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Dawn Hickman -- April 2001 -- Walt Disney World (FWC)
Original Plans and things learned while making them: After doing research about the resorts and ticket options, we discovered that having a AAA membership would pay for itself, and then some, so the first thing I did was get one. The next step was to determine the amount of time we would spend doing each thing (driving, in Atlanta and in WDW). We plan to leave by 1:00 pm on Friday, April 27. We will drive as far as possible, and then stop for the night (probably about 12:30 AM). Then we will drive the rest of the way down on Saturday and check into Fort Wilderness. We will spend Sunday through Wednesday in the parks. Thursday we will pack up and head up to Atlanta. We are staying in Stone Mountain Park. We will spend Friday and Saturday there. On Sunday we will try to drive the rest of the way home, and then use Monday, May 7 for rest and laundry. Now that the dates were figured out, it was time to make the reservations. Before making the reservations, I did a lot of research into the price and discounts for our stay. While making the reservations, I became very grateful that I had done so. I called up CRO, and asked for the dates I wanted, in a premium electric site, with AAA discounts. These reservations were available, and then I was quoted the price. It was then that I discovered that if your vacation spans two different rate classes (peak and regular in our case), the rates for the entire stay will be the rate of the first night. In our case, this wasn't a good thing, as the first night was peak season with no discount. So, we ended up with two reservations. One for the first night there, at the peak rate, and another for the rest of the nights at a discounted rate. Just to warn you, this is my first ever trip report, so please bear with me. At the beginning of each day I will include the plan for the day. You can see for yourselves how the planning worked out. One thing to keep in mind, we went on this trip with a list of a few 'must sees', and are planning on taking it easy. We didn't get as much as we could have done, but it was relaxing and fun for us, which was the whole point. Day 1, Friday, April 27, 2001. Plan - Leave by 1:00, drive as far as possible and stop for the night. Actual - We made it on the road at about 10:15 am. We drove for a while and then stopped at a Denny's in Indiana for some late lunch ($15.00). We continued to drive until we reached Calhoun, GA. While we were driving we stopped every two hours or so to stretch and use the restroom. We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Calhoun which cost $50.40. While driving Sara entertained herself with books and activities, and with movies. We had bought a TV/VCR combo that will run off either regular plug in or a car battery. That was definitely the best investment we made for this trip. Day 2, Saturday, April 28, 2001. Plan - Leave hotel by 8:00 AM and drive to Disney. Actual - After the long day of driving yesterday, we didn't get started as early as I wanted to today. We left the hotel around 9:30. We immediately headed for the closest Waffle House for breakfast. The waffles were very good (Sara ate half of mine), and breakfast was $12.48. We hit the road and drove down to Disney, stopping every two hours for rests. We only had a light lunch at Chik-Fil-A ($7.79). The chicken strips were very good. We got to Fort Wilderness around 6:30 P. We were very lucky the entire trip. The only traffic we ran into was on I-4, right by Disney. We checked into Fort Wilderness and set up camp. Four days before I had faxed in a 'room' request for loops 100 or 200 and close to a comfort station. (Just a side note - we had planned on bringing our bikes down for transportation in the campground, but while we were packing, we discovered that we wouldn't have room. This caused me to be quite concerned about where our site would be, as I didn't want to have to walk forever just to get to the restaurants or marina.) All of our room requests were met. We had site 205, which was just four sites away from the comfort station and an easy walk to the trading post, marina and Crocket's tavern. When we checked in we asked about how early we could check out the next morning (having two reservations required checking out and back in). We were told not until 7:00 AM, which was a problem considering our plans. We mentioned that to the person checking us in, and he said to just give them a call in the morning and things would be fine. We also asked what time the boat to the Magic Kingdom started running and he said 7:30 AM. With all of that taken care of, we went back to our campsite and set-up. My initial impression of the campsite was that it was just a campsite. I wouldn't consider it a large one. It was clean, there were some trees in between our campsite and the ones beside us, but we could see each other. As someone who has been to many campsites, I certainly wouldn't consider it anything out of the ordinary. When we got done setting up we were all hungry, and wanted to explore a little. We walked over to the marina area and arrived just in time to watch the fireworks from the dock. We then walked over to Trail's End Buffet for supper. It was a good buffet with