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Gretchen Jordan -- July 2000 -- Walt Disney World (FWC)Pre-Trip Report July 4 - 14, 2000 (We drove from Portland, Oregon, leaving June 25 and returning home July 23. Trip report only includes dates at WDW, although I do have more from the trip east and west.) The cast of our Adventure:
Our family is preparing for one of those once in a lifetime trips where we will take a month off for our vacation: One week to drive from Portland, Oregon, ten days at WDW, eight days to drive home. Hubby is a professional truck driver with an itch to put the pedal to the metal. Have already reserved site at Fort Wilderness, and purchased 6 day park hopper plus passes. Will have dinner at Chef Mickey’s July 4 eve, and plan to start early the next day. Itinerary from that point still working on….. Will definitely use the Park Hopper Feature and early entry times. We’ve learned from experience that it makes a huge difference to take that mid-day nap. Looking for tips on the weather (yes, we know HOT, and rainy at times (in Oregon we have webbed feet you know) but rather concerned about the hurricane season….park shutdowns, etc. etc.? Just how bad are the mosquitoes? I’ve been to Disneyland on July 4 and many summer/peak periods. What’s the crowd factor comparison? Will we be plagued by groups of wandering Brazilian students?? Most of all we are prepared to accept the great and not-so-great Disney moments as they come. Update as of May 30th... Have purchased six day park hopper plus passes - ten day stay at Fort Wilderness, have a 25' fifth wheel, with A/C, queen bed, bunks, tv/cable, playstation...the maid service isn't too bad !! Have 28 rolls of film, a video camera, two cell phones, four ponchos, three different kinds of sunblock and bug spray, water bottles and comfy shoes - and Disney dollars. Day one -Tuesday July 4 We will be arriving at Fort Wilderness today. Check - in is at 1 pm, and plan to arrive by noon in case we can check in early. We are bringing our bikes and will use the afternoon to explore the campground. Coming from 'the west', it will be fun to see how the camp/décor/place is set up. We will do an afternoon swim, and then relax until dinner. We have made PS for 7pm at the contemporary resort - Chef Mickey's then will do fireworks watching. The person at MK booking said you can go up to the observation deck, or see from other locations. It should be neat wherever we see them, because after driving all the way across the US we will be good and ready for a celebration!! Then, home after the fireworks - to bed. Day two - Wednesday, July 5 We'll catch the early open at MGM studios. Our plan at this point is to follow the one-day touring plan based on the 'unofficial guide' and Birnbaum's. I've been prepping my seven year old for the rides - TOT and TT so there will be no last minute baby swap. Have 11 am PS at the sci-fi drive in. Will stay til mid-day, go home in the afternoon, and return for the evening. For any repeats of the attractions we will use our park hopper option later in our stay. It will be also our first test run for the bus systems. Day three - Thursday, July 6 Epcot !! We're really looking forward to it. We did go to Expo '86 in Vancouver, BC (before kids were born) and have an idea it may be remotely similar. We enjoyed it then. Our family has been to Disneyland many times so we should be able to hold off the kids for the Magic Kingdom until later in the week. We will follow the two day touring plan for Epcot, arriving as early as we can, depending on how late we are up the night before. We definitely will take an afternoon break. Will also hop to MGM if we feel the need or have time. Day four - Friday, July 7 Epcot part two - will do early entry, keep following our touring plan. Haven't made any PS reservations for meals for either day - will wait and see what looks good. Will stay late tonight to see illuminations. May hop to MK if we just can't stand it for a while in the early evening. Day Five - Saturday, July 8 Will take a day off from WDW and take a day trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Will purchase tickets in advance. Most research has told us it's an easy day trip. We will have dinner that evening off site or something simple at home. If we are not to tired Bill and I will have our kids watch a movie at home and we may go check out Pleasure Island. Day Six - Sunday, July 9 A day off !! If possible to catch a Lutheran church service nearby, we will go for it. But we will have a day to relax. Will probably spend 1/2 day at River Country. It is close by, and sounds the tamest of all the water parks. We have decided to go there because 1. My husband isn't a big swimmer so that means I'll spend all the time in the water and 2. we have got to have BB or TL to come back to !! Day Seven - Monday, July 10 Magic Kingdom, here we come. It will be fun to explore and find out how different the attractions are - or just the same ?? Again, we will follow the two day plan, doing early entry, afternoon break, and having fun !! Day Eight - Tuesday, July 11 Will experience Animal Kingdom, again following the touring plans. Made PS at Rainforest Café at 11:00, but may cancel and book on our next day off if we need the time. This will also be a night that we will 'hop' to MGM if we want to do anything again (and probably will). Day Nine - Wednesday, July 12 Our other day off. Will try our best to relax and recuperate. But, if necessary, will upgrade our six day pass to a seven day. We will see. Day Ten - Thursday, July 13 Will experience Magic Kingdom again, for one last time. Early entry, afternoon break and will close the place down. If we get too much here, again will hop if needed. Check out is 11:00 the next morning then we will head back to OREGON !! The Report Tuesday, July 04, 2000 I woke up before everyone else but had a hard time getting anyone else out of bed. I hoped to be on the road by 7 but we only made it on the road about 8:30. Bill had spied a Waffle House about three miles north, but I knew we would find another one south. So onward we went and in about 1/2 hour we found one. It was really good; I didn't think I would like grits as much as those. The kids gobbled up their waffles and we just soaked up the atmosphere (including sitting next to a booth of smokers - in Oregon we are really spoiled - everything is non-smoking ). Then, on our way to Florida. We reached the Florida border about 11:00 and stopped at a rest stop about 11:30. They have beautiful rest stops, very large and deluxe. The only negative impression was that sign stating 'night security was available'. We moved on, figuring we would arrive at WDW about 2:30 (Bill's estimate). However, the miles just flew by (thanks to that 70 speed limit) and I read some Harry Potter to the kids and before we knew it, we had reached the Florida Turnpike and Highway 4. The exits for WDW came up pretty quickly and of course Bill was demanding to know the exact route ASAP. After watching the signs we finally pulled into the Fort Wilderness campground at 1:06 pm. Just driving onto the WDW property gave us a good idea of the size we were dealing with. We had an idea that FWC would be much like Fort Stevens campground in the northeastern tip of Oregon, and it was - the loops are designed the same and the surroundings are very similar. The big difference is that it is very clean and the sites are very level and neat. I saw that the pad had been hosed off for us and the site was very clean. The site is great, with quite a bit of privacy and enough space to put out the awning and the slide. After a little unpacking and organizing, we hopped on our bikes to explore. We found the wilderness outpost next to the marina, the entrance to River Country, and the tavern and the pool. Every building is neat, clean, and of course in the 'fort' style. We were very impressed and felt we're getting our money's worth. Bill came back to the trailer to veg out and I took the kids swimming. It was only a few minutes away on bikes (everyone here seems to have golf carts, but that was why we brought the bikes all that way so we could get around) where the pool was cool and refreshing. It seemed pretty crowded but there was enough room to move around. After 15 or 20 minutes I laid in the sun and the kids played in the pool. At five o'clock it was time to head back to our trailer and get ready for our 7 pm Chef Mickey p.s. We left about 6 pm after a quick stop by the camp trading post to buy sunglasses and holders for the kids. We hopped on a boat to the contemporary resort and thought we would try the transportation system for many of our park outings. It had been a very muggy day and we were hoping to catch the fireworks from the CR after dinner. We arrived at the CR and were all very excited to at last to enjoy the magic! After a few pictures and oohs and aahs outside we moved into the lobby, up to the mezzanine where there was yet more merchandise (surprise). The kids have already become used to my saying no so they were fairly content to just look. I got some good ideas for our mega trip sometime in the future to World of Disney. We got in line for CM about 6:50, realized we should have gotten autograph books for the kids. We sent Jackie with the $$ and she quickly returned with two books and a pen. The kids got to observe a little of what was in store and were seated by 7:05. It seemed pretty busy but as usual, everything was well organized an appeared to be running smoothly. After a drink order was placed with our waiter James, we headed for the salad buffet - jackpot - shrimp!! We had only just begun our salads when already Mickey, Minnie and Chip & Dale made their way to our table, posed for pictures and signed autographs. While we made our way around to the main courses, we were visited several times more. Character meals are definitely the way to go - no jockeying for position waiting for some other kid to get out of the way! We had stuffed ourselves and left CM with the kids bright and happy. Many other families did not seem to be faring so well but I knew it had been a hot day. Drink water, drink water, and repeat as necessary! We had decided to ride the monorail around just to see what we could see. It wasn't very busy and we had a seat to ourselves in the back. After we got to the Polynesian resort, we couldn't