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Jill Schaefer -- June 2000 -- Walt Disney World (CBR)

June 5 - June 12, 2000

Trip Report - Introduction

The Cast: Me (Jill),21 year old graduate student from Buffalo, NY. I've been to WDW three times previous, 2 on property, 1 off. Laura, 13 year old 8th grader (ok, 2 days out of 7th grade), residing in Columbus, OH but originally from Buffalo. Laura has been to WDW one other time (3rd grade) and stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR).

The Resort: Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - I also stayed at the CBR previously (Jan. 1999). No Annual Passholder discount was available, so we paid $139 + tax per night.

Dates: June 5, 2000 - June 12, 2000

Transportation: We flew on USAirways. Since we live in different states, we booked our flights with the layover in Pittsburgh and we met up there to continue on to Orlando. Once in Orlando, we used Mears to get us to and from the airport. To get around the world, we used everything from buses, monorails, boats, and our own feet.

Tickets: Me - Premium Annual Pass (which means, oh darn, that I will have to go back in the next year...looking at January). Laura - Length of Stay, which in a way would have proved better for me to have gotten since there was no resort discount available, but then I wouldn't have a good reason to go back in the next year at least once.

This entire vacation began way back in March of 1999. I was talking to my aunt (in Ohio) for the first time since around Christmas (it had been really hectic with school and work and everything). She had heard from my great-aunt that I had gone to Disney World in January by myself. My aunt wasn't sure that my great-aunt had the story straight, but I conformed that I had spent a glorious 5 days in WDW by myself that January. During the conversation, my aunt mentioned that my cousin was turning 13 the following year (Jan. 2000) and she and my uncle were looking for a really great 13th birthday present for her (hey, you only turn 13 once). Later on in the conversation my aunt asked me if I would be interested in going with my cousin the next year, possibly over our spring break or if that didn't work, at the end of the school year. However, it proved later that our spring breaks were off from each other by a week, so we planned for June 5, which was 3 days after Laura's school let out and was also her little brother's birthday.

Hmm, I thought about that option for all of 1/16 of a second before saying yes.

And so that's how our adventure began. My cousin, however, didn't find out about all of this until later that year. It was sort of a surprise for a while, but then her parents told her about it and we got together that summer to figure things out. I let her choose the resort from Port Orleans, Dixie Landings, Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, All Star Movies, All Star Music, or All Star Sports. After a little bit of hemming and hawing and looking at the resort pictures, she chose Caribbean Beach, which was ok with me. I can't believe how beautiful it is there. We made all of our final decisions then. In August, my aunt and uncle ordered our plane tickets since we figured that if they ordered them together there should be less problems with making sure we had the same layover. My ticket cost me around $180 (I don't remember exactly). I reserved the hotel room back in August as well. At that point I didn't want anything fancy, just non-smoking, standard view.

In the months to come, we paid a total of 4 nights on the room to take the sting out of the final amount owed, and purchased our park tickets. Laura and I began talking weekly from January. I also began checking my Disney countdown clock daily. So by the time May rolled around I was busting with excitement. And before I knew it, it was time to go one vacation. I would like to say thank you to all of the people who helped me with all of the information that I needed and I want to say how helpful Deb's website was (www.wdwig.com), along with many others. Also, the Passporter book was excellent, it was a compacted version of everything I needed and the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World was also extremely helpful.

So, that's how it all began. Now sit back and relax. This trip report will be starting soon. While viewing this trip report, please no eating, drinking, smoking, flash photography, or external video lights.

Day 1 - Monday, June 5, 2000

Cast: Me, Jill, the author of this report, 21 years old, Disney World veteran Laura, 13, cousin of Jill, Disney Veteran from a long time ago so a lot has changed

Monday morning I woke up at 2am, not because I had to be up that early, but because I think that some little warning bell in my head went off, telling me that it was time to go to Walt Disney World! I had nothing better to do since I wasn't planning on getting up until 3:45, so I watched the Flintstones Movie. When I was done watching, I got up and showered and dressed. I commenced my last minute packing and woke my dad up. Then I did what I thought was a crazy thing to do, check my email. Like I was really expecting some urgent message to arrive in the last 10 hours. Since I was online, I checked my flight information instead of calling the airline. When I got off, I called the family in Ohio, as planned to make sure that everything was in order for the millionth time. There was no answer. I left a message and began to panic. It was 5:30. I was leaving for the airport. What if they weren't awake, or the power went out or something like that? I prayed that Laura was going to step off of that plane in Pittsburgh.

I said goodbye to my dog, which proved to be a hard thing to do. We are as close as mother and child. I felt like I was abandoning her and she gave me those big brown puppy dog eyes that I just melt over. But, alas, I said goodbye and took my luggage out to my car. I left in behind the trunk while I went to retrieve the last of it and I went out expecting the first bags to be in the trunk. What I found was my luggage as I had left it and my dad sitting in the car. I didn't find it funny. He did. We got to the airport and parked the car. Then, we went inside with all of my junk, just to find a huge line to check in. We waited for all of two minutes before exiting the line and proceeding to the curb-side check in. The skycap was really funny. He said, "Did anyone approach you and ask you to put anything in your luggage for them?" When I shook my head no, he responded "Oh, they missed you today?" I thought that he was too funny for that job, or at least he wasn't as serious as I thought all airline people were.

We went to the gate and checked in there and then headed off to Burger King. I had Cini-Minis, hash browns, and juice, while my dad polished off a few cups of coffee. I made a quick stop at the bathroom and then we went to the gate again. It wasn't 10 minutes before they were calling the rows to board. I was in seat 9A. By the time they got to rows 10 and higher, I was just about the last person waiting, so I got in line to board. I kissed my dad goodbye and boarded. There was already a man in the aisle seat on my side of the plane (my side had 2 seats, the other had 3). I told him that I was in the window seat and he got up. I hurried to put my junk under the seat ahead of me to inconvenience him as little as possible and then sat down,

The plane took off at 7:20. The plane ride was ok, but I was getting to the point where I was ready to strangle the man next to me! First of all, he had the arm rest between us up, so I felt like we were sitting much to close to each other (I like my space uninvaded). Then, he falls asleep and starts snoring, rather loudly. People around me looked at me sympathetically. What could I do? Had I been wearing socks (I was wearing sandals that morning), I would have pulled off a sock to stuff in his mouth to get him to stop snoring! The people around me looked at me with sympathy. Unfortunately, all of the sympathetic looks in the world could not have stopped the snoring.

Other than that, the plane ride was all right. It seemed that the plane kept climbing up and then, once it reached the height we were supposed to be at, it began it's descent into Pittsburgh. As we neared the Pittsburgh airport, the weather was beginning to look terrible. So much for the sunshine that I had seen earlier. I arrived in Pittsburgh at 8am in the B Concourse and was supposed to meet my cousin pretty close there after. Unfortunately, her gate was all the way in the A Concourse. I got my bearings and began to walk towards her gate.

I arrived at her gate around 8:08 and boy was I huffing and puffing. At first, I wasn't sure that I was in the right place. There were no signs indicating where the landing plane was arriving from and all I could find were monitors telling me all the departure gates, no arrivals. I asked at the USAirways counter near the gate and the woman confirmed that the plane, which at that time had just pulled up to the gate, was indeed from Columbus. I went and staked out my place near the door just as people began to come out. My cousin had told me that she was going to wait until most of the people were off of the plane before she got off, so to allow me more time to get to the gate, had my plane arrived late. I waited not too long before I saw a person that I recognized and it took a second for my brain to realize that this was my cousin standing in front of me. We hugged and began walking toward the area that joined the two concourses together to get her some breakfast. It was 8:10am. On the way to McDonalds, we stopped at a payphone so Laura could call my aunt to let her know that we made it and met up successfully.

We walked over to McDonalds and got in line. Meanwhile, we were catching up on our experiences that occurred that morning. I found out that everyone was in fact sleeping when I had called. It seemed like we waited forever in the line and finally it was our turn to order. My cousin got a spanish omelet bagel, and I got a cookie. We sat down and ate slowly, talking most of the time. Finally, it was time to walk back to the B Concourse to catch our flight to Orlando! We got to the gate, stopped at the bathroom and then it was time to board.

The flight to Orlando experienced a lot of turbulence. It was actually beginning to make me a little nervous. My cousin showed me her yearbook and pointed out all of her friends. After that, I tried to take a nap (it was going to be a busy day and I was beat already!). My cousin listened to her CDs and looked out the window. When she was done listening, I listened to like one song and then the announcement came that said we were almost there!!! The CD player had to be put away, but that was ok since we were just about there! The flight landed at 11:45, which was actually a little late since we didn't take off on time from Pittsburgh. I think that originally we supposed to be 15-20 minutes late and we made it only 5 minutes late.

We got off of the plane and I was struck with the same thought that I have when I go to places that I like a lot. I looked at all of the people waiting in the airport and thought, "Boy, their fun is over and ours is just beginning." We walked to the monorail that takes you to the baggage area of the airport. I was so excited that we were actually there. We walked down to the baggage claim area and Laura called my aunt again to let her know that we were in Florida and were safe. Then we walked over to the baggage carousel. It had started moving not long before we arrived but my one of Laura's bags had been one of the first and we arrived to see it go through the tunnel. I suggested that she jump on the belt and go after it, but she wasn't amused. Our luggage came out pretty quickly and we made our way over to the Mears counter. Now, this had changed a little (ok, maybe a lot) since last January. I was surprised to find the counter on the inside. Laura waited with all of our bags and I waited to buy our tickets. I had a coupon that Disney had sent me forever before and when it was finally my turn the woman at the counter informed me that the price had gone up, but my coupon was still valid. I got the tickets and she rattled off a list of instructions. The only one that I actually caught was that we had to take the elevator up one level to get the shuttle. I must admit that I was a little lost, but I think that their new system works much better than their old one. We waited all of 5 minutes before our shuttle had arrived.

Then the problems began. First, Willie, our driver, had said to the small group of us standing there, "Two for Caribbean Beach." That was us, since the other people we one large family and I know that they said they we staying at a different resort. But, alas, they chose to proceed ahead. Willie was like, "No, I'm looking for two for Caribbean Beach." He was very polite. I spoke up finally and told him that was us. We left our bags with him and climbed aboard. Then, the family boarded while the father made sure that all of their stuff was loaded. Then, Willie asked for their tickets. Tickets? Tickets? You would have thought that he had just asked them for the Hope Diamond. Well, the father asked the mother for the tickets and with much gruffing she produced a voucher. Oh no! No vouchers we accepted at the shuttles. They needed to be "cashed-in" for the tickets, necessary for the return trip to the airport. So, there the mother goes and starts laying an egg about how the voucher should say that and blah, blah, blah. Poor Willie began to unload the back that he had just finished packing. Next was a group of girls that had just graduated from high school and acted like Queens of the World. Boy, could these queens pack. I think that there were seven of them all together. You think that they were moving to Orlando for all of the stuff that they had packed and their egos were about as big as their suitcases. OK, next was a group of four people that were told that they we being put on the shuttle while the mother from the family was searching for the voucher. The group leader, with some attitude, asked the person directing the shuttles if he was crazy. He thought that they group wouldn't fit and they would wait for a more roomy shuttle. Nope, not really a choice here. It was now or a 30-minute wait said the director. I don't think that it would have been 30 minutes but the man was not so pleasant. So the group was going to board. Low and behold, guess who didn't have a ticket. Thankfully, Willie hadn't loaded much of their stuff yet. The director was going to run and get their tickets for them but due to some complication with not having a voucher, they had to go and get it themselves. They were not happy and proceeded to share their thoughts on the stupidity of the ticket system.

