castle to the teacups, which was a great place to watch Tinkerbell. However, it was a lousy place to watch the fireworks, because trees blocked our view. So, we walked towards the teacups, and had a perfect view by sitting on a wall in front of Cosmic Ray's. After fireworks, we hit Buzz with our Fastpasses at 10:30. Mom had the high score, Rebecca the lowest (she was not pleased). As we headed out of the park, we stopped at the bakery for cookies/brownies, and muffins for the next morning. This place was popular. We waited longer in this line than for any of the rides. But it was worth the wait. Finally got back to the hotel at 11:15, and went straight to bed. This was a long but fun day. Day 4 - Sunday June 25 The weather started out less cloudy and hotter than the previous two days. I slept until 7:45 after our relatively late previous night. The kids slept until 8:30. We had our muffins plus some other stuff from food & fun, and finally got out the door at 9:30. Arrived at Epcot at 10. Went straight for Fastpasses for Test Track. Then we hit Ellen's Energy Adventure (10 min wait). We had never done this ride since Ellen took over. What an improvement! This used to be extremely boring, and now it's fun. The kids really liked it, especially the "Jeopardy" part. Next we headed back to Test Track. Even with Fastpasses, it took 30 minutes to get to the car. The 15 minutes inside the building were OK though, because there is all sorts of interesting stuff to look at. The ride itself was fun. You start with various tests like bumps and brake tests, then you hit the open road, where you really fly. This is the fun part, but it is too short. This is a good ride, but I would only do it with a Fastpass (the posted waits were generally 90 to 120 minutes). As we exited, we got Fastpasses to do it again. By now the FP time was already 4 to 5PM. Next we hit The Land. Did the boat ride (10 min wait). We were in the front row, so the guide let Erin be the "first mate". The guide (Dustin) seemed nervous. He stumbled over his lines a little. I'm thinking he was a rookie. This was another ride we had not done for a while. The kids seemed to like it. Rebecca is very academically oriented, so I think she liked all the factual information Dustin disseminated. Had lunch at Pizza and Pasta in The Land. This was one of the better food values of the trip. For $21, we got 2 mac & cheese, 2 loaded baked potatoes, a salad, breadsticks, 3 cookies and 4 drinks. Next Food Rocks and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. These are both "must do's" for us. Next "Journey Into Your Imagination". This was new since our last trip, and was a big disappointment. We thought it was very uninspired. I know it was kind of boring before, but at least it had "Figment" as a drawing card for kids. Our kids used to really like this ride when it had Figment. The interactive area was also new, but again I think I liked the old area better. Next we hit "Ice Station Cool". Rebecca had read about this somewhere, so she wanted to go through it. You go through a very cold tunnel, then hit an area where they have soda fountains with sodas from different countries. Most were at least edible, but try "Beverly" at your own risk. Now it was around 3:15, and the kids wanted to do Spaceship Earth. Mom and I think this ride is boring, and I think it needs to be updated. Communications have really changed in the last few years. I think the interactive area after the ride was new, and it was pretty good. Next we headed over to Test Track for our 4PM Fastpass. Unfortunately at around 3:50 it started raining, resulting in the ride closing. So, we headed for the Millennium Pavilion in the World Showcase. This place was fun. I and the kids did mini golf in the Scotland area and the simulated soccer game in Brazil (you hold a sort of paddle in one direction to make your goalie go up, and in the other direction to make it go down-our team lost-I'm sure we contributed significantly to the loss). Around 5 we left Epcot through the International Gateway and walked to the Boardwalk (a little deja vu for us-we stayed there last trip). Took the boat to MGM. As mom predicted, this was not a real fast way to get to MGM. Then, when we got to the MGM entrance, we got stuck behind some people who were trying to enter their second park of the day, but did not have the right kind of ticket. The fact that they could barely speak English didn't help. Anyway, we finally got in, and went straight for our 6PM priority seating at Mama Melrose's. We had wanted to get a Tower of Terror or Rock & Roller Coaster Fastpass first, but it took so long to get to the park we didn't have time (they are in the totally opposite direction of the restaurant). The food was good, and not too expensive. Our bill was $60, including 2 glasses of wine. Next I went for a Rock & Roller Coaster Fastpass while the kids played at the HISTK playground. At 7:40 we did the Great Movie Ride (10 min wait-we wouldn't wait much longer for this ride) on the way to the 9:15 Fantasmic show. Got to Fantasmic at 8:15. It was pretty full. Our seats weren't great (3rd section from left). At 8:40 it was totally full. While we were waiting a big Brazilian group started the wave. The Brazilian groups were all around throughout the trip. These groups always seemed to be having a great time. They were easy to spot because they would always where the exact same shirts. One time in Epcot I was heading up a walkway and next thing I knew a pack of them were heading towards me, a sea of red shirts. I made my way through them, sticking out like a sore thumb (I was wearing a contrasting color, yellow I think). Back to the show. The kids really liked the preshow by "Delman" who did very silly physical humor. The show itself was awesome. I really enjoyed it. It is a little intense for small children. It took us around 15 minutes to exit when it ended. The trick, I realized later, is to walk along the rows to the section of the stadium where the exit is, then go up the aisle (rather than go up the aisle first). Finally got out and did R&R Coaster. Loved it. The best part is when it starts. You go from 0 to 60 MPH in 2.8 seconds I think. I've never experienced a "stomach drop" going straight ahead before. The ride is very fast, and just a fun atmosphere in general. This ride makes Space Mountain seem tame. We headed out after this, around 10:45. It took awhile to get on a bus (lots of people waiting), but we finally got back and went straight to bed at 11:30. Another long, fun day. Day 5 - Monday June 26 Blizzard Beach Day! The kids love water parks, and so does Dad, so we were really looking forward to Blizzard Beach. We woke up to a mostly cloudy day at 8:20. We were out the door at 9:20. It took a while for the bus to come. We were finally in the park around 10. We wanted to do something the whole family could do first, so we did Teamboat Springs (family raft ride). Even at 10AM on an overcast day, the line was already 20 minutes. The ride was fast and fun. Next we did Runoff Rapids (I don't remember what that was) The lines for all the slides were really getting long, so the kids went to the wave pool, while I called my office. Next we went to the Ski Patrol area, which was a play area for pre-teens. The kids really enjoyed this. They particularly liked the T-bar and the ice berg crossing. This is where we spent the rest of our time at BB. I snuck away to do the 8 lane mat ride (the wait for this one was a little shorter) while they were there. At around 12 it started to rain (but no lightning yet, so the park stayed open). At 12:30 we headed for cover, and lunch, at Lottawatta Lodge. This was a good place to eat because they have a lot of choices. We headed back to ski patrol after lunch. It was still raining, fairly lightly, but what the heck, we were wet anyway. I guess around 2 lightning was within the 5 mile radius, so they kicked everyone out of the water. We waited around for a while. There was a little stand near the front of the park that sold hot, cinnamon sugar mini donuts. We split a dozen of those while we waited. They were delicious. At 3 we finally gave up and headed out. We had an interminably long wait for our bus, at least 30 minutes. We saw 3 buses for several other resorts before the Contemporary bus finally came. This bus also stops at Fort Wilderness and Animal Kingdom, making for an extremely long ride (more on this later). Finally back at 4. We all showered, then walked to the MK at 5. Went for Fastpasses for Space Mountain, but the 8 PM time was too late (we had 8:15 PS at Chef Mickey's), so we got Buzz passes instead (to Rebecca's chagrin, who didn't want to do it since she wasn't scoring well). Walked to Adventureland. Did Pirates (10 min wait), then we got churros for Mom & Dad and ice cream for the kids. Next we walked to Frontierland. The lines were too long for Splash Mountain and BTMR (both over 30 min), so we went back to Adventureland and did the Tiki Room. The kids had never seen this, and we had never seen the new version with Iago (did I spell that correctly)? We enjoyed it. It moved quickly and was funny and entertaining. Back to Buzz around 7. I rode with Rebecca, and ignored my own shooter and just helped Rebecca find the right targets. Next thing I knew she had over 300,000 points. I don't know how she did it, but I stopped helping her. She ended up with 411,000 points, which ended up being the family record for the trip. We didn't have a lot of time before dinner, so we did a little shopping, and bought big Walt Disney World Year 2000 postcards for the kids for them to give to the characters to sign (we decided we weren't buying those rip-off autograph