resist getting out and having a look around. It was great! When we hopped back on the monorail we stayed on until we came back around to the CR. Got some great views of the MK. Space Mountain looks bigger than it does in Disneyland. After disembarking on the monorail, we followed the crowd out to the outside decks and staked out a spot on the outside stairwells at CR facing the MK to see the fireworks. Bill knew they wouldn't be too hard to see since they would be way up anyway. At about 9:05 they began, and they lasted about 20 minutes. A fantastic display it was too, that lit up the sky. We had lots of oohs and aahs even from where we were. After it was over, we waited a few minutes for the crowd to subside (although it wasn't that crowded on the deck) and walked to the landing for the boat ride back to Fort Wilderness. We waited about 20 minutes for a boat, and then had a quiet, cool cruise across the lagoon to home. We only got lost once in the dark, and then made it home. Jaymes made it about 30 minutes and then asked if he could not play game boy but just go straight to bed. I said, well, sure. Jackie also got herself into bed and so did Bill. I will too, after organizing the daypack for tomorrow. Wednesday, July 5 We got up at 6:30 to make our first Disney World experience at MGM studios. We planned to follow the touring plan and suggestions from the Unofficial Guide. For the first time, we decided to drive over to the park and see how that went. Everyone got up pretty well and we arrived at the park about 7:40. It was an early open day, and we walked right in the gates and headed directly over to RRC. The line was only about five minutes long; we were still a little sleepy so fortunately nobody had time to chicken out - especially me! I enjoyed the queue and the preshow but I don't think the kids knew who Aerosmith was. But they still enjoyed the music. The limos pulled up and we watched them take off. The rides loaded so quickly we were in before we knew it. I could see the excitement and the fear in the kid's eyes - and those eyes got even bigger when we were loaded in the first two rows. WOW what a takeoff! The ride was very quick, not as long as space mountain but definitely more intense. I didn't know there would be a picture at the end so we bought one because there are some great expressions on everyone's faces. Bill had his eyes closed - he didn't feel well from that first loop. Well after the exit we were pretty pumped that we had done it - so we went over to the TOT. My son Jaymes had been pretty scared of this ride, and we had practiced sitting on the couch at home, holding hands and screaming for three seconds. Again, because we arrived so early, the line was only about 10 minutes long. We went through the queue and we all enjoyed it (the Kids had just watched the movie on the Disney channel a few weeks ago) so we all got into it. Loading into the ride, someone asked us if we were going to scream? I said, of course, that's what makes it fun! They asked to sit across from us and I told them I would scream the other way (wimps that they were). It was great ride; I'm always fascinated by the technical details and really enjoy wondering how do they do that? The way the boxes get out and moved around was really different. It was easy to appreciate how much computers have improved the overall effects and feel of a ride - it just doesn't seem right to call it just a ride - it is a total experience. The drop sequence was fun - and when the doors opened so you had a feel for where you were, it was great! The kids and I loved it, but look out, Bill hadn't recovered from the RRC so he was not doing well. I would not ride TOT on a full stomach. I was too excited to notice, but Bill could smell the antiseptic smell of the cleanup from where other people had been sick. It didn't help him any but he managed to keep it down. Another photo opp, and we had both sent back to FW; it is such a hassle to carry around packages all day; definitely do package pickup or have it sent to your room. At Fort Wilderness it goes to the trading post. Continuing to follow the touring plan, we did The Great movie ride - cute, with surprises and again appreciated how crowds could load fast and an efficient was to move us all through. The kids didn't recognize all of the movies but they still loved it. Jaymes knew we were over the hump of scariness so he relaxed and really enjoyed himself. We did Muppet 3-d, lots of fun and we knew what to expect having seen Honey I Shrunk the audience at Disneyland several times. The animation tour was really interesting. The whole group seemed to have the feeling of walking on hallowed ground- and it was neat to see all the animators at work. What a job! Our tour guide said the animators have it really good. 9-5 jobs, holidays off, casual work environment - except you get people staring at you all the time. We had ps at the Sci-Fi dine in theater at 11:00 and managed to make it at 10:55. we were seated right away - I had told everybody what it would be like but they didn't really get it - but when we walked in they all smiled and loved sitting in the car. The kids sat up front and Bill and I behind them. The room was pretty full and was surprisingly quiet. We enjoyed our meal - the kid's meals were good, they ate most of it, Bill had the yellowfin tuna and I had the smoked chicken wrap. The blue cheese was a little strong but it was good and filling. It came with spiced fruit, which was delicious. It was also nice to have a break from the sun and heat where it was cool and dark. After lunch we continued on with our touring plan. The line for Star Tours was still long but we did want to experience it so we got a fast pass. It had us coming back in about 90 minutes so we did Sounds Dangerous, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. They were both welcome opportunities to have a seat. Sounds Dangerous is in the dark a lot, and with the headphones are so realistic when you hear the bees, the knife thrower, and the elephant you find your self ducking! The Indiana Jones is fairly long and Jaymes really liked it. He understood how they do some of the stunts in the movies. It was time to do Star Tours, Bill begged off because he still wasn't feeling 100% since TOT. The queue and the ride are almost exactly like Disneyland. Chewbacca was outside for autographs but there was a long line and he went inside quickly. We worked our way around to the Backlot tour. Not too long of a line, the preshow was funny with the two people getting drenched during the boat attack. It was nice to sit down again. Jaymes really enjoyed catastrophe canyon (any chance to get wet). When you exit the tram, you go into a display of movie artifacts. It was fun and the kids could relate to some of them too. It was almost six so we decided to let the kids play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. We had a snack of pretzels and churros while they explored. We wandered around New York Street and then thought we would go and check out RRC and TOT. The fastpasses were about 10 pm so we skipped it. We thought about getting in line for Fantasmic but there was a huge crowd of people and I overheard some CM say that there was standing room only so we decided to hop back later in the week and catch it. Thursday, July 6, 2000 We had decided to follow the two day touring plan for Epcot that has you coming late one day and early the next. After such a long night at MGM we slept in (which felt great) and decided to try the Trail's End buffet breakfast. It was great - we were welcomed warmly, offered coffee while we were waiting for our table, and encouraged to 'eat our fill'. We did and there were plenty of varied selections from eggs, bacon, fruit and cereal so everyone was happy and full. We came back to our trailer, did a little cleaning up (family style maid service) and headed off to Epcot. We decided to try the bus system this time as we were pretty burned out on being in the car. Our trailer is in loop 700, which is a great spot because you are just a few minutes walk from the pool, the trading post, River Country, and just around the corner is the bus stop. The touring plan had said to arrive about 2 pm. We would enter the park and explore part of future world, about a third of world showcase and then have dinner and illuminations then home. The next day (an early day) we would cover the rest. The bus and monorail ride went very smoothly; there weren't many people coming in on this day. We entered the park with no line at the turnstile (a very good omen) and walked right onto spaceship earth. The kids got a real kick out of it and they know when they get on a ride that's on a constant loader belt it is not scary. It was inspiring and interesting. We skipped innoventions thinking that it could take a lot of time to look and play with everything. After that we went over to the living seas and watched 'the Sea' and then went down to Sea Base Alpha (Jaymes thought we had really gone under the water) look at the exhibits - some neat displays about different sea creatures and facts about the sea. We looked around for about twenty minutes and then moved on to see The Land pavilion. We saw Food Rocks (extremely corny but the kids still sing some of the songs and have started to look at the food labels on cereal boxes, etc.) and Lion King so quickly we thought we would also do Living with the Land. The boat ride was pretty slow but it was interesting to go through the greenhouses. We stopped for a short snack of ice cream and cookies and then moved on. We had noticed the crowds weren't extremely heavy and that we seemed to be ahead of schedule so we thought we would go check out test track. Test Track standby line had a 75-minute wait and the fast passes appeared to be all used up so we thought we would check out the Wonders of Life pavillion. We saw Body Wars - as soon as we saw the 'ship' we would be traveling in that it would be like Star Tours. It was fun but Bill said it would have been better if Raquel Welch (remember 'Fantastic Voyage'?) had been in it. Next was Cranium Command. It was an interesting mix of audio-animatronics and video but I laughed all the way through with all the guest cameos. The kids enjoyed it but not as much as I did. I loved it! After that we decided to see the Making of Me, knowing that it may be a little