pizza (excellent), pasta with Alfredo sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, ribs, rolls, shrimp, cheese, salads, rice and a cherry desert (all good). Total for the three of us was $50.00. After a little shopping (Sara bought a Sorcerer Mickey spinning light up thing) we went back to our site, took showers and crashed at about 11:30. Day 3, Sunday, April 29, 2001. Plan - MK - PS at Cinderella's at 8:00, MK opens at 9:00. Must do rides were: Dumbo, Small World, Pooh, Peter Pan, Minnie's House, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean. Actual - Actually got up when the alarm went off and got ready to go. We got down to the Marina at about 7:25 and stood there waiting for a while. We were talking with another family that had been waiting also, and became concerned that no boat was showing up. We asked a person that was working at the marina, and he said the MK boats wouldn't start until 8:30. Shortly afterwards, a resort boat came, so we hopped on that to the Contemporary and then took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We asked to and were able to ride in the front, which was very nice for our first ride on the vacation. We went through the gates with no problem (we had four day park hopper passes) and walked to the castle. Even though we were ten minutes late, we were seated right away. The breakfast was pre-plated and consisted of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and a pastry of some sort. Sara's breakfast was pancakes, bacon and sausage. There was also a basket of bread on the table. Shortly after our meal arrived, the princesses came by. We met Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine and Alice in Wonderland. Sara enjoyed getting each one's autograph and her picture taken. It was the perfect way to start out our visit. Breakfast was $50.00 including tax and gratuities. We got done eating about one minute before the rope drop (which was a little late), so it was perfect timing. We immediately went over to Dumbo, and were in the third group to ride. Sara loved controlling the height of this ride and would giggle as she went all the way up, and then back down repeatedly. This is the one ride we tried to go back to, but the line was too long for the rest of the day. After Dumbo we went over to Snow White's Scary Adventures. This was definitely too scary for Sara. Between the dark, the things popping up and the witch, she got too scared and began to cry. After that ride we tried Winnie the Pooh, and she became scared in that ride, also. At this point, we decided anything that was both dark and moving was out for her. We went on the carousel for a relaxing spin. Then we took a look at Small World, but Sara decided it would be too scary. We then headed over to Toontown Fair. We went through Minnie's house and then to the store next door (Sara bought some cotton candy). We realized that the Hall of Fame was there, and there were no lines. First we went and saw Cinderella and two of her mice (Suzy and Perla) with no wait. Then we went and saw Goofy and Minnie Mouse with a short wait. Then we went and saw Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore with a medium wait. We really timed everything just right this trip, with lines forming just after we got done with an area, or transportation arriving just as we walked up. This morning was the longest wait we had transportation wise. Then we got a drink and sat down for a little while Sara played at a play area. We then checked out Mickey's house, and caught the Train over to Adventureland. Mike and I took turns going on Pirates of the Caribbean. While Mike was on Pirates a group of amazingly flexible men performed out front. We watched them bend their bodies in half doing the limbo, and wrap themselves around each other. They were good. After Pirates we all went on the Jungle Cruise. Sara did well on this ride, even through the dark tunnel. We then walked over to Tomorrowland, stopping for a hot dog and fires at Casey's Corner, and then popcorn on the way. We rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and then Sara and Mike did the Speedway. After that we headed to Frontierland. We parked ourselves in front of the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon for the parade, and ate some Mickey bars (actually, I got a Mickey bar, which I ended up sharing). We all enjoyed the parade, and then we headed into the Saloon. We really all enjoyed the show. The magician was hilarious (he picked a really good helper from the audience), and the dancing girls were good. After the show, we slowly made our way to the exit, shopping our way down Main Street. I stopped in the Christmas shop and purchased a castle ornament. Mike stopped in the Emporium and purchased a ying/yang Mickey hat. Sara purchased a Mylar balloon and a bag of rocks and we were all ready to go. We took the boat back to the campgrounds and stopped in the trading post for some shopping. We purchased some milk, and a few postcards. We then went back to camp, got in the truck and went to check out and back into the campground. Checkout went with no problems. We had the charge privileges on our resort ids and just turned in our old ones and received new ones. We also bought tickets for E-ride night Tuesday night ($25.44). We