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Brian Bennett -- October 2000 -- Walt Disney World (OKWR)

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Sunday, October 29 (Church in the Morning, Fantasia Fairways and Dinner at Yacht Club Galley in the Evening)

This was a relatively quiet day.  We got moving at about 8:30am and made our way to the Sizzler on East 192 for breakfast.  The timing (having a late breakfast and skipping lunch) worked well last week, so we decided to try it again.  After our meal, we drove down to Bible Baptist Church for the morning service.

A cool thing happened this morning.  Gary and Marsha Heffelfinger, a couple that we knew at our home church ten years ago or so, are members there now.  We sat, quite by coincidence, right behind them...and we recognized each other when time to greet folks sitting around you came up.  After the service, we talked with them for awhile.  They've been in North Carolina and Minnesota before moving to St. Cloud just this summer, so it was completely unexpected to find them there at Bible Baptist.

I also met Joe Albertini, a gentleman that I've been emailing with for a few months (as I've been looking for good churches in the area to visit).  Joe and I talked for a few minutes, too, although he clearly had a bunch of responsibilities to attend to.

After church, we simply drove back to Old Key West for an afternoon of swimming, football (that Minnesota Vikings / Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, you know) and so on, although Barb and I did skip out for a couple hours to check out the scenery at the Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts.  (Note:  Tampa Bay Won 41-13!!!  That has been a great source of joy for most everyone in our party since then.  Whenever we want to tease Grandpa a little, we just yell "Go Tampa Bay," as if we're Floridians ourselves, or something.)

Anything that most of the MousePlanet readers might be interested in didn't come up until later in the day.  We got moving at about 6:00pm and drove over to Fantasia Gardens to play a round on the Fairways.  It took us almost two hours before we finished up.  Unfortunately, I don't have any holes-in-one to report (a couple years ago, I got one on this course) and I really didn't play well.  Grandpa won the round, with Barb and I tied for next to last (Allan brought up the rear, but he's still in training).

After our time on the links, we drove over to the Yacht Club and had a wonderful dinner at the Yacht Club Galley.  I had the New York Strip, Barb had the prime rib, Grandma and Grandpa shared an order of prime rib, and Allan had a PBJ off the kids menu.  The sandwich was a triple decker.  Allan was thrilled with it, and consumed it like a vacuum cleaner on steroids!  The other meals were fabulous, too.  This was our first time at the Galley.  It will NOT be our last.  The service was good, the food was exceptional, and the quiet, unassuming atmosphere was relaxing.

That was it.  We returned to Old Key West for an evening of games and trip report writing.  With only three days left (wow, the time flies) we're planning to go to the Studios tomorrow morning, visit the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday morning, and wrap up our mornings at Animal Kingdom on Wednesday.  We'll spend one of the evenings at Downtown Disney (we still haven't done our big shopping) and probably spend the other two at Epcot.

Monday, October 30 (Studios in the Morning, Lunch at Prime Time Cafe, Evening at Downtown Disney)

This morning we had, probably, the only Studios morning we're going to have on this trip.  We just never got around to spending more time here, I think because there's so little that matches up with Allan's interests.  Besides that, the park just doesn't have enough to keep us busy period.

Still, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a classic.  We couldn't leave WDW without enjoying a ride on the elevator.  So, while Grandma, Grandpa, and Barb did that (as the front end of a baby swap), Allan and I went over to get me a Fastpass for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  I was the only one that wanted to ride the Aerosmith coaster.

As soon as the Fastpass was issued, Allan and I went back to the Tower to wait for the others.  It took them quite awhile to get through the queue and down to the unload area.

As soon as they arrived, though, Barb and I went back to do the Tower.  The baby swap here is different than it used to be.  Now, you have to get a pass at the front of the line, and when your party comes through, you go through the Fastpass line.  I think it's an improvement, because you get all of the atmosphere with only a minimal increase in waiting.

I still think that the Tower is one of the best themed attractions at WDW.  The details in the garden area, the old broken-down fountain, the lobby, and of course, the library and boiler room, are just top notch.