embarrassing. It was cute, tasteful and very well done. We asked the kids if they had any questions and they said no, so we looked at some of the exhibits and thought we would check out Ellen's Energy Adventure. Next to the Wonders of Life Pavillion we saw a large building being torn down. I asked a CM and they said it was an old attraction (Horizons) that would be replaced by something new. I took some pictures for posterity. There was a line for Ellen but it looked like there would be room. We didn't wait too long and went in. The first part of the Energy Adventure was fun. I like Ellen and Bill Nye the Science guy and it held the kids' interest because they knew who he was. The video presentation was quite entertaining in itself but it was nice to be ushered in to the large seating area. Never turn down a chance to sit down at a Disney attraction!! Both my husband and I were blown away, however, when the seating area moved and led us through an adventure thought the land of dinosaurs. Not only was I impressed by the sounds, smells and atmosphere but the 'how'd they do that' bug had bitten me too. The entire presentation was great - and educational, funny and something to think about. The kids are still talking about it. At this point we had seen almost all of Future World and it was only 7 pm. We decided to hop over to the Magic Kingdom, assuming that if the crowds were light at Epcot they might be there as well. We would return to Epcot another day and do all of World Showcase. We took the monorail over to the MK and were encouraged to see so many people leaving. However, in the park it was still packed. We looked around at first and without a map found our way to Tiki Room - the show was just beginning and was only about half full. We moved on out of there and rode Pirates, (walked right on) on to Thunder Mountain Railroad and only had a twenty-minute wait. People were lined up for the Electrical Parade so we got around that quickly (since having seen it at Disneyland many times) and went on the Haunted Mansion, Small World with almost no wait. After that it was almost ten and we realized that we hadn't had any dinner! We stopped at the Pinocchio Village Haus and had cheeseburgers and fries. As we were wolfing it down the fireworks surprised us! We quickly moved outside and saw part of them. We finished our food and knew we would have some time to catch a few more rides. Peter Pan had a 10-minute line so we did that, and thought we would try Splash Mountain before heading home. There was about a 20-minute line at SM so we got in line and it moved pretty quickly. We were lucky to get in the front two rows, so we let the kids get in front of us. Jaymes was so excited about getting wet. Just to make sure, as we reached the bottom after the drop, from behind him I poured over half my water bottle over his head. He squealed with delight at getting so soaked and he did not know it was I. My husband and I almost couldn't control our laughter but we managed to keep it together. From now on, that is our 'Secret of Splash Mountain'. We picked up the photo and made our way to the exit. Just a short boat ride home, then off to bed Friday, July 7 We decided to take a day off here and recharge our batteries. After a busy day the chance to sleep in a little was great. After a cup of coffee, we did a few loads of laundry and then spent the day at River Country. We had thought about going to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon but Jaymes isn't a real strong swimmer and River Country was so close we decided to try it. We arrived about 11:00. The park didn't seem too crowded and the kids were ready to check out all the action. They loved the inner tube ride (although Bill and I would 'bottom out' and get stuck all the time) it was a fun activity for us to do all together. Bill and I went to lie down for a while and the kids explored the smaller kids activity area and the swing area. They both enjoyed that but I had to be nearby as the water is just a little too deep for Jaymes. We both tried the small and large flumes; they were so fun and not real crowded either. In fact, I couldn't see any kids unaccompanied so everyone was behaving and we had no problems. The staff were all friendly and alert too. River Country is a large area that drains into the Bay Lake (but cannot come in). Jackie found out the water comes from a nearby river and then is filtered. I had packed a lunch, with snacks and drinks so we avoided the lunch counter. Within the first hour there was an appearance by Mickey and Minnie in beach wear and then Goofy appeared by boat from the bay and joined the kids in the water, even going down a flume and jumping off a rope! What a good sport he was. Everyone got a kick out of it. Around 2 pm we had sandwiches, crackers and a drink. When I went to the restroom, I noticed that lifejackets were free upon request. I got one for Jaymes and told him he could now do anything he liked without me there (except for the pool slides). At 2:30, there was a small organized parade from the entrance to the water, where the activity director and her helper handed out flags and kazoos to any child who wanted to participate. Mickey, Minnie and Goofy led them all and everyone enjoyed it. Following the tips in the unofficial guide, we packed our tickets, cash and ID in a Ziploc bag and put it in the cooler. There was not a problem and we felt everything was fairly secure. The worst thing we encountered was the spot we had staked out, under the trees and shade. Unfortunately, the birds in the trees kept sending messages. All of us, either our clothes or arms, legs or neck was 'hit'. So, if you're looking for a spot in the shade, look around to see if there are birds nearby. Also, keep your snacks packed away as we had to chase several birds off the neighbors' cheetos until we had Jackie cover and hide them. There is a booth where you can get hair wraps so Jackie and I both splurged. The lady doing the hair wraps gave us some good pointers about Epcot and we chatted about the weather. She thought she heard thunder and before long the clouds rolled in rather quickly and we could all hear the thunder. I knew that if there was a thunderstorm they would close the park, but usually they pass quickly. River Country has a regular pool too. It is several degrees cooler and also has a few slides where you can drop about eight feet down into the pool. The water there is about 10 feet deep and I told Jaymes he could do it once before we left. He was ready to do it a lot more than I was! Around 3:30 we were on our way to the inner tube ride again when the lifeguards began announcing that the park was closing, a storm was coming and we should leave the tubes on the bridge and proceed directly to the shelter. They meant business and there was suddenly an air of urgency around us. A few bolts of lightning struck close by and everyone had no problem getting to the shelter quickly. We did pick up our cooler and towels to take with us. Within a few minutes it was pouring down rain. The lifeguards joined us, and they immediately gathered any kids up front and kept them occupied with hula hoop games. Many parents were appreciative of this. Some kids were terrified and they were distracted to not worry so much about the weather . We munched on our snacks from the cooler and waited to see if the rain would stop. It was only about twenty or thirty minutes until the weather passed and we all went back in the water. We swam and played for about another hour when another storm warning came up, this time much more quickly than the first. The kids were a little more scared this time because the lightning was very close. This time it rained for more than 45 minuties - sometimes even sideways! Again, the lifeguards did their thing with the kids and before long Mickey, Minnie and Pluto showed up to give hugs. It wasn't really cold so we finished off our snacks and waited again. Jaymes and Jackie sat next to us and before long; I looked over to see Jaymes had fallen asleep on Bill's shoulder. We let him sleep and just people watched while the storm cleared. We woke up Jaymes and headed home about 6 pm. He didn't get to do the big slide and I told him we would try to make it back. We were very hungry after swimming all day and decided to just walk up to Crockett's tavern and try a pizza. It was great, hot, cheesy and good. The service was good and the pizza was a pretty good value. We had enough for leftovers, had them put in a box, and went home to relax and sleep. Saturday, July 15, 2000 We chose today to go to the Animal Kingdom because the Unofficial guide had said a weekend crowd would be less than a weekday crowd. It was also going to be another hot day and we hoped to start early and see most of the park before it was real uncomfortable. We arrived early, about 7:45 and the gates had not opened. There's a short opening ceremony, with people in animal costumes to greet you. Most people walked right past into other attractions like It's Tough to be a Bug. Everyone seemed to be heading for Kilimanjaro Safaris. There was a short line at the safaris; we got on within about 10 minutes. It was about what I expected; the driver pointing out animals while following the taped conversation with the ranger in the helicopter. In Oregon we have a terrific zoo and in Southern Oregon we have 'Wildlife Safari' where you can drive through a similar setting in your own car. But we did see a lot of animals. The kids enjoyed it and everyone else did too. After that we headed over to Kali River Rapids (following the touring plan) and walked right on. Of course it was 8:45 am and nobody wanted to get wet so early. The rapid ride was fun, with a few surprises and yes, we did get wet. We had brought a small garbage bag to wrap our packs and cameras in so there was no problem except for our clothes. The water went down our backs so we were pretty soaked, but we all laughed. When we came to get off, there was no line so the cast member said we could stay on if we wanted, so we did. More soaking! We worked our way down to Dinosaur. Dinoland looked fun and the kids definitely wanted to go to the bone yard later. The line for Dinosaur was starting to build up; about a 15-minute wait. Saw a neat Disney moment; a couple with t-shirts printed that they had been married at WDW about 15 months before; now they were