went back to the campsite and did a few chores, then decided to go to the boardwalk and Spoodles for dinner. There was about a half hour wait for Spoodles, so we went to the ESPN club. Mike bought a t-shirt, and Sara started collecting pressed pennies. We walked down the boardwalk and went to another store. Sara bought a stuffed Simba, and a small princess snow globe. While we were paying for that, the pager went off so we headed back to Spoodles. Sara ordered cheese pizza, which she devoured. Mike and I ordered the roasted garlic and four cheese flatbread as an appetizer, which was good. Mike had the rigatoni pasta which he said was good. I had the slices of filet mignon on mashed potatoes with portabella mushroom and roasted asparagus spears. The filet mignon was quite good, and the mashed potatoes were to die for. They just melted in my mouth. I ended up sharing them with Sara, which was ok since I had more than enough food. Dinner totaled $82.00, and was worth every penny. We went back to the campsite and crashed. Day 4, Monday, May 30, 2001. Plan - MGM - Mike go on Tower of Terror, use Fastpasses for Rock -n- Roller Coaster, Little Mermaid show, PS at Hollywood & Vine at 10:30, Great Movie ride, Animation Tour, Star Tours, Backlot Tour, Muppetvision 3D, Indiana Jones; then House of Blues for dinner. Actual - We got up and going and drove over to MGM. We arrived there shortly after 9:00, and caught the tram into the park. While we were waiting for the tram to go the Green Army Men were there. They were absolutely hilarious. When we got in we headed straight for Tower of Terror. The wait time was 10 minutes, so Mike went on. Sara and I went to get something to drink, and then get Fastpasses for Rock -n- Roller Coaster. Shortly afterwards, Mike came off Tower of Terror. He loved it. We had a little time before the Fastpasses, so we did a little shopping. Sara bought a Jasmine clock. We headed over to R-n-RC. Mike went on first. He enjoyed the ride, but was feeling dizzy. I went next (while I was on the ride Sara bought one of those fan/mister things) and enjoyed the ride, but ended up feeling dizzy, also. By now it was time for our PS at Hollywood & Vine, so we headed over there. They didn't have a record of our priority seating, but we were still seated within five minutes. The food was buffet style, and included Mickey waffles, sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, Frittata, potatoes, pancakes, cinnamon French toast, scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, pastries, fruit and assorted dry cereal. The frittata, potatoes, cinnamon French toast and bacon were good. The eggs were kind-of runny and the sausage gravy was very plain. This was also a character breakfast with Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Chip, Dale, Goofy and Pluto all came around, and Minnie stayed at the front. Sara really enjoyed the characters again. She kept hugging Dale. When we were about done, they started playing swing music and dancing. Minnie and Goofy danced together. Sara got to dance with Pluto. She loved doing that, and hopefully our pictures will come out well. As we were about to leave, Dale started causing trouble. He was moving chairs around to block a waitress in. Then he and Chip got into a crayon throwing fight. It was very funny to watch. Breakfast was $51.00 including tax and tip. We finished about five minutes before the next Indiana Jones show started so we headed over there. We thought this show was well done and interesting to watch. Sara got a little afraid at first, but then she enjoyed it. We then got Fastpasses for Star Tours, and headed over to Muppetvision. After a brief wait in line we watched the show. Sara didn't handle it real well, but both Mike and I enjoyed it. As we were walking out we saw the Green Army Men. We got their autograph and Mike took a picture with them. We then went back to Star Tours. Mike rode, and then it was my turn. We both thought the ride was ok, but unfortunately we were still not feeling real well after the R-n-RC. We decided at that point to go back to camp and take a nap. All three of us crashed and slept for quite a while. When we got back up we headed back to MGM so that Mike could do the Backlot Tour. He went back to do that, while Sara and I shopped. Sara bought a stuffed Eeyore. We searched around for pressed penny machines and collected some more. We also shared an ice cream sandwich. We then waited on a bench for Mike. He came out after a little while and said that he really enjoyed the tour. He had also done some shopping, and bought himself a MGM polo. We then headed over to Downtown Disney. When we got there we discovered that the House of Blues restaurant was closed for a private party. We went in the store, and Mike bought a sweatshirt, watch and some guitar picks while I bought a t-shirt. We then headed over to the Marketplace. We decided on the Rainforest Café for dinner. We were told it would be about an hour and twenty minute wait. We decided to wait, and as we were walking away from the podium I heard a party being told that if they sat outside they could be seated immediately. I stopped and asked about that, and was told it would be a fifteen-minute wait. We decided to go for that, and went down to the outdoor seating area. In