I think by that point, Willie had enough and we were leaving. I noticed two things during this ride. The first was the smoke and the fire damage caused by the fires. Out one side of the shuttle, you could see huge amounts of smoke. Out the other, you could see all of the burned land. It was almost sickening to look at. The other thing that I noticed was the girls in the group in our shuttle. Two girls had attitudes the size of Spaceship Earth. All they could say to the less Disney experienced members of their group was that they had stayed here and there and the other place and oh no they were disappointed that they were staying at the All-Stars. Gee, sounds like that group will be having a good time.

Anyways, I seriously doubted that Laura and I would be the first off of the bus. That was ok because I wanted to see the All-Star Movies resort up close. As it turned out however, we were the first ones off. I became aware of this as we were going towards EPCOT and then the sights began to look familiar again. Willie pulled us into the Caribbean Beach Resort as I videotaped our arrival. He pulled up to the loading area outside of Custom House and got off. Laura and I gathered up our carry-on belongings as Willie opened up the doors. We walked to the back of the bus and Willie took out our suitcases. I was quite surprised when no one from the luggage services came to meet us. Last year, there was a young man taking my bags before I even got off of the shuttle, but this time no one came. There were a lot of them around, but they seemed preoccupied. Oh well, we're strong enough so I tipped Willie, we grabbed our bags and entered Custom House. Almost immediately we were greeted by a Cast Member (CM) named Kimberly. She asked us if we were just checking in, and told us that they could store our bags for us. I explained that that is what we had wanted to do, but everyone was busy. She took charge. She gave us tickets for our bags and told us to put anything else that we didn't feel like carrying anymore in them and we could go and check in.

There was a short line, but don't be deceived, those short lines can take forever! We didn't wait too long and Kimberly came by and offered us the check in magazine that explained the usual Disney World information. Finally, it was our turn to check in. By that time, I don't know which I was hoping for more - my room being all ready already, or a room close to Old Port Royale (OPR also known as the foodcourt). The girl at the counter was really nice. She asked us if we had ever stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR) before. I said that I had and she pulled out the map of the resort. At that time, there was a room available (it was sometime around 12:30) in Trinidad South or we could have a room in Trinidad North after 3pm. FLASHBACK: Evening in January 1999, and we have a tired Jill dragging herself with every last bit of energy she could muster to Old Port Royale (OPR) to fill up the mug that she barely had the strength to lift....OK it wasn't that bad, but I remember being extremely tired and the walk stunk (not literally, just it was a long walk that I really didn't want to take). I told Laura about the length of the walk from Trinidad South and we agreed that we would wait for the room at Trinidad North. We also purchased our E-Ride tickets for the following evening at that time. The woman confirmed that we had a Length of Stay ticket on our reservation, and inquired about us needing another ticket. Nope, not a problem since I had that Premium Annual Pass in my backpack! We got our room keys (with charging privileges) and signed them right away. Then we were on our way.

What was the first thing that we noticed? Our tagged luggage was still sitting by the front door unattended. Very safe. We found Kimberly and told her that we were going to put a few things in the bags and then we would be on our way. This turned out to be quite the project because once we put everything away, we couldn't close one of Laura's suitcases. She ended up sitting on it while I snapped the locks shut. We were frustrated but we got everything to fit. We then told Kimberly that we were leaving, please store our luggage, and thanks for all of the help. Then, we left for the bus stop (after Kimberly gave us those last minute directions). I noticed that the lake by Custom House was really low thanks to good old Mother Nature. We sat at the bus stop (the stop right across from Custom House) and waited for the first bus to a major park so I could activate my Premium Annual Pass (PAP). The first bus was going to MGM so we climbed aboard. We got to MGM and I wasn't sure where to go so we went to the ticket window and the man started typing my information. I can't remember if he asked for my driver's license or if I gave it to him to copy the information off of. Here's the neat part. My town is abbreviated CHKTG on my license which unless you are from around here you would have no idea that it stands for Cheektowaga. The man at the counter said, "That's Cheektowaga, right?" How in the heck could he know that? Easy enough, he was from Erie, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour from me. He told us that he was flying to Buffalo later that week. That was kind of cool. He told me to go to the gate and tell the CM there that I needed to have my biometrics taken, which I did. I walked right in the gate and right back out, while Laura waited. Then, we went to the bus stop for the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to catch a bus to a waterpark, no one in particular. It was while we were waiting there that a bus pulled in to the lot for Blizzard Beach (BB). I didn't know that there was a direct bus from MGM to BB, so we got out of line and ran to the BB bus. That bus first stopped at all of the Coronado Springs Resort (CS) stops before going to BB but that was fine. I remember when CS was first being built in 1996 and this was my first up close look (I love seeing all of the different resorts). I wasn't terribly impressed. I think that CBR looks a lot prettier and CS looks a lot more southwestern, which is fine too but I prefer the Caribbean look. Although CBR has more rooms overall, it seemed as if CS was a lot bigger or more spread out. Maybe it just seemed that way because I was anxious to get to BB.

So we arrive at BB. I was a little nervous at using the biometrics reader for the first time, but nothing unusual occurred. Our first stop was at the bathroom to change. Then we went to rent a locker and some towels. It cost $6 for the locker and $1 for each towel. The locker had a $2 refund when you turned in the key. Next, we went to find chairs, which we did without too much difficulty. Our first stop was Melt Away Bay, the wave pool. I still couldn't believe that we were here. We actually made it and were at Blizzard Beach!

We didn't stay in the wave pool too long, but it was enough time for Laura to injure her fingers by scraping them along the bottom of the pool. There were too many other things that needed to get done. So, we left the wave pool and headed to Cross Country Creek, the river that surrounded the park. I think that we went around the entire river, or most of it before getting off. Then we went to Runoff Rapids and went on the two person tubes on two different slides. There wasn't much wait, just a lot of climbing! Next, we went to the Snow Stormers for one ride down the hill and over to Toboggan Racers for a race down the mountain. There was a full group of us racing and I am sorry to report that neither Laura nor I were the winners. I think that I was near the middle of the slide when the lifeguard took pity on my poor cousin who was still stuck at the top, trying without much luck to get her start. But sure enough, she came flying down the mountain. At that point we decided that we had enough of the slides and headed back to the wave pool.

When we had enough, we got out and dried off. Laura noticed I wasn't feeling all right. Over Hot Fries, I explained that something was in fact bugging me. We had absolutely no plans for the evening. I am not the kind of person who has to have every little detail planned to a tee, but I do like to have some idea as to what I'm going to do. I guess that I am not too much of a last minute person and it was bugging me a bit. After we reclaimed our belongings from the locker and got our deposit back, we stopped to get a funnel cake and a frozen mocha and discussed what we could do later. After a bit of discussion, we settled on heading back to the room (first we needed to get the room number and activate our keys), have our luggage delivered, freshen up, and head over to EPCOT. Dinner would consist of stopping in China for a quick bite to eat. That being decided I began to feel a lot better.

We made a quick stop at the first aid station to get Laura's fingers repaired (for a couple of minor scrapes, they sure did bleed!) and the nurse there was really nice. She wrapped Laura's fingers up and gave us some extra Band-Aids for later. Then we left the park and waited at the bus stop to take us back to CBR. The bus came quickly and instead of stopping at Trinidad North, we got off at the Calypso stop (for OPR). There, Laura bought her refillable mug and we began our walk to Trinidad North. We walked past the OPR pool and decided that we had to swim there soon! Then, we kept walking to our island. We went to the bus stop to use the phone there to activate the keys and found out that we were in room #3326. I also requested that our luggage be delivered to us. Then we were off to find our room, which was on the first floor, and pretty close to the bus stop, with a view towards the water and it was a standard view (Last year, the water view room had a terrible view, and could only be considered a water view if you walked out of the room took a left, around the bushes and then looked). The luggage arrived pretty quickly and we unpacked our stuff. Then we changed and feeling a lot better, left for the bus stop to catch the EPCOT bus.

We got to EPCOT and I think the thing that impressed me the most was the music that was playing from the bus stop to the park entrance. It really lets you know exactly where you are. We stopped to get pictures of Spaceship Earth, complete with the mouse's arm and magic wand. That was really cool looking. We also noticed those Leave A Legacy stones. Someone once said that they reminded them of a mausoleum. I agree although in retrospect, I think that I would have liked to get that done. Then we stopped at the Ice Cool Station to sample some international Coca-Colas. I told my cousin that some friends of mine really liked the Beverly so she tried it. I wish that I had my camera out to snap the picture of the look on her face. She looked absolutely mortified. I played innocent. We walked on the Canada side of World Showcase to China. There were tons of people waiting for Tapestry of Nations (ToN) and then an announcement came, that said due to adverse wind conditions the parade was being canceled. Oh well, we weren't planning on seeing it that night anyway. So we continued to make out way to China. We ate at the Lotus Blossom Café. Laura had sweet and sour chicken and I had the Shanghai Chicken. Mine came with pork fried rice and pickled vegetables (yum!) and I had an orange pop (or soda as some refer to it). The food was good and we regretted not having a frige in the room to keep the leftovers.

When we were full we kept walking through World Showcase (WS) and stopped at Norway to ride Maelstrom. I was beginning to wonder if it was still open since it was close to 9 and it looked pretty dead, but once we got to the building we saw that the line was full, but moving. While in line, I studied the wall closely for Hidden Mickeys, which I believe that I found 2. We got in the front of the boat and there were some older people behind us (not old, but probably in their 60s). They thought that this was our first time riding this, but I told them I was a veteran. They kept saying,"Yumping Yiminey!" (bear with me here as I am trying to describe what they were saying). Try as I could, I didn't find the ride to be any but scary or intimidating. At the end, the CM gave us the option to watch the movie or leave via a side door to watch Illumination 2000 Reflections of Earth (I2000 RoE). What a guilt free way to skip the movie!

We started walking towards Mexico on our way out of the park, when I2000 RoE began. Laura really loved the fireworks and tried to get a better look. She made me promise that we would come back later in the week to watch the entire show.

We got to the front of the park in time to see the monorail pull up and I thought that we should ride it(maybe we could see a little more of I2000 RoE) so we ran to make sure that we would catch it. We took the monorail to the TTC and got off. I guess that I had my head in the clouds but I thought that we could get a bus from there to CBR but we couldn't so I went to the information counter to ask the CM how to get to CBR. He asked me how we got there and I told him we rode the monorail. He asked me why and I said because I wanted to. He said that we could either take a bus to MGM and switch to the CBR bus there or take the monorail back to EPCOT to get the bus there. We opted for the MGM bus.