in line with their infant baby. Dinosaur was pretty intense. You ride in the same type of vehicle as Indiana Jones in Disneyland. The ride itself is similar as far as the dips, sways and drops but much louder and darker, I thought. The kids did okay but they didn't want to go again. I wanted to but was outvoted. The last part probably did them in. We had 11:00 ps for Rainforest Café and we were working our way to see it's Tough to be A Bug but on the way a CM was directing people to see Festival of the Lion King so we decided to go as it was beginning to get even hotter. We walked right in and got a seat. The kids were concerned they couldn't see and we as well as many others were jockeying their kids around larger adults. The show started and it was a great one, probably the best production show in WDW (after Fantasmic). It is full of energy, audience participation, acrobatics, singing and puppetry. After the show they leave the floats out and you can say hello to Pumba or Simba - and they do respond back! We really enjoyed it and the kids were very inspired. They both talked all through lunch about their favorite parts. I would recommend you see it if you have to make a choice with any other attraction at AK. It was almost time for lunch so we went out to the Rainforest Café. It is separate from AK so you do need your tickets and a hand stamp. We were seated right away near the gorillas. They move slightly every few seconds and about every 15 minutes they really go into action - all the animals do, in turn. It gave the kids a lot to look at. They ordered their usual chicken fingers kids meal (Even though Jackie is 12 and looks a little older she can't finish an adult meal. Everywhere we went there was no problem with her ordering from the kids menu) we did order the appetizer tray and they did try a little of everything. Bill had the Mayan Grill and I had a type of stir-fry. They were both delicious and the service was great. Our server was pretty attentive and personable. After lunch, we let the kids go and look around the shop while we shared the key lime pie. Yum! We went out to the shop and there were some things on sale (t-shirts and mugs, some souvenirs) that we picked up. We did have them delivered to the resort (a great deal - I recommend you take advantage of it whenever you can). We re-entered the park and following the touring plan, we caught the Flights of Wonder show. All the shows were outside and by then, it was so hot we tried to find shade and rest as much as possible. I do think the humidity is a lot higher there because of all the vegetation. The sky had started to cloud up a little more and we had heard the forecast of thunderstorms. Today we had brought our ponchos. Jackie complained a little about having to carry them so Bill stuffed ours into his short pockets. Then his thighs looked like mine! We walked by the boneyard and the kids went in to explore. There's a large play area, and a fountain that kids can get wet in. The best thing for parents is there is a large fan that you can position yourself in front of and keep pretty cool while sitting on a rock. Jackie found the place where you can dig out the bones. You have to walk up a staircase and around to other side. Bill and I just sat on a rock and tried to cool off. After about 20 minutes we thought we would catch 'Tarzan Rocks'. We didn't have to wait long to sit down, and found a seat fairly up close but off to the right. The show wasn't bad, just not what I expected. It's more like a mini rock concert where they sing the songs from the movie and there are acrobats. It's very high energy and especially geared toward teens. You do see Tarzan and Jane, and Terk about 2/3 of the way through the show. While we were in the show, I could hear thunder and the sky had clouded all the way up. As soon as we exited, I had everyone put on their ponchos. Bill thought I was nuts and we got several nervous looks from people (as in uh-oh, I don't have one of those) but we moved on, thinking that we would to the Pangani forest trail. Within five minutes, though, it was raining like mad and the lightning was very close. We took cover at the dinosaur display that had real and replica skeletons. We spent about 40 minutes in there, probably not as long if it had not been stormy outside. When it sounded like the lightning was not close by, we ventured out. It was still raining heavily, but it was still quite warm and the ponchos worked great. I really felt badly for the families with very small children who had no rain gear. There were many with ponchos, so we headed off for the Pangani forest trail. Most of the animals were out of the weather, so we saw some but not all. Each viewing area did have someone there to talk to you about it, and they were from the country that animal was from too. We decided to take the train to conservation station. There were about five other people on the train too, and when we arrived there were not many people inside. Someone was displaying a large snake and talking to a group of children about it. We looked at the displays and especially liked the sound booth where you could experience sounds of the rainforest. It was all indoors so it was comfortable and dry. There was a petting zoo outside with a special handwashing station too. Very kid friendly. We rode the train back and finally decided to see It's Tough to be a Bug. The kids loved it, but I didn't. I was doing okay until the bugs starting fighting back. Just a little over the top for me. The whole audience laughed and I didn't see or hear any crying. But it's not something I would want to do again. I've been getting ribbed about it ever since. Took our time looking at the Tree of Life (it is fabulous). We thought we had seen almost everything, so we decided to go and hop to MGM to see Fantasmic. By the time we left the park, it was almost 6:30. After catching the bus to the TTC, we got to MGM and had a snack. The crowds were still going strong and it looked like many were just getting out of the 9:15 Fantasmic show. We decided to get in line for the 11:00 show, although it was only 9:45. We got into a huge crowd, waiting to be seated. I had read that 10,000 people could fit into the stadium and we realized that they were seating people in stages, so as to avoid a stampede. We advanced every few minutes and then when we got into the front of the line the CM told us, don't worry we will have a seat. About 10:30 we were allowed in to find a seat, saw that there were plenty, and found a great seat very close up front. Jaymes made friends with a group of college students behind us. They were more diehard Disney fans, from all over the east coast. They gave us some good pointers for Epcot. I was surprised to see so many vendors at all the shows - you sure have plenty of opportunities to spend your money. One gal was selling cotton candy and I can't imagine wanting to eat that in the heat and humidity. Fantasmic was great. It was nice to be able to see it from the 'comfort' of a bleacher rather than standing with tons of people crowded around you like at Disneyland. After the show, we waited a few minutes for most of the crowd to get out - the far left and right sets of bleachers were not even filled up. Definitely try to see the later show. We thought we might try to catch another 11:00 show later on that week. We arrived back to our home about 12:30 and went right to sleep. Jaymes fell asleep on the bus, but he woke up enough to make the walk home. Sunday, July 9, 2000 We picked Sunday to go to the Kennedy Space Center. We slept in a little and after a quick breakfast we were on our way about 9:30. It was interesting to see a little more of Orlando. There is really a terrific tourist industry here. As we got out into the country we could see more of the land. Lots of green lush trees, swamplands and some pine and palm trees. It took about an hour to get to KSC but the parking lot wasn't even halfway full so we were hoping to have a break from the crowds. All the way over, we had told the kids some history of the space program. They were excited to see more rockets. You can see the launch pads from very far away - so much history, success and failure of our country happened right here. Bill and I were much more excited than the kids. We purchased a maximum access pass and took in the 'Dream is Alive' Omnimax. It was a good start and got us all in the mood. Then we hopped on the tour busses that would take us to the viewing platform, the Saturn V building, and the International Space Station. The tour buses were very nice, with small TV screens that explained a little about the surrounding area and what to look for. It did keep the kids interest and had some good information about the land and the landmarks. At the viewing platform, you can climb up three flights of stairs to the top and see both launch pads very well. Great spot for pictures. At that time Bill and I noticed how many foreign people were here also. After a few minutes walking around, you could hear so many different languages with English being the minority. We stayed for about 1/2 hour then loaded another bus to the Saturn V building. The crowds were pretty light so we didn't have to wait long to board a bus and always had a seat together. When you unload at the Saturn V building, you go into a preshow area and see a short film about the rocket and the history, failures and why it was so important to the space program. Then, you go into another show area where the actual instrument panels from the 60's and 70's are. There is a simulated liftoff that's pretty realistic, narrated by one the astronauts (Gene Cernan I think). The windows behind lights and us rattled simulated the glow of the rockets and the liftoff was done in real time - about a 10-minute show. The kids really seemed to understand what was going on and Bill and I were just plain ready to sign up for the next launch. After the presentation is over, you have a pretty good idea of how mighty the Saturn V was - and feeling pretty patriotic too. When you leave the show area, you walk right out into the display building where there is an actual rocket there. Out of the 15 made, 12 were used, only 3 left and this was one of them. Everybody who comes out says WOW, us included. The rocket is displayed horizontally, so you can walk the whole length of the rocket, see the stages