about fifteen minutes we were seated for our dinner. Sara had the kids chicken nuggets and fries. The portions were huge, and she couldn't finish it. Mike and I shared the forest flatbread appetizer, which was good. Mike had a platter that had three different meats and some rice on it (I forget the name). He enjoyed that. I had the vegetable stir-fry. This ended up being way too sweet for my taste, and I didn't eat much of it. Dinner with tax, tip and a strawberry daiquiri came to $75.00. We then went to do some shopping. First we stopped in the kitchen store and looked around, then the Pooh store. Then we went to an outside stand where Sara bought a princess hat with Mickey ears. Then we went to Ghiradelli's where I bought some yummy chocolate. Then we split up. I went into the World of Disney store while Sara and Mike went to play at the Lego playground. I purchased a WDW polo, a castle photo frame, a princess magnet photo frame and a Minnie necklace for Sara that had her name on it. I went over to the Lego area, and stayed with Sara while Mike went into that store. He bought a Lego car set and a key chain. Then we started the long journey back to the truck. On the way we stopped at the guitar shop. Other than having a few guitars signed by famous people, it was nothing special. We made our way back to the campground and crashed. We were all exhausted. Day 5, Tuesday, May 1, 2001. Plan - Epcot - Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Living Seas, Ice Station Cool, 11:30 PS at Le Cellier, Tour World Showcase. In the evening Sara to the Cub's Den and Mike and I to E-ride night at MK. Do Buzz, Alien, Splash, BTMRR and Space Mountain there. Actual - We slept in this morning, so the start wasn't as early as I might have liked. We took the boat over to the Contemporary, and then the monorail to the TTC, then a different monorail to Epcot. We rode in the front of the monorail into Epcot, and Sara got her co-pilot license. When we got into Epcot we had our picture taken, then headed into Ice Station Cool. We tried a few of the different beverages, Mike tried Beverly. He definitely didn't like it. We then headed for the world showcase. We walked through Canada, and went to Britain. We went to the Rose and Crown to eat. Sara had a hot dog and fries. Mike had the bangers and mash, which he said was good. I had the cottage pie, which I really enjoyed. They were having a computer problem so it took quite a while to check out. Lunch was $49.00 with tax and tip. While Mike was paying Sara and I did a little shopping. We bought some tea at the shop, and then found Mary Poppins. Sara got her autograph and picture. Then we headed over to a few other stores. In one of the stores a girl from Ireland started talking to Sara. Sara noticed her Tolouse pin, and commented on it. The girl gave it to Sara to get her pin trading started, which was a wonderful magical moment for her. When Mike came out we went back to Canada to catch the Pipes of Nova Scotia. We listed to them and I had a strawberry and cream beaver tail. I had heard how good they were, but they didn't live up to my expectations. I think you really have to like fried bread to enjoy those, and I don't. We then headed on our way. We shopped our way around the world showcase, including a stop to buy a lanyard and five more pins for Sara (Cheshire cat, Eeyore, Piglet, Cinderella and another cat pin), a stop to listen to the drummers in Japan and a stop for a beer and pretzel in Germany. We then went and looked at the pictures that were taken that morning. Mike liked one of them, and I thought the two of them looked good in it, so we purchased it (I always hate the way I look in pictures). We then headed back to the campsite. We all rested for a while and then got ready to go for the night. We took Sara to the Cub's Den and checked her in. She picked what she wanted for dinner (chicken, fries, juice and an apple) while I checked her in. They gave me a pager, and a phone number I could call to check on her and we were off. As we were leaving on of the counselors was getting Sara to join in a game. We went over to the Magic Kingdom for E-ride night. We got there and got our wristbands. I asked how many were sold for the night and was told over 5,000. We then headed over to the Plaza Pavilion for some dinner. Mike had a pizza and breadsticks and I had chicken strips and fries. There were a lot of chicken strips so I couldn't eat them all, but they were very good ($16.31). We headed over to Tomorrowland shortly after closing. We walked onto Buzz as the CM stationed at the door was explaining to some other people about e-ride night. I ended up as a Ranger First Class, and Mike was a level above that. We then went over to Alien. I usually get quite scared on these rides, but I didn't find Alien scary at all. I think I had read enough about it that I knew what to expect. We both still enjoyed it, though. We headed back over to Buzz for another walk-on then. We scored about the same. Then we went on a relaxing ride on TTA. We were both still not feeling well (we hadn't been since R-n-RC), so we weren't sure about any other rides. Mike decided to go on Space Mountain, while I waited it out. While he was on Space Mountain I called to check on Sara. I was told that she had no problems, was