We got to MGM around 9:55 and there were people going to the entrance. I could have sworn that it closed at 9 that night but we decided to check it out to see if it was in fact open. It was until 11 (told you I had my head in the clouds). We went right to Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (TZToT). Laura had never rode this before and was nervous. There was a young couple behind us that tried to reassure her that it wasn't that bad. I was curious as to why only one side of the line was open and they explained that the other side was for FastPass (FP), which wasn't installed until sometime after my last visit. I think that the problem with TZToT is that if you have never seen the Twilight Zone, you lose a little of the magic of the ride and the entire opening sequence (both the library and the first floor and the floor that you travel forward through) are a bit pointless. There were no people seating us but someone did show up to make sure that the bars were down. I must say that I do like the new drop sequence, but I miss the two long drops since it doesn't seem as if the new drops are as long. Also, the lightening is pretty neat. As nervous as Laura was before riding, she emerged from the ride in one piece and with a smile.

We then left MGM and waited about 10 minutes for a bus to CBR. This time we did get off at Trinidad North and stopped at the room. We changed into our swimsuits and grabbed some towels and our mugs and left for OPR. Laura called my aunt to tell her that we rode TZToT. Then we got some drinks and looked at the gift shop to see if they had any windbreakers (I need a new one). After that we swam. For the pool technically being closed, there sure were quite a few people there. We left after a while and got back to the room at 11:50. Both of us changed and then I wrote a few notes in my trip log book. Then I watched TV for a little bit before calling for a 6am wake up call. Then I was off to sleep.

Tuesday, June 6, 2000

I woke up at 6am with the help of the alarm clock. I was disappointed, where was Mickey's phone call? At 6:07 he finally called with his usual happy "Morning Partner!" That was better. I got up and showered and dressed. When I was ready I woke up my cousin. I am the kind of person that could get up and get ready and then go right back to sleep. With that in mind, I didn't wake Laura until I was completely ready, which would give me enough back to sleep time. While Laura was in the shower, I called my dad to let him know that I was safe. We talked for a while and by the time I was done, Laura was almost ready to go. I made a Priority Seating (PS) for that evening for Crystal Palace. We left the room at 7:20 to head for EPCOT to take advantage of the early entry. The bus arrived quickly and it was nearly empty.

When we got to EPCOT, I pulled out the camcorder to get some early morning footage (which turned out wonderful). Our first stop was Test Track (TT). While on the way there, I noticed the old Horizons building and the horrible condition that it was in. It really is a shame to see such a great attraction go to waste and worse off, for Disney to show off the tearing down of the building. I did notice that there were crews working on it that day. Recently, I had seen some pictures of the work on the Horizons building off of somebody's website (sorry, I can't remember who, but it has excellent, comprehensive pictures of the process Disney is taking to tear down the building). I thought that those pictures would make me sick, but the actual sight of the building is almost overwhelming. Anyway, by the time we got to TT, there was a long line (I think about 1-1.5 hours) and a huge line to get FPs. I used the good old RADP trick here. I suggested to Laura that we get in the single riders' line for two reasons: 1. There was absolutely no one in that line or anyone going towards it, and 2. We could save a great deal of time and chances were that we wouldn't be too far apart from each other. She agreed and we were off to the single riders' line. A whole bunch of people looked at us like we were skipping in line but I made note of the sign that said something like, if you want to save huge amounts of time by mostly avoiding the line and your party is willing to be split up, get in the single riders line. We walked right into the preshow, which I really liked. Then we went into the loading area and waited for a total of three minutes before getting assigned to our cars. I let Laura go on before me, because we figured that she wouldn't have to wait too long after for me, but just in case, she didn't want to wait in line by herself. She got called to get in car 2, and then I was put into car 1. It worked out pretty well. Laura loved the ride and we decided right away to go on again. We got right back in the singles line but this time there was a little wait before we were let into the preshow. This ride we were placed in the same car, just in different rows. Laura sat in the front row on one end and I sat in the back row on the opposite side.

Feeling that we had taken full advantage of the Early Entry, we left and ran to catch the bus to MGM. When we got to MGM, we went straight to TZToT. There was no wait. As soon as we got off, we went to get FPs for Rock'n' Roller Coaster (RnRC). Our FP times were for between 11 and 12. We had plenty of time so we went to the Great Movie Ride (GMR). There was a little line, but it was constantly moving, so by the time we actually walked through the queue, we were let on. I had my camcorder ready and taped the entire show. I was hoping that it was the mob scene but it turned out to be the cowboy scene. After that, we went to Star Tours (ST). The line was moving and we got through it rather quickly. This ride made me a little queasy. At least I didn't throw up like I did once before. I did the close your eyes to take away the nausea method. When we got off, we decided that we were hungry so we stopped at the ABC Commissary, where we both enjoyed grilled chicken sandwiches and spanish rice. Feeling very full, we left to see Muppet Vision 3D. I really love watching the preshow here, but we arrived within one minute of being let into the theater. I like how Sweetums is walking around a lot more looking for Bean. I love those Muppets!

Then it was time for our FP for RnRC. We walked back to that part of the park and entered the FP line, where we walked straight into the preshow area. I love Aerosmith and the preshow here is pretty good. I think that this could be my favorite preshow yet. I also really like the sign that you see from the limousine before entering the freeway. "Be prepared to merge like you've never merged before!" That is my motto and I use it now every morning when I enter the New York State Thruway on my way to work. I can't really describe how great this roller coaster is. In my humble opinion, it knocks the socks off of Space Mountain except for the neon signs that glow throughout the ride, which seems to help you get you bearings just a little. I think the only way that this could be improved (if it is possible) is if it was completely in the dark. I think that I would like to not have any sense of direction, but then again, it's a little hard to have any sense of direction on this ride. RnRC is easily the greatest ride that I have ever been on.

Laura and I spent much time during the rest of the vacation discussing how well this ride is put together. First you have the pretty good preshow (which we were reminded of at the Hard Rock Café - maybe it's all of those records hanging on the wall). Next the ride is themed really well. The sounds are so authentic and the sign that displays the traffic conditions before you take off is very reminiscent of the expressway here at home. Then, you begin the ride from a dead stop and go so fast that you go into an upside down loop immediately without any type of incline. Here's where I had a slight problem. As we were waiting to take off, looking at the traffic conditions, I happened to look down to make sure that my backpack was secure and we took off with my head facing downward. Big problem since the force of the acceleration holds you in whatever position you were in before the acceleration began. And thus, I was forced to begin the ride with my head down. I don't remember much about the exact ride itself except that my cousin was reaching for my hand and although it was a long ride (not the typical 1+ minutes) it ended just as abruptly as it had began. And all we could say after it was over was how great it was and how much we wanted to ride again.

It was then time to move on to a waterpark since the heat was getting up there and we wanted to keep as cool as possible. We went to BB the previous day so today it was time for Typhoon Lagoon (TL). I guess that my Disney knowledge had gone down through the tubes, or perhaps I hadn't studied enough, then again it could be that all of my previous trips I had actually gone back to the hotel to change, or had gone directly there, or had ended up there without planning, but we didn't make it to TL exactly as I had thought. Actually, we didn't get there even close to how I had thought. There was no direct bus to TL from MGM, so I had the brilliant idea to hop on the first bus we saw that looked ready to leave and catch the bus from wherever that had taken us. As it turned out, we hopped on the bus to the Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian. I have this sort of fear that occurs when I get on a bus to a place that I really don't belong in. I really love to see all of the different resorts so that's not the problem, but I feel like they are going to kick me off or something for not being on the right bus. As soon as we got seated, the bus driver yelled to us (we were way in the back of the bus), "What resort are you going to?" To which I responded, "Huh?" I hadn't a clue as to what he had just asked us. Then it kind of clicked on what he had said. And what was the first resort that popped in to my head? CBR! Wait, I couldn't tell this man that we were going to an inferior (compared to where the bus was going to, not by my standards) resort. Think of another. Boardwalk! Wait, thinking back, I don't think that it took too long for me to answer him but it sure does seem like I thought forever. Finally I croaked out, "Wilderness Lodge." There, that seemed like a safe enough answer. Except of course when we got there and waited and waited and waited and then my cousin noticed the sign that read that there wouldn't be any buses to TL until after 4pm. That's it, rip my RADP title away from me and throw it in the trash! Wait, maybe not, this was turning in to quite the adventure, so remove that title and clean it off! I asked the bus driver for the very next bus that came by how to get from WL to TL and he told me to catch the bus to the TTC and then transfer over to the TL bus. Easy enough and in under an hour from when we left MGM, we arrived at TL, via the TTC.

We did the usual locker and towel rental and changed. Then we went off in search of two chairs, which were really close to the main walkway on the beach (opposite the wave pool). We then hit the wave pool and to our disappointment, there were no waves at that time. Then there were some regular waves, but not THE WAVE! We did wait though and we weren't disappointed too long. After wave pooling for a while, we went to the river but due to overcrowding, we were unable to get any tubes. Good enough, we just kind of swan with the current until we came across a two person tube, which we shared. We got out at the Shark Reef because I really wanted to snorkel. The last time that I had visited TL was in January 1998 and my brother and I were going to go snorkeling but they were closed. And I had really wanted to do that, maybe not so much for me but more because my brother wanted to so badly. So, it became my mission to go snorkeling just to kind of make up for that time when my brother and I couldn't. It took much convincing on my part to get my cousin to snorkel with me, but in the end, she decided to wait for me since she was just about choking on the mouthpiece. It wasn't until I was receiving my instructions that they said that you didn't have to use the mouthpiece. I got off at the other end and told my cousin the good news, but she didn't really want to snorkel anymore. So, we hit the slides. We went on the Storm Slides (all three of them). While climbing the mountain for these slides, we came across some interesting people. First, there was a mother with a young girl. The little girl was very brave for going on the slides, but she wouldn't go unless her mother was the next one down. We also saw three little boys (not too little, maybe 7 years old) that began a debate between Laura and I. We couldn't decide if they were triplets or not. They looked so much alike but there was the possibility that they were twins with another being a year older or younger. We never did find out although I think we decided that they were triplets.