cut apart, and marvel at the little capsule on the top of that behemoth. It is simply awe-inspiring. We spent about an hour looking at the displays and models, explaining things to the kids and just letting them learn on our own. Bill and I were soaking up every bit. There is a moon rock on display that you can reach in and touch, lots of actual displays (space suits and such). There is also a theatre that recreates the moon landing. By this time Bill and I are so misty eyed I had to break down and get some tissues. We both remember the day that happened ( the moon landing) and it just was so exciting to be around all this important American history. There is a small cafeteria restaurant there and we had sandwiches for a late lunch. After looking at the other displays - there are many that kids can interact and do too - it's very well done we boarded the bus to the International Space Station. On the way the bus driver and the TV screen pointed out the building where the rockets are assembled and the gravel road where they travel to the launch pad (at a whole 1 mile per hour) and the transport vehicles that move them there. Lots of good photo opps. You also drive by the main administrative building which looked so familiar - then the TV showed a clip from 'I Dream of Jeannie' and, yes, it was the front of the building you always saw on TV. The driver did slow down a few times and point out the alligators sitting off the shoulder, not twenty feet away. The land here at NASA is mostly a wildlife preserve, although I couldn't help but think the gators were the first line of security. The ISS wasn't as big a display as the Saturn V (truly worth the price of admission and the whole trip) but there are life size models that you can walk through, and then you can go across a walkway and observe the actual building of components for the Station. Since it was Sunday, no one was working but still you could observe history in the making. The kids also got into this and wanted to know how they could be an astronaut. Since the next liftoff is in September they will really be able to connect with what is going on. The tour book had said it would take about three hours to do the bus tour with the three stops - we had taken almost five. We took the bus back to the main station, saw more gators, and walked to the main complex. We knew we wouldn't be able to see all of the other displays and films so we decided to see the Liberty 7 exhibit and then head for home. Again we explained to the kids about what had happened to the Liberty 7 and they were very interested. We walked around the exhibits, which were very well done and kid friendly. It took about 1/2 hour to look, watch film footage and read through most of the information. At the end of the display, there is the Liberty 7, restored as much as possible, enclosed in plexiglass. You can see it up close, along with other artifacts recovered. There is a great display on how it was actually found and you realize how much gut feeling and luck came into play with finding this. Out in front of the visitors center there is a life-sized space shuttle you can walk into. We walked out to that, looked around and also stopped by the memorial to those who were killed during the programs. On the other side of the fence, there is a small pond, complete with alligators. I still can't imagine what it would be like to live here and have to deal with alligators chewing on your fence and such. We knew we'd have to brave the gift shop so we plunged in. It was a madhouse; you could tell everyone else had the same idea. NASA doesn't support the visitor center so it was pretty obvious by all the items that had the NASA or KSC logo. I think I saw everything except for toilet paper, but then I may have missed it. There is a second floor where you could buy autographed items (astronauts), artwork, coins and the like. There was a whole wall of books to buy, some educational, some biographical but covering all ages and knowledge level. We bought a book and a few postcards and other trinkets for the kids and were on our way home. On the way home we found a grocery store and picked up some bread, milk, fruit and snacks. We got back home about 8:30 and it wasn't too hard to get the kids to bed. If I hadn't been so tired, I would have watched 'October Sky' to round out the evening. Monday, July 10, 2000 Our second day at Epcot! After doing more research, the unofficial guide suggested you not go to Epcot on an early open day, but go early on a regular opening day. Epcot opened at 9:00, and we arrived shortly after then. Crowds didn't look too large and we were encouraged to get on Test Track right away. We picked up a FP for TT (for about an hour later) and got in the standby line - the posted wait time was 30 minutes. The standby line was right under the track where the cars went by and you could tell the ride was going down often as there were large gaps in screaming as people rode by. We saw a technician walking along the track, and then the ride started up again. We waited about 30 minutes until we got into the preshow and then onto the ride. It was lots of fun - we had a car to ourselves and we didn't know that our picture would be taken. The crash testing made me a little nervous as I had been in a car wreck three weeks ago. We loved the ride and did stop to look at the cars (I am looking for a new one) so it was fun to sit in the cars with no salesman stopping by. Fool that I am, I did ask Saturn to send me some info so we will see what will be waiting for me when I get home. By the time we finished looking at the cars and in the gift shop our turn was up for FP. The FP line took us through the real queue where they show how cars are tested. Although we were only on the FP line about 15 minutes, we did get to see some of the action. The ride was just as great the second time, except during the high-speed part, we did suddenly brake - and could see and smell the brake pad smoke. Since the ride did seem to be a little different than the first time, we didn't know if that was planned or not. We zipped through the cars and gift shop and moved on to World Showcase since we had seen most of Future World. The building being demolished next to TT was even more gone, so I took a few more pictures. We planned to work our way around World Showcase and close up the night after watching Illuminations, so we started on our way shortly after 11 (World Showcase had opened at 11:00. Mexico was first, and again the book was right with El Rio De Tempo being a snoozer, especially after experiencing the slickness of Test Track. However, it was nice to sit down in the cool, as it was another hot day shaping up. We thought the San Angelo looked good for lunch, so we made PS for 2 pm. On next to Norway, which was much better (we liked the trick that the trolls play on you in Maelstrom) and it was informative. I bought a snack at the bakery and we shared the pretzel covered with frosting and sliced almonds. Next to China, where the Circle vision showed us the 'Wonders of China'. I'm pretty sure that was an attraction at Disneyland at one point. We spent far too much time in the gift shop. It was getting a little overkill to see a gift shop in every country, after every ride, filling up every space possible with another retail opportunity. Then, past the Africa lands (where the kids played the drums for a few minutes) and on to Germany. Jaymes loved the model train in the garden. We spent about 15 minutes sitting in the shade while he watched every run, where it went, and which bridge or tunnel it went under. We even let him take some pictures with our camera and he was very pleased with himself. By now it was almost 2 pm so we worked our way back down the San Angel Inn for lunch. We didn't really need the PS as most of the lunch crowd was leaving as we arrived; but the food was good, and as usual, overpriced. We did have the millennium dessert, which we all shared - yummy dark chocolate. We left the cool building about 3:15 and decided to start from the other side of the World and work our way to the top, finishing at the American Experience. After a quick tour of Canada and their Circle Vision film, we headed to Millennium Village. We had intended to spend only a few minutes going around, but we stopped at most every country so watch or play. We liked the interactive marble maze game offered by Saudi Arabia. The real surprise and treat was Israel, where they brought some actual stones from the city and the motion simulator ride showing the city. There were many older people who thought they would just see a movie about Israel and they didn't understand what was going to happen. The CM was very patient with them. This ride is way in the very back so don't miss it! It was interesting to see how they presented the way the three religions exist in one city and I was glad to see that they were not afraid to talk about them either. After exiting Israel we played a game of trivia and Jackie got a certificate for being the best wheel spinner. She loves getting that special attention. All of us enjoyed the people from different countries and their native costumes and accents. They played in the recycling area and did not want to leave until they had played mini golf in Scotland (I didn't know all those medical inventions and discoveries had come from there!!). We could have spent a lot more time in MV but it was time to move on. By now it was about 5:30 and we looked through France, watched the movie (it was so hot by now it was very welcome to sit). Impressions of France was very romantic looking and sounding. After coming out of France we realized that the Tapestry of Nations parade would be starting soon so we found a place to sit on the sidewalk and waited. It was a very different kind of parade, with no Disney character to be seen. Jaymes especially like the drummers and Jackie loved the puppets. The music for the parade we all enjoyed because we had heard it on the Millennium music CD ( we had gotten this for free when we ordered our ticket package). The parade was about 25 minutes long and after it was over we realized that there must be at least three different sets of parades that come out. I always marvel at how the performers can move, smile and keep going in that heat. What do they do in between performances? My theory is that they are the people with