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Sheri Niklewski -- December 2004 -- Walt Disney World (ASMuR)

Introduction –

This is a sort of family reunion that started out with just two people and exploded into something much more. This will be a long report with lots of different people and different experiences. Our ages will range from 6 to 74. Some of us are veterans, some are relative newbies. Some will enjoy the magic that is Disney, some will be less than enthusiastic. You’ll get a little bit of everything with this report.

The Cast –

The “Younger” Niklewskis

Sheri (42) – me and the trip report writer. Accountant at a textile services company. We launder all those hospital sheets and gowns. Tries to see pixie dust every day if I can. Thinks the glass is always half full, never half empty.
Rich (44) – wonderful husband. Nature Boy Junior. He’s forever more Eeyore, dooming and glooming everything. Somehow, we get along well after almost 23 years of marriage.

Rich and I are very much the Disney veterans. I’ve given up keeping track of our visits. The trip reports are great for re-living each trip since 1998. We live in northeast Georgia, about 35 miles outside of downtown Atlanta near Brasleton.

The “Older” Niklewskis

Ed (74) – father-in-law and retired psychiatrist. Nature Boy Senior. Ed is very much laid back and calm. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him down right mad.
Bobbie (68) – mother-in-law and retired nurse and educator. She’s my partner in the planning although she tells me to do what I want. But she’s the go between with her group. Bobbie does whatever will make her family happy.
Dave (43) – brother-in-law and physicist with a contractor that works with NASA. He does something with the weather satellites going around and around up there. Way too technical for me. Nature Boy III. Loves rocks and fossils. Dave is a very cynical guy. Doesn’t see the need or value of any magical moments. Things must have a “purpose”.

These guys live in Maryland – Bobbie and Ed in Hagerstown and Dave down near the DC area. The three of them are making the annual trek to the Florida Everglades before they join us at Disney World. Bobbie and Ed have been to Disney World several times with us and Dave once with us.

The Kid Niklewskis

Chris (22) – our son and movie theatre worker. He’s the most sarcastic person I have ever met in my life. Will do anything for his wife and stepdaughter. When I look at him, I know the reason I was put on this earth.
Chandra (28) – our daughter-in-law and college student. She’s been such a bright spot in our family. She makes my son extremely happy and I’m glad she’s a Niklewski now. Chandra can be a stubborn girl and is very protective of her little family.
Marlie (6) – Chandra’s daughter, Chris’ stepdaughter, our granddaughter. Marlie is like the light in everyone’s eyes. She’s cute, funny, adorable, and precocious. There will be lots and lots of Marlie Moments, I’m sure.

The Kids (as they are collectively known to me) live outside Toledo, Ohio. Chris and Chandra were married this past February and this is kind of like a honeymoon for them. Even though they are 800 miles away from us, thanks to AOL Instant Messaging, we “talk” just about every day. Chris has been to Disney World numerous times with us, and we took Chandra and Marlie there in May 2003 (Chris proposed to Chandra on that trip).

The Moment in Time -

Trip dates vary for each group. For us, it’ll be December 23 – January 2. For The Kids, it’s December 26 – January 2. For the Older Niklewskis, it’s December 30 – January 2.

The Setting -

All Star Music Resort with two adjoining rooms. Yeah, I know, we’ll be cramped but that’s the way things worked out. All eight of us get along extremely well so not a problem at all.

The Long Prelude (I warned you) -

When I was gainfully employed at a manufacturing firm, my company was going to be shut down the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It was a paid time off too. So I thought about what to do with the break. We wanted to bring The Kids down to our place but a 12 hour drive with a 6 year old is a little much. Plus, we had to work around the timing since Chandra wanted to be in her hometown with her extended family for Christmas. And Marlie’s father is there too and that’s a big consideration.

I thought about going up to Ohio to be with The Kids. But they were in a small apartment with a roommate so things were already “cozy”. Then they all moved into Chandra’s mother’s house which is bigger but there’s an extra person involved so that got ruled out entirely.

I thought about going to Bobbie and Ed’s. Plenty of room and lots and lots of family and friends coming by. But then I remembered that they always head out to the Everglades the day after Christmas for their annual trek with Dave. We’d just have a couple of days with the family and then turn around and come back here.

I’ve always spent Christmas with people in a family home. Whether it was the big family thing growing up (lots and lots of relatives in my hometown); just Rich, Chris and me in the early days; or with Bobbie and Ed in Maryland. The thought of spending the holidays somewhere else was foreign to me. But I did think of the Mouse. Since Rich and I are so close to Disney World now, we haven’t had a long trip for a while. This would be nine nights (originally) and I was looking forward to that.

I mentioned my plans to Bobbie. She and I do all the vacation planning for our families. I get along very well with my in-laws which is great. They have given us lots of good examples of how to be in-laws to Chandra. I naturally wanted to share what Rich and I were doing for the holidays with Bobbie. Normally, with the Everglades trip, Bobbie and Ed will stop in here at our place on the way back and celebrate our wedding anniversary (which is January 3rd). Bobbie asked if we would be there the weekend before. I replied that we wouldn’t but they could stop at Disney World instead.

Bobbie and I email each other all the time. When her reply came to my message, I expected an “OK, that’s fine”. What I got floored me. Bobbie sweetly replied that they would give us the entire trip to Disney World as a Christmas/anniversary present! Hotel and tickets. Well, we didn’t need the tickets since we already have Annual Passes (which were our Christmas/anniversary present last year from Bobbie and Ed) but nine nights for free at Disney World? And Bobbie, Ed and Dave would join us for three nights.

After I picked up my jaw from the keyboard, I read the rest of the message. We were to invite Chris, Chandra and Marlie to join us. Bobbie and Ed would pick up their tab as well. Now the tears were starting. Bobbie said it was important to them to have the whole family together. But would I do all the planning? So here’s what I came up with (once I got my heart going again after this wonderful surprise!).

Resort - When I started, the only definites were Rich, me, Bobbie, Ed and Dave. Everyone except Dave had stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins last year (with The Kids and my dad and stepmother and Rich’s cousins). Ed, being Nature Boy Senior, absolutely loved the cabins. The entire reason for the trip to the Everglades is for Dave and Ed to soak up nature. Last year, I got us two cabins for the unbelievable rate of $154/night. I wasn’t a fool this year. The timing for this trip is the holiday season at Disney World. There was no way I’d ever be able to duplicate that earlier stay. In fact, when I was thinking about just Rich and me, I had already turned my mind to offsite since I knew everything at Disney would be rack rate and then some.

One thing that Bobbie and Ed like on family trips is “togetherness”. That’s why we were looking at the Cabins which can sleep six. So everyone would be together. I wasn’t thrilled with the option since our habits are so different from each other. Bobbie and Ed are up by 8:00, have to have breakfast in the room and read the newspaper before they get ready for the day. That takes them about an hour and a half. Rich and I always feel obligated to get up at the same time but we get ready right away so we’re left to sit around watching TV for a while. Dave waits until the last minute to get up and then does his morning routine which takes quite a bit of time. At night, things are opposite. Bobbie is usually in bed by 10:00, Rich and I are still going strong and midnight is an early turn in time for us. Having the five of us together would take some planning.

I found the Days Inn Suites on Highway 192 aka Irlo Bronson Highway. It has a full kitchen and a living room with a fold out couch and the bedroom has two double beds. That would be enough for the five of us. The price was very reasonable at $69-$85/night. The price fluctuated with the holiday times. I think it averaged out to $74/night. Even though Bobbi and Ed were footing the bill, we all are very frugal and look for deals as much as we can. I thought this was a great bargain and called Bobbie to see if I could book it. She said to go ahead and do what I thought was best. So I booked the Days Inn and was happy.

Then Bobbie emailed me and said that getting the Cabins wasn’t important – they really just wanted something on Disney property. Then my real work started. I still had those holiday rates to contend with. And we needed space for five adults. Rich and I would be there for nine nights, Bobbie and Ed for just three. I played around with lots and lots of options. Rich and I could stay at the Days Inn for the first six nights and then join Bobbie and Ed onsite for the last three. That wasn’t a problem. I went through everything I could think of.

If we did anything onsite except a Home Away from Home, we’d need two rooms. Our needs are very simple. So I tossed out any deluxe resorts. I have spoiled Bobbie quite a bit since her two Disney onsite experiences have been the Cabins and a few years ago, a one bedroom suite at the Boardwalk Villas with a fantastic Epcot view. That wasn’t going to happen here. I looked at moderates and focused in on Port Orleans Riverside. I thought the Nature Boys would like the grounds. Ed is into the Southwest culture so Coronado Springs was second. The rates were the same but I thought I’d enjoy Riverside better. I looked at the value resorts and Pop Century. Each of these options was for two rooms. Bobbie was still thinking about just one room but I assured her five adults would not be comfortable.

I finally went through every single option that was out there. I mixed and matched everything. The Days Inn was still an alternative for Rich and me. This was an important choice so I threw out five options to Bobbie that indicated all the rates (including tax). One of those selections was the Fort Wilderness Cabin for all nine nights. That rate was enough to choke a horse. But I wanted Bobbie to see the highs and the lows. The lowest option was Rich and me in the Days Inn for six nights, then two rooms at All Stars or Pop Century for the other three nights.

I really did want Rich and me to be onsite for the entire time. And I thought Riverside would be great. After several conversations with Rich and lots of emails to Bobbie, we finally settled on that. But Rich and Bobbie both thought Pop Century would be fine. The difference in price was enough to make me wonder. Riverside was $169/night while Pop Century was $114/night. Remember, it was holiday prices and rack rates. Bobbie had said what she was willing to spend on accommodations and Riverside for the time was a little over that. I said we’d pay the extra. She said not to worry, just go ahead with the plans.

I tried to convince everyone that Pop Century would not work. But after Rich and I stayed there for July Fourth, he was certain things would be OK. I researched the visitor comments about Pop Century and when I saw someone write that they had a teenager who slept on an air mattress and everyone was fine, I gave up and decided to go with the two Pop Century rooms.

I booked the two rooms at the rack rate. Bobbie was content with everything. I put one room in my name for the nine nights. For the other room, I booked that in Ed’s name but with my address. I’ll check them in on December 30. The Cast Member was great with all the differences in the reservations but did connect them in the system. Then I had to laugh. He asked if I wanted any special requests like adjoining rooms, rooms in the same building, or rooms as far away from each other as possible. I had told him the other room was for my in-laws. I said that since they were paying for it, I better say adjoining rooms.

I thought I was done for the resort. How could I get any discounts during the busiest time of the year? Well, Disney can surprise you, can’t they?

The winter Annual Pass rates were announced. I just about spit out my drink while looking at mousesavers.com. The rates were good through check ins as of December 25. At that time, Rich and I would be checking in on the 24th so we’d be eligible for the rate for the entire nine nights. The value resort rate was $49/night. Could I get this rate for at least Rich and me? I called the day the rates came out. Nothing at Pop Century. Drat. I even tried Fort Wilderness Cabins. Nothing there either. Phooey. I guess we’re stuck with the rack rate.

I tried again a few days later after the flurry had died down. Still nothing. Then, the next day, I re-thought things. Pop Century is the newest value resort. What about All Stars? I called back and got Blaze (love those Disney fake names). I asked about Pop Century. No nothing there. Then I asked about any of the All Stars. Music was available. For the $49 rate? Yes! Now, could I get both reservations moved over? Not a problem and the adjoining rooms request was noted as well. Bobbie would still have to pay the rack rate for their three nights but I saved them $650 for our stay.

The Queen of Bargains hung up her cape for the resort stay. At this point, Chris and Chandra were not an option (see below for that little saga). But I figured that Marlie could be on an air mattress and we’d bunk together if they could swing the trip.

The Kids Saga – The Kids are on a very limited budget. They just got married in February and their honeymoon was just a couple of nights at a local hotel. I thought they’d jump at the chance for a free Disney vacation. But it didn’t work out that way for quite a while. Things were too uncertain. The rest of us were driving and having to go from Toledo to Orlando with a six year old wasn’t a prospect The Kids wanted to entertain. Plus, everyone wanted to be home for Christmas. Well, everyone except Rich and me. So the only way for The Kids to get to Disney World with us would be for them to fly.

Chandra has never flown. In fact, she’s very scared of flying. Marlie has never flown either but she’s getting a preview when she goes out to Las Vegas with her dad for his wedding in November. So she’ll be seasoned by December. I tried different options of flights for The Kids. Nothing worked. I tried them flying out of Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati. I tried them going into Orlando, Sanford, Tampa, Jacksonville. I couldn’t find anything less than $300 each.

I challenged Chris to do better. And he did immediately. I never plug in more than one connecting flight. Chris didn’t care. So he got a $253 rate for each of them with two connections. Flying with Delta so that’s pretty good. Now, the biggest plane they are getting is a 737 and that’s only for one of the six round trip legs. The other planes are smaller. That’ll work real well with a first time flier (sarcasm intended). They go through Cincinnati both ways and through Raleigh on the way down, Lexington on the way back. They’ll leave December 26th at 5:30 AM and get to Orlando at 12:30 PM. They’ll leave Orlando on January 2nd at 10:00 AM and get into Toledo at 3:45 PM. Not bad. They will have to watch their carry on baggage since the planes will be smaller. Chandra probably won’t be able to concentrate too much on anything.

Once Chris found the airfare, he called Bobbie who said to book it. The Kids were committed at that point. I was very happy that we would be able to see them again. It’s tough living so far away from your only son and his family. Thank goodness for AIM so we can chat with them on a daily basis. The Kids will be in our room and that’s fine. Marlie is on the air mattress on the floor which works because once that kid goes to sleep, you could bend her into a pretzel shape and she’d never know it.

One problem that came up with all this is transportation from the Orlando Airport to the All Stars. We’d be there already at Disney World but my car only seats four and has very limited trunk space. Jasmine (I name my cars) is a 2000 Sebring convertible which is fantastic for two grown adults but she’s not quite a family car. Marlie would be fine in the middle of the back seat but only for short distances. And the luggage would never fit into the trunk. Jasmine has a big back end but not that big.