Our next stop was the most interesting. We went on the family tube ride. I have had two bad experiences (ok, one wasn't bad, just embarrassing) on this tube slide. The embarrassing incident occurred on that 1998 trip when my brother, his girlfriend (now my sister-in- law), my best friend, and I went on it. I don't remember carrying the tube up the hill (I guess it was a good thing that my brother was there), but the four of us got to the top and climbed in. All four of us were big kids and that little raft told us that we were. It didn't sink exactly, just kind of went down and the lifeguards were doing all they could to keep from cracking up. We did survive the trip. This time, that wasn't the case. It wasn't the sinking problem (my cousin is a little twiggy kid), but we hit disaster. We got the raft stuck so many times trying to carrying it up the mountain that I lost count. We did finally make it to the top. I was plagued with the thoughts of the sinking raft from last time and I guess that my guard was down. I wasn't looking around too much, or maybe I was looking but I was visualizing that past experience. Laura climbed in and I was trying to climb in but the raft was blocking the view of most of the staircase into the loading area. I didn't see that there was a last step beyond the one I was on. My toes went over the edge with the rest of my foot with it. I'm not sure if I heard the snap or felt the crunch more, or both. It was much like the experience I had when I had broken my leg in eleventh grade. The physics education in me makes me think that I couldn't have heard the noise, but felt it so badly that I thought I heard it. All I could do was yell "Ow!" Not very powerful, but I don't like expressing pain in front of strangers. When I had broken my leg in eleventh grade, my dad was putting our ice skates in the car and I was lying on the ice. Some stranger came and sat with me until my dad returned. The man helped me, along with my dad, to the car. Since this guy was sitting with me, I couldn't cry, even though I should have been hiccuping by that point. So here I was in front of these lifeguards when two scenarios flashed before my eyes. The first was that broken leg incident, and the second was an image of me being carried down the mountain in front of hundreds of staring people with my cousin freaking out following the stretcher. Not to mention that all of this had occurred in front of a terribly good-looking young male lifeguard. So I kind of fell into the raft and grabbed my poor foot. The female lifeguard asked if I was allright and I stopped my "Owing" to say that I was fine. Yeah fine, my foot (pun intended!). And we began down the hill. Laura was laughing. I'm not sure if it was because of the accident or just because she was enjoying the ride. All I could do was to panic. I told her that I thought I broke my toes. I think that she thought I was lying, although I was never more serious about anything in my life.

The end of the ride came and I don't exactly remember how I climbed out of the raft, but it must have been something to look at. Laura was looking at the good-looking lifeguards (maybe it's the men in uniform?) and I was panicking. I still don't think she believed me at that point. I was walking every way that I could to avoid putting pressure on my left foot's toes. (I always told my parents that walking on my heels as a child could have some good use someday () We walked back to the chairs where our towels were. The entire walk made my foot hurt so much that I thought I was going to throw up I was in so much pain. And, of course, that only made me panic more. My cousin seemed bummed that I was out for the day but I convinced her to go back into the wave pool for another round in the waves. She really wanted me to at least sit in the water or by the water's edge but we had stopped on the way back to the chairs and the current was too strong. Anyway, the walk through the sand again probably would have made me throw up. I cleaned the wound the best I could and then sat there for a while, playing doctor to my injury. As far as I could tell, my big toe on the left foot and the second toe were the injured ones. There were some pretty nasty cuts (I don't think cuts is the appropriate word here, as you will be able to tell by what I said to the nurse). I thought that maybe all of the pain was from the wounds, with sand in them and such. I also have this thing about seeing blood. Thankfully, there was minimal bleeding but the wound looked like it was bleeding, but noting was pouring out.

Laura came out of the water and seemed a little upset, so I sent her back in for more. I got as ready as I could and when she came back out a second time, I left to get the stuff out of the locker and return the key. After a good rinsing under cold water, my foot still felt horrible, so I hobbled over to the first aid station. I walked in expecting to find a woman like the one who had helped my cousin the day before, instead I found a woman talking on the phone, and this call was definitely a personal call. She looked upset to have to put the phone down and asked what was the matter. I told her, "I left half of my foot on the water slide." She told me something like she hoped I found it. Without even looking at my foot, she gave me two Band-Aids and told me to keep it clean and change bandages often. And before I could take the Band-Aids from her hands, she picked up the phone and resumed her conversation. That was it. (I did later find out that the first one wasn't broken, but the second one was.)( So I limped back to my cousin and told her what had happened. We decided to leave then, but first looked around Singapore Sal's.

We waited a little bit for the bus and then went back to Trinidad North. When we arrived, I had the brilliant idea to get some ice and throw it in the bathtub to soak my foot. It became Laura's mission to get the ice and she took many trips to get it. I called my sister-in- law who has had much experience in the broken bone department to ask her advice, but the only thing that answered was the answering machine. By the time I had left the message, Laura was finished with the ice trips. We both ended up soaking our feet for a while. By the sink I noticed the coolest thing. The cleaning lady had made a toothbrush holder for me out of a washcloth. I was impressed and I was careful not to mess up the holder the rest of the week. Then, I took a shower and changed. I bandaged my toes and wished that I had some tape to fix them up. My little angel cousin produced a roll of tape and tossed it to me. I taped my toes the best I could which helped a lot. Then, we left for MK. We had just rounded the corner to find that the bus had just arrived and we began running to make it. Well, it wasn't running for me, but more of a limp/hop. We arrived at MK at 6pm and our PS was for 6:30. We took some pictures of the entrance and of the beginning of Main St. I wanted to go to the Camera Center to see if there was a WDW Forever kiosk, which I thought there was. Now came another repeat experience from that 1998 trip. While walking to the Camera Center, a bird decided to do its business and it hit me on the arm. In 1998, it occurred in Tomorrowland right by a water fountain that provided quick relief. There was no water fountain that I could see, but I had some alcohol wipes in my backpack. I retrieved one and cleaned up and used a healthy dose of antibacterial spray as well. Feeling more sanitary, we went into the building and Laura found the kiosk. I looked for a few minutes but I didn't see any tracks that really excited me. I planned to look again before we went home. Then we went over to City Hall to exchange our E-Rode Night tickets for the wristbands. After waiting for a while, with no one in line, we were told that we needed to go outside to make the exchange. There we encountered a very rude CM that was mad that we weren't walking quickly enough. Then, we headed over to Crystal Palace for our PS.

There was a huge line to check in so Laura went off to get us some drinks and I waited in the line. Laura returned with the refreshments and then I saw my friend Ryan, who was there on his honeymoon. A long time before we went, Ryan and I had talked about our trips. He was arriving the day before us and was staying for two weeks. However, I didn't notice him until after they had passed us and I felt funny going up to him to talk since I didn't know his wife or anything and he wasn't a close friend of mine. We waited about 20 minutes total. Our waiter was Kyle and he did an excellent job (. The food at CP was terrific. It was all comfort foods, turkey, potatoes, chicken fingers, and some fancy stuff too! Unfortunately, everytime we had gone up for food, the characters had come to the table. The only one we actually saw up close was Tigger. The picture of me and him turned out to be one of my favorites.

Feeling very full, we left and headed over to Adventureland. We got FPs for Jungle Cruise and went to the bathroom to rinse out the cups that our beverages that Laura had gotten us. Then we had a choice to make. Wait around for our FPs in Adventureland and get stuck there because of the parade, or skip the FPs and head over to Frontierland. We went to Frontierland, heading towards Splash Mountain (Spl Mtn). I was disoriented because the entrance had been moved thanks to FP, but we found it easily enough. We were eyeballing the posted wait time and deciding if we should wait an hour in line when a man came up and offered us his expiring FPs (there was 5 minutes left). I think we were more shocked than surprised and with many thanks accepted his offer. While in the FP line, my cousin struck up a conversation with a girl from St. Louis. My cousin was very nervous about the ride but the reassurances of the St. Louis girl made her feel better. We sat in the back row and didn't get too wet. When we got off we headed to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR). The posted wait was 30 minutes but we waited about 5 minutes. We got to sit in the very front car, which was a first for me. I told my cousin that I had never done that before and the CM told me that I should go buy a lottery ticket, but, "Of course, gambling, in any form, is not permitted on Disney property." ( Maybe it was me, but the ride seemed to be going awfully slow and there wasn't much excitement. Then we waked around the water and saw part of the Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP). MSEP was good and I sang along with the music (this was the first time I had seen it, but I had heard the song only a million times on my Disney CDs). My cousin took a lot of pictures and then we went to the Haunted Mansion (HM). I liked that but my favorite part is the beginning room that has the rising ceiling. Those pictures crack me up.

We cut through Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. The posted wait for Space Mountain (Spc Mtn) was 35 minutes (at that point it was 9:58). We waited all of 10 minutes. When we got off, E-Ride night had begun and we went right back on. Then we hit Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin two times, where I achieved the rank of Planetary Pilot. Then we went to Alien Encounter (AE) where we walked right into the preshow. I love little Skippy even though he is a terrible space traveler. AE didn't really excite me that much. After that we headed back to Spl Mtn and walked right on. This E-Ride night was a great invention. We rode two times and went back to BTMR. This time we sat near the back and the ride seemed to move a lot faster. It was a much better ride this time. We were beat at this time so we walked up to Main St. passing characters along the way. Any parent who takes their child to see Minnie Mouse in the middle of the night ought to have their head examined. The line was huge, mostly small children, and it was around 12:30. Most kids weren't excited, just whiny and crying. We stopped at the Emporium along the way then left. The bus was waiting and it took us back to Trinidad North, but not without some humor along the way. The bus driver asked us why we were leaving so early (not so early in the E-Ride night, but it was 12:30 in the morning so it was early, get it?). By the time we got back to the room it was 1am and I was ready to collapse. We changed and I set the wakeup call and then it was off to dreamland!

Wednesday, June 7, 2000

The alarm clock went off at 6:10 and boy was it hard to get up, considering I had only gone to sleep 5 hours before. I think that I started to fall back asleep, a common thing that I do. It starts off like stretching and then I am out like a light. Thank goodness that the Mickey call came to get me up, but instead of coming at 6:00 like I set it at, it came at 6:25 and there was no Mickey on the other end. I remembered that Mickey was voice activated and I said hello several times to get him to talk, but he never did. Oh well. I got up and took a shower and got dressed. Then I woke up my cousin in the usual "Up and at em..." form that I used. For being dead to the world asleep, she awoke pretty easily. Laura got into the shower and I called my dad. I told him about my foot and all he could do is ask if I had taken my cousin to the 50's Primetime Café yet. Thanks dad for the words of encouragement. Primetime was tomorrow. After talking with my dad, I tried calling my brother (Tim) again since neither he nor Beth (my sister-in-law) had called back the night before. I talked to Tim for awhile and then he called me back to avoid wasting my entire calling card. When I got off the phone, Laura was ready to go and we left the room at 7:50. We had an 8:30 PS for Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary.

The bus to MK came fairly quickly and there was one family on it. We later called this family the "Perfect Family" for reasons you will later find out. The family consisted of Mom, Dad, Son (we never found out his name), and Abagail (the daughter). Son was probably 7 or 8 and Abagail was around 4 or 5. They looked so happy to be together and in Disney World. As it turned out, they were also going to Chef Mickey's and to our surprise, the bus first stopped at the Contemporary for those of us who were going to the Character Breakfast. I think it was Dad who asked us if we knew where we were going. During my 1999 trip, I had visited the Contemporary several times and I had seen Chef Mickey's. I knew that we needed to go up a few floors but I wasn't exactly sure just how far. They ended up following us. We got to Chef Mickey's and checked in. We decided to skip the picture in front of the giant plate because we thought it was kind of stupid. Laura started getting a little funny. I don't think that she realized that the characters were going to be coming to each table until we got there and she wasn't too thrilled. It had almost killed her that we had Tigger come to the table at the Crystal Palace the night before. She was really happy that Pooh and Eyeore had missed us. As it turned out after the trip, Laura loved all of the pictures that I had "made" her take with the characters. I am a firm believer that you are never too old to hug a character and I darn well plan on getting my autographs every trip until I am senile and can't tell the characters from my family. Anyway, I think that Laura felt a little too old to be at the breakfast with the characters, but she ended up enjoying herself.