the little dustpans and brooms. :) I especially liked how the puppets came and shook hands or posed for pictures. After the parade the crowd dispersed very quickly and within 5 minutes it didn't even seem like it had been there. We moved onto Morocco and had a snack. The kids by now had noticed other children with homemade masks. We found one of the stations where they could color and decorate their mask. They sat at the table with a few other children and two or three CM from Morocco, in their native dress, and colored, glued and were quite proud of their work. The CM had told them if they went to each table they could get a stamp on the piece of wood that held the stamp. I know Epcot sells a passport kit for kids - I saw one and it looked like a good value for 10.00 but I knew my kids would not want to carry it around. Bill and I had a coke while we watched the kids create. They were ready to move on to Japan. The kids found the table right away and the CM made little origami hats for them they could put on their mask. We then went inside and looked at the displays. The kids really enjoyed the dragon they could move by remote control. After it was left alone for a few minutes, an audio-animatronic figure came out from underneath the dragon and invited anyone to try the controls! It was very well done and the dragon is quite close and large. There was also a display of china puppets which I watched for quite a while. It was close to 8:00 when we left Japan and went to the American Adventure. I had read in the book where the American Adventure presentation was really great; I didn't tell Bill or the kids anything about it except it was kind of like 'Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln' at Disneyland. I wanted them to be surprised. While the kids found the USA table outside Bill and I looked at the quotations and portraits inside the building. We both enjoy American history and events; we usually both get misty eyed over stuff like this so I went to the restroom again for some tissues. We waited for the 8:30 show which was great timing because it was the last one of the day and hoped to be able to catch Illuminations right after that. The last show of AA wasn't very crowded so the CM didn't have to urge us to move all the way to the end. We scored pretty good middle seats. ( I know, I know, every seat is a good seat.) The stage was huge, and when the movie started I could see the kids eyeballs start to glaze over but not for long. The presentaton was great; it was easy to follow the story and Bill and I kept marveling at the technology behind all the characters and their movements. - Ben Franklin walking up the stairs, Mark Twain smoking and looking so real. It truly is something I could watch many times and keep seeing something new. By the end, all the patriotism really gets to you - and the kids could put many things together, having already seen part of the Oregon Trail (we live at the end of it too), hearing their grandparents talk about the depression and the wars, learning about Martin Luther King Jr and the moon landing. Bill and I were in tears by the end - when I look over at Jackie she's kind of smirking because Dad and I are sniffling - but Jaymes has big alligator tears streaming down his cheeks. I ask him what is wrong and he says 'I just can't belielve all this stuff happened before I was born !' I really lost it then and fortunately had a few more minutes to compose myself before the end. It was a great attraction. On the way out, there was an older kid with green hair. Jackie said something about it and I said 'but that is what makes America great - you have the freedom to do it if you want. In other countries you would be thrown in jail for that. I may not agree with it, but he has the right as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else'. They looked at me and knew I was right. What a great moment. We came out to see many people had gathered around the fence of the lagoon to watch illuminations. We picked a spot close to the fence but once it started we found if we moved back we could see even better. Illuminations is a great combinations of music, fireworks and lights that I would have liked to see again. I really enjoyed it and it was a great way to top off the evening. And, as usual, Bill and I spent some time discussing the logistics and engineering for getting the whole thing together. Simply amazing - and sort of comforting to know that this was a new generation of imagineers, who had fresh new ideas and that we wouldn't be disappointed in the future with new attractions. We decided to wait and take our time exiting the park and told the kids if we were separated to meet us under Mickey's arm on the ball. But we had no problem getting out of the park. The monorail to take back to the TTC was still packed. We got into line and guessed how long it would take to board. I guessed 10 minutes (optimist that I am) Jaymes 12, Jackie 15 and Bill 20. Bill won but at least it kept us occupied waiting to see who would win. We managed to catch the bus right away and were home in bed by about 10:30. We decided to make Tuesday a break day before finishing up our final two days at WDW. Tuesday, July 11, 2000 We slept in a little but we were all up and about at 8:30. Bill had decided to use today to get the oil changed in the truck and I had told the kids we would go back to River Country since we had another option on our tickets. First, however, we had to do some laundry and tidying up at home. I also told Jaymes he could go and get his monorail at the trading post because he would have a chance to play with it. It was busy at the Laundromat so we didn't get to River Country until about 1:00. The kids had plenty of time to get the monorail set up and moving. That will be fun to play with at home and I know Jaymes will be the envy of his friends. Our campsite is very convenient to the Marina and river country, so we rode our bikes and it was only a few minutes trip. I packed light this time, just my resort id card and sun block. The crowds weren't too bad so first thing, we headed for the big pool and the slide/drop-off. We had missed it last time because of the thunderstorm and I told Jaymes if he could go on it and swim to the side by himself I would let him go again. As like most 7 year olds, he had no problem with fear and plopped right over and swam right over to the side. His swimming skills have improved over the month. Jackie went a few times too but complained that her rear end kind of gets rough treatment but of course Jaymes had no problem. He went three more times, then I checked him out a life jacket and said, go for it - anything you want to do, do it. I found myself a chair under an umbrella and tried to nap but it got just too hot. I found the kids on their way to the flumes and so I went with them for a while. We spent the next few hours just playing, resting and having fun in the water. About 3 pm I bought the kids two of the kids meals at the snack bar and it was a perfect afternoon meal for them. The skies were clear and Bill wasn't back from his adventure at Wal-Mart getting his oil changed so we kept on swimming. Around 4:30 Bill had made it back and called me on his cell phone (I had mine with me) so I asked him to meet me at the front entrance with our camera. I took a few pictures of the kids going down the slides and then we went out of River Country to the Marina. We had promised the kids all week that we would rent some Mouseboats. Both the kids wanted to drive and Jackie could have but of course Bill and I took the controls. Jaymes and I in one, Bill and Jackie in another. We originally had planned to just do 1/2 hour but we had gone to the other side of the lagoon in front of the MK and Bill was worried we wouldn't be back in time, so he waved us over and said, let's have fun for the whole hour and not worry about it. Jaymes and Jackie both had a chance to steer and did a pretty good job. With the whole Bay Lake and Seven Seas lagoon to go in, we had plenty of time to explore, speed up, do turns without any trouble. There weren't a whole lot of other people at the time doing mouseboats and the kids did a great job of helping us watch out for the ferryboats. The river patrol was all over the place making sure everybody was getting along. We did get wet once when someone who didn't obey the slow speed through the canal swamped us with their wake. They buzzed right on by and didn't notice. Bill and Jackie got caught in the wake of a ferry boat. We all had a great time and it was worth the 30.00 each for the hour rental. It was still a pretty hot but nobody got sunburned. We came back to the house and thought we would go to Downtown Disney and do some shopping. I knew I could get a discount with my MKC card. We got in the truck and drove right over, joking that we could finally find our way around as it's almost time to leave. We parked and then realized after starting down at Virgin records that WOD was all the way at the other end. All of us had experienced tired feet syndrome by now and were all thinking a little tram or trolley down the middle would sure be great. Jackie offered to babysit Jaymes at the trailer so Bill and I could go to Pleasure Island but we knew we wouldn't be able to move anyway. We told her next time. We got down to WOD finally and started shopping. We did pretty well finding what we wanted and splurged on a Mickey Mouse phone as a fun, practical memento to take home. Jackie picked out a few presents for friends and I picked up two of the lighted visors that the kids had seen everywhere. They were thrilled to finally have them after asking for them for the past 8 days. We traveled on to the Disney at Home store and picked out a sheet set for my oldest daughter. It was packed and for both WOD and DAH it was longer to ring up the purchases and arrange package pickup than it took to shop. There is certainly a lot to see and shop in WOD, I hadn't realized it was so large. On the long walk back we did stop by the Lego store and Jaymes picked out a Lego rocket. It wasn't too hard to twist Dad's arm. We left WOD about 9:45 and realized we hadn't had any dinner. I had spotted an Olive Garden at the crossroads entrance to WDW so we thought we would try that because I also had some gift certificates I had been holding onto. We found it right away and had to