books this time). Then we hit the character festival area in Fantasyland and got our first couple of autographs. At 7:50 we left for the hotel. Got there right on time, waited 15 minutes to get seated. The wait gave us time to visit with Donald and Goofy, so it was no problem. This is a fun place, but the buffet was no more than adequate. It was about the same as what you would find at the buffet at a Golden Corral (or maybe not quite as good). I would guess this will be the last time we do Chef Mickey's for dinner. Mickey and Minnie were very slow getting around. Mickey never did make it to our table, but we were OK with that because we knew we were coming for breakfast later in the week. We left at 9:45. We hit the fun center for 15 minutes. We did the soccer simulator again. Rebecca scored on all 3 of her shots and Erin none, which is a switch from when they play real soccer. We then went out on the pier behind the Contemporary, and at 10 had a great view of the fireworks. Then, immediately after the fireworks ended, the water festival started. This is something we had never seen. It was fine, but not something you would go out of your way for. By 10:30 we were in bed. Day 6 - Tuesday June 27 Mom and I got up at 7:45, Erin shortly thereafter. We had trouble getting Rebecca out of bed. Usually Erin is the one we have trouble with in the morning. This was so unusual we should have suspected that something was wrong with Rebecca. More on that tomorrow. Left the room at 9:10 for Animal Kingdom. Once again, we had trouble with the AK bus. 3 MGM buses arrived before the AK bus. It took 50 minutes from bus stop to bus stop. Also, it was standing room only, with kids sitting on parents laps. It shouldn't be this way. Finally, at 10AM we got to AK, and went straight to Dinoland for a Dinosaur Fastpass. Then to the mammoth dig, which the kids really like. And because the "dirt" is actually little rocks that wipe off easily, it's not too messy. We also played in the playground a little, finding the bone "xylophone". Next Dinosaur at 10:50. Got the front row of the car for the second straight time. This ride is not as good the second time when you know what's coming. Next, we went through Dino Jubilee. Nothing special. At 11:30 I went for Fastpasses for Kali River Rapids, then met the family at 11:55 for our priority seating at Rainforest Cafe. We have one of these at home so it wasn't anything special to us. The food is good with big portions, and the prices are not that high by Disney standards. The main reason we went to RC was so we could say hello to my cousin Eric, who is one of the kitchen managers there. They have these huge aquariums everywhere that are all connected. My cousin told me that one time a valve broke and water was spurting out like a fire hydrant, with water everywhere. That must have been interesting. At lunch the waitress told Rebecca she looks like Drew Barrymore. Our reaction: What??? Anyway, I guess that's a compliment. We'll have to watch ET and see what she looked like when she was young. (As a postscript, later in the summer, one of the counselors at a soccer camp Rebecca was at called her Drew the whole week, due to the resemblance, so I guess she really does look like Drew Barrymore). While we were eating there was a thunderstorm. That worked out well. After lunch the rain had stopped, and we headed to Kali. With the Fastpass, the wait was only 10 min instead of 45. This time nobody in the boat got wet (in other words it was kind of a dud-there is nothing to this ride if you don't get wet). Next we did the Jungle Trek walking trail. This is well worth doing. We got some great views of the tigers. Next we hit the Pangani trail. Also worth doing. The gorillas were the highlight of this walking trail. We left the park at 3:45, feeling like we had done everything in the park we wanted to do. Finally got lucky with the bus wait, but it was SRO again. Back at the hotel, I called my office while the kids went to the pool. Good news-no crises at work. I joined them at the pool and we swam until it started raining again (around 6). The pool is decent, with a pretty good slide. It rained the rest of the night. We showered and hit Epcot around 7:15. We checked out Innoventions. This place is really not our thing. Maybe we would like it better if we had boys. We did have fun sending an email postcard to my father and stepmother (and it was free). We got a light dinner at the fast food place near Innoventions (the Electric Umbrella) I wanted something healthy, but they were out of salad and fruit. At 8:30 we wandered over to World Showcase hoping to find a decent spot to watch Illuminations. We figured with the (light) rain it might not be so crowded. There were no front row spots, but we found a spot behind a family with several small kids. The parents were good about