 |  |
| Discussion Boards | Reviews | News | Trip Planning | Shop | Travel | Site Map |
| Disney Trip Report Archive An archive of reader-submitted trip reports | |
| Alex Stroup, editor | Search just the Trip Report Archive. |
|
Julie Hoscheid -- September 2001 -- Walt Disney World (FWCa)Cast of characters
Our September 2001 Disney Trip took place just 4 days after the terrorist attacks on the WTC and Pentagon. The trip almost did not take place. As with the rest of the nation, we were stunned by the events of September 11. All flights were cancelled and it was uncertain when flights would start operating. Our Disney trip, which had been my main focus of the last several weeks, now did not seem so important. At times I did not even remember our trip as the other events took over my thoughts completely. On Thursday we contemplated whether to go ahead with our plans or rebook. The weather forecast showed tropical storm Gabby closing in on Florida with the potential of upgrading to a hurricane. The forecast was showing rainy weather for most of the week. It was almost a sign we were not suppose to go on this trip. Friday, September 14 I made several calls to start the process of rebooking our trip for October. I told Erin that we would not be going this week because of the uncertainty of the weather and the airlines. Disney would allow us to rebook and get the same rate, however, surprisingly Midwest Express airlines were not as accommodating. They waived the change fee but would charge the difference between the low fare we originally paid and what the airfare is currently, which would add another $100.00 per ticket to our expenses. We finally checked the Florida weather again, and to our surprise tropical storm Gabby was moving through much faster than originally forecasted. The forecast for the week dramatically improved. We decided to go ahead with our plans. I called Erin's teacher at school to tell her we were now going to Disney, so that she could give Erin her homework assignments for the week. Her teacher broke the exciting change of plans to Erin for me. I had not finished packing. I am usually packing days in advance, especially for a Disney trip, but with all the uncertainty of the week, I was way behind in laundry and packing. Brenda stayed with us on Friday night, and she helped in getting the kids to bed. Brian and Julie stayed up until 1 am getting everything packed. Our alarm was set for 4:00 am. A very short night for the parents. The extra security at the airports called for a 2 hour advance check in and we had a 7:45 am flight. The children were all able to get up easily for us with the excitement of Disney in the air. We arrived at the almost deserted airport at 5:45 am for check in. The extra security was very evident, however we breezed through as there were no lines and very few passengers. We ate donuts for breakfast at the airport coffee shop. Matthew and Emily ran around the waiting area watching the planes out the windows. They were finally going to go on an airplane ride like we had been promising them. We boarded our very empty flight on time. The configuration on Midwest Express is 2 across with larger seats. Matthew and Brenda sat across from Julie and Emily. Brian and Erin sat together in front of us. The kids all had window seats and watched for airplanes. The flight was very empty. I am so glad that I decided to go with Midwest Express ( the only nonstop service to Orlando), now more than ever. With the September 11 events a connection through Chicago did not sound very inviting. United was still not operating any flights today, and so we would not be going on this trip if we had been booked on United as originally planned. The nonstop flight was about 2 1/2 hours to Orlando. The twins walked up and down the aisle during the last part of the flight. With the flight as empty as it was this was not a problem for any of the airline staff or other passengers. The meal service was cancelled, as the airline was not 100% operational, but we had a lot of snacks packed for the kids. We arrived in Orlando right on time at 11:30 am local time. The twins were impressed with their trip so far and had no idea that it really was only beginning. In Orlando there is a monorail like train that takes passengers from the terminal building to the baggage claim building and so this first "train" ride was a lot of fun for them. To add to the excitement we encountered Daisy and Donald Duck greeting passengers at the airport. This was the first character encounter for the twins, and they were thrilled. Matthew and Emily went right up to Daisy Duck and gave her hugs. Daisy Duck held Emily's hand and she was just beaming. So much for my concern that Emily would be leery of the characters. Our Tiffany Town car driver, Berkley, was waiting for us in baggage claim. Emily was happy to tell him about Daisy Duck holding her hand. She tells him " duck hand , duck hand " and I interpret for him. Berkley drove us in a large 12 passenger van. We stop first at a local grocery store for supplies. I had already purchased the nonperishable supplies online at Net grocers, using