We were called at 8:20 to be seated and our PS was for 8:30. That was good since we were starved and it's a good thing that we brought our appetites. Gary was our waiter and gave us the low down on the characters visiting. We each got glasses of juice and there was an entire pot of coffee (good coffee!) on each table. I thought that was a fantastic idea since it would take forever for a server to come around with a pot for a warm up. Breakfast was excellent and I am not too much of a breakfast person. I would be perfectly comfortable having a hamburger for breakfast and not all of the pastry type items but this buffet appealed to me. There was more food than you could imagine. There was everything from pastries and cereal, to bacon and pancakes and several different types of potatoes. One side note about the cereal: when you get a bowl (and there are many to choose from), the server brings you your own pitcher of milk for your own personal use. I think that's a very good idea. During breakfast, we were visited by Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale, who visited two times. Also, we waved our napkins two different times for the celebration. During one of these times, Goofey stood right next to Laura and was having a blast. Everytime a character came to the table next to us, I got my camera and notebook (for autographs) ready while Laura looked like she was ready to climb under the table. However, an interesting thing occurred each time. When I got the camera to take Laura's picture, she looked embarrassed beyond all belief. But, just before I snapped the picture each time, her face broke into this huge, genuine, grin that showed off just how happy she really was to have the characters hugging her (even though the rest of the time she did a good job of hiding it). When Minnie came around, Gary offered to take a picture of me and Laura together with her (all of the other pictures we of us individually). We accepted! Throughout breakfast, we discussed the Perfect Family and how nice they were.

When we were ready to leave (feeling VERY full), we stopped to have our picture taken with Goofey. Who did we ask to take the picture? The Perfect Mom! She and Abagail were the only people around that we could ask and they accepted. It turned out to be a great picture. We left Chef Mickey's then and stopped in the Contemporary's gift shop for a little bit. Then we walked to the escalators to catch the Monorail to the MK, to switch back to the CBR bus. Who did we meet while waiting for the Monorail? The Perfect Family! We ended up sitting with them on the Monorail and they were also going back to CBR then. They were from Springfield, Missouri and this was their last day in WDW. We also learned that they had another daughter, Emily, who was just a baby and was staying, along with Louie the dog, at their grandmother's (Mimi's) house. They did a four day trip to WDW and shared some of their experiences with us. Just after we got off the Monorail, Laura took a picture of them for our scrapbooks, but after developing the roll, we could not find the picture. We rode back to CBR, but the bus made a few other stops along the way, stopping at both the TTC and MGM. When we got back to CBR, one of the first stops the bus made was picking up a person in a ECV (scooter). It seemed like it took forever and some man stood outside the bus the entire time watching the bus driver and complaining about how long it was taking. However, no other MK buses had come through for him to switch to. The man was annoying me because the person in the scooter deserved the same busing privileges as he and the bus driver was taking his time to make sure that the person was secure. Safety first! As it turned out, the Perfect Family got off at Trinidad North with us. They had to go and pack before checking out. We wished them a safe trip and went back to our room.

There wasn't too much on our agenda for the day. We were both beat so we planned to catch some Zzzz's out by the pool at OPR. We got to the room at 11:45 and we changed. Laura called her dad and then we walked to OPR. We got two lounge chairs, not right next to the pool, but back a row (there are only two rows, so we were in the last row along the bushes). I don't think that we could have stood up too long, so we went inside and filled up our mugs and then went back to the lounge chairs to nap. I feel asleep pretty quickly and I'm not sure how long I slept for but at one point I woke up and felt like I was on fire. I was so hot and needed cooling off immediately. Since I wasn't wearing my glasses I felt kind of clumsy as I made my way to the pool. Instead of jumping in, I sat by the side and soaked my feet. Boy, was that water cold. It was so cold that I couldn't go in. So, I splashed water on my neck and arms and felt a lot better. Then, I went back to the chair for a second helping of sleep. I woke up before Laura, but not too much before. We both went into the pool then. Unfortunately, we forgot the waterproof camera (the best invention!) so Laura got out to retrieve it. We took a bunch of pictures, swam, went down the slide, and cooled off. The water felt so good. I couldn't imagine that I thought it was freezing earlier. After swimming, we dried off in the sun again. I jotted a few notes in my trip notebook. When we were dried, we went back into OPR to refill our mugs and stopped in the gift shop. I needed to purchase more Band-Aids and some first aid cream. Boy are those items expensive! We hiked back to our room to change and then caught a bus to Downtown Disney (DD) at 2:30.

At DD, we stopped at several stores and utilized the package delivery service. That is a great thing that Disney offers and if you are not checking out the next day, use it! It is so convenient. We stopped at the Rainforest Café (RC) and I joined the Safari Club. I emailed RC for information on it following a thread on RADP about it and the gentleman that responded said it was best to join right at the restaurant. So, since we were planning on hitting RC at Animal Kingdom (AK) later that day, I thought it would be a good idea. When you join, you are given a certificate for $10 towards your next meal purchase and since membership is $10, it's basically free. It also has some good perks, such as PS (that is not offered through Disney Dining) when you arrive (a good thing since the wait can be as long as 2 hours), and another $10 gift certificate that you receive in the mail. We shopped around DD, stopping at the Lego Store, Disney at Home, World of Disney, Team Mickey, the Christmas store, and the Reading Riting (RR?) store. At 5pm we caught the bus to TTC and switched to AK form there. When we were at DD, it began to rain and on the bus to AK, the sky was dumping cosmic bathtubs on WDW. When we got to AK, the rain had stopped and fortunately, most of the people had fled AK in search of drier land. It was also near closing time, probably around 6:30 with the park closing at 7. We walked through the Oasis and into Safari Village. We didn't stop, but headed straight towards the entrance to It's Tough to be a Bug (ITTBAB). We walked with no wait through the Tree of Life (TOL) garden and walked into the waiting area outside ITTBAB just in time for the next showing. I stopped to admire all of the posters on the wall and to marvel at the huge dung ball. I love the bug eyes that they give us to make us honorary bugs. I think they are quite the fashion statement. We loved the show and all of the special effects. It definitely makes you see things from a bug's perspective. Afterwards, we wandered through a few of the stores in Safari Village and eventually made our way to RC. I took a few pictures of the outside, which looked really cool with the fog from the rain. Very rainforest-ish!

We checked in at the elephant and ended up being seated in about 10 minutes. We sat next to the gorillas, which surprisingly reminded me of my brother (any connection here?). This was my first trip to WDW being 21 and I was eager to order a fancy drink to drink. After scouring over the menu, I settled on a Tropical Tucan. I ordered mine after surrendering my driver's license to the waitress. To my surprise, Laura said, "I'll have the same." I would have loved to have had someone take a picture of the look on my face. Just as the waitress was asking for her ID, I was saying "You can't have that, you have no ID and you're not old enough." I thought that I was going to fall out of my chair. Then Laura asked for the non-alcoholic version of the drink. Whew! Much better. Laura ordered penne pasta with chicken that looked pretty good. I couldn't decided on anything fancy so I settled for good old meatloaf, which was really good and it came with those way good garlic mashed potatoes. They give such huge portions that we wished that the room had a refrigerator, but it didn't. After eating, we took some pictures and then shopped for a bit I bought a hat, a ring, and a little monkey for my desk. Then, we left AK and ended up running/limping/hoping to catch the MGM bus until the bus driver waved to us that he would wait. There was a family on the bus and they sounded like they were from Australia. The father was very funny. During the trip, their stroller started to fly across the bus and my cousin caught it. When we got to MGM, people began climbing on the bus and we hadn't left it yet. The bus driver asked them to get off and the family got off before us. The father told the group that was trying to get on that the bus was closed. You should have seen the look on those people's faces until the father started laughing. It was pretty amusing, but I guess you had to be there.

At MGM, we walked through some of the stores. Then we decided that it was time to hit TZToT. The sign said the wait was 25 minutes, but we walked right on. One thing we did notice in a big way was the smoke. I guess that this afternoon's rain was the first Florida had seen in something like four months. It caused a lot of smoke from the fires to move into the area and this was very noticeable in the drop zone in TZToT. We got off the ride and got right back in line again. This time we waited about 15 minutes total. We were in line behind a group from South Carolina that had a lot of children in it. One girl was frightened by the movie in the library but we told her not to worry. We never did see how they made out because one elevator needed two people so we cut ahead of the group to fill the car. Then we hit RNRC. The sign said that there was a 60 minute wait but it was only 20 minutes. This line is very deceiving. It seems like it goes on forever, but there are only like four rows to walk through and the entire part of the line by the building never full because they only let enough people in to fill the preshow area at one time, thus skipping the part of the line right next to the building. We were in line in front of some lifeguards for TL. They were talking about how the wave pool worked. One lifeguard had told a guest that it worked like a big toilet. When the tank gets filled up, they open it up and let it out, causing the wave. Then we hit some more stores before walking to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater to catch Fantasmic! The line was not moving and we were packed like sardines. It did begin to move eventually and we had our choice of seats. We stopped for a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich (a tradition for me!) and a Diet Coke for Laura. We sat somewhere near the middle, but still got wet. I videotaped the entire show and it came out terrific, as I watched part of it later. Fantasmic! is easily one of my favorite shows in WDW. When I tried to explain it to people, I don't think they understand what I mean by saying movies are projected on water and the whole bit. The special effects are among the best but I was a little disappointed to see no preshow performers. I was looking forward to seeing the two bellhops that I had enjoyed so much in 1999. When the show ended, we cut through some stores and got on the bus back to CBR. It was around 12 when we got there. Laura changed and fell asleep pretty quickly. I changed, packed the backpack for the next day and had some Teddy Grahams. Then I watched some TV and fell asleep.

Thursday, June 8, 2000

I woke up at 7:30 this morning. Then I took a shower, got dressed, and woke up my cousin. This was getting to be a routine. While Laura got ready, I jotted some notes in my trip notebook. We had some definite plans for the day. We planned on spending the morning at EPCOT and then switching over to MGM, where we had 1pm PS for the 50s Primetime Café. I was really looking forward to eating there, as I had a fun experience eating there on my previous trip. So we left for EPCOT as soon as we were both ready. We didn't have to wait too long for the bus to come and we made it to EPCOT fairly quickly since CBR is located pretty close to EPCOT.

