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Lisa Rourk -- February 2002 -- Walt Disney World (ASMuR)February 8-14, 2002 CAST MEMBERS
TRIP DATES (FEBRUARY 8-14, 2002) Lisa, Keith and Kyle took a spur of the moment trip to Disney for the Millennium Celebration when Tradd was a baby. Keith's parents babysat Tradd. We couldn't wait to go back again, but we were trying to time it when Tradd could come along too. Being an extremely energetic and demanding child, we are probably pushing it to take him along under two, but hey- he's free! We invited Keith's parents because they are a lot of fun and we thought the kids would really enjoy having them there. Not to mention, it's always nice to have an extra pair of hands around when you have small kids. ACCOMMODATIONS All-Star Music We had stayed a few years ago at Dixie Landings and loved it- especially the fact that you can take the River Cruise to Downtown Disney. This is a big plus. However, last year we made last minute reservations at All-Star Movies in the 101 Dalmatians section and we had a ball. This time we wanted to stay at the All-Star Movies in the Toy Story section and had reservations, until a $59 special appeared in the paper and we called to get the rate and had to be switched to All Star Sports. Doing some research, I thought the sports would be much too loud with athletic teams (practicing cheers and so forth as I read this happens and is quite loud) in February, so I asked to be switched again to movies but the only thing available was the Music. Note: It is very time consuming to have reservations changed. If you join the Disney Club like we did a couple of months before arrival, you can use the 800 number. THE TRIP February 8 We left Friday afternoon and drove from Charleston to St. Augustine so as to break up the long drive for our toddler. We took along loads of snacks to keep in our backpack throughout the trip, breakfast bars for breakfast, juice boxes and lots of bottled water. In St. Augustine, four hours later, we all shared a room. The sofa bed only slept one and so three of us ended up sharing a bed and no one got any sleep. It is not ideal to start a Disney trip with no sleep. February 9 We woke up excited and ready to meet Disney head on. We drove two more hours and checked right in to our hotel. Let me just say first that I was a bit surprised at how crowded the resort was. Not only that, but it seemed that ALL the cheerleading teams were staying at the All Star Music. Last year, the All Star Movies seemed to cater better to smaller children. We checked in right away and were given adjoining rooms, but not connecting rooms. Remember this terminology!! Who would know that adjoining rooms weren't connecting? The rooms were clean as usual, but not as clean as the All Star Movies were the year before. The Music had more age on it and was not as fun for small children as the Movies had been. Luckily I was able to snag a Port-A-Crib crib upon check-in for my toddler since he didn't do well in the bed the night before. We unpacked then headed for Magic Kingdom. My, we had no idea the crowds would be so thick this time of year. We took the train to Frontier Land and had lunch at Pecos Bill Café, considering it was almost 2:00 by then. Unbelievably, it took almost twenty minutes to get food and we almost couldn't find a table. I guess everyone was eating late this day. Afterward we decided to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, our favorite ride. Always so much fun as it conjures up memories of childhood visits here. Both of our boys loved this. All the action, cannons firing, pirates singing and dancing. The gift shop here is Kyle's favorite. We couldn't make it out of the store without two swords and some twirly light toys. After this, we were ready to let our four year old, now 40 inches, try his first roller coaster so we cashed in our fast pass for Thunder Mountain. Seeing as I am no teenager anymore (I will be thirty this year), this ride shook us up a little bit after our lunch. My four year old and Ga Ga were slightly green. (Kyle gets motion sickness). We were a little dizzy. Kyle said it was a little "bumpy" for him. I think he meant curvy. I think I felt worse than after riding "Rockin' Roller Coaster at MGM". We headed for the tamer rides in Fantasyland and the lines were long! We chose It's a Small World. The line was only 25 minutes long, but since we took the left line, we really only waited about 10. This is a great ride, very relaxing. Tradd pointed out everything. After this, we were able to get a fast pass for Peter Pan (return time after the parade) and ride the Haunted Mansion before our P.S. at Liberty Tree Tavern. The kids did well in the Haunted Mansion. Kyle rode with his grandparents. Priority Seating can be a great thing if it works the way it should. Even though we checked in ten minutes early, Liberty Tree Tavern lost our name and we had to check twice before they finally seated us, almost 20 minutes late. I had to stay on them to even figure out that they had lost our name. They kept saying if our card wasn't in the stack then they must be setting our table. Well, about four