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Sheri Niklewski -- May 2001 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite, Swan)

Introduction

Participants

• Me - Sheri (39) - Accountant at an insurance firm (until April 20th). I'm the Disney freak in the family. Everyone just puts up with it like I put up with their hobbies.
• Devoted Husband - Rich (41) - Senior QA Engineer at a software developer. Enthusiastic collector, sports freak, and all around great guy.

This will be my fourteenth trip and Rich's thirteenth trip. Somehow, I managed to sneak in a totally solo trip in September, 2000. Rich and I have been together over 20 years so we tour very well and are in synch the whole time (I hope!). Our last trip to Disney World was in November, 2000 with Rich's parents. I played tour guide since the in-laws were total Disney virgins. For the last six trips, beginning in October, 1998, I have done a trip report and I'm glad I did since I get to re-live the vacations from time to time (all reports are on Brian's site).

When: May 7 - 24, 2001 for me; May 11 - 20 for Rich

Where: Offsite, Walt Disney World Swan, Port Orleans Riverside

How: Personal vehicle from Buford, Georgia (outside Atlanta)

OK, when I started to plan this vacation, I decided that I would not over plan anything. I've been to Disney World so many times that I've seen a ton and I don't feel like I have to run from attraction to attraction to get my money's worth. Rich and I have Premium Annual Passports that don't expire until June of 2001. This will be Rich's third trip on his Passport and my fourth. So I thought this would be a relatively hassle free vacation. When is a Disney vacation hassle free? When is life hassle free?

How this all happened

In order to understand how this whole trip is coming about, I have to give some personal information. So bear with me. We had lived in Bellevue, NE (just south of Omaha) for 11 years. I had planned a May trip since our son, Chris, graduated from high school last year. We could never go in May because that's the end of his school year. We had done family trips to Disney World in June so a May trip was never possible. But that's the time of year I really wanted to experience. I decided that once Chris graduated, the next trip to Disney World would be in May. I booked the Swan for May 11-20 (see next section for why and how) and figured we were all set. It would just be Rich and myself.

And then the bottom fell out. Rich, the major breadwinner, lost his job. I won't name the company but let's just say that they didn't handle the situation very well. Rich went into work one Monday morning and found out he had no computer access or voice mail. Then he was given the news of the major layoff. So we spent a couple of months with him being unemployed. It wasn't very nice considering this happened in late October and we had the holidays coming up. But we managed. Thank goodness we all get along and have great senses of humor!

A job opportunity did present itself when we got together with some football buddies for a game in Kansas City. A couple of our fantasy football guys came up from Atlanta and asked Rich what type of work he was looking for. When he told them, they said that their guy that did all that just resigned and would Rich be interested in submitting a resume? We took about two seconds and one of those "we've been married long enough to know what the other one is thinking" looks and decided to go for it. As fate would have it, Rich got the job and we were set to move.

The trouble was that I had a very unusual job situation. I had "resigned" two years before by my own choice. My last day on the job was supposed to be March 31, 2001. But I had verbally extended that until August 31st. If you work in the insurance accounting profession, you know that Codification is a huge word and I'm the only one that really knows it. So I wanted to stay and get everything transitioned. But Rich needed to be in Atlanta by January 15th. So we did what anyone else would do. Rich left early and I stayed behind (and I changed the resignation date to April 30th). We've been separated before and we're both strong people. Plus, our son will be staying in Nebraska and renting our house. This was a nice way to get him used to living on his own but still having one parent available.

So now we had the Swan booked for May 11-20 and I wasn't going to be working after April 27th (I had one precious day of vacation that I was going to take for the 30th). I was determined to enjoy Disney World in May and nothing was going to stop me. Rich wasn't sure about vacation time and we'll see what happens with that. He might just have to drive down for a long weekend or two. He's very concerned about his Premium Annual Pass expiring in June and not getting enough use out of it. He's going to try and get as much time at Disney World as he can before then.

But I'm off work in May. Why should I sit in Nebraska? The "big move", as I put it, which is when our house gets packed off to Atlanta isn't going to happen until early June. We wanted to wait until Chris turns 19 (on May 25th) so he can legally sign contracts (you have to be 19 in Nebraska - why can he vote and be drafted at 18 but can't commit to renting a house until a year later?). I had planned to go to Georgia and be with Rich but the call of Disney sounded. We were already going to be there for a week and a half. Why not extend the trip forwards and backwards? I decided I would drive from Nebraska to Georgia right after I left work. I'd stay with Rich for the rest of that week and then take off for some solo time at Disney World. That would be May 7-11. Then, Rich could join me for the original plan at the Swan 11-20. He would leave and I would stay through the 24th. I'd go back to Georgia for the Memorial Day weekend and then back to Nebraska to get ready for the big move.

Convoluted? Yep, but you have to understand that this whole experience has been a one day at a time thing. I'm just very thankful that the three of us are such good friends. If you don't have that, you'd never survive something like this.

Resorts

Ah, my typical resort dilemma. If you've read any of my previous trip reports, I go through months and months of agonizing over the resort. Even when I stayed offsite during my solo visit, I still researched and changed things so many times, I couldn't even keep up with it. Would this trip be any different? I vowed not to over plan, remember?

Right before we left for the November trip with Rich's parents, I called and booked Port Orleans (at that time just Port Orleans, it's now Port Orleans French Quarter). I figured I had had a Disney resort booked continuously from May of 1998 so I wanted to keep that streak alive. We have never stayed at Port Orleans but did spend some time there when we were at Dixie Landings back in 1993. My goal is to stay at every Disney resort at least one night so I thought I'd finish off the moderates with this trip. (We did Dixie Landings in 1993, Caribbean Beach in 1996, and Coronado Springs in 2000).

I requested and paid for the upgrade to a king size bed and the rate was $169. Now, here's when I start to think way too much. I had avoided the moderates for quite some time because I got totally spoiled staying at the deluxes (Boardwalk studio in 1999, Beach Club and Contemporary in 2000, and then a nice one-bedroom suite at the Boardwalk with Rich's parents). But Rich and I had a pleasant four-day stay at Coronado Springs after we separated from his parents so I was quite content with Port Orleans. Or so I thought.

Rich and I love Epcot. And we had such a great experience with his parents at the Boardwalk in November. We like to just stroll along World Showcase and take in all the action and all the people. After being together as long as we have, there's nothing more peaceful and contented then sitting on an Epcot bench with the person you will spend the rest of your life with and just do nothing. I started re-reading all my trip reports and was very surprised to see just how much time we do spend at Epcot. It seemed like whenever another park was getting to us, we'd head for Epcot and a walk. So I started investigating all the Epcot resorts.

The Boardwalk wasn't available during our time frame. We're sort of flexible with the dates but there really wasn't anything. The Beach Club was available but at a price I didn't want to pay. Nothing at the Yacht Club. I moved my mind over the monorail line and tried for the Contemporary. I really liked the room size here and figured it would be painless to make the trek to Epcot on the monorail. Nothing. So I thought I'd cut my losses at this point and just be happy with Port Orleans. I did decide to try back whenever or if ever the Annual Passport rates came out. I'd still try for an Epcot resort.

And then I got bored one morning on the internet before I went to work. The RADP newsgroup was down so I was getting restless. I looked at all the Disney bookmarks I had and decided to go to a site I hadn't been to for a while. Pete Werner's site at www.wdwinfo.com. Did I say I didn't want to over plan this trip?

I saw where discounted hotel rooms were being offered. Never one to pass up saving a buck or two, I went looking. To my surprise, the Dolphin and the Swan were two of the hotels being discounted. I kind of chuckled and plugged in my dates. The result was $250 for an Annual Passport discount. Yikes! I wasn't prepared to pay that for the Beach Club so I'm certainly not going to pay that for a hotel that's not even owned by Disney. Then I saw that a Disney Club Card discount was available. Well, I have one of those too. Let's check that one out.

I changed my tune about staying at a non-Disney owned hotel! The pre tax rate came back at $155 for a standard view and $187.50 for a resort view. At this point, the drink I was drinking ended up on the computer screen since I started to choke. Fortunately, Rich was still upstairs sleeping so he didn't see my reaction. Should I book or not? Well, the over planner in me kicked in. The debates in my head started. Which hotel? Dolphin or Swan? For some reason, I mentally fixed on the Swan. But I had to check out the Dolphin too. Back and forth, back and forth. Both fine hotels, both really at the same location. And then I started debating getting the upgraded view. Should I? I emailed my very good Disney pal Adrienne and she counseled me on paying for the view. And so did my other Disney email friend Donna. Both said don't do it. So I agonized. I really want every Disney vacation to be perfect and the view is pretty special to me.

It took me several long days to figure all this out. So much for not over planning the darn trip! I finally realized that the one time we paid extra for an upgraded room was at the Boardwalk in 1999. I really wanted a Boardwalk view so I paid a little more for a preferred view. What we got was nice but not the Boardwalk. We overlooked the canal going to MGM. When we returned to the Boardwalk with Rich's parents, I just got the standard view deal. We got a Boardwalk view. Then I started looking at the resort maps of the Dolphin and Swan (also on wdwinfo.com). The Dolphin looked like it could have parking lot views. The Swan (my preference anyway) looked like it would have better standard views. So I decided to book the standard view at the Swan.

I used the handy dandy reservation form on the site and the next thing I knew I had a reservation at the Swan. I was a little misty when I realized that I was going to be able to enjoy an Epcot resort for less money than a Disney moderate. I know it's not Disney but from what I can tell, you'd never know it. The only thing I'm losing will be the ability to charge back to the room. But we each carry a credit card with us anyway so that's really not a problem. We still get the other Disney perks but we don't really use any of them except one. And that's the package delivery. I don't think I would have seriously considered the Swan if this wasn't available. We operate in the "buy it if you like it" mode so the delivery is important. True, the packages go to Guest Services instead of right to the room but that's fine. We still get early entries but we don't use that option since we never get going until much later in the day. And we are eligible for E ride nights. We don't get Mickey wake up calls or Disney soaps and shampoos. My usual contribution to Dotti and her kids will be in stickers or something else this time (see http://www.wdwig.com/soap.htm for details).

I spent a lot of time visiting the official Dolphin and Swan web site (linked through Deb's site), Deb's site (www.wdwig.com) and the wonderful hotel FAQs and the resort pictures, and wdwinfo.com with the resort maps. I am very happy with the choice of resorts.

And by using the web site to book the reservation, I will get a 10% pre tax rebate 4-6 weeks after the trip. I'm not sure what that all entails but, believe me, I will check it out. With the nine nights booked, this is almost the equivalent of one night free. The cancellation policy is nice - 7 days out and a full refund. Down payment of just one night. Definitely worth it.

I did mention this discounted rate to Adrienne, Donna, and another Disney friend, Lindy. All booked their next stay at either the Swan or the Dolphin. Adrienne also mentioned the deal to her friends and they have booked some time at the Swan for the same time as Adrienne in August. And there's a possibility of a fourth person, Jane, booking hers there too. She just has to talk her husband into actually going to Disney World again. And I have passed this rate onto other people through the newsgroup. I think the Swan and Dolphin people should pay me a finder's fee or something!

I'll be booking offsite accommodations for my solo time before and after. I always look for clean but cheap places to stay on 192 (aka Irlo Bronson Highway). I know it's under construction constantly but I manage quite well. I've stayed at the Econolodge Hawaiian Maingate, the Holiday Inn Maingate East, and the Ramada Eastgate/Fountain Park. All very good places to stay but I like variety so I was looking for something different.

One of my favorite resources for finding offsite places is www.floridakiss.com. It's the Kissimmee Visitor's website. You can check rates and make online reservations. I checked all the properties I could and came up with a couple that I booked. For the first four days (May 7-11), I'll go with the Days Inn Maingate East (5840 W 192) for $39.95/night. For the last four days (May 20-24), I booked the Best Western Eastgate (5565 W 192) for $32/night. The last hotel had a review on Brian's site (thanks for this resource, Brian) and the reviewer said he'd return to the place. For the offsite time, I don't really expect much. I am in my room a lot, especially in the mornings so I do need something functional. But I'm not the type that wants to be waited on hand and foot when I'm not on Disney property. I just want a clean, comfortable, and safe place. I think these two places will be fine for my needs.

Tickets

As mentioned, Rich and I both have Premium Annual Passports. So far, we haven't used the "Premium" aspect of the passes, though. But we've gotten so much mileage out of these that I really don't care. Now that we're going to be within driving distance, we're always going to have Premium Annual Passes.

Dining

I'm having fun with this. This will be the first time Rich and I will be at Walt Disney World on our own, without a budget plan and without any other people. So I get to choose places for just the two of us. One of the meals I really want to do is a dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse. It's a little pricey but I've heard excellent things about the experience and just want to try it. My in-laws sent me a nice birthday check in February so that kind of sealed the deal on this meal (gee, I rhyme!).

We usually do a meal at an Epcot sit down restaurant so I will decide on at least one place. The only places I haven't eaten at there are The Garden Grill (not interested in a character pre plated meal), Norway (I would not like the food), Japan (we have a great Japanese place here that does the same thing so it wouldn't be that special), and China (a possibility). I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Chefs de France on my solo trip and I think Rich would like it at the reduced lunch prices. So I'm thinking a lunch in France and a lunch in China.

On my solo trip, I had the extreme pleasure of trying the 50s Prime Time Café with Donna and her family (thanks again guys!). I think Rich would enjoy the place so that's going to go into the planning for a MGM day. At Animal Kingdom, I have $20 in gift certificates at Rainforest Café and that's the only sit down place so we'll have to do that once. Rainforest still a little under whelms me but I can't pass up $20 and a nice break from the AK heat. At Magic Kingdom, well, sorry, nothing really interests me. Lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern would be the only thing. We don't spend that much time at Magic Kingdom anyway so I don't think I'll plan too much there.

On my solo time, it'll be counter service only unless I sneak a trip to Cape May Buffet and the clams and mussels. We'll see how the finances are by that time. And we will more than likely get a meal in at Shell's, a wonderful offsite seafood place.

Touring

Very, very relaxed. If you are a commando, this will not be the type of report you're interested in. We sleep until we wake up (no calls for us unless we have to check out). Sometimes we don't even go on any attractions at a park but just walk around and soak everything in. This is especially true at Epcot. On our last visit to Magic Kingdom we just did Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Nothing else. But we fill our days with Disney. There's enough other things going on that we don't have to rush from attraction to attraction to get everything in. You can't possibly do everything so we do what we want.

Rich said we definitely have to do a water park this trip so we'll try for that one afternoon. We've never been to Blizzard Beach and that's our first choice. I love the peacefulness of River Country so that's also an option (although the reduced hours now have me a little more than ticked off). One of my top priorities is watching Off Kilter as many times as I can fit them in. I enjoyed the boys so much on my solo trip and really looked forward to seeing them on the November trip. However, they were on vacation that week so I totally missed them. Since then, I have listened to their CDs just about every day. And I just love the Tapestry of Nations parade so that's another thing on my want list. The Epcot resort location makes me very happy for my touring needs.

Now that Disney Quest is part of the Annual Passports, I will be exploring this option. Rich is a great video player. I have absolutely no hand/eye coordination but if I don't have to pay extra for this, I'm "game". I've heard enough about the food at the Cheesecake Factory that I'm more than willing just to sit there and eat for an afternoon.

I will also offer up Islands of Adventure to Rich for a non Disney day. Even if he doesn't make it for all ten days, I think I'll go for the offsite excursion myself. I just want to check out the park. I'm not big on the thrill rides but I'd like to see the theming. I was considering a day for myself at Sea World. Rich isn't a big fan of "shows" so I wanted to check this place out for what it has to offer. However, the prices went over $50 for one day and when I looked at the website to see what kinds of things I'd be interested in, I decided to pass. Just not enough there to make it worth the $50.

Flying Versus Driving

This will be the first time in fifteen years that I will be driving to Disney World. On my last nine visits, I've flown into MCO and rented a car. I will be comparing flying versus driving in case anyone is weighing the choices. I do have the luxury now of only being a day's drive away with the move to Atlanta. I don't think I would contemplate driving if I left from Omaha. Taking a couple of days to get there is fine but I don't think I could live with the couple of days drive to get back.

Other Events

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival will be held this year from April 20th to June 3rd. So that will be going on the entire time I'm there. Since we're Epcot fans, we'll be seeing a lot of the events and activities. We're not gardeners by any stretch of the imagination but I did get to see one day of this last year. The displays are very nice so we'll have enough time to thoroughly explore everything.

The Star Wars Weekends are also during the month of May. These are held at MGM and we will definitely have to plan time to attend them. Chris, our son, is the mega Star Wars fan. I'm still trying to convince him to come with us (he also has a Premium Annual Passport that expires in June). He's dragging his heels since it's so geeky to be almost 19 and going on vacation with your parents. Especially a vacation to Disney World! Even if he doesn't come along (and I doubt he will - and he didn't), Rich and I will experience these weekends for him. We'll do the autographs and the pictures and pick up any Star Wars things we can find.

Meeting People

Lindy will be at Disney World the same time as we are. I met Lindy through these trip reports last year and we hooked up in September during my solo visit. Lindy really likes the Hunchback of Notre Dame show and she was kind enough to take me to it. I loved it as well. And we share a devotion to Off Kilter. So meeting up with Lindy during this trip is a definite. Right now we are planning a lunch at Mama Melrose's, a Doug Live show (which is closing on May 12th. Lindy was a little more than mortified to hear this. I hated giving her the news), a Hunchback of Notre Dame show, and then watching Off Kilter at Epcot after that. Someone said that the internet would make people become more alone since they wouldn't have to rely on outside stimulation. It's the total opposite thing here. I would have never met Adrienne, Donna, or Lindy without the internet. I haven't met Adrienne in person but I did Donna and Lindy. And I still correspond with them all the time via emails. We all share a common love of Disney World and that brought us together. With Rich leaving four months early for Atlanta (OK, with me staying four months behind in Nebraska), I needed some support and these people have given it to me. This trip report is for these three ladies who have taken the time to share their friendship with me. Thanks to all of you.

Final Plans

I made our dinner reservations at the Yachtsman Steakhouse for May 18th. Much debate on my part went into the date. Rich still didn't know if he would be taking the full ten days off. With the move and just starting the job, he wanted more time off to get all our stuff to Georgia. I wanted a Friday night but didn't want it for the first Friday. So I settled on the 18th. If something happens and we have to change it, fine, we can do that. I made it for 5:30 so we can stroll around World Showcase after the meal and work off some calories.

I went to visit Rich in Atlanta at the end of February/beginning of March for a week. The plan was for me to just get acquainted with the area and look at houses but not do anything drastic. Yeah, right. We spent one day with the realtor and ended up buying a house! It's the perfect house for us and I can see where I'd be happy when I'm 70 years old and still living in the same place. So things moved along a lot faster than I expected but the way this whole adventure is going, it's not surprising. Closing date is April 18th. Rich will do all that without me. I'll arrive on April 29th. I'm using my PTO time at work and making April 27th my last day at the office. We'll live in the house with meager belongings until we move the rest of our stuff in June. That darned "have to be 19 to sign a contract in Nebraska" law is the only thing holding us back from moving earlier.

Rich did finally ask his boss, Robert, for some time off for the vacation and the move. Robert said for Rich to take whatever time he needed! Wonderful. So Rich will join me for the original plan of the Swan stay May 11-20. That made planning so much easier for me.

I had looked at going to Daytona Beach, Busch Gardens, Sea World, or Islands of Adventure for an offsite trip with Rich. We've done this the past two family vacations. Just one day for something non-Disney. We did Universal Studios in 1999 and Kennedy Space Center in 2000. Both were less than big hits with Rich and Chris. Of the four choices I offered this time, Rich chose Busch Gardens first and then Daytona Beach. I checked out Busch Gardens and didn't think I would really like it there. They have five roller coasters and I am not a roller coaster fan. I do fine on Rock N Roller Coaster because it doesn't have that first long climb and then a quick drop. That just kills me. So I decided to pass on Busch Gardens.

I had done some research on Daytona Beach for my solo time and liked what I saw. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that I wouldn't mind some quiet walks on the beach with my husband. And I found a restaurant on the river with great prices and great sounding food. Why should I do that on my own? So our offsite day together became Daytona Beach.

I wanted some offsite options for my solo time and, even though I at first didn't think there'd be enough to keep me occupied, decided on Sea World. If I get a chance to go offsite, I will do this. I'm not planning a specific day but it'll be there just in case. Rich's reasoning for not wanting to do this is the show factor. He hates waiting for shows. I literally have to drag him to plays. He can't stand the idea of just sitting there waiting for something. He's fine in queue lines because they move. For me, I use the time to write up notes and people watch.

I would like to try Islands of Adventure but only with Rich and he's very reluctant to do this. Why? Well, the trip to Universal Studios left him with a case of what I call the Disney Theme Park Curse. That's where you've been so spoiled by what Disney has to offer that you can never go to another theme park without constantly comparing it to Disney World. Even if you don't vocalize it, you still think about it. I've had a case of the Curse for quite awhile but I've worked myself through the stages and I'm at Acceptance now. I can go to other theme parks and see them for themselves. Rich is somewhere in between Denial and Acceptance. Maybe a few trips to Six Flags over Georgia will get him over the Curse. And then I can finally get him to IOA.