a coupon that provided free shipping, and did not have to pay tax, so it was a savings and convenience to have the supplies shipped directly to our resort. We had a small list of perishable items that we were able to quickly purchase. Berkley drove us to the Fort Wilderness Resort. This was my first time at this resort and I was so impressed with it from the beginning. We check in at about 1 pm. They were able to honor my request for a cabin close to both the swimming pool and a bus stop. The Fort Wilderness Resort is very large. The cabins are situated on loops (or circular roads which are off of the resorts main road). They have a total of 28 loops, with half of the loops made up of camp sites and half with cabins. The cabin loops have about 40 cabins each, just to give you an idea of the size of this resort. They have 2 swimming pools, one is in the middle of the campsites, and so I asked to be close to the pool that accommodates the cabins. The resort is too large to walk from one area to another and so the bus system continuously circles the resort. The buses are called "Boone" and "Crocket". We are in the 2600 loop, with cabin # 2607. Our cabin is near the front of the loop and so close to the main road and the bus stop, and right across the main road was the swimming pool complex. Because of the size of the resort a lot of guests rent golf carts to get around the resort, but with our ideal location we just used the bus transportation system. The main area of the Fort Wilderness resort includes a restaurant (called the "Trails End"), the Settlement Trading Post (gift and grocery store), a petting farm, hayrack rides, pony rides, and the entire marina area. Fort Wilderness in on the large lake across from the Magic Kingdom. The marina area has a sand beach, playground areas, bike and boat rentals and the ferry boat that takes guests across the lake to the Magic Kingdom. We are driven to our cabin in a van with all of our luggage, groceries, and our 3 boxes from Net grocer. The cabin is just so adorable. It is very rustic and cozy with high wood beam ceilings. The main room has the full kitchen with a full size fridge, dishwasher, stove, microwave and supplied with dishes and pot and pans. The dining room table seats six with a bench on one side and rustic looking wooden chairs on the other side. The living area has a sofa, a Murphy bed (that pulls out of the wall) for Brenda, a TV and VCR. The separate bedroom has a bunk bed and a double bed. Erin is thrilled to get the bunk bed. We set up 2 cribs in between the double bed and bunk bed and it is cramped in a cozy way. It is now way past the twins nap time and they are overdone. They are too overtired and exited to sleep. I had reservations for all of us for dinner with Winnie the Pooh, but I know the twins are not up for it. I called reservations and changed our dinner to a party of three at Chef Mickey's instead. Brian was exhausted and the twins needed to sleep. We unpacked, gave the twins a bath and quick dinner, and they are asleep by 6pm. By the time Brenda, Erin and I leave for dinner Brian is asleep too. We take a resort bus to the Fort Wilderness marina and take a boat across the lake to the Contemporary Resort, where the restaurant is located. The weather is very cool tonight, especially out on the lake. Erin is wearing a jacket and long pants. The tropical storm came through the area yesterday and now the weather is much cooler. We really lucked out with the weather this trip. I had packed rain ponchos and umbrellas expecting some rain. On the boat ride to the Contemporary Resort the boats captain asked Erin to take charge of the horn. She is thrilled to help him and gets to honk the horn to signal the guests as we arrive and depart at the Wilderness Lodge enroute to the Contemporary Resort. We arrive at Chef Mickey's for dinner at 6:45 pm. I have not been back here since our trip in 1997 when Erin was 2 years old. Dinner at Chef Mickey's is a lot of fun just like I remembered it. The characters are Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Dale. The dinner is buffet style and they have a delicious dessert bar. They have a large variety of food including peel and eat shrimp, chicken, fish and carved meats. The children's buffet area has pizza, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. Every half an hour they have the a "napkin waving dance", as they get everyone to wave their napkins as the characters dance around with the kids. The characters also visit each table as we eat. Brenda found a delicious key lime pie on the dessert bar (which tied for the best ever key lime pie that she had in San Diego). I found a wonderful chocolate mousse dessert and Erin had fun making cupcake and ice cream concoctions with the large variety of sprinkles and toppings they have for the kids. We had great service and it was a great first night of our trip. After dinner, Erin had her cartoon portrait done by an artist in the Contemporary Resort. We browsed in the gift shops and I found a great sale on a Mickey Mouse denim jacket and was very grateful to have it on the cool boat ride home. Back