more groups were seated that just walked in and I made sure we were seated next. No one even apologized, although they were friendly about it. Dinner was very good though, and the kids enjoyed the character meal. Since Keith and Kyle had birthdays around this time, the cast members sang to them and brought out large cupcakes that were yummy too. After dinner we waited around for Spectromagic Parade. Liberty Tree Tavern had a nice viewing area. The kids were spellbound with all the music and lights. This was a great parade, although Keith and I really missed the Music to the Main Street Electrical parade. The kids were very absorbed with the twirly lights Ma Ma and Ga Ga had bought them. We were pleasantly surprised to see the crowds begin to diminish after the parade and fireworks. We were able to ride Peter Pan, and have only a five minute wait for the Indy Race Track. This is fun to do at night. The boys love this. The line was still too long for Buzz Lightyear, Dumbo and Pooh. ( Tradd is not a patient child standing in line, but he is wonderful during the rides because there is so much that is new to him. We feel lucky to be able to bring our children at such a young age to broaden their horizons and spark their imaginations.) We knew we would come back another day to ride those. We decided to walk down Main Street and then head back for the hotel. The lights in the twirly things kept going out so we stopped at a booth and traded them without any problem. That's what's great about Disney. I stood in line forever to buy two Mickey Mouse ear hats for the boys at the shop behind the confectionery before the park closed. They will embroider names on the hats for free (from anywhere in the MK) but everyone and their brother was bringing in load of hats to have names put on them too. I decided to come back another time, during the day. When we had only one child at Disney, the long crowded bus ride to the All Star's was no problem. Having two children, one extremely cranky, and two strollers, with a crowd of tired people , is no picnic. I kept thinking that I had no recollection of the ride being so long! Once we got to the hotel, Kyle broke his sword. Oh well, we were sure Disney would give him a new one (and they did when we went back to MK on Monday). Tired, we made it to bed, only to have our toddler wake up with...croup. We deal with this almost monthly, so we knew what to do. Thank goodness I had a prescription for a steroid for him. We called the front desk the next day and were given the name of Turner Pharmacy. Not in Disney, but they would deliver it for us with only a $5 delivery charge. What a life saver. They also threw in a medicine spoon. February 10 We headed for Animal Kingdom a little later than normal after dealing with Tradd's medicine and a nasty cough. Meanwhile exhaustion was setting in so I began to feel a cold coming on. We first headed for the safari, and were thrilled to see most of the animals out this morning. Our driver was not from Africa, which is not as exciting as getting a driver that speaks with an accent. A woman next to us had her cell phone on and it rang three times. We were excited to see the lions out. Afterward, we walked through Asia to view the Tigers. Then we headed to Dinoland to ride the ride Kyle has been talking about for weeks. He is able to ride Dinosaur! The CM's checked his height twice (they were being sticklers on this) and Me, Keith, Kyle and Ga Ga got right on the ride after about a five minute wait. Tradd napped in the stroller and Ma Ma babysat. Kyle closed his eyes a lot, but LOVED the ride. How many four year olds love this ride, I wonder, but he begged to do it again. We let him do that another day. I think the ride is rather scary, but Kyle did not. (Since we have arrived home he hides in his closet and pretends to be a Carnotaur scaring people). After the ride we couldn't get out of the gift shop without a $20 extremely large red Carnotaur (scary looking) and a $17 picture of Kyle riding the ride. We had the picture sent to the room. Boy did we get some stares dragging that Carnotaur around the park. It started to rain so we headed for Flame Tree Restaurant (closed!) and then made a dash for Tusker House. It poured rain the whole time we ate lunch. We were tired and the kids were cranky so Keith and I took the kids via bus back to the room for a nap. Ma Ma and Ga Ga stayed to do the Conservation Station which Ma Ma said was so boring, and It's Tough To Be a Bug, which we loved last year and were sorry to miss. After a nap for all of us, around 4:30, we decided to skip Fantasmic because we thought it might be cancelled last minute due to rainy weather and we headed to Epcot. We had dinner at Coral Reef. Dinner was good, a bit fru -fru to use Keith's words, but the kids enjoyed seeing the fish. I had the Crab Cake appetizer and a salad. The crab cakes were good, albeit rather spicy. Then, we were able to get right on Spaceship Earth. Always a delight and the kids enjoyed it as well. Afterward we grabbed some popcorn for the kids on the way to France to sample the cream puffs (a tradition). As usual, the line was long, and there were only