One thing to mention...I took the camera on the ride.  After we got into the elevator I put it away in it's case and hung it around my neck.  As we started our yo-yoing in the elevator shaft, I was greatly amused to see the camera floating at my face level a couple times.  Then, on the last quick plunge, the camera flew off my neck and landed with a thud on the floor.  It seems to have survived, but you might want to take care and learn from my lesson here.  I'll definitely take better care of my camera next time I ride the tower.

I think Disney could do well to create a real live Hollywood Tower Hotel -- themed in the early 40's (like the Tower of Terror) -- but where guests could really stay.  I think it would be a cool theme.

Now the Rock 'n' Roller coaster is another matter.  It's a well done attraction, with great themeing.  The ride is great.  My hang up is where it's located within the park.  Instead of building this thing in the middle of a 1940's themed area (with the Tower, the Sunset Market, and all of the shops, etc. that make the East end of the park tie together so well), Disney should have built this behind the Prime Time Cafe and started a 50's themed area.  They could have done more with that, too, if they'd wanted to.

While I rode the Rock 'n' Roller coaster solo, the rest of the group went to visit the shops along Sunset.  As I mentioned, the themeing is well done and the ride is great.  Since I was going Fastpass, I didn't see all of the queue (G-Force Records Studio) that the stand-by folks would have enjoyed.  Even so, the Fastpass line does get some of the flavor...and all of the Aerosmith intro to the ride.  After meeting the band, and being promised transportation to their next gig, we walked out to the alley to find our super stretch limo ready for us.  After the car pulls around the corner, a countdown begins (guised as a traffic information system to tell us how things are going on I-5, the 101, and other LA area expressways).

Then it's take off time.

I don't know the exact numbers, but the initial acceleration is great!  As soon as we got moving, we zipped up a hill and rode those freeways pretty much the way I do drive them when I'm in LA.

Except for the inversions.

I usually don't flip my car over three times as I drive across town.

When I exited the ride, I walked down Sunset to find the others.  I didn't meet up with them until I got all the way to the very last shop, the one that actually faces Hollywood Boulevard.

Since the Bear in the Big Blue House show was starting in a half hour, and it was one of the few things that Allan would enjoy at the Studios, we walked around to the courtyard where the animation tour and Ariel's show are based, and got in line (in the building that used to be the Soundstage Restaurant).  Serena (I think that's the name of the girl that hosted the show), did a great job.  Allan enjoyed it, being somewhat familiar with the show from seeing it at Grandma's house.  Since we don't have cable TV at our home right now, it isn't a cult classic at our place.

Bottom Line: If you have a kid in your family that is familiar with this Disney Channel show, it will be a hit.  If you're party is all teens and adults, I'd suggest you skip it. 

Next, we walked over to catch the Great Movie Ride.  This is another great ride, although it really could use some new stuff since it hasn't hardly changed in the last eleven years.  If Imagineering has some new ideas, I hope they keep the old show, and add a new attraction, though, not just replace this one.

We had about thirty-five minutes before our priority seating for lunch, so we were trying to decide what to do to kill some time.  We walked over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular to inquire about Fastpass there, and found that we could just walk in as long as we were willing to stand.  We decided to do just that, because the show was thirty minutes long and would keep us near the Prime Time Cafe where our lunch would be.

Here's another show that hasn't changed in eleven years.  Once again, a refresh (not just new paint and repaired sets) would be very welcome.  It's probably been five or more years since Barb and I watched this one.  It can be another five before I go again, as far as I'm concerned.  Still, it was new for Allan (he had a ball) and Grandma and Grandpa had never seen it either, so it was worthwhile for that, if nothing else.

The picture, to the right, is showing the stage crew resetting the bolder that runs down "Indiana Jones" during the show.  It's a pretty funny moment because the stunt double for Indy is telling us how heavy the bolder is, and how dangerous a stunt it is, the guys begin roll the bolder uphill rather effortlessly.  I'm certain the humor is intentional.