in the cabin we quietly walk in expecting all three to be sleeping, but we see 2 wild twins running around and a frazzled looking Daddy. It was a struggle to get the twins back down again. This is their first time sleeping away from home. Everyone is very tired with our early morning and we are all in bed at 9:30 pm local time. Sunday - September 16 Brenda and I are up early - 6 am - which is never easy for me as a non-morning-very-much-a-night-owl person, except when I am at Disney. Brenda and I plan on hitting MGM this morning for early entry. We take our Boone or Crocket bus to the TTC and take the MGM bus. We time it perfectly by chance and arrive right at the 7:30 am opening. Our goal this morning is to get on Tower of Terror and the Rock-n-roller coaster before it gets busy. We walk right on the Tower of Terror, and are not sure what is in store for us. This is the first time for both of us. I will not give away any secrets to spoil it for any of you that plan on riding the Tower of Terror, but let me just say that I screamed louder and longer than I thought I could. We are now all pumped up and very much awake and head over to the Rock-n-roller coaster. This is also a first for both of us. We walk right on and Brenda casually notes that there is not a bar that goes across our legs so we will not be going upside down (however there is a shoulder harness). The ride takes place inside so we can not see what we are in for. Needless to say Brenda's prediction for a fairly calm ride that does not go upside down could not be farther from the truth. We fly around the track and go upside down more times than I can remember. The people sitting behind us are laughing hysterically at our reaction when it is over, as they heard Brenda's remark. The picture that is taken of us, and available to purchase, is really funny of Brenda with her expression right before we hit the first loop. We decide to hit the simulator ride Star Tours as we are getting on everything right away with no lines. This was a very good simulator ride, but after experiencing the other 2 rides first, it did not compare. We are back in our cabin at 9:30 am and have 3 very excited kids dressed and ready to see Mickey Mouse. We all load up the kids and strollers and take a bus to the marina. The ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom is a nice relaxing way to arrive. Disney has installed security check points at all the gates. As we had encounter earlier at MGM this morning, all of our bags are searched before we enter the parks. We immediately see Dopey from Snow White and Erin and Brian get in line to see him. Brenda and I decide to take the twins on the train over to Toontown. This was the biggest mistake of the trip. The train station at the front of Magic Kingdom is at the top of a long flight of stone stairs. We have 2 lightweight strollers on this trip instead of the heavy double stroller. This worked really well except in this case. Brenda struggles to keep track of two twins going up the stairs to the train, while I struggle with carrying 2 strollers up the stairs and trying to squeeze 2 strollers through the turnstile. We are very surprised that Disney does not have a more stroller friendly train. The loading and unloading on the train is not much better. We get off at Toontown and vow never to go near that train again. We visit Mickey Mouse's house first. At the end of the path leading through his house we meet Mickey in person. We wait in a short line for our turn to go up to see Mickey himself. This was so hard for the twins. Emily was especially impatient and let everyone know it! When it is their turn they both run into Mickeys arms for a big hug. This is what this trip is all about! We visit Minnie Mouse's house next, which is a more hands-on interactive attraction. They have fun exploring her kitchen. I am pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds. We meet Brian and Erin outside, they had just come from seeing Cinderella. It is now time for our reservations for lunch with Winnie the Pooh. Because they were too tired for dinner last night at a character restaurant we decided to have lunch today at the Crystal Palace. We have dined here with Erin twice before. It is a buffet lunch, again with a large variety of food. They also have a kids buffet sections with pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. The twins have a very hard time waiting for the characters to come to our table. The characters here in addition to Pooh, are Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet. It is almost too exciting for the twins to eat lunch, but we mange to sneak in a few bites in between character visits. It is a long lunch in order for everyone to get enough to eat with all the character interaction going on. We all head back to the cabin for nap time. The twins, still not used to the strange cribs, take a short 1/2 hour nap. We decide to all go swimming. The pool is a short walk from our cabin. We all swim for about an hour. The weather today is just beautiful, upper 70s - with high of 80. Emily really seemed to enjoy swimming more than ever before. Erin