wait a few minutes to get seated. Unfortunately, we were subjected to one of the worst dining experiences we had ever had. The food was okay but the service was terrible. Our waiter seemed to have no concept of service and I am not sure he could really speak or understand English. We suffered through dinner and left about 11:00. We made it home around 11:30 and off to bed. Wednesday, July 12 2000 We had two days left on our park hopper passes and thought we would spend today doing a 'sampler' of what we would like to see one more time, then going to E-ride night at the Magic Kingdom. We had good intentions of getting up early to make Epcot our first stop and see Ellen's Energy Adventure again and Test Track. However, no one seemed to be able to get it together and we didn't leave home until 10:00. In order to do the E-ticket night, we had to buy tickets in advance and went over to the Polynesian to pick them up. Bill was hungry and wanted breakfast; we hadn't seen the Grand Floridian yet so we took the monorail over. It is a beautiful building but the service and food at the restaurant left a lot to be desired. It took longer than we thought so by 11:30 am, we knew by then it would be too late to make Epcot; so we hopped on the bus to go to Animal Kingdom. Jackie had requested to see Festival of the Lion King again. We got to the park smoothly enough, and were ushered in at the last minute for the next show for standing room only at the top of the bleachers. It wasn't too bad as our feet weren't too tired yet. Bill did get the whole thing on video and I took a few more pictures when I knew what was coming. Bill wanted to take the Marahaja Jungle trek so we walked through that as well. We did see a fair amount of animals but they were all wisely sleeping in the shade. We stopped for a drink and made our way out to the bus terminal. Our plan for the rest of the day was to go home and rest, try to catch the 9:00 Fantasmic, and then head to MK for our E-ticket night. After we got on the bus back to our campsite (from Fort Wilderness there is a bus that goes directly to the Animal Kingdom) Bill and I really got tired. We came home and immediately lied down. We knew we had to take a break. The kids watched tv and played quietly inside while we rested. We had planned on napping from 2 - 5, have sandwiches at home, then on to MGM. I finally felt better about 5:30 and we were on the bus to MGM about 7. Jackie had really wanted to do Rockn roller coaster again but when we arrived the FP and standby lines were to long. The standby line to TOT was only 20 minutes long but we all had a full stomach and were a little chicken we might lose our dinner. We went on the Great Movie Ride as the line was short and we did enjoy it; the live action sequence was a little different than the time before. Jaymes had wanted to experience the backlot tour again, so we got in line and hoped to be in line for the 9:15 Fantasmic. When we arrived there, however, there was a 20 minute line and we knew we wouldn't make it. I let Jaymes decide which he wanted to see so he picked Fantasmic. We hurried over to the line and found there was standing room only (this was at 8:15). We decided to see what that was like, perhaps there might be some seats we could squeeze into. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, we found the standing room only to be just too hard. CM's were packing in people and it would have been okay to sit but with so many people in there you would have had to stand. Again, we asked Jaymes what he wanted to do (this method usually works great with our kids because there is no whining afterward - it's been their choice) and he chose to leave. We were all happy with that. We took the bus back to the TTC and then the ferry to MK. We arrived by 9:30 and picked up our E-ticket bracelets and thought we would start out by Splash mountain. Our plan was to ride each E-ticket attraction twice, if possible. On the way we waited in line for the Jungle Cruise about 10 minutes. Our CM let Jackie have a chance at driving - apparently the boat is on a track but all the kids took their driving very seriously. As usual, it was very corny, but always a classic. We walked onto Pirates, had a snack at the Mexican restauarant. By then it was almost 11:00 and we made our way through the line waiting for the Electrical Parade and got in line for Splash Mountain. We did it twice within 1/2 hour - Jaymes didn't get as wet these times so he was rather disappointed. We moved on to Thunder Mountain Railroad and did that twice as well. By now the park had begun to clear out; it was easier to walk without feeling crowded. The kids had really wanted to see the Country Bear Jamboree so we waited about 15 minutes and saw the show. By then, it was about 12:45 and we decided to skip the Haunted Mansion and head for Tomorrowland. Chicken that I am, I did not want to do Alien Encounter and nobody really wanted to either. I had heard too many comments from people exiting and from what I had read in the book, it was too scary for me. We did Buzz Lightyear twice. Bill had managed to rack up big points every time; Jackie and I can make it around 20,000 but Jaymes is too interested in spinning the car around to really aim - he got up to 2,000 points but still had an excellent time. By now we had all agreed as a family that Space Mountain is our favorite at the MK; we saved the best for last. This had the longest line and waited about 15 minutes in line. After we got off it was almost 2 am so we hurried out of the exit and got in line again. My watch said 2:05 but the CM let us go in. The line was much shorter this time and while we were waiting to load we saw there were only about 20 people behind us so we just made it. It was a great way to end our E-ticket night. I would recommend it to get your fill of your favorite rides without the big lines. We took the ferry boat home again and had to stand; the kids had made it all the way through the day but just barely. It was a quiet trip back to our trailer with no complaints about bedtime! Thursday, July 13, 2000 Our last day at WDW!! We had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I think we were all exhausted and hot. We had already seen a lot in the last nine days and had really reached our Disney limit. On the other hand, however, there was still so much we knew we hadn't seen and could easily spend another week exploring as much as our budget could allow. Our plan was to spend all day at the MK revisiting favorites and exploring some areas we hadn't seen yet, starting with Tomorrowland and working our way around the park so as to avoid backtracking. Our feet had reached their limit too!! We were up about 8:00 and on our way by nine. We took the ferry again; from Fort Wilderness it is a nice trip; we liked the efficiency of the bus system but were getting sick of the buses by then. We walked into the MK about 9:30 and went straight for Space Mountain and picked up a fast pass. They had only just opened the kiosks and our time was for 9:50. We rode the Tommorowland Transit authority to kill a little time and look around one more time. We got in line for Buzz Lightyear and by the time we finished it was time for Space Mountain. After that, Bill needed some breakfast, but couldn't find anything except what was on Main Street or a character breakfast. We finally waited for Cosmic Ray's café to open and we had burgers for breakfast. With the condiment bar you can make an okay burger. We took a break inside for about 40 minutes, then went on to Toontown Fair. Goofy's barnstormer was only 20 minute line, so we got on rather quickly and then decided to go to see Mickey in his house. I went and picked up fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh while Bill waited with the kids. We waited almost 30 minutes to see him but watching the cartoons made it go by quickly and being indoors was good too. When we finally saw him we were herded through pretty quickly. I didn't realize a CM would take our picture and there was no time for me to get my camera out. We found our way outside, looked around a little more, and moved over to Fantasyland. We could see where the skyway had been removed. Tried to explain it to the kids but they didn't get it. By now I really missed the Matterhorn! Saw Winnie the Pooh, it was very cute and well done. There wasn't a whole lot more we wanted to see in Fantasyland so we looked at the castle a little more and moved to Liberty Square. We waited a little while for the Hall of Presidents but it was cool inside and there were more things to look at. The presentation was pretty good; but not as great as the American Experience at Epcot. Bill and I wondered where they will put Clinton on the stage after he is out of office. Not behind a desk we hope!! We came right out the presidents to hop on the Liberty Belle Riverboat. It was pretty hot by now and we were looking to find shade and a seat. We found shade at least and got some good pictures of the park as we went around. The kids were dragging now too and I thought it would be a nice change to head over to Tom Sawyer's island. The keelboat wasn't a long wait and after we got over to the island, we went through one of the caves, then Bill and I beelined it to the rocking chairs at Aunt Polly's snack bar we had spied from the riverboat. We grabbed a soda and rocked for about 45 minutes. The kids checked back from time to time and from the Island I made a phone call home to my mom, watched the Magical Moments parade, and just soaked up the atmosphere. The kids had some old-fashioned fun just exploring. We joined them on the bridges and to the fort. We came off the island around 4:30 and when we went past Splash Mountain, we thought we would get FP's for later. At the kiosks a CM was explaining that the ride had gone down and they were not letting anyone else on; we did get a time of about 8:50. In the standby line, you could see a HUGE line not far ahead that was not moving. When we walked past the flume, I saw a sight I had never seen before; the water was all drained out. I took a picture and I really felt for all the people just standing there. We decided to catch the Haunted Mansion one more time. Even though the line was long, it was only 20 minutes before going inside. The break to sit was welcome! At this point, we decided to just relax and take it nice