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Sheri Niklewski -- March 2002 -- Walt Disney World (CBR)

March 27-31, 2002

Participants

• Me - Sheri (40) - the planner and report writer, accountant at a manufacturing firm. OK, we make phone "enclosures" also known as phone booths. The next time you're at an airport and see the walls of phones, well, we probably made them. It is just as exciting as it sounds.
• Husband - Rich (42) - Enthusiastic collector, sports freak, and all around great guy. Also takes care of the house and the three cats. Victim of America's economy.
• Lindy (29) - Office Manager and special friend from Salt Lake City. Really needs this vacation after going through the Olympics in her hometown.

When: Wednesday, March 27-Sunday, March 31, 2002 for Rich and me. Our first Easter visit. We originally were just going to arrive on Friday since I had Good Friday off but the call of Disney sounded. Why not extend this trip just a little? Let's see, I have Good Friday off so we would leave the Thursday night before and go halfway to Valdosta, Georgia and stay the night (about 4 hours from Buford, Georgia). Then we'd be at a park by noon on Friday. But I started to think (those brain cells got a great workout). My guys, also known as Off Kilter at the Canada pavilion at Epcot, usually don't perform on Fridays or Saturdays. My only nights there. I innocently asked my boss for Thursday, the 28th off. Matt said yes, as long as it didn't interfere with the auditors being in. The auditors ended up coming in earlier (I'm sure I'm going to need this trip). Score! So the plan got moved up by one day. My chances of seeing Off Kilter just increased 100%. They have to be there one of those three days. And we'll just camp out and see them the whole day.

Where: Caribbean Beach

How: Personal vehicle from Georgia

Experience: Veterans (this will be my nineteenth visit)

Why

Because my company chose to give us Good Friday off instead of President's Day. I lobbied for President's Day (I'm supposed to be in charge of our Human Resource person) but I was overruled by management. If I hadn't been overruled, this would be a President's Day Weekend report. I'm not crazy about taking Disney vacations during any holiday but I survived Thanksgiving and New Year's so I'll survive this. With us being so close, the holiday weekends work out for frequent visits.

And then my company went totally nuts. Two weeks before this trip the management, in their infinite "wisdom", decided that giving us Good Friday off wasn't feasible. So they turned the day into a floating holiday and required everyone to work on Good Friday. That was *not* going to happen in my case. Matt was great and said he would honor my vacation request so I was set. My floating holiday was still going to be Good Friday. I was a little ticked because I had highly suggested that Good Friday be replaced by July 5th since Independence Day was on a Thursday (after being denied President's Day). Overruled by the same people who made this stupid decision just two weeks beforehand. I have a feeling that so many people are going to take July 5th off as their floating holiday. Well, they can cover for me on Good Friday and I'll cover for them on July 5th.

Oh, and the auditors delayed their visit two weeks so I'll miss being there the last two days. Oh well, plans are made, reservations are done. I'm going. (The auditors ended up never coming in).

Resort/Hotel

This is a quick trip and Disney had blackout dates for any deals onsite starting that Friday. Before I switched to arriving on Thursday, I looked at offsite properties. I'm very well versed with what Highway 192 (aka Irlo Bronson) has to offer. I frequent that area quite a bit and have stayed at numerous places along there, mostly when I visit on my own. I went searching.

Yikes at the prices for the holiday weekend! I don't think Thanksgiving or New Year's was this bad. The other thing to consider is that it could be Spring Break time so that will inflate everything. One of the places I had been looking at staying was the Howard Johnson Maingate East (6051 Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway). It's very close to Disney World, almost right outside of Celebration. An easy commute and the hotel itself looked nice. I tried through www.travelocity.com but wasn't happy with the rates. Then I went to www.hojo.com and looked there. Sometimes you can get a better deal by going through the corporate website.

Which happened this time. I got a non-smoking two double bed room for $41.25/night. It also features color cable TV and a private bath. I always have to laugh when this is a "feature". I guess I just expect those things.

And then I went out to that darn www.mousesavers.com site again. I did this for the Thanksgiving trip and ended up staying at the Yacht Club. I also did this for the Labor Day trip and stayed at Coronado Springs. This is a website that lists all Disney rate codes and who can use them. There just happened to be a special code for Georgia residents out there. All Stars for $69, moderates starting at $89, and deals on deluxes as well. It never hurts to call and ask, right? So I called Central Reservations at 407-WDISNEY and gave the code. Will I never learn?

I didn't even bother with the deluxes since I had broke the bank with the Thanksgiving trip and stayed at the Yacht Club. I do love my husband and do want to be married to him for a while. So moderates or value it is. I tussled between Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach (Port Orleans French Quarter was shut down and Port Orleans Riverfront was severely limited at this time). The last time we stayed at Caribbean Beach was in 1996 and I didn't like it. We stayed twice at Coronado Springs and I've enjoyed each time. However, back in 1996, I was not very Disney savvy so I didn't really know what to ask for. Now I do so I thought I'd give Caribbean Beach one more try. It was available with a king bedroom and a request for a water view for $109/night. OK, that's fine (there was a blackout during Easter but not if I got there on Thursday night instead of sometime on Friday - hence the brain cells working overtime to get that Thursday off) but let's check out All Star.

This Cast Member deserves a raise. She said something about having to put up with kids. We've stayed at All Star before so I know what the rooms are like and I know the resort. It's not that bad but we're just two adults who have long left the dealing with kids. We have one wonderful son who lives in Nebraska so we just don't have those family issues anymore. From our ages, you can tell we had Chris very early in our lives. Our college friends at the time lamented that we wouldn't be able to enjoy life since we now had a child. I reasoned that we would - we'd just enjoy life with Chris and then have "our time" when we were older. Well, "our time" is here. I tend to request rooms far away from things so we can enjoy each other without anyone else around. Kids and adults included.

I stayed with Caribbean Beach. And will request Trinidad South which is the farthest away from everything. The check in building is extremely far away and the food court and main pool area are a walk. Which we don't mind at all. BTW - I think this might be the only Disney resort where the check in building and Guest Services is completely separate from the food court. The only time I expect to be in the check in building is when we are checking in. So location to there is not important at all.

I had to make a reservation for some place in Valdosta on the way down. I had one not so nice experience in traveling when I didn't make a reservation beforehand and I vowed never to duplicate that incident. You can imagine the scene. The three of us are heading to Winnipeg for a family vacation. Our stopping point was Fargo, North Dakota (we lived outside Omaha, Nebraska at the time). Me - "Rich, I really think I should make a reservation somewhere for our first night". Rich - "Who the heck is going to be staying in Fargo, ND?" He wanted be to be spontaneous. OK, where did the powers that be hold the National Forensic Championships that year on that weekend? Fargo, ND. I'm sure the debaters were just so thrilled to be in such a lively spot but they had every room booked. We ended up paying a steep price and having Chris sleeping on a roll away bed. Never again, Rich, never again.

I went out to travelocity.com again and here's when I know my Disney World tendencies might have me needed some professional help. We've done this before, stopping in Valdosta on the way. At exit 16 which means it's 16 miles from the Florida border. Well, I've taken notice that exit 5 has just as many hotels. And we'd be 11 miles closer in the morning. Is that sick or what? But that'll be our new stopping point from now on. And I do have justification. I found a Days Inn Lake Park with a king bed and non smoking for just $33.75. It's called a Daylight Savings Promo Rate and I booked it immediately.

Here's a travel rant for anyone who wants to read it. This same place had the same room for AAA members (oops, better renew that thing) for $40.50. Same darn thing. Rack rate was $44.50. For the same room. You really need to be aware of the discounts that are available. With my low rate, I don't need any membership. It's just out there. I think going through the internet is better because you get to see all the rates. If I had called Days Inn, I'm sure I would have been told the rate was $44.50. Another rant - the king bed. It didn't cost me anything extra although some places will charge $5 more per night. Why? If you get a king bed, housekeeping only has to make up one bed. I can guarantee you that if Rich and I got two doubles, we'd use two doubles. We're very small people but just like our space. I feel the same way when over two adults get charged for extra people. But you don't get charged if you have kids in the room. I know Chris was a heck of a lot messier when he was a kid then now when he's an adult. But I have to pay extra for him? He still uses the same amount of towels and sleeps in the same bed. But it wasn't an issue with this trip. OK, travel rant off.

Tickets

Annual passes, of course. We bought ours back in July and haven't looked back since then. We definitely get our money's worth with these. We don't have the Premium aspect to it since I found we don't use the water park or Pleasure Island option at all. If we want to do these, we'll pay the separate fee.

Meeting People

Any time I get a three day weekend, I'm heading seven hours south and going to my favorite place. We have made some very nice Disney friends and Lindy is one of them. She shares my Disney "obsession" as we call it. It really isn't an obsession. It's more like wanting to be somewhere that makes us happy. I told Lindy we would be there for Easter and, well, she was going to be there too! She's flying in from Salt Lake City and renting a car. Lindy and I have corresponded about her arrangements and, with her permission, will report on what she's been up to. Lindy is a very special friend and I'm glad it worked out for her to be there at the same time as us.

Lindy will get in very late on the 26th and take Mears to the All Stars where she'll stay for two days. She's going to rent a car from National at the Dolphin. I've turned Lindy into a "drive everywhere around Disney World" fiend. I convinced her to do this in January and she's a changed person. We both think the Disney transportation system is great but something about driving and getting there on our own is too much freedom. Before this last trip, Lindy relied on the buses and water transportation exclusively. Now she's into the rental car thing. I think I have a bad influence on Lindy!

After a couple of nights at All Star, Lindy will move over to Caribbean Beach. She did this totally independently of us. We had separately made reservations at the Howard Johnson and then decided to switch to onsite without consulting each other. Great minds think alike! We're going with our own room preferences but, knowing us, will probably be running into each other all the time.

Touring

Rich and I tour Disney World in a very relaxed mode. This is a vacation and we will sleep in. I don't think we've been at a park opening since 1998 and I quickly decided that was way too early for us. We're just not morning people. We can go all day at a park and not "ride" anything. We have our favorites and will tend to spend the majority of the time at Epcot and MGM. Even though this will be my seventh trip in one year, I haven't visited Magic Kingdom except for that one time last year. We just prefer the other parks. Animal Kingdom is a favorite but we like to park at the Swan and then go back and forth between Epcot (for World Showcase and just enjoying each other's company) and MGM (for our favorite attractions).

Food

Rich and I usually just have one meal of the day and then snack the rest of the time. While Lindy and I were emailing each other on our plans, we thought about getting together for one meal. Lindy spends most of her time at MGM but also likes Epcot. That narrowed the choices. Lindy is also a vegetarian so we had to make our decision wisely. At about the same time, we both thought about Chefs de France for lunch. We looked at the menus at www.wdwig.com and saw there were vegetarian options there. I ate here before totally on my own and loved the grilled ham and cheese sandwich. And the wine pairing was perfect. So, with Lindy's agreement, I made a seating for Thursday at 2:10. The timing was critical. Off Kilter was currently performing four sets a day - 1:30, 3:30, 5:00, and 6:00. Since I was planning on them only being there on Thursday, that day became Off Kilter Day. We've done this before. We'll see all four shows. Trust me, I owe a lot to this group and I show my respect whenever I can. Anyway, the 2:10 seating fits in perfectly in between the first two shows.