Since Bobbie and Ed travel with the Big A** Van or BAV, I knew we could get The Kids back to the airport on the 2nd before we all headed north to Georgia. So I looked at one way transportation options from the airport to All Stars. Mears shuttle is always an option. It would be $49 one way for the three Kids. The shuttle is a shuttle with other passengers and makes multiple stops along the way. My least preferred method. Tiffany Towncar was $55 one way. This is a dedicated car. The driver meets you at baggage claim, gets the car and then takes you directly to your resort. It’s just your party in the car. Definitely my preference. Tiffany Towncar is “endorsed” by allearsnet.com which is in high standing with me as a Disney planning tool. I checked mousesavers.com (also a great planning tool for bargains) and they “endorse” Happy Limo. Same thing as Tiffany but only $45. I researched trip reports and the newsgroups and Tiffany and Happy Limo seemed comparable so I ended up booking Happy Limo. It was the cheaper option and I’m going with that. I did think about upgrading to a stretch limo but the price was double the town car and it’s not worth it for the hour The Kids would be traveling. I sent all the confirmation notices to Chris and Chandra and it’ll be up to them to connect with the driver and get to the resort.

Admission (The Ticket Preference) –

Rich and I have Annual Passes that Bobbie and Ed bought us last year. We didn’t activate them until May, 2004 so we are good to go. We don’t have the Premium aspect to the passes.

The Kids will need seven day hopper passes. These come with four Plus Features, though. I don’t think we’ll use them but they never expire either so we can keep them for future visits as well. Rich and I are not nightclub people but the Comedy Warehouse is pretty funny and if the admission is “free”, well, we just might take ourselves out for an evening away from the family. These I ordered by calling Disney World. I had the tickets in about 10 days. There is a discount for pre ordering the tickets. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be down there without tickets already in hand.

The most The Older Niklewskis would be visiting the theme parks would be 2-1/2 days. Bobbie was fine getting four day hopper passes for them. They could keep the unused extra days for future visits. I had to laugh because when they were here with us last year for Chris’ 21st birthday, Bobbie declined getting seven day hoppers because she said they probably would never be back again! Oh, if only we all had crystal balls to predict the future.

I got the mousesavers.com newsletter and they had a link to a ticket broker that was offering the very exclusive three day hopper passes. These are not available through normal channels. They are legal but not advertised. That would be perfect for The Older Niklewskis. Dave thought a two day pass would be fine but those passes would not allow park hopping. Through many emails to Bobbie, I had to make a decision on what to get them.

Bobbie said to go ahead and get the three day hopper passes. If they didn’t get there in enough time on the 30th to use that one day, they’d save it for a future visit. I chuckled at the future visit thing. Hehehehe – turning them one by one. So I went through the website and ordered the tickets. Well, it was more complicated that that.

I’ve been trying to coordinate everything and have things sent to me so I can keep everything straight for everyone. This site will only ship via Fed Ex and only to the billing address. Which is Ed’s. I can live with that but will probably remind Bobbie a dozen times to make sure she brings the tickets. Also, I have Ed’s credit card number but this site wanted that three digit security code on the back of the card. Actually, I felt so much better about ordering these tickets when I needed that. The site is extremely secure. A bit of a pain for me sitting in Georgia when my in-laws are in Maryland but a quick phone call to get the security code and I was done.

A special thanks to Mary and mousesavers.com for this very valuable resource. This was the perfect solution for our ticket situation. About the only bad thing was I had foolishly ordered the tickets a couple of days before Bobbie and Ed were due to be on vacation. So the Fed Ex envelope showed up while they were entertaining Rich in New Orleans. I had to call Fed Ex and have them hold the package until my in-laws arrived back home. This was not a problem but I should have waited one week and then done the last ticket order. Oh well – if that’s the least of my worries, then I’m fine.

Touring – “Tour Guide Barbie is Back”

With the Older Niklewskis, they look to me for what to do and when to do it. It’s the “whatever you think is best” mode. Before The Kids were committed (that sounds really odd, doesn’t it?), I came up with a game plan for December 30-January 1.

The Older Niklewskis would arrive from the Everglades hopefully before dinner on the 30th. The Osborne Lights are back at MGM so I was hoping for a trip over there to see them. They were a big hit back in January of 2002 and I thought we’d enjoy them in their new home on Streets of America. This is a play it by ear day since no one really knows when the arrival from the Everglades will happen. The Older Niklewskis tend to “meander” in their travels. If they see something along the way, they stop and look at it. A three hour tour could take six hours.

For Friday the 31st, things will probably be crowded. I’m thinking Animal Kingdom since it’s a hit with all three Nature Boys. The last time we were here together, Rich and I hadn’t experienced The Flights of Wonder and now it’s a “can’t be missed”. Dave loved Dinosaur (more for the exhibits than for the actual ride) and It’s Tough to be a Bug (probably trying to figure out the correct scientific terms for the bugs). Also, Animal Kingdom will close earlier than the other parks and then we can go back to our rooms and have a nice family New Year’s Eve celebration. I will check the parks schedules to see if fireworks that night would be an option. Not in a park, outside of a park.

January 1st is mine, all mine. Epcot all day. I know Bobbie and Ed love the place and they were here in 2002 for the Christmas stuff but I wasn’t with them. And it’s my day to celebrate our anniversary with our family. It’ll be 23 years together with Rich. He’s not exactly the romantic type so I’ve learned to just make the plans and tell him to show up. I want a nice family dinner with all of us. With just the initial five of us, I wanted some place fun. I thought about the Biergarten at Germany. Dave isn’t the most social person and this buffet seats you at tables for eight so we’d have some additional people with us. Not a problem – we’d just make sure Dave is “insulated” from the strangers. Bobbie can talk to anyone anywhere about anything.

Then The Kids entered the picture. We’re now eight people. I just have to brush up on my German drinking songs between now and then. Dave is also a very picky eater so I had to make my choice wisely. The buffet does have the traditional German meats but I’ve eaten here before and if I can do it, anyone can. I want this more for the atmosphere and a final night all together than anything else.

The Candlelight Processional narrators were announced and what I had hoped would happen did happen. Gary Sinise, who is one of my all time favorite actors, was going to be there for the Christmas portion of the Processional. This is a wonderful Christmas presentation at Epcot at the American Gardens Theatre. It’s free with admission and it’s popular. They do have a dinner package where you can get preferred seating for one of the three showings of the Processional and then a priority seating at different levels of restaurants at Epcot.

Seeing Gary Sinise is a high, high priority for me. So I looked at the dinner packages. We could do the 5:00 show of the Processional and then a later seating for dinner at Restaurant Akershus at Norway. That was one of the lower priced options for the package. The other two on that tier were the Biergarten and The Garden Grill. Biergarten was obviously out. Garden Grill just isn’t what I wanted. So I tried the Akershus at 6:50. My one indulgence of the trip. I had booked the package for December 27th.

Then The Kids entered the picture and this flew out the window. There is a 48 hour cancellation policy so I waited a while to make a decision. The Kids want to see Gary Sinise too (they have extremely good taste). So I chucked the package and we’ll go for seeing him as walk ins. As long as we get there early enough, we should be fine. And if we do the 5:00 show, which is the first one, we should be even better. There’s no way Chris and Chandra would be able to swing the package with the dinner. I want to see the Processional with The Kids, especially Chandra. I wouldn’t feel right doing that and then dismissing them while Rich and I went off to eat dinner. So we’ll just see Mr. Sinise when we can. And we will. High, high priority.

With The Kids in the picture, the touring really became very unfocused. This will be Chandra and Marlie’s second trip so they know what to expect now. Poor Marlie didn’t even know she was going to Disney World last time until we drove on property. Now she’ll have some time to prepare (see below for the planning for that).

All five of us will be in the same room together. That’s enough to drive anyone crazy. Chris is a Disney veteran and Chandra managed to figure out Disney’s transportation system very well on her one trip here. So splitting up with The Kids will be necessary for everyone’s sanity. There are specific things that The Kids want to do since they couldn’t do them last time. The Safari at Animal Kingdom is a big one. The new Stitch Escape is essential. Chandra didn’t have a lot of time to explore the Epcot countries. So The Kids will have their priorities, Rich and I will have our plans.

We will have cell phones and walkie talkies. We’ll meet up and break up during the day. Marlie is such a great girl and Rich and I don’t mind at all taking her with us while Chris and Chandra have some time together. So the five of us will be mixing and matching up until The Older Niklewskis get there. After that, Rich and I will be with Bobbie and Ed and Chris and Chandra can do their own thing if they want.

The Marlie Factor –

The only other time Marlie was at Disney World, it was just days after her fifth birthday. Now she’s “grown up” and a whopping 6-1/2. The last time, Marlie would not ride anything in the dark. So that left out 95% of the attractions. She loved Triceratops Spin but the noise level was too loud for her. We’re bringing ear plugs this time. At Pirates of the Caribbean, which I thought Marlie would love, she cried and screamed the whole way through. Now that the movie is out and she loved that, she really wants to ride Pirates. Since she’s aware of the trip this time, Chris and Chandra can prepare her for the darkness factor. Marlie does say she wants to ride things that she was scared of last time. We’ll see about that.

We’ll monitor Marlie’s height before the trip. She understands that she can’t go on certain things if she’s not tall enough. I think she clears everything except the few with a 48 inch requirement. But if there’s anything Marlie doesn’t want to go on, Rich or I will happily stay outside with Marlie. One of my fondest memories of the prior trip is The Kids and Rich going on Space Mountain and Marlie and I going over to the old Swan Boat area near the Castle and her running around for a while. Seeing Disney World through the eyes of a child is something everyone should experience at least once.

We will be stroller-less for this trip. I had bought a cheap umbrella stroller for Marlie on the previous trip and it was needed at times. Sometimes just for pushing the Stitch plush along but when Marlie was tired, the stroller was great. Now our grown up girl doesn’t need the assistance.

I did ask Chris and Chandra to spend some time with Marlie and come up with their “must see” list. The Kids came through with flying colors. Marlie is such a grown up young lady now. She said that Triceratops Spin was a definite and she’d like either the Aladdin Magic Carpets or Dumbo but if the lines were too long, she’d be OK as long as Triceratops Spin was done. She dismissed the Carrousel because “I can ride a merry-go-round anytime”. Playhouse Disney could be forgone but only if Voyage with the Little Mermaid was in. Twilight Zone received a huge thumbs down. For Rock N Roller Coaster, she wants to see the inside portion. So we’ll do the Kid Swap here. Flights of Wonder is a must see for her but she wants to be closer to the stage and she has to be on the aisle since she knows the birds fly down that route. Chris voiced his wants of Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular (to be enjoyed without his parents – just doesn’t thrill us anymore) and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Play It! Chandra said for the latter that she wants to hang out on Mickey Avenue and be the “phone a total stranger”.

The up front “what is important to you” was invaluable for this trip.

The Job Factor –

When I started this whole planning of the trip, I was employed at a manufacturing firm that closed the offices for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. That was the whole reason for the vacation. But then I got laid off in July so I thought this wasn’t going to happen if I became employed again. After The Kids came on board, things happened very fast. This trip had to go off. It just had to. Having The Kids with us for the season was way too important.

I had a fantastic job lead and was being highly considered for it. I went through a recruiter and he was doing the negotiations for me. But I thought I’d be a good fit and so did the company. I made sure that this week off was part of me accepting the position. It was exactly two months after my layoff and I was employed again. I’m going to have to take the time leave without pay but quite frankly, I don’t care a bit. This entire trip is about the power of family and the ties that bind.

Once I settled into my new job, I looked at the holiday schedule. This company gives its employees not only Christmas Day off but also Christmas Eve day. Since Christmas is on a Saturday this year, that holiday was now December 24th. Which meant the Christmas Eve holiday was pushed up to December 23rd. Humm, what to do if I’m not at work on the 23rd? Go to Disney World earlier!

I called to see if I could get our existing nine night reservation to include the first extra night. I don’t think this Cast Member really knew what I was asking. I think she tried to make a ten night reservation and, of course, with the Annual Pass rates having been out for months already, things were booked. I thanked her and hung up. Then tried the next day at 7:30 AM since I had an easy commute to work and was early.

This time, I just asked if there was any availability at the All Star Music for just one night – December 23rd. At the Annual Pass rate. The two reservations will be linked in the system and hopefully (and it’s a good possibility), we won’t have to switch rooms after that first night. I will have to check us out and then check back in but that’s not a problem at all. It’s a matter of getting new room keys and a new parking pass. Now we’re in at Disney World for a total of ten nights. This will be a long, long trip for us. Wonder if we’re getting too old for this stuff? Nah, it’s Disney.

Possible Guest Appearances –

My Dad and stepmother will be going to Pennsylvania from their home in the Florida Keys for Christmas. They will probably be returning while we are at Disney World. We’re leaving the door wide open for them to stop by and see everyone.

The Few Weeks Before –

Chandra and I discussed some souvenir possibilities for Marlie. Neither one of us wanted to spend a ton of money but I think we came up with some good choices. The first one was pressed pennies. Rich and I save all our change so it was a matter of going through the pennies and getting pre-1982 ones for the collection. 1982 was when the Mint started putting copper into the pennies instead of using pure zinc. When the copper pennies are smushed, you can get some green in the design. I also quickly had a roll of quarters add up. With everything, Marlie can press twenty different designs of her choice. This will take a while for her to do and the total cost will be $10.20 (51 cents for each pressing – the penny and then two quarters). A pressed penny holder will be my welcome gift to Marlie.

Another idea we came up with was for Marlie to get postcards from each of the different Epcot countries. She already did the Passport thing last time so she can use the cards to collect the Cast Member signatures this time. And to write her observations about the countries and their different cultures. Cost for each postcard is 50 cents so another cheap alternative and it will take time to collect them all.

I had one enormously unexpected surprise. I asked my supervisor what I needed to do via Human Resources to get the week off leave without pay. I wouldn’t be eligible for vacation until after I’ve been there a year. Our department lets you borrow one week of the two weeks after you’ve been there six months. I’ve only been at the company for less than three months. My supervisor said that since I had told her and the Controller when I was hired that I needed the time off, they would advance me the entire week! I’d get full pay for all of it. Some how, there’s a ton of pixie dust associated with this trip.