and easy so we could savor our last day at WDW. The ice cream stand called to us after that so we had some. I can't eat ice cream so I led everyone over to the Dole Whip station. I found that the DW has ice cream in it too so I bought a spear of pineapple and it really hit the spot. Since we were in Adventureland, I sent Jackie to get fastpasses for Jungle Cruise. It had just been past the two hours so we were eligible for more FP's (I heard a CM say this was a change in policy) While we were waiting, we let Jaymes play in the tiki gods fountain and then saw the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates and explored the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. It was our time for the Jungle Cruise and our CM this time was much better than one before. We had promised Jackie a Mickey Mouse watch because a) her brother had gotten a monorail and b) she was continually asking what time it was. Main Street was packed; all through the park there seemed to be so many people just walking around than in line at attractions. This week of July 10-14 there were many Brazilian tour groups but we never encountered any problems with tour groups. If anything, Bill may have injured his neck looking at some of the young women - so beautiful! In fact, we did not encounter any negative experiences from anyone in line, at any park, even at restaurants. Anyway, Main street is much shorter than it is at Disneyland. We found some watches and let Jackie take her time to pick. She chose a classic Mickey with the movable arms. We walked down Main St. to look at the rest of the stores but didn't see anything else we had to have. At City Hall, I thought there was some type of attraction to see but it was just an exhibition of photos and cutouts from some Disney movies - the kind you stick your head through. There is a small theater with seats and you can sit and watch cartoons for a few minutes. It was a great place to cool off and relax - and there was no one else there. The kids posed for pictures then sat down to veg out on the cartoons for a few minutes. At the end of this display, you can view the pictures that were taken at Mickey's house. I didn't like it and passed on the photo package. By now it was 7:30 and we wanted planned a family strategy for the rest of the day. The kids wanted to see the Electrical Parade, but still wanted to do Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad. I wanted to see Tinker Bell fly from the castle and see the fireworks one more time. If we ate dinner, it would be time for SM, then do TMR and then work our way to the castle and then on to Main street to see the parade and try to leave in front of the crowd. Our plan came together quite well; we had taco salads at the cantina across from Pirates, it wasn't very busy and we took our time. We arrived at the FP line for SM just as our time came up. The ride was up and running, but the CM wasn't encouraging anyone to get in the standby line - the listed time was 100 minutes. There were many waiting to do the FP line as well. The sun was beginning to go down and people had started to line up for the first EP. We got in the standby line but it too moved slowly. From the line you could tell the ride was still not running smoothly. We hoped it wouldn't go down again. It was' our turn after 30 minutes; the people in the standby line looked like zombies. They had put another log in the one before us and the CM's were talking about pulling one and putting in this replacement. On our way through the ride, we did experiences a couple of lapses but we made it through. It wasn't quite dark yet so we got to see the top part of the mountain - the other times it had been dark. We got just wet enough and had a great time. At TMR we waited about 30 minutes in line. Bill and I explained to the kids that this would be our LAST ride. They were so tired we had no resistance and though Bill and I were a little sad we were ready. I had seen a cute little kitchen shop in Liberty Square and Bill bought me two teapots (which I collect). I do strongly suspect it was a reward for not being too much of a Disney commando during the trip. We went through Fantasyland to find a good spot to see Tinkerbell. I saw the 'magic wire' she rides on so we found a spot between the Castle and Tomorrowland. We had a great view of her flying - the kids wanted to try it themselves! The fireworks were great, especially the big boomer at the end. Main street was the most crowded I have ever seen. It was amazingly full. We all held hands and agreed if we were to get split up we would meet at the flagpole. It took a few minutes to make it but we found a bench under the Train station (on the way to the lockers) so we just had a seat to wait. It was already 10:30 so it wouldn't be long. Once again it felt great to sit. We sat and watched all the hubbub going on around us and before I knew it Jaymes had fallen asleep on my shoulder. There was no waking him up so I just let him sleep on the bench. I don't think anything would have roused him. Ten minutes later, we were surprised by a short mini-concert from one of the most high energy, fun bands I have ever seen. They had shirts embroidered with their college name and 'Disney's College Band' (I think). This band came out and did four songs and seemed to be having the most fun I had seen from anyone during the whole trip. Everyone was dancing (including the band) and it was a real pick-me-upper to help us end our ten-day experience at WDW. Shortly after the band went back in the parade started. Jackie really enjoyed it and we left right before the end of the parade. It seemed to be good timing as we managed to catch the ferry just as it arrived and even managed to get a seat. The biggest challenge was to get Jaymes awake enough to walk to the ferry and home. But I knew he was dreaming about all the things we had experienced during our stay. Friday, July 14, 2000 We had a goal to leave by 10am. We hadn't packed at all and there was a lot to do but we still slept in anyway. Bill and I let the kids stay home (at their request) and have cereal while watching TV while we went up to have the Trail's End Breakfast Buffet. It's a great value and has a great selection. We made a trip to the Meadow Trading Post to pick up all our packages. It was pretty busy there so it took over half an hour to get it all done - you have to countersign for all the packages. The kids had managed to get dressed and I decided to just send them out to play while I packed up inside. Bill started working outside to put everything together and by the time he was done he had to come in and take a shower. The humidity seemed worse than ever - and I think all of us were looking forward to sitting DOWN in an air-conditioned car all day. I noticed many rigs had pulled out and there was a CM hosing off the pads, getting all the sites ready for the next guest. Finally we got ourselves together and left at 11:35. On the way out, we noticed a lot of campers already checking in. We made a mental note to come early to check in next time! Traffic in Orlando was fairly heavy but since we weren't on a tight schedule we just took it easy and let all the others get road rage. Summary Having been to Disneyland so many times before I thought I might be bored at WDW. I think not!! There are so many other things to do and it does take time to get from one activity to another that you could definitely make it a regular destination and keep very busy. I think the biggest limitation is your wallet. We had so many great moments; surviving RNR and TOT of MGM (our photos really say it all); the excitement of so many new experiences at Epcot; the energy and colors of Festival of the Lion King; E-ticket night, and the 'secret of Splash Mountain'. There were several CM's who really did make an extra effort to make our trip special and I really appreciate that considering how many thousands of people they had already seen that day before us. What saved us many times was having a plan; the 'Unofficial Guide' was really helpful in giving pointers, honest reviews of attractions, restaurants, etc. Drink water, use your sunblock and wear comfortable shoes seem so simple but, at the end of the day, if we hadn't had done those things we probably would have wanted to leave by the second day. When coming into a new park or area I would pick out a landmark right away and tell the kids if they lose us where to meet - and designating a wait spot after a restroom break. We never lost anyone and that went a long way for all of us to keep our sanity. Giving the kids some choices in decision making (even as simple as 'would you like to eat now or get in line for another ride') made a big difference for everyone's enjoyment. Everyday around 4 pm I would see other parents who had experienced meltdown with their kids and it wasn't pretty. Be sure to have fun in the moment because you never can see it all. With all the merchandising that Disney does, be prepared to see an obscene amount of opportunities to spend your money. Be sure you do whatever works with your kids (or those that may be acting like one) to set clear limits on what and when you will purchase. I feel pretty lucky that our kids took no for an answer pretty well. And they asked often! The park hopper passes were a great idea; it really gave us the flexibility to move around and see a little of every park if we wanted. Fastpasses worked well. You can do other things and then come back to a short wait. But be sure to have a plan, though, so you don't end up wasting a day! The transportation system worked well for us and I recommend you use it when at all practical and possible. Again, just plan for a little more time for bus waiting. When we go back, I know we will spend more time at Epcot. We had to go at summer this time, but in the future we would try to go another time so we could experience more. Epcot held the most attractions and things to see that were different than anything we have seen on the west coast. It was sure interesting to see the differences and similarities at the Magic Kingdom. But, alas, my heart belongs to Disneyland......... Doing research before the trip made a huge difference. Check up on those sites to get great advice. Gretchen Jordan gretasj@uswest.net Mail a Comment to Gretchen Jordan |
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