BTW - we went with a lunch plan since you can get basically the same menu for a lot less money. If you want to enjoy a sit down restaurant at Disney World but don't want to break the bank, look at the late lunch options.

The three of us might meet up for another simple meal. All of us love the pizza at the Boardwalk Spoodles take out window. Rich got to taste it on our trip in January but Lindy and I were shopping at the outlets and missed it. So I am determined to get a slice or two or three this trip. If we can, we'll meet up for some food and then, after our dinner try to catch Randy, the juggler, at the Boardwalk. This guy is great and did a fantastic show "for us" in January. He's one of Lindy's favorites and he is fast becoming one of ours.

Kid of the Day/Icing Moments

I put in a Kid of the Day and at least one Icing Moment each day. The Kid of the Day will be someone who is just having a great time while at Disney World. And it's so very easy to see at least one of those a day.

The Icing Moments are those very special times when Disney World outshines everything else. Lindy and I call the typical "rides" the cake. Everything else is the icing, the sprinkles on top of the icing, and I even get some candle moments. I find it hard to pick just one moment in the day for an Icing Moment. There are way, way too many. Being there is an Icing Moment.

And after the trip, I'm adding Life Enhancement Moments. We all know these lessons but we just need reinforcement every once in a while. Life is a journey, kind of like a lifelong trip report.

Grr Moments

OK, I just went overboard with the sentimentality so here's a dose of reality. There will be moments when things don't go right, someone ticks me off, or Rich and I disagree. Those are Grr Moments and they will appear from time to time (and they did a lot more than I wanted them to with this trip). No trip to Disney World will be perfect. They'll be plenty of pixie dust times but there will be some not so wonderful times. I will put the bad with the good and hope that the Grr Moments go away at some point.

Dedication

This report is dedicated to Lindy. She is a special friend. Rich is such a cynical person but Lindy has him completely charmed. If I say Lindy will be at Disney World, he's asking when we are going to see her. Thank you so much for your friendship and your kindness. I don't think I've ever seen you without a smile on your face and a good word about someone. Lindy was a very special part of our wedding renewal ceremony in January and my in-laws still rave about her. We started emailing each other through these trip reports. The world just gets smaller and smaller and I'm so glad there are Lindys in the world. Lindy, thank you for being you.

The Week Before

One of the first things I had to do on Monday morning was to check out Steve Soares' Disney World Entertainment website to verify the Off Kilter schedule for the week. Steve's site at http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm is a very valuable tool for checking out all the entertainment options. The site is update weekly, usually on Sundays. I had been following Off Kilter's schedule and, based on past history, figured Thursday would be the only day they were scheduled. Yep, Thursday it is. Thirty minute shows at 1:30, 3:30, 5:00 and 6:00. So my plan of action to have lunch with Lindy at 2:10 works perfectly.

Off Kilter is described as a high energy Celtic rock band. This group has quickly become a favorite of mine and I've turned Rich into a fan as well. The guys are so enthusiastic and their music helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Rich had lost his job in Nebraska but found one in Georgia. He moved four months before I did and I played Off Kilter's CDs constantly during that time. Rich and I renewed our wedding vows in January and since Off Kilter had played such an important part in keeping our magic alive, I had the ceremony done at the empty Off Kilter stage in between their performances. So I want to see them as much as I can during our trips.

Also on Steve's site, I saw where there was going to be a special "This is America" show at, where else, the American pavilion at Epcot. This will showcase the Fife and Drum Corps which is one of Rich's favorites, Voices of Liberty which is a group that we have yet to take the time to enjoy, and American Vybe who we saw last year and I liked but Rich thought were "OK". However, it promises to be a very patriotic time and I've always been loyal to our country. Before, during, and after September 11. Since we'll be at Off Kilter on Thursday, the only other day to see this show is Friday. There are four different show times and I'm sure we'll be in the area at some point.

Other good things to see between Steve's site, Deb's site (www.wdwig.com), and the newsgroup was that Carousel of Progress and Timekeeper were going to be open during this time. Now, we don't usually head to Magic Kingdom but the hours posted said this had a midnight closing time. It's been a while since I've visited here so that became a "maybe". After everything else has closed. It's not a "must see" but at least I know the park will be open the latest of all four. And it was posted that World Showcase at Epcot was going to be opening at 11:00 instead of the noon time that has been in effect since the cutbacks. I'm not sure these changes are permanent or just because of higher than normal crowds. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to see people going back to Disney World.

After I found out the latest information on what I could expect with entertainment and hours, my next "chore" was to fax my room request to Caribbean Beach. Some people have had great luck with faxing the request to the Room Assignor and some people have not (I am in the former category). I had already had the initial Cast Member make a request of non smoking, king bed, and water view. I didn't specifically ask for any of that, it was suggested to me by the Cast Member. My order of preference is how I just listed them. Non smoking is a must. I'm spoiled by the king bed with the two of us. Water view would be nice but if we don't get it, we don't get it. In my fax, I restated the original requests and then asked, if possible, for Trinidad South. I said that we were a party of two adults and we wanted a quiet visit. I have never had a problem getting what I want with a fax to the Assignor. I don't demand anything, but ask my requests and say why I would like them. In this case, I'm hoping that even if a king bed in Trinidad South isn't available, that the Assignor will understand that we want to have quiet time. I even suggested the Barbados building as an alternative. (Those of you who know the layout of Caribbean Beach just went and said "what the heck was she thinking?" Barbados was a total mistake - my alternative was Jamaica but I screwed up the request). With faxing room requests, the more specific you are, the less likely you will get what you want. And I've found that the Assignor will take your requests in the order listed. In this case, my two high requests are non smoking and king bed. If that's not available with a water view or in one of the two buildings I asked for, not a problem. I am hoping for the first two out of the four requests.

Rich arranged for the cat sitting. Our cats are such an important part of our family. We are so grateful they allowed us to be adopted by them. Todd is our "king cat". He's been in our lives for about four years. He was already named when he came to live with us but we just pretend to drop off the last "D" in his name and he becomes Tod from "The Fox and the Hound". Gus and Belle are true brother and sister and have been with us since late August. Gus is the little mouse from "Cinderella" and Belle, is well, The Beauty of "Beauty and the Beast". We have this service that will come into the house, take care of the cats, check all security, bring in the mail and newspaper and even make sure your trash is out and the can back in if it's your scheduled trash day. They even write us daily notes on what was going on. And if we don't call them the day we are scheduled back, they make sure they hear from us. Otherwise, they will continue dropping by. Excellent piece of mind.

We agreed on which vehicle to take. We normally take my car but this is a quick trip and we won't need much luggage. Plus, it's springtime and the weather was forecasted for being pretty darn nice. Rich has a 1989 red Corvette convertible. It's a sweet car to drive and to ride around in. I was concerned about the extremely limited storage space but Rich assured me that he could fit everything in there. Now, the big question will be when it comes time to change drivers. Rich babies this car and will probably literally cringe when I get behind the wheel. *If* he lets me behind the wheel.

Day One, Wednesday, March 27, 2002

I went to work as normal except for making sure I could leave at 4:00. Most everyone in the office works until 5:00 so leaving an hour early gets some attention. And I had such a Grr Day at work. Right before lunch, my boss, Matt, comes over to my cube and asks me how my next week looked. I told him my plans and he said my priorities would have to change. We just got back to getting our month closed within ten working days after month end. The powers that be that day decided that wasn't good enough and so now we are pushed up to five working days. So everything that I did in ten days, I have to do in five. Starting on Monday. Thanks Matt for telling me that four hours before I go on vacation. Guess I really do have to enjoy myself since I'll be working overtime all next week (no, I don't get paid overtime either). Disney World, here I come!

I did have a co-worker ask me what we do all the time with our many trips to Disney World. She asked if we ride the rides all the time. I explained that we could go there and not ride one single thing. I told her that for the next day, we pretty much had the day planned and it didn't involve one single ride. There are so many alternatives.

I left at 4:00 and made it home in an hour and saw that Rich had packed the car. We didn't have a lot of spare space and I still had a few items to go in there. The Corvette does not have a trunk. It has this narrow area behind the seats. Somehow, we got in two bags the size of airline carry ons, my laptop, a box of wine (we are such the gourmets), and a few other small, miscellaneous things. I joked about where all the souvenirs were going to go. I don't think we can bring back too many!

We left our house around 5:30 and Rich headed us into the Atlanta traffic. If you are ever in the situation where you have to drive through Atlanta and you're not used to traffic, *do not* drive through here at normal rush hour times. Take any major city and multiply the traffic twice. Maybe three times. I don't even think the Washington, DC traffic is this bad. But Rich said he would handle it. And he did. Fortunately, for most of the time, we were heading towards the city whereas the rest of the commuters were trying to get out of the city. I think 95% of the problems could be dealt with if people would just pick a darn traffic lane and stay in it.

After we cleared the Atlanta area, it was time for my usual nap. Rich is fine until we get to the Macon area and then he needs a break. So I had about an hour. I've never slept in this car before. Thank goodness I am small and could wiggle around and get some shuteye. Rich had to wake me up and tell me he was pulling into a rest area for a break. The Diet Cokes he was drinking went into effect. We took our break and then Rich says he is fine for driving and he'll continue on. Now, I have *never* driven the Corvette while Rich was in the car. Never. I've driven the car but always either on my own or just with our son, Chris. Did I tell you that Rich babies this car? I wonder if the fact that it was dark too had something to do with his decision to continue on? Either way, Rich was the only driver today.

The drive from Macon to Valdosta was utterly and totally boring. My attempt to get the CD player hooked up failed miserably as the tape cassette player ate the adapter. That also killed the radio. Two long, boring hours in silence. We finally pulled into the Days Inn lot at 9:30. Extremely long day for me.

Checked in without any problems. This was the first time I wasn't prepared with the confirmation notice off the internet. I simply forgot to print it out. But the reservation was there for the nice rate of $33.75. I have never had any problems with reserving over the internet. In fact, I think it's better than calling. My main reason for that is my reservations get lost because someone spells the last name incorrectly. I never even pronounce the name anymore - I just spell it and then wait to see if the person on the other end even tries to pronounce it.

We again had good luck with the room. Last one on the end. I love that location. We were near the ice machines but they were on the other side of the building so we didn't hear them at all. Wonderful. We unpacked (I didn't know my husband could twist his body that much to get all this stuff out of the back) and then decided on dinner. It was late and Rich indicated that he would prefer to bring something back to the room and relax. Wendy's it is. Rich did his normal bacon cheeseburger combo and I wanted a baked potato. No potatoes for six minutes (why is Wendy's open late but they don't have food ready?). So I settled for the mandarin chicken salad (total here $9.61). Back to the room for the food and the relaxation. Watched some TV and then went to bed around midnight. I did manage to talk Rich into getting up at 6:30 so I could be assured we'd be at a park by noon. He groaned something about that being three hours before his normal wakeup time. I just replied that was sleeping in to me. This would lead to some Grr Moments the next day.