We decided to skip Spaceship Earth (SE) and hit that later. The line was building up since most people go there first. It's a definite must see, but not right away. We cut through Innoventions and went to the Universe of Energy to see Ellen's Energy Adventure. We got there just as the preshow had begun. This is high on my list of favorite preshows. I never watched Ellen when she was on ABC, but I catch the reruns now and then and I think she is hilarious. Anyway, the preshow, and thus the entire exhibit, is focused on Ellen. It starts out as she falls asleep while watching her favorite game show, Jeopardy, which happens to be a favorite of mine as well. In the dream, Ellen is transported into the Jeopardy episode, facing her genius college roommate (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and Albert Einstein. Ellen is then joined by Bill Nye in her dream to help her learn about energy, which is what all of the Jeopardy categories are about. Bill Nye and Ellen take us throughout time and exploring the world learning about different forms of energy. I wonder why my dreams are not like this. This show is much better than the old Universe of Energy exhibit because Bill Nye and Ellen keep it upbeat, in my opinion. After the show, we took a few pictures of the building, as it became a goal of mine to get a picture of everything in Future World.

Laura and I then walked over to the Wonders of Life pavilion, where we walked right on to Body Wars. I was a little hesitant, since this attraction (and all rides of this type) make me sick, but I survived. I was a little disappointed that Disney has not chosen to update this at all. I think it is high time for a new movie, all in the same spirit of Body Wars. You can only explore that splinter so many times. And, if the splinter has not been removed yet, and it was there in 1996, when I first went to WDW, shouldn't the person's finger be ready to fall off yet? After Body Wars, we stopped to check out the different touch exhibits. I think the hot and cold coils that affect our senses are really neat. Then, we walked over to see Cranium Command and entered the preshow area just after it had begun. I love this show. I think that it is really neat to see familiar actors, all working inside the 13-year-old's body. I think that everyone leaves this show with a smile on their face.

After Wonders of Life, we went over to see the Land. Living with the Land could very well be one of my favorite attractions at EPCOT. We encountered a small line here but spent the time reading all of the different quotes that are painted on the walls. Living with the Land is an excellent tour and I was glad that I videotaped it. It is a nice thing to watch. I love the different growing techniques. I only wish that my garden would grow that way. We opted to skip Food Rocks and opted to go over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience (HISTA). This is really a timeless attraction. No matter how many times I see it, the snake, lion, and mice scare the heck out of me. Was it my imagination, or did they change the preshow song? I know that it is still "True Colors" but it sounded different to me. I don't remember kids singing the song or maybe it has always been that way and I'm just used to the Phil Collins version. At any rate, the preshow here is also one of my favorites. The pictures, combined with the music really bring tears to my eyes.

Next, we went to see Journey into Your Imagination (JIYI). One comment - Ick! I think it is nice how they worked Figment in the new show, but I thought it was pointless, since they massacred the rest of it. I went into this attraction with an open mind, since I heard most people hated it, but a few actually enjoyed. I think that it is important not to prejudge anything, but see it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I thought that the idea behind this new attraction was good, but to replace the original with this version is disappointing. You figure that they would replace it with something worthwhile. By the time we were done with this, it was time to leave for MGM.

We made it to MGM and went straight to the 50s Primetime Café (PTC). We checked in at 12:50 for our 1pm PS. We went into the living room to wait and I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. I have seen what skipping the washing can do. I also stopped at the payphone to leave a message on my brother's voicemail, saying that I missed him. At 1:10 we heard, "Schaefer kids! It's time for lunch!" That was us. We went and sat in the corner room that looked kind of kitchen-ish. Leeroy was our waiter/cousin. He was hysterical. Laura wasn't taking to the humor and when Leeroy sat next to her, she jumped out of the way. Leeroy proceeded to make fun of her and told her that she had an attitude problem. I think that I was crying I was laughing so hard. Laura didn't perk up. I think that she was taking it personally. You really need to go into the place with an open mind. We set our places at the table and then using my best manners, I ordered the meatloaf and a chocolate milkshake. Laura ordered a strawberry shake and a turkey sandwich. Leeroy told us that he could raid his parents liquor cabinet, but we obviously weren't old enough. Hey! I am old enough, but I didn't want him to get into trouble if his father found out! Leeroy delivered our milkshakes to us and we enjoyed them thoroughly. He also made fun at the couple next to us. The man was arguing right back with Leeroy and it was amusing to watch. The best part of that argument was when it came time to pay the bill. The man showed Leeroy his AAA card. Leeroy was like, "So what?" Then the guy said that he was just checking to see if they offered any type of discount since Universal did. That was quite the exchange, all in fun.

I refilled my milkshake (they give you the glass plus the silver-mixing cup) with extra caution. On my last trip, I wasn't so careful and ended up spilling my milkshake everywhere. I lacked to share that story with Laura and that was a mistake. Our food had just arrived and she was refilling her glass. It was like watching in slow motion. Pink milkshake was coming out and then the giant blob of ice cream came out so quickly, there was nothing that could be done. Pink milkshake was everywhere; all over the table, the glass, and the turkey sandwich. Leeroy witnessed this and proceeded to tell my cousin that's why we can't take her anywhere. He was mad that he brought her home, his mom cooked her lunch, and she has to go and make a mess. I was impressed when Leeroy went and got her a new milkshake and a new turkey sandwich (the sandwich could have been salvaged) and at no charge. We enjoyed our meal and watching the kid at the table next to us, who didn't finish his vegetables. Then came the event. The couple on the other side of us had already left and their table was clean. My cousin had the wicked idea to refill her new milkshake on the clean table. I tried to stop her but the effort was fruitless. She did not spill her milkshake this time, to her disappointment. However, she took the liberty to spill it on purpose after the fact, then threw her napkin over it to "hide" it. I suggested that she wipe it up. I turned on the camcorder to catch this, the whole time wondering what her mother would say of she saw this. The family on the other side watched the entire time. After she was done and had returned to our table, I informed her that I videotaped it. The father at the next table suggested that I show Leeroy and the kids encouraged it. He had been back at our table since she did that, but the napkin covered it so nicely that he didn't notice it.

I told Leeroy that I needed to show him something. He was watching the event on my camcorder and yelled at my cousin for sitting at his clean table. I told him to keep watching and I wish that I had another camcorder to record his reaction when he saw what she had done. He continued to yell at her and all she could do was laugh. He gave us our bill then, and I noticed that he hadn't charged us for the new sandwich. I thought it was really nice. Laura, however, didn't. She suggested that I leave him no tip since he was so mean to her. I said that you tip for good service, which I thought he did an excellent job and he was a good spirited person to have working at the PTC. Laura disagreed and said that she couldn't stand him and couldn't understand why I did. (This last sentence is important and remember it for later). Needless to say, I left him a big tip and we waited until he came back out to say goodbye. He told me to remember him at Christmas time. I thought it was a great experience at PTC but they didn't focus as much on the whole family idea. Last year, I was introduced to everyone, who became my cousins, at all of the tables around me. I missed that a lot. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone.

It was 2pm when we left so we walked down Sunset Blvd. to RNRC to get FPs for later. Our FP return time was between 4:45 and 5:45. Then we hit TZToT, which had a small line. It was pretty hot out so we left MGM to go to BB (our daily waterpark ritual). When we got to BB, we did the usual locker and towel rental. Then we went straight for the river. I probably could have lain there for hours. I had my meal and I was ready for my nap. After floating forever (at least one and a half times around the river and past Ice Gator's house which I think is really cool) we got out and went into the wavepool. After TL's wavepool, no others compare. We didn't stay in too long. I was too tired to hit the slides. The only thing I wanted to hit was a pillow. A lounge chair would do. We lay on our lounge chairs for a while in the hot sun and I fell asleep. It seemed like I slept forever and Laura was awake when I woke up. The entire time I was sleeping, I was aware that there were people moving around us (the lounge chairs were right next to the walkway). Laura informed me that while I was asleep, the lifeguards had to jump in the wavepool (the chairs offered a nice wavepool view also) and save some kid. There was quite the commotion and lifeguards running everywhere. I was not aware of this and slept through the entire event. We didn't know what time it was but we left soon after waking up, only to find out it was 5:10 when we left. We got in line at the bus stop that was going to MGM, hoping that we would make our FP time.

The bus to MGM came, but was stopping at the Coronado first. It was then that I decided that I didn't like this resort anymore. We had seen it the first day when we had traveled from MGM to BB and then it had seemed nice enough. Not anymore. It took the bus driver forever to go from stop to stop and I swear she hit some stops twice. Maybe it was because I had been clock watching, hoping to get the FP times. We would have made it to, if the bus driver had known the route to take. She ended up skipping MGM and took us to the Boardwalk. It was after she pulled into the Boardwalk that the bus driver informed us that she screwed up the route. No kidding and we got to MGM at 5:49. Darn. We instead went and got FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid (VOTLM). They were for 6:55-7:05. Eyeballing the watch, we decided that we had enough time to see the Animation Tour, so we got in line. We made it into the second group to go in. This is another of my favorite attractions and Robin Williams helps make the magic come alive. My favorite part of the Animation Tour is when you sit in the room with the animator. First he drew Winnie the Pooh. Then, he explained that animation involved drawing many pictures, only slightly different from each other. So, he proceeded to draw another Pooh (flipping back and forth between the original drawing). Only this time he made Pooh's eyes open really wide (in the original they we closed) and his mouth open like he was yelling, and his ears back. Then he told us that was what Pooh looked like after riding Tower of Terror. I thought that was the best thing I have ever seen. The tour concluded at 6:55.

We had enough time to look in the Animation Gallery. Somebody suggested to me that a really great souvenir was one of the hand drawn pictures of MGM that they sold there. I wanted to check them out and I fell in love with the picture immediately. I bought it unframed ($75 unframed, $175 framed). What it is, is a hand drawn picture of MGM, including TZToT, GMR, RnRC, the dinosaur from the lake, and the ABC building, all drawn over a globe (with a hidden Mickey - he's a continent) and with a cell of Sorcerer Mickey that goes over it. I say it's worth every penny, but I couldn't see paying $100 for the frame. They gave me framing directions. As it turned out, I brought it home and took it to a framer. The total, with matting (acid free as the directions stated), and with Plexiglas (also in the instructions), and I got to choose the frame (which was in sale) came to $96. The only good part was that I got to pick a frame that better matched my room.

We finished in time to see VOTLM. This is another really great show. I videotaped it, but used the Nightshot (not an external light, you actually can't see it at all) and it turned out that I could see all of the people working the puppets. It's kind of like an inside look. At the beginning of the show, the CM informed everyone that there was no flash photography allowed. Some idiot took at least 7 flash pictures. I think that everyone in the theater wanted to slap him. At the end of the show, the CM was giving out exiting instructions and thanked everyone for not using flash photography, in all of the sarcasm that he could muster. Good for him and I hope he didn't get in any trouble for the comment. I'm sure it's what everyone was thinking. Then we left MGM to head back to EPCOT.