and Matthew loved it, as expected. Back at the cabin for showers and dinner. We cook pasta for dinner. I had planned on all of us heading over to Epcot tonight for the TON parade and to watch Illuminations. We take a bus to the TTC and take the monorail. The monorail is designed for strollers to just wheel right on and the twins and adults enjoy this "train" ride. Emily is beside herself at the sight of the big Epcot ball. I ask about the parade which was scheduled for 6:30 pm and discover that it has been cancelled for this week as they are getting a new parade ready. We head over to the Imagination pavilion. This ride has changed from the cute "Figment" storyline to a new more sensory intense attraction. It was a little too intense at times for the twins. Matthew had his thumb going and needed Daddy to hold him. Emily was clutching to Mommy. The hands on play area called Image Works was more fun for the kids. Brenda found the Figment character still on sale in the gift shop and so bought a couple. We walked over to the Coke Ice Cool Station to sample free coke flavors. We stopped for a snack at the bakery. We all went on the Spaceship Earth ride (Emily's big ball) next. The twins did really well, but I think are overwhelmed by the whole experience. It has been a long day and so we decide the loud fireworks might not go over well with the twins so we head back to the cabin. We all go right to bed, around 9:30 pm. Monday- September 17 No alarm today. It is a water park day for Brenda, Erin and I. We get up at 7:30 ish and get ready and head off to Typhoon Lagoon. This is our first time at a Disney water park. We arrive at 9:30 am as it is opening. We get our towels and lockers and get changed. The main swimming area contains its main attraction with the wave machine that sends a huge wave crashing to shore every 90 seconds. The sound of the wave is mingled with squeals from children as guests either run to shore to escape, or swim out to catch the wave. We are able to find a nice spot in the shade to make "camp" with lounge chairs and a shade umbrella around the main swimming area. We decide to try the family raft ride, Gangplank Falls, first. The large rafts hold 3-5 people and the ride goes down a long winding slide that has several waterfalls overhead to get us drenched. We scream the entire ride, not because it is scary, but because we were completely dry and the drenching waterfalls feel very cold. We take a break by checking out the large wave pool. We take a ride all around the park in Castaway Creek, a slow raft ride that encircles the entire park. It is a slow relaxing ride in individual rafts. Someone forgot to tell Erin this is a relaxing ride, so she decides to splash and play. We decide to try something more exciting again and next hit the Keelhaul Falls raft ride. This is similar to the family raft ride, but in individual blue rafts. We all love it! We try the Mayday Falls raft ride next, with individual yellow rafts. We all agree this one is too bumpy and so go back to the blue raft ride again. We are hungry for lunch and take a break. We have lunch at Typhoon Tilly's. I have the chicken wrap, Brenda the chicken tenders, and Erin a hot dog kids meal. The weather is turning out to be just perfect with the high around 80. I am still surprised in the complete lack of crowds. After lunch it is time to tackle the shark reef. This is the very unique feature at Typhoon Lagoon. The shark reef allows guest to snorkel with baby sharks and a large variety of fish. Erin has never snorkeled before and at first I don't think she will be able to do it. We watch first, and see many children, some younger than Erin, take part. Erin is willing to try it, so we all get suited up with vests and masks and snorkels. I have Erin in a life jacket and I hold her hand as we snorkel. If she needs to stop to clear her mask or just to take a short break she would just squeeze my hand and we would stop. It was slow going, but she did really great. The shark reef pool has a lot of beautiful coral and fish, We did not see any of the baby sharks though. I was so proud of Erin and her first snorkeling experience. Erin wants to swim in the wave pool again. Brenda shows her how to jump into the waves and Erin loves it. We ride on the Family raft ride 2 more times and our favorite blue raft ride again. We skipped all the speed slides, except Brenda did try one of them. Erin was more comfortable going down the slides sitting in a raft. We are back at the cabin at 4pm Brian and the twins are sleeping. When Brian wakes up we ask him about his day with the twins. He took the twins for a long stroller walk around Fort Wilderness. They took a bus over to the petting farm and saw the horses. He decided to be very brave and he took the twins on the bus, by himself, with 2 strollers, to Downtown Disney. They had lunch at McDonalds and walked around the shopping area. He said he really had his hands full getting back on the bus with 2 tired twins, but a lot of people helped him getting on and off the buses. They took a nice nap this afternoon. Tonight I have reservations for Brian and I for