A Few Days Before – “You Are Never Ready for a Disney Vacation”

Work was extremely hectic and I ended up coming home every night of the shortened week totally exhausted. So not much packing was getting done. I had my lists of things to get ready but it just wasn’t happening. Rich was a great errand runner. None of my Christmas packages were getting ready but that was OK. I still had time at Disney World to do that. I’d just assemble everything while I was there.

We were taking supplies along with us to help cut costs as much as possible. Pop Tarts and cereal bars for breakfast. Peanut butter and jelly for making sandwiches to take to the parks. I picked up a hard sided sandwich holder for $1. Disney’s policy is no outside food but a sandwich or two is going to have anyone looking the other way. Chandra said that Marlie, with her school schedule, is usually hungry at certain times. Which are the normal lunchtimes so getting something at a counter service might not be the best option. We’re also picking up crackers and pretzels to tote along as well. Dealing with a hungry child isn’t the best thing while at Disney World. Come to think of it, Marlie needs food too!

We did firm up plans to meet with my dad and Betty on December 27th. Rich and I scoped out possible breakfast places last month and the winner was the Sizzler for the buffet. We’re going with a flexible plan for the day but for right now, counting on seeing my parents at least for a brief visit.

I also arranged with Bobbie to have our entire room stay taken care of before we left the house. Right now, we only had a one night deposit on each reservation. I called one morning before work and got a great Cast Member. She not only took the credit card information for both reservations but also saw I had the one night that I had to get once we changed our arrival date to the 23rd. She asked why I just didn’t have a ten night reservation. I explained that there was a problem with getting that done earlier. She said that was “stupid” (her words, not mine) and she could fix it. And fix it she did. Our deposit on the one night was moved over and our initial reservation became a ten night one. That was a big relief for me because now we don’t have to check out after one night and then check back in. It wouldn’t have been a problem but one less thing to think about.

I had typed up very detailed driving directions for Bobbie on how to meet up with us on their arrival date. Since I intended to check them in, they wouldn’t have anything to present to the security guard to verify they needed to be there. I knew a simple “we want to look around” would suffice but that’s not the way Bobbie and Ed operate. They are “fussy” about such things. So I came up with the idea of having them meet us at the McDonald’s which is right outside the entrance to the All Stars. Rich could drive them into the resort with the room key to open the gates. I would either lead or follow with Jasmine and whoever else was with us. The directions were emailed to Bobbie and she printed them out and put them with their tickets. I gave them directions from the turnpike since that’s where I thought they’d be coming up from the Everglades. If they deviated from that route, I’d have to talk them through it.

Day One – Thursday, December 23, 2004 – “The Driving Trip From Hell” or “Why Don’t You Slow Down When the Roads are Crowded?”

I’m up at 4:00 AM. Not by choice but by necessity. The work schedule was brutal again yesterday and we do a weekly trivia thing Wednesday nights so Rich and I headed there right after I got home. We did fairly well – second place which was a disappointment since we lost on the very last question. On the way home, I decided that I was way too tired to even attempt to pack anything. I was horribly disorganized but I didn’t care. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I decided to go to bed early and set the alarm for 4:00 AM. Rich thought I was insane but it worked for me.

By the time I woke Rich up at 7:00 to the sound of a steady rain, I had gotten a ton of things accomplished. I am home making all my Christmas gifts this year. All my family has very busy lifestyles and sometimes simple things are the best. They are all getting very easy kitchen gifts. Things you can microwave in a mug. Cake in a mug, cinnamon honey buns in a mug, veggie soup mix in a mug, and oatmeal in a mug. The packets are easy to make and I can mix and match things to suit each family. The packets will last at least six months so every time someone comes home tired and worn (like I’ve been the past couple of months), they can easily have something quick and easy to eat.

Rich and I weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere today. That’s unusual for me and our recent Disney trips. But the prospect of ten days at the World really had me doing a total anti-commando trip. Last May, when we took The Kids to Disney World, they brought so much stuff with them (we drove them down from our house) that we dubbed my car The Clown Car. This trip, with a smaller car, I was the one that brought so much stuff. The Clown Car was reborn – how much stuff can you cram into a car? Rich later said he thought he was done packing and then I’d bring out more stuff. Jasmine (my car) has a decent trunk but we had to take our larger suitcase and that barely fit into it. Rich packed smaller things around it. I think we made the Coke company extremely happy since we had Sprite, Diet Coke, and regular Coke. Thanks to Kroger having this on sale during the week. Then came all the Christmas presents, all our food, my laptop, our park bag, two coolers, and assorted other items. I found out that Jasmine can hold quite a bit of things. We were not cramped at all which was nice considering we (I) took a lot.

By 9:00, we were ready to go. After dealing with some not-so-nice things with the five cats. They always get upset when the suitcases come out and this morning was no exception. They tried their best to get us to stay. The littlest one, Nemo, was the worst. He’s only nine months old but, boy, is he a little stinker. Cat issues resolved, we headed out. First stop was at a QT for gas and Rich’s breakfast. He got his two Diet Cokes while I pumped. Then we headed down I85 towards the boring drive on I75.

Needless to say, after getting up in the wee hours of the morning, I crashed big time right after we got past Hartsfield-Jackson airport. That’s when, in my mind, we clear the Atlanta area. I woke up just in time for a rest stop outside of Macon. Rich continued to drive until we needed food and a top off of the tank at the cheaper Georgia prices. He stopped at our normal overnight stop – Exit 5. There’s a Shell station right next to a McDonald’s so we could do both things without any problem.

The McDonald’s was a pain. The cashier here was definitely not having a good day. It’s very simple. A double cheeseburger meal with just ketchup and pickles, and a cheeseburger Happy Meal. Heck, these people don’t even have to get your drinks anymore. Let’s see, two burgers, one large fry, one small fry. And a toy. They actually had to take our name to call out when the food was ready. This is fast food? Not a good show. I find that the customer service and quality in fast food places is slipping horribly in our country these days.

With Jasmine’s stomach full and ours about to be, we headed south again with me driving. I really do not like driving through northern Florida. It’s boring. There’s nothing but billboards. But Rich had just driven four hours so I’ll do my share. Huge mistake. Rich dozed and then the “fun” began. We were about twenty miles out of Ocala. And hit a parking lot. It took us a full hour to go those twenty miles. I was so frustrated and angry. I cannot handle being stuck in traffic. It was stop and go, then go a little faster, then hit the brakes and sit for a while. Then go again. For twenty miles. I was cursing and threatening the first born child of every Florida DOT worker. I was sure it was due to construction. Sure enough, when we got to Ocala, there was a crew finishing up on the left side of the highway doing construction. The left hand lane had probably been closed for quite some time which caused the pileup. It was open now but the crew was still on the median. I was so mad. One of the busiest travel days of the year and they have to do construction. I vowed to make evil things happen to the DOT.

I’ll insert this here. Once we got to Disney World, Rich was flipping through the channels to find something on TV. For some reason, he left it on the news channel instead of ESPN. Very glad he did that because it explained what happened in Ocala. At 10:00 this morning, a car cut off a tractor trailer and caused a wreck. The tractor trailer ended up crashing into the guardrail and hovering over a bridge. The driver didn’t realize what danger he was in until he got out and saw his back wheels had no support under him. The car was completely wrecked. Both drivers were unharmed, which was good. The car driver is going to get nailed for reckless driving (can’t be wreckless, can it?) though. What we got caught up in was the DOT getting things cleaned up and fixing the broken guardrail. DOT was forgiven.

Up to this point, we had been making great time. Rich even thought we could make the last show of Off Kilter (which was at 6:00) but the delay cost us lots of time. I just continued to drive and we didn’t stop again until we reached All Star Music. Traffic was still a bit of a problem since there were tons of people on the road. I am not a patient driver at all so my nerves were shot by the time we reached the magical World of Disney.

With the day going the way it was, I was sure there would be mobs of people waiting to check in. It was 5:00. I was helped in the time it took Rich to go to the bathroom. I had faxed in a room request of a quiet visit but Broadway if possible. I noted that we wanted to have an adjoining room with Bobbie and Ed. I hoped for the best. And got Rock Inn instead. That’s OK, it will be a quiet visit since those buildings are far away from Melody Hall which is where the food court and gift shop are. We’re in 3646 on the third floor. That’s nice since we won’t have anyone walking around on top of us.

I drove us around there and we took small stuff up until we saw where the room was. I hoped for a non parking lot view but that wasn’t to be either. We are a couple of doors from the ice machine and the elevator so we’re in the middle but we do overlook the parking lot. We are really close to the Sports and the Home Run section. We’ll have to take Marlie over there and have her see how that’s set up. She’s in T ball and she can enjoy the baseball stuff and the football field.

I think it took us four trips to get everything up into the room. I looked at all the stuff and didn’t know how five people could fit into the room for seven days. Oh well, we’ll deal with it. I was stressed and tired and wanted some wine. We brought two boxes from home. Yes, we are so sophisticated that’s how we drink wine. I started to relax when Rich said “well, what are we going to do now?” Ugh! The man wanted to do something Disney World related. Our normal routine is to do a walk around World Showcase at Epcot so that became the plan. Then we would come back and I’d unpack everything. Rich can live out of boxes and suitcases, I can’t. About the only thing I got done before the call of Disney sounded was to set up our little Christmas Bear band in the window. It’s an electrical thing that plays annoying Christmas music while these three bears kind of move around. It’s not the Country Bear Jamboree but it’s lighted and Rich was in charge of bringing Christmas things. He thinks it’s cute because he bought it.

Rich drove us over to the Swan after getting very confused about how to get there from the All Star Music. He thought we’d come out at the firehouse. I had to remind him he was thinking the way from Pop Century. Poor man lost his mental Disney road map. When we turned into the Swan parking lot, we saw a big change. This parking is not going to be in our future. They are building a guard shack here. Darn. We love to park here because of the walk through the Boardwalk and into the International Gateway entrance to Epcot. That’s how I truly know we’ve arrived at Disney World. Everyone has their “we’re here” feeling and that’s been mine. Oh well, things change, we go on. My attitude was back into anti-commando and go with the flow. Traffic was forgotten and hopefully will be forgotten for the next ten days.

The weather had really improved from the north Georgia cold and rain of the morning. I was wearing jeans and a T shirt and had a sweatshirt for later. Rich was in shorts and a T shirt with a windbreaker for later. We didn’t need any of the cold weather gear and Rich actually complained he was sweating. Let’s hope that continues.

Into Epcot and around the countries in a clockwise fashion. Rich stopped for a beer at Canada and we noticed the prices had changed. Get ready for this – for the better! A 20 ounce beer was now $6.25. Rich was poised with the $7.50 it used to be. I also noticed that the bottled water and sodas were now only $2 instead of $2.50. Was it the Christmas season? Or as Rich put it, “did the Gouge Police come out?” We took a very leisurely stroll around the lagoon. When we got to America, the Candlelight Processional was going on. I mentioned to Rich that we’d be doing that with The Kids soon. He said “aargh, I forgot about that”. Rich isn’t into this at all but he’s doing it for Chandra. And Chandra is very grateful. I know she’s going to love it. Rich asked who the narrator was tonight. I admitted I didn’t know. We checked the board. Holy crap! It’s Gary Sinise already! We peeked around the standing room only people outside the theatre and yes! It is Gary Sinise! Whoo hoo! The evening is picking up!!!! I really cannot wait to experience this with The Kids. But we will have to get there early and stand in line. I can handle that. Just to see this with Chandra and Marlie.

We got back to the International Gateway and Rich asked if we should do one more walk around. I was lagging by this time so I suggested we go back to All Star Music and check out the food court and the gift shop for the next ten days. We got back over there and forewent a trip to the room and headed straight for Melody Hall right away. I told Rich that if we had gone back to the room I’d take off my shoes and crash so we bypassed that.

We checked out the food court and the selections and prices. We might be in trouble here. They have cheese raviolis! Chris lived off of these on our first family Disney World visit back in 1993 when we stayed at the then Dixie Landings. I see those in our future. The gift shop looked promising for getting Chandra a margarita when she arrives. $3 for one of those. Not bad. We didn’t get anything at either place and then trudged back to the room for the rest of the night.

I immediately took off my shoes and then started unpacking. Rich didn’t help and before all the feminists go to town, I didn’t want him to. I’m so much more organized and wanted to get everything squared away. It took a while but somehow I managed to get all our clothes into four drawers and have two left over for The Kids. Maybe not fair since we’re two people and they are three but tough. We’re here longer. I also finished decorating the front window with the only other Christmas decoration Rich brought. Some lights that are magnolias. Those were the first lights he found that worked. He blamed his lack of choices on the cats. I guess they were really curious about us finally getting out Christmas things. We hadn’t really celebrated this holiday for quite a while.

We watched some reruns on TV and then the syndicated stuff. Rich is turning into a “That 70’s Show” fan and Red Foreman. His catch phrase has been in our house for quite a while now. Lights out after midnight.

Day Two – Friday, December 24, 2004 – “I Hope It Wasn’t This Cold in Bethlehem”

Yesterday, before the traffic jam in Ocala, Rich and I discussed stopping at the new Super Wal Mart on Route 27 on the way to Disney World. After the mess, we were both tired and frustrated so we bypassed the stop. That was our mission for this morning. But we again took the anti-commando route and slept in until 9:00. Rich got ready and I assumed he would go to Melody Hall for a newspaper. He said he’s just get one at Wal Mart. Which kind of threw me off because I like to use the time to wake up and work on the report. Rich now claims I forced him to go for a newspaper. And to pick up a pressed penny book for Marlie. That and the pennies and quarters were my Christmas present to her.

After Rich got back from his stroll (no newspaper – they were sold out), he channel surfed and watched ESPN until they started repeating Sports Center. We did get some extremely good news since we are Atlanta Falcons fans. Today was the day Michael Vick agreed to a $100 million 10 year contract! Huge whoo hoo for us. The Falcons will have a great quarterback for the next ten years. In this day and age of egotistical and disloyal sports stars, it’s refreshing to see that Vick will probably spend his entire career with one team. Then Rich fished through the channels again (that girl on the “Top Seven Must Sees at Disney World” is awfully annoying) and settled on something I’d never thought he’d watch. “Judge Mathis”. We realized that some people get upset at the silliest things. I finally got ready and we headed out for Wal Mart about 11:30.