two cream puffs left. Keith and I split one and his parents shared the other. We also got a Napoleon to take back to the room. The coffee was good too. We watched most of the fireworks and then hurried back to the busses. Another long wait for a jammed-packed bus! We were ready for bed when we got back to the hotel. February 11 We ate breakfast in the room and then went to Magic Kingdom to ride a few rides while it was early. After exchanging the sword (no problem!) We started out with the Jungle Cruise and only a ten minute wait, then Pooh, also a short line, and then Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We didn't get fast passes because the return times were too late. We didn't have to wait too long, although the park was really crowded. On the way to Buzz Lightyear SRS, we ran into Pooh and friends. Kyle loves all the characters but Tradd is usually very shy and standoffish. It warmed our hearts to see Tradd giggle and run right up to Pooh and hug him. He really likes Eeyore too. We bought popcorn for the kids, then hopped the monorail to TTC and caught a bus to MGM, which was a pain. We had to wait quite a while for a bus. At MGM, we first had lunch near TOT, and I was so glad to stumble upon a fruit cart. The fruit was priced very reasonably. After lunch, Keith got a fast pass for Indian Jones on the way to the Muppets show. Everyone loves the Muppets show. After this, we rode the Great Movie Ride thinking that Tradd would take a nap during the ride. The wait for the ride was a nightmare but once inside he fell fast asleep due to the darkness. The loud shooting in one of the scenes bothered my four year old a little, but didn't wake up Tradd. After this we sat for a little to let Tradd continue sleeping and we "people-watched". Then, we caught a little of the Stars and Cars Motor Car Parade, but if you don't get a spot early, you can't see a thing. We had a 3:45 P.S. for Brown Derby to get a Fantasmic Seating Pass. Dinner was really good and the atmosphere was fun. Prices were a little high, but nonetheless, a good meal. The whole grain bread was delicious. The kids got Mickey straws in their drinks. The bathrooms are really clean here. Afterward, our fast passes were due for Indiana Jones. Both our boys were enthralled by the action. I was thinking that Kyle would probably want a whip, but instead he just had to have one of the real-looking cobras. Kyle is a snake fanatic. Strolling around the park I think we gave most people the creeps. Tradd wanted a stuffed Pooh, which he hugged the entire trip. We bought popcorn to keep the kids busy, and were able to get seated for Fantasmic in a special section at 6:30. Fantasmic is so incredible! Kyle fell asleep before his favorite part, the snake and Maleficent, the dragon. He did wake up in time to see some of Maleficent. We were thrilled we had the chance to see Fantasmic on this trip. Most of the trip was chilly and damp. Each evening we had sprinkles, except on this night. February 12 We decided to hit Animal Kingdom again early, most of us coughing and sneezing. I think we all came down with a cold. Ironically, everyone we came into contact with, or sat on rides with was hacking and sneezing. Parents everywhere were commenting on how sick all the kids around us sounded. Keith and I said to each other that we would no longer choose to visit Disney in February with small children. We had kept our kids out of public areas and school for a week before the trip so we would not get sick before the trip. Oh well, Murphy's Law. Anyway, after a long line for the baggage check, we stopped by Guest Services to get a PS for Italy. Then we headed for Dinoland to ride Dinosaur first because it was all Kyle talked about. On the way we saw a Carnotaur Character posing for pictures. He was cute!! We took Kyle's picture with him. Then, we let Kyle, Keith and Ga Ga ride Dinosaur. I bought Kyle a Dinosaur picture frame and switch plate cover (since his room is in the Dinosaur theme). It has a Carnotaur on it with teeth and claws that glow in the dark. Ha! (Just a little whimsy for his room. It doesn't bother him a bit.) This time Kyle didn't close his eyes. He begged to ride it again, but we thought that was enough for today. We then made it to Lion King, which is spectacular. We sat in the Lion section. Afterward, we decide to skip Pocahontas and head to Epcot. I wish we had seen Tarzan. I heard it was very good. The bus ride was not bad. At Epcot, we first went to Universe of Energy which everyone enjoyed...especially Kyle since dinosaurs are his "thing". We went to the left side of the auditorium and when the doors opened we went to the front row of the far left seats. We were in the very front car to go through the Dinosaur "ride" and the view was great. We then purchase expensive Mickey Mouse ice cream bars (2.50 each) and popcorn and got a fast pass for Test Track. Ma Ma and Ga Ga took Kyle to see Honey I shrunk the Kids and Keith and I shopped in Mouse Gears, our favorite shop and shipped our purchases back to the room. I was disappointed to not see more Donald merchandise, like on mugs. We are collecting a different character mug each time we