After the show, we walked over to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch.  It took awhile before we were seated.  I was surprised at the large numbers of people waiting to get in.

We were seated at a corner table.  Allan was stressed that we didn't have "our own TV," but in my opinion the redundant trailers for old TV shows is hardly worth getting all bent about.  The restaurant is much more fun due to the interaction with the service staff than the atmosphere of the 50's kitchen.

In today's case, our "Aunt Claire" was fantastic!  She played the role to perfection.  In addition to the usual banter, she also provided us with a couple of brain teasers to keep us busy while we waited for "grandma" and "great-grandma" to make our food.  "Great Grandma will take a long time to make that malt, but every one is made with love."

Of course, I had the Peanut butter and jelly malt that Great Grandma was making "with love."  It did take awhile, but it was very good, too.  Grandma and I both had "Uncle Giovannie's Pasta" dish with chicken, while Grandpa had the fried chicken, Barb had pot roast, and Allan had Mickey pasta and cheese.  It was an excellent meal.

The fun, though, really got going when Barb hid her green beans in a napkin (she got quite the tongue lashing for that.)

Grandpa was the real trooper, though.  Aunt Claire played the airplane game with him and some of his green beans.  Got that one on film, too.

I think this was the best service I've ever experienced at the Prime Time.  It was a great combination of good service (though not spectacular) with excellent themeing and characterization.

I remember a few years ago that a whole bunch of people raved about Gasshon, a waiter at the Prime Time.  I think Claire is far, far superior to "Cousin Gasshon."  Gasshon was very friendly, but had no where near as much characterization as Claire.

After lunch, we split up.  I had some other things to take care of, so I left the park to go back to the resort and do some running around that I needed to get done.  While I was doing that, the Grandparents, Allan, and Barb went on the backlot tour, then returned for a break.  I joined them after a couple hours.

The funny thing was, I was the only one on the bus.  I got dropped off at our stop just as a couple folks were getting on.  A couple minutes later, I got a call at my room.  The folks boarding that same bus were Pat and Lori Edaburn!  Pat recognized me, a little tardily, and called me from Hospitality House.  We firmed up our plans for the morning, and I got on with my MousePlanet chores.

At about 6:00pm or so, we got moving again, this time to Downtown Disney.  We had a ton of shopping to do, and it's always best to get it done Downtown, to save a little money (we get a 10% savings with the Magic Kingdom Club or annual pass discount).

We started at World of Disney, and I picked up the Millennium edition of the Walt Disney World book, the Millennium CD, and the Animal Kingdom CD which I'd been planning to buy for a couple of years, but never got around to yet.  I also got a clock, which is part of the executive collection that I'm buying for the home office I hope to have eventually.  We also picked up a Millennium pin for our stuffed Mickey at home (we've been collecting pins of resorts where we've stayed, and special things that we've done for a lot longer than this pin trading fad has been going on).

The other thing that we did, is allowed Allan to shop for himself.  We provided him, when we left home, with $20.00 in Disney dollars.  We told him he could spend it on anything he'd like, but that he couldn't do it until we've been to all of the parks and he knew what he wanted.  As we walked around the World of Disney, he found a playground ball that he wanted.

When he saw other things, we let him know if he could "afford" it or not.  He always had the option of skipping the ball in favor of something else, but he just kept saying, "No, I don't need it.  I need the ball instead."  He didn't really work for the $20.00 he started with, but we're trying to teach him the value of money.

One other big advantage is that it kept him from asking us to just buy him things throughout the trip.  Whenever he pointed out something that he said he'd like, we told him that he could get it later in the trip if it's the thing he wanted most.  The playground ball was only $14.00, so he was able to choose a pen that he wanted, too.