On Rich’s walk, he wore a T shirt and shorts. He thought he could handle the day with that and a windbreaker. The temperatures were a lot lower than yesterday – expected to be in the mid 50s. Which is fine with us. I wore jeans and a sweatshirt. Rich got us to Wal Mart which was crowded, as expected. We had just a few items that we needed to get – tags for my Christmas gifts, bread for sandwiches, and sandwich bags (the one time I forget to pack Ziplocs). Rich also looks at all the sports stuff for his home based business. He’s into sports cards and memorabilia. He does weekend shows and sells on ebay as well. This pays for our spending money on the Disney trips. We normally will split up on shopping excursions but this Wal Mart is huge and it was crowded so we stayed together. I did joke to Rich that next time we do this, we’ll have to bring the walkie talkies because this place is bigger than The World of Disney. I wasn’t really kidding though.

We got our necessary things and then headed for the check outs. It’s so very true that Wal Marts have 100 check out lines but only 10 are usually open. Fortunately, this Wal Mart had the Self Check Out stands so we went off to there. We do this all the time at Kroger and are quite good at it. But not everyone is and Wal Mart doesn’t do the associate help very well. An older couple was having a very difficult time in front of us. We were about three parties behind them. They had purchased a DVD that was R rated and the associate had to come over to the machine and punch in a bunch of things to verify that yes, these people were over the age of 17. At least at Kroger, the associate can stand in one place and control all four stands – at Wal Mart, the person has to go to each individual machine. And at that moment, all three working machines needed the associate. R rated DVDs were flying off the shelf. You also need an associate if you have any alcohol to purchase. Then the older couple tried to pay but their $20 bill wasn’t being accepted. The woman in front of us was very aggravated and I tried not to laugh. Usually, it’s me who is the aggravated one. Finally, the older couple finished up and the next person moved up. Another stand opened up and we let the aggravated woman go over there and we followed. Even though the associate told us to go to the open stand first. Why should we? The woman in front of us waited longer than we did. She flew through checking out. We did our transaction and then headed out of the Wal Mart Dodge. I can’t tell you the last time I had to visit a store on Christmas Eve. And I think it’ll be a long, long time until I have to again. Just not worth it.

We got back to the room and decided what to do for the day. Where to spend Christmas Eve at Disney World? Using the “day after early entry” mentality, I suggested, gulp – Magic Kingdom. The last time we were here was for a short day with The Kids in May of 2003. Our subsequent trips have been short weekend visits so the original park of Disney World just doesn’t make the cut. We like it but we’d rather enjoy Epcot, MGM, or Animal Kingdom. Our goal was to do the new Stitch attraction with a FastPass. Maybe. Depended on the crowds.

Rich about died of shock when he realized I intended to take a bus to Magic Kingdom. I almost never take the Disney transportation. I’m the impatient person who wants to go, go, go. But a bus to the Magic Kingdom is really the only way to do it. I packed our bag for the day – we carry a denim bag with a zip top. It’s very roomy, very flexible and doesn’t look like a purse so Rich can take it from time to time. I threw my heavier jacket into the bag “just in case”. And at the last minute, put in my thin wool gloves as well. We both wore ball caps to keep our heads warm. It was misty, foggy, and the forecast called for some rain. We had our light ponchos as well.

Off to the bus stops and we waited in the queue area for about ten minutes for the bus. There weren’t many of us but this one family just had to make their own line for boarding. Why bother – there was plenty of room. Oh well. Then off to the Movies and we picked up more people. Unfortunately, they had to stand although lots of seats were being offered to people who needed them more. The ride from All Stars to Magic Kingdom is one of the longest on the Disney transportation line. This bus driver had a personality of a wet paper bag so it was a quiet ride. As we neared the Magic Kingdom, Rich said he thought we always got dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. I don’t think that has happened ever. I really don’t know where his mind was regarding transportation this trip.

After disembarking the bus, we made our way over to the entrance to Magic Kingdom. It’s quite a hike from the value resort bus stops. Are frugal people supposed to be in better shape than the deluxe resort people? We scouted around for our Walk Around the World brick that we bought way back when they were first offered. We’re right at the Magic Kingdom entrance, near the last tree on the right as you look towards the train station. It’s kind of a neat thing since it says Rich, Sheri, Chris Niklewski and now our family has expanded. It also has Bellevue, NE on there which is where we all thought we’d be spending the rest of our lives. We’ve moved on and for the better.

We arrived just in time for the Christmas parade! Ugh! We’re not parade people so we went through the shops to avoid the crowds. We looked at some of the offerings in the shops – mostly candy. I sort of am expected to take more chocolate back for my co-workers. They loved my last bribe, err, gift from last month. Anytime I have to give them something to enter into the system at 4:55, I give them a piece of chocolate so I don’t get killed. We made it up Main Street and then took the short cut through the Plaza Pavilion. I remarked to Rich that it was a great place for a bite to eat since it had variety and not very many people. I was feeling a bit “peckish” as my British friends would say. Rich had a breakfast bar in the room but I forgot about bringing one along for me. We decided to check out Stitch first before food.

Stitch ain’t going to happen. 70 minute stand by line and the FastPass return was for after 5:00. Forget that. Buzz Lightyear’s stand by was awful but the FastPass was for 2:50-3:50. It was just after 2:00 so that was doable. With FastPasses, Rich suggested we backtrack and go for food. At the Plaza Pavilion, I thought we could split the Italian Stack sandwich. Rich thought it wouldn’t be enough. But it was plenty for a quick bite to eat and settle both our stomachs. We sat and watched what we could of the parade on Main Street. Not much but enough for us.

After our little lunch, we headed back into the crowded Tomorrowland to see what we could do before our window opened up. We figured the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (People Mover, darn it) would be a safe bet but even that had a bit of a line. At least it was fast moving and we were off for our little adventure. The temperatures had been dropping for quite a while and I had put on my woolen gloves. Which made Rich laugh but it sure saved my day. If my hands or feet get cold, I just can’t ever get warm. We had a nice ride although there was a boy in the next car who was talking very loudly about everything he saw. Very excited little kid. We never realized that the TTA was so exciting.

Our window for Buzz had opened so we thought about getting FastPasses for Space Mountain. From the People Mover (TTA), we checked out the FastPass return line for Buzz and it was extreme! The parade traffic had arrived. We’d come back later, thank you very much. Space Mountain had a stand by line of 60 minutes and the FastPass return time was for after 6:00. See ya later. Earlier, we saw that The Timekeeper was open but it had still been ten minutes to show time. Rich suggested we go back there while we waited for the Buzz line to clear out. But on the way, I saw the line for Carousel of Progress (also open, yea!) was just being let into the theatre. So we enjoyed this special presentation of Walt’s 1964 Worlds Fair contribution. Well, one of his contributions to that Worlds Fair. Even Rich sang a little bit along to the tune.

The line for Buzz had died down so we went with our FastPasses. Onto the attraction within five minutes, ignoring all the stares from the people in the stand by line. Sorry folks, FastPasses are free and available to anyone. Rich did our spinning and I attempted to outscore him. I should know better. I was leading for a while but then Rich finally got a handle on steering and shooting so he won but not by that wide of a margin.

After defeating Zurg, we decided to walk through the Magic Kingdom and if anything was an easy walk on, we’d do it. Otherwise, we’d go back to the room and get warmed up. Rich had been thinking about going to Epcot for a walk but decided that warmth was needed. He was regretting not wearing a sweatshirt or changing into long pants. We toyed with getting a FastPass for Mickey’s Philharmagic, which we’ve never seen, but I vetoed that because I was cold and just didn’t want to come back. Fantasyland was very crowded and the stand bys were 40 minutes or more (Peter Pan was 70). I said I didn’t even want to go near Splash Mountain because of the cold but Rich wanted to check out how long the stand by line was on such a bad day. 15 minutes and I kept walking – towards the entrance of Splash Mountain. Rich was very surprised but when else can we walk on Splash Mountain on Christmas Eve? I did promise that I would sit on the right side of the log so I would get wet when the boat gets stopped after the big drop. There’s a waterfall there and Rich always gets drenched.

I love Splash Mountain and “Song of the South” will always have a special place in my heart. The last time that film was ever shown in a theatre was a very bad time in my life. That one movie turned things around for me and made me the Disney fan that I am today. So I had a very enjoyable ride yet again. After the big drop, we rounded the corner and I was prepared for the waterfall. Which was turned off! That led Rich to call me a name. Hehehehe. He actually got wetter than I did.

Now we were really getting cold so we headed for the exit. But Jungle Cruise was a walk on. It’s been a very long time since we did this attraction and we usually get a dud of a skipper. Not this time. He was great and there were a lot of new things in the script. Plus a lot of ad libbing when we got stuck for a while behind some backed up boats.

The trip through the jungle was quite chilly and it was going to get dark very soon. We decided to get back to some warmth. Why we (I) chose to do a lot of outdoor attractions is beyond me. It had started raining just slightly by the time we made our way down Main Street and out to the bus stop. Rich didn’t realize it at first, but on the way back from Magic Kingdom, each of the three All Stars has its own bus stop. We had maybe a five minute wait for the Music bus. And if the bus driver earlier wasn’t thrilling, this one was worse. I think the only thing he said was “All Star Music” when we pulled up there.

Rich and I hustled ourselves back to the room. We had noticed the steam rising from the pools – they are definitely heated. And had some robust children in them. No lifeguards were stupid enough to be on duty. In the room, Rich turned up the heat just a bit and we relaxed and figured out what to do for the rest of the evening. A walk around World Showcase wasn’t going to happen. But we didn’t want to sit in the room all night. The wind and the cold had really taken a toll on us and we fought off falling asleep. We watched the news for the weather forecast and it’s not going to get any better until Sunday afternoon. Merry Wet and Cold Christmas Central Florida! Then we found the Packers/Vikings football game and settled in to watch the end of that. We were happy with the results – Green Bay won in the final seconds.

Our choices for dinner were either the All Star Music food court or something offsite. The only thing I wasn’t in the mood for was Italian since I knew we’d get at least pizza when The Kids are here. I suggested we just go out on Highway 192, head east and pick a place for dinner. We left to do that and I told Rich to make the decision once we were out there. I just called out the restaurants as we drove. I kind of was in the mood for seafood and Rich must have read my mind because he chose Red Lobster. Most of the restaurants we saw had full parking lots but Red Lobster could seat us immediately.

Our server was great and helped out Rich with a request. Rich wanted one dish but didn’t want the crab cake that was on it. He asked if he could substitute and the server didn’t think so but he went out of his way to go back and ask the cook. Turned out, Rich could substitute so that was nice. I settled on two appetizers as my meal – a half dozen raw oysters and a dozen steamed mussels. Two of my favorites. Rich demolished his meal. My oysters were huge and I ended up choking on the first one. After that, I had to cut the suckers. Never had to do that with oysters. I won’t even mention what Rich calls raw oysters but let’s just say he doesn’t even like the look of them. But I love them and will get them any time I can.

We took notice a little late that the restaurant was clearing out. It was about 8:30 when we left and Rich checked their holiday hours. Oops – they closed at 8:00. At no time were we made to feel rushed. Nice job for Red Lobster. The restaurant was next door to Kissimmee Old Town and we made our way over there. We had a couple of nice visits there last month when we stayed at the Days Inn Suites. We were looking for NASCAR stuff but the shop where we found a great selection last month was devoid of just about anything NASCAR related. It is the off season but still. We thought we could bring The Kids here but I guess we’ll pass. At one shop, Rich did pick up a pair of woolen gloves himself. Mine were invaluable today. These were only $3 and I knew Rich would appreciate them over the next couple of days.

Back at the room after our excursion, Rich channel surfed and I ended up falling asleep. Rich made me go to bed at 10:00. I needed the rest and I’m on vacation. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Day Three – Saturday, December 25, 2004 – “Merry Christmas But Delta Gets the Scrooge of the Year Award”

I struggled out of bed at 9:00 after being woken up by lots of talking and excitement from our neighbors. There’s kids over there and it’s Christmas morning so I tried to ignore all the hoopla. Rich snoozed a little longer while I worked on the report. I did get up and check our front door. A nice little Christmas stocking bag with Chex Mix and some candy. It’s small but it’s a great gesture from Disney. Just perfect for our low keyed holiday celebration. Rich got up and ready for the day and then went for his newspaper run. I asked him to get me a bottle of water since I attempted to use the tap water that everyone hates so much. I used to be able to tolerate it but I’ve been drinking bottled water at home (we have horrible tap water – worse than the Disney tap stuff) and I could not handle this water even for brushing my teeth.

The day was a little warmer than yesterday but a heck of a lot wetter. It wasn’t going to get any better at all. We had talked about going to all the flea markets that are along Highway 192 so after I slowly got ready, that’s what we set out to do. Rich wore a sweatshirt and long pants. That speaks volumes for how horrible the weather was today.

We will always remember Christmas Day, 2004. Anything that could go wrong, went wrong. Nothing was open on Highway 192. I think it was one McDonald’s and Pizzeria Uno. Everything else was closed. All the grocery stores and restaurants. Rich thought maybe another hurricane had gone through. Kissimmee resembled a ghost town. All the crappy and tacky gift shops were open. Walgreen’s was doing a nice business. We went down Highway 192 almost all the way to the turnpike and saw nothing we wanted to do. At least it got us out of the room for a while.

After our little adventure, we went back to the room and decided to get ready for The Kids to arrive tomorrow. We took the regular Coke and Marlie’s juice boxes up to the room. Where the housekeeper was still making up the room. We dallied as much as we could and finally went back to the room when we thought she was done. I had left a note, along with the tip and a candy cane (this lady had to work on Christmas Day) and asked for extra towels. After we entered our room, I saw that we had two extra towels. That was perfect. But then the housekeeper came back with five extra towels! Wow! I guess the tip was appreciated.

The weather was getting worse and it didn’t look like we would really have a great time at any Disney park. We’re not the kind of people to let a little rain interfere with our fun but this was a miserable day. We decided to make our holiday phone calls. Rich called his parents who were enjoying a relatively stress free day. Bobbie had made a holiday ham a few evenings ago when most of the family could be there. They were doing the leftovers today. Bobbie and Rich ironed out a few details of the in-laws’ trip to Disney World. We probably won’t hear from them until next Thursday.