Lindy finalized her Disney plans and her trip will overlap with mine. She arrives on Thursday, May 10th and leaves on Monday, the 21st. She got a fantastic rate at Port Orleans Riverside (the old Dixie Landings) from the 11th through the 21st. For her first night, I offered for Lindy to share my offsite room with me. Since I will have a car, I'll be picking Lindy up at the airport and also dropping her off on the 21st. For the night of the 20th, Lindy has offered for me to share her room at Port Orleans Riverside. Never one to pass up an opportunity to stay another night on Disney property, I took her up on it. Lindy and I will spend Thursday afternoon and evening together and then part ways on Friday to go to our respective Disney resorts. Hopefully, we will hook up a couple of times during the vacation. Rich loves the old Dixie Landings pizza so I'm thinking we can meet Lindy for dinner at the food court and then go to Pleasure Island for a night. And then I'll get back together with Lindy on Sunday after Rich leaves to move my things over to her room for the night.

I've only met Lindy in person once (see the September, 2000 trip report) but I feel like I know her. We've corresponded via emails for about a year now. All because of the trip reports. Lindy is doing this trip solo so it'll be nice for her to have someone there just in case she needs something. And it'll be nice for me to have some companionship before and after Rich gets there.

My friend, Adrienne, suggested several other offsite adventures for Rich and me. She threw out a ballgame in Tampa. I had checked the minor league schedule for the Orlando Rays since they play at Disney World. Would you believe they are out of town the entire time Rich is there? We are very big baseball fans and visit our local Omaha team all the time (hoping to find something similar in Georgia). Rich was there at Turner Field in Atlanta for the Braves home opener. We will be in the stands when our beloved Baltimore Orioles visit Atlanta in July. So a trip to Tampa Bay just to see a baseball game is not a stretch for us. The Devil Rays are in town the last Friday and Saturday of Rich's visit. The Saturday game is a late afternoon game against Detroit. So that goes onto the planning schedule. I'm not going to get tickets, hoping they don't sell out. I just don't want to lock us into having to go. It could rain, one of us could get sick, etc. But it is an option. I did chastise Adrienne, though. I looked at the Devil Rays schedule and our Orioles are in town May 8-10! Right before Rich gets there. That was something I didn't need to know.

Rich accused me of over planning this trip. So far, I have scheduled just a few things. The dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse and the airport visits with Lindy. I have lots of ideas about what I want to do and when I want to do them but I'm going with a very flexible schedule. I've read trip reports where people start out with the "plan" and then give the "actual". You won't get that here. No plan at all. I can give you my ideas but that's all they will be.

And things changed again. Deciding that four months was far too long for a marriage separation, I asked at work if I could leave a week earlier. So my date was pushed up to April 20th. Rich will be moving into the house on the 21st and if everything goes according to plan, the cat (Todd) and I will be there on the 22nd. About the only thing that has kept me relatively sane for the past four months is the steady stream of Disney planning. And the emails from Lindy, Donna, and Adrienne. Again, I can't thank these ladies enough. I will see Lindy at Disney World and it turns out I will hopefully see Donna in Atlanta. She's going to be there the last weekend in April for business. Disney has a way of making the world seem a little smaller, don't you think?

And even smaller. My friend, Jane, finally convinced her husband, Court, to go to Disney World. She had planned the trip, then cancelled it. Now it was back on. She got accommodations at the Institute which she and Court love so she was very happy. But she was persistent and kept calling back for rates and got a good deal at Port Orleans Riverside for May 12-18. Jane and Rich used to work together and Jane loves Disney so we have to get together since we'll be there at the same time. Thanks to Deb Wills, the menus for the new restaurants at the Animal Kingdom Lodge were out on her site (www.wdwig.com). Jane thought Boma sounded great so I checked it out. We decided that was the place for us. I invited Lindy along for Sunday, May 13th. I called and had no problems getting a seating for 7:00 PM. The three of us are really looking forward to not only dinner but a chance to check out the new Lodge.

So sit back and relax. It's eighteen days of Disney vacation. Hope the kids are in bed and the pets have been fed. Grab a glass or a mug of your favorite beverage and maybe a snack or two. Like Peter Pan says, "Off to Neverland, here we go....."

April 21 - May 6, 2001

There will be two versions of this trip report. One I will keep myself detailing the trip and the first couple of weeks in the new house. Here's the condensed version. The cat and I survived the trip. In fact, Todd got used to the new house faster than I did. It was nice being back with Rich again after the four month separation. We had both sets of parents visit us the first weekend (it just worked out that way) but we managed and everyone gets along very well. I did meet up with Donna so it was nice to see a Disney pal while not at Disney World. I went to my first Atlanta Braves game (Rich had been to a preseason game and to the home opener already) and had just a few experiences with Atlanta traffic. If anyone really wants to read the details, just email me and I'll supply my version of the events.

Day One - Monday, May 7, 2001

Remember when I said I did not want to over plan this trip because things always have a way of changing? Remember when I said I wanted to do some comparison of flying versus driving? This morning was a great reason for doing both of these things.

I couldn't sleep. I absolutely, positively could not sleep. Rich was snoring contently beside me, Todd was snoring somewhere, and I could not sleep. I was tired, the snoring doesn't bother me any other night, so why now? Could the trip have something to do with that? It was 2:00 AM and a brilliant idea hit me. Why not just get up and go? I've had bouts of insomnia before and can pretty much tell when they are going to be all nighters or just a few hours. This was an all nighter. So I got up, showered, dressed and got things together. I packed up the car and then jumped online to let Lindy, Donna, and Adrienne know what the heck I was up to. Rich snored through the whole thing. I finally woke him up and said that I was leaving since I couldn't sleep and it was 2:45 AM but not to be worried about me. He just opened up one eye, looked at me like I was insane, but accepted it. I did tell him that I would call him once he got to work and give him an update. I figured if I got tired on the road, I could pull over in a rest stop and catch a nap. So off I went before 3:00 AM.

My vehicle is a 1993 red Pontiac Bonneville and I'm the original owner. I have over 114,000 miles on it and expect to get a heck of a lot more out of it. It's a very good car with a small exhaust problem (it just rattles and no one has been able to fix it). My trunk space is nice and big and the back seat can hold a small army. I had one suitcase, a carryon bag that wasn't even half full, the laptop computer, and a cooler. Everything except the cooler went into the trunk. The cooler rode shotgun. Driving versus flying? I was glad I was driving today since I could leave when I wanted. No schedule to do. My route is I85 to I285 to I675 to I75 to I475 around Macon, then back onto I75 to the Florida Turnpike to I4. Lots of Is in there and that's the way I like to drive. Interstate if I can. The drive itself was uneventful except every time I wanted to change a CD, I had to turn on the inside light since it was still dark outside and I was not going to be fumbling around doing 70 MPH. My tunes of choice were all Disney ones - both Off Kilter CDs, the Millennium music, and Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. I did throw in one Barry Manilow set, though. Ain't I the rebel? I had only one gas stop. Jeez, these prices are amazing. But I later found out that paying under $2 per gallon wasn't that bad. Total was $26.00 and I got a little over 28 MPG. Not too bad for an eight year old car.

I stopped at the Ocala Disney Information Center but it was before 9:00 and they were closed. Lots of people pulled in like me, only to be disappointed. It wasn't a big deal for me but I think it would be a good idea to put the hours on all those billboards they have on I75. Lots of people drive at different hours and might think this is just like a rest area - open 24 hours a day. I called Rich from the parking lot to let him know I was still alive and almost there. What did we ever do without cell phones? Then I decided my next stop would be on Disney property.

I pulled into the Animal Kingdom parking lot at 10:40. So with the gas stop and two other stops (for natures' call), I made it from Buford, GA to Disney property in 7-1/2 hours. Of course, I had no traffic whatsoever and I don't think I ever went under 55 MPH (I do drive the posted speed limit). My choice was Animal Kingdom just so I could walk around and take in the sights. I did my parking lot trick (it does work, Donna) and was up towards the front so I could just walk up to the entrance. I bypassed all those people standing in line to buy their tickets. Since you can't really get discounted tickets, why don't people buy these in advance? Then the turnstyles were really mobbed. I don't know why, but I just knew they would open more up so I grabbed a seat and waited about 30 seconds and, sure enough, another one was open and I went in with no problems. The biometers still worked from the last time. I'm here! I'm here!

Since it was still fairly early, people were kind of clumped around the entrance. I went to the left side and had my first dosing of the Magic of the Mouse. That's what I'm calling those little things that Disney does that keeps me coming back all the time. There was an area off to the side of the main path. No one was over there because there really wasn't anything to see. But I was tired and just wanted to soak things up. There was music everywhere and I saw the speaker hidden way, way, way back in the trees. A very nice touch and something that not a lot of people would ever get to hear but I did. And that's the Magic of the Mouse. Only one set of people came over to see what I was seeing but they left because "there's nothing to see here". No, maybe not to see, but to hear. Sights, sounds, smells, touches, and feels. That's the Mouse I treasure.

After my Moment, I headed towards Dinosaur to get a FastPass and then was going to go to Flame Tree for some cheese fries and the beautiful view from the seating area. But Dinosaur was a total walk on so I just went. My reasoning for doing attractions on my solo time is to do the things I don't mind doing twice on a trip. Dinosaur is a fast paced attraction and I've been on it many times. But I still miss some things so it was a good choice. It also woke me up. Then I headed for the food. I got the cheese fries and even though it still wasn't noon, picked up a beer too. Total cost was $9.91 for my "breakfast". I headed back deep into the seating area and got a nice table out in the sun at the water. I ate and drank and just relaxed. And then the first Guest encounter of the trip. I really hope it's not the last.

Two groups of families came up, obviously traveling together. They were very impressed with the landscaping and the view. One of the ladies wanted to take a picture of a husband and wife by the water. Unfortunately, the lady dropped the wife's camera while doing it. And I'm talking dropped it good. This was right by my table. The lady apologized and said she would replace the camera. The wife looked things over, decided the lens was fine and said not to worry about anything. I spoke up and said that they could probably go to Guest Relations and see if there was a camera center in the park where someone could take a look at the camera. The lady thanked me so much for the information and it made her feel so much better. The wife said the camera was fine but maybe they could stop on the way out. Both thanked me again and I'm glad that I could interject a better feeling for them for the day.

And another Magic of the Mouse. These tables were cleaned up almost immediately and all the chairs repositioned. I've taken notice of that all over Disney World every time we've been here. Rich and I joke about it. But we end up putting our chairs back where we found them when we're done. I know that the company who provided the generous grant for Dinosaur could use a few tips from Disney on how to clean up tables from sloppy customers.

After my refreshments (which really hit the spot), I thought I'd just walk around and then head to the room since it had been a long day and I had been up for over 24 hours. I walked towards Asia and heard that it was last call for Flights of Wonder. I had never done this show, not being a fan of shows and not being a fan of animal shows in particular. But, there were a ton of seats left and I didn't have to wait so why not? What a show! I was so impressed, I later told Rich that I was disappointed his father didn't get to see this when we were here in November. Ed would have really liked it. Guano Joe was great (made a joke about Disney cutting back), the Cast Member emcee was great (I forgot her name - see what happens when I don't write things down?), the birds were great. I liked that they don't train the birds to do anything unnatural. Everything they do is a natural part of their being. It's more like a demonstration of what the birds can do then a bird talent show. And I learned a lot. Did you know that 75% of these birds of prey never make it to their first birthday? Know why? Some because of diseases or the Circle of Life. But some because we humans shoot them. These aren't birds needed for food. I loved Frasier Crane who is an East African Crown Crane and he's highly endangered. They also brought out a bald eagle, the symbol of our country. OK, I'm on the environmental soapbox so I might as well climb on the patriotic one too. I am so proud of what we did with this species. It was endangered but now it's not because we did care enough to save it. I left this show with another Magic of the Mouse Moment. I was educated, entertained, and lifted all within a half hour.

I decided to end my Animal Kingdom stay with this show so I just walked around past Africa and to the front. I tried to see Chris' anteater but he was being shy. I'll see him soon, I'm sure. I got my hand stamped because I intended to go to Epcot after I checked into the hotel and took a nap. Off Kilter was calling.

Out to the car and on to the hotel. I'm at the Days Inn at 5840 Irlo Bronson Highway (aka 192). I found it right away and I think the construction here just might end sometime before the next decade. I was a little surprised with the location. I thought it was further down away from Disney but it's right at the Publix at Xentury City. Not too bad. And there is a light so I can get in and out of here very easily. I was really looking forward to that nap. But it was not to be. I had to come back at 4:00 to get my room. Groan. I understand the need not to juggle which room has been cleaned for a new guest and which one hasn't. But I've gotten used to checking into non Disney hotels and having a room ready for me. I did anticipate this and had an alternative. Go to Epcot now and just sit and watch people. I called Rich from the Days Inn parking lot to let him know I was finally here. He agreed with me - go to Epcot and relax. Now you know why I love the man.

I parked at the Boardwalk and looked at my watch. Hum, it's 1:20 and Off Kilter's first performance is at 1:40. I had their schedule memorized. Thank you, Steve Soares for your wonderful entertainment site (http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm). It's invaluable for any type of Disney planning. It's updated on Sunday for the upcoming week. The schedule is always changing so check it often but you can get a very good feel for who and what is going to be happening for your trip. I did pick up an entertainment guide at the gate just to verify things. Yep, the boys will be on in just ten minutes. I hiked over there and was not disappointed at all. I hadn't been able to see these guys in November because they were on vacation so it was a long spell since September. They did a great set and "Mary Mac" was one of them. I like that these guys have fun on stage and they also interact with the crowd. Nice fun and I needed something to keep me awake.

I was a little hungry and the idea of sitting at the Fountain View Bakery with a dessert and a glass of wine sounded appealing. I headed over there but got sidetracked by the sound of Test Track. Singles ride line, here I come. Another attraction where I could do over and over again because it moves so fast. The singles ride line didn't save me too much time. I think a large group traveling together had just poured into it so they wouldn't have to wait the posted 45 minutes. I didn't see the FastPass return time. I boarded with a little girl, about five years old, and her dad. The little girl was in the middle of the front row. I asked her if she was ready. She said yes. I said it was going to be just like when her daddy drove. The dad laughed and said "probably". Dad and daughter enjoyed the ride. I guess I did too.

Then I went and looked at the special Flower and Garden Festival things at the butterfly garden. They are having butterfly releases every day at 10:20 and 12:20. When Rich and I are at the Swan, we will have to do this. After this, I went for food and drink. I got a Chardonnay and a Boston Crème Pie Petite. Both were excellent although the pie was better than the wine. I watched a couple of the fountain shows and delighted in hearing the screams of the unsuspecting guests who didn't know which way the wind was blowing and got soaked at some points during the show. In fact, the seating area of the Bakery was getting wet if you sat closer to the fountain. The couple that sat there didn't last very long. They moved next to me.

I looked at the watch and saw that the 3:30 Off Kilter show would be coming up soon. So I went. I got a seat this time, but looked out in case someone else needed to sit more than I did. There were a couple of ladies in the front row (I was in the second row) that I recognized from the first show. An older couple sat next to me and I asked them if they liked Celtic music, bagpipes, and rock. They said they liked anything. I said that Off Kilter was one of the reasons I liked coming back to Epcot. That got the two ladies in the front row to turn around and say they were fans too. All five of us had a nice chat before the show. I find that I talk to other guests a lot when I'm on the solo trips. I threw away that shy lady from Nebraska last September and she hasn't shown up since.

The guys did another nice set and "The Roving Dies Hard" was one of the songs. I love that song. And it was highlighted by three adorable little kids dancing around. Jaime was almost overwhelmed by the little girl that started it. It was very cute. And yes, I used the words "adorable" and "little kids" in the same sentence. These Mouse Moments are killing me! I might be leaving that Jaded Lady from Georgia home in the future.

By now, I was extremely tired and knew I had to get a room and a nap. By the time I exited Epcot, walked through the Boardwalk, and drove back to the Days Inn, it was after 4:00. I went into the lobby and had a complaint right away. They didn't hand out room assignments until after 4:00 but there was only one person at the front desk. Who had to help these people that had a zillion questions. All I needed was a room key. Finally, someone else came out. There were other staff members in the back room. Oh well, just give me the key and let me get some sleep.

I'm in room 3112 which is on the third floor (the highest floor) of Building B. There are four different buildings situated in a square with the pool in the middle. My building is the back building. Fine by me. I'd rather have quiet than all the amenities. The restaurant and gift shop as well as the cafeteria are in the front. If I want to partake in those, I'll have a walk but that's fine. I was given some coupons at check in. The pool bar has $1 house wines from 7-9 PM so I might have to check that out.

I drove back to my room and checked it out before unloading everything. It's a typical hotel room. Two double beds, a couple chairs, a small desk, sink outside the shower/toilet area. A small room safe and a hair dryer. No refrigerator and no coffee maker. Neither one needed for me. I unloaded everything, using both the stairs and the elevator. Elevator on the way up, stairs on the way down. I noticed that there was quite a large group further down the "hall". There are external doors here so everything opens up to the outside. I just hoped the group would be staying on their side of the hotel and not be rowdy. I got everything into the room and then crashed for about two hours. Blissful sleep at last.

Once I woke up, I felt hungry again. So I decided to go to Publix and get some sandwiches to keep in the cooler for future dinners. I also wanted some breakfast items. Well, Publix had one lousy premade sandwich and I didn't see anything that grabbed my attention for the morning. I actually left a Kissimmee Publix without buying anything. Maybe I was still groggy or something. I had spotted a Subway earlier and that was my next stop. It's 7:00 and the place is packed and they only have two people working. No way. Wendy's was there so I did the drive through and had a single with cheese for $2.39. Back to the room to eat it. I really don't think the fryer was working because the burger was barely warm. But I needed the food.

I tried to update the trip report but just couldn't do it. My thoughts wouldn't focus. I gave up and just watched Monday night TV. I did do a short message for Donna, Lindy, and Adrienne to let them know that I made it here successfully. I knew they would think about me and would want an update. I have never had very much luck getting internet connections here but Bell South came through for me and I was able to send it out. I watched the news to get an idea of what was going on in the area. I noticed that the announcers called the airport here OIA for Orlando International Airport. I always referred to it as MCO since that's what you have to type in to get flight rates. MCO stands for McCoy Field. Do you think the airlines will ever change the designation? See what sleep deprivation gets you? Strange thoughts like these. Lights out and in bed by midnight.

Day Two - Tuesday, May 8, 2001

The effects of no sleep took over and I slept in until 10:30 or so. I was surprised that the doors here seem thicker than at some places - the outside noise is not a factor at all. Then, it was slow going to get ready. I figured I wasn't on a time table so why fight it? I made my own bed and decided that I didn't need housekeeping services for the day. I had four towels and that would last just about my whole trip. This place does participate in the environmentally correct situations - they only change bed linens every third day and you can reuse your towels if you want. I used the morning to wake up and update the trip report. Housekeeping ended up looking into the room around noon and I went to the door and told them I didn't need anything. How dirty could the room get with one person for only one day? They can do their thing tomorrow.

I called Rich to ask him to bring my hat with him. I remembered to bring it from Nebraska to Georgia but then left it there. And we didn't have any sunscreen with us so that went on the list of things to get today. I got a little red yesterday. I didn't have the opportunity to get any sun in Nebraska - too much packing to do. Rich chided me a little for not being out enjoying myself. I told him I was enjoying myself and had the whole rest of the day to do things. Then he said that if I did everything at Disney World without him, I wouldn't want to repeat things with him. I have to work on getting him to see a little more Magic of the Mouse Moments.

I finally headed out and stopped at Walgreen's for the sunscreen. I thought they wouldn't gouge me too much. I ended up getting the Walgreen's brand with 30 SPF protection for just $2.68. So it's a great bargain for the area. Then I drove over to the Boardwalk with the intention of walking around World Showcase and then monorailing over to Magic Kingdom. But you have to be flexible, right? I did do one complete circuit of World Showcase. But it took me all day.

I must have looked like I knew what I was doing because this family stopped me on the walk over and asked me directions to the Boardwalk. They needed to go to the left after they came out of the International Gateway. But they got confused with how big the Epcot resort area is. I guess most people just think it's just the Boardwalk back there.

My first stop was France where I looked at my watch and realized that Impressions de France would be starting in about five minutes. I hadn't seen this film in years and it was one of the things I wanted to make sure I did sometime during this trip. So in I went. I spent a little time looking at the displays in the preshow area. Did you know that the gargoyles on Notre Dame are really rainspouts? I never really knew that. The Cast Member doing the preshow introduction was great. The show was not full at all - mostly older folk. What impressed me the most about the film is just how old France is. Our country is so very young compared to European countries. The history there must be wonderful. I'm fairly good with American history but not European stuff. I leave Rich and Chris to educate me on that topic. One quote I will remember from the hot air balloon scene - "Leaving for the sake of leaving and not knowing why". I smiled and remembered making the decision to leave yesterday morning at 3:00 AM. I didn't know why then and I still don't but I just knew it was the right thing to do. And I didn't know that song from "Babe" was done by a classic French composer. I will have to do more research on that. I loved the music and want to bring Rich to see this. All in all, a wonderful first thing to do in World Showcase.