While we were in the World of Disney, Allan also found a spinner toy (it lights up and spins, with Sorcerer Mickey on top).  He'd been wanting one for several days (they sell them at all of the nighttime shows and parades).  Grandpa really wanted to buy it for him, but was concerned about the money lesson that we were trying to teach Allan.  I decided to let it go, because we all receive gifts on occasion.  Allan could still choose to spend the money wisely knowing that he was already getting the spinner toy.  We still made the point.  The little guy just got a bonus.

We also went into the Team Mickey store where Barb picked up a volleyball t-shirt and a stuffed volleyball Tigger.

Last, we visited the 2 R's Store to pick up a few other things.

After our spree, we jumped back into the van and drove over the the Beach Club to have an ice cream dinner at Beaches & Cream.  We had to wait a few minutes for our table, so Barb kept us amused with her hula hoop prowess.

Barb and I both had a mud slide sundae (and we both shared with Allan).  I also got us a side of fries to share.  Grandma and Grandpa also had sundaes.  Grandpa had the Milky Way sundae and Grandma had the No Way Jose sundae.

Remember that old Alka Seltzer commercial from years ago?  "I can't believe I ate the whole thing?"  Well, except for a little help from Allan, I did.  I'm fully expecting to be seeing "pink elephants on parade" tonight in my sleep.

Tomorrow, we're meeting Pat and Lori Edaburn at the Magic Kingdom.  It will be fun to meet them, we've been talking with them online and on the phone for a couple years now.  Finally, we'll meet in person.

Tuesday, October 31 (Breakfast at Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom in the Morning, Epcot in the Evening)

Today we'd planned to meet up with Pat and Lori Edaburn for some time early in the morning, followed by breakfast at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and his friends.  It turned out a little like that, but we reversed it because Pat and Lori were going to be in the Magic Kingdom late (they have tickets for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tonight).

So, we (the Grandparents, Barb, Allan, and I) got to the park at about 8:45 or so.  We were going to go see Mickey in Toontown, but changed up our plans when Barb overheard someone else saying that he wouldn't be there until 10:00am.  Instead, we figured we'd see Mickey after breakfast, and headed over to Adventureland instead.  After rope drop, we enjoyed the recently re-opened Jungle Cruise (the boats and queue are much improved, much more like Disneyland's ride now), Pirates of the Caribbean (a classic, even if not as good as the original), and Splash Mountain.

I'd tried to coerce Allan into riding the pirates with me, but after his experience on Dinosaur, he wasn't having anything to do with dark rides that weren't obviously populated with happy, plump, and otherwise cheerful characters (Daddy doesn't count on any of the three criterion mentioned).  I even tried to bribe him with a pirate gun that he wanted to buy.  He still said no.  Later, when Grandma and Grandpa were doing the front end of the baby swap, he changed his mind, but we made him stick to his previous decision.  No sense in raising a child that learns that waffling is acceptable behavior.  At least, it might be acceptable behavior for former residents of Arkansas that are planning to be future residents of New York, but not for my family.

After Barb and I finished up the back end of the pirates baby swap, we met up with the others at Splash Mountain where we started the process again.  However, I was getting a bit concerned about timing -- I was pretty sure we'd be late for our priority seating if Barb and I rode, too, so I left the area and went over to the Crystal Palace to wait for Pat and Lori, while Barb waited for Grandma and Grandpa.  Then we all met up at the Palace.  Pat and Lori were the last to arrive, at about 10:15 or so, and we ended up waiting for a good 35 to 40 minutes from there before we were seated.

It was a fun wait, though.  Barb and I have been in contact with Pat and Lori for a couple years now.  In fact, Pat happens to be our family lawyer.  He's very familiar with the DVC and putting together the appropriate trusts to protect our family in the event of unfortunate circumstances.  This is a blatant plug, but if you need some help setting up wills, trusts, or handling other family law issues, Pat would be a good choice.  Pat's business phone number is (209) 951-7837 and his email is TRoosvelt@aol.com, if you want to drop him a line.  That's all free advertising, too.  Pat didn't even pick up the tab for breakfast.  ;)

By the way, I tried to get Eeyore to cover the rest of Pat's face, too, but we had to settle for the picture we got.