making sure our kids could see, which was very nice and something you don't always see (on the other hand we made sure our kids didn't force their way in front, which many parents let their kids do at parades where we have staked out spots an hour ahead of time). The show was very good. Mostly fireworks. It didn't seem like they did as much with lighting up the countries as they have in the past. As we were leaving, we got slowed down considerably when Erin had to make a bathroom stop. But, 40 minutes later we were back (the monorail line moved quickly). We watched the MK fireworks from the monorail. By 10:30, we were in bed. Day 7 - Wednesday June 28 Today Mom was up first, at 7:45. We were all still in bed when she got out of the shower at 8. I dragged myself out of bed to get orange juice (we had picked up crumb cakes and breads from a bakery stand in Animal Kingdom the day before). The bakery stuff was delicious, and we would have been ready to head out the door at 8:45, but Rebecca was having stomach problems. 30 minutes later she decided to give it a shot, so we walked over to Magic Kingdom. We had not done the new Pooh ride yet because the lines had been so long, so we headed there first and got a Fastpass. Then we hit Peter Pan (10 min wait). We got in line for Snow White, but then noticed that Rebecca looked awful. I pictured her throwing up all over whoever was in front of us in line, so I whisked her out of line and we went looking for a bathroom. I'm not sure it was the closest one, but we ended up around the corner from Peter Pan. So I sent her in and waited. 20 minutes later she came out. We found Mom and Erin, and Mom took Rebecca back to the room (lucky we were at MK). Since we had 4 Fastpasses, Erin and I did Pooh twice. It was OK. Twice was once too many for me. A standard Disney kiddie attraction. In a couple years, after everyone has done it, its lines will be about the same as Peter Pan. Erin liked it. We headed to Space Mountain for a Fastpass, then hit Goofy's Barnstormer (15 min wait). This ride is so short. They should probably let it go around twice per ride. But, it's a perfect roller coaster for little kids. We shopped a little, then did Space Mountain and got a Fastpass for Buzz. I found a phone to call Mom. Rebecca seemed to be doing better, so we decided to return to the room after Buzz. We watched some dancers on one of the stages for around 15 minutes (both the kids do dance-Erin likes to watch-this was a group of kids ages around 10 to 16). We did Buzz. Erin did not score well. Whichever kid is in my car generally doesn't score well, I think because I am constantly steering the car back and forth trying to hit targets. Of course, the kids don't know when and where I am going to turn. When we got back to the room Mom was watching All My Children, so we watched for 15 minutes (I watch it at work during lunch sometimes so I know what is going on). Then we got lunch at the Food Center. Rebecca said she felt better (she had toast for lunch), so we headed back to MK at 2:30. Got Fastpasses for Splash Mountain (6:05), then did BTMR (25 min wait-not a bad wait for mid-afternoon). Next we hit Tom Sawyer's Island. This place was a pleasant surprise. The kids liked it, particularly Fort Langhorne. It's worth taking the time to check this place out, especially for a break in the afternoon. While there I ran into a friend (and his family) who I have known since the sixth grade, but don't see any more except at high school reunions. So that was kind of neat. Rebecca wanted to do Pooh, so I got Fastpasses (for 8:05) and met everyone at the Hall of Presidents. This is an attraction the kids have never done. We decided they are now old enough to get something out of it. They seemed to like it. Rebecca absorbs information like a sponge, and I'm sure she got something out of it. We had 30 minutes to kill before Splash Mountain so we did Haunted Mansion (10 min wait). We got to Splash Mountain at 6. A storm was coming and our Fastpasses were for 6:05-7:05. During our many uses of Fastpasses, we found that some of the attendants were laid back about letting people in a few minutes ahead of their official time, and some were total jerks like this one. There was a clock there, which was presumably the official Fastpass return clock. When it hit 6:05 all the people who had that time tried to get in. However, he wouldn't let us in (he kept looking at his watch like only he could keep the official time). His little power trip wouldn't have been a big deal if it wasn't about to storm. Anyway, at 6:07 he finally decided to let us in. By the time we got to the boat, it was raining steadily. Luckily, there was no lightning, so they didn't close the ride. Next we hit the Liberty Tree Tavern, a little late, for our 6:30 PS. The food was decent, and we really enjoyed the atmosphere (Revolutionary times). It had the usual characters. I have never understood why Chip and Dale are everywhere. Did Disney get a special on Chipmunk costumes? It was still raining after dinner, so we had to buy a new poncho for Erin. Somehow she ripped her previous poncho. Erin has a knack for destroying things, while Rebecca has a knack for losing things. It's nice that our kids have different talents. Next we did Jungle Cruise in a downpour. The guide talked too fast. But it was kind of neat in the rain. Next we did Pooh. The kids liked the Tigger portion (the car bounces) the best. The line was not too long for Dumbo (20 min-short for Dumbo), so the kids went for it. That was our last ride of the night. At 9 we headed out. The rain caused the parade to be cancelled-good thing we had already seen it. I think we may have hit the fun center for a little while, but we were in bed by 10:15. Day 8 - Thursday June 29 I got up at 7:15, with the hope that we would be out of the room by 8:30. I showered and went to F&F. When I got back at 8 everyone was still in bed. I got them up and we finally got out at 9, headed for MGM. This time there were 2 AK buses before the MGM bus came. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the bus schedule. Got there at 9:30 and got Fastpasses for R&R Coaster. Then we hit the 10AM "Doug Live" show. The kids liked it a lot. It was basically a live version of one of the TV episodes. Doug had a great singing voice. Next we used the Fastpasses for the coaster, then got Fastpasses for ToT, then headed to our 11:30 PS at Sci-fi theater. This was a pleasant surprise. It is set up like a drive-in, with hilarious shorts being shown on a big screen. We all loved it. Great atmosphere, decent food. Total cost for the meal was around $50. A little pricey, but worth it for the experience. Next we did Muppet 4-D, which we still enjoy after all these years. Rebecca still wasn't feeling great, so Erin and I went to ToT. Erin was a little nervous, but of course loved it. I love the build up to the big drop. This is my favorite WDW ride. Since we had 4 Fastpasses, we did it again. Both times we were in the front row of the elevator. The second time it was pouring, which was cool when the doors opened before the drop (we actually got a little wet). Next Star Tours (Mom had gotten Fastpasses while we were doing ToT). This is an OK simulator ride, but not one you would want to wait too long for. Next we did the backlot tour. This was also OK, nothing special. At 3:40 we found a bench for the 4:30 Mulan parade. The benches were full by 3:50. I got Fastpasses for the 6:30 Indy Stunt show, called my office, got ice cream, then we relaxed until the parade. The parade was good. I think we saw it when we were at Disneyland 2 years ago. The lion hugged the kids. We were sitting across from "Sounds Dangerous", which was a good place to watch the parade. We went to SD after the parade. We had never seen this. It was cute, and the kids liked it. We played in the interactive area afterwards, which was OK. Next I headed back to R&R for Fastpasses, while the kids did the HISTK playground. At 6:15 we got in the FP line for Indy. The time on the Fastpass was 6:05 - 6:20, but at 6:15 they were already letting people in from the regular line. There was no special seating for people with Fastpasses, so they were worthless. The show was pretty good. It took them a long time to build up to each stunt (they only did 3 or 4). At 7:30 we walked to R&R Coaster. ToT was only a 15 min wait, so we went for it. Rebecca was very nervous about doing it (Mom a little too). We got the front row again. Rebecca and Mom were holding on to my arm when the car left the elevator. They liked it of course. When we finished we headed straight for Fastpasses so we could do it again (9PM time slot). Then we did the coaster. Each time we do it, it seems to get my stomach less. I think you get the better stomach effect if you are in the back. We got some fruit and pretzels while we waited for our ToT time (that was our dinner). While we were waiting Erin announced she didn't want to do ToT. It turns out the TV part of the preshow scared her. We convinced her to do it by telling her not to watch the TV. There was a guy who was obviously autistic in front of us in line who made things more interesting. He was just like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. He was by himself but was talking to everyone. Then, when the ride started he got really nervous and held on to the poor guy next to him. After ToT we left the park. We pretty much did everything in this park in one day. It's doable, if you get there early and stay late (this is also true for Animal Kingdom, but not Magic Kingdom or Epcot). We got back around 10 and watched the fireworks from our window (partially blocked by trees) before going to bed. Day 