I noticed that the design of the France pavilion is very much like the city scenes from the movie. Attention to detail is what Disney does best. I just walked along and took in all the Flower and Garden special exhibits and things. I decided that I will have to get my in-laws down here next year for this. I mentioned it to Rich later on in the day and he said they'd never do it. It costs too much for admission tickets. Sigh. Maybe I'll get a fantastic job and will able to surprise them with it. Yeah, pigs can fly to the moon.

The band was playing in Morocco and the drums were going in Japan. I found the baseball exhibit in Japan and almost went in but decided that I would enjoy this with Rich. I did go into the store here and looked at the Lucky Cats again. We have a white one for good fortune (didn't help with the job situation but you never know). I need a black one for good health. I saw where they have other colors and the purple one is for creativeness. I'm going to get a small one for Chris - he's the creative one in the family. There was also one for finding your true love and I'm going to get one for Lindy. I keep cautioning her on the other aspects of finding a guy. Like in-laws, constantly having to think about another person. Well, come to think of it, I really don't have any of those problems!

I got to Germany and had to have the traditional beer. Rich and I *always* have a German beer. I paid the $6.95 and was shocked to hear the comment from the guy who was in front of me. He and his wife were Americans and I wasn't very proud of them. The guy told the German Cast Member that "if you can't make it in America, you can't make it anywhere - there's too much money here". Tell that to a homeless person or to my mother who barely survives on her Social Security. I thought it was a rude comment, especially made to a person who is not from this country.

But the next thing that happened more than made up for that guy. I sat on a bench looking out towards Spaceship Earth. I can't walk and drink at the same time - it drives Rich batty. I sat with an older couple. The guy was mentioning that he could hear drums but it wasn't coming from Japan. I said that it was probably coming from Mexico. He said that he didn't realize Mexico had a band. I replied that one thing I love about Epcot is that there is entertainment going on all the time. He and his wife agreed. They even said they loved that group, they couldn't remember the name, but they played bagpipes and rocked. Off Kilter! The guy just laughed and said that the name fit the guys to a tee. This lead to a nice discussion about everything. Airlines, travel, Georgia (their son and daughter-in-law live in Marrietta), and just Disney World in particular. They were from Fort Walton Beach and we had a great twenty minutes or so. Some people are reluctant to come here on their own. People ask me all the time why I do it. This conversation with this couple is one of the reasons. You can meet so many different people - like the ladies at the Off Kilter show yesterday. Another Magic of the Mouse Moment.

After the couple left, I just people watched and enjoyed the German band. Then I strolled through the rest of World Showcase. I was looking for food but nothing was appealing to me. I love the egg rolls of China but I didn't want hot food. It's not that hot here - about 80 - but I thought about a fruit plate or something like that. I thought The Land had what I needed but if not, there were other options. So I headed there. I did stop and enjoyed the Rochelle School of the Arts Mixed Chorus from Lakeland, FL. Wonderful performance and the conductor really got into it. She looked like she enjoyed her job. The kids were great and it's nice to see all that talent. The soloists were marvelous. Another example of Epcot entertainment done right.

I made it to The Land and decided on an Italian sub and a glass of Zinfandel for $10.02. I sat along the fountain and had another nice experience. A woman, who looked like she was about ready to call it a day, asked me where I managed to find wine. I almost said "anywhere I can" but told her the sandwich place but also the potato place had it too. She thanked me and returned to her table. Where she and her husband had a two year old boy (or so - I'm horrible with ages). The boy was very rambunctious and just wanted to go over to the fountain. Dad took him over there and gave him some pennies to throw in it. Once the dad ran out of pennies, the boy pitched a little bit of a fit. So Mom gave him what she had. The boy was running out so I took the three pennies I had and gave them to him. He looked so surprised and so did the dad. But it kept the boy happy and then we had a little bit of a time "tossing" things into the fountain. Not really tossing but just acting like we were. The dad thanked me for diverting the boy's attention while they were waiting for Grandpa to meet them. Maybe some of these kids really aren't that bad.

My hunger satisfied, I realized that I had been at Epcot for quite a few hours and did just one attraction. But I had such a great time. I wish I could bottle that feeling up and it would explain why I keep coming back here. I headed to Mouse Gear to look for smaller things that I could send to Dotti for her kids. I'm not getting any Mickey soaps or shampoos so I'm looking for things that would be good for the bags she puts together for the cancer patients. They can't really do food items because of medical reactions. I did see a few things and will put them on a list for my last four days of shopping. But I made my own souvenir purchase of the trip. Two rings, both Mickey but both understated enough that you don't have an immediate reaction that it's a Mickey ring. Total for both was $39.22. The Cast Member here was very nice and asked if I wanted to wear them right away. I said yes and she cut the tags off. Nice touch.

Then just quickly through Canada (Off Kilter was off today) and United Kingdom. I just wanted to go back to the room and relax for the evening. I never did make it to Magic Kingdom. Once outside Epcot, I decided to take the walk all the way around Crescent Lake. Took an hour since I was taking my time. And I thoroughly checked out the Swan area for Friday. I needed to make a good report back to Adrienne. I was impressed with the pool area and I know Adrienne will love the lobby area (she's a lobby fan). I don't think either one of us is going to be disappointed. I did see conventioneers. But they were all over the Epcot resort area, not just at the Swan and the Dolphin. I even saw people in Epcot wearing their name tags. Can't they take them off when they aren't in session?

After my meander around the lake, I stopped in the Boardwalk Bakery and got a raspberry donut and a blueberry muffin for the morning. Cost of $4.24. The call of sugar was sounding, which doesn't happen very much with me. Next stop was for ice cream. I was sorely tempted by the chocolate but thought it might have caffeine in it and I didn't want my heart racing for the next hour. So I "settled" for orange sherbet for $2. I sat on a bench by the surrey bike rental place. The DVC cart was across the way and the Cast Member there willingly took a couple's picture. I smiled and remember last November when the DVC Cast Member took a nice photo of Rich, me, my dad and stepmother, and the in-laws. It remains one of my prized possessions.

Then I drove back to the hotel for the evening. I called Rich before the Tuesday night lineup of TV shows started. I knew once "JAG" came on, he wouldn't want to be disturbed. Then I watched my shows and went to bed at 11:00 after "NYPD Blue".

Day Three - Wednesday, May 9, 2001

I was up by 8:30 but didn't want to get going until closer to 11:00. I am not a morning person, don't pretend to be, and never will be. So I just slowly got ready. My only problem was I opened the drapes and even though I kept the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, housekeeping still knocked and asked if I wanted service today. I guess I can understand since I didn't want anything yesterday but tomorrow the drapes will have to stay closed until I'm ready to leave. I did leave a $2 tip for housekeeping. I had decided that I would do Magic Kingdom first and then finish up at Epcot. I know I'm doing Epcot a lot this trip but why not? I like it. So I thought I'd once again park at the Boardwalk and then monorail over to Magic Kingdom.

Once I got to the Boardwalk, I had my parking excuse ready but the gate guard was just waving people through without anyone stopping. As I was walking to Epcot, I started to think about just why I feel like I belong here. I think I finally hit on it. I don't think I ever really left. Not in my heart, anyway. And I don't think I ever will. I get a Little Dose of Disney every day. Whether it's reading a trip report, going into the newsgroup, listening to Off Kilter, or just realizing that my local grocery store clerk is going a little slow because he's still "earning his ears". If Disney helps me slow down and appreciate the little things, then I will never leave it. One of the little things I appreciated on this walk were the birds chirping everywhere. Rich and his dad are big bird lovers and we spend quite a bit of time looking and watching for them. Disney is a great harbor for them.

I fought through a little bit of a crowd going from Future World to World Showcase since it was just after 11:00. I stopped in the Art of Disney store and saw a very cute figure of a baseball playing Piglet. This goes on the list of things we have to get before we leave. I caught the monorail with a little bit of a wait and then got off at the TTC. Donna had given me the location of her brick and it was to the right of the TTC on the walkway to Contemporary. I got very confused since I didn't think there was a walkway to the Contemporary. I tried a little to find it but didn't get very far. I decided to check at the Magic Kingdom for the exact location. The line for the monorail was very long and I knew that I wasn't going to be standing in it. Sure enough, a Cast Member was telling people that there was a ferry boat loading right now and it would be leaving soon. So it was the water vehicle for transportation for me.

I checked out our brick right outside the entrance to Magic Kingdom. It was still there. I scouted around for positioning for our wedding renewal ceremony. I plan to have this ceremony in January, 2002. It's our 20th wedding anniversary. Rich claims I ambushed him into this but you only celebrate this anniversary once and some couples never make it to this point. I think we can make do with our very limited guest list. Our honeymoon was at Disney World and I think I actually realized that Rich was the guy for me when he started crying during "The Fox and the Hound". Disney has played a very important part in our marriage.

My goal at Magic Kingdom was basically nothing but walking around and seeing what has changed and what hasn't changed. So that's what I did. On Main Street, there were four young women taking pictures of three of them at a time in front of the castle. I volunteered to take all four of them together. They were very surprised and thanked me. Another Magic of the Mouse Moment. I stopped for a Dole Whip (pineapple/vanilla) for $2.65 and sat and people watched for a while. Little kids were being little kids and, unfortunately, parents were getting fried this early in the day. Lots of cussing and threats to the kids.

The wait times weren't that bad but I wasn't in the mood for the attractions. Snow White was 10 minutes, Peter Pan was 40 minutes but that now has FastPass and I could have gotten one. But I figured Rich would be interested in this with the FastPass system. Haunted Mansion was a walk on. But I didn't do it. Winnie the Pooh was my interest but the FastPass was for three hours away and I didn't think I'd be here for that. The stand by was 40 minutes and I wasn't waiting for it. I did see some things in the Yankee Trader that I was interested in. But I'm waiting to make purchases until I can have the packages sent back to the room.

I went into Toontown since the only time I had ever been there was when I was a little heat sick. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. It's a wonderful area but it's for the kids. And there were a lot of them and the parents were using the diversions to let the little ones blow off steam. I used the walkway between here and Tomorrowland and it was very nice and quiet. If Rich and I need a little break, we'll come from Tomorrowland, rest for a bit, and then return to Tomorrowland. Maybe if we ever have grandkids (and that better be far in the future), we might reconsider but for right now, Toontown is not the place for us. I did pass the silent Timekeeper attraction and mourned it. How could Disney get rid of something that featured both Robin Williams and Jeremy Irons? Hopefully, the replacement will be better and it will come soon.

Main Street is going through a lot of renovations right now and the bakery and crystal places are closed. I window shopped a bit but didn't see anything that thrilled me. I headed for the Camera Center for a break. There was a pin display here and I found a Doug Live pin for Lindy. I will give it to her when she gets off the plane tomorrow. I won't put in the cost here since Lindy will be reading this. She'll be able to figure it out but I'll give her the challenge. Chip, Dale, and Pluto were here and were just entertaining a Cast Member. They need to advertise this a little more. I went in to watch the cartoons but "The Band Concert" was ending and "Steamboat Willie" was starting. I had seen these and wanted a little something different. But the characters were now busy and I was glad. I'm not into character greetings and I always feel guilty passing these by.

I left Magic Kingdom and Guest Relations was still a little busy to try and get Donna's brick location. I walked over to the Contemporary just for the fun of it. I thought about going to the food court there but then decided that I was hungry for the Boardwalk pizza. I headed for Epcot via the monorail to the TTC. Once at the TTC, I thought about seeing if I could find Donna's brick again. I did! You have to actually exit the TTC area and go towards the parking lot. I figured out the numbering system fairly quickly and I saw the brick. It's in a great location and I took a picture of it for Donna. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out our scanner and get this to her before her trip in July.

Then I caught the next monorail over to Epcot. I stopped in at the Fountain View Bakery for a break. I finally sat down. I don't think I really sat for longer than the monorail trip. My back was singing "Ava Maria" and the effects of the hotel bed wasn't helping. So I enjoyed the rest and the drink. I decided that my next stop was going to be Off Kilter for the 3:30 show. Then over for my pizza.

I grabbed a seat at the Off Kilter stage and again was not disappointed. They did "Steam Train" which is my favorite instrumental arrangement. Then they saw a little girl with a Scotland flag and did "When the Roving Dies Hard" again. Once they announced that, I had to embarrass myself by clapping loudly. Jamie asked me if I liked the song. I said "Oh, yeah". The third song of the set was "Run Run Away" and they wanted everyone to sing along so I did. To the whole thing. I can't say how much this group helped me out during the last seven months. After Rich lost his job, I listened to their CDs so I wouldn't worry about where the next paycheck was coming from. When Rich was in Atlanta and I was in Nebraska, the cat, Todd, and I jammed to the CDs. Well, Todd had no choice but he at least stayed in the same room with me. So to Off Kilter - thank you very much for your companionship even though you never knew you gave it to me.

I was getting tired so I headed over to the Boardwalk and got my pizza and a glass of wine. It took a little while at the pizza window which had happened once before. This time, though, I could see the people in there. They just weren't looking at the window. Hello? I finally got helped and had my pizza and wine for $7.42. They are doing painting here right now so the seating is limited but I had no problem getting a table. I really like this pizza and it hit the spot. I watched the people and the birds and knew that my choice of the Swan for the Epcot area was a good one. I thought about the day. How many things did I "ride"? Nothing. Did I have a great day? Yes. That's how I can spend 18 days here and not see everything.

I drove back to the hotel with the intention of calling the Marriott Grand Vista where Adrienne is staying in August and getting directions and then heading out there after a short break. I did one of those two things. After a long nap. I just called and got the directions. I'll go there tomorrow before Downtown Disney and getting Lindy from the airport. I watched Wednesday night TV and rested the back a bit.

Day Four - Thursday, May 10, 2001

Got up around 8:30 and decided not to leave until a little after 10:00. I kept the drapes closed and the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door so I wouldn't be bothered by housekeeping. After I was fully awake, I headed out to find the Marriott Grand Vista for Adrienne. I usually get lost trying to get from 192 to the Sea World area but I must be getting better. I found the place without too much trouble except for one turn around. I couldn't go into the property since it was gated but what I saw impressed me. I think Adrienne will like it and I'll make a full report back to her.

Since I was in the area, I thought I'd stop at the Orlando Premium Outlets and see if they had anything at the Disney place. While I didn't see anything that I had to have, I did have the strangest thing happen. It wasn't that it happened at all but my reaction to it. I saw $100 bill on the floor. While I was bending over to pick it up, all kinds of conflicting thoughts went through my mind. "Wow, I can make some money on this trip". "I'll turn this into the cashiers in case someone really needs it". And assorted other things. I was split 50/50 with what to do. When I was a kid, my sister and I found a real diamond watch. We talked it over with our parents and Sandy and I took out an ad in the newspaper's lost and found section. A lady called and said it was real and her husband had given it to her and she was heartbroken when she lost it. She came over to our house and gave us each a small reward. But the lesson lived on with me. Rich is the same way and I hope Chris is too. After I picked up the bill, an older French guy came over, and said "excuse me" and took the bill from me. I said something like, "oh, did you lose this?" but he never replied. In my heart, I am hoping that he truly did lose it and was just happy to get it back. But a small part of me is suspicious. And that's the part I don't like. Why should us humans automatically be suspicious of other humans? This thought kind of bothered me for the rest of the day.

After my little adventure here, I headed to Downtown Disney. I really wasn't in the shopping mood but thought a visit to the World of Disney without a male would be nice. I bought a pair of sunglasses for $14. My Disney World sunglasses broke right before I moved to Georgia so a new pair were in order. I think this might be the best buy on property. Nice glasses for only $14. Then I didn't want to do anything else until it was time to go to the airport to get Lindy. I saw a stand selling beer. The day was beautiful (so far, the temps have been in the 80s and it's been very pleasant) so I thought the idea of sitting with a beer and just people watching sounded appealing. And that's what I did. The beer was $5 which was kind of high but I didn't care. While I was sitting there, a children's group came by with their chaperones. One kid said "Disney World is tight! I don't know how they build them Lego things". And the kid meant "tight" like we used to say groovy back in the 70s. Oops, just dated myself.

Other observations - I've seen more and more signs with the Fab Six. Daisy Duck has been added from time to time. She deserves it. Minnie doesn't have to do much to keep Mickey in line but Daisy has her hands full with Donald. I listened to the music here and "A Whole New World" came on and I got a little misty-eyed. This move and everything *is* a Whole New World for Rich and me. Not a lot of people get to make a new start and still be young. And we are young - despite me overhearing some younger people on the monorail the other day saying that "these people were old, at least 40". While I was listening to the music, a family sat down next to me. It was dad, mom, and a three year old. The mom got a couple of beers and some popcorn while the dad took the boy to the bathroom. I like when dads do that. No excuse with Disney World - most of the men's bathroom are kid friendly. When the boy got back, the mom got him interested in the music. "Circle of Life" was on. I said something to the effect that the kid wasn't old enough to remember that song. That got a conversation going about all things Disney. This family was here for the Star Wars weekends so we talked about that. Again, such a nice way to pass some time. All it takes is one sentence and you'll soon be talking with people. A very nice respite yet again.

Around 1:00, I left for the airport. I took the Beeline Expressway and paid 50 cents and then 75 cents in tolls. One thing I've learned about this area. Always travel with dollar bills and quarters in your car. And if you are taking the Beeline to the airport, at the 75 cent toll booth, get all the way over in the right hand lane. It'll make your exit to the airport much easier. I got to the airport and parked and went out to the gates. I have to throw in one more thing about driving versus flying. I really loved not being on a schedule and not having to lug things through an airport. When I got off the tram at the gate, a guy had to run to his gate to make his flight. I love flying and it's great but there's some advantages to driving. I had time to kill before Lindy arrived so I went to the bar. Wine was $5.34 and I left a buck for a tip. I wanted some food but it was too expensive. There was a noisy group of traveling women who were a little obnoxious. I thought I heard one of them say something about a 2:20 flight to La Guardia. It was 1:50 already and these ladies just had gotten their food. And none of them were in any hurry. I secretly hoped they missed their flight.

About 15 minutes before Lindy's flight was scheduled to land, I went to the gate. Sure enough, at the next gate over, there was a 2:20 flight to La Guardia. They announced last call quite often and here come the four ladies from the bar running down the terminal. I wished they closed the gate but they got on anyway. Come on, there are reasons for the early boarding, just deal with it. They could have gotten their hot dog to go or something.

But I dismissed them because Lindy's flight had arrived. I was worried that I wouldn't recognize Lindy but she was right. She was the one bounding out of the plane. Lindy has lost a lot of weight and she looked marvelous. It was like I had just seen her. We went down to get the bags and then out to the car. I had scored a very nice parking space so we didn't have very far of a walk. Then to my favorite route to Disney property. The South Airport Exit to the Greeneway to John Young Parkway for a quick stop at the Publix there. Rich had said I better have some beer cooled down for him so I had to get some. I also picked up some Diet Coke for him and some wine for me. Cost was $32.40. Then we went to the Days Inn and got Lindy's things into the room. And then I knew the call of MGM was sounding for Lindy. So off we went.

And we had a Lindy Day. Another Magic of the Mouse Moment. Well, it was more of a Magic of the Mouse Day. I parked at Fantasia Miniature Golf since it was later on in the day and I figured the Boardwalk parking area would be a little crowded. Lindy doesn't mind walking either so that's what we did. We got to the Swan and an MGM bost was just pulling up. We had planned to do the walkway but this was better. So we boated. Once at MGM, we activated Lindy's Premium Annual Pass and then made a beeline to Doug Live. A show was just closing but Lindy ran ahead and we made it in. We missed the picking of the guests but that was OK. The show was fine and there's no sign that it's closing in just a couple of days. The cast was great and enthusiastic. That's professionalism for you. After the show, I looked at my watch and saw that we could make the last showing of Hunchback of Notre Dame. So I suggested that. Lindy said something like "Yes!" and off we went. Again, like in September, Lindy got us great seats. The show was not as good as the first time I saw it but it was still pretty good. This time, I concentrated on the other cast members and I realized that Esmerelda was the one I saw before. Good show. I still need to bring Rich to see this. Once we were done with the two shows that Lindy loves the most, I suggested something that we both love. Off Kilter. Lindy talked with some MGM Cast Members that she knew and then we were heading back to Epcot. This time we did take the walkway. It's a very nice walk and I think we saw three other guests on the way.

We got to the Off Kilter stage in plenty of time for their last show of the evening. I told Lindy with all this walking and all these shows, I needed a beer. I got a Labatt's and Lindy and I sat down and waited for the show. We were in my favorite spot - second row on the right. After a little while, a guy came over and sat in the first row. He asked us if we liked this group. Of course we answered yes. Then he asked how long it's been since we've seen them. I said "yesterday at 3:30". He laughed and said it had been since October for him but he shared our enthusiasm for them. He asked if we had their CD. We said we had both. He was surprised they had two of them. So we told him they released "Etched in Stone" and he said he'd go and get it. Then he started talking about his business which was over the internet and tied into herbal remedies to losing weight. Lindy was very interested since she said she still wanted to loose 30-40 pounds (personally, I think Lindy looks great). Again, another nice moment chatting with someone while waiting for Off Kilter.