Then I called Chandra and was prepared for an hour long conversation. Marlie was with her dad for the day and Chris was working. My mission was to get Chandra calmed down about her upcoming first plane flight. I was so confident everything would go well. Chandra and I chatted for quite a while about things and then I heard “oh crap”. Mary, Chandra’s mother, had logged onto the Delta website to check on the departure status of tomorrow’s flight. CANCELLED!!!! There’re a lot of words that were uttered in Ohio and in room 3646 of the All Star Music that aren’t going to make it into this report. Crap is the most user friendly I can muster.

Thankfully, Mary was there in Ohio for Chandra. I suggested she immediately call Delta to find out what to do. Then she should call me back. Which she did after a half hour. Delta’s only number to call was busy, busy, busy. Not a good sign. Rich and I figured that all this was due to the weather that had bombed the Midwest. Lots of snow. The first leg of The Kids flight was from Toledo into Cincinnati. Cincinnati had closed their airport a few days ago because of snow. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was ComAir. Delta’s “partner” had a computer problem that wasn’t going to be fixed until after noon on the 26th so every single ComAir flight was being cancelled (over 1,100 of them). That really torked me off. And it was next to impossible to get through to Delta. I tried, Chandra tried and all we got was a busy signal. Definitely not good. More cussing and swearing by the Ohio and the All Star people. Grr, grr, grr. I wasn’t in a Christmasy mood.

Rich and I needed food and a break from all the drama. Bobbie had suggested we go to the only open restaurant we saw – Pizzaria Uno. I thought we’d be doing the All Star Music food court. Rich wanted the pizza option. I thought I could avoid that until Chris got here. Oh well, I’ll make my husband happy since he had to tolerate my outbursts at Delta’s stupidity. On the way to the restaurant, I got a great idea. I called Chandra and suggested that she and Mary go out to the Toledo airport and deal face to face with a Delta representative. Chandra said she had called Chris at the movie theatre (he’s a lead usher) and asked that he call her back in a half hour.

Pizzeria Uno was doing a nice business and everyone was in a good mood even though they had to work on Christmas Day. I wasn’t thrilled by the choice of restaurants (remember, not in the Italian mood) but I had a great meal – a casserole of lobster and shrimp with great stuffing. Excellent. Rich did a pizza with tons of meat. And he inhaled it quite nicely. My leftover of the casserole was taken along with us. Right after we ordered the food, my phone rang. It was Chris. His manager let him leave for the day to take care of the airline problem. So Chris and Chandra were heading out to the Toledo airport to find out what they could do. All Rich and I could do was wait and worry and realize that The Kids, although they will always be The Kids to us, had to be The Adults today. Apron strings can sometimes be a strong as steel bonds.

Rich and I enjoyed our Christmas meal and then headed back to the room. Neither one of us was in the Disney magic frame of mind. It was raining very steadily and at times, heavily. Not theme park weather at all. Even a walk around World Showcase wasn’t an option since our feet and lower legs would have been soaked even with our nice Disney yellow ponchos. So back to the room where I could get those Christmas presents finished.

But it turned into the Great Delta Mess Up (well, I used a stronger word than that) of the century. For the next six hours, I dialed Delta’s phone number again and again and again and again. Three different times, I actually made it as far as to speak to a human being. Who transferred me over to a “rebooking” agent. Then I sat on hold for a half hour and then got cut off. Three different times of that happening. The last time, I told the first agent that I did not want to be put on hold. He claimed that it was a direct transfer. A half hour later, I was cut off after being on hold.

Meanwhile, The Kids trip to the airport came up with a solution. To have Mary drive them to Cincinnati the next day. That meant all four of them had to leave Toledo at midnight to get there in time for the 7:40 flight. And what was Delta going to do for them? Absolutely nothing. No compensation at all. That was what had me livid. There was no cooperation from anyone at Delta at all. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. IF you could even get through on their only 800 number. Delta is an Atlanta based company and I’ve always been a fan of theirs. Not anymore. No wonder they are going broke. This service absolutely, positively was non existent.

We watched football while all this was going on and turned in around midnight for Rich and 1:00 AM for me. I was still on hold with Delta. Only to get cut off yet again. Grr, grr, grr.

Day Four – Sunday, December 26, 2004 – “The Kids Finally Make It, Bad Weather Affects Everyone”

After our misadventures of last night, Rich and I got up later than normal. Which was fine because we were just going to be hanging around the room waiting for when we could go meet The Kids. We hadn’t heard from them and we told them to call only if there were problems. No news is good news. I worked on the trip report and Rich did his newspaper run and then got caught up on the world of sports. Thank goodness Disney gets ESPN or I seriously think we’d have to stop coming here.

Around 12:30, Rich was antsy to get out of the room and let the housekeeper do her thing. I didn’t think The Kids would be arriving until 1:30. But we went to the lobby anyway. We sat and stared at nothing for a while and then I suggested we check out the arcade. Rich used to be the video game king back in college and I was hoping they would have those types of things instead of the modern stuff. We were in luck – Galaga was there and Rich was lord of that game. But he declined, saying that he hasn’t played in years and he didn’t want to embarrass himself. Then we turned the corner and I stopped dead in my tracks. Skee Ball! If Rich is the video game king, I am the Skee Ball queen. There were three lanes but only one was working. A game was only 25 cents so I was in heaven. Rich had three quarters so I was extremely happy for a while. After that, Rich changed a dollar and played Galaga. And did very well – over 100,000 points. Not bad for an old guy. For $1.25, we killed about a half hour.

Then we went back to the bench by the front door and waited for the town car. And waited. And waited. I was bored so Rich went to the gift shop and got a wine cooler for me and a beer for him to pass the time. And we waited some more. At 2:15, Rich decided to go back to the room to see if there was a message on the phone. About five minutes after he left, The Kids showed up. Thank goodness for cell phones.

I went outside for hugs and a very upset Chandra. But at least they were on the ground and safe. Their Delta adventure continued as one of their bags was lost. The one with all of Chandra’s and Marlie’s clothes in it. How one bag can be lost but not the other one is beyond me. Again, Delta provided no help at all except to say they would look for it. Big whoop. Of course, later when we tried to get a status update, that 800 number was always busy. By now, we understood the computer problem and Delta failed miserably to deal with it.

Chandra was also a little shaken because the town car driver drove, well, a little too fast. Now, I’ve ridden with Chandra and she’s no little old lady from Pasadena and this is the Orlando area. Not sure how bad it was. Chris said he didn’t notice but by that time, he was totally exhausted and just damn glad to be on the ground. Chandra added this later –

You might want to mention that I was very pleased with Happy Limo. I called them from Raleigh when we found out we were delayed by 25 minutes and I got through right away. The man that I talked to was very very nice and told me that I shouldn’t worry about a thing. He even listened to me gripe a bit about how the trip was going so far and sympathized. The driver that met us was also very nice. She did everything possible to keep me calm when she saw that I was falling apart. She drove a little nuts, but she definitely knew how to do the “Everything is going to work out” routine. And the car was wonderful. BIG trunk (Sheri’s note – poor Jasmine and her little butt) and very roomy in the back. I really wish I had been in the mood to enjoy the ride because I would have loved it.

While we were waiting for The Kids, our parents were in contact with us (the apron strings go a lot further than just with The Kids – I guess we are The Kids to other people). Betty called for a status update on The Kids and said their drive from Pennsylvania to Florida was not going very well. They were stuck in North Carolina in a storm. And traffic was extremely bad. They had hoped to get to Jacksonville by tonight but they knew that wasn’t going to happen. After that call, I called Bobbie. They were traveling the same route as my dad and Betty. I gave them a heads up on the weather and Bobbie said it wasn’t weather that was delaying them, it was the traffic. They tried every back road they could but it didn’t help. They had hoped to get into South Carolina tonight but didn’t think they would make that either. The Niklewski/Sowa families sure weren’t having very good transportation issues today.

I had bought Chandra a pina coloda and a margarita for her arrival. I think she inhaled the pina coloda. The Kids were very tired with Chris having been awake for over 24 hours. We got everything back to the room – not hard to do since their huge suitcase was lost somewhere in Delta Land. We regrouped in the room and one of Marlie’s requests was for her first thing to do at Disney World. To see Off Kilter. Honestly, I did not put her up to that at all. That was her favorite thing on her earlier trip.

I got out The Kids admission tickets. Rich had made sure I had those on the way down. I had taken all three of them out in the car to check for about the twentieth time. I gave Chris his and Chandra’s and Marlie asked “do I get one?” I was just about to say “of course you do” when I looked into the envelope again. No ticket. Rich and I tore up everything trying to find the damn thing. I went down to the car and looked in there. No ticket. Rich, of course, was very upset and I knew I had all three of them. I knew it. But I had to just admit it wasn’t there and we’d have to eat up another $250 to get Marlie into the parks.

The day was overcast and chilly but we were all prepared. The Kids were still in their Ohio clothes (Chandra and Marlie, at this point, didn’t have anything to change into anyway) and Rich and I thought today was a much better day than the past couple. After we parked at the Swan, I told Rich I’d run ahead to the International Gateway and get a ticket for Marlie. I was about two rows away from where we parked and got called back. Loudly. Rich had found the pass! It must have fallen in between my seat and the console. See what happens when you double, triple, and twenty times check things? Huge relief and our bank account still has $250 in it.

We let Marlie run off steam with the walk over to Epcot. Our goals here were Off Kilter for their 4:30 show and then some food. We got to security and Rich could breeze through and so could I since all I was carrying was our denim bag and that’s roomy and easy to see in to. The Kids didn’t have anything. Or so I thought. Marlie was wearing this little see through plastic waist pack. And I mean a little one. She had to take it off and have security check it. A six year old little girl is a huge threat to Disney World. Welcome to the post 9/11 world, Marlie.

We got to the Off Kilter benches around 4:00 and I started to realize just how tired The Kids were. Chris and Chandra crashed. Rich and I set out to find some adult beverages and Marlie went with us. But we weren’t going to have much luck. All of the kiosks were closed down because of the cold. Rich remarked that if you wanted coffee or cookies, you were in luck. But oddly, the margarita stand in Mexico was open. We got two fiesta ones and then headed back to Canada. Marlie did get to see the character bus on the walk. Those Cast Members that make sure everyone is standing back sure are aggressive, aren’t they? I know they don’t want anyone to get hurt but if it’s such a big deal, why doesn’t the bus go slower?

This first thing to do with The Kids at Disney World was a huge hit. Marlie sat on the ground in front of us. We called her Sewer Girl since she was sitting on the sewer cover. It’s kind of an inside joke with us. We had talked with one of the band members last month and told him that we would be bringing Marlie this time. When the guys came out on stage, Marlie was acknowledged. And she was waved to and winked at all through the set. She was sitting there, moving back and forth to the music with the biggest smile on her face. That made Chandra very happy – to see Marlie happy. After all The Kids had been through in the past twenty four hours, this made up for a lot of it. In my opinion, there’s nothing better to chase your blues away than listening to Off Kilter.

Rich and I thought we’d take a walk around World Showcase and get some food and then come back for the 6:00 Off Kilter show. But The Kids were severely lagging. Really lagging. The suggestion was made to just go back to the room and utilize the food court. Then I suggested offsite and the New York Pizza World. That was one of Chris’ requests and it hasn’t disappointed us yet. The Kids didn’t care so off we went.

On the way back to the Swan, my cell phone rang. We were going to meet my dad and Betty for breakfast the next morning and this was to set that up. They hadn’t made it to Jacksonville for the night but they still thought they could meet us at 9:00. But they’d call at 8:00 to finalize the plans. The Kids kind of groaned at the earlyness of the hour but Spike and Betty were going out of their way to see us so we’ll make do.

At the New York Pizza World, we were seated and Chandra took Marlie to the bathroom while we waited for our server. They were back before anyone even approached the table. Not a good sign at all. We had more than enough time to get our decisions made on what we wanted. Finally, the server came over and he must have been having a bad day. I think his words were “what do you want?” We usually have very good service here so this is not normal. We noticed that the guy just wasn’t pleasant to anyone. He never really acknowledged us again until we were finishing up and it was time to pay. Then he turned all pleasant. The food, though, was very good again and the prices are reasonable. For all five of us, with a carafe of wine was $45 (the server had the audacity to “suggest” his tip). I decided to get a little revenge and try to confuse the guy. My supervisor had given all her employees a $25 American Express gift card that could be used anywhere American Express was taken. I decided to use it here and see if this guy could handle it. Rich put down $20 cash to add to the fun. Needless to say, the transaction took a while. Sorry, but it had been a long day. Even with the lousy service, we were always pleasant to the server. All we wanted was a little bit back.

We got back to the room and The Kids got settled in. There wasn’t much to settle with one missing bag. We had hoped there would be a flashing message light on the phone indicating the suitcase had been delivered to the All Star. No such luck. Chandra called to the front desk just to check but nothing. We kept trying the 800 baggage number but couldn’t get through. Rich and I blew up Marlie’s air mattress and got her little bed area set up. She’s under the window and we’re not cramped at all.

It was only 8:30 but The Kids were tired and my problem of the next twenty four hours started. I had a tuna sub at New York Pizza World and it decided that it didn’t like me. So I joined The Kids in slumberland very early. Fortunately for Rich, football was on the TV so he stayed up and watched that. He thought it was funny that everyone had crashed on him. He didn’t last very much longer than we did.

Day Five – Monday, December 27, 2004 – “Wal Mart, Traffic, Off Kilter and Sheri Goes Home Early”

After turning in so early last night and having a horrible “rest”, I was awake when Betty’s call came. They were still having traffic problems so we delayed getting to Sizzler until 10:30. This was a pre determined meeting spot. Rich and I had scooped out potential places last month and this was a winner with the buffet option and an easy location to find. Rich mentioned that he thought breakfast was only served until 11:00 so I suggested we all get up and over there around 10:00 just to make sure we had breakfast. From where Betty told me they were, I thought 10:30 was kind of a late estimate.