visit. Donald is my favorite. We purchased a Mickey Mouse mug to go with our Goofy mug we bought last year. Afterward, we walked through the countries and took a boat trip through Mexico. We made a mental note to eat at Mexico next time we visit. We ate there our last trip. It has such a romantic atmosphere. Getting the kids in the stroller, we had a minor tragedy. Kyle tripped and hit his head on an iron lamppost. Ma Ma got some ice for his head. He had quite a bump! We tried to ride Maelstrom, but the wait was over 30 minutes. We rested while Ma Ma and Ga Ga shopped in Germany. Then we made our way to Italy for our P.S. I ordered the Ribollita (vegetable soup) which was very good, and a salad since I had a small appetite. Keith said the lasagna was just ok. He thought it tasted like Ravioli, which he doesn't like. The atmosphere was really nothing to boast of. I was expecting something more romantic. Kyle slept through the entire meal. After continuing through the countries, we decided to use our Fast Passes and ride Test Track. Kyle was ready to ride. No one even checked his height, which I thought was odd. It was loads of fun, as usual. Keith rode with me and Ga Ga rode with Kyle. We had forgotten how intense the G-force is on this ride so I was a little concerned at how Kyle was doing with his stomach doing flip-flops, but he managed a weak smile and said it was fun. He really liked it. What a trooper! We skipped the fireworks this time and had a very crowded and long bus ride back to the room. The bus rides were beginning to wear on us. February 13 After a sleepless night (Tradd's croup came back with a vengeance at 1:45) we rested all morning in the room while Kyle watched cartoons and Tradd slept. We debated whether or not to go home. Ma Ma and Ga Ga left for Charleston at 9:00 that morning. Keith went to the food court and brought back sandwiches. The food court has a great Meatball sandwich. When Tradd awoke, we decided to head to Magic Kingdom for a few hours. We had decided to cut our trip short a day and leave on the 14th. We were sad, but exhausted from lack of sleep. Heading for Adventureland, Kyle had his mind set on a green Tree Snake he had seen in a barrel. I am sure my son will end up as a reptile expert one day. We ended up riding Pirates again (we savored every minute) and we tried to ride rides with the shortest lines. Adventureland was a little deserted. We strolled to Fantasyland (which was NOT deserted) and we rode It's a Small World and Kyle fell asleep. Then, we strolled to Toontown Fair and bought popcorn for Kyle. I rode Goofy's Barnstormer with Kyle and it started to rain. It felt like the temperature only got to the low 60's this day. Quite unusual here. We stood in line at the Judge's Tent to meet Mickey. Tradd was asleep for the picture. We then strolled down Main Street and tried to keep dry. We bought Pastries "to go" at the Bakery (these are all yummy!) and perused some shops. We love to just walk down Main Street and take it all in. Tradd wanted a toy Buzz Lightyear in the Emporium. We then decided it was time to go. We said "Bye" to Magic Kingdom and took the bus to the hotel. This time the bus was not crowded. We grabbed a Pizza in the food court, which was quite good and we started to pack and turned in early. This night we had a peaceful night's sleep, perfect for a long trip back home the next day. February 14 We checked out at 9:30, purchased a few more things in the hotel gift shop, like magnets, post cards, and pencils, grabbed some drinks at the food court and hit the road. We are sure to return in the next year or so. We have decided to visit again in the month of September. We did it before and it seems to be a great time. Perfect weather, not too crowded, and before the winter sicknesses kick in. We are planning another visit in Sept. of 2003 when Tradd is older. Maybe I can talk Keith into returning for our anniversary this August. It is worth every penny spent! The fun here is like no other. We really do cast aside our cares and live in this fantasy world. We also have decided that the next trip we will splurge and stay in at least the Moderate Resorts. If we could get a good deal, the Contemporary would be ideal with two little kids. We are very fond of the All Stars, as they are packed with a lot of fun and whimsy, but they are very far away from all the parks, except Animal Kingdom. They are furthest away from MK, which is where we spend most of our time. Had the bus situation not been so cumbersome this trip, we would have done more park hopping like we did last year. Having grandparents there was a lot of fun for the kids and they were a big help when it came to keeping the kids occupied and pushing strollers. My advice is that if you choose to stay at the "All Stars", the ASMovies is the cleanest and the most up-to-date. I believe it is a lot more fun for little kids. But hey, let's face it, kids have so much fun at Disney, they don't care where they sleep. As parents, we might feel differently. Regardless, Disney is 100% magic! Lisa Rourk rourk@comcast.net Mail a Comment to Lisa Rourk |
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