The guys came out and did a very nice set. "Run, Run, Away" was the last song and Lindy and I sang along to the whole thing. Thanks again guys. I realized that since they didn't perform on Tuesday that they would be here tomorrow. I told Lindy that my plans for Friday while waiting for Rich were now set. I'll check into the Swan and then come over here and watch Off Kilter until Rich showed up. Not a bad plan at all.

We were both hungry so I suggested going offsite to Darryl's for dinner. This is a place on 192 (and on International Drive) that is kind of like a TGI Friday's without all the extra stuff. Lindy was game so we drove over there. We had a server whose hair looked like one of those guys from Flock of Seagulls from the 80s. It was too funny. I had the fried mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese. Sounds weird but it was good. Lindy had soup and salad. We both agreed that we would have dessert. Lindy did the brownie/ice cream thing and I did a butterfinger cheesecake. My cost of the dinner was $16.50. I just wish the server would use some of the tip money to get a different hair style. I guess that's the price I pay for living with two men who wear their hair military style and have no desire to change it. Yes, that does include the 18 year old one.

After dinner, we just went back to the room and crashed. Lindy had a long day. She was up at 2:45 to get her plane. I watched "ER" and filled Lindy in with what was happening. She doesn't watch the show but let me see it. We had a very pleasant day and evening. Lights out at 11:00.

Day Five - Friday, May 11, 2001

We slept in until around 9 or so. Then I was up and getting ready. Check out time here was 11 and I don't know how it happened but my three trips up to the room turned into five trips down to the car. Is luggage like hangers? Always multiplying? I tried to call Rich around 9:15 after I had gotten ready but he didn't have his cell phone on. His plan was to leave Buford around 8. That had changed from the original plan of leaving at 9, Rich figuring the traffic would be gone by then. I thought by this time he might be south of Atlanta.

I took the "little" things down to the car, using the stairs instead of the elevator. Big mistake. I took some time off to recooperate and watched "Regis and Kelly" and their Mother's Day special. Lindy got ready and packed herself up which didn't take long since she was here just one night. She also insisted on paying me for the room which I didn't want her to do. It didn't cost me anything extra to have her here and I was glad for the company and we had such a nice day yesterday. And I knew Rich would just love Lindy. So I decided that I would pay for her dinner at Boma's on Sunday. We loaded up the car (using the elevator this time) and then I checked out. I was charged $1 per day for local phone calls and that's standard around here. I certainly used it for internet access so that was fine. Total was around $150. I did call Rich again before we left and he said he was about an hour from the Florida border. That really surprised me since I thought that was about 4 hours from Buford and if it was just around 10:30, how did he do that if he left at 8? I asked him what time he left. He said 6:45. This man cannot give me hassles about leaving at 3 AM. Lindy heard the conversation and laughed when she figured he left early too.

I drove Lindy over to Port Orleans Riverside (we corrected ourselves every time we tried to say Dixie Landings). It's been a while since I went this route but managed to find it without incident. It felt like coming home again even though I haven't stayed here since 1993. I dropped Lindy and her bags off at the lobby and then went to park. Plenty of spaces here and I was back with Lindy within minutes. She was still in line to check in. They had a Cast Member chatting with the guests in line and Lindy was asked if she had any children with her. I could see where this was going and told the Cast Member that Lindy was just a kid at heart. So Lindy got a Mickey sticker. And I did too. Nice touch, Disney. Lindy checked in and, surprise! Her room was ready! She's in 9509 which is in the Magnolia Bend section. I was a little disappointed for her but quickly changed my mind once I saw the place. The only thing Lindy requested was non-smoking which this is. And this area is so nice. I don't think I would mind staying here at all. The room is very nice and the quiet pool is right there. If I ever stay at Port Orleans Riverside again, I won't make any room request other than non-smoking.

Lindy left her bags with bell services and then we were off to the Swan. My goal here was just to leave my bags in the car and let them know I was here. I didn't expect to have a room ready. I parked and saw there was not a gate guard here. That didn't bother me - I highly doubt anyone is going to steal my car. But saw an opportunity for offsite parking. Sorry to all the parking purists. I'm not trying to get out of paying the $6 because I don't have to with the Annual Pass. And the Swan isn't exactly right next to a theme park. I'll walk if I have to. I just don't like those trams and the day guest mentality. Running for a tram just gets to me.

Lindy and I went into the lobby and I was on the prowl for anything that wasn't a Disney Moment. I didn't find a single thing. I was greeted very warmly and my reservation was fine. The only hangup was I had to present the Entertainment Card for my discount. Which is my Disney Club Card. But the clerk didn't know that. It was quickly settled by her asked another clerk what to do. And surprise again. My room was ready too! I'm in 590. Lindy and I went up there and here's what we found. Thank you Starwood Preferred, I think.

A balcony! I have a balcony! And not only a balcony, a great view of the quiet pool plus we can see and hear Fantasmic! at night. We can also see a bit of Blizzard Beach, Coronado Springs, and the very top of the Tree of Life. I also got a king bed which I don't think I requested. The room itself is very, very nice. Done in nice shades of pastels. We also get a fold out couch which is the only thing I don't like - the color is kind of an ugly yellow that doesn't fit in very well. I'm really happy with all this. And one thing I really, really liked. The "Do Not Disturb" sign had a "Do Not Disturb Until" dial so you could say what time you wanted housekeeping to come back. Perfect for us late risers. Lindy liked the room as well.

I decided to just wait in the room for Rich to get there. So I bade Lindy a farewell and we agreed to meet at Boma's on Sunday. Although Lindy said we might see each other sooner since she had plans to go to Off Kilter today and might see me there. I knew Rich would want to hit Epcot first so I planned at least one showing of the boys. I called Rich again and he was in Lakeland, FL. I didn't have my map with me but asked if he had gone by Ocala yet. He said no so I told him to call me once he did that. Then I went down to the car and started bringing some things in. Just the laptop and some essentials. I'm leaving the heavy stuff for when Rich gets here. The bell services are on par with Disney but we usually don't use them anyway. I might have to do that for the departure, though. The five trips down from the Days Inn were enough. Let alone nine more nights and another person.

I worked on the trip report and Rich called from Ocala. So I knew he had about an hour or so. I went back down to the car and brought more stuff up. The only things left were my suitcase and the cooler. Rich asked me to have beer ready for him (and he sounded like he needed it) so I took some cans up with me to put into the sink. I sent off an email to Adrienne about the Marriott and about the Swan room. I told her with both of these resorts, she doesn't have to worry about anything. I knew she'd like them both.

Rich called again and asked which exit 26 to take. I said the Epcot one. My husband is normally fine with directions but I think he was tired. He was going to call me from the parking lot to get directions to the room. I just waited. The call came a little later than I thought. I later found out that Rich didn't listen to me and followed the signs to Epcot instead of to the Epcot resorts. On the way to the Swan, I had told Lindy I specifically mentioned that to Rich. If you follow the Epcot signs, that's exactly where you go - directly into Epcot. I know from experience. The Epcot resort area is in the back of Epcot and in a totally different area. So Rich had to ask the parking attendant there how to get to the Swan. The guy told him to follow the signs for MGM. That really confused Rich but he went anyway. I didn't get this story out of Rich until much later that night.

Rich called me from the parking lot when he finally made it. I told him to get to the room to go through the lobby and at the Swan fountain, take a left and go up in the West elevators. Simple, right? So I'm waiting for him, beer ready to go. And he doesn't come. I thought about turning my phone off to save the battery but didn't. I'm glad I didn't. Rich called from the lobby. He had come in through the convention area and followed my directions. Of course he got lost. How does "lobby" translate into "convention center"? I finally directed him to the West elevators. Thank goodness for cell phones. He got up to the room and gladly took the beer. This man looked like death warmed over! I had driven the same distance in the wee hours of the morning and I hope I didn't look like this. I don't think the drive is all that bad. Rich's vehicle is a 1989 Corvette convertible and he had the top down for the last legs of the trip. Florida sun really took its toll. I'm glad I brought the Noxema with me.

We had a few drinks, talked about things (mostly about how the cat was going to get along without us) and then decided that we were hungry. Lots of possibilities were mentioned but Rich decided on the Big River Grille. We headed out there and on the way Rich asked about "that burger place at the Yacht Club". I knew he was talking about Beaches and Cream which we had never been to. I said that was fine but what if it was crowded (I remembered reading about the small seating area). Then we decided that if that was the case, we'd go to the ESPN Club.

We found Beaches and Cream and were asked if we wanted table or counter. I picked counter, figuring it was an ice cream shop, why not? Big mistake. We settled on our choices and then waited. And waited. And waited. We were right next to the take out window and those girls weren't doing anything for us. As Rich said, we were being ignored. I don't necessarily have to be waited on hand and foot but after a good five or ten minutes, we both had it. We were hungry, darn it. So we left. On the way out, Rich told the seater person what had happened. She said that was impossible and took us back inside. She told our server what had happened and we were seated in the same spot. We were helped right away but something was missing. I'm sure the server didn't realize that we were there the first time but still. You are responsible for your area, check it every once in a while. We both ordered single burgers - I had fruit, Rich had fries. The server apologized once and did nothing further. Rich even said something about getting a discount to me but I didn't have high hopes. We liked the food, didn't really care for the atmosphere, and certainly didn't care for the way we were treated. We left $25 for the food and probably shorted the server for the tip which we almost never do. I don't think we've ever done that on Disney property. Our verdict - if we can get the burgers to go, we will. Otherwise, don't expect to see us back.

Onto to Epcot where I tried to get Rich interested on multiple Off Kilter shows. Not to be. He said he likes them, would watch them, but only once in a day. OK, that's fine. I said that if I knew Lindy, she'd be at the 7:30 show so can we just plan on that? He agreed. Yes! I showed Rich the musical garden at Japan and he agreed that it should stay there permanently. Disney, are you listening? We watched the Marshall Tucker Band at the American Gardens and appreciated that Disney World brought bands like this here for the Flower and Garden Festival.

Then on to Germany for the traditional beer. Rich remarked that it's getting more expensive. I reminded him that so are the gas prices but we'll still pay them so why bother fighting it. Beers were $16.75 (I had a small, Rich the big one). I jokingly told Rich to try and give the server a tip. The last two times we were here, a guest did that and these servers can't accept tips. We sat and people watched for a while.

I asked Rich what he wanted to do for the rest of the evening. He didn't have any ideas. He said I probably had it planned out. I didn't. Those commando tactics have left me. We just kept walking and were going by Mexico at the time we were talking about this. So he decided to do "the boat ride". And we did. Rich said something about getting it over with. After that, we still had a good hour before Off Kilter so I suggested the Fountain View Bakery. This really is a nice spot to relax. Around 7, we headed off for the Off Kilter stage. I got my favorite seat at the stage and we waited for the show. I kept an eye out for Lindy but she wasn't there when the guys took the stage so I figured Rich would get to meet her on Sunday.

Once the guys were on stage, the family in front of us went up and asked Mark for a request. I couldn't hear everything but thought I heard "Irish" in the request. When they came back, Rich asked them what they requested. They said "A Walk in the Irish Rain". I immediately thanked them because that is my all time favorite Off Kilter song. Todd and I jammed to that the last four months. OK, I jammed to it - Todd just looked at me like I was insane. The guys played that second and I really enjoyed it. Rich didn't run and hide like I thought he would. After the set, Lindy came up. She said she had to run to make the show but she was there. Rich and Lindy finally meet.

Off Kilter was coming off the stage and I had put their CD cases in my bag earlier in the day. I have no idea why I did that. I really didn't have definite plans on coming here. Another Magic of the Mouse Moment. Since Lindy was there, she "pressured" me to get their autographs. I have gotten exactly one autograph in my life and that was from an Oriole who was just giving them out to everyone. I just don't do this. But I went up there anyway. I'll tell you, these guys are wonderful. Not only did I get their autographs, I got them twice. Once on each CD. Everyone was so nice. And I found out that my "Etched in Stone" CD is kind of a rarity. The liner was limited to 1000 copies because Disney found something they didn't like with it and had it replaced so they only sell the newer one in the park. Three of the guys remarked "where did you get this?". I replied "the website". I was totally in a fog during this whole time. Rich and Lindy guided me through it. Thanks to both of them and thanks yet again to Off Kilter for their time. I feel like I have come full circle. My family broke up for a while but we're back together and I have a great friend who helped me through it. And now my husband has met both Donna and Lindy. Can we adapt the Circle of Life for this?

After my Mouse Moment, all three of us walked back to the Boardwalk. Lindy was on the search for Matt, the juggler from Hunchback. He was to be at the Boardwalk that night. We parted ways and knew we'd see each other on Sunday for dinner. Rich and I headed back to the Swan and just crashed. We sat out on the balcony and could hear Fantasmic! but not see that much. But it did get Rich interested in seeing the show. I said that we would have to be there at least an hour early and that didn't really impress Rich. But then I mentioned beer and that seemed to satisfy him. We settled on a plan for tomorrow. MGM for Carrie Fisher. And that's it. Once Rich mentioned MGM, I asked him about food. I wanted to have at least one sit down meal a day. But I didn't make any advance priority seatings except for Boma's and the Yachtsman Steakhouse. I talked Rich into the 50s Prime Time Café and had no problem making a priority seating for 2 the next afternoon.

Watched "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and then went to sleep.

Day Six - Saturday, May 12, 2001

Rich and I slept in until well after 9:30. I knew Rich was tired and I guess I was too. The morning newspaper was nice and Rich sat out on the balcony and enjoyed it. I updated the trip report and took advantage of the "Do Not Disturb Until Noon" sign. We didn't get going until noon. We took the walkway to MGM and enjoyed that a lot. This is a nice addition.

Once in MGM, we had the photographer grab us for an opportunity. Rich hates these things. He hates having his picture taken. As his brother says "it's like having your spirit taken" (we are Polish). Don't ask. Something about Indian beliefs. But I tell Rich that these people are only doing their jobs and just go with it. So he did.

Then we went to see if Carrie Fisher was here. I made Rich ask (remember, I really don't do autographs but will for Star Wars for Chris). Ms. Fisher was here and we did finally find her. But the line was way, way long (as it should be) and Rich, the autograph expert, said we'd probably stand in it and not get the autograph. So Rich chalked it up to experience and said that we should just go and do stuff.

We checked out Star Tours and I thought the wait would be horrible since they had the Star Wars Weekend stuff going on. It was 10 minutes and I knew that 10 minutes on the sign outside meant a walk on. And we did. The kids behind us on the attraction were having the best time. This attraction never ceases to amaze me with the first time riders. And I was thinking of Chris the whole time. We exited to the Tatooine Traders and I mentioned to Rich that I thought they had Star Wars Weekend T shirts here. Someone had posted that on the newsgroup and I said something to Chris. Now, as a teenager, you have to be careful with what you wear. I can't get Chris T shirts without him approving them. So I asked him about this special one. He said I could "probably" get him one. As a parent of a teenager, that means, "Yes". And the best part - these T shirts were black. Chris' favorite color. We got him a large one and then they had XXL so I got Chris' friend, John, one of those. We still don't know if it'll fit John but if it doesn't, he can hang it up in his dorm at Clemson. John and Chris are the Star Wars freaks. Rich also picked up a hat and he later said that it fit him so well he doesn't think he'll ever wear another hat. Total here was $61.48 and we had the T shirts shipped back to the room. Rich wore the hat.

Then onto the Muppets and it was as good as ever. We sat with a great view of the Swedish Chef with the cannon. I think about five whole people turned around and saw what was going on back there. We just meandered after that since it was getting a little close to our seating at the Prime Time Cafe. They are having a special Star Wars presentation near the Animation Studio but we didn't go into it since we didn't know how long it would take. No wonder Rich doesn't like priority seatings - too much of a schedule. We checked out the Animation Store and drooled at some of the things. Then hunger set in and I said we'd check in a little early for our seating.

The lunch went great and we didn't do anything wrong although Wex (yes, it's Wex and not Rex) told Rich that the corner was right behind him so he should behave. Rich had the meatloaf and substituted fries for the mashed potatoes. I had the ham sandwich. Nothing happened to us although Wex was certainly primed for it. He did chide Rich for having his elbows on the table and Rich said it wasn't his elbows, it was his forearms. Rich really enjoyed the meal and really dug into the green beans. I thanked someone for that because if Rich was forced to do the airplane thing, we might have been in trouble. Total cost of the meal was $52.80 which included the tip. Wex was great and I don't think Rich will have a problem coming back.

BTW - they don't have the "Cleaned Your Plate" stickers here anymore. Rich mopped up just about everything on his plate and I asked Wex for a sticker. Embarrassing your husband is a great way to spend your vacation. Wex said that they discontinued them. The staff got together and tried everything they could to eliminate *except* these stickers but it didn't work. Wex suggested a Guest Comment Card. I will do one of those before I leave.

I told Rich that the rest of the day was his. Nothing planned and I didn't care what we did as long as it wasn't Magic Kingdom since it was Saturday. He wanted to ride Twilight Zone and Rock N Roller Coaster. Fine with me but didn't we just eat? And eat plenty? But off we went. To a 55 minute wait for Twilight Zone. Yikes. The FastPass time for Rock N Roller Coaster was for a little over an hour so we got one of those. Rich didn't know what to do after this so I said that we should see a show. I did a tourist thing and actually looked at the guide map. Hey, there's a Doug Live show starting at 3:30 - just ten minutes from now. It's the last day for this show, we have to go. And we did. Rich protested a little but not much since he didn't have to wait. We got in right away and I enjoyed this much more than I did the first time. Now I see why Lindy likes, err, liked it so much. It is cute and maybe this performance had a better Doug but it was wonderful. Again, the performers never gave a clue that this was closing. I wanted to shout out "Don't Close Down Doug" but refrained myself.

Then we went back to Twilight Zone with a 13 minute wait. Which means a walk on. And it was. Terrific planning, right? Just don't have a plan. We actually went to the left instead of the right which was totally new for us. We got to the boiler room and I had thoughts about asking for the seatbelt seat. I really have a problem with this attraction and thought if I did the seatbelt seat just once, maybe I would get over it. But we were one of the last groups seated so I didn't want to mess up the seater. Maybe next time. The ride was great and I actually didn't shake afterwards.

Next up was Rock N Roller Coaster with our FastPasses. Right up to the preshow and into the area. We, unfortunately, got behind a group of teenagers. Not from South America. American teenagers can be just as annoying as I found out. I wanted as far away from them as possible. They were so annoying that I figured once we got to the seater, I'd ask to not be anywhere near the group. We stayed away from them during the preshow and then when we got into the seater area, they were right behind us. But the seater was calling for a group of two so we got to board extra early. Yes! I love this roller coaster. About the only one I will ride.

After the two "thrill" rides (and yes, I do consider them thrill rides), I told Rich I was owed a beer so we got a couple on Sunset Boulevard. They have redone this section so the carts are gone and more permanent structures for food are here. Two Bud Lights and $10 later, we were parked on a bench watching people pour into the Beauty and the Beast show. I asked Rich what he wanted to do next and he didn't know. He did say that he thought we were done here for the day and then said something about golf on TV. I was getting tired and a trip to the room didn't sound that bad. After the beers, we headed out.

I did stop into Cover Story and looked at the picture they had taken earlier. Rich and I almost never have just the two of us in a picture. I think you have to go back to our wedding to see one. This one wasn't that bad and my dad is always telling me that he doesn't have one of us. So I bought three - one for us, one for the in-laws, and one for my dad and stepmother. I didn't even really consult Rich, who was hiding somewhere. Cost was $30.69 and that's not bad for three 5x7s. It'll make a nice "thank you" present for their help with the move. I took the purchase with me since we were going back to the room.

We took the walkway back and I regretted it. It's a much quicker walk when you're going to MGM then when you are on the way back after a long day. But it was still nice. We made a quick stop at the car for my muffin and some more Diet Coke. Then up to the room where I expected to take a nap but never did. I'd regret that later.

After a few hours of TV watching, we decided on doing Tapestry of Nations and Illuminations tonight. We headed over to Epcot and actually kind of raced over to Germany for a spot. I hate that Disney took Tapestry away from France. I loved viewing it from there. But Germany is Rich's favorite site so we went there. I got us a couple of large beers for $20 and we went more towards the lagoon to watch everything. The parade was wonderful. I love this and am glad they kept it after the Millennium Celebration. We were joined by a pushy European family after a while but they weren't that bad once they figured we weren't moving. An older couple joined us on the other side and I convinced Rich to say something to them. He did and we spent the time in between the parade and Illuminations to chat. My Disney knowledge has rubbed off on my husband because he had a few things to offer to this couple. They hadn't been here since the 70s. They were part of a group staying at the Boardwalk and this was their first day. Illuminations went off and I had a Magic of the Mouse Moment. The woman asked "how often they do this?". She meant the parade and Illuminations. Rich responded "every day" and I said " they do the parade twice a day". She just dropped her jaw and said "every day!?". Yep. OK, they cut out the Clean Plate stickers but let's keep the parades. People are impressed with this kind of stuff. After Illuminations (which thrilled me), the couple thanked us for talked with them. I listened to the music and then we headed out. It was very crowded tonight but it wasn't that bad getting out.