Getting five people ready to go for the day in one hotel room is a definite challenge. I stayed out of the way working on the report. Marlie is not the most cooperative little girl in the morning when you need to get up and get going. Chandra had to crawl through the clothes to find anything that she and Marlie could wear that was decently clean. After breakfast, we were hitting the Wal Mart for replacements. Still no flashing red message light on the phone.

I was the last person to take a shower and was in the bathroom when my phone rang. It was Betty and they were at Universal. I knew that 10:30 time was too late. We were almost off Disney grounds when Betty called again and said they were at the Sizzler and would get us a table. There was a line to pay for the buffet and The Kids and Rich stood in that while I hunted down my dad and Betty. I wasn’t feeling in the mood for a heavy breakfast but thought I could do fruits and light stuff. The other guys joined us and for some unknown reason, Rich ordered me a Pepsi. I’ve been off caffeine for years. All I really wanted was a glass of water. I don’t think Rich’s brain was in gear this morning.

I concentrated on the fruit while everyone else made some major damage to the buffet. Rich especially killed a pig himself with all the bacon he devoured. So much for trying to lose 30 pounds before our cruise next year. I’m going to have to watch him closer in the future. I’ll forgive him while on vacation. One of The Kids clothing issues was resolved with Marlie’s Christmas gift from my dad and Betty. Two NASCAR outfits including a complete Jeff Gordon one.

We visited and chatted and got caught up with everything. We don’t get to see my dad and Betty very much although that might change after they sell their house in the Keys and move to north Florida. My sister plans to join them up there in the next year as well.

Spike and Betty were anxious to get on their way and we needed to get out to Wal Mart. We said our good byes and realized that we had no idea when we’d get together again. That’s why this vacation is so important for all of us.

We headed west on Highway 192 out to Route 27. That’s about five or six miles. Fortunately, we were going west. Traffic going to the east was a parking lot. We kept driving and driving and seeing nothing but cars on the other side. Holiday vacationers are here. I grabbed the Florida map to see if I could figure out a different way to get back to avoid the mess. I thought I could see an alternative route.

Wal Mart was much nicer than it was on Christmas Eve. Rich and I needed a few things so we left The Kids in the clothing section and got our stuff. I wasn’t feeling the best and all I wanted to do was to sit down for a while. Rich stayed with The Kids and I went to the snack bar area and waited for them to finish up. $60 later, The Kids at least had some things they could get by with for the next few days. The biggest item was a pair of jeans for Chandra. At least there were Florida T-shirts three for $10 so that wasn’t that bad. But socks and underwear were needed too. That missing bag was a big pain in the butt. At least The Kids had a way to get out and get replacements.

With clothes in hand, we needed to get back to the room so Chandra and Marlie could get really cleaned up. However, the traffic on Highway 192 going back was going to be horrible. We tried my alternate route. Which was to go south on Route 27 and hook up just for a few miles with I4 east (actually north but it was designated as east). Then off to an unmarked road but I figured if worse came to worse, we’d just end up in Poinciana or Kissimmee and we could get back from there. This route worked very well except for the I4 part. I didn’t know that the interchange of I4 and Route 27 was undergoing major construction which turned everything into one big mess. We didn’t have much of a choice so Rich mustered through the three miles of I4 and then we got off the jam.

After we got off I4, I kind of just flew by the seat of my pants as a navigator. From the map, I thought we should take the first road north. So we did and it actually worked. We ended up right back at the Sizzler where we were a few hours earlier. Perfect. Chandra was amazed that Rich and I could maneuver around this area fairly well.

Chandra and Marlie got into their new clothes, although we had hoped there would be a flashing message light on the phone. No such luck. Because of the Wal Mart mission, we didn’t get going until early afternoon. I still wasn’t feeling the best but was willing to give it the old college try. Much to my surprise, everyone wanted to catch the first set of Off Kilter at 2:30. I wasn’t going to argue with that. Today was the last day for Gary Sinise to narrate the Candlelight Processional and I suggested we try for the 5:00 show, which is usually the easiest one to walk into. Rich wanted to know if I could make it that far. Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

We got to the International Gateway and my admission adventure began. Rich got through security before me since he had nothing to be checked. I had my bag open as usual and had no problem. Until I went to get my wallet out. It wasn’t there! The Kids went by me and into Epcot. Rich was already through the turn style. I’m searching and searching, even though there’s not that much to search through and there is no wallet. Now, I knew I had it. Every time we went through the All Star security gate, I got the wallet out since that’s where my room key was. I always handed the key to Rich to insert to open the gate. Then I always returned the wallet to the bag. That was no exception after the Wal Mart trip.

I finally got Rich’s attention and told him what happened. I was outside with no way in, he’s inside. The Kids are inside. I didn’t panic, although my upset stomach wanted to revolt again. I went over to Guest Relations and explained the problem. I have an Annual Pass which is replaceable. With photo ID. Which was in the wallet with my pass. I knew this was going to be a problem. But the Cast Member agreed with me that if Rich showed his ID, I could get a replacement. I got Rich to come back out of Epcot to help me out. It was fortunate that Rich and I have the same last name, the same address, and the same expiration date. Lesson learned for future trips – put the Annual Pass in a separate holder from your ID.

Rich had told The Kids to continue on to see Off Kilter since it was getting close to 2:30. By this time, all the benches were taken so Marlie was sitting on the ground right in the middle and right in front of the stage. Chris and Chandra were standing behind the benches. I wasn’t a fool. I joined Marlie. Rich stayed with Chris and Chandra. The set was enjoyable as always although there was a substitute drummer this week. That doesn’t take anything away from the sets but it does limit the variety since the regular drummer knows the entire library.

After the set, The Kids wanted to see some more of Epcot than just the stage in Canada. I couldn’t blame them. All I wanted to do was go back to the American pavilion and wait for the Candlelight Processional. That was still two hours away but I was getting in bad shape. All of us walked down to the entrance to Future World and Rich had to decide what he wanted to do. The Kids were heading for Innoventions and that’s not high on Rich’s list of To Dos. He never really liked it when Chris was a kid either. But he didn’t want to just sit in the American pavilion for a couple of hours. Rich suggested we go back to Canada and catch the 3:30 Off Kilter set. I actually wasn’t in the mood for that but at least it was something that I could sit down for. I had forgotten the walkie talkies so we arranged to meet The Kids back at the outdoor seating area of the Liberty Inn at 4:15. That would give us enough time to gauge the Candlelight Processional line and maybe stand in it if necessary.

For the first time, I didn’t have the best experience at an Off Kilter set. Rich helped himself to a Moosehead and I remarked that I felt so bad that I didn’t even want my usual glass of wine to enjoy Off Kilter. Now Rich really knew something was wrong with me. Rich and I made our way back to America and had about 15 minutes until The Kids were due to show up. I needed a bathroom break and told Rich that if The Kids showed up before I came back, to get in the line (which wasn’t that bad at all) and get some seats. Then he could come back and get me. About the only thing that was agreeing with me was sitting down.

Rich was gone when I came back so I waited until he retuned and led me to some good seats. Along the aisle almost towards the center section but on the left. Marlie, being the typical six year old, complained that she “couldn’t see anything”. Because she couldn’t see the entire orchestra. Sigh. Does every little kid have the same complaint? I know I always dreaded taking Chris to movies when he was a kid because if there was one inch of the screen that he couldn’t see, he complained.

The Candlelight Processional was very good with outstanding vocals and orchestration. And having Gary Sinise narrate it was fantastic. He just seems to be such a sophisticated but “every day” man. That being said, I don’t think in the future I’d really go out of my way to see this unless I wanted to see the narrator again. I guess I don’t get the “wow” factor some people do.

We had enough time for the last Off Kilter set and I was pretty much done in. The Kids were ready to go, go, go but I needed to go, go, go back to the room. It was getting pretty chilly and Chris wasn’t prepared for night time activities. Chandra wanted to stay for Illuminations and I wanted them to see the special holiday presentation. I knew there would be lots and lots of fireworks that would please them. We came up with a solution. Rich would drive me back to the room and Chris would go along with us to pick up their jackets and warmer weather gear. Then Rich and Chris would return and meet up with Chandra and Marlie. I gave Chandra my cell phone so Rich could call when they got back to Epcot to find out where to meet up with Chandra.

By this time, I was well into getting the chills and really needed to lay down for some rest. The walk back to the car seemed to take forever but we finally made it. I cranked up Jasmine’s heat even though it wasn’t that cold outside. It was just me. Thankfully, the trip back to the All Stars isn’t that long and I was safe and sound back in the room.

While I was lying on the bed and Chris was getting some warmer clothes for his family, I did a double take and then a triple take. Chris was pawing through their one bag. But what was that huge thing just inside the door? I about shrieked and yelled “Chris, what is that right there?” Rich and Chris both replied “whaa, huh?” I excitedly pointed to this mega suitcase that looked familiar. Big whoo hoo!!!! The missing bag!!!! Chris had called a couple of times to luggage services to see if the thing had been delivered from Delta. We assumed that it would be held down at Melody Hall. All Star Music really doesn’t have a formal bell service department. But the suitcase was delivered right into the room for us. Big thanks to Disney World for making that part of the trip so much better.

Chris gathered up the necessary outerwear and then he and Rich returned to Epcot. I turned the room temperature up, got some ice and then dove under the covers and channel surfed and relaxed. At least I was only ten feet away from a bathroom now.

While I was working on recovering, The Kids and Rich enjoyed foot long hot dogs with Chandra and Marlie getting into a little bit of a tiff about the food. Marlie insisted she hated foot long hot dogs and only wanted a regular hot dog. Chandra was ready to get three foot longs until Marlie pitched her fit. So two dogs were bought and one was cut in half for Chandra and Marlie to share. Then Marlie whined because she didn’t get a foot long. Ugh! Six year olds certainly tend to change their minds quite a lot, don’t they? If Marlie continues like this, I really pity her future boyfriends.

Rich got everyone back to Germany for Illuminations. This is our favorite spot for viewing. I love Illuminations but the body just wasn’t cooperating for me to enjoy tonight. I’m hoping to see the show with Bobbie and Ed on Saturday night. Rich and The Kids met up with a nice family from Hawaii who were seeing the show for the first time. Everyone chatted while waiting for the show. Which was a huge hit with everyone. Marlie was jumping up and down with the ending fireworks. I’m glad The Kids got to see this even if it was without me. I was listening to the bangs from back in the room.

By the time everyone got back to me, I was feeling much better. A few hours of non activity was what the Sheri Doctor ordered. It took a while for everyone to wind down. We discussed what to do tomorrow and the Animal Kingdom was decided on. Chandra and Marlie hadn’t been able to make it on the Safari on their previous trip so that was the goal. And to see Chris’ anteater. Lights didn’t go out until after midnight.

Somewhere along the day, we saw the newspaper headline “Massive Underwater Earthquake Kills 30,000”. Of course we now know that was the devastating tsunami that hit Asia and Africa. Unfortunately, the 30,000 estimate was way too low. Mother Nature has a mean streak in her sometimes.

Day Six – Tuesday, December 28, 2004 – “Why Aren’t All These People At Work?”

With all my rest of yesterday, I was up and working on the report before 9:00. I tried not to turn on any lights since the morning before, Marlie said that was what woke her up (actually it was the phone call from Betty). Rich got up after me and had his breakfast of Diet Coke to wake up. He headed for the shower and then Marlie got up and The Kids started to stir ever so slowly. I felt fine after yesterday and followed Rich to get ready. I had a cereal bar and continued to work on the report while the other three got ready for the day. I wanted to see how long it would take five people in one room with one bathroom and one sink to get up, showered (four of us – Marlie showered last night), and out the door. Two hours which isn’t bad considering The Kids didn’t want to get out of bed and Marlie can be a little uncooperative with certain things in the morning. She has a cough and getting her to take her medicine can be a chore. We were out the door by 11:00.

Rich drove us over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Chandra had seen the Lodge on a TV show and was anxious to see it. Rich was freaking with having to “lie” to the gate guard. We weren’t lying – we wanted to show Chandra the Lodge and Disney does encourage guests to visit the different resorts to check them out. When we pulled up to the gate, Rich had his ID out and the All Star Music parking pass on the dash and all the guard did was to tell him to have a nice day and waved him right through. Rich needs to relax a bit with the security.

What can I say about Chandra’s reaction to the Animal Kingdom Lodge? Overwhelmed? In awe? Words can’t describe it? That probably sums it up the best. We did a complete tour and Chandra wants to celebrate hers and Chris’ tenth wedding anniversary at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. She thinks that will give them enough time to save up for it. It was a little difficult getting Chandra to leave the Lodge.

We took the bus over to Animal Kingdom for the day. Things were quite busy at the bus stops and I noticed that there were mobs of people waiting for buses to the other parks. Not a good sign. This was the first relatively warm and sunny day we’ve had and that brought a ton of people out and about. While we were waiting for the bus, I had checked my cell phone for messages. My number was the one for Bobbie and Ed to call with updates on their slow progress down the east coast. I did have a message but it was from Chandra’s mother, Mary. The Kids needed a check on their finances with the unexpected trip to Wal Mart yesterday. Mary didn’t have good news. Once inside Animal Kingdom, Chris said it would relieve Chandra if she could call Mary and get some things resolved. So that call was made over by the Rainforest Café entrance area. That issue taken care of, we were off to explore Animal Kingdom. Or so we thought.

I took everyone’s passes and headed back to the Safari for FastPasses. That left the others to slowly make their way through Discovery Island to see all the animals there. Including Chris’ anteater. This is a guy that Rich and I only see with Chris. The anteater is never out when it’s just Rich and me. Chris has to be there. We joke about it all the time. And today was no exception. The damn walking carpet was there yet again. Chris said they were about ready to leave without seeing the thing and then the anteater walked out. Chandra didn’t see him at first and Chris assured her that he would come back. And he did. Chris has a way with anteaters.

We remembered the walkie talkies today and it was a good thing. When I got back to the Safari, it was 12:30. All the FastPasses were gone for the day. The last Safari was supposed to be at 4:00 due to the early sunset. But I still took this as a bad sign for the crowds today. I contacted Rich and they were at the entrance to Africa so they met me back where I was over to the side. Stand by for the Safari was 90 minutes and Chandra was not going to wait for it. I don’t blame her. Something would have to be mind blowing to have an active six year old wait in an hour and a half slow moving line. There’re plenty of other things to do.