playing with other kids and they were about to start craft time. After Mike got off Space Mountain we went back to Main Street. We took some pictures in front of the castle, and then got in line to see Mickey. We got his autograph and our picture with him, and then we went to Casey's Corner for a drink. We then just sat on a bench on Main Street and watched other people and soaked up the atmosphere. We were amazed at the number of people that practically ran down Main Street either on their way in or out of the park. I think they missed a lot of the atmosphere by doing that. Sometimes you need to slow down and smell the roses. While we sat there talking Mike said that he really enjoyed the atmosphere and really felt relaxed there. He decided that he would like to come back just him and I, and take our time and enjoy stuff we couldn't do with Sara. Yes! I get to go back! After we sat for a while we slowly made our way out of the park. We went over and picked up Sara. When I walked in she was laying on a mat on the floor with a blanket and pillow watching a movie. They made a Mandela at craft time. Sara also said that they had ice cream and played some games and colored. She really enjoyed it and wanted to go back the next day. The cost for that was $32.00, which included a little over 4 hours of childcare and dinner. We all went back to the campground and crashed. Day 6, Wednesday, May 2, 2001. Plan - Sleep in, do laundry, Animal Kingdom and go on the Safari, also Tarzan Rocks. Actual - We slept in today. I got up and took a shower and started laundry. I read for awhile, and then Sara and Mike woke up. I went and put the laundry in the dryer while they got ready to go. Mike folded a load for me, and packed up a few things while I finished the laundry. Then we went to tour some of the resorts. Mike and I wanted to look at a few to see where we might want to stay when we go back in Sept 2002. We took the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge, and looked at a room there. We really liked the atmosphere of the place. Then we took a boat to the Contemporary. We decided to eat there, and went to the Concourse Steakhouse. Sara had the chicken and fries (do you see a pattern here?). Mike had the five-onion soup and the special of the day which was shrimp in a breading with a salad. He really enjoyed both. I had the five-onion soup and the oven roasted mushroom pasta. I thought the soup tasted kind-of different, but I really enjoyed the paste. It was excellent. The total with Tax and tip was $50.00. We then took the monorail to the Polynesian. While standing in line at this noisy resort, I witnessed two very irate customers trying to have their problems solved and getting nowhere. When it was our turn, they did not have the time to show us a room. We decided that based on the noise level and the irate customers we saw, we wouldn't want to stay there. It also didn't seem as spacious. We took the monorail back to the Contemporary and asked to see a room there. We both really like the Contemporary. The boat and the monorail make transportation really easy, and we like the rooms. I think this will be our first choice as a place to stay (if we can afford it). We took the boat back to the campground, and then hopped in the truck to go to the Animal Kingdom. At this point it was around 3:00 pm. When we got back to the Animal Kingdom we went straight to the safari. The wait time was listed as 10 minutes, but we walked right on. The safari was wonderful. We really enjoyed seeing the animals that close. This was only the second ride that Sara wanted to go on again. We then headed out and over to the tree of life. That is just amazing. We slowly wandered around it taking pictures. We will definitely have to spend more time looking at it. We then stopped for an ice cream break. After our ice cream, we did some browsing through the shops and headed out. We went back to the campsite and changed into our swimsuits. We took Sara to the pool, and she swam for a bit while Mike and I lounged by the edge. Then we went back to the campsite and picked up a bit. We went over to the Trail's End for supper again. This time it was a little disappointing. The food just wasn't as good as last time. The total for dinner was $50.00. After dinner we went over to the tavern and got drinks (a milk shake, a mud slide and a pina colada) and went and sat in the rocking chairs and relaxed for a while and soaked up the atmosphere. We then went back to the camp and went to sleep for the night. Day 7, Thursday, May 3, 2001. Plan - Pack up and drive up to Atlanta. PS at Artist Point for breakfast. Actual - Unfortunately, we had to leave today. None of us really wanted to, but what can you do... We got up and packed up camp. It didn't take long, as we had done some things the day before. We drove over to the Wilderness Lodge and went to Artist Point for our last meal at WDW. We were seated after a short wait, and they brought out our breakfast. We had eggs, potatoes, pancakes, sausages and bacon. It was all very good, especially the potatoes and pancakes ($49.00). While we were eating Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger came around. We got autographs and pictures with all of them. This was a good way to end our stay. We then went to the