Back to the room where I crashed. Not taking that nap was critical. We talked about what to do for tomorrow and Rich came up with either Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom. Both good choices. Animal Kingdom for our late starts and Magic Kingdom for the day after early entry. Once I cautioned Rich we had our Boma seating, he decided on Magic Kingdom because he didn't want to go to Animal Kingdom, come back to the room, and then go back to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Fine by me. We settled on a plan to walk through Epcot and monorail over to Magic Kingdom.

Day Seven - Sunday, May 13, 2001

We slept in until almost 9. Then we got ready to go out. I love the "Do Not Disturb Until" sign. I wasn't feeling the best but Disney called and I went. We walked through Epcot to the Magic Kingdom monorail. It's Mother's Day which I had forgotten about. I did send flowers to my mother and a nice bird seed feeder to my mother-in-law before I left Georgia so that was taken care of. I will send something to my stepmother after she finally gets her home at the end of the month. All the parks were handing out flowers for Mother's Day. I didn't get one here. We got to the monorail and there was a family of five first in line for the next one. I asked them if they had ever sat up front. I wanted to but figured this family would like it better and I'd have more opportunities. They said they never did so I explained it to them. Two of them wanted to do it (mom and son) and the other two kids and dad said they'd pass. So I suggested we join the mom and son up front. And that's what we did. And we got our co-pilots licenses. I had ridden up front once before and was never offered this so I was glad we got them this time.

We got to the TTC and Rich decided that we would take the ferry boat since he hadn't done that for a while. One was ready to set off so we had nothing of a wait. Our timing so far was kind of nice. Once at Magic Kingdom, we checked out the brick and I tried to get Rich interested in the positioning for our renewal ceremony. He was not interested at all. We went through the turnstyles where I did get a Mother's Day flower and I let Rich do what he wanted. He said just the two mountains - Space and Splash. We headed to the left and found the Dole Whip stand. I didn't have to pressure Rich too much and for $5 we both got the chocolate/vanilla swirls. We sat off to the side and enjoyed.

Then onto Splash Mountain for FastPasses. Return time was for an hour away. Then through Fantasyland where Rich agreed it seemed very crowded. We did stop at Liberty Square and shared a hot dog for $3.25. This Cast Member could have used an Attitude Adjustment. There were no condiments available but we had to find that out ourselves. Rich went back and asked and we were directed to Columbia Harbor House. So we got ketchup there and ate inside. Nice break. Then off to Tomorrowland. We couldn't get a FastPass for Space Mountain for another 10 minutes (when our window for Splash Mountain started) but the stand by was only 30 minutes. So that's what we did. For about 10 minutes. Then something I did or something I ate or something just kicked in. I got so claustrophobic so we bailed out and I got some air. I don't know what happened but I just had to get out of that queue area. I am so glad I'm married to Rich. He was so understanding about the whole thing. He said that he had ridden Space Mountain before and he was sure we'd be back so he didn't need to do it right now.

We walked back to Splash Mountain and it was time for our FastPasses. I was a little worried about this queue line after my little claustrophobic episode. But we walked right up to the boats so it wasn't that bad. Great ride and we didn't get that wet. Enough to cool me off. I am accustomed to the Nebraska heat but this day was just kicking my butt. After this, the only "ride" we did, I needed to get back to the room. But, like Rich said, it was going to take us hours to do that. We walked to the front of the park and out to a variety of ways to get back to the TTC. The boat to the Polynesian was there so we headed there and took that over. Then we walked to the TTC.

A monorail was just pulling up. The timing is just great, especially since I was still feeling under the weather. A nice ride back to Epcot and I talked Rich into a couple of glasses of wine at the Fountain View Bakery. I paid the $7.42 and I was a happy camper. We saw two of the fountain shows and just relaxed. Then we walked back to the room. Yes, I actually was in Epcot and didn't see an Off Kilter show. They were there but I was just too tired. If I had been by myself, I would have hurried to the 3:30 show but Rich was with me so we didn't. We enjoyed the wine and each other's company. On the way to the room, we stopped by the front desk to get the package from yesterday. Then we went to the Disney desk (it's separate) and picked up some E ride tickets for Tuesday night.

Back in the room, I called Chris. His car has been acting up and we've been trying to get an alternative. It's so hard letting your child become an adult. And it's so strange because he's still at "home" and we're the ones that moved. We checked in with him and found things under control and I have to say that my child is really taking care of his life. He will make a nice contribution to the planet one of these days. Level headed, intelligent, and just a nice guy. Wonder where he gets that from? Oh, right, Rich.

Speaking of that great guy, he watched golf on TV (Byron Nelson Classic) and I tried not to sleep. But I did. Our Boma seating was for 7:00 and I wanted to get going around 6 so I could see the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But the golf went into extra innings, overtime, or a playoff. All three described it. We waited until 6:15 but then headed out. We took Rich's car and I hoped I could direct him. I did and we found the Lodge without a problem. There were about six cars in front of us. Poor Rich had to tell the gate guard we were here for dinner and we got a pass without any real interrogation. I had the priority seating number with me in case there were any problems. I hoped Lindy and Jane and her family would get here. They were taking the bus from wherever they were.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge. Well, darn it, why wasn't I staying here? This place is wonderful! We found the Victoria Falls Lounge where we were going to meet and saw Lindy right away. We went down to Boma and chatted while waiting for Jane. It was getting to be 6:45 and I was a little worried. If we didn't have six people, we would have to pay $10/person for each cancellation. I decided to check in and wait for Jane. But Jane, Court, and Travis walked in just then. Introductions all around and I checked us in. We still had a twenty minute wait but the conversation flowed and Lindy and Jane and her family acted just like they knew each other forever. We were given a pager that was good for the whole resort but we ended up clogging up the check in stand. Court realized this and moved us over to the side. Oops - sorry. Our pager went off almost exactly twenty minutes later and we had a great table. Our server was wonderful. She's the "Crazy Cuban".

Boma has a full bar so Rich and I went with a beer and a mimosa. Then we descended on the buffet. We were not disappointed. Soups, salads, meats, veggies, fruits, and the desserts are just to die for. We spent almost two hours here and never felt rushed. The drinks were replenished freely (the non alcoholic ones) and our server made sure our plates were taken away. It was just such a nice experience. The total tab for the six of us, including tip, was $157. We paid for it on our credit card and the others settled with us for cash. We all parted ways with us deciding to meet up with Lindy for E ride night. We're going to meet at the Winnie The Pooh ride between 7:30 and 8:00 on Tuesday. We said goodbye to Jane and Court (and Travis) and I hope we keep up the friendship via emails.

While we were eating, we told the others about the Clean Plate stickers going away from the 50s Prime Time Café. Jane and Court brought up the fact that the confetti is gone from the Hunchback show. Lindy confirmed that. Rich also said he noticed that the water was not being sprayed over the guest waiting area at Splash Mountain either. Just small stuff that we repeat guests notice. Some of the cutbacks do make sense. They don't have a Cast Member handing out the 3D glasses anymore - guests pick them up inside. But it's the smaller things that bother me. I love Disney's attention to the details and miss them when they are gone. Mr. Eisner and Mr. Pressler, if you ever get to read this, we do care.

Rich and I explored Animal Kingdom Lodge and I really, really like the place. We saw some huge birds nesting and then some other animals. I liked everything about the Lodge. This goes on the list of places I want to stay. After this, we went back to the room and just relaxed.

Day Eight - Monday, May 14, 2001

Disney kicked me today. I woke up at 7 and realized that something definitely was not right. I felt awful. Well, it's not that I felt bad - I just didn't feel good. Rich left me sleep in as long as I could and I tried to not let this ruin the day. I think I overdid it yesterday and I certainly guessed correctly that I was dehydrated. Water became the most important issue of the day. I waited until as close to noon as I could and then we headed out. Rich planned the day and, unfortunately, he picked Animal Kingdom. The hottest park. Well, maybe I'll feel better once we get there.

I drove us over to the park and did the parking lot trick. The lines here were horrible to get through the turnstyles. I have no idea why. We finally got into the park and I challenged Rich to get us through things. This is the one park that he has a problem with directions. He said that he wanted to head to the board to see what the waits were and then go from there. Fine, get us there. He did a pretty good job and it didn't look like anything except Kali River Rapids had much of a wait. Rich suggested going to Kali for a FastPass and then seeing what else we could do until the FastPass time. OK, get us there. He actually went in the right direction. But then I pointed out that the entrance to It's Tough to Be a Bug was moved. That threw Rich. The wait time was only 10 minutes so we walked and walked and walked and got into the preshow area. I thought my claustrophobia would come into play but I was fine. The show was good as always and we really enjoyed the reactions to the first time people here.

After this, we went over to Kali and picked up a FastPass for about an hour away. There were lines for the FastPass Distribution area and it took forever. But we got the FastPasses and then headed out to see what the lines were for the Safari. Again, Rich's suggestion. We passed Flights of Wonder and it was going to be starting in just five minutes. I needed to sit down. This was not going to be a good day. We went into the show, got good seats and just waited.

Rich loved the show even more than I did. He's such a bird lover. He said that in his next life, he wants to be Disney bird. This is such a great show. I can't believe we never saw it until now. By the time the show was over, we only had 10 minutes to wait for our FastPass time. I was not feeling the best and Rich said we should go. But we had the FastPass and I didn't want to waste it. So we waited on a nearby bench until 1:35 and our window opened. Back to Kali. Where there was a *huge* line for FastPass Return. I had a feeling that most of these people really didn't have the correct time. We waited in the *not* moving line for a while and then went over to the side. We went up the front and, sure enough, there were a ton of people just waiting for their FastPass Return time and clogging things up. Please, people, you can't get into the FastPass line before your time so let those of us with valid passes get through. Go somewhere else and just relax for a while. We walked by a ton of people and got in right away.

I put Rich's wallet into my extremely small bag (I'm carrying something a lot smaller because I didn't want to be bogged down). I had shades of Rich's dad's pass getting soaked last year and wanted to avoid that. We did this ride and this is where my problems really started. I couldn't stop shaking. Not that the ride was horrifying or anything but I just had some problems. We boarded with a whole group of people and none of them actually took off their shoes and used the middle section for that. It was used for cameras, videos, etc. The stuff that needs to be kept dry. Sorry, it's my pet peeve of this ride.

We had a couple of turn arounds and Rich and I actually were sitting in the same "seat". To my left was a very small boy who had just fit under the bars and had a hand stamp to get on the ride. When the big wet came, we were positioned in such a way that the water came pouring into the opening between me and the small boy. He got drenched. I thought he would be swept over the side! Usually, the water comes up and over the seats. It didn't this time. Poor kid. The father was laughing and said that he had promised the boy that he would get "just a little wet". This kid was soaked. But he didn't mind and it was a hot day. I ended up getting pretty wet myself and my idea of putting my foot up on that opening to get it off the floor didn't work since that's where the water came in. We slogged off the ride.

I had about had it with the day and Rich noticed my shaking. He suggested something to eat. I directed him to Flame Tree BBQ and we got a couple of beers and the cheese fries. I just wanted something and a quiet place to get away from things. This didn't work at all. The total was $14.41 and we had a nice sit along the water. Rich was funny because all he wanted was ketchup and didn't know where the seating was. After a few bites and a few sips, I knew I was in trouble. Rich finished what he could and then we headed out. I was done for a while.

I drove us offsite since Rich wanted to check out the K Mart and Target on 192 (shopping for sports cards - we probably have visited every K Mart and Target in the Atlanta area). This was way too far down on the road for me. I cussed him a little since all I wanted to do was go back to the room. But we visited both stores and it made Rich happy. We then stopped at a Publix for drinks and toothpaste. At all three of these places, I made Rich go into the stores without me. I'm the driver, he's the shopper. Then back to the Swan and we got all the packages up to the room. I crashed. After about an hour (Rich took a little snooze too), I felt a heck of a lot better.

I struggled up and took a little bit of time to get ready. I was still a little under the weather but nothing like earlier. I talked Rich into some Boardwalk pizza for himself. I knew I wanted to take it slow and suggested just walking around World Showcase. That would be good. Get Rich out, don't do any attractions and see what happens. It was a nice Magic of the Mouse Night for Rich. The pizza window was $15.64 for two slices of pepperoni and beverages. We sat and watched the ducks and another bird that Rich didn't know what it was. I didn't trust my stomach so just Rich ate.

After the meal, we walked to Epcot and went clockwise. Rich grabbed a beer at Canada (no Off Kilter for me this night). Tapestry of Nations was about to start so we just went over and watched the flamingos at the World Showcase entrance for the duration. After the parade was over, we continued walking and saw that Blamann was going to start in Norway. This was a band and we've never seen them before. I think they are new. The band was good and they said they had a CD available online. This might be the only Epcot entertainment with a female lead.

We continued on and came to the American Pavilion. I had looked at the guidemap and told Rich that Badfinger was playing. I knew I had heard the band before but I can't connect the songs with the artists. They were finishing up so we grabbed a couple of seats. Once we did that, the Magic of the Mouse started for Rich. He's a huge music fan and he finally made the connection. "Day After Day" and "No Matter What" was what we heard. Excellent! Badfinger got a standing ovation. We left there and went on. The Fife and Drum Corps came out and that's when Rich really had his Mouse Moment. He loves this kind of stuff. We watched this and I took noticed that I did miss the last Off Kilter show of the night. Oh well, I was with my husband and he so enjoying this. We continued on and the Japanese drummers were out and Rich took notice again that they didn't have the big drum out. We would have stopped to watch and listen but he said that made the music for him. I remarked that just about every country we went through had some sort of entertainment going on. The acrobats were out in China as well and there was something going on in Italy. Now you know why we love Epcot and the World Showcase. You can never be bored here. We reached France and saw the swan topiaries and then sat at the fountain for awhile. The second showing of Tapestry of Nations had started and I was surprised at how long we were here. We then headed back to the room to watch Monday night TV. It was Robert Downey, Jr.'s last appearance on "Ally McBeal". I'm so disappointed that man screwed up his life the way he did. Lights out after "Third Watch" at 11. We agreed tomorrow would be a down day. Doing laundry and sitting by the pool. We have E ride night and after today, I'm not overdoing anything.

Day Nine - Tuesday, May 15, 2001

We slept in yet again. Rich had remarked that housekeeping probably thinks we are nuts. We don't get going until late in the day and we don't stay out very late. Not the typical Disney World commando type. Our goal for the day was to take it easy, do laundry and sit by the pool. And that's what we did. We headed out to the Dolphin to find the laundry. We wandered around the huge lobby looking for any signs. The directories didn't have anything listed on them for it. I decided I liked the Swan better since it was smaller. The Dolphin's lobby was very big and that just didn't appeal to me. We couldn't find any indication as to where the laundry was so we headed out to check out the pool since Rich hadn't walked around the grounds yet. Rich was also interested in Tubbi's Buffeteria so we followed the signs to there. The halls twist and turn a bit but we found it after mistaking the Dolphin Fountain for Tubbi's. Rich saw Tubbi's had pizza on their menu at a decent price and a decent size. That's how he judges restaurants - by size and price of their pizza and/or their hamburgers.

Rich had mentioned that just about every Disney resort had their laundry near the quiet pool and he was right about the Dolphin. If you need to find the laundry (and we finally saw one sign for it), just follow the signs to Tubbi's, continue on past the Game Room, and then there's a very small sign on the door to the laundry. I guess us Swan and Dolphin guests aren't supposed to know there is a laundry here. We checked out the facilities. Ten washers and ten dryers with plenty of space and chairs. You need tokens instead of quarters which I first thought was odd but then realized that this way, you don't need to have a supply of quarters on hand. A load of wash is $1.50 and one dry cycle is also $1.50. The token machine takes $1, $5, $10, and $20. It does not take quarters. Each token is 25 cents. Detergent is $1, also in tokens.

The Health Salon is next to the laundry and I knew I needed to see if they had a brochure for Adrienne. We have been emailing during the trip and she's been asking specific questions about the Swan for her trip in August. She and her friend, Jeanne, are interested in maybe getting a pedicure. Rich and I then walked around past the Dolphin quiet pool and checked out the Grotto pool. This is a nice pool and Rich was very impressed with the number of hot tubs they have around the place. Then past the Swan quiet pool and I finally found the Garden Grove restaurant without getting lost. I knew where it was but just didn't know how to get there. They don't have a sign for it out in the lobby like they do for Kimono and Palio. For the record, follow the Kimono signs and go a little further and that's where Garden Grove/Gulliver's is.

We went back up to the room and grabbed our laundry and changed into our swimsuits. Then back over to the Dolphin with our stuff. I felt a little strange in swim togs, carrying a bag full of laundry and walking by all these business types. But then I figured, I'm the one on vacation, they are the ones who have to work.

We loaded up our washer, with Rich laughing at my "scientific method". I just took my bag and dumped everything into the washer. While he carefully took his stuff out of his bag and balanced the load. He usually does the laundry at our house although I've been on my own for the last four months. Needless to say, I've used my "scientific method" for myself. We got $3 worth of tokens and then headed for the pool. Rich said the quiet pools held no appeal for him because he wanted to people watch. So we went to the Grotto pool and Rich was interested in sitting on the chairs under the waterfall. The problem was that it was so noisy back there. But there are restrooms and water fountains under the waterfall. They probably don't get used very much. We found a couple of loungers near one of the hot tubs and took advantage of the tub. The temperature was nice and we appreciated just sitting there. One tip here - no one under the age of 16 is allowed in the hot tubs. I like that rule. Too many kids treat hot tubs like swimming pools and that's not what they are there for. I don't have a problem with a kid sitting with his parents and soaking but splashing around gets to me. If a kid under 16 got into the tub and didn't splash, I probably wouldn't say anything. But just knowing that rule was posted was nice. And the rules for the tubs and the pools were posted all around the place. Unless you couldn't read, there was no excuse for not knowing the rules.

After some time in the tub, we sat and people watched for a while. Rich remarked that this pool seemed quieter than the other Disney resort pools. It was. He said there were less kids here. I'm not sure about that because there were quite a few kids. But they have a couple of kiddie pools and the main pool is pretty big so you just don't get the masses of kids. They rent life jackets here for kids and it saved this one little girl's day. She and her sister were so excited to go down the slide (we were sitting near the entrance to the slide). She went running up the stairs and the next thing we knew, she was wet and crying. I don't think she realized how deep the end of the slide was and got a face full of water. She walked and cried over to the other side of the pool to her mother. Her mom tried to get her to realize that not all of the pool was that deep but the little girl just didn't want to listen. Then the mom saw another kid with a life jacket on and talked her daughter into getting one of those. The girl did and she was a happy camper after that. Good job mom for spending a little extra money and making your kid happy.

After about a half hour, we went back to the laundry and put the wash into the dryer. By the way, it was around 1 in the afternoon and the laundry only had us as customers. On the way back to the chairs, I remarked to Rich something about getting a drink from the bar. He immediately was concerned because he read the rules that said no glass or bottles. It took some convincing on my part that this was legal. It wasn't until he saw a guy with a beer on a lounger that he was totally convinced. So we went back and got a couple of beers. At first, Rich told me just to go and get something. But I reminded him of the Disney rule. One drink per person. Both people have to be there if you want two drinks. We had seen that rule being enforced all over the parks. Good rule. The beers were $8.48 and I asked Rich if that was too expensive. He said "not for this place it isn't".

We just relaxed in the sun and drank the beers for about an hour until we decided the clothes were dry. We packed up and went back to the laundry. The dryer was done but the clothes were still slightly damp. A second cycle is probably needed here. We just decided (well, I decided since I hate doing laundry anyway) to fold everything up and air dry it back in the room if needed. We also talked about lunch plans and I suggested the Garden Grove. I wanted a sit down place instead of fast food. I was finally feeling hungry after yesterday and I wanted something light and not greasy.

Back in the room (which was already made up after just a couple of hours of us being gone), I called to see when the Garden Grove stopped serving lunch. 2:00. It was 2:30. Splash Grill was suggested. This is the poolside place. Fine with me since I figured they had a burger for Rich and I was hoping for some fruit. We scored on both points. Total here was a bit extreme - $41 which I charged back to the room. Rich remarked that my fruit was $10 but I had leftovers and took them back to the room. But it was pleasant sitting by the quiet pool and just relaxing and talking. We both needed a quiet day.

We went back to the room to get ready for E ride. Rich turned on the TV and found "Tour of Duty" so I knew we weren't going anywhere for a while. I sent Adrienne the information I got from the Health Salon on services and answered a couple more questions on the Swan for her. This is the first time I've really had reliable internet access while here. Bell South came through for us on that aspect.

After our dose of Vietnam (this is one of our favorite shows and we have them all taped), we headed for the buses and Magic Kingdom. I wasn't sure about the bus service but a Magic Kingdom bus showed up within minutes. We boarded and made a stop at the Dolphin and then were off to the Kingdom. The bus left us out at an unmarked stop and I told Rich about the new bus policy of not having a steady route but having the drivers go where they are needed.