dinner at 7pm at the Flying Fish Cafe. Brenda is babysitting the kids. Brian and I take the boat from the marina to the Magic Kingdom at 6:30pm. We are the only ones getting on the boat, as the captain reminds us MK closes at 7pm. I told him that our destination is really the Boardwalk resort for dinner and we are going to take a Boardwalk resort bus from MK. We sit up front on the boat and the captain sits and chats with us. It is a beautiful night with the sun setting. We transfer to the bus and arrive at the Boardwalk resort. This is our first visit to the Flying Fish Cafe, and I have heard a lot of great things about this restaurant. The meal is delicious. We share crab cakes with drinks. For dinner we both chose the chef specialties. Brian has the yellow fin tuna dish, and I have a seafood dish with a crab sauce over some kind of fish (don't remember the name of it now). The entrees were delicious and beautifully presented. We share 2 desserts as both come highly recommended. The desserts are both just wonderful, the banana napoleon and chocolate lava cake. After dinner we walk around the boardwalk area and watch some of the street entertainers, such as a magician and a juggler. It was a beautiful night. We take a cab back to our resort and arrive back at 11 pm. Tuesday - September 18 Today we plan to arrive at the Animal Kingdom early. The park opens at 8 am, and we arrive at 8:30 am. We have a group picture of the six of us taken in front of the Animal Kingdom sign. We decide to rent a double stroller today instead of bringing our 2 strollers, because there is a bus transfer in getting to Animal Kingdom. Matthew and Emily seem to like the safari themed double stroller. We see some characters from Tarzan and Chip and Dale as we enter the park. I really notice the lack of crowds here, as we walk right on the Kilamanjaro Safari. The twins loved seeing all the animals. The safari is the big attraction at this park. A guide drives guests in a large open-air vehicle through the area where the free-roaming animals live. We see zebras, gazelles, hippos, elephants, rhinos, lions, and more. After the safari we walk the Pangani Forest Exploration trails. This is the gorilla exhibit and is just beautiful. The twins are hot and cranky and they are fighting with each other. I begin to think the double stroller is not so great. I rush through with them and wait for the others. We all take an ice cream and popcorn break in the shade. This park always feels warmer and more humid due to all the tropical vegetation. We decide to split up at this point. Brenda and Erin take off to spend the rest of the day together. Brian and I take the twins over to the Camp Minnie and Mickey area to see characters. With absolutely no lines we see Mickey and Minnie (looking adorable in their safari outfits), Goofy and Pluto, and Chip and Dale. The twins are in heaven and so we spend a lot of time here. Brian and I take the twins back to the cabin at 11:30 am for lunch and naps. Matthew falls asleep on the bus ride home and goes right down into his crib for a nice long nap. Emily on the other hand is all wound up so the three of us have sandwiches for lunch. Brian takes off for MGM, as he wants to ride the Tower of Terror and Rock-n-roller coaster. After Matthew wakes up I take the twins across to the laundry facility at the pool complex and put in a couple loads of laundry. Matthew eats a late lunch while Emily naps. Brenda and Erin come back at 3:30 pm. They have a good report about their day at Animal Kingdom. They saw a bird show and Erin liked that a bird flew over her head. They got drenched on the Kali Rapids white water raft ride. They saw the 3D Bugs Life show and they loved the Tarzan show the most. They had lunch somewhere in the African area. Erin had a PB and J on rainbow bread. Brenda had a veggie wrap. They spent some time in the dinosaur dig play area before heading back. Brian arrived back at 4:30 pm. He reported loving the R-n-roller coaster, and surviving the ToT. He also tried out the new Who Wants to be a Millionaire show and said it was fun. Brian fixes a frozen chicken casserole for dinner for himself and the twins. Tonight is the E-ride night for Brenda, Erin and myself. This is my first E-ride night and I am really looking forward to it. The three of us take the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. We have to exchange our ($10) E-ride night tickets for a wrist band first. It is now 6:30 pm and the park is still officially open. We go over to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean, as it will close when the park closes to regular guests at 7 pm. Once E-ride night begins only guests with wrist bands are allowed on the rides. We go over to Splash Mountain, the water log ride, first. We know they take a picture during the biggest drop and we are determined to smile and wave for the camera. Because it is E-ride night and because of the lack of crowds in general, we are allowed to stay on and ride a second time without getting out. We get pretty wet and decide to get off after riding twice. We purchase the best of the 2 pictures, which shows us