The Days Inn is actually in Lake Park, a little south of Valdosta. It's at Exit 5 on I75. It's a decent place and for the price, I didn't expect much. And I didn't get it either. The desk staff was very nice and the breakfast the next day was decent. No amenities here at all - not even shampoo in the bathrooms but it was fine for the night.

Life Enhancement Moment - Work to live, don't live to work. I was stressed about the new five day month close but two hours into the trip, I realized I hadn't thought about work the whole time. I'm leaving my work thoughts at the door when I walk out of there every day.

Day Two - Thursday, March 28, 2002

I was awake at 5:00 and really thought about getting up and getting going. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. And we really should have. Maybe the day would have, could have been better. But Rich has been nursing either allergies or a flu or an infection or something. The drive last night was punctuated every minute or so with Rich hacking out a dry cough. His coughing gave me a headache. He's on drugs and I made sure he took the nighttime stuff last night. He was sleeping very soundly so I decided to let him rest and get better. I just laid there thinking about how wonderful the day was going to be. Dreams, only dreams.

The alarm went off at 6:30 and Rich got up and did his morning routine. I made sure everything was packed and then did my morning stuff. Rich packed the car (he has his method and I can't interfere with it). We checked out of the hotel and I grabbed a few things from the breakfast buffet. The regular mini muffins and cinnamon rolls. Rich isn't into that kind of stuff so he just chugged some orange juice. I took mine in a Styrofoam cup along. Rich pulled out of the parking lot very slowly and inched his way down the street to the gas station where we were going to take advantage of Georgia's lower gas prices. I wondered why he was going so slow and then he finally confessed that he was nervous because my orange juice cup wasn't covered and he thought I would spill it! This man and his damn obsession with the car would drive me crazy today. Not a good way to start things out. Once we got to the gas station, I had to finish the OJ just to give him piece of mind. He needed Diet Coke (OK to drink in the car since it has a cap on it when not being in use) but would not let me pump the gas since it was his car. That did not get me in any better of a mood. I had to go into the store and get him his Diet Cokes. I thought I did him a favor and got him the extra big ones. He griped that was too much. Grr, Grr, Grr.

But let's get onto Disney World! Troubles forgotten. I had informed Rich that come hell or high water, I was driving us onto Disney property. That's one of my enjoyments of any vacation here. He said that he would just pull over right before we got to World Drive and then I could drive. No way! The weather today turned out to be perfect. In the 60s and 70s for the drive, and then the low 80s once we got there. We made our traditional stop at Exit 68 in Ocala at the Disney Information Center. I like using the bathrooms here and it's a great place to switch drivers. Which we did.

Another Grr Moment - having to literally watch my husband cringe as I sat in the driver's seat. He realized that he has never sat in the passenger seat in this car. Buddy, that's going to change and shut up about how I drive. I got us down to Kissimmee via the turnpike ($1) and then Route 27 to Highway 192.

I do not like Highway 192 on the west side of Disney World. No matter when I drive it, it's congested or I get every single red light. And I'm driving "the baby". What happens today? A four mile backup. I knew we would be in for *some* traffic since we got there around 10:15 or 10:30. But we sat and sat and sat and sat. At one memorable point, I heard sirens behind us. Where the heck were these two fire trucks going to go? Somehow, everyone managed to move somewhere and let the vehicles through. Fortunately, I had a left turn lane next to me and could move over there. And once the emergency trucks went by, the people behind me wanted to go around the line of cars they just saw move over to the left turn lane! They tried to cut all of us off! In bumper to bumper traffic, they were trying to get ahead. Being the sane, non aggressive driver that I am (NOT!), I quickly switched back to the lane I was in. Oops, I forgot about being in the baby. I forgot about my husband sitting in the passenger seat who was now white as a sheet. I calmed him down as much as I could but now he was in a bad mood too. I think it took us a half hour to go four miles on Highway 192.

I got us to Caribbean Beach without a scratch other than the two of us not being in synch quite yet. I showed the gate guard my confirmation slip and handed him my driver's license for verification. I like the security Disney has put into place. I was let through with no problems. When we checked into the Yacht Club at Thanksgiving, we were given a little more scrutiny. I'm not sure if things are looser (which I hope not) or if that was because people would park at the Yacht Club for access for Epcot and/or MGM. I parked the baby with Rich fretting over where I parked and how I parked. I figured my days of driving the stupid thing were over until the trip back.

The day up until this point hadn't gone very well. Would it get better? I could hope. Into the Custom House to check in. Ugh! *The* longest line I have ever seen to check in. I was tempted to chuck it and just head to Epcot and do this later. I figured, though, that most of these people were checking out so it would go fast. We got in line. It was a little after 11:00. And then I saw this was just the check in line - there was a separate, long line for check out! Yikes! Even Guest Services and the Bus Transportation desks had long lines. Disney - hey, you got a perfectly good moderate resort called Port Orleans French Quarter that could be opened up to handle some of this business (they must have listened - it was announced that the French Quarter would be open starting May 31!). We each took a bathroom break and then just waited our turn.

We were helped within twenty minutes but that's the longest I've ever waited to check in. I thought by waiting until 11:00 which was the checkout time, I wouldn't have a problem. Not so here. Once we were helped, the Cast Member noted all my requests and said that there was a standard room ready now or we could wait and get a water view. I didn't hesitate since I had already planned for the room not to be ready. In fact, I didn't want it to be, I wanted to head to Epcot. So I said we'd wait for the water view. Things are picking up. Then she said that we'd be in Jamaica building 42 and brought out a map. My heart sank as this was not Trinidad South and this was not Barbados. But remember, I screwed up the fax and put in the wrong building. Jamaica was supposed to be my second choice. And that's where they put me. Wonderful! Maybe that line in the fax about wanting a quiet visit did the trick. We were to call back between 3 and 5 for the room number.

A word here about calling back for the room number. Rich was confused (I always handle the room stuff). He thought we had to be back at Caribbean Beach between 3 and 5 to get the number. That's not true. Also, the Cast Member told me to pick up a house phone at Caribbean Beach, call "0" and tell the operator to connect me to the Caribbean Beach front desk and then ask for the room number. I knew that you can use any house phone at any Disney resort, press "0" and get connected anywhere within Disney property. So you can make this call from anywhere at any time. The between 3 and 5 thing is to cover when housekeeping will get the room done. It's just a window. I could have called from All Star at 10 that night and gotten the room number.

Back to the baby. The day is getting better, I might have to start loving my husband again. I handed over the keys and we were off to the Swan. We park here for the convenience to Epcot and MGM. It's a walk to Epcot but we don't mind. We love the Boardwalk area. We got to the International Gateway entrance right around noon. The security check was quick and painless. We are finally here!

I wanted to be at the Canada pavilion no later than 1:00 for the Off Kilter sessions. We had an hour to kill so it was off to walk around World Showcase. We headed first to France so Rich could look at the menu for Chefs de France. I had showed it to him off Deb's site but he was still concerned about the choices. Once he finally saw the thing in person, he was OK with the place. Why doesn't this man ever listen to me about anything relating to Disney World? We picked up a couple of glasses of wine at the outside cart for our walk ($6.50).

A few things we saw on the walk. They have removed the ATM/Internet/Disney reservation kiosks from Germany. Thank goodness. The things never worked and, frankly, the kiosk looked horrible (my opinion only). In its place now is the glass shop that used to be in this little cart. It looks so much better and you can see the glass stuff very well. We did stop and check out champagne glasses. The ones we got on our honeymoon were broken by the cats while we were on our last trip. We think it was in payback for us leaving them for a week. The other thing we noticed is that flamingoes outside of Mexico were gone. We always liked stopping here and watching the birds for a while. Hopefully, nothing happened to them and they will be back.

We made it back to Canada with plenty of time before 1:00. We grabbed the "Barb seats" to the left of the stage. Barb is a local that we met since we come to Off Kilter so much and she's usually here during holidays. We later found out she comes just about every other weekend. We had a couple of beers ($16.75) during our wait. The seats filled up fairly quickly. The day was getting to be kind of hot since the sun was out and there were no clouds. But the umbrellas here helped. Our side of the seating area (which isn't that big) filled up faster since it was more shaded. By 1:30, both sides of the benches and the middle area of concrete (you have to sit on the ground) were filled. Barb surprised us right before show time! We made room on the bench for her (she said she would stand in the back since she was late but the two very nice preteen boys who were sitting with us kindly moved down and we squeezed Barb in). The show did not disappoint. I don't think I've ever been disappointed with an Off Kilter show.

We were to meet Lindy either at this performance or at Chefs de France for lunch. Disney had changed the performance days for Hunchback at Notre Dame and that's Lindy's favorite so I figured she would want to spend as much time at MGM as she could. She wasn't at Off Kilter so after the show, Rich and I went over to France. And there was Lindy! Looking great as always.

I checked us in at Chefs de France and we had just a little bit of a wait. Not much, enough to chat about Lindy's first couple of days and how we fared getting there (I held back a lot of what I wanted to say about the baby - and the car). We were seated in a couple of minutes and I love the inside of Chefs de France. Just enough elegance but not overbearing. I don't think I'd ever eat here for dinner, though. The thought of a grilled ham and cheese for lunch is fine and unpretentious but I would have go a little upscale for dinner. Definitely not for someone who just had Wendy's the night before and thought of having fried rice noodles in the salad was extreme.

Our server was very good and offered to explain the menu choices if we had any questions. I already knew what I wanted. Rich and I both ordered the house white wine and the server suggested a carafe instead. I wanted the wine pairing with my meal but decided to go with the carafe. Lindy ordered a Coke. For the meal, Lindy asked for the grilled ham and cheese sandwich without the ham and more veggies. The server was a little perplexed but, in the end, it turned out nicely. I did the regular grilled ham and cheese and Rich did the ham and cheese quiche. Lots of ham, lots of cheese in there. Once the meal was brought out, I realized that the house white was not going to go with my meal so I asked for the wine paring which was a nice red wine. Brought out right away.

I loved the meal but I don't think we'll be back soon. It didn't fit the "exceptional" category. It's joined the "been there, done that" category. Rich was fine with it and the price was not that bad. $51.60 before tip for the three of us. And that included the carafe of wine and my extra glass.

Lindy joined us back in Canada for the next Off Kilter show. This one was also crowded. Barb joined us and we were on the right side. In the sun. Ugh. It wasn't that the sun was hot or anything but the umbrella and the sun's position over the stage meant it was right in our eyes. Lindy and I crunched down on the seats but Rich and Barb sat on the ground in front of the bench. I did use the opportunity to call the Caribbean Beach for our room number. I didn't even use a house phone. I just called the regular number (which was on my confirmation receipt) on my cell phone. The only reason I had the cell phone was in case Lindy couldn't meet us for lunch. I turned it off during performances. The only people around me when I made the call were Lindy, Barb, and Rich and they all knew what I was doing. We're in room 4225.