Through the gates and then over to City Hall for our wristbands. One note here. I thought you got the wristbands inside City Hall. You don't - it's off to the side. Rich saw it, I didn't. And I'm the so called expert. Rich was a little concerned about what we would do until 7:30 and time to meet Lindy. We found a few things. We did the Tiki Room which I thought would be closed since it was after 5. On our previous visit, I had seen a sign saying it would be open that day 10-5. But we heard a show just starting and I saw the sign still said it would open at 10 but nothing about closing at 5. So we went in and enjoyed the show. Pirates was up next and it was a walk on. There were quite a few people still in the Magic Kingdom this close to closing but we didn't see too many people with the wristbands. We were looking for things that were not included on E ride but didn't have a huge long line. Rich had remarked earlier that we hadn't ever done "the boat". "The boat"? He meant the Liberty Belle Riverboat. It was just pulling up when we went by so we finally did this. We got seats right up in the bow by using the stairs on the other side instead of following the hoards down the first set of stairs. Nice ride and I wish I had brought my camera. Oh well, I can always come back.

Then through Fantasyland where I wanted to go on Peter Pan. Nope, 60 minute wait! It's a Small World was a walk on but Rich has sworn off that ride. We got to Snow White and we haven't done this in years and it was a walk on. I can see where this would be scary for the kids and it has been toned down. We survived and then just walked around seeing what we could see. I took Rich along the path between Tomorrowland and Toontown Fair. We got out of Toontown Fair as soon as we could. Magic Kingdom was crowded.

We arrived at Winnie the Pooh around 7:15 so we grabbed a bench and waited for Lindy. Our goal was to go on Winnie the Pooh before E ride and then the park would be closed when we were done. However, the line for Winnie was horrible - 45 minute wait and Rich and I kind of decided we didn't want to waste any time with that. Lindy came shortly after 7:30 and agreed with us. We talked for a while about what we were up to in the last couple of days. We chatted about the E ride attractions that were open - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Alien Encounter were deemed definite E rides. Country Bear Jamboree got a mixed vote - Lindy said yes, we said no. Cute but we've been there, done that. Astro Orbiter we said wasn't an E ride but we were glad it was open since we could never get on it during the day. But the Tomorrowland Transit Authority? I mentioned that maybe they just put this in for something in Tomorrowland since Timekeeper, which used to be part of E ride, was now closed. We all agreed that maybe Winnie the Pooh would have been a better choice.

Our first stop was the TTA which wasn't crowded at all (is it ever?) and even though E ride hadn't started yet, we rode. All three of us love this ride. We checked out the line at Space Mountain and it was non existent. So once off the TTA, we went over there. E ride had started and some people were being turned away because they didn't have the wristbands. One guy was pleading that he had been there earlier and it was down and why couldn't he ride now? We walked onto Space Mountain and enjoyed that. Then to Astro Orbiter and I waited for Lindy and Rich to ride this one. No way anyone was going to get me up that high. Yikes! I went and got a Coke. My first Coke in about six months. Sugar high, anyone? After Lindy and Rich rode the Astro Orbiter (both for the very first time), we hit Buzz Lightyear. Lindy challenged Rich to high score and I rode with Lindy to do the spinning. I can't shoot these things so I like to spin. Lindy was actually beating Rich until we slowed down and stopped and Rich locked onto a target. So he got over 200,000 points. Lindy and I were way down there. But we had fun. Then to Alien Encounter where poor Skippy gets fried. We sat in the first row inside the chamber which Lindy had never done. She didn't know you got wet. Lots of good reactions from everyone here.

Back through the hub and over to the Haunted Mansion. Rich and I had never done this at night before and it was a little creepy. Lindy said the E ride was a little crowded. If this was crowded, I'd hate to see an uncrowded night - that would really be spooky. Everything tonight was a total walk on. The last things to do were the mountains. I had decided Rich and I would pass up the Country Bears. Just too cute for tonight. Lindy chose Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for us and off we went. Another first night time ride for Rich and me. It seems faster. Then Splash Mountain and I was glad we did this last. Again, first night time ride for us. It seemed as if I could hear the songs and the characters speaking a lot clearer without the crowds. Very enjoyable. The view of the castle from the top is so nice at night. When we went down the big drop, the woman in front of me ducked down. I got such a face full of water it was unbelievable. I never have gotten so wet on this ride. Rich got some too but not as much. When we got off Lindy just started to laugh at how wet we were.

We walked back with Lindy to Country Bears and said our goodbyes. Rich and I had done everything we wanted with E ride and we just don't like to ride things over and over again. (A note - I'm typing this the next day and I can still feel the effects of doing all these things right in a row. It's like when you go in the ocean all day and when you go to sleep that night, you still feel like you are in the waves). Lindy and I agreed to meet at the 7:30 Off Kilter show on Sunday so she could take me over to Port Orleans Riverside for the night. She and I are bunking there and I'll take her to the airport on Monday.

Rich and I went through an almost empty Main Street. There were still enough people around. We went out to the buses and waited at the Swan and Dolphin stop, which was the first one. The Yacht Club/Beach Club/Boardwalk stop was the next one. I told Rich if that bus came first, we were going on it instead. Sure enough, the next bus stopped over there. We waited until all those people in that line boarded (they cheered when the bus pulled up - maybe they were waiting a while) and then got on. Turns out this bus was going to stop at the Swan and Dolphin first. Good choice.

We listened as the two guys behind us chatted about Disney World. Where they had stayed, etc. Rich just laughed because it seemed like they were trying to one-up the other. How Caribbean Beach was great for a "cheap" place. But the rooms were just "normal". They were both staying at the Boardwalk and I can see their point but it just sounded like they were knocking the Caribbean Beach. I think All Star is fine. Then one of the guys told the story of staying on the concierge level of the Contemporary because they lost his reservation and offered to put him up in another resort but he really wanted to stay at the Contemporary. Interesting eavesdropping in on other people's conversations.

We pulled into the Swan and this little girl right behind me loudly shouted, "why are we stopping here"? A couple of the Boardwalk people wisely decided to get off here and walk over. Much faster then making all those stops. We got back to the room in enough time to see the end of "NYPD Blue". Then we were kind of still keyed up so we stayed up until after midnight. Good thing we did. We actually got to see a nice thunderstorm. Florida is in the middle of the worst drought in its history. The Swan and Dolphin are limiting their fountains and waterfalls to conserve water. So Florida needed the rain.

Day Ten - Wednesday, May 16, 2001

Another sleep in day. It's easy to do here. The doors are thick, housekeeping quiet, and the shades keep out the light. We had talked about going to a water park today but after our sit at the pool yesterday, we were both pretty pink so Rich opted out of that. We switched our minds to Animal Kingdom so we could finish what we missed since I felt so poorly the day we did that. We walked out to the parking lot and smelled smoke. I was afraid with the drought that Florida would be experiencing brush fires and I was right, unfortunately. Rich and I thought that maybe Florida could send California some electricity and California could send Florida some water.

I drove us over to the Animal Kingdom after Rich checked out his car to make sure the Florida sun wasn't doing any damage. The temperatures have climbed in the last few days and the rest of the stay is supposed to be in the 90s. With no rain in sight. We parked where we usually park and I thought the park was a lot less crowded than just two days ago. We were here around the same time. Maybe Mondays are busier here. I participated in a survey once we were through the turnstyles and I think I might have skewed the results a bit. Is this your first time to Disney World? I just laughed. How many previous visits? 14. How long is this stay? 18 days. The guy laughed at that one. The one question that stumped both Rich and me was - What do you expect to get out of this park today? It took us a while but we both finally said "Stuff". Rich said that's exactly what the guy wrote down.

We checked out wait times and they didn't seem bad. The Safari was first so we could FastPass it and then do the Pangani Trek while waiting. Stand by time was 35 minutes and FastPass was for about 40 minutes away. FastPass it was and then the Trek. Rich's favorites, the meerkats, were not out. There's usually one sitting on watch but he went inside once we got there. The hippos were active which is always nice to see. The family of gorillas had just finished eating and were in the corner playing and stuff. Everyone was crowded around and it made it hard to see. Too many people trying to shove their other family members up to the glass. But we saw enough. The bachelors were way behind the bamboo but they were trying to keep cool while they played. Rich took a bird identifier list and we spent some time doing that. Shades of his father, who did that last year. Did I mention that Rich loves birds? Our favorite, though, is the African Bullfrog outside the Naked Mole Rat building. No one takes notice of this poor guy but we do. He actually had moved from his position! I read some of the facts about him and these guys are cannibals. They eat other frogs. And they are diggers, not swimmers. There's your education for the day.

After our walk, we still had about 15 minutes before our FastPass time started. I checked out the lines at Tusker House but they were too long to get something to eat and/or drink and sit down for a while. Rich suggested "my" Dawa Bar. Yes, it's a favorite. So $10 and two beers later ($4.50 for the beers and $1 for a tip), we were sitting watching the African band play "Electric Slide". Then they invited kids up and there was one kid that was just hilarious. Rich says "Star Search" is in his future. He was doing the robotic thing and he was pretty good. A note here - the bartender put a stirrer in Rich's beer since he gets the light stuff. The stirrer, in true environmental mode is wooden and not plastic. Thanks, Disney, for thinking about the environment in this park.

Our FastPass time was in the window so we went back for the Safari. Standby time was now only 10 minutes so the FastPass saved us nothing. Oh well, goes to show that waiting for the Safari until later in the day (it was 2:00) might not be a bad idea. We saw all the animals although some of them on the grasslands were all bunched up. Our driver was very good and he did a nice job of keeping the distance between us and the truck in front of us. I know they have to do that for the poaching storyline but he did slow down enough for us to see everything. I think this would be a nice job for Rich, the animal lover.

Next up was Dinosaur and I told Rich that, of course, we had to pick the two things that were the farthest apart. I tried to get Rich to direct us over there but I gave up. I don't think this man is ever going to be able to find his way around this park. I think it's pretty easy. Dinosaur was a 10 minute standby so we did that instead of the FastPass. Tarzan Rocks must of let out while we were in line because the FastPassers just poured in. We actually had to wait the full ten minutes. If that's the most I have to wait this trip, I'm perfectly fine with it. We escaped the asteroid and brought the dino back with us. I suggested the Maharajah Trek but Rich said he could pass on it. It was getting close to 3:00 and we hadn't had anything to eat yet. Port Orleans Riverside pizza was mentioned so we decided to go offsite for supplies, get gas, and then go for lunch. This is where my relationship with my husband drives me crazy. We had a plan, right? Stick to it! But then he mentioned the Boardwalk pizza (my husband - burgerman and pizzaman). That was fine with him. Or maybe something offsite? He said there was a pizza place on the way to Publix that he noticed. That was fine by him. Big mistake.

On the way to the car, Rich noticed there was smoke in the air and we could see a big brush fire going on. Later on, we had ash coming down from the sky.

I drove us offsite. Another thing - Rich will never be able to drive around the area by himself either. He's so good with directions but he claims he doesn't know this area because I never let him drive. I never let him drive because he doesn't know the area. Catch 22. We found the pizza place which was called Pizza Lovers. As I said, big mistake. We walked into the place and the sign said to seat ourselves, which we did. There was a family of four on one side, a big table of 10 or 12 people in the middle, and us on the other side. That was it. I figured only one server was working and I think I was right. We didn't stay long enough to see if that was true. A server was taking the big group's glasses away since they were finishing up. She took the dirty glasses into the kitchen, then refilled for whoever wanted it. That's fine. Then she disappeared for a while and Rich asked me if anyone was actually working here. I said that I was sure she'd be over to help us soon. We still didn't even have menus. The server came back into the dining room and started clearing away the big table's plates. That got me a little mad. They were done and we still hadn't even been acknowledged. Rich agreed with me that maybe the service here wasn't the best. So we left. I wouldn't recommend this place. We went back to the original plan.

The left turn into Publix was closed due to construction so we got caught in some traffic waiting to make a U turn. I saw Pacino's and we read the flashing sign indicating what they had. Pizza! So that became our plan. Unfortunately, the pizza was individual pizzas and that's like a snack to Rich. But he made do with a pepperoni and meatball calzone and I had one of the biggest sandwiches in history. I couldn't even finish half of it. I immediately requested a to go box for the other half even before the server had left the table. The total here including tip was $29. A nice break and a nice bargain. The food was good and plentiful although Rich thought the pizzas were small. The sandwiches are huge, though.

We stopped at Publix for more Diet Coke for Rich. Then onto RaceTrac for gas. Gas prices are not going anywhere but up. I choose a lower rated gas to save some money. I figured the car could handle it for one tank. I'll give it the good stuff for the trip home. Total here was $25.75 and Rich got some windshield wiper fluid for his car. Then back to the room for a little while.

Rich suggested Epcot so we headed over there. I love this location. Once we got there, I reminded Rich that Tapestry of Nations would be starting soon so what did he want to do. Here's where I love this man. He said that my wine was over in France so let's go there. We did and we both got Chardonnay for $6.50. I wanted to go back to where we could hear the music so that's what we did. We watched the parade across the lagoon and I soaked in the tune. I love this music. Then Rich said that we should move towards Canada and "my boys". His intention was just to get me to see Off Kilter because "you have been deprived of them for three days now". What a guy! We figured Lindy would be here and we were right. She showed up right before the guys started.

The first song was "Amazing Grace" and I was glad Rich got to hear this. I love Off Kilter's rendition of it. And the next song just made the night for me. A Magic of the Mouse Moment - "Fields of Athenry". After "A Walk in the Irish Rain", this song was one that Todd and I listened to again and again to get through those long four months. Lindy and I did a high five to celebrate this one since I had told her that I wanted to hear these two tunes and I finally did. I have to admit that I did a lot of cheering and hollering. Not too loud but enough. Rich just let me. It was a great night and the guys came down to meet their fans again. If you want to talk to them, they are more than accommodating. Lindy told me to go up and get my picture taken with Jaime and I was tempted but turned chicken.

Lindy walked over to the Boardwalk with us where her goal was to see Randy the Juggler there. She said something about turning into a stalker. She's been following the Hunchback performers and watching Off Kilter. We're still meeting Sunday at the 7:30 Off Kilter show.

Rich and I came back to the room and I sat out on the balcony since Rich wanted to watch "Voyager". It was the last episode. Oops, we don't get UPN here. So he settled for "Sex and the City". I just sat and dozed for the hour before "Law and Order". I heard the planes and helicopters flying around the brush fire, which we can see from the room. The fire doesn't look like it's getting any better. Then lights out.

Day Eleven - Thursday, May 17, 2001

Wow, this vacation is getting long and I still have a week to go! I'm liking this style of travel. This morning started out kind of strange. Our wonderful "Do Not Disturb Until" sign was gone and so was the newspaper. We had the mini bar people knock on the door since there was no sign. If you have the sign on the door, they leave a bag of coffee for you on the door handle. Then the maid knocked on the door as well. Rich explained that we would be leaving soon and told her about the missing sign. When we left about a half hour later, the sign was replaced.

We also awoke very late (10:30) and noticed smoke smells in the room. Not from cigarettes, either. The brush fire that we can see from the room is getting worse and it looks bigger. We headed out for lunch. Since Rich hadn't gotten his Port Orleans Riverside (aka Dixie Landings) pizza the day before, that was the goal. Once again, my husband decided to change the plans. This time for the better. Rich needed to check on his car and put the windshield protector on. While we were walking doing that, he asked why we were going to go and drive when the Boardwalk pizza was fine. Sigh. OK, we don't have to drive anywhere, we'll do that. So we checked out the car and then went over to the Boardwalk. (By the way, the car was fine so Rich was satisfied that his baby was OK).

Rich ordered a whole pepperoni pizza and beverages for $23.60. We sat and ate and drank. The painting that's been going on has been completed and the tables here are back out. Last night, we discussed what Rich still wanted to do. I have another week, he only has a few days. He said the rest of Epcot (Future World, which we haven't touched) and the rest of MGM (the tours). So he needed to decide which one we did today. MGM got the vote. We took the walkway there and sweated our butts off. The temperatures, unfortunately for the drought and the fires, have taken an uphill climb and will be in the 90s for the rest of our stay. I can take the heat with proper water and sunblock precautions but I was concerned about the drought and the fires. Please, give this area some rain and soon!

I let Rich decide where to go but once we saw the board with the wait times, the decision was made for us. Hunchback was starting at 2:00 and that was only 15 minutes away. I just knew Lindy would be there and Rich still hadn't seen this show. Off we went. Rich didn't think we would make it but I took the Lindy shortcut and we were there in plenty of time. Most of the people going into the theatre headed to the bleachers but I led Rich down to the Lindy seats. Sure enough, Lindy was there in the reserved row with Nicole, her Cast Member friend. We sat in the row in front of that and had great seats. The show featured Dennis as Quasi (the second best, in Lindy's opinion), and Shaun in his final appearance as Clopin. We didn't know this until after the show. Rich thought the show was "fine". He's a music lover but not a musical lover. This is one of the reasons we don't do the shows - Rich just doesn't get into them.

After the show and talking with Lindy and her friend, Rich and I headed to the Backstage Pass. This is where MGM is getting confusing. They have the Backstage Tour, which is where you go into the studios and walk during the tour, and the Backstage Pass, which is where you go into the backstage area and take the tram, using the same entrance. That's fine but then they load people at the same time. So we almost took the wrong one. Rich wanted the tram ride and we got onto that with no problem once the Cast Member told us we were going into the wrong tour. I did like that you can now just board the tram directly without getting into the water effects thing. That demonstration is fine once but then I can live without it. The tour was good and the couple sitting with us were on the left side. They got a little wet with the effects. The guy turned to me and said "I thought they said the people on the right side would get wet". To which I replied, "Yes, but then they said the people on the left side would get soaked".

After our tour, Rich decided on some beers so we stopped at our favorite place here - the Soundstage Catering Company for the suds. We like the quiet seating area off to the side. We enjoyed the beers and I swear mine evaporated. Rich asked if I was thirsty. No, just darn right hot. Then a walk down Mickey Avenue and there was only a three minute "wait" for the Little Mermaid. We didn't get the preshow, which was fine. We got two of the last seats and enjoyed the trip. I can see where this is kind of confusing if you don't know the story. Rich hasn't seen the Little Mermaid for a while and I thought maybe he would lose the story. But he didn't and we enjoyed the air conditioning. A couple of little kids were frightened by the dark and Ursella.

Next up was the Animation Tour and we walked right into that one. Great timing yet again. That Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite film always makes us laugh. Rich finally noticed the integration of the computer stuff into the film. I told him the last two times he's seen this, it's been in there but he just noticed it now. Robin and Walter distract us from the details. The animator in the next part was great and he drew a character from Atlantis. We went off to the right side since Rich can't sit on the floor. We stood through the presentation. The animator explained that they were working here on the next big production which wouldn't come out for four or five years. There were quite a few people at work during this time. We walked through the rest of the area and I have to say that I wish I could take the Disney highlight film at the end home with me. They could take this, package it up, and make a bundle. Mr. Eisner, are you listening?

The only other thing that Rich really wanted to do was Sounds Dangerous. I was really drooping by now so I didn't care. A nap sounded good to me. I love Drew Carey and I love this show. Maybe it would perk me up. We only had a 3 minute wait. Rich was doing so well with the wait times. Into the show and it didn't perk me up the way I wanted it to. Maybe it was the darkness. But it was good as always. We passed on The Great Movie Ride even with the persistent rumors that it's closing. Rich and I agree that the scenes need to be redone. It's a great ride but we veterans would appreciate an update every once in a while. I did notice that the Disney highlight film on the Animation Tour had more of the newer films in it. That keeps me interested.

We left MGM and I decided that the walk wouldn't be that bad. Stupid me. It is when it's over 90 degrees and there is no breeze whatsoever. I didn't think we would have made the boat. We probably would have but I really messed up. We arrived back at the Swan all sweaty and tired. It's a very nice walk but not after MGM. Didn't I write that earlier too? Will I ever learn? Probably not.

Rich had told Lindy that we would be at the 7:30 show of Off Kilter. If he had told her that, I was going to hold him to it. I wanted to head out around 6:30 so we only had an hour to cool off and recooperate. We watched the local news in hopes of getting something on the brush fire burning over to the side. We finally got the scoop (personally, I think the local news here stinks). The fire is at Bear Bay and it's only 30% contained. It's burning over 250 acres. The news people did say that it's close to Disney property but not affecting operations at all. Now, that would be news. For Disney to close. Me, the loving wife, told Rich that he could stay in and watch TV and I'd sacrifice and go to the show on my own. No doing. So we headed out at 6:30.

Here's my Magic of the Mouse Moment. Maybe it was the heat. Who knows? The guys came out and I went up and actually asked Jamie if they would do "Danny Boy". This was Rich's last time to see the guys and this was the only song I really wanted him to hear. I love this aspect of this group. They will accommodate requests. After I did this, I went back to the seat and who should come up but Jane! She, Court, and Travis had separated but agreed to meet at Off Kilter since they heard Lindy and I raving about the group. So she sat with Rich and I during this set. Another group requested "Run, Run, Away" and then I yelled out "How about 'Fields of Athenry'?" The guys started to laugh and someone in the crowd said "there goes your plan". And what these guys did was "Fields of Athenry", "Danny Boy", and "Run, Run, Away". See what I mean about accommodating requests? Jane enjoyed the show and we were joined by Lindy right before the guys started. After the show, we talked for a while and Court joined us. Off Kilter was doing their signing autographs, etc. after the show and Jane had her camera. What the heck. I had talked to Jaime before the show so why not go over and get my picture taken with him? So I did. I also took one of Jane with the guys. They really are so nice. Mark said something about them being there on Sunday and I told him I'd see him then. I'm turning into an Off Kilter groupie.