giving our best effort to smile and wave at the camera. We next go over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a fun fast bumpy roller coaster. Erin's favorite! Aunt Brenda decides to ride with her hands up, and is repeatedly scolded by Erin. The couple behind us get a big kick out of this. We ride twice in a row again, and the couple behind us said they have gone 4 times in a row now. We decide to eat dinner and only a few restaurants remain open for the E-ride guests. We dine at Pecos Bills, as I love their chicken wraps. Erin has a (can we all take a guess...) kids hot dog meal (again). Brenda just orders the cheese fries. We decide to head over to Tomorrowland next. We see characters greeting guests next to the castle. We ride the new Buzz Lightyear ride twice in a row. Brenda gets the best score, as each person has a laser gun and you try to shoot Zurg as you ride through the attraction. We now have Erin all warmed up (with riding roller coasters) and so head over to Space Mountain. This is a more intense and faster roller coaster and will be her first time. Brenda and I give her a pep talk and she is ready to go. Erin really likes it and so we ride twice. Brenda goes on Alien Encounter, and I know it will not be suitable for Erin. Brenda reports that it is "lame". It is closing in on 10 pm and park closing. We have done it all! We do a little shopping in the one store open on Main street. Erin has decided to collect Minnie bean bag dolls. Tonight she added Pirate Minnie (from Pirates of the Caribbean), and finds Minnie in her Halloween witch costume. I love walking around MK late at night with all the lights and watching the castle change colors. I could stay here much longer, but the park is closing, and my 2 E-ride buddies are tired. Back at the cabin we slip quietly into bed. Sept 19, Wednesday No alarm day! It is another water park day. This time I stay back with the twins so that Brian can go with Brenda and Erin to Blizzard Beach. The water parks open at 9:30 am, and so we do not have to get up as early on these days. I am not as brave as Brian was with taking the twins to Downtown Disney. I take the twins on the bus inside Fort Wilderness over to the other swimming pool complex. The Meadows Trading gift shop is in this same area. I get some souvenir shopping done. I find a Fort Wilderness Minnie for Erin, a Fort Wilderness t-shirt for myself, and Mickey and Minnie cups for the twins. I buy some cookies and we have our snack on the porch of the trading post and watch the ducks on the pond. After our snack we went over to the swimming pool. I changed the twins into swimsuits and let them play in the kiddie swimming pool for a while. They both fall asleep in their strollers as I walked back to our cabin. The entire Fort Wilderness area is covered with mature shade trees and nice walking paths. We see a lot of peacocks roaming the resort. I spend the rest of the day with the twins playing in the cabin. I have dinner ready for the hungry water park crew when they arrive back at the cabin. The Blizzard Beach group had another great day. The highlights of their day include riding the family raft rides several times and the sled ride (Erin's favorite) several times. Erin enjoyed the preteen area (Jr. Ski Patrol), especially the large blocks of floating "ice". Brian was brave enough to try the large speed slides, Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher. Erin also liked the ski lift that takes guests to the upper areas of the park for the varies slides. Brenda did not like the wave pool here as well as at Typhoon Lagoon, as at Blizzard Beach it was continuous smaller waves and so did not give you a break. They enjoyed the slow raft ride that encircles the park, much like the one at Typhoon Lagoon. Erin was reported as being a "little rascal" on this raft ride (just like the TL experience). I guess a six year old does not know how to relax and enjoy the slow ride around the park. For lunch Erin had another hot dog, Brenda had the chicken quesadilla, and Brian had the chicken wrap. They all enjoyed themselves. Wednesday evening Brenda baby-sits. Brian and Julie are free for a night of monorail resort touring. We took the bus to the transportation center and get on the monorail. The first stop is the Polynesian resort. We have delicious appetizers in the Tambu lounge (shrimp cocktail and egg rolls) along with very festive tropical drinks. We walked around the Polynesian resort which is beautiful at night with the Tiki torches and the view across the lake of the castle at the Magic Kingdom. We walk along the beach of the lake over to the Grand Floridian resort and here we take the monorail over to the Contemporary resort. The California Grill restaurant is located on the top (15th floor) of the resort and so is has a great view of the castle lit up at night. We share dessert, a pear upside down cake with ginger ice cream. We almost miss the last monorail of the night at 11:00 pm. We are able to sit up front in the "cockpit" of the monorail and talk to the driver as he takes the monorail back to the transportation center for the night. Sept 