Off Kilter did another nice set, sun and all. They are doing a lot more original stuff and I hope that continues. They did feature two young women who did the traditional Irish dancing for one song. Nice touch.

Lindy left to go find her friends to check her into Caribbean Beach and to go back to MGM. Barb left to see the British Invasion (if I were a Beatles fan, I'd probably do the same thing). Rich and I went for a bathroom break and then decided that if we were going to spend all day with Off Kilter, we might as well spend all day in Canada. So we sat and people watched and just had some time together. Barb was back for the third show and for the fourth. We tried to request my favorite, "A Walk in the Irish Rain" but I think it might be off the play list. Oh well, the new stuff is very, very good and I anticipate the release of the third CD this year. The Irish dancers were back for both shows. The guys do visit with Barb after some shows and they did after the last one. I thought this was great and was honored to be kissed and hugged by some of the band members. I am so darn grateful for their music and their stage performances. Sometimes, when you have a low part in your life and someone makes a difference, you will consider them a special moment. Off Kilter does that for me right now.

Somewhere during the last two shows, Rich and I decided that we were tired, tuckered, and pooped. After the last show, we knew we'd just go back to the room, unpack and take some time off. And that's what we did. We walked through the Boardwalk area and it was very crowded. OK, we knew the holiday weekend would be packed and it's true. Lines out of the ESPN Club, lines even out of the Boardwalk pizza window.

We were heading towards the Swan and here comes Lindy. I swear we just run into her while at Disney World. We chatted for a while and she was on her way for Boardwalk entertainment. We warned her about the crowds. She did say that she had parked near us in the Swan lot and that she was primed to turn into an empty spot right next to the baby. But someone came from the other way at the last moment and cut her off. She even had her blinker on to turn in. But the guy didn't care. She parked a little down the way and said that Rich would not be happy with the way the guy parked. Yikes. Bad way to end the day.

We continued on and, my oh my. Rich could open the driver's door but barely. Not a good thing. I was so tempted to write out a note. Something along the lines of "First you cut off someone who was waiting for a parking space and then you are so close to the next car that you're illegally out of the lines". But I refrained. I would have done that same thing if I had a junk heap for a car. We got back to Caribbean Beach to check out our room. Both in bad moods.

We tried to park at Jamaica 42. We tried. We circled. It was dark. Lots of people unloading right at the circle to the buildings. We just wanted to park and find the room. Which we did after a couple of miscues. We finally parked, took some of the little things and went to the room. Aargh. We followed the signs for the room and twisted and turned our way around. I groaned when I saw what I thought was our room. Next to the ice machine? Ugh! But Rich pointed out that we still had one more room to go. One more room. To the left, to the right, no way! No way! I can't believe it! We are on the corner! With a spectacular view! Two windows! This might be *the* best room here! I was in heaven! I know, I know, so much emotion over a room but darn it, I was having a tough time at work, at home, and on this trip. The room sealed everything great about Disney.

We dropped things off at the room and then went back for the rest. After getting everything into the room, we relaxed a little and watched "Friends" (will Rachael and Ross end up together?). Rich didn't remember anything about the stay here back in 1996 so a walk around the grounds was in order. Dumb, dumb move. Lindy had said earlier how she thought our marriage was so perfect. It ain't. Boy, it ain't.

We were both tired. We were both a little sunburned and had a full day. It was not a pleasant walk. Rich - "what's this?" Me - "the pool". Rich - "did we go there last time?" Me - "Yes, once and we didn't like it". Rich - "what's that over there". Me - "Parrot Cay. Remember that we always walked over there and talked to the birds?" Rich - "No." Finally, after I got so into his not remembering, it's Rich - "Oh, didn't we stay there?" as we walked by Aruba. I got so ticked at this so I just kept walking. It was not nice.

We got back to the room and we both wanted to watch "ER". But it was almost an hour away. I did not want to stay in the room because I would go to sleep and never wake up. So I went to the best idea of the trip. I went out to the beach, grabbed a hammock and was by myself for a while. Extremely good idea. Gave us time apart and gave me some think time. I came back in time for the show. Rich wasn't exactly in a great mood but we made up and turned in around midnight.

Kid of the Day - Rich and his stupid baby of a car. I know, I complained about it all day and it didn't set my mood very well during the day. But he loves the thing and it gives him pleasure to drive it. And that should make me happy.

Icing Moment - Off Kilter, definitely. Sprinkle Moment - getting the corner room at Caribbean Beach. Candle Moment - laying in the hammock on the beach and just being by myself after a long, stressful day.

Life Enhancement Moment - The only difference between men and boys is the size and price of their toys. The Baby will be part of our lives for a while so I better just get used to it, right?

Day Three - Friday, March 29, 2002

I usually can sleep in on vacations but this time, I couldn't. I must be getting used to the alarm going off at 5:45 every morning. I worked on the trip report and let Rich continue sleeping in hopes of his flu/allergies going away.

With our walk around Caribbean Beach and the location of the room, I have to say that my opinion of this place has changed immensely. Our room is on the first floor and I thought that would be a problem with people walking by. But not at all since we are fairly secluded. Our view is of the water and we are very near the bridge going over to Trinidad North. I am glad we didn't get Trinidad South since we are far out but that building is even further out. We will get a quiet visit.

The room itself is very bright and pleasant. I know there was a rehab going on here lately and the room is very fresh. We have the king bed and the dominant color is green. I'm not a green person but I like the décor. There's double sinks outside the shower area and - this is nice - a curtain to pull to close off the sink area. Extremely nice for families that want a little privacy in the morning while getting ready. There are three large drawers under the TV and two smaller ones. There's a bench with an extremely large drawer under the seat. Enough storage space, I think.

One negative about the room. It does have a coffee maker. We don't drink coffee. But I pick up the packages that are given out in hotel rooms for Rich's parents. They travel quite a lot and it's easy for them to use these on their trips. There were six packets of coffee here. I thought I hit the mother lode. I grabbed them to take to Bobbie and Ed. And then Rich saw the "Welcome to the Islands" card. Err, Sheri, those coffee packets cost $1.14 each. Oops. Better put them right back where I found them. They also have the refillable mugs in the room for $9.99 each. And ponchos for $4.71 (child) and $5.66 (adult). My warning here is to make sure your kids (or adults) do not open any of these items by mistake. You will be charged for them.

After Rich got up, I opened the curtains and just soaked in the view. I think I was right about this being the best room in the resort. Rich was ready but it was still a little early for us to hit the parks. I continued with the trip report and Rich got caught up with ESPN. Lindy was supposed to call last night with her room number but she hadn't. As I was sitting at the table, here comes Lindy. She had gotten in very late last night and didn't want to take the chance that we were sleeping. She's also in Jamaica, room 4656 on the second floor. She said she got a courtyard view but she's right next to the stairs so she hears everyone clunking up their luggage. Caribbean Beach does not have elevators. Lindy was very impressed with our corner room and the view. She concurred it might be the best room there.

We talked for a while about our plans for the day. Lindy was off to MGM. Rich and I had no idea what we were doing. The only thing I wanted to see was "This is America" which was at the American Gardens Theatre at Epcot. This was not performing on Saturday so we had to see it today. The show times were throughout the afternoon and the last show was at 5:45 so we could do something besides Epcot first. I did give Lindy her gift from us. She collects trolls and we found a very nice shop in Helen, GA that had them. I picked out one for her and give it to her for being such a great friend. I didn't get to say goodbye to Lindy because the phone rang.

What a way to start the day. It was work. With the company's stupid decision to take away Good Friday, there were people who already had plans that couldn't be changed (like me). We have to make sure our tiny accounting department has coverage on all daily functions. At the same time the announcement of Good Friday was made, the person doing the daily invoicing told us she was leaving. I am the backup for invoicing. Another person was trained in the last two weeks but, guess what. She also had unchangeable plans for today. Of course, I wanted to train my boss to do this but he waited until Wednesday to even sit five minutes with me. He was lost and needed help. I am a visual person and it was hard to get him through all the steps and all the screens without having the software in front of me. Definitely a Grr Moment but I am so glad I left all my phone numbers with work.

After that, I got myself ready and decided that I would wait an hour and then call work back and make sure people had what they needed. Rich and I took another walk around the grounds (much more pleasant mood than last night). We hadn't walked through Parrot Cay so that was our destination to see the birds. Said birds are now replaced with benches. It is a nice area but we nature lovers liked to talk to the birds and they liked to talk to us. We were a little disappointed but figure the birds are living their lives somewhere else. We came back to the room and I called work and found out everything was taken care of. Now I could enjoy the day.

We settled on a plan of going to MGM first and then Epcot for the show after. We parked at the Swan again and took the walkway to MGM. A word about the walkway. There is a path on the Swan side of the canal. However, that one ends and you have to go up and over the canal using Buena Vista Drive. Then you come back down on the Boardwalk side and continue on. The true walkway to MGM starts at the Boardwalk. We used the Swan one first since we parked close to the canal.

Security was a breeze again since we paid attention to the lines and picked a very short one. Same thing with the turn styles. Use any turnstile with a green arrow. No need to wait in a line if you don't have to. Our plan was to check out the standby times for Rock N Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone. Rich said he's done Twilight Zone so many times that it wasn't a high priority for him. Both of these attractions however, had a 60 minute wait. We checked out the times at the wait board instead of going down Sunset Boulevard. Our main priority here was Fastpasses for Who Wants to be a Millionaire. We really like this show. The Fastpasses had a return time of 1:25-1:35. I think it was around 12:30 or so.

We had an hour to kill so we walked around to see if we could get onto anything else standby. We went by the Hunchback stage and Lindy was there. We chatted for a while and Lindy introduced her friend, Kelsey. Lindy also made mention that Rich and I had both had on Eeyore shirts. Rich is Eeyore so he has many of this character's shirts. I have one. Which I managed to wear so we looked like twins or something. Definitely not planned. We remarked that we didn't expect to see very much since we figured the park would be crowded. We were right. After leaving Lindy, we saw the very long queue for Muppets. We usually walk right into this one. Star Tours had a line out the door. We've seen that one enough. Sounds Dangerous was next and the queue looked reasonable. So we went to Rich's favorite attraction. I wish they would update their trivia here. What's the sense of asking a question about "Sports Night" when you cancelled the show two seasons ago? Anyway, into the show where there were some great reactions of first timers. And no little kids who didn't get what was going on.

It was a little before 1:00 and Rich announces that he needs something to eat. Aargh! Our Fastpass is for 1:25 and there is very little window for the shows. We hustled back to the Soundstage Catering Company for our usual beer and pretzel combo. Somehow, we managed to finish everything in fifteen minutes. Cost is $6.95 - a nice lunch for the two of us. Onto Millionaire.