We all parted. Jane and Court to find their son. Lindy to go see Shaun in his final appearance in American Vybe, and us back to the room. We did stop at the Boardwalk and saw Randy, the juggler from Hunchback, doing his part in a show here. Thanks Lindy for the tip on seeing this. Very nice and Randy was probably the best part. Once in the room, Rich turned on "Friends" which was the season ender and I headed for a cool bath. I really was overheated. Joy, joy, joy. I saw the last minutes of the "Friends" episode. Then we relaxed and watched the season ender of "ER". Rich likes getting these season enders crossed off his list. Now he doesn't have to worry about any of them except "NYPD Blue" and the Monday night lineup. He'll be home for those. I did call Chris and got an update on his car. Still not doing well and on the critical list. But he's looking for an alternative. It's very strange having an adult for a son.

Day Twelve - Friday, May 18, 2001

Today was going to be Future World day. However, no one looked on the calendar and saw that it was an early entry day for Epcot. I have been having such a wonderful time just going with the flow that I didn't even think about it until we were in the park. And noticed the crowds. I mentioned it to Rich and he just said "oh well". By the way, we did sleep in yet again and took notice that the fire isn't going anywhere. Tonight is our seating at Yachtsman Steakhouse at 5:30.

Our first stop was at Test Track where Rich assumed we would get FastPasses. Single riders line, my dear, single riders line. Rich thought the stand by line was the single riders line and thought it would take forever. I told him to trust me. Into the preshow with no wait whatsoever and we even got to ride together in the same car. The group in front of us were four people but they must have told the seater two groups of two because they weren't going to ride together. They let us go in front of them. Rich remarked that he didn't like the fact that most of the people now don't get to see the queue line. He said something about that being one of the things he liked about this attraction. One note here - I never knew the difference between the regular brakes and the ABS stuff. Until I took this ride last year. And it helped. We had a horrible winter in Nebraska and had several ice storms. My knowledge of the ABS system helped me when I went into a bad skid on the ice. I wasn't going that fast but I just slammed on my brakes, knowing I have ABS and worked the car just like they said to. Thanks, Test Track.

We checked out the cars at the end for Chris. We think he should get a good used Saturn. This is where living 1000 miles away from him will drive us crazy. We can't make decisions for him and can't be there when he needs us. Well, maybe he doesn't think he needs us. Maybe it's us needing him. Do you ever let your child truly grow up?

Onward to Universe of Energy. I was surprised Rich wanted to do this one. I thought he was bored with it. But he said he actually likes Ellen during this. He's not an Ellen fan. Actually, I think it was a chance for him to see Jamie Lee Curtis. It was during this show that I figured my blood sugar was crashing and I needed something to eat even though we were going to have a big meal that night. Rich can go on one meal a day and I can usually but not today. After the show, Cranium Command was going to be next at the Wonders of Life. Rich's contact had moved down on him during Ellen so he was seeking a mirror in the bathroom. I let him do that and I went to Pure and Simple to get anything into my system. I ordered the kids meal of a Peanut Better and Jelly sandwich with grapes and a Diet Coke. Rich came back and asked me what the heck I was doing. I told him I needed something in my system so we shared the sandwich (which came on rainbow colored bread) and the Diet Coke and I tackled the grapes. Total here was just $3.45 and it probably saved the day.

A Cranium Command show had just started and Rich opted not to wait for the next one. He said it's cute, it's a favorite but he didn't have to see it. Body Tours was also a "don't have to do". We went through Mouse Gear to see if they had the things I was looking for the new kitchen. They didn't but I managed to get talked into getting a Figaro pin, a Piglet pin, Piglet earrings (I don't wear them but they are Piglet), and a Piglet magnet. I have been collecting Piglet things for a couple of years now and Rich is always on the lookout for new things for me. I also decided on this trip that I would start looking out for Roo and Figaro stuff. Yes, I'll collect the smaller, shyer characters, thank you very much.

Then across to The Land. We went into The Circle of Life but there was no indication of how long it was going to be. We were one of the first into the waiting area so we figured a show had just started. Rich suggested we go off and do The Living Seas and then come back. Living with the Land had a longer line than we wanted and Rich jokingly said we could FastPass it. Surprise, my dear, they do have FastPass here. Rich was shocked. Once we got to the Living Seas, there was a long line waiting to get in. Rich said that we have never waited in a line here and it wasn't going to happen this trip. So we bypassed it.

We saw some of the Flower and Garden demonstrations going on and then ended up at the Fountain View Bakery for a couple of glasses of wine ($7.42). We watched the fountain doing its thing a couple of times and Rich mentioned something about needing to go offsite for grocery items. I was still feeling a little off kilter (crack myself up) so I suggested that he go himself and I'd take a nap. On the walk back to the room, I was giving Rich detailed driving directions. It kind of overwhelmed him. Once back in the room, though, Rich decided that he wasn't going to have enough time to do what he wanted to do. I finally got it out of him that he wanted to go back to K Mart for more cards. He's been collecting sports cards for quite a while and he has over a million of them. It's his hobby and that's what makes him happy. So he decided to go in the morning instead. I tried to nap but then "Tour of Duty" came on the TV and it was a good episode so I had to get up and watch it. Told you we liked this show. Darn thing hasn't been on for years but we still have to watch the reruns.

Earlier, I had made some mention of eating clam and mussels on my own at Cape May Buffet. On the way to Epcot, I mentioned it again since we walked by the Beach Club. While at Epcot, Rich asked me if I could get a reservation at "that seafood place". Since we were near The Living Seas, I thought he meant Coral Reef and couldn't figure out why he wanted to eat there. We did this several years ago and were not impressed with the portions or the prices. He meant Cape May. We had talked about going to the Devil Rays game Saturday night but decided that the drive to and from it was going to be prohibitive. So Rich wanted Cape May for dinner instead. I made the seating arrangements for 6 on Saturday.

We did see the start of the local news at 5 and realized that there was not only the big fire going on just 2 miles away but there was a smaller one ("only" 10 acres) on Disney property next to Epcot! Yikes! We had see planes and helicopters but joked that Disney would never let a fire come on property. This drought is really bad here. After getting our little jolt, we left to go to dinner. And saw something that I didn't think anyone would ever see. One of the water helicopters came down and got water out of World Showcase Lagoon! First of all, it was weird seeing a helicopter hovering over the property. Second, to see it dip into the lagoon. Strange but necessary.

We got to Yachtsman Steakhouse and I again reminded Rich not to gag at the prices. This was my birthday dinner, three months delayed. Rich's parents were basically paying for this since they had sent me a nice birthday check. That money was already gone, used to help with the move, but in essence, this was my treat. Our seating was for 5:30 and that's when the place opened for dinner. I didn't realize that and would have made the seating for later. I just don't like when everyone gets there at the same time.

Oscar was our server and he was very good. Rich couldn't decide what he wanted so we waited a bit while Oscar served the other guests. We did order the cheapest bottle of wine on the list which just happens to be a favorite of mine --Beringer White Zinfandel. At $21. Yikes! I was gasping at the prices. I was fine with ordering the beef medallions but Rich casually mentioned that they had lobster tail too. I said something about the price. He said something about not worrying about it. I really do love this man. Rich ordered the bourbon steak and I gave into temptation and went with the lobster. Rich's steak was $33.95 and my lobster was $34.95. But it was well worth it. Rich's steak was huge and very good. Cooked to perfection. My lobster was wonderful. We finished everything off with Rich getting a little surf and turf. I just couldn't finish the lobster and I didn't want it going to waste. I was tempted on the desserts but then realized that someone would have to come with a hoist to get me back to the room (maybe that water helicopter could come back). Excellent meal and I'm so glad we did this. It's not something we are going to do every time because of the cost but it's a great experience. Total with tip was $110. American Express is really going to love me this year.

One additional mention here. Bread was brought out with garlic spread. Rich loves bread and just enjoyed all of it with the garlic spread. If you want the recipe, here it is - Oscar saw how much Rich loved this so he told us how to make it. Take your cloves of garlic (the elephant ear ones) and put them in a pan with olive oil and peppercorn. Rich can do Oscar's accent very well but he said "red peppercorn, black peppercorn, it doesn't matter". Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours. This was basically spreadable garlic. Not a spread of garlic but cloves that you spread on the bread. Rich enjoyed it so much that I could still smell it on him the next day. I just called him "Garlic Boy" for a while.

We went into Epcot and checked out the entertainment schedule. Paul Revere and the Raiders were here and Lindy had said something about seeing them. Rich was interested in it too. A show was just starting so we power walked over there. Who should approach us as we are walking? Lindy. So all three of us saw the rest of the show. It didn't bowl me over but Rich wants to go back on Saturday. They did do "Cherokee Nation" which I remembered from junior high school. We actually did a talent show thing to this. Talk about a blast from the past. Another nice show from Disney World. We said goodbye to Lindy again and went back to the room. I crashed from the day and the food. Rich watched TV.

Day Thirteen - Saturday, May 19, 2001

Each day I get up and check on the fire. Today isn't that bad but here's the official scoop from the newspaper. The big fire we can see from the room is called the Hartzog fire and it's been burning since a lightening strike on Wednesday (remember that much needed rain? Remember that nice thunderstorm? That's what started it). It's now 350 acres and it's just two miles away. The smaller fire on Disney property was "easily" contained by the water helicopters we saw. They just diverted from the bigger fire to get the smaller one out. So far, 2,628 wildfires had burned 189,801 acres and it's not getting any better. They need rain and they need it now. But it won't happen for quite some time. Three years ago, floods were a problem here. Now it's dry.

Rich got up and took his offsite run. Publix and K Mart. The report back - it's hot and smoky out there. We left very late, after noon. I let Rich set the pace. Today was going to be the rest of Future World that we didn't do yesterday because it was too crowded. First up was Honey I Shrunk the Audience and it was a walk on. Well, more than a walk on because we got the full True Colors film at the beginning. I love this and thought Rich just tolerated it. He surprised me with actually enjoying it. We love the reactions of people to this show. Good as always although a little kid behind Rich totally lost it with some of the special effects.

We didn't bother with the Journey Into Your Imagination show. Next up was The Land. The line for Living with the Land was still longer than we liked so we grabbed some FastPasses for about 35 minutes later. Then we went back upstairs for the Circle of Life film. We watched the depressing statistics on the monitors for about 10 minutes before the show. If everyone would just recycle, the world would be a better place. Oops, environmental mode coming on, better stop now. This film always gets me teary. The sight of that little duck all covered in oil. I dried my eyes and Rich consoled me with a break downstairs before our FastPass time.

I was surprised that Rich had wanted to do Living with the Land but he did insist. The guide was good and we learned more about how to get food without using up all our land. I also pointed out the restaurant to Rich from the ride. He insisted that you couldn't see it.

Next up was the Living Seas. We didn't do the movie portion since we had seen it enough times. We watched the fish for a while and I bought Rich's niece, Shanna, a scuba Mickey for $7. We'll see Shanna in July and I'll go with her and Rich's parents to the Keys. My dad and stepmother are certifying Shanna in advanced scuba. I'm just going to see my family.

This was the day that I noticed my husband had turned into the "Water Bottle Cap Nazi". All the water bottles that are sold in the parks have one of those plastic twist off tops. Too many people just drop the top on the ground instead of finding a trash can (which are all over the place, by the way) for disposal. Rich had this habit of picking up every single one he could find on the ground. It just bugged him. His suggestion - the Cast Members should take the caps off before handing the bottle over to the guest. Good idea. But he picked up his share of the caps. And I did too. It became our joint rant. That and cigarette butts on the ground. There are ashtrays. Oops, going off again. Sorry.

Rich wanted to see the Paul Revere and Raiders show in its entirety and he said we were done with Future World. So we walked back to America. We did stop in Canada for mega beers. 32 oz for $10 each. The day was warm and we had a half hour to wait for the show to start. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The concert was great and here's something I liked about all three bands. They all "complained" about only having 30 minutes to do the show. They all wanted a longer time frame. Paul Revere and the Raiders have a CD out called "Riding to the Wall". All net proceeds will go towards the Riding to the Wall Foundation. Paul Revere and his drummer are riding their motorcycles across the country and will be performing at the Vietnam Veterans Wall on Memorial Day. Of course, the CD was on sale at the pavilion so we made sure to get one after the show. The band does a dedication during the show to the Vietnam veterans. It's a nice way to thank those men and women who maybe didn't get the thanks they should have in the past.

Rich said we had enough time after the concert and before the dinner for a drink. I stopped at France and got a traditional champagne to toast our last day together ($8.75). Rich waited until United Kingdom and got a Bass. We ended up in the courtyard here and Rich remarked that he didn't think he had ever been back here. What? This is one of my favorite spots. We caught the first couple of numbers of the British Invasion. We have always heard them but have never seen them. We left early in the show so we could make the seating.

Dinner at Cape May was great as always. I chow down here on the clams and mussels. I did balance that out with some corn on the cob and potatoes. Rich did a better job, adding ribs, steak, and a salad for dessert. Yes, he did a salad after the meal. And then we did the traditional desserts. Excellent. Total, including beverages was $64.34 after tip.

Since this was a buffet, it didn't take us very long to finish the meal. When we had bought the Paul Revere and Raiders CD, we also got a picture of the group. Rich had said something about autographs. Well, if we wanted to get them, this was going to be the only opportunity for it. We looked at the watches. If we power walked, we would make the last show at 7:10. Not such a great thing to do after such a big meal but we did it anyway. Both of the shows that we went to were fairly packed but we still got a couple of seats. Hint - go to the right. After the show, the group eagerly signed autographs. There was quite a long line so I left Rich and took a bathroom break. He hadn't moved when I got back so I thought we'd be there a long time. But each member of the band worked the line and talked to everyone as they signed. I really like that these bands here are more than willing to meet with their fans.

We were heading out to pack (depressing thought) but stopped in France for a couple more wines for $6.50. As we were walking towards the exit with the wines, a guy stopped us and asked us where we found wine. We pointed out the stand and he said "Man, I love France". We finished the drinks before we exited (you can't take alcohol out of Epcot) and then walked back to the Swan via the Boardwalk. On the way, the Boardwalk jugglers were finishing up and were in their car driving away. They were waving and saying goodnight. We said "Goodnight Randy". He looked very surprised that we knew his name.

And then back to the room for packing. I didn't want to leave the Swan. It's a great place and I'll gladly stay here again. There'll be a full critique at the end of the report. I didn't ever feel like I wasn't at Disney World. In fact, I think there were more special touches here, like the turn down service and the newspaper delivery, that I wouldn't have had at some of the Disney resorts. True, I did pay the $8/day charge but I'd do that with a Disney resort too.

The day was long and I ended up crashing after packing. Rich stayed up and watched some TV. I set a wake up call for 8:15. Aaargh, having to get up on a schedule is going to kill me. I haven't had to do that for quite some time. Spoiled little thing, ain't I?

Day Fourteen - Sunday, May 20, 2001

Unfortunately, the wake up call came on time. Rich got up and got ready and I stayed in bed. This early stuff stinks. I struggled to get up and finally did it. We were ready to go by 9:00 so I called Bell Services to come and get the bags. Rich and I had an unloading fiasco at the Boardwalk in October and there was no way I was going to lug this stuff to the car. Rich hates dealing with tips and stuff but I told him that he didn't have a choice. Someone came right away. Nice service. We left the bags at the curb and then went and got my car. We had that loaded up and then I took my car back to the parking lot and transferred Rich's things into his car. First and foremost in Rich's mind this morning was getting back to the cat. A word about the cat - he's part of our family, not just a pet. Rich had arranged cat sitting for $13/day which also included bringing in the mail and checking out the house as well. Rich had left his cell phone number with the service and they had promised to call if anything happened. No voice mail messages so I was just assuming everything was fine. Not Rich, the worrier. Did I tell you he's an animal lover? He had to get there and see for himself. So he wanted to get on the road. He pulled out at 9:15 and I said I'd call him tonight to see how things were. Then I was homeless for a while. And it was still early.

I did a leisurely stroll over to Epcot. World Showcase still wasn't open so I just did a walk through of Future World. Just checking things out but not doing any of the attractions. Then when World Showcase opened, I did a walk around there. I just browsed in the shows and had some nice moments people watching. My goal today was to be a groupie. To make all six performances of Off Kilter. Why? Because I could.

I made it around the Showcase with enough time to get a glass of wine at Fountain View Bakery for $3.71. While I was in line, this older couple was behind me. The wife wanted a bagel and a cup of tea. The husband angrily told her that the sign said breakfast was only served until 11:00 and it was after that and there wouldn't be any bagels. She said she would ask if they had any left. The husband tersely said something about her thinking she was better than anyone else and she should just order off the (fill in the blank with a very nasty word) menu like everyone else. She should be (fill in the blank again) grateful. I thought to myself (1) "I'm glad that's not my husband" and (2) "I'll bet you this lady gets her bagel". Sure enough, the couple gets waited on and the wife asks about a bagel. The Cast Member cheerfully replied "sure, we have raisin ones available". I was so glad that windbag of a husband was proven wrong. Asking for something at Disney usually gets you what you want.

I watched a couple of fountain shows and then headed to Canada. Where I remained for the rest of the day. But I had such a great day. I talked to people and saw one of the ladies that I had met earlier in my visit. Her and her friend stayed for the first three shows and we chatted in between each show. At one point, Randy came down and kissed the two women on the cheeks and then chatted for a while about the heat and the fires. Then the women left to go see Paul Revere and the Raiders. They are Floridians and do weekend visits. They were here earlier for Peter Noone and belong to a group called the Nooneatics (hope I spelled that right). We talked about how the Flower and Garden Festival has something for everyone - flowers and stuff but also music. That's what I've been getting into this trip.

I took notice of an older couple getting plenty of attention from Scotty. Turns out they were his parents. What a nice treat for them to see their son playing. The band members spent a lot of time with them. Very nice.

Somewhere during my marathon, I grabbed a mega beer from Canada. Again, $10. Hey, I was thirsty! When I went to the Cast Member and asked for a large beer, he asked "A large draft beer?" I said yes. Then he asked if I realized that it was 32 ounces. I said yes. He said "That's a big beer". I didn't disagree at all. I did also go over to Wonders of Life and bought a golf shirt for Rich for $50. He had seen this earlier but shied away from it because of the cost. I decided this was a nice Father's Day present from the two kids - the human one, Chris, and the feline one, Todd.

After my Off Kilter companions left, another lady sat down and we started to talk. She was a big fan of the Voices of Liberty and we chatted about how different people can find different things in the Epcot entertainment to enjoy. Another family that I talked to was quite interesting. They had a son about twenty or so who was the big fan of Off Kilter. He had brought both their CDs to get autographed. He knew that they would do that after the show. The son said he wanted to introduce the show (they usually have the guy in the booth do this - I had never see anyone else do it) and was going to request that. I asked him what his favorite song was and he said "Fields of Athenry" but he had never heard it performed live. I told him I'd ask them to do it for him. So this guy got to not only introduce Off Kilter but also to hear his favorite song live.

Lindy came for the 7:30 show since we were meeting to get to Port Orleans Riverside for the night. I asked her what she wanted to do and she requested going to Downtown Disney for some shopping. So I headed us there after we went back to the Swan for the car. One of the many things I like about Lindy is that she walks and doesn't mind it at all. Once at Downtown Disney, I parked near the Virgin store and we started towards "The Scary Store". That's what Lindy calls the World of Disney store. We decided to cut through Pleasure Island to see what was up. Neither one of us had ever been here at night so we thought we'd go on an adventure.

There are no biometers at Pleasure Island which was nice. But we both had to show ID and get wrist bands. Warning - do not go to Pleasure Island without a proper ID. Even at my age, I had to show something. We were just going to do a walk through but checked out the Comedy Warehouse. A show was starting in 20 minutes and there wasn't really that much of a line. I looked at Lindy, she looked at me, and we decided to do this. And we were so glad we did. I even ordered a Bye Bye Blues once inside ($5.25). Really funny show and I don't think there is a bad seat anywhere. We were on the floor. After this show, Lindy asked if I wanted to check out the Adventurer's Club so we did that. We didn't last very long. Just not our cup of tea.

Then onto the "Scary Store". We picked a meeting place and each went to do our shopping. In my defense, I saved $6.40 with the Disney Club discount. I also picked up frames for the pictures for Father's Day and got a couple of mugs for my dad and stepmother for Christmas. And I got a car shade for my car. Total damages - $67.84. Not that bad. Lindy did some damages as well. I watched the Disney videos while I waited for her to check out. I looked at the watch and was floored to see that it was after 10:30. I still hadn't called Rich to see if he made it home and if the cat was still alive. I knew he wouldn't be very amused with this.

Lindy and I walked back to the car and now it was after 11:00. Yikes! I just hoped Rich was still up. I called him from the parking lot and he said something about my all Off Kilter day (I had cleared this plan of action with him beforehand) and me still being out. But he knows my Disney tendencies and didn't say too much more. Then I drove us to Port Orleans Riverside (so hard not to type Dixie Landings). We found Lindy's room with the car without too many problems. Then Lindy packed and we didn't get to bed until well after midnight. What a long Disney day! Especially since I'm not used to early wakings and late nights.