9 - Friday June 30 This was our last full day. The headline in the newspaper at our room door was the hostage situation at the Boardwalk. The previous day a man, who apparently had been wronged by his wife or girlfriend, took his son (I think) and a room service waiter hostage in a room at the Boardwalk. I think he finally surrendered after about 8 hours. The amazing thing is that Disney kept it so quiet while it was going on. We heard nothing about it until we saw it in the paper, and no one we subsequently talked to heard anything about it either until after the fact. Anyway, this morning was breakfast at Chef Mickey's. The PS was at 7:30, so we just got up, got dressed, and went. The breakfast buffet has a lot of variety and is better than the dinner buffet. After breakfast we shopped a little, got our free pins, and went back to the room. Everyone but Mom put their swim suits on to head to River Country. Mom stayed to pack and relax. It was an easy boat ride to River Country. We were there by 9:40. We had to wait until 9:50 for it to open (scheduled opening was 10). River Country was great! We had never been there, and I didn't know what to expect. The main section was a big cove with a sandy bottom, with two good flume slides, two T-bars, a tire swing, and a few other things. It also had a separate regular pool with two good straight down slides with seven foot drops. The best thing about this place was that it was not very crowded, so it was very relaxing and comfortable (unlike the two water parks). And there was enough to do to keep us amused for a couple hours. Unfortunately, we were there for only 1 and 1/4 hours when it started raining heavily, so we left before we were ready. This place was a real find, and we will go back next trip I'm sure. We showered when we got back, then headed for Epcot. We finally got the front car of the monorail, after trying many times in this trip and several previous trips. The kids liked it, even though the driver was not very talkative. She did give them co-pilot license cards. We got to Epcot around 1, and went straight for Test Track Fastpasses. The time was already up to 8:15. We grabbed a light lunch, then hit Wonders of Life. We did Cranium Command, which we have done before and like a lot. Then we did Body Wars, which we had not done before and did not think was all that great. Star Tours is definitely better. We did a little interactive stuff, but it has not changed since I can remember, so we had done it all many times before and didn't stay long. At 3 we headed to the Garden Grill for the ice cream social. We had read about this in a trip report. This would be a perfect thing to do if you wanted to do a character meal without spending so much money. You get a huge ice cream concoction with a big toll house cookie at the bottom, with the usual cast of characters wandering around, for $6.75. The kids enjoyed it. This was pretty much our dinner. Next we went to Millennium Village to do the stuff we didn't get to when we were there previously. We did the "World Culture" game against around seven other family teams. We had watched the previous game, and the questions were exactly the same. Guess who won? Next we wandered through the countries, with no particular agenda. We stopped at England to watch the Beatles knockoff band "British Invasion" for around 15 minutes. They had the instrumental part down pat, but not the look or the voices. At Japan we got masks for "Kidcot". At each country you got something different to add to the mask. We sort of watched the "Tapestry of Nations" parade, which was pretty good, while we had Italian ice or something. We did Maelstrom in Norway, and just wandered around for awhile. We were planning on seeing American Adventure, but never got around to it. Eventually it was time to head to our Fastpass at Test Track. It again took us 30 minutes to get through. After TT we headed out, and got back around 9:20. We were a little hungry, so we got a snack at Food & Fun, played a couple games, then cashed in our tickets. For 350 tickets, we got two little stuffed animals and two small rubber balls. By 10:30 we were back in the room and in bed soon thereafter. Day 10 - Saturday June 30 Our last day. Sad, but if you stayed forever it wouldn't be special. I guess we were ready to go, because we had pretty much done everything we wanted to do. We got up, ate breakfast and packed, and by 9 we were ready for the bellman to get our bags. By 9:20 we were heading to Epcot. Our plan was to hit all the main parks except Animal Kingdom, hitting as many favorites as we could. When we got to Epcot we got a Fastpass for Test Track. We were going to mess around in the countries until the Fastpass time of 10:45, but we forgot the countries don't open until 11. So, we messed around in the Wonders of Life pavilion. This time, it only