The meal, as usual, was scrumptious.  Just about every breakfast food item you can think of was available.  I pigged out on sausage, ham, scrambled eggs, potatoes with cheese, melon, pineapple, and coffee.  Others had pancakes, omelets, French toast, and other delicacies.  It was a fabulous meal.

Even better than the food, the Crystal Palace is well-known for great character interactions.  For example, during our meal Eeyore came to see Allan twice, and spent a great deal of time with us.  Tigger played with Allan like they were best buds.  He also pretended to sit on Allan while they were playing.  But the top example was at the end of our meal.  Pooh was scheduled to leave the restaurant "to go have some hunny," but when he found out that we were among the last of the breakfast folks and not among the first of the lunch crowd, he stayed to let us meet him before he left for the 100 acre wood.

The meal was a fantastic time.  With Allan at just the right age, we're having a ball with him as we meet the characters.  Next time, we'll have to get an autograph book, too.  He's already shared that opinion with us.

After breakfast, Grandma and Grandpa left us.  They got Fastpasses for Splash Mountain.  Then they rode Big Thunder, in the standby line.  Came back for their second run on Splash Mountain.  They got pictures with some of the Splash characters, which is a big thing for Grandpa.  They also spent some time on Tom Sawyer's Island before calling it a morning and coming back to Old Key West for a swim and a break. 

While all of that was going on, we hung out with Pat and Lori for the rest of the morning.  We started by going to get Fastpasses for Pooh.  Then we went back to visit Mickey and get our tripply pictures with the Big Cheese.  After our time with Mickey was done, we walked through Minnie's House at Allan's request.

We really had some more time to kill before our Pooh Fastpasses could be used, so we allowed Allan some time to play at Donald's Boat.  He, of course, got thoroughly soaked.

A very weird thing was going on at the boat.  There were a whole bunch of kids running around absolutely naked, unclothed, sans culottes (and everything else), in their birthday suits, and getting the most complete tan possible!  Frankly, I wouldn't have liked it if it was toddlers, either, but we're talking kids that were 6-11 years old here!  There were at least a couple of boys (no need for ultrasounds when their out of the womb to be able to tell) in the group and a couple of girls, too, according to Barb.  That 11 year old estimate was Barb's (of the oldest girl).  I just don't think this is necessary.  If you don't want your kids clothes to get wet, keep them out of the water (the kids, not the clothes).  If you want them to enjoy the fountains, plan ahead and let them wear the swim suits underneath their clothes.  Come on folks, this is the good old US of A.  We're quite stodgy here.  This is not the French riveria!  End of yet another trip report diatribe.

After a good twenty minutes or so, we pulled Allan away from the boat to ride the Barnstormer.  No problems here, he loved it.  Frankly, I think it's a much better ride than the Go Coaster in California.  I love the reaction of the audio animatronic chickens when we went flying through the barn.  Very nicely done.

Then, we made our way back to Fantasyland.  As we passed a refreshment cart, Allan very politely said, "Daddy, I'm thirsty, may I please have a drink?"  We got some pop.  When he's that polite about something, I definitely want to reward that kind of thing.  You know that Visa commercial?  Bottle of pop, $2.50.  Lesson on being a polite little guy, priceless.

By this time our Fastpass time was up.  We thoroughly enjoyed Pooh.  This was the second time for us on this trip, but Lori's such a Pooh fan, she made it more fun just because we knew how much she was enjoying it.  After pooh, we walked back into Tomorrowland and caught the stand by line for Buzz Lightyear.  The sign said the wait would be 20 minutes, but I'm sure it was no more than ten or so.  The line moved very quickly.  I got a personal best score of 304,500.  Allan had 25,500...not bad for a pre-schooler!

After beating up on the evil emperor Zurg, we said our goodbyes to Pat and Lori.  They were planning to hang around the park for a bit more time.  We, on the other hand, had a date with our beds (a good nap sounded so good) and the computer (to do the update.)

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Brian Bennett

brian@mouseplanet.com

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