Day Fifteen - Monday, May 21, 2001

Lindy had set a Mickey wake up call for 8:00 but she had the "I'm leaving today" blues and was up before that. I followed and consoled her with the fact that she was going home. It's very hard leaving this place. This was Lindy's longest trip at 10 days and it just wasn't enough. I know that feeling. We left Port Orleans Riverside shortly after 9:00. Much too early for me after last night and I would really feel it later in the day. I drove us over to the Swan (after a slight detour to Magic Kingdom - this was my day to get lost driving around) and Lindy took the path to MGM for her last day. I meandered around the Epcot resort area and called Rich at work. I hadn't really had too much of a chance to talk to him last night and felt bad about it. So we chatted for quite a while. Cell phones are nice for keeping in touch.

I did the calling from my parked car and here's my cell phone rant. I saw them *everywhere* in the parks. And I mean everywhere. People were walking along World Showcase talking on them, strolling through the Magic Kingdom with them, and of course, they were everywhere in the Epcot resort area with all the conventioneers. Yes, I did have a cell phone. I didn't use it in the parks at all. I think it's a great way to keep in touch with other members of your party but do some people have to involve the whole area in the conversation? And why do some people need to walk and talk on the phone at the same time? Couldn't they just go off to the side and have their conversation? And why do some people feel the need to be standing next to something extremely loud, like the fountain at Epcot, and still be on the phone? Can you really hear the other person and can that other person really hear you? But the topper of the whole trip was this obnoxious lady at Flights of Wonder. The show was scheduled to start at 1:00. At 12:59, the lady pulls out her cell phone and very loudly does a couple of real estate transactions. Now, this lady was from a part of the country where you can really project your voice (Adrienne will know what I mean) and I swear everyone in the theatre heard that this house needed to have an open house set up and this house needed a new contract. Right before showtime! If the conversation had continued on during the show, I would have said something. Even though she finished before that, I was still offended. I didn't want or need to know her business but it was too much. Using a cell phone for keeping in touch with your friends and family in the parks is one thing, but transacting business in the middle of a park is something else. If the business is that important, why are you on vacation? Cell phone rant off.

The fire situation was much better today. No heavy smoke over the area. I was going to go to the Animal Kingdom to check out some photo cards my mother-in-law had emailed me about. But I decided I was too lazy to move the car and thought about just repeating my day of yesterday. Lindy was to meet me either at the 3:30 Off Kilter show or back by the car around 4:00. Then I would drive her to the airport for her 6:10 flight. I gave a couple of options for meeting since I knew it would be very hard for her to leave MGM and I didn't want her to feel like she had to be there for the 3:30 kilt boys.

Food was up first at Epcot. The day was promising to be very hot so I wanted something light. I hadn't been eating much lately because of the heat. Once I get hot, my appetite goes away. I wanted fruit or something so The Land was my destination. I got a fruit cup there for $2.61 and it hit the spot. I sat in the air conditioning for quite a while and people watched. The walk from the Swan to Future World sure seemed a lot longer today. I needed a run to the ATM and had an unusual situation. I don't have an ATM card for the new Georgia account. I do have one for the old Nebraska account which, of course, we have almost nothing in right now. That's one of the reasons for the call to Rich. To see what I could pull out. Not too much but enough for the next couple of days. Why does money just seem to disappear down here? Oh, it's Disney. I found the ATM machine at the DVC stand and did the transaction. Then the fountain show was calling. A nice sit. I was right about the day - extremely hot. It definitely was a "take it easy" day.

I did my stroll around World Showcase and had a few sit down and watch people moments. People watching - why do I do it? Someone wrote in a trip report that they have had more moments of reflections about their life while at Disney World. That's certainly true. I've seen some wonderful things this trip. I watched as a very small boy walked around, just being out of his stroller. This kid obviously just learned how to walk and was still wobbly. Dad was taking videos and Mom was making sure the boy didn't wander too far. I thought about how far my son, Chris, has come from that stage. I was thankful that he's a good person and we didn't screw up too much with him. Rich had mentioned earlier that he wanted to apologize to Chris for every mean thing Rich ever said to Chris. We had heard so many parents berating their kids for "ruining the day" or telling them to "stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about". We had a great talk about how much time we did spend with Chris and how that probably made him a better person. And I watched this hawk flying around and realized that without my years with Rich, the animal lover, I probably never would have seen this. I've had a great 20 years with Rich and Chris and am eagerly looking forward to the next 40 or 50 with them. Someone told me that I could stay home and people watch at the mall for a lot less money. I don't think so. Money doesn't buy these thoughts. Disney brings them out for me.

After all my reflections, I made my way to the Off Kilter stage and decided the first three shows wouldn't be a bad idea. So that's what I did. I had my people encounters again. The first one was with four older people, I think they were probably late 60s or early 70s. They were hot and wanted shade. They had just arrived at Disney World and were staying at Coronado Springs. Their rooms weren't ready so they decided to come to Epcot. They asked if I knew this show and, of course, I do. They wanted to know what it was like. With older people, I always ask first if they like rock music. A lot of people come to Off Kilter thinking they are getting traditional bagpipes. No way. So I asked about the rock aspect. The one guy said "rock is fine but not all the time". Then I asked if they liked bagpipes. The guy said that he played them. I said that if they could take the two at the same time, they'd be fine. The five of us then talked about Epcot and what the other people wanted to do. I did warn them off Body Wars since they all said they didn't like motion simulators. They were a little confused on Test Track. I had heard someone else earlier make the same comment. They thought they actually got to drive the cars. And they thought Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was a motion simulator too. I told them to go and they would enjoy.

I was a little embarrassed because when the guys came out, Mark waved to me. Drat, I'm a groupie now. Sorry guys, I really don't stalk you. After the show, the guy I was talking to told me that he thought Off Kilter was "relaxing". Not a word I would use to describe them but it'll do.

I was baking by this time so a beer was in order to quench the thirst. A Canadian beer but a small one for $6.75 this time. I have to say that Canada has a hard time with their kegs. This was the second time that the keg had run out on me. But the suds really hit the spot. I returned to what I was calling "my seat". I was sitting there and a lady in a wheelchair and her female companion went over to the other side since that was more in the shade. They were sitting there chatting and I heard them say that they had to find someone to take pictures of the two of them. I went over, apologized for eavesdropping but volunteered to take their pictures if they wanted. They were very pleased. The woman in the wheelchair had to get out of it "so mother wouldn't freak". This lady wasn't very disabled but I could see where walking around all day would get to her. The ladies posed in front of the flower bed and I took a couple of pictures for them.

Also during this time, a family with a little girl in the meltdown stage came and sat down in the shade. This girl was in a serious snit. Whining, crying, the whole nine yards. The family just sat for a while and she did her thing. They let her get it out of her system and then they continued on. Later, I saw this same family and the little girl was happy again. She had visited the United Kingdom Kidspot and had started on her mask. I liked how this family handled the situation. Let the kid get it out but off to the side. Most kids just have to have a break. Give it to them - don't push them. They are humans too.

One other thing I noticed while doing my Off Kilter marathon (nine shows in a row - how sick is that?). Teenage boys and younger men are entranced with their stage. I can't tell you how many boys literally ran up to the stage to look at the equipment. One kid came up, looked at the drum set, then continued on with his parents. But then he ran back and took a picture of it. I wanted to tell him to stay and watch the show but he was gone before I could. A guy in his twenties came up and was amazed with the bass equipment. I chatted with him a little and he said he was a bass player. His girlfriend or wife wasn't really interested but I said that if they came back for the show, maybe they could talk to Mark. He was interested, the female walked off. Wonder if the guy ever came back?

I looked for Lindy at the 3:30 show but didn't see her. She knew where I sat so I figured that she would find me if she made it. There was one older couple who left right after the guys came out and Mark asked them where they were going. Guess it just wasn't their type of entertainment. There is something for everyone at Epcot - you just have to find it.

After the 3:30 show, I headed out to the Swan. I knew I was going to be hard pressed to make it to the car by 4:00 since it was so hot. But I walked just a little faster and got there right after 4. Lindy was waiting for me. She said that if she had run, she would have made it for the last song but decided with the heat that it wasn't worth it. Plus, she had two big bags of stuff with her. I'm glad she didn't try it. It would have knocked her out. I started the car and cranked the air conditioning all the way down to 65 degrees. I'm not a wimp with heat but it was so, so still. The outside temperature registered at 92 degrees. With no wind. And high humidity. Felt like a sauna.

Then began our adventure to get to the airport. I don't know where I went wrong but I missed where I wanted to get onto the Greeneway. Oh well, Beeline Expressway was coming up next so we went in through the north side instead of the south side. Lindy insisted on paying the tolls. I should have done that because we went out of the way. Once I got us on the right road, we found the airport. Lindy, I think, wished we had stayed "lost". I dropped her off at the Delta curbside. I felt so bad for her going back home. We need to do this again. The time spent with her was so nice and it's all because of these trip reports. Want a nice Magic of the Mouse Moment? It's meeting new friends because of Disney World.

I drove myself to my last hotel experience. The Best Western Eastgate. I was really tired and very hot. Check in went fine and this place isn't that bad either. I've been doing very well with the offsite places. I would rate this place a little higher than the Days Inn. The beds are better and the room seems a little bigger. I'm in room 223 which is on the second of four floors. I just carried in the laptop bag and another bag since I had packed just for the last four days. I left everything else in the car. I crashed for the rest of the day. I watched all the season enders on Monday night - "Boston Public", "Ally McBeal", and "Third Watch". My plan for the next day was to go to Animal Kingdom and check out those photo cards.

Day Sixteen - Tuesday, May 22, 2001

My plan for the day went totally out the window when I woke up at 8:30 and decided that I was too sunburned (not that bad but enough), too tired, and just too exhausted to go anywhere that day. I also realized that in just five days, I'll be driving back to Nebraska for "the big move". It's a total non-Disney day folks. I stayed in the nice air conditioned room and just wrote and watched TV. I needed that. It's day sixteen and I've spent the last 15 days on Disney property. No offsite visits for me. I ate junk food and watched ABC soap operas that I haven't seen in 11 years but, surprisingly, could pick up on right away. If I don't watch myself, I'll become addicted to them again. Then, just watching the season enders of the Tuesday night shows. A total veg out day. About the only constructive thing I did was call Rich in response to an email he sent me. The merits of renting a 17' UHaul truck versus a 24' truck. I want the big one, he wants the smaller one. I said he could make the decision since he was driving it. I'll be driving our pick up back.

Here's the rundown on the resorts this trip:

Days Inn/Best Western - of these two, I'd pick the Best Western over the Days Inn. Not too much difference except the room at the Best Western seemed bigger and so did the bathroom. Also, the beds at the Best Western were much better. Days Inn had a cafeteria and a sit down restaurant. Kids ate free with an adult. Best Western had a sit down restaurant with a breakfast buffet of $3.99. The other meals were available for take out anytime. Both had the obligatory pool which I didn't even venture towards. Neither one had a coffee maker or a refrigerator but both had the in room safe. I was charged at the Days Inn for local phone calls and it was just added onto the bill whether I used it or not. At Best Western, I was charged 50 cents for each local phone call and was also charged $1 per day for the safe which I didn't use. The Days Inn had a gift shop and I have absolutely no idea if the Best Western did. I don't think so but I could be wrong.

Port Orleans Riverside - only here for one night and shared the expense with Lindy. I loved the Magnolia Bend section and the rooms. I would definitely come back here for a moderate. I hadn't stayed here since 1993 and had a great experience at Coronado Springs. I think this one, though, still gets my thumbs up.

The Swan - here's where I start to gush. I can't begin to say how much I loved staying here. I did pay the $8/day fee. They did not tell me about this when I checked in. The information was included with the key. I read through it and at first thought to get it taken off. But decided not to. The newspaper deliveries to the room were very nice for Rich. He enjoyed reading this on the balcony while I struggled to get up (definitely not a morning person). We also got the in room coffee which we do not drink but I took the packets for the in-laws and all their trips. We also got 60 minutes of "free" local phone calls which I really liked for the internet access. The 75 cent local phone call charges from Disney would have added up for me. We were also entitled to the health club without any restrictions but we were on vacation and there's no way I'm doing that.

Our housekeeper was wonderful and we tipped $3 per day. Everything was taken care of immediately. The upgrade to the king bed and the balcony room was very nice. The fact that the room was ready at 11 was appreciated. We did have turn down service at night and this one just freaked both of us out. We never saw this person. Never even realized it was going to be done. We would just leave the room and when we got back, the bed was turned down and we got a little card with what the next day's weather was going to be (always "Magical - don't forget your sunscreen" which was true). The pillows were fluffed and ready to go. Very nice touch.

We used Bell Services on the last day and they are right on par with Disney. Enthusiastic and prompt. Rich even grumbled a bit because they were there so quickly. I remarked that we never had to wait very long for an elevator. Rich figured that one out. Sensors somewhere in the halls. Seriously. I think the most we waited for an elevator was 10 seconds. We saw the sensors in the downstairs elevator banks but didn't see where they were upstairs. Maybe wishful thinking on our part?

Conventioneers - yep, they were here. The earlier hours were the worst with groups sitting in the lobby level towards the Convention Center having little meetings. But I just ignored them. And walking past the side Convention Center and seeing all those guys with their cell phones and cigarettes was a little annoying (I never did see a woman out there - gender rant off). But I saw the same thing over at the Boardwalk and all around the Epcot resort area. Let's face it - Disney World is a great place to have a convention or a meeting. Businesses will figure that the people that don't want to go will take the opportunity to bring their families. The die hard business types just go and that's who we see that annoy us. Disney World is not a vacation spot for everyone. But just put up with these types and do what you want.

Did I ever feel like I wasn't at Disney World? Nope. Never. And I'm the Disney freak, remember. The one that gets into all this stuff. The service was right on par. In fact, I think I might have gotten a few extras that I wouldn't have at a Disney resort. The Swan is high on my list of repeaters.

Day Seventeen - Wednesday, May 23, 2001

My last Disney day. It was so tough to wake up, even though I had relaxed the entire day before. But I wanted to check out those photo cards for my mother-in-law. And Animal Kingdom is a favorite of mine. And what about the last three shows of Off Kilter? Could I do that? You bet I could.

I drove to Animal Kingdom after a brief stop at Publix. I love that location. I did the parking lot thing again and walked to the turnstyles. I had a bit of a salmon swimming upstream since everyone was pouring out of the park (it was around 2 or so). I had checked out "the kiosk near the bus stands" for the photo cards but didn't see anything. I had the guy's name but didn't have much hope. Then I stopped into the Island Merchantile. I found them! They are the postcards that are of animals but they don't have the Disney Animal Kingdom signage on them. I'm not going to publicize the name of the organization until I have permission but I did manage to get a few of the photo cards from there. My mother-in-law had said that the cards were available in two of the shops. I figured Harambe would be a good bet and made my way over there. I scored again. In total, I got nine of the cards. The proceeds will go towards a conservation endowment fund. I gladly paid for the cards. And gave extra money to Disney for their conservation efforts. Environmental rant off here again. Sorry.

I was very hungry by this time and decided that Boardwalk pizza was in order. Did I mention that I love this stuff? Especially if I can get it without Rich. Then I can have plain cheese pizza instead of his pepperoni on it. I parked at the Boardwalk and was told to have a nice day. It's my last day here, how could I not have a nice day? The pizza and the wine set me back $7.21. Still a bargain. I sat and enjoyed the day and waited until I thought I could get through World Showcase without seeing the 3:30 Off Kilter show. I didn't accomplish that. I still saw the last song of that show. I was getting to be a little embarrassed with seeing these guys this many times in one trip.

I continued on to The Art of Disney since I still hadn't gotten that Piglet playing baseball figure yet. I did get it with the help of a very nice Cast Member. The credit cards will be going through the roof but this guy is so darn cute (Piglet, not the Cast Member). And then I made my way to Canada for the last three Off Kilter shows. Some people may wonder why I did all these shows instead of doing "stuff". Well, if you could put yourself in my place for the last seven months, you'd know. This music has given me comfort and compassion for that time. It's hard to explain and that's the best I can do. I'm listening to their music now and remembering sitting there and seeing the guys. That's enough to get me through anything.

I chatted with people and just enjoyed the time. I was totally embarrassed because Tony recognized me and waved to me. They even did "Rap" which I hadn't heard this trip (or ever before). I did request "A Walk in the Irish Rain" and/or "When the Roving Dies Hard". Mark said they had already done "When the Roving Dies Hard" so I changed it to "Run Run Away". Which delighted my seatmates at the time. They love the song and didn't know you could request things. So I ended my stay at Disney World with some highlights.

The trip back to the car? Well, let's just say some tears were spilled. Not as many as in November when I left but enough. I tried to tell myself that I was still here and always would be. But I didn't really understand that until the next day. It was a long walk back to the car but then I was in my room and watching the last of the season enders - "Law & Order" - one of my favorites. I packed quickly since I had never really unpacked and laid down to sleep.

Day Eighteen - Thursday, May 24, 2001

Yeah, sleep right in. I couldn't. Again. So I chalked up the insomnia to wanting to get back to the cat (husband, what husband?) and just got things together and headed out around midnight. Yes, stupid but there wasn't anything else to do. So I just went. The guy who checked me out said something about heading out early. Yep. It's been a long trip and I wanted my family. Total here was $112.23.

I did miss an exit on the drive but managed to be in the Atlanta area right around rush hour. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I did have a memorable stop for gas around 4:00 AM, though. I walked in to pay and then realized the cashier had to be smoking something that was a bit illegal. I went back to the car and hoped I didn't get stopped by any frantic Georgia cop because I smelled like weed. It was gross. I don't even know what the total price here was because all I wanted was back in the car with the doors locked. I needed a restroom but continued on to a safer place.

I called Rich at 7:00. I had told him I'd call when I started out. Well, I didn't think he would appreciate a call at midnight so I just decided to wait. I left a message at the house and he called me back about 15 minutes later. I was thoroughly into Atlanta traffic by that time. He was surprised I was that close (go figure). He said he'd wait for me at the house. I got through the traffic with no problems since I was basically going the wrong way. I ended up at the house around 8ish.

Here's where I start to understand where I'll never leave Disney World. I thought about it a lot on the trip back. I listened to the Off Kilter CDs. And thought about the trip. I'm still there. I'll never leave. Not in my mind. Maybe my body is here in Georgia and preparing for "the big move" but my mind is still at Disney World. And it always will be there. In some aspect. Yesterday, I saw a real Baltimore Oriole. Not a baseball player, but the true bird. It was beautiful. I would have never seen that without Rich being at Disney World and showing me the smaller things. I'll listen to the Off Kilter CDs and remember the sights and the sounds of their sets. I did OD on them but that's OK, right? I'll remember being able to show Rich Hunchback of Notre Dame and having Lindy in the next row. And the dinner at Boma with such great friends. I'll remember all those great concerts from the Flower and Garden Festival (lots of them are going through my mind right now). I'll remember all the nice people I talked to during the Off Kilter off times. It was a great trip and one that cannot ever be duplicated. But there's always a chance to top it, right?

Lindy said it best about Disney World and the smaller things. She said those little things are the icing on the cake. Disney World is the cake. The Clean Plate stickers, the stickers Lindy got at check in, the feeling of being able to watch Off Kilter, the birds, the pizza at the Boardwalk, the things that *I* liked doing. That's the icing. I know Disney is a business and we're in a crunch right now. They will cut back what they need to but there's still enough Magic of the Mouse Moments for everyone. Just look and experience them. Lindy did the Hunchback show as many times as she could. She will mourn Doug Live leaving but she has other things. I did Off Kilter a lot and will never forget them getting me through the last seven months.

Remember those ideas I had way back at the beginning? How many did I do? Well, Daytona Beach, Sea World, Tampa Devil Rays, and a water park never happened. Neither did a sit down meal at Epcot. Flexibility was the key word on this trip. I let Rich set the pace for when he was there and it worked out fine. In fact, he did rather well except for the early entry day at Epcot which surprised us both. But we adapted and went on.

The next trip? I might be there for just one night in July. Long story. And I'm trying to get there around Halloween. I like that time of the year and the Food and Wine Festival is going on. And, of course, there's the wedding renewal ceremony in January, 2002. If you happen to be at Magic Kingdom at 4:00 on January 3, 2002, we'll be there. Exactly twenty years from our wedding.

Feel free to email me with any comments or questions. I do have one request, though. The spammers are getting quite creative so I do ask that you put the words "trip report" somewhere in your subject line. I can't believe the garbage I've been getting.

Thanks to Donna, Adrienne, and Lindy for making this a wonderful trip. The time with Lindy was so special. We didn't really plan too much and we even met up randomly throughout the trip. And a big special thanks to Off Kilter for their help and music. I don't think you can meet five nicer guys. And one more huge thanks - to my husband who is the best thing that has happened to me. We've survived the move and will have one more challenge - "the big move". I guess we are destined to be together forever if we can make it this far. Disney helps me through each day and makes me a better person. Thanks, Walt, for building a dream.

Sheri Niklewski

disnut@home.com

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