We got to EPCOT at 8pm and immediately walked right on to SE. This is another timeless attraction offered by EPCOT and is another must see! Then we went to Innoventions where we emailed videos of us to our families (I thought that was REALLY COOL). After Innoventions, it was time to claim our spot for I2000 RoE. We walked to Canada and ended up standing on the base to the sign for O Canada! Other people stood on the steps and on flowerpots but were told to get down. We weren't. It was a great viewing location, except when the kids climbed on the parents' shoulders. I love the fireworks and the music. Also, the giant towers with the fire that surround the lagoon are neat. When it was over, we started walking towards SE, but then I thought of the International Gateway. We turned around and left via the International Gateway and walked over to the Boardwalk. That looks pretty nice at night and I think it would be really fun to rent the family bicycle for an evening. Anyway, we headed over to the bus stop and waited for the bus to DD.

When we got on the bus, we sat in the front. I could have sworn that the man sitting across from us was Phil Collins. It looked like him. It sounded like him. He was there with his wife and daughter and mother (or mother-in-law). It was dark though and I couldn't be positive. If he were in a line up, I would have said it was Phil. So, we get to DD and we were hungry again. We stopped at Wolfgang Puck Express where Laura and I both dined on chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, and lemonade. It was terrific. I wish there were one of those restaurants right by me right now. I stopped at the bathroom and tried calling my brother again, but no luck reaching him. Then we went to World of Disney and shopped forever. Maybe not forever, but it felt like it. Once again, we utilized the package delivery service. Then we stopped at Ghiradellis for some ice cream. At that point, we encountered the longest line thus far in our vacation. It was worth it. I also used my PAP to get a free chocolate bar. Those annual passes have their advantages! By that time, we both felt like we were going to fall over at any moment, so we left, walking over to the Pleasure Island bus stop. We caught the bus to Trinidad North and got back to the room at 12:20 (and I wondered why I was having trouble waking up in the morning). We both changed and went right to sleep.

Friday, June 9, 2000

Boy was today a tough morning to wake up. The alarm clock rang at 6:15. I had given up on Mickey's wake up call. I tried to get up (we wanted to take advantage on an Early Entry), but I didn't even have time to think about getting up before I was sound asleep again. I woke up again at 7:30 and realized that the Early Entry idea was out of the question so I fell back asleep. Finally at 8:40 I woke up and stayed up. My first instinct was to call home since I had promised my dad that I would talk to him this morning but I knew he'd already be at work, so I called his office and talked to him for awhile. I didn't really feel like talking to my dad (aren't I a great child?) but it gave me more time to smooth out that waking up process. After hanging up with my dad, I took a shower. Laura was taking her shower while I was on the phone. She didn't get up until I woke her at 8:40.

When we were ready we left to go to OPR to get some breakfast. We both chose cinnamon buns, I had milk, Laura had orange juice. We sat and enjoyed the breakfast (very sweet). Then we chose to walk over to Barbados to Custom House. We needed to purchase our tickets for the E Ride night that evening. The walk wasn't too long and the scenery was beautiful. CBR is really a gorgeous place to stay at. We got to Custom House and a CM directed us as to which line to get into. There were three open Guest Service windows and they were all in use. We waited and waited and waited and finally the CM directed us to a Check- In window for that CM to help us. Unfortunately, she had the worst trouble in the world charging the tickets to our room. In the end, however, we left with our E Ride tickets securely in the backpack. Then, we headed over to the Barbados bus stop to catch a bus to AK.

When we got to AK, our first stop was to get FPs for Dinosaur (previously known as Countdown to Extinction, and I may use that name interchangeably). Our FP return time was for 12:10 to 1:10. We had some time to kill before then so we headed towards Camp Minnie Mickey. One the way we stopped to purchase 2 tank tops (one for each of us) that we saw on the way to Dinoland and had those sent back to our room. Then it was on to Camp Minnie Mickey. I had never seen that part of the park before, so I didn't know quite what to expect. We weren't going to see the characters, just to see Festival of the Lion King (FotLK). When we arrived, the previous show was nearing the end, so we didn't have much of a wait. When we got in the theater, we took our seats. I think it is an excellent idea for CMs to be directing traffic in the theater but it wasn't working for the boneheads in the row ahead of us. I'm not sure exactly how many were together, but it became apparent that they were waiting for a couple of people (I think it was 3) and insisted on leaving a space large enough to squeeze in 12- 15 people. I was wondering the size of those they were missing. The CMs must have told them a dozen times to move down, but it fell upon deaf ears. The missing family members did arrive and took their spaces (leaving enough room for 10 more people) but the family was still annoying. One man kept complaining that the others were late and where were they, etc. Enough already!

FotLK is a terrific show. This was my first time seeing it and I wasn't really expecting real people singing and dancing, maybe I was expecting all characters. It is truly fantastic and put together so well. I think that we were the lion section (I'd have to check the video to be sure of that). Audience participation here is a must! After all of the animals had been returned to their resting places, we began to file out of the theater. I think it was more ridiculous watching others trying to get ahead of the crown, so we took our time. We were in no great hurry. I saw one of the cutest things after exiting the theater. Outside the theater is a stand that sells Disney puppets. Most of the ones here were geared towards AK (i.e. Pooh and Tigger in safari gear). There was a CM holding the Tigger puppet and made Tigger watch the crowd. Tigger looked at people with his binoculars and it was the most adorable thing you could imagine. I had to pull out the videocamera to catch this, but by the time I had it ready, the CM had put Tigger down. He must have seen the disappointment in my eyes, so he picked Tigger back up and made him wave for the camera. If I could have justified a use for the puppet, I would have bought it. In fact, I'm still thinking of getting one next time I go. After waving goodbye to Tigger, we left Camp Minnie Mickey, headed back to make our FP time at Dinosaur. It seems like quite the hike from Camp Minnie Mickey to Dinoland, or maybe it just seemed that way because of the crowd.

So we get to Dinoland and make our way through the crowd, only to reach Dinosaur and see a huge line. I was pretty far down the road that leads up to the building. So we walked past the crowd with our FPs in hand until some kindly stranger informs us that this is the FP return line! No way! I thought the whole purpose of FP is to prevent lines like this. We took our places at the end of the line, nervous that we only had 5 minutes before our passes expired and there was no hope of being in the building in less than 5 minutes. Well, the line moved pretty quickly. I think that they let two preshows worth of FP people in. One thing about FP - I actually feel guilty passing all of the people that have been waiting patiently in the regular line, only to get passed by us. I think we actually waited a total of 10 minutes in the FP return line and no one said anything about being past the return time. Dinosaur was really great, as I remembered. Try as I might, it still scared the heck out of me. I'm a wimp. I close my eyes in front of Carnotaurus, Carnosaurus, Big People Eating Dinosaur, whatever you call him. My impression of the ride was that it was a little less scary. I don't remember seeing the giant man eating dinosaur (read two sentences prior to this for the name) at the end just before you are sent back to 2000. Also, I have to mention that I love the preshow here too. I know it's corny, but I still love it. Maybe I'm the kind of person that would rather go to all the preshows and skip the attractions.

Inspired by all of the hungry dinosaurs, we decided that it was time for our next feeding. And that feeding was to take place at Pizzafari. This was it. This was the longest line we waited in for the entire trip thus far and from here on in. Laura and I each waited in separate lines to see which was faster. Neither was. Maybe mine by like 2 minutes. I don't know what is worse here, the wait, trying to find a seat, or just trying to step away from the counter, balancing your food carefully, weaving through the hungry crowd. We each order a Caesar salad, a cheese pizza, and a large drink, and we shared a piece of chocolate mousse cake. We could not find an empty seat, so we sat on the ground outside, just like we were having a picnic. The food here is excellent. The pizza is one of the best I've had and the cake was to die for. We were so full when we finished, that we could not finish the cake. It was definitely worth the trouble getting the food. We were then planning on leaving AK to head for River Country (RC). However, I had been eyeballing all of the pin carts we had seen and even though I had sworn up and down that I wasn't going to get involved, so we stopped at the pin carts and I started my pin collection. Actually, Laura started it by buying me an AK pin, and two others (I'm not exactly sure which two since, I ended up getting so many at that point, now I can't trade any of those because I can't remember which were the special ones she bought me). I bought a bunch of others. Then we left.

I had never been to RC before and wasn't exactly sure how to get there. I figured that the best way was via the TTC. We hopped on the bus headed there and then asked for directions. We ended up in the line for the Ft. Wilderness (FW) Boone bus. We confirmed with the bus driver that this was the right stop and he told us it was. On the way to RC, we were on the road into FW and there was a man walking along the side of the road. Our bus driver stopped and called the man over to inform him that he needed to cut through the trees and walk on the path. The bus drover sounded like he was scolding the man, but the man complied. Then the bus driver announced that it was our stop (some Depot) and gave directions on how to get to RC. Let me say this. When we got off of the bus, you would never know that you were in WDW. It's so different (in a good way). It was very much like a campground out in the woods somewhere, not in a supreme vacation destination. It looked like a nice place to stay, away from all of the hustle and bustle of the rest of WDW. We stopped to take a few pictures and then entered the park. Our first stop was to the bathroom and to get a locker and towels. Then we stored our stuff away and headed out. I was surprised to see Minnie, Goofy (who shook my hand) and Pluto in their swimming attire out in the park. It was really neat to see them there. We put our towels on two lounge chairs on the beach and headed for the pool. I went right in and it felt good. Laura wasn't getting in so easily and wouldn't you know that when I dove under the water, Goofy came up behind Laura, who was sitting on the edge of the pool, and pushed her in the water. She was so mad. I was upset that I missed it, but I couldn't stop laughing. We only stayed in the pool for a short time. There was a cannonball contest starting and we went over to the lake. Laura's immediate reaction was how the water smelled. It's lake water, what can you say? We swam for awhile and then Laura jumped off of the swinging arm. Then we swam over and got tubes for the tube slide. That was pretty neat, only short. I remember this tube slide from a parade years before, when Goofy was sliding down it. I had always wanted to go down it. After the tube slide we swam over to the rapid slides and went down each of those. Then we walked along the outer edge of the park, which offers a nice view of the Contemporary and Bay Lake (?). I worked up enough nerve to jump off of the arm swing and that was a little scary. I can't say that I would ever try that again. Then we hit the pool again and then went to dry off. I decided then that this was my favorite waterpark. It is good clean fun, with nothing fancy.

We went and reclaimed our belongings and returned our locker key. I realized then that I had made a mistake here. Somewhere I had lost the bandage for my foot and I must have had 10 pounds of sand covering my poor injured toes. Let me tell you that feels like pouring salt in an open wound. Not good. I rinsed off my foot for a good long time. Then we went to get some ice cream at the stand near the entrance. We ate the ice cream as we made our way for the marina. It was a little after 5pm at this point. We went and rented a water mouse for a half an hour, using my AP to get a discounted rental. I was a little nervous about driving the boat, but after a small wait (all the boats were out) we got our boat and my fears subsided. It was pretty easy to maneuver, but ours didn't go very fast. We drove (boated?) out and headed up towards the Contemporary, going by the MK, the Wilderness Lodge, the Grand Floridan, and the Polynesian. Laura steered for a little bit but I took back over when she was directing us towards a ferry. She taught me what waking the boat meant. I still waked the boat in the non-waking areas. We made it back just in time but I had the hardest time steering the boat into the dock. The attendant/lifeguard was quick to help.