We knew we would be reverted back to "commoners". On the last trip, we were picked to sit in the Fastest Finger Seats. These are the ten seats on the floor to make the stage look like the real thing. You don't get any advantages except your own video monitor and early entrance. But it sure was a cool thing. We were herded into the seating area after a brief wait in the waiting area. Enhanced by all these little kids incorrectly guessing the answers on the videos. Loudly. I think the thing that gets me about some of the kids and some of the adults is their expectation that they will end up in the hot seat. Your chances are 1 in 600 or so. Rich and I both agree - we don't want to be in that hot seat. We go to the show for the fun.

We are seated and in front of three kids and their male adult companion. Who didn't follow instructions and move all the way down the row. Honestly, what is the big deal about this? Every seat has a great view. The Cast Member came and made them move down behind us. Sitting to my right was a guy and his almost teenage son. Rich was to my left. Why do I give you all this information? Because with this show, you are not supposed to say the answer. All three kids were not quiet with their sharing of information. Neither was the guy to my right. It's one thing to whisper to your neighbor but another to say your thoughts as loud as these people were. Rich, who is one of the smartest people I know, kept his mouth shut (although he nudged me during a question on coin collecting - but I already knew that answer). About the only thing that gave me comfort was most of the time, the answers the others were saying were wrong.

The guy for the hot seat was kind of nervous and we figured he'd be out of there fairly early since he used a lifeline on the 500 point question. By the time he was up to 5,000 all three lifelines were gone. So he didn't last very long. The leaders were posted and the almost teenage son was listed. I knew that was because his dad had given him the answers. Rich and I were no where to be found. The person with the most points was to be in the hot seat next. But that person declined. So we got the second person on the list. All of the audience scores were set back to zero.

This guy was a West Point cadet which earned him some well deserved applause. The host asked Dan who he was here with. Dan said some other cadets on spring break but he didn't even know if they were in the audience. Dan said they wanted to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid instead! I thought that was extremely funny. Dan did very well and surprisingly, I knew every single one of the questions! I did guess on what a flock of finches was called. It's a charm in case you ever need to know that. After the 1,000 round, the audience leaders are shown. I was number three! Yikes Dan, you better continue on because I ain't going in the hot seat. Dan did go on and so did I. Up to the 32,000 level. The last question of the day (thank goodness) was "What did Walt Disney sell in order to finance a trip to New York". I couldn't believe it. Just a few weeks earlier, this was on the trivia I get via email! I got it wrong then but I sure wasn't going to now. His camera! Up popped the answer, I pressed the button. The idiot guy to my right picked and said newspaper. Wrong! I know because that's what I picked in the trivia. Poor Dan got it wrong too. But time was up. They show you your final scores and yikes! Glad that buzzer went off. I was number two! At least that was enough for the almost teenage boy to loudly say "hey lady, you're up there" and having the three boys behind look at me like I was a god or something. It's just a game. I do have to admit that it does give me pleasure at being on the leader board and my husband never being on it. He's a lot smarter than I am but I know more about these kinds of trivial questions.

We figured our day at MGM was over since it was crowded. But on the way out, I saw Walt Disney: One Man's Dream was just letting people pour into it. I had seen this in January but Rich hadn't. So I pulled him into it. The displays here are very nice and the Cast Members are extremely knowledgeable. In the display section, you can take as much time as you want. We were kind of bunched up so Rich and I lagged behind and let everyone filter through. At the end, there is a 15 minute movie presentation. Most of the people headed right for that. Rich and I held back and waited for the next show while taking in the displays. I really wish this attraction would stay after the 100 Years of Magic Celebration. But I hear it's going away. Too bad. It's a nice tribute to the man that started it all.

After this, we headed for the exit and Epcot. On the way out, we were thoroughly embarrassed by a Cast Member leading a group towards us. It was the damn Eeyore shirts. She pointed at us and loudly said "look it's the Eeyores!" Rich said that we have to check and make sure we don't wear the same character on the same day ever again. The shirt were quite different and we never noticed we were "twins".

We used the walkway back to the Boardwalk and over to Epcot. It is a long walk but we're used to it. And the line for the boat was very long and there wasn't a boat in sight. The Boardwalk was fairly crowded for a Friday afternoon so we knew the holiday crowds had arrived. Security at the International Gateway is almost never busy and that was the case again. I only had my fanny pack which I removed and unzipped as we approached the guards. The one guard just laughed and said "you're making this way too easy". I told him anything I could do to make his job easier was fine with me.

We were aiming for the 4:30 show of "This is America". I wasn't sure if they would queue us like they did with "Blast" or if they would allow us early entry into the theatre. We had about an hour to show time. I asked Rich which way he wanted to walk and he said through Canada so I could salute the empty Off Kilter stage. Which I did with a mega beer (32 oz). Rich had one too (it was a hot day) - total $20. We did our walk around World Showcase and had to stop when the drawbridge went up for the Illuminations floats to come out. We made it to the theatre about 4:00 so we grabbed some seats in the shade and waited for the show. We were about six rows back, on the middle aisle, and had a totally unobstructed view of the stage.

What can I say about the show? Disney, please, please, please, bring this back as many times as you can. It belongs in America. You can have the Flower Power and Blast (which I am thrilled is coming back) but put this show on in between everything else. It started out with the Fife and Drum Corps performing right outside the theatre. They asked all the kids to join them for the Pledge of Allegiance. The kids ran up there and I was so proud that all the adults in the theatre stood up and recited right along with them. Then the Corps marched down the middle aisle of the theatre right next to us.

The Corps went onto the stage and did the anthems of each of our military branches. They asked that as an anthem played, for members and veterans of that service to stand and be recognized. Rich served in the Air Force for 12 years. I nudged him and said he had to stand. He didn't want to. But once they started to play and we saw all these veterans so proudly stand and get the recognition they so richly deserve, I started to lose it. Rich stood when the Air Force anthem was played. I think I even saw a smile on his face.

Then the Voices of Liberty joined the Fife and Drum Corps and asked everyone to stand for the playing of our National Anthem. And I don't think my tears stopped until the end of the show. Voices of Liberty did a tribute to George M. Cohen which was very nice. American Vybe came out and saluted Duke Ellington. And then they did the patriotic songs like "America the Beautiful". Voices of Liberty joined them for the last song. The one that always gets me going and it sure did today. "God Bless America". I didn't even try and hide the tears with this one. Rich usually makes fun of my over sentimentality but he didn't this time. I think even he was moved by the tribute to our country. I have always been a very patriotic person and the last year has been a rough one for our country. It's been a true test of our strength and togetherness and I'm so proud we came through it. And I silently thanked all the other people of all the other countries for helping us get past the bad times.

I wiped my eyes and got myself under control. We decided to visit Future World with a few specific things to do. But on the way, Rich wanted to watch the British Invasion. I am not a Beatles fan at all. Sorry to all of you who are. I just got overdosed on them during my one year of living with two totally obsessed fans. And that was the year John Lennon died so I won't even go into their vigil they had and the mourning clothes they wore. Anyway, it's just not my type of music. But the guys did a nice job and they helped by playing one of my favorite Beatles tunes (if I have one) - "Hey Jude". Rich and I compared British Invasion to Off Kilter and why we like one a lot better than the other one. And we didn't compare the music, just the groups. British Invasion is very good but they just sing. Off Kilter does a show. We feel Off Kilter has more of a personality. That's why we always listen to British Invasion but this is the first time we actually went back to the courtyard to see them. Again, just an opinion.

We continued walking to Future World and first up was the Living Seas. My stepmother had listened to a CD there in January that was the sounds of the ocean with classical music being played in the background. They didn't have it in stock then so she asked if I could look for it. Rich grumbled a little about having to go through everything just to get to the Gift Shop. What I did was highly unethical and wrong and don't try this at home. We went through the exit. I didn't really want to do it but we ended up being there just as the doors opened and a couple of groups came out. Rich was mortified. He is such a purist. We did see the CD display and heard what Betty wanted but, again, not in stock. Betty, we'll try in May. Back out where the trip in the hydrolator took a lot longer with the effects. The kids in the car thought we were going back up. I love it when the magic is still there.

Next up was the new Annual Passholder lounge at the Land. Wow! A person could get spoiled here! Extremely nice and comfortable furniture. A TV. A reading area. A kid's play area. One lady was laying on the couch, taking a nap. Free soda. The lounge overlooks the Living With the Land ride but the glass is tinted so you have to go right up to it to see anything. This place is very quiet so it makes for a nice break in the day if you need it. You do have to show your Annual Pass at the podium at the Garden Grill restaurant and they tell you the "secret" of how to get to the lounge. Once you are there, you have to show your pass again and sign in. It's a very nice place but I don't think I'd necessarily go out of my way just to get a free cup of Coke.

After our break, Rich decided that he wanted some real food. We had had only a half pretzel each so far. He suggested pizza, of course. I brought up the Boardwalk pizza which I love. We had to go back through the Boardwalk for the car anyway. And we needed to make an offsite grocery run. But, like last night, there were lines for the ESPN Club and the pizza window. Let's continue on. Which led to a Grr Moment. Rich just cannot make a decision about where to eat. It's his version of the Niklewski Restaurant Dance. We had a big discussion about our options. Which were the pizza window here, an offsite place called Pizza World we discovered on our last trip, or ordering a pizza from the room. Damn man wouldn't decide on anything. The pizza window was obviously out with the long line. Rich went back and forth with Pizza World since it's on the west side of I4 and the Publix we normally go to is on the east side. Then he did a total switch and said maybe we should just go to a restaurant that I would like. I just about hit him then.

I finally got it out of him that all he really wanted to do was to go back to the room, take off his shoes, and unwind. The flu/allergies were getting to him and he was tired. But he knew that I like to eat out when I'm on vacation so he wanted to make sure I was OK with not doing that. Points given for thinking about my needs but points taken away for not communicating what he wanted. Even with two people, communication is a key factor in having a good trip.

Once we got our issues dealt with, it was a quick offsite run to Publix. We saw that the new Gaylord Palms is open and doing a high volume of business. This is a place right outside Disney property and is absolutely huge. It's on Osceola Parkway and International Drive. Since the Publix we like to use is on International Drive and the Osceola Parkway is a great alternative to Highway 192 on the east side, we've seen this building go through it's many stages of development. It looks impressive but I don't think I'd really want to stay there. It's way, way too big. Caribbean Beach might have a lot of rooms, but the buildings aren't that big. Gaylord Palms is just one huge building. If I did stay there, I might have to leave bread crumbs to find my way back out!

Back to Caribbean Beach where I made Rich order the pizza. He's such a simple man. Pepperoni only. Since we have pizza so much at our house, I occasionally opt for a sandwich instead. Which I did this time. A chicken salad sub. Prices aren't that bad. About $16 for a 16" one topping pizza. $5.50 for the sub. There is a limited room service here. Other options were breadsticks, sandwiches (veggie or turkey wrap, chicken salad or tuna salad), and salads (chef, chicken Caesar or tossed). And a couple of desserts. The 15% gratuity is added and there is a $1 delivery charge. But not bad if you want to relax in the room.