Mercantile to do some shopping. I bought an Eeyore t-shirt, mug, a postcard and the movie The Emperor's New Groove. We then headed out to Atlanta. We stopped along the way for a late lunch / early dinner at Pizza Hut ($22.00) and arrived at Stone Mountain Park at about 6:30 PM. We found our campsite and set-up camp, then called my mother-in-law (she lives in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta) and made arrangements to meet in the morning. We drove over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items, then made an exciting trip (made exciting by the traffic and the location of the on ramp and off ramp) back to the campsite to get some sleep. Day 8, Friday, May 4, 2001. Plan - We have no plans. Meet up with Connie (mother-in-law) and spend time with her. Actual - We got ready to go and drove over to Connie's apartment. All I have to say about Atlanta traffic is wow. After meeting up with Connie and Debbie (sister-in-law) we all piled into the truck and went to a place called JR's for breakfast. The food was pretty good, and it cost $41.00 for all five of us. We then went to Connie's work so we could meet some of the people there, and went to the mall so that Connie could get her watch (that we gave her as a graduation gift) sized. Then we all went to a nail place, where Connie, Debbie and I had manicures and pedicures, Sara got her nails painted and Mike watched. That pedicure felt wonderful after all the walking at Disney. When we were all done there we went back to the apartment to get ready for the evening. Connie was graduating from college, so she got ready and left for rehearsal. Then Mike, Sara, Debbie and I got ready and we left to go watch the ceremony. We stopped on the way at Boston Market for some supper ($16.00), then made our way to the auditorium. After a nice graduation ceremony, and some pictures we all went over to a friend of Connie's and had a snack and talked. We then went home for the evening, and collapsed into our beds. Day 9, Saturday, May 5, 2001. Plan - Again, no real plans. Just spend some time with Connie. Actual - We slept in this morning, then spent some time getting the camp organized. After a while we went over to the tram area at the base of the mountain and had some lunch (about $15). After lunch we took Sara swimming, and then went back to the campsite and relaxed. At about 3:00 Connie and Debbie met us at the campsite and we went to do some exploring. We went to the old Mill, the covered bridge, the tram to the top of the mountain. We spent some time on the top of the mountain looking around and taking pictures. Then we went to the Antebellum plantation. This is made up of old homes and other buildings that were moved to the park and restored. We explored the old buildings and the gardens. After doing some exploring we went to get some dinner. We ended up at a restaurant called Folk's. We tried some Fried Green Tomatoes, which were quite good. Sara had the chicken and fries (big surprise), Mike had a t-bone and shrimp and I had the country-fried steak. I also tried some fried Okra, which was good. We then went back to the campsite and went our separate ways. We were going to take Sara mini-golfing, but it was closed. We ended up going home and getting some sleep. We had to drive home tomorrow, and it would be a long day. Day 10, Sunday, May 6, 2001. Plan - Drive home. Actual - We did just that. We finished packing up camp and were on our way about 9:30 AM. We drove all day, ran into a little construction, and arrived home at 1:00 AM. I'm not sure why, but it seemed to take us longer to get home. Oh well. The next day was spent doing laundry and mowing the lawn and other such fun things. Miscellaneous Comments Transportation at the world seemed fine to us. We never used the buses, though. We took the boat to the Magic Kingdom. We took the boat, and two monorails to Epcot. We drove to MGM, the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney and Animal Kingdom. We didn't have any problems finding our way around. We never had a problem with the crowds. The most we waited for anything was about 10 minutes. The Cub's Den was wonderful for Sara (who is a shy, only child). I was concerned about how she would handle it at first, but she truly enjoyed it and wanted to go back the next day. E-ride night was definitely worth it to me. Even thought they sold quite a few tickets, all the rides we went on were walk-ons. Also, it was nice to be able to sit on Main Street and enjoy the atmosphere. Basically any ride that is dark Sara wouldn't go on, which eliminated most rides. We still had a good time, though. We just soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed some other things. She liked riding in the front of the monorail, and she really enjoyed 'helping' to drive the boats. It's the little things like that that she remembers. Disney is more than just a theme park. The atmosphere is amazing. Fortunately my husband has come to the same conclusion, and we are now going back for our anniversary next year! Woo Hoo!!! Money Spent For anyone interested, here is a break-down of what we spent:
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me. Dawn Hickman Dawn_Hickman@atk.com Mail a Comment to Dawn Hickman |
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