20, Thursday It is warmer and much more humid weather today, which is back to normal for Florida this time of year. We arrive at the Magic Kingdom this morning at 8 am for early entry. The characters from Pinocchio and Aladdin are greeting guests on Main Street, and so we stop to see them. Fantasyland is open for early entry this morning. We all go on Dumbo first with a short wait. Brian and Erin head over to the Tea Cups. Brenda and I take the twins on the tamest of the kiddie rides. We are able to walk on to Cinderella's carousel, It's a Small World, and Peter Pan. Emily is really getting in to the swing of things and clamors for "more rides." We meet up with Brian and Erin briefly as they head over toward Splash Mountain. Brenda and I take the twins on the Winnie the Pooh ride, which is one of my favorite children's rides. We take a break and the twins have French fries and chocolate milk. We head over to Toontown and revisit Mickey and Minnie's houses. We take them on their first roller coaster, Goofy's Barnstormer, which is the kiddie roller coaster. We take the twins back to our cabin for lunch and naps. Brian and Erin arrive back at the cabin around 2:00 pm. They report having a great time with no lines all day. They were able to ride all of Erin's favorites ....Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, and the Lion King Show. They had a late lunch at the Trail End restaurant at Fort Wilderness, followed by a pony ride for Erin. We are booked for the Mickeys All American BBQ tonight. We all head over to the Fort Wilderness petting farm first. They have a nice clean petting farm with goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. The pavilion for the BBQ is right next door to the petting farm. The BBQ is an all you can eat buffet with hot dogs, BBQ pork, grilled chicken, cole slaw, potato salad, beans, cornbread, corn on the cob, watermelon, and cake. They also have large tubs of peanuts in the shell, and have beer and wine for adults. The large outdoor covered pavilion has a stage with a country band playing. The characters are dressed in their country outfits, which include Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The country band played while we ate dinner. The characters appeared for pictures and later for dancing with the kids. The other entertainment included line dance instructions and a cowboy doing his rope tricks. The evening was a lot of fun for everyone and the kids especially enjoyed dancing with the characters. Friday, Sept 21 We were originally all going to get up for early entry at Epcot. After a late night we decided to sleep late. Late morning, Julie and Brenda head over to Epcot. We head over to Universe of Energy first. This is a really good ride with animatronic dinosaurs and special effects, and is mixed with a lot of humor with Ellen and Bill Nye (the Science Guy). We head over to the World Showcase and have lunch in Mexico at the San Angel Inn. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the World Showcase for atmosphere. The restaurant has a view of a large pyramid with a river running right through the middle. After lunch we head over to the Test Track ride. This is known for its long lines but we are able to walk on. The idea of this ride is that guests get to take part in automobile testing. The vehicles move along a track with near-collisions, test different road conditions, and finally speed around the track at top speeds. The ride is definitely geared toward males that really like fast cars, and we both agree riding it once was enough for us. At the Wonders of Life pavilion we watch the "Making of Me" , a short film that shows the whole process of a baby being born, in a cute Disney way. We ride the Body Wars simulator ride, which takes us on a ride inside the human body. We have a yogurt at the healthy treats snack place. We finish the day with shopping at the large Mouse Gear gift shop. I find a hat for Brian and get some postcards and stickers for my scrapbooks. Brenda finishes her souvenir shopping and we head back to the cabin. Brian, Brenda, and Erin are scheduled to see the Fantasmic show at MGM tonight. The three of them head over to MGM about 5 pm. I stay back with the twins and pack, as we leave in the morning. Our good weather all week finally turned to rain. Brian, Brenda, and Erin had a quick dinner at MGM and they were waiting for Fantasmic! to start when it started raining. The show is outside and so was cancelled. They went on the Great Movie ride instead and came back to the cabin. September 22 We finish packing and check out this morning. We have a hard time getting everything to fit into our suitcases. Our driver picks us up at 9 am and takes us back to the airport. The improved security is evident and I have a pair of tweezers confiscated from a carry on bag. We have lunch at the airport before our flight. Our Midwest Express flight is very empty again, and basically it is the same few families that we flew down with one week ago. Everyone snoozes on the way home which makes for a quick flight. Julie Hoscheid Jhoscheid@tandt.com Mail a Comment to Julie Hoscheid |
|