And that's what we did for the rest of the night. It was a struggle for me to stay awake until "Law & Order Special Victims Unit" came on but I did. The food came in about 45 minutes and I love that they give you plenty of plates and utensils. Of course, they thought more than one person was going to have the pizza! And my chicken salad sub was possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. Rich saw me chowing down on it and made a comment like it must be good. It was wonderful. I crashed right after "SVU". Getting up early while on vacation is a rarity for me and it was showing. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow.

Kid of the Day - the kids in the hydrolators at the Living Seas. And the lady that was contentedly taking a nap in the Pass Holder's lounge.

Icing Moment - no question about it. Don't even have to think about it. It's not an Icing Moment. Goes right to the top as a Candle Moment. "This is America". Even as I type this the next morning, I get teary. Please bring this back. I know you can see each of the three acts separately at the American pavilion but to get them all together and put on a half hour show dedicated to our country is simply wonderful. A great example of Disney entertainment at its finest. One of the reasons we keep coming back.

Life Enhancement Moment - Marriage is a combination of love, affection, friendship, loyalty, compromise, respect and most importantly, communication. You're extremely lucky if you get everything in one day. Sometimes just one of those is enough. If you hit them all, wow. We got some of those today and yesterday but just not all at the same time. We went on.

Day Four - Saturday, March 30, 2002

Did I get to sleep in? Nope. The body clock is a little, well, off kilter. So up at 7:15 and worked on the trip report. Rich was able to catch quite a few more zzz's. He claims that he just lays there and listens to me tapping away. Hum, then why was there some distinct snoozing noises coming from the bed? He got up around 9:30. I enjoyed the view again after he was ready to go. It really is a nice room, did I say that yet?

We both dawdled in the room until after 11:00. We again had no firm plans but we hadn't gone to Animal Kingdom yet so we headed there. Rich drove and attempted the parking lot trick. Not to be this morning. There wasn't a permanent guard there but a groundskeeper that kindly asked us to use the Peacock lot instead. Not a problem, so sorry. We saw a lot of cars being asked to turn around and use the regular lot. This guy was not here when we left. We think we just happened to be there at the wrong time. Our space was just a few rows out from where we would have parked anyway so not a problem.

We anticipated higher crowds and long waits and we were right. Again, security was not an issue at all. So far, we hadn't encountered anymore than a wait of a couple of people in front of us. I always had my fanny pack off and opened. Sped things up quite a bit. I think everyone is understanding the system and are more prepared. Disney needs the security in these times and they are handling the situation as best as they can.

Even after four years, Rich still has a problem navigating around Animal Kingdom. I usually try and make him play tour guide so he can gradually know the layout of the park. When we were here in January (a memorable visit when it rained so hard, it came down sideways), the only thing we didn't do was Kali River Rapids (go figure). So we headed back there for a Fastpass. Rich asked if I was prepared to get wet. I said yes but I was *not* going to. I have a history here of getting absolutely soaked. The Fastpass machines were mobbed, as expected. I don't know why but I think these Fastpass machines are the worst in any of the parks, except for maybe the ones at Splash Mountain. Think it has anything to do with the fact that you get wet?

The return time was between 1 and 2 (it had been between 12:55 and 1:55 when we entered the line, leading Rich to joke about Disney cheating us out of five minutes. This is in reference to when two ladies at the Jungle Cruise got Fastpasses and their return time differed by five minutes. They complained to the Cast Member there and he just put his hands on his face and exclaimed, "five whole minutes, five whole minutes!" It was very funny.) so we had over an hour to kill. Flights of Wonder was starting at noon so we went over there for one of our favorite shows.

We walked right in about five minutes before show time and experienced Disney herding mentality. We have seen this show numerous times and have always entered at the last minute and have always gone to the left and found seats just a few rows back from the stage. However, the Cast Member was directing everyone over to the right. The left had plenty of seats. We followed the directions and went to the right. And then headed towards the stage and used the walkway in front of the stage to simply go back over to the left side. Where we found perfect seats behind two little girls. Even right before the show was going to start, the Cast Member was still directing traffic to the right while the left side had a ton of seats.

We had a male host which was a first and we had a different Guano Joe. But the show was wonderful as always. Except for the biggest, baddest Grr Moment I will ever experience at Disney World. I think 99.9% of people would agree with me. We were about halfway into the show and the host was explaining how endangered the African Crown Crane is. Very valuable lesson. This woman behind me had her freaking cell phone go off! OK, you forgot to turn it off so just hit the "off" button now and we'll go on. Her husband said "ohmygod, turn it off". So the woman takes the cell phone and hits the, yep you got it, "talk" button and proceeds to have this conversation while the show is going on! And she wasn't quiet about it either. Fine, tell the person you are at a show and you'll call them back later. Nope, she has to explain where she is. The three kids sitting to my right were a little aggravated and I don't blame them. I was close to exploding. The husband said "please turn that thing off" so I knew he was a little irritated with his own wife. The woman kept talking and was actually starting to give the callee directions on how to get to Flights of Wonder. I think they were at the Tree of Life. That did it. If the woman wasn't listening to her husband, maybe she'd listen to a stranger. I turned around and said "would you *please* turn that thing off?" I said it as loudly as she was talking. The kids next to me looked grateful and the husband said "yes, turn it off *now*." She finally did much to the relief of everyone around her.

I had a cell phone with me today. It is a great tool for keeping in touch with the rest of your party if you split up or want to meet later. The reason I had mine today was we were trying to get in touch with Lindy to meet later in the evening. I usually will leave the phone in the room. If I do carry it, it gets turned off before I enter any queue line and certainly before any show. I had it Thursday during Off Kilter but it stayed off. Please, if you have to take a cell phone, be considerate of those around you and the Cast Members that work so hard to put on the show. Pretty soon, Disney will have to make announcements about "no eating, drinking, smoking, flash photography, videotaping, and please turn off your cell phones". Things we should do anyway in a polite society. Rant off. Oh, and one more rant. The woman never apologized even after the show. Not even to her husband.

After the wonderful show, except for the cell phone thing, I asked Rich if he was hungry. He said no and I just laughed and said we certainly were not in synch for this trip at all. But we compromised on a couple of beers and a pretzel to take into the Flame Tree BBQ seating area. I love that Flame Tree is back open and doing an extremely heavy volume of business. We got our beers and, we thought, a pretzel at a cart across from the seating area. But when we went to pick up our food, the Cast Member there said we only had two beers on the receipt and that's all she was going to give us. The line for the pretzels had grown quite a bit so we had to go back and stand in it again. I was a little ticked because I thought the Cast Member should have walked the two paces back to the person taking the orders and asked her if we had indeed ordered a pretzel and it just didn't get on the receipt. In retrospect, the total was a little low but Rich had been joking with the order taker because she asked if we had a penny since the total was $9.01. Rich said he'd trade her a cough drop instead. So we stood there and the order taker remembered us and said that she probably forgot to punch in the pretzel. Not a problem, we'll pay for it. The order taker herself got us the pretzel. Good thing because I might have said something to the other Cast Member.

We found a nice table in the Flame Tree seating area and sipped the drinks, ate the pretzel and did some people watching. When we had arrived at the turnstile entrance to the park, this lady was feeding her kids' passes through the machines. Then she would shove one of the kids through the turnstile. These kids were teenagers and we couldn't figure out why they couldn't do this themselves. The kids weren't quick enough sometimes and the lady was quite nasty with them. I figured it would be a long day for her and the kids. Guess who was sitting at the next table? The lady didn't look like she was having any better of a day. She'll probably go home and tell everyone that Animal Kingdom was horrible. It's all what you put into it.

Rich and I talked about what else we wanted to do here. We pretty much covered everything with his parents in January. I kind of wanted to do Dinosaur again and Rich said that the one thing he didn't want to do was, yep, Dinosaur. We really were out of synch! I asked if we could just go back to Dinoland so I could check out the new attractions. The Triceratops thing was open in January but not the Primeval Twirl. So we headed back over there shortly after 1. We had entered our window for Kali and could get another Fastpass if we wanted. Rich said he'd do Dinosaur but I decided to defer to him since he had been a pretty good sport about everything up to now. We approached the new area in Dinoland and I held back the things I was thinking about it since I didn't want to influence Rich and I thought maybe I was being too harsh. Well, Rich and I are in synch with some things. He said the exact words I was thinking. "It looks like a freaking carnival." It's bright and bold and totally the opposite of the Dinoland Institute building. We were both disappointed. One of the things I liked about Dinoland is that it felt like you were going back in time. Now it looks like something out of Roller Coaster Tycoon. Even the sounds are like the canned stuff in Roller Coaster Tycoon. I guess my biggest disappointment was that these two attractions are not going to teach anyone anything. Sure, the area needed some diversions for the kids and that's just exactly what this is going to do. But couldn't it have been a little more subtle? The only thing we'll visit Dinoland for is Dinosaur. We'll leave all the other stuff alone.

OK, let's recap our visit so far. Cell phone rant, Cast Member not willing to help out a guest, tacky new attractions (in our opinion) in Dinoland. One thing about being at Disney World. Your day can take a whole new direction.

We went back to Asia and turned in our Fastpasses for Kali. We were kind of in the middle of the line and realized that there was a party of 12 surrounding us. Some of that party pointed out that the rafts seat 12 so it was perfect. We made sure their party stayed together in the line. The group ahead of us had a very small girl who had to be measured and she just barely made it. She had to wear a yellow wristband to prove she was measured. We had a little bit of a queue line but we moved fairly quickly. The standby people didn't appreciate how fast our line was moving in comparison to theirs. Once we got to the rafts, we had a huge mix-up. There were two boys in front of the family with the little girl. However, the family was taken first because they had a "special needs child". Who was the girl since she had a yellow armband. OK, whatever, board them and make sure the girl is securely buckled in. That left the two boys and us next. We were sent to a raft and told to move in. Which we did. Then it was the party of 12. Of course, they were sent to their own raft. The seaters never sent any other people to our raft. It was just the four of us crammed on one side of the raft! So you can guess what happened. Remember, I said I would *not* get wet. Ha! All the weight was on one side! We got drenched. And the elephant shooters did a nice job at the end. My streak of slogging off this ride continues.

I was a little mean and reminded Rich that now the seats in the Corvette would get wet. He moaned. Quite frankly, I thought he'd make me stay there until I was completely dry! We were soaked and decided to do the Jungle Trek to dry off a little. It didn't matter one bit in my case. We saw the Komodo Dragon who looked like a log. In fact, some people didn't even see him and he was in view. I see how animals can camouflage themselves in the wild. The tigers were out and about. One was laying down but sleeping with his head up. Exactly like Todd. We continued on and got a great view of three tigers in various poses. They looked just like Todd, Gus, and Belle. We miss those guys.