Marlie had her mind set on It’s Tough to be a Bug. That’s all she wanted to do. But we were right next to Pangani Trail and they hadn’t done that one on their last trip. Chandra had to have a little talk with Marlie for a while and then we were off to see the gorillas. The crowds were really bad – Rafiki’s Planet Watch even had a forty minute wait. We had to think about things very carefully today.

When Marlie gets a little older, I will bring up this episode with her. As much as she complained about not wanting to do this trail, we had to constantly wait for her and Chris to finish up with each of the animal areas. Do six year olds ever really trust adults when we say they are going to enjoy something? At one point, there was an area with several exotic African animals in it. Marlie was entranced by something. Chandra went over to ask Chris what interested Marlie so much. Chandra came back laughing. There was a good ole American bunny rabbit sitting there. Marlie thought he was great. Something she sees at her father’s place all the time but this Disney World bunny just thrilled her.

The naked mole rats were a hit as well since I guess there’s a character named Rufus who is a naked mole rat on a show Marlie watches (“Kim Possible”). While Marlie was enjoying those, I watched my African bull frog. Well, there wasn’t that much to watch because I’ve never seen him move. I have to wonder what the heck the guy is thinking about. Probably “I think I’m rather attractive and not a big old blob like everyone says”.

All the gorillas were out and about and we took our time walking through this area. We didn’t have much choice since the trail was quite mobbed. But since we took our time, we got to see a lot. Marlie was delighted to point out all the “gorilla butt”. This was the first time I’ve seen this much action in this area. Sometimes we’re lucky to see two of the bachelors.

The sign at the start of the trail advises a 20 minute walk. It took us over an hour and it wasn’t because of the crowd level. So much for Marlie not enjoying it. Everyone was starting to feel a bit peckish so we decided to get some FastPasses for It’s Tough to be a Bug and then get some food. Along the way, Chris spied Flik giving autographs so The Kids stopped there and we would meet at the FastPasses for It’s Tough to be a Bug. The FastPasses were easily accomplished except the return time was three hours away at 5:10-6:10. The food wasn’t so easy. The crowds, the crowds, the crowds. Rich and I usually will just grab a couple of beers and a soft pretzel and sit at the Flame Tree BBQ area for a quick snack and break. Not today.

The Kids joined up with us with one extremely upset little girl. Flik had done to her what Aurora did to her last year. Pulled up stakes with Marlie in line. I guess the Cast Member handler hadn’t been that nice with the news that Flik had to leave. Marlie was extremely upset. I suggested finding a table at the Flame Tree area to let Marlie melt down a bit. We couldn’t find anything. Not even a bench. We stood over to one side and Chandra tried to get Marlie to calm down. I’d rather do this than attempt to have a crying kid walking through a theme park. It was a huge disappointment to Marlie and she needed to be reassured. Apologies to the people eating lunch but the kid needed to get things out.

Right when we were ready to leave, defeated in our search of food and a rest, a table opened up. I don’t think Rich has moved that fast in years. Rich and Chris took off in search of food, proclaiming themselves to be the food gatherers – “me man, me get food”. Chandra and I joked that it was about time Rich taught Chris how to provide for his family and gather food. The guys started walking away and Marlie, who was over the Great Flik Disappointment of 2004, yelled so that everyone around us could hear “Rich, you teach Chris how to get food!” Chandra and I rolled with that one.

Chandra and I had a nice chat while waiting. The guys finally came back with – a Coke and two beers. I was happy that Chris was finally over 21 and could legally get a beverage for me. He doesn’t drink but now he can carry something. Disney policy is one ID, one drink. No exceptions at all. I usually have to be with Rich. Chris did get carded, though. I do like Disney’s policy and am glad they enforce it. Rich attempted to get some pretzels but the last two were given out to the people in the line right in front of the guys. We discussed just being happy with the drinks but I guess the Hunter-Gatherer mentality was strong today because the guys headed out yet again. Chandra and I had an even longer chat this time.

The guys tried all kinds of places towards Dinoland but they ended up coming back to the Flame Tree BBQ and getting a couple of baskets of cheese fries for the adults to share and a kid’s hot dog meal for Marlie. Which was a pretty nice thing with a hot dog, a small ear of corn, applesauce and a carton of milk. On a Mickey shaped plate. Marlie had commented to Chandra and me that all she wanted was french fries. We told her she’d have to take what she could get today. She ended up enjoying her meal and we demolished the cheese fries. It was a longer break than we anticipated but it was well worth it.

While we were enjoying our rest, the old tour boat came around. At least Disney is making use of these things. It’s now a traveling band stage. Chip and Dale along with an ethnic band go around the water way at Asia and Dinoland and perform. Marlie loved it and she was waving to the characters.

Then it was time to split up since The Kids were heading to Dinoland. There wasn’t anything there that was for Rich and me so we had to kill some time until the FastPass window opened for It’s Tough to be a Bug. The Kids took a walkie talkie and we agreed to meet at 5:15 at the entrance to the attraction.

We all walked towards Dinoland and Chris spied the character greeting area for Pooh and friends so they veered off there. They did that and saw Pooh, Eeyore and a surprise visit from Tigger. They just got pictures because they forgot Marlie’s autograph book but she didn’t care. They also got the new Photo Pass thing so they can go back and see the “professional” ones online and determine if they want to order them. I’m interested in seeing how this new thing goes.

After that, they went to the Boneyard and let Marlie play for quite a while. When a bathroom break was needed, Chris noticed that Triceratops Spin, which was a “must see” for Marlie, only had a twenty minute wait so the two of them did that while Chandra took the pictures. I have to find the picture I took of Rich and a then three year old Chris on Dumbo. Passing on the Disney generations, aren’t we? For The Kids, it was time to meet us back at It’s Tough to be a Bug.

Rich and I didn’t have that much luck with things. I wanted to see up close the progress on Expedition Everest so we took the path back there. I am quite sure this is going to be something that you will have to drug me to get on. It doesn’t open until 2006 so I’m hoping something gets invented between now and then that will get rid of my aversion to roller coasters like these. That steep first climb. No thank you.

Kali River Rapids was a walk on but we passed due to the temperatures. Rich hadn’t brought his jacket although I was loaded down with a sweatshirt on and my jacket tied around my waist. I was game but Rich would have been frozen with getting wet. When we emerged from Asia, I did a “damn”. I keep forgetting about the parade here. My suggestion was for us to go to the Dawa Bar in Africa for a rest before meeting The Kids. I figured the area would be less crowded since the last Safari was supposed to be at 4:00. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Disney has got to re-think the way of handling the parade traffic. Rich always thought the old Tapestry of Dreams/Nations traffic at Epcot was bad. Try that kind of thing at the narrow paths of Animal Kingdom. And when we got to Africa, all we wanted to do was cross over to the Dawa Bar. The Cast Members said the only thing we could do was to go towards the Safari. OK, we’ll go up there and then cross over. No, we couldn’t do that because that’s where the parade started and it was starting in a few minutes. We couldn’t even stand where we were comfortable because we weren’t moving anywhere and it wasn’t a designated parade viewing area. We didn’t want to see the damn parade!!!!!! We were trapped in Disney Parade Hell.

After I finished muttering some very un-Disney like words, I resolved myself to standing back and waiting for the parade to make its way by. Rich and I are not parade people and never will be. Maybe it was all those parades my mother forced me to go to when I was a kid. They have long lost their appeal to me. When we were finally released, we joined the cattle and finally escaped into Tusker House and got a couple of Bud Lights as our reward. Then we went over (finally!) to the Dawa Bar area to sit and relax. With the crowds and the FastPass, there wasn’t much we could do. So we people watched and then saw the parade coming back into Africa. I thought I had a much better vantage point from the uncrowded seating area at the Dawa Bar than I had at the crammed Africa place we were before. Hint for parade viewing. Not sure why everyone has to have a front row seat (or stand) when most of the stuff is high up. Told you I wasn’t a parade person.

We finished our drinks and then made our way back to It’s Tough to be a Bug. We’d be early but that was fine. Chris contacted us when we were approaching the entrance and they were there as well. We were about ten minutes early. Rich suggested he and Chris go back to Dinoland and check on the stand by time for Dinosaur or possibly getting FastPasses if they weren’t too far out. Chandra and I had another nice chat. She related a mother meltdown that happened in front of them while in the character greeting line. The woman had contacted her husband on the walkie talkie to ask if he had the camera. She was going to miss out on getting her kids’ picture if he did. I guess the conversation went something like this:

Woman – “Do you have the camera?”
Husband – “What?”
Woman (louder) – “Do you have the camera?”
Husband – “Where are you?”
Woman (louder) – “Do you have the camera?”
Husband – “The camera?”
Woman (louder) – “Just answer yes or no, do you have the camera?”
Husband – “Do I have the camera?”
Woman to kids – “Your father is an idiot and can’t answer yes or no!”
Woman (even louder so I think we could hear her over in Africa) – “DO YOU HAVE THE CAMERA, JUST ANSWER YES OR NO!”
Husband – “Yes”

The woman behind The Kids offered to take pictures for the other lady and email them but the first woman declined stating that her husband was an idiot. Chandra said it was all she could do not to bust out laughing.

Rich and Chris returned without FastPasses since those would have been for after 7:00. And the stand by was 55 minutes. We knew we’d be back here with Bobbie and Ed and Dave would have to see the dinosaur stuff since he’s into fossils and things like that. So we went for Marlie’s encounter with Flik. I just hoped she forgave him for disappointing her earlier. I actually think she forgot about that little incident.

We got in for the next show and the things that bothered Marlie last year were remembered and taken care of this time. She had a much more enjoyable show this year. After exiting the show, we, along with what seemed half the crowd at Disney World, made our way to the exit of Animal Kingdom. We really hadn’t been in the park that long but it seemed like forever just because of the crowded conditions. The bus for the Animal Kingdom Lodge came in about five minutes and even though we had to stand on the way back, it’s a very short ride. We were successful in avoiding having Chandra enter the Lodge. I didn’t think we’d be able to get her out if she did.

On the ride back to All Stars, Chandra remarked that it wasn’t that late at all. It was just past 6:00 but it felt like midnight. This vacation was starting to get a little bit too hectic – I needed to slow down. Back at the room, we re-grouped and decided what to do for the evening. Rich and I had to do laundry at some point in the trip so it might as well be tonight. There’s no way we could pack for ten full days with the freaky Florida weather. I hadn’t touched my shorts but my jeans needed to be refreshed. Rich and Chandra went to check on the laundry situation to see if any washers were available. There were so we loaded up our things and all of us headed out for washing and resort exploring.

Rich gagged at the $2/load price but it’s Disney. At least I had brought detergent and softener along with me. We only had one load so it wasn’t that bad. I warned Rich that we would need two dry cycles but he didn’t believe me. After we got the wash going, we went for a walk around the All Star Movies so The Kids could see that resort. I personally think the Movies is the best themed of the three All Star places. Marlie had a good time with all the icons and Chris got lots of good photo ops with her.

After our tour, we went back to the laundry and put our stuff into the dryer. I again warned Rich that we’d need two cycles. He said we’d be fine. Dinner was up next so we headed to the food court for some dinner to take back to the room. I didn’t want that much since I was still recovering from yesterday. I grabbed a fruit (grapes) and cheese pre packaged thing while The Kids and Rich debated the choices from the pizza/pasta place. I decided to treat Chandra to a couple of pina coladas from the gift shop while the dinner discussion was going on. When I returned, a large pizza had been ordered and there was a chicken nugget kids meal waiting for Marlie. I took the food that was ready and Chandra, Marlie and I went back to the room while Chris and Rich waited for the pizza to be done. We didn’t get back to the room much before the guys did.

We relaxed in the room and ate our very simple dinner. Rich and Chandra went back to the laundry (Chandra was in search of ice cream for Marlie) and Rich admitted that we needed a second cycle of dry time. I held back an “I told you so”. The rest of the evening was watching TV and taking it easy. The only bad thing was a bit of a tiff by Rich because I thought he had folded all the laundry right after taking it out of the dryer and before he brought it back to the room. But he hadn’t and I started to put things into the drawers without realizing that. Things were quickly settled although Chris didn’t think so. I don’t think kids of any age ever think their parents can have a disagreement and World War III doesn’t break out.

Day Seven – Wednesday, December 29, 2004 – “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”

Today was going to be MGM but I didn’t want to go. I hadn’t been by myself for this entire vacation and it was getting to me. I normally have three hours of solitude every day during the work week and lots of time to myself on the weekends since Rich is usually working during that time. I needed my own personal space. Everyone got ready for the day and Rich and The Kids headed out for MGM while I stayed behind and worked on the report and chilled. Rich has to turn on the TV immediately to have “background noise”. It was blessedly silent for a few hours and I enjoyed it very much.

The others went to the Swan for parking and took the walkway to MGM. Marlie said she wanted to do Twilight Zone and they headed over there first for FastPasses. A lady in front of them in line was having a problem with the machines so the Cast Member just started handing out the passes without having anyone use their admission media to get them. So Rich and The Kids basically got a free ride on the FastPass. Which enabled them to go right over to Rock N Roller Coaster for true FastPasses there. This was a legal and valid way to have two FastPasses for the two premiere attractions at MGM. Marlie wasn’t going to ride Rock N Roller Coaster since she wasn’t tall enough but they were going to do the Kid Swap here (or so they thought).

Since the return times were for a few hours away, they went in search of other things to do. They were walking past Sounds Dangerous, which is one of Rich’s favorites. No one was sure Marlie could take the seven total minutes of darkness but she was doing a great job of handling things so far. Rich saw hardly any line at all and was told it was just six minutes until show time. They took a chance on Marlie having a good time. The girl has grown up quite a bit because she loved it. So much for her being afraid of the dark. Chuck that night light, Chris and Chandra.

Muppets was supposed to be next but the line was too long so they backtracked to Star Tours. Another one where no one was sure if Marlie would be OK. Another one that she passed with flying colors. Food was needed so they walked back to the Studio Catering Company where Rich and I have always enjoyed soft pretzels but this place has been closed for a while due to the construction of the new stunt show. With the holiday crowds, it was open again and Rich finally had his pretzel he had been hunting for the past couple of days. The Kids got some stuffed pretzels as well. Along the way, they saw a funky band that was a take off on Blood, Sweat and Tears but no one can remember the name of it. “Something, something, and Mulch” is the best they can come up with. Whoever they were, my group enjoyed them very much.