took us 15 minutes to get through the test track queue. We went to Mexico next, hoping to get the kidcot masks finished. It turned out they don't do the kidcot stuff until 1, so we left Epcot through the back exit at England, and took the boat to MGM. We headed straight for our favorite section of any of the parks, where Tower of Terror and Rock & Roller Coaster are right next to each other. We got a Fastpass for R&R, then did ToT, with only a 20 minute wait. It's hard to believe it had such a short wait in the middle of the day. After ToT, we walked to Pizza Planet for lunch. We did a couple of arcade games, but found them to be expensive, and not that great, with many of them broken. We'll take the food and fun center any time over Pizza Planet. Back to R&R Coaster for our last MGM ride, before leaving for Magic Kingdom around 2:15. When we got to MK, we headed straight for a Space Mountain Fastpass. The FP time was 5:25, so we did Goofy's Barnstormer, which Rebecca had not done yet, the Teacups, which none of us had done, Snow White (my favorite Fantasyland ride), and Small World (my least favorite Fantasyland ride). Each of these had no more than a 20 minute wait. We headed back to Tomorrowland, picked up a 6PM Fastpass for Buzz, killed 15 minutes in shops waiting for 5:25, then did Space Mountain. For our last WDW ride we did Buzz. Rebecca somehow only got 700 points, which was not a great end for her. We caught the monorail back to the Contemporary, picked up the Mears shuttle at 7:05, and got to the airport in plenty of time for our 9:05 flight back to Dulles. It had been a great trip. Some thoughts: The weather There was significant rain every day of the trip. By significant I mean at least one hour of steady rain. It was always nice in the morning. It usually didn't start raining until 2 (the 2 exceptions were, of course, the 2 days we were at water parks). In fact, it rained every time we went, or tried to go, swimming. If you want to swim and not worry about the weather, you have to do it first thing in the morning this time of year. Having said all this, the rain was really not a big deal. We dealt with it. One plus was that the rain and clouds kept the temperature comfortable. It was hotter and more uncomfortable at home in Virginia the week before we left than when we were in Orlando. Fastpass No superlative can adequately describe the Fastpass. We were expecting huge lines and long waits at all the popular attractions. Mainly because of Fastpass, we never waited more than 30 minutes for any ride or attraction. Because of the expected lines, we figured we would do the best attractions only once or twice. We ended up doing our favorites 4 or 5 times each. I have no idea why anyone would wait 2 hours for a ride like Test Track when, with a little planning, you can wait 20 minutes or less. It's a weird feeling to walk past huge throngs of people in the regular line when you have a Fastpass. You feel a little guilty breezing right through while they have to wait forever, but mainly you're thinking "those people are so stupid". The Contemporary This was a great place to stay. The food & fun center was great. The room looked recently refurbished. It was nice and spacious, with a big bathroom. The couch converted to a bed, so each of our kids could have their own bed (otherwise Mom and I would have each had to share a bed with a kid, because they can't get along sleeping in the same bed). Our room was in the north garden section. We asked for a room close to the elevator, but not right next to it, and that's what they gave us. It was a perfect location, because it was an easy walk to the food & fun center and the bus stop. The wing is quite long, stretching around towards the bay. The rooms closer to the bay probably have a better view, but who cares about the view when you are hardly in your room. Being close to the bus stop and the food & fun center was the most important thing to us. Our choices were the north versus the south garden, because the "tower" rooms (the ones in the middle where the monorail runs through) were way too expensive. Of the two "gardens", the north garden is definitely preferable, because it is on the same side as the bus stop and the Magic Kingdom. Crowds It was much less crowded than we expected. We were in Disneyland in late June 2 years before, and the crowds were stifling. Except at Blizzard Beach, the crowds were simply not an issue. We never had to search for a table at an eatery, and never waited more than 25 minutes or so for an attraction (the longest waits were for buses). I would highly recommend visiting WDW in June, even late in the month. Some great things I didn't know about, even though I have been to WDW probably 8 times:
Doug Corey sockerdad1@aol.com Mail a Comment to Doug Corey |
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