I did hear one of the funniest things on the walk. Two little girls. First girl says "we're in Africa". I was going to correct her and say we were in Asia but thought, what the heck, she's just a little girl, let her have an imagination. Second girl says "no we're not". OK, correct her. Second girl finishes with "we're in Floor-rid-daa". First girl "feels like Africa to me". Just cracked me up. Rich and I will forever more pronounce this state "Floor-rid-daa".

After the Trek, I asked Rich to lead us out going the longer way around Africa so we could dry out more. He got us over there and then his navigation skills broke down. He started heading towards the Safari. Then he looked up and saw the sign for the Exit and corrected himself. He didn't think I noticed but I did. One of these days, he'll get this park down. Chris' anteater was not out so we missed the guy yet again. We had seen him in January with Chris, though.

We headed back to the car and I asked Rich if he would mind if we took a detour back to the room so I could attempt to change clothes. I had brought the minimum with me with the small luggage space but I thought I could put together some dry things. He said gladly and we went back to Caribbean Beach. I had just changed when the housekeeper knocked. So we sat off to the side while she did her thing. Rich asked her just to make the bed and not do the full blown changing of the sheets. I really don't like when hotels do that every day. We did have a pretty interesting conversation with the housekeeper since she spoke extremely broken English. At one point, she asked something about Jamaica. We said we never stayed here before but we stayed in Aruba. Meaning the Caribbean Beach building. What the woman was trying to ask was if we had ever been to the real islands! We realized that much later. She asked if we didn't have kids. I said no, ours is all grown up. How I understood what she asked is beyond me. She said she was working six days a week. Rich thought she was talking about sick days. It was really funny afterwards when Rich and I compared our impressions of what we were talking about!

We decided to go to Epcot yet again. I attempted to call Lindy on her cell phone to let her know our plans. I also left a message in her room. Somehow, Lindy and I had talked Rich into staying for the first show of Off Kilter the next day. If we could get into Epcot. We weren't sure about the Easter crowds. And we were going to try and meet with Lindy that evening for a special Boardwalk treat. Messages left, we went to Epcot and parked at the Swan again. I love that place and look forward to staying there in May.

I asked Rich if I could buy a couple of souvenirs. He kind of rolled his eyes and reminded me of the small luggage space. I said that Lindy's present was gone and I could use that space. I really wanted to get the champagne glasses in Germany but at $20.50/each, it was not going to be in the budget this trip. I think I'll switch to a cheaper brand of cat food to get the replacements. Silly cats. Speaking of cats, one of my items I wanted to get was a Lucky Cat in Japan. That was our first stop. I wanted a silver one for patience because I could use some help in that area. No silver Lucky Cats. OK, onto America where I just have to get something. We are in the process of getting our basement turned into a rec area and I plan to have it decorated in red, white and blue. Rich didn't know that until now. Oops. Well, the agreement is that the outside of the house is his, the computer room is his, and the rest is mine. So what did I get to show my patriotism? A pair of red, white, blue, and metallic boxer shorts (Rich says they look like a Mylar balloon). Cost of $16.50. Rich practically died from laughter but I must say they look wonderful. In fact, while I was standing in line to pay, an Asian guy came up and asked me where I found the shorts. While I was checking out, he and his son were behind me with a pair! At the counter, I added a stars and stripes Mickey Mouse antenna ball for $3.

We continue our walk and ended up in Germany where we got a couple of beers and decided to sit for a while. Germany is one of our favorite pavilions. It was around 5:30 and I thought the idea of a nice sit down meal was in order. I had wanted to stay for Tapestry of Dreams and Illuminations but I didn't think it would work out. I asked Rich about a real meal, knowing we would be on fast food the next day for the trip home. He said "how are you going to do that?" I said "trust me." We sat and looked around at all the countries. Germany? No, too much meat. Japan? Hum, a possibility but I knew we'd be seated with six other people and that didn't appeal to me (come to think of it, that would have been the case with Germany too). China? Nah. I'd rather do the fast food there. Norway? No, a little too out of the ordinary for us. Morocco? We've eaten here before and it's nice but I wasn't in the mood for the food. Garden Grill at the Land? No, characters. Coral Reef? Way overpriced for the food. That left Le Cellier and Rose & Crown. We had a fantastic meal at Le Cellier after our wedding renewal ceremony in January so I didn't want to try and duplicate that. So Rose & Crown it is. Rich just laughed and said I'd never be able to pull it off. Out came the cell phone (we were on a bench in private at the time).

I called 407-WDWDINE. I asked the Cast Member about getting into the Rose & Crown that night for two adults. She kind of laughed and said "you're already at Epcot, aren't you?" I don't know how she knew that, maybe by the background sounds (we were in Germany and that has some distinct music). I said yes, across the Lagoon from the restaurant. She said she had a 5:45, a 6:00, a 6:10, and then a 6:45. I chose the 6:10 seating. The Cast Member warned me that she could not guarantee any given table. I took that to mean the requests for the outdoor seating for Tapestry of Nations and Illuminations are getting more popular. I said I didn't really care where we sat. With the seating now in hand, Rich and I strolled over to the Rose & Crown. It was 6:00 when we arrived and we were seated right away. Outside with a nice view of the lagoon. I had to act smug to Rich and brag that he didn't think I could do this and look what happened. On the Saturday night before Easter. At a prime dinner time. Oh, this day is getting better and better and better. Could it get any better? Is this Disney World or what?

Our server was wonderful and attentive even though she was dealing with a party of twenty at five tables next to us. With three huge strollers parked along the aisle. It was difficult for any server to get through there. Rich and I think that maybe Disney World should request that the strollers be parked outside restaurants. I know that it's hard to deal with infants without one and I guess that's fine. But these strollers were for kids four and five years old. Can't they walk into the restaurant on their own? We ignored the large party and placed our order. We had eaten at the Rose & Crown twice before so we were familiar with the menu. Rich did the fish & chips since he said it's the best fish & chips he's ever eaten. He says it's not greasy and it doesn't taste like fish at all. I am not a fish eater so that's not an option for me. I was torn between the half chicken and the prime rib. I went with the chicken. Rich had a pint of something and I had nice American Berringer white wine.

My, oh, my, oh, my. I do believe I inhaled this food. It was a wonderful meal. Rich was totally impressed with his fish. It was a great, great meal. The chicken was extremely moist and tender. I think it melted in my mouth. And it was capped off by the party of twenty packing up the strollers and moving on out. Our server cleared our now empty plates away and asked if we wanted a dessert menu. Rich rolled his eyes. He knew that if I demolished my plate, I was unstoppable. And I was. Could I have that mousse thing please? Oh, and please bring two spoons. Well, the server could have saved herself the trouble because I think Rich might have gotten a sniff or two of the dessert. I could barely move after the meal but I somehow managed to waddle out of there (cost of $46 before tip). I think maybe there was a forklift involved to get me out!

Oh, I was stuffed and ready to call it a Disney vacation. I was checking my cell phone for messages from Lindy but we didn't have any. We decided to go out to the Boardwalk and see if we could find her. I had to make a bathroom break on the way. Rich waited outside and here's where our special Boardwalk activity came into play. You can now "hire" Randy, Lindy's favorite juggler, to drive you around the Epcot resort area on a pedicab. It's not part of the surrey bike rental place, it's separate. Randy will just drive around and pick up "fares". While Rich was waiting for me, Randy came down towards the International Gateway. Surrey bikes are not allowed down here and we later found out that the pedicabs are. One of their services is to take guests from the Gateway to any Epcot resort. They will also do resort to resort or a grand tour once around Crescent Lake. That's what we wanted to do with Lindy. Unfortunately, the service is new and Randy got chased away since a Cast Member thought this was a surrey bike.

Rich told me what happened and I chastised him for not getting Randy's attention so we could "hire" him. We continued on to the Boardwalk, hoping to meet up with Lindy. We stopped at the surrey bike rental place and talked about what to do. I was still stuffed and wasn't sure if I wanted to head back for Tapestry and Illuminations. We walked a little back to the Swan. BTW - the Boardwalk was doing a very good business this evening. Lots of surrey bikes going out. Lots of entertainment. Lots of people. The thought of (1) finding Randy or (2) finding Lindy were extreme. Wait, here comes a pedicab. It's Randy! Without passengers. We hailed him down and he said we would be his first customers of the night. The pedicabs seat two so be prepared for that. We opted for the complete tour of Crescent Lake for $14.

The trip was wonderful. It was so great to be a little pampered. We had a few comments directed about having it easy. And I have to say that those two "little" hills around Crescent Lake must be horrible to get those bikes up there! Randy is in great shape and he struggled. We had a great conversation with Randy on the ride. We joked about how the Friendship Boat captains will make fun of the surrey bikers if they have to get out and walk the bikes up. Rich and I told Randy that we caught his juggling act in January when it was so cold and that my mother-in-law was so impressed with him. He actually remembered when he did the show "for us" and juggled while he balanced Rich's beer on his forehead. And he remembered Lindy! We said we were trying to hook up with her but figured it was an impossibility with the crowds. We came back to where Randy had picked us up, which was near the surrey bike place. And who should be there? Lindy!

We called to her and Rich disembarked and I talked Lindy into taking a ride with me. We way over tipped Randy but it was so worth it. And then Lindy and I went for a ride around Crescent Lake. It was such a nice, nice unplanned event. It just happened. Yes, we thought we wanted to do this but we never connected during the day and said "let's meet at 6:00 and take a ride with Randy". Sometimes you go with the flow and it works. Again, we over tipped Randy and it was a onetime thing. However, it was a great time, Randy is a wonderful guy, and the three of us had such a special time. Was that the end of this day? Heck no! Let's go back for Tapestry of Dreams and Illuminations. And we did.

Lindy had said that she watched Tapestry the other night and she had tears in her eyes. Oh, I can relate. We were heading towards Germany which is our favorite spot to watch both presentations. We were a little late for Tapestry and only made it to Italy where we stopped and enjoyed the parade. Lindy and I flanked Rich and both of us were getting into the music. Rich can take or leave the parade. But he enjoyed it with us. After the parade, we continued on. And then it hit both Lindy and I. The new Annual Pass section in Italy for Illuminations viewing! We made Rich go up to the rope and all he said was "AP?" and we were let in. All of us have Annual Passes so not a problem at all. We went over to the right side and sat along the railing. We visited before the start of the show. It did get a little crowded but not bad. We were behind a family of four who were also sitting down. About five minutes before the show, we stood up. We expected everyone to do the same thing and go towards the front railing. I guess the Dad of the family thought the same thing because he then stood up. We were prepared to just stay where we were and see what we could. However, the other three members of the family stayed seated. Fine. Except Dad was at least 6'6" tall. It was like having a tree just grow right in front of you. There was no reason for him to stand up. Lindy and Rich moved over to the left and could see fine. I stood up on the railing cement holder and was fine. In fact, everyone was very polite about making sure everyone could see. Except the Tree. The man could have stood at the very back and been able to see everything. He could have remained seated and seen everything. He could have knelt and still blocked my view (I'm 5'1"). But everything was fine and we all enjoyed the show. Tree redeemed himself with a lot of wows and applause.