Next, we caught a boat to the Contemporary. We planned on getting hairwraps done there but when we arrived, we discovered that the hairwrap place was closed. Instead, we went to the bathroom there to change into drier clothing (the boat ride got us very wet) and then I called my brother again. Then we went to catch the Monorail to the MK. I asked Joey, the Monorail driver/attendant if we could sit in the front. He told me that someone already asked for the next train, so I asked if we could wait and sit in front of the next one coming in. He called God only knows who, and a few minutes later he told us that the front was ours! When our monorail came, we were escorted to the front car. There was a family already in there, and they got out and moved to the second car. Apparently we had asked before them, so they only got to ride in the front until they got to the Contemporary. I was setting up my camcorder to catch the ride to the MK (which turned out fabulous), when Joey reappeared and said that he was now going to drive the monorail. He asked us a little but about ourselves, like where we were from. It turned out that he was from New York also, but he's from New York City, the opposite end of the state. I asked if there were any plans to expand the monorail, since there were a lot of rumors going around that they were. He said not right now. It's always possible for the future, but nothing was happening in the immediate future. Then he asked us the be all end all question. "So, did you ditch the folks for the night?" Ahh! I have never been to WDW with the folks and had I, they would have been ditched for the whole trip, not just the night.

I explained that it was only the two of us there, in honor of my cousin's thirteenth birthday. He then asked when Laura's birthday was and how old she turned. Then, he asked me how old I was. Had the Monorail not been securely fastened to the track, it might have fallen off when I responded (the reaction was quite amusing listening to it in the video!). I told Joey that I was 21 and I think his jaw hit the floor. I don't understand what the problem is. I don't think I look like I'm 12. When I was 17, people told me I looked like I was 23. Apparently, as I am aging, my appearance is having the reverse effect. "No way!" was Joey's response. It took a lot of convincing but he finally believed my age. Actually I was like 21 and a half, which he thought was amusing. He asked if I had been to Pleasure Island yet. I had on previous trips, but not this one. There was no time. I think that I could have made time to go with Joey. He kept talking about the dancing and how nice it is there at night. Joey asked how far I am from Niagara Falls. I told him that it's about 20 minutes and he commented that it must be neat. It's all right, but nothing spectacular. You get the same effect by going into your bathroom and turning on the faucet in the bathtub. I think that when you go to a place so often, you take it for granted. You lose sight of how wonderful these things can be.

I was too busy conversing with Joey to enjoy the Monorail ride. It does look nice on video, but hearing the conversation is quite embarrassing. No one other than me will ever see that portion of my WDW vacation video. It was more adult conversation than child conversation. At each stop, Laura reminded me that we were flirting with each other. Thanks for the reminder and don't listen. I didn't want my aunt to think that I was teaching her how to flirt. The ride ended with Joey wishing me a happy 22nd birthday (which was still 5 months away) and told me to think of him on my birthday. "Remember that Joey the Monorail Driver wishes you a happy birthday," he told me. Not a problem. Tell me, is it hard for a single 21 year old girl to forget a great looking guy that took you for a ride on the Monorail? I think not. Consequently, should anyone who is reading this sees Joey the Monorail Driver or knows Joey the Monorail Driver, tell him the 21 year old from Buffalo says "Hi!" Ok, enough about my monorail ride.

We got to the MK and bid Joey farewell and thanked him for letting us sit up front. We decided to take the train throughout the MK, but first exchanged our E Ride tickets for the wristbands. I had never gone the whole way and I thought it offered a great view of the park. So after a 21 minute ride around the MK, we got off at Main St. and walked over to Adventureland. From there we went to Pecos Bill for some dinner. I ordered a hamburger, fries, and a drink. Laura told the Yepo, the man taking orders that she'd have the same. Yepo told her to be a little more creative. He had been standing there for 10 hours and was still finding ways to smile. He made me laugh the way he said it. We got our food and headed over to the topping bar. They have such a great variety of toppings, you could have a hamburger every meal and never have it the same way twice. The restaurant was pretty empty and we had no trouble finding a place to sit. After eating, we checked out the hairwrap stand, but the line was much too long. We skipped it. Instead we headed over to Fantasyland, via Frontierland and Liberty Square and checked out the store in Cinderella's Castle. Everything in there is much too fancy for me. Then we made a bathroom stop again and then hit It's a Small World (IASW), Cinderella's Golden Carousel, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Peter Pan's Flight. Laura wanted to skip IASW but I told her that no matter how much we don't like it, we really needed to see it. Our boat came to a dead stop close to the beginning and it was really slow sailing for the rest of the ride. So much for my theories.

Next we went to the Mad Tea Party and we skipped out on spinning our cup. It was enough whirling around. We wanted to go to the Tomorrowland Speedway but the line was huge. So we skipped it and stopped in the store that sells the freeze dried items. I bought some strawberries and enjoyed them as we sat on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA). TTA is really neat at night with all of the lights. And it's a great way to relax. At the end we ran to the entrance to Tomorrowland to see Fantasy in the Sky. We made it in time to catch Tinkerbell's flight. This was a first for me. I didn't expect it to be a real person floating down. I was afraid that her cable was going to break and we'd be hit my Tink, herself. But she made it safe and sound. The fireworks were really nice and they ended in time for the E Ride night to begin. We went to Spc Mtn and rode twice. The first ride I was in the front of the shuttle. Also, the first time we were on the left side when you enter the building and the second time we were on the right. I noticed no difference between the two, but I do think sitting in the front is way better than any other seat!

Next, we stopped at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We did this twice as well and I achieved the rank once again of Planetary Pilot. Laura did too! One tip - in the first big room, aim towards the nose of the robot. It's a good way to get a lot of points easily. Then we walked over to Frontierland and I bought an orange popsicle on the way over. It was really good. We went straight to Spl Mtn and rode this twice as well. The first time we sat in the back, the second time it was the front. Here I like the back better because you get less wet. BTMRR had a long line so we decided to skip it. I think that we were both very tired. We left after that and felt we had our money's worth.

It was 12:25 when we got back to the hotel. I had a problem. I had planned on doing laundry, so I didn't pack a lot of clothes. Unfortunately, I was out of clothing and there hadn't been time to do the laundry. So, as tired as I was, I gathered all of our dirty clothes and headed over to the laundry room. I had plenty of time to kill. I was listening to a CD on Laura's portable CD player, and I started singing along with it, and then of course I started dancing. I wrote some trip notes in my notebook and examined my pins before placing them on the neck strap. I had enough quarters to do the laundry (I didn't need any soap - I brought some from home in Rubbermaid containers) but not enough to dry them. So, after the wash started, I left and headed back to the room. Laura was still up and I scared her half to death. She hadn't expected me so soon. I grabbed a few dollars for the change machine and went back. I listened to the CD and sang and danced until I couldn't stand up anymore. Can you imagine how that looked? Fortunately, by that time, it was time to put the clothes into the dryer. Then I leaned on a washing machine and started dozing off until the dryers stopped. The clothes we still moist but I couldn't stand there anymore. It was after 2am and I was beat. I gathered the clothes and walked back to the room. I think I heard every possible sound on that short walk, so I picked up the pace. I got back to the room and the TV was on. Laura had her eyes open so I asked quietly if she was still awake. There was no response, but a soft snoring erupted from her nose. I took that to be a no. It was a little creepy with her eyes open, but I used to sleepwalk all the time when I was younger. I spread out all of the clothes over any place I could think of to hang them and I was being very creative. Then I changed and went to bed. I don't think it took me a full minute to fall asleep.

Saturday, June 10, 2000

The alarm clock went off at 6:30. Ugh. Slowly the memory of me dancing in the laundry room only four short hours ago came flooding back. I yelled Laura's name until she woke up. I told her to take her shower first. I badly needed to get some more sleep before I could even comprehend getting up. At 7:30 Laura woke me up and I got in the shower. Then I got dressed and ready to go. Our plans were to go to AK in the morning to try and finish up all that we had missed there. We left and headed to the bus stop, then caught our bus to AK.

Our first stop was at Kilimanjaro Safari (KS). Boy, is that a long walk away from the Oasis to Africa. Someday when they invent the technology to beam people (much like Star Trek, or Alien Encounter (only without frying the traveler)) I will be one of the first to sign up. KS is a terrific ride. We saw every type of animal imaginable. This was the first time I got to see the lions (they were no where to be found last time) and that was really neat. It was almost like being inside the Lion King movie. Of course, none of the lions were talking or singing and I didn't hear any of the animals greet me with a "Hakuna Matata!" so maybe it wasn't that Lion King-ish afterall. Laura was really impressed with KS and took so many pictures. I love the way Disney has created to bring the human world and the animal world together. So we ventured out into the safari and stopped hunters and saved Little Red the elephant. Feeling that our work was done, we walked over to Asia, but not before stopping to bang on the drums and to get a few more pictures of the ToL. I can't get over how stunning the park icon is. The entire park, in fact. The scenery is just breathless. While I don't think there is a whole lot to do at AK, the whole theme and the scenery and the details easily make this just a magnificent place to visit. Just after leaving KS, I discovered that one of my pins that I had purchased was missing. So, off went the neckstrap and into the backpack it went.

Asia was also a new place that I hadn't visited yet. On the last trip, the Maharajah Jungle Trek was being previewed so I got to see that, but Kali River Rapids was still being built. I was anxious to go on Kali, but before we could, we stopped to take some extra precautions. We safely secured all of the non-waterproof items in plastic bags in the backpack. I pulled out the waterproof camera only to discover that I had grabbed the wrong one. This one was completely used up. Boy was I upset. Anyway, we waked through the queue, and I took a few more pictures with the regular camera and didn't put the camera away until I had snapped a picture of the raft. There was no line for Kali at this time. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had accommodations on the raft for your items to prevent them for getting wet. It is quite a relief. So we get on and get buckled in. Our raft was full. There was one kid who was making his fourth or fifth trip (in a row) on Kali. He was soaked to the bone. The ride starts out with the raft climbing a hill on a track. It is very difficult for passengers to see other rafts because there is plenty of fog/mist that prevents you from having a clear view. It is all done to have a rainforest effect. When the mist clears, you have enough time to see that you are about to go down a hill that ends right next to a geyser. We went down facing the geyser, so we thought we were safe, as the geyser hits mostly the people that go down the hill with their backs to the geyser. We were wrong. Sure those facing backwards got more soaked, but just as you pass the geyser, those that thought they were safe get hit, but not as badly. Next you go through the rainforest and eventually get to a part that has something that looks like logging trucks. There is some kind of story behind this, but you are so wet and cold that it doesn't seem to matter. Wh