The show was wonderful and it was enhanced by having the Magic Kingdom fireworks going off at the same time so we could see them in the background. What an experience. To have such a spectacular night with my husband and a very nice friend. We got to do so much, enjoy so much, and just be here.

Lindy, Rich, and I walked back to the Swan and got our cars. Lindy's rental is an upgrade and she's very happy with it. The Baby was fine and Rich drove it back to Caribbean Beach. I attempted to stay up for the rerun of "Saturday Night Live" but those early mornings were killing me. Rich watched the very good Derek Jeter episode for me. Then it was lights out for him too. I do believe somewhere in there we watched Maryland go into the NCAA basketball championship. Boy, I was tired!

Kid of the Day - Well, let's see. The two young guys in our raft at Kali River Rapids. Or maybe the housekeeper taking the time to talk to us while she made up the room. No, Randy, darn cute Randy.

Icing Moment - This day is *the* all-time max of the Icing, Sprinkle, and Candle Moments. The spur of the minute decision to eat at Rose and Crown. The first ride around Crescent Lake with Rich and Randy. The second ride around the lake with Lindy and Randy. Tapestry of Dreams with Lindy and Rich. Illuminations at the Annual Passholders place in Italy with Lindy, Rich, and Tree. Pick whatever moment you want, they are all so special.

Life Enhancement Moment - Be spontaneous. Live life. We had nothing planned for the day and it turned into something I will always remember.

Day Five - Sunday, March 31, 2002

I was awake even earlier than I have been this entire trip! Not good. The new neighbors next door were, well, a little vocal. I can't blame the kids. They were just rambunctious. I just didn't hear any adult voices. I can usually ignore and go back to sleep but the early risings and the early bedtimes had an effect. I was up and typing away by 7:15. Rich snoozed. He even was awake by 8:30, though. He thought the kids were outside and was surprised when I said that they were just next door in the room. Have to have flashbacks to that 80s song, "Voices Carry". They sure do.

We had the TV on and found out the Queen Mother had passed away. I mourned with everyone else. A great, classy lady. Our thoughts were with Great Britain today. I am so grateful for the support after September 11th. Our countries, I hope, will forever more be aligned.

We took our time and decided that we would check out at 10:59 if necessary. We were staying for the first show of Off Kilter (thanks Lindy for talking Rich into this!) so we were in no hurry. I opened the curtains and watched as the kids almost literally danced off for the Easter Egg Hunt somewhere on the grounds. Since we are an adult family now, it's kind of nice to see some of youth revisited. Until we have grandkids and that will be a long time in the future, if ever. We slowly got ready and packed up. We took the first round of bags out to the car and Rich got everything in there and geared up for the second round. Everything fit so we declared the trip a success.

We got back to the room for the final go round and I realized what was missing. No express check out! I remembered the long line for check out when we were checking in. Rich and I talked about it. There's no way I'm going to drive back to the Custom House, wait in line just to check out. He wanted to. I said I'd catch the bus and see him at Off Kilter. I saw no reason not to have express check out. Until we talked. Caribbean Beach has the refillable mugs, the ponchos, and the coffee all for sale in the room. I can see where Disney would think people would wait until the last day and the fill up their suitcases with the "freebies" and then Disney would have to charge the credit card after the fact. Well, we weren't doing that. I wouldn't even think about it. So I chanced that I could trust Disney as much as they would trust me. We just left. I've never been overcharged on a Disney vacation so I had some history in my favor.

We drove the car back over to the Swan for our last visit. We were walking through the Boardwalk and Rich remarked that we wouldn't be able to enjoy World Showcase since it didn't open until noon. Err, no, I told you the hours changed and it's open in just a minute or two. I swear the man has a Disney World hearing aide that he turns off at every opportunity.

Security again was no problem and getting into the park on Easter Sunday was a breeze. We went around World Showcase clockwise since we had plenty of time to kill. On the way, we both remarked that we hadn't done that much in Future World and we both wanted to see the fountain show. So we grabbed a couple of beers in Canada and then headed for the FountainView Bakery (please bring back the wine here, please). We camped outside and waited for a show. We had to wait a little since the Character Bus was on the main promenade and they weren't going to set off the music for the fountain with the characters there. I decided I was a little hungry so went into the bakery and got a fruit truffle. Excellent. Except it would have gone better with wine (she says whining, I crack myself up). Rich said he needed food but wanted meat. Yeck. He thought a hot dog would be fine. Double yeck. We did enjoy a fountain show and walked back towards World Showcase for a circular tour.

(Rich's comment - we were on a mission to find a hot dog. There is a cart at the entrance to World Showcase to the left on the way to Mexico. Rich loves the hot dogs here. The cart was closed, Rich was disappointed.)

Our only stop was at the American pavilion where Rich did our country a very good service and got a hot dog basket. I passed at this most opportune moment. Ick! But he had his lunch and we were both content. We made our way back to Canada and Off Kilter. Another one of our friends was waiting for the performance so we sat with her and visited. It was so nice since she remembered we renewed our vows here in January and actually apologized for not being there for that! We chatted and Lindy showed up for our last visit on this trip. All four of us talked about everything. Excellent way to end the trip. Oh, not that excellent. The guys came on the stage. Way too excellent.

We did have to say goodbye to Lindy but I hope we see her again. Somehow, we manage to get a Disney visit with her every once in a while. Thank you again for such a great time!

For us, it was time to head back to life and the cats. I did make sure we took our time walking to the car. Goodbye Epcot. For now. Goodbye Boardwalk. For now. We will be back (Memorial Day is the next planned visit).

Rich started out driving. I think I crashed before we even hit Route 27. I was beat. The early risings and the sun really got to me. Two hours into the trip and Rich was waking me up saying that *he* needed a break and we needed gas (yikes at the Floor-rid-daa prices!). I got to drive the Baby with the baby's blessing! And Rich even slept! And what happened? It poured. Hard and heavy. Ever drive a sports car in the middle of a thunderstorm? Fortunately, Rich snoozed through it, I slowed down enough, and in the words of Barry Manilow, "I Made it Through the Rain". It was a very tense three hours, though. Rich woke up and we decided that dinner was in order. It was getting onto 7:30. I wanted something like a Waffle House and that's what we ended up with around Perry, GA.

This was a great choice for the time element and the cost. My arteries will never forgive me, though. All that healthy eating lately went out the window. Rich ordered a chopped steak sandwich with plain hash browns. I did a patty melt with cheese and onion hash browns. I think the grease was running off the plate. I ate as much as I could, we paid the check ($15 with tip), and were out the door in about 15 minutes. I'm not saying the choice was bad but I was stressed and tired and even McDonald's would have been too much at that point (not that we could eat in the car, mind you). Rich finished up the drive home. Of course, it had stopped raining at this point so Rich couldn't understand why my drive was stressful. I just crashed again.

Home to the two male cats looking at us like "where the heck have you been?" We had to hunt down Belle. She doesn't hide but she doesn't exactly greet you at the door. Rich unpacked the car and I hauled things into the house. Which led to the most awful incident of the trip. I opened the garage door into the house. I lugged in Rich's bag. I lugged in the laundry bag. I tried to shut the door. It didn't shut right. Because there was Todd's little cat paw stuck in where the hinges were! I don't know where anyone was this night but if the hair on your arms were upright, the sound you heard was my cat screeching. I spent the rest of the night trying to make up to the poor thing. Gus and Belle also tried to comfort Todd. Not like the cat would feel anything - he has plenty of "insulation". As they say on "South Park" - "I'm not fat, I'm just big boned".

Kid of the Day - Darn cats. We'd love to take them with us and would gladly do so. But cats are more stable in one place. The service we use is wonderful and everyone is happy. Todd, Gus, and Belle forgave us easily. First it was Gus (he's so gullible). Then Belle. Todd takes a long time because he's king cat. And probably because his paw hurt. But by Tuesday, we were forgiven. It took us a little while longer to forgive ourselves.

Icing Moment - Seeing Off Kilter one more time. And sharing it with Lindy yet again.

Life Enhancement Moment - Make friends whenever you can. I cannot tell you how nice it is just experience a simple thing like watching or doing something you like for 30 minutes with people that you have met just because you have that common interest. It doesn't matter if it's Off Kilter or Disney World or playing chess. Everyone has their hobbies and their likes. Pick what you want and don't ever let anyone say anything different. Be your own person.

Final Thoughts and Overall Impressions

The weather was great and this might be one of the few trips where it didn't rain one drop except for the ride home (and Rich didn't get to experience that). The temperatures were in the high 70s or low 80s. We certainly have the redness to attest to the sun being out most of the time. However, don't use that as a guide and immediately book your next trip in late March. Floor-rid-daa's weather can change from year to year. We were surprised at how nice it was. Especially since on our last trip (in January), the temperatures ranged from the 70s to the 20s.

Caribbean Beach vaulted to maybe the number one place on the moderate list. I'd like to stay again at Port Orleans Riverside now that it's back to full capacity. But I'm not going to immediately rule out Caribbean Beach anymore. We didn't use the pools (even the quiet ones were crowded) and we didn't even go into the food court or gift shop. We didn't use the bus service either. But one thing did stand out in Rich's mind that kind of sealed this being his favorite moderate. When we took our Labor Day trip last year, we stayed at Coronado Springs and had *the* most difficulty with getting our room key into the gates. We had to literally hang out the car window. It wasn't just us, either. We saw other people with the same problem. Caribbean Beach was extremely gate friendly. Kind of appreciated that.

Crowds were high, as expected. But not as high as I thought they would be. I heard horror stories about waits and security lines. We didn't experience any of that. Maybe we had good timing. We did a couple of Fastpasses (Millionaire and Kali), a few shows and attractions, and lots of entertainment. That's a good trip for us.

We had some very good food. I would rate the lunch at Chefs de France as good but nothing spectacular. It was greatly enhanced with Lindy being there. I'm glad Rich was able to experience the restaurant but I'm not sure I'd rush back there again. It's just not our kind of place for return visits. It's a "one-timer". That chicken salad sub I had with the Caribbean Beach room service was wonderful! Fresh made bread. Rich thought the pizza was pretty good and that's extremely high praise from him. The spontaneous meal at Rose & Crown was one of the best I've ever had. That place will be a repeater for us. And the Waffle House? Well, it was a nice break but my heart needs a week or two to get all the grease out of my system.

One bad note about food - for the second trip in a row, I didn't get any Boardwalk pizza! We are staying at the Swan in May so I am determined to get a slice or three on that trip.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Exceptional

I'll start with the Ugly and work my way to the Exceptional since I like ending trip reports on high notes.

The Ugly

• My reaction to Rich's obsession with his darn car. We've had the thing for eight years so I should be used to it, right? All of my mood on Thursday was a result of him not trusting me with his baby. I should have just let it go and it would have made for a much more pleasant start to the trip.
• The cell phone incident at Flights of Wonder.