Marlie made use of the time by visiting the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. It was nice for the adults to have a break and for Marlie to let off some steam. Marlie did have an incident here and Rich wasn’t supposed to tell me about it because she didn’t want it to make it into the trip report and have “the internet people” read about it. But too bad. She hid from Chris and got in trouble for it.

After the break, the Muppets finally entered the picture and my group enjoyed the attraction. For as crowded as the parks were, this group certainly was getting things accomplished at MGM. The windows for Twilight Zone and Rock N Roller Coaster had opened so it was back over to Sunset Boulevard for Rich and The Kids. I thought the introduction to Twilight Zone would be too intense for Marlie and when confronted with the option of the “chicken exit”, she’d take it willingly. Not for this girl. She bravely went on the drop, which scared her but she did survive. She’s not too anxious to go on this any time soon, but she does have bragging rights now over her cousin, Kate (had to put that in to make up for tattling on her for the playground incident). The group got a sequence where you go up first which totally confused everyone and then they didn’t realize that sometimes when you think the ride is over, it really isn’t. This is probably the most terrifying of all the combinations and poor Marlie got it for her first time.

Next up was Rock N Roller Coaster where Marlie knew she wasn’t tall enough to ride it but she wanted to see the inside queue. When Rich and I were here last month, I checked things out and I was sure the Kids Swap could easily be done. But the Cast Member at the FastPass Return line said no, Marlie couldn’t even do that. An adult had to wait with her outside. That really stank. There is an easy way to do the Kid Swap inside this place. I’m not sure this Cast Member really knew what he was talking about and if I had been there, I would have pressed the issue a bit more. But Rich took Marlie over to the exit and waited while Chris and Chandra rode. Then Rich and Chris had to endure the whole queue again for Rich to enjoy the ride. This issue will get separately addressed to Disney World. The Kid Swap should be an option at all the thrill attractions.

Marlie had been wanting ice cream for quite a while and she had been very good today so Chandra decided to reward her. Rich left The Kids at the kiosk outside Rock N Roller Coaster and made his way over to Epcot to join me. Somewhere during the day, The Kids had picked up FastPasses for Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and that was never an option for Rich. Or me. We’ve seen it enough that we don’t want to take the time to see it again. It is, for Chris at least, a must. Their show was the 6:15 one so they had enough time for the ice cream and to hunt down the Twilight Zone pressed penny for Marlie. She has been collecting the ones that mean something to her and she definitely needed the Twilight Zone one.

The Kids enjoyed the stunt show and after that, Chris led them over to the Osborne Lights. Chandra thought they were nice and the snow effects were appreciated. I asked Chris if he thought the lights were less than thrilling now that they were on Streets of America instead of the old Residential Street. He said that the Osborne Lights seemed “bigger” on the back lot than on Streets of America. When they were on the back lot, the walk through was a lot longer. Chandra and Marlie liked them so that was enough.

While everyone else was enjoying MGM, I was having nice quiet time in the room. I worked on the report and enjoyed my solitude. After noon, I finally decided that I should do something for the day. Actually, I wanted to stay in the room for the rest of the time – it was nice and peaceful. But Disney World, or specifically, Off Kilter called. I had told Rich and The Kids that I was going to enjoy Epcot my way and I wouldn’t make Off Kilter a priority but they knew better.

I had shocked Rich by saying that I would be fine taking the bus to Epcot. I can’t remember the last time I entered Epcot by the front entrance. The bus from All Star Music came fairly quickly although I was confused because the sign said “Epcot OR Blizzard Beach”. I thought it said “Epcot AND Blizzard Beach” so when the water park bus showed up, I attempted to get on it. The day was nice and sunny but I was prepared with a sweatshirt and carrying a jacket. The driver realized I wasn’t going swimming.

Onto Epcot and I guess there is a reason that I haven’t entered this way in a while. This entrance and security totally stinks. I am a proponent of security. I understand the need. At the other three theme parks and at the International Gateway here, you go through security first and then there’s a break before you go through the turn styles into the park. That gives everyone a chance to rezip their backpacks, fanny packs, waist packs, suitcases, and trunks. That’s not the case here. You have security and then immediately need to feed your tickets into the turn styles to get into Epcot. There were huge backups while everyone stopped right at the turn style to redo their personal belongings before continuing. Very frustrating. There is enough room here to move security back just a bit further.

I entered Epcot at 1:00 and Spaceship Earth still had a 45 minute line. I haven’t seen it that bad since the park first opened. I walked to the Wait Board and Mission:Space was still giving out FastPasses but Test Track was done for the day. I thought the crowds over at MGM would be bad for The Kids and Rich so I called Rich on the cell phone. I left a message that maybe since the day was so nice that The Kids would want to go to Blizzard Beach if the crowds were bad at MGM. Rich called back but I didn’t hear it. They were getting a ton done so they were fine.

I took a solo stroll around World Showcase after stopping for a glass of wine in Norway to help me out. It’s a tough job doing all that walking. I made my way around the countries and stopped for a pad of paper to write up some report notes. I figured since I was alone today, I’d get caught up on the report a little. I was behind but my mission failed today anyway. It was much more interesting people watching. And Off Kilter watching.

There was a group of Off Kilter fans in my normal front bench so I took a seat behind them. And didn’t last long at all. There was one lady who was loudly giving unsolicited advice to everyone about everything Disney related. Granted, the advice was good like eating your big meal at lunch when the prices are reduced for the same food you get at dinner, but she was just loud and annoying. I moved over to the other benches for the day. I was much happier. The regular drummer was back today and that made for more variety in the sets. On Monday, we listened to Farewell Nova Scotia/Scotland the Brave three different times. While we love the song, Off Kilter usually does not repeat any songs during the day.

The timing of Off Kilter for the first three shows is that there is only a half hour in between sets. That doesn’t give me enough time to do very much at all. I tend to just stay put and people watch. I did that and waited for Rich to call on the cell phone. I had asked him to do that whenever he left MGM. I had finally connected with him and got an update on what he and The Kids were doing. I left the cell on for the day but muted it during the performances. There’s nothing more annoying than having a cell phone going off during an attraction or a show.

After the third show, there’s a longer span of time until the last one. Rich had said he would definitely be there for that 6:00 set. I had an hour to kill before then so I took another walk around the Showcase, ending up taking a bench in France while waiting for Rich to call. I figured when he did that, I’d head out the International Gateway and meet him on his way back from MGM. The call never happened. I went back to Canada and Rich was sitting there enjoying a Moosehead. He said he figured why call when he knew I’d be at Off Kilter. Grr. Oh well, we got caught up with each other for a little while before the last set. The annoying woman from earlier (she had stayed for the first three shows as well) had left. Thank goodness. If Rich had encountered her, that would have been a trip report in itself.

Rich had told me that The Kids were doing Indiana Jones and they had a walkie talkie and would call when they left MGM. I figured the timing of everything and realized that they wouldn’t be to Epcot until 7:30 or so. After the last Off Kilter set, we had enough time for yet another stroll around World Showcase, this time together. Rich kept trying to raise Chris on the walkie talkie. They finally connected and Chris said something about getting on the boat at MGM. They had decided to do that since Marlie was getting tuckered (and the adults too, I’m sure). However, Rich warned Chris that the full ride would take thirty minutes to make it to Epcot. Chris got his group out at the Swan and then they walked over. Once they did that, we exited via the International Gateway and met them over at the Spoodles take out window.

Rich and I had discussed dinner options since no one really had any kind of real meal during the day. One of the options for the breakfast with my dad and Betty was IHOP and when I mentioned that to Chandra a few months ago, she got all excited because she has never been to an IHOP. The girl doesn’t get out much. Since we went to Sizzler for breakfast, I suggested the IHOP for dinner tonight. We thought about getting counter service Epcot choices but we all had different tastes and I wanted something simple (and cheap).

Offsite where the traffic on Highway 192 was a bit heavy. Fortunately, we could bypass most of it to get to the IHOP. Big event for Chandra. We all ordered off the simple menu and had a nice relaxing dinner. Marlie and Rich thoroughly colored her menu/placemat. Chris, Chandra, and I discussed plans for the next day. Thankfully, Rich didn’t hear about the plans until much later. It involved a little bit of unethical but necessary handling. We weren’t trying to cheat the system but the plans called for getting around the Disney system a little. Marlie’s Pirate Cruise was tomorrow and The Kids wanted to do the Safari at Animal Kingdom. Based on the previous visit, FastPasses were going to be necessary to do the Safari. Plans were made for Rich and Chris to leave Chandra and me to wait for Marlie while the guys scored the passes. Our little War Plan.

After dinner, we just went back to the room and visited and watched TV. It had been a nice day for everyone since each person got to do what they wanted to. Even with just five people, it’s necessary to be able to split up so everyone remains happy. I knew that when we were joined by three more people tomorrow, we’d have to go places separately and meet up whenever we could. Lights out at the normal midnight or so.

Day Eight – Thursday, December 30, 2004 – “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me – AARRGHHH!”

After some discussion last night, the alarm went off at 7:30 AM. Today was Marlie’s pirate adventure and we were ready for it. Somehow, all five of us got up, some of us showered, and we all got ready for the day and headed out the door at 8:30. I was a little concerned with driving over to the Grand Floridian and finding the marina in time. I knew Disney would have the cruise go off at exactly 9:30. I’m so anal when it comes to getting to things on time. I’m usually way early. But I’d rather do that than rush to get somewhere.

I expected the drive through the Magic Kingdom parking turn styles to be crowded but it was a breeze. Rich got all the way over as far right as he could since we would be continuing on to the Grand Floridian. I was prepared with the pirate cruise confirmation number but once the parking attendant saw the All Star Music pass, he just waved us through. I don’t even think Rich slowed down all that much. Over to the Grand Floridian for the first time parking.

Rich checked in with the gate guard and said we were taking a young lady on the pirates cruise. The guard got out his check sheet and asked for the name. Rich said “Niklewski” but then I said it might be under “Mitchell”. I wasn’t sure if they put the name for me or Marlie. Turns out it was for the adult and we were cleared. Only to drive forever to get to the self parking. I guess it is true that if you are staying at the Grand Floridian, you are expected to pony up the bucks for valet parking. The self parking is across the street and was a small and crowded lot. We ended up having to park in a row that was labeled Cast Member Parking but we had no choice. It wasn’t that bad of a walk and it was all sidewalk so no big deal.

I wanted Chandra to see the elegance of the Grand Floridian but I also wanted to find the marina. We had been to the resort just twice before. Once a while ago to have lunch at the Grand Floridian Café (nice but nothing way over the top) and once a few years ago for the character dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fair with friends (I could repeat that dinner). That was the extent of our Grand Floridian trips. We had to consult a site map to get our bearings but we found the marina without any problems. It was shortly before 9:00 and there was one other potential pirate and his parents waiting as well. Right at 9:00, the marina opened up and we checked in Marlie. Well, I checked her in. Everything was in my name.

I was given a receipt and a beeper and told that I needed both to get Marlie back after the cruise. Wonder how many parents are tempted to leave one or the other behind so they can’t get their kid back? Just kidding. Chris fitted Marlie with a life jacket which was required of all the kids. The Cast Members did check the fit and several kids were directed to get smaller jackets. The cruise is limited to 28 kids. A big suggestion is to make sure you get there right at 9:00 when the marina opens. You’ll be one of the first to check in and after that, you can take pictures of your young pirate before anyone else arrives and gets the same idea and it gets crowded at the good picture spots (Cinderella’s Castle in the background is wonderful).

Marlie had her pirate bandanna put on her by the Cast Member. It was a red and white striped one with Mickey ears and Marlie’s name on a stick on label. Then we hung out for a while. Chandra realized that Marlie hadn’t had a potty break yet that morning so suitable accommodations were hunted down. Can’t imagine a 6 year old on a boat for two hours without a bathroom. That business taken care of, right around 9:25, the kids were gathered and given their instructions. The parents/adults could easily see the loading of the kids which was nice for pictures and peace of mind. They just didn’t take the kids from us. Each child had to have a partner and since Marlie was alone, she was paired up by the Cast Member with another little girl about her own age. All the kids were then led onto the boat, partner by partner. It was nicely organized and very safe for everyone. I think all the parents breathed a sigh of relief with the whole process. Then we on the shore waved goodbye to our fearless pirates and they went off on their adventure. Chandra was a little teary with seeing her little girl sailing away (it was a pontoon boat with a Jolly Roger on the back end). But she’d be back in two hours.

As we turned to leave, we saw five very disappointed pirates left on shore. They had shown up at 9:35. I had been told to make sure we were there before 9:15 and with my anal streak, we made that with plenty of time. One thing about Disney World – their schedules go off on time.

Now it was time for the adults to split up. Rich and Chris were off to the Animal Kingdom via the Grand Floridian bus to score three FastPasses for The Kids to do the Safari later. Chandra and I were going on a monorail resort tour. The guys went off with the promise to call when they got the FastPasses so we could figure out where and when to meet them. I thought they’d be able to get to the Animal Kingdom, get the Passes and then return to the Grand Floridian to see Marlie get off the boat.

We parted ways in the Grand Floridian lobby. Rich and I had a great time making fun of The Kids. They are still newlyweds so it was “I’m going to miss you” and kisses and stuff like that. Rich and I played along with “pookie kitty” and other nauseating comments. Sorry but our 23rd wedding anniversary is coming up and after all that time, you kind of just get used to each other. Rich and Chris headed for the bus stop, Chandra and me to the monorail. We took the elevator up and I promised Chandra we could take the stairs back down. That didn’t happen but the elevator was nice. Chandra’s reaction to the Grand Floridian? It was nice and elegant but she agrees with me that it’s just not a place either one of us would feel comfortable with for an extended stay. It’s way too formal for us. We’re meat and potatoes people.

We took the monorail with our first stop being the Magic Kingdom. That would be as close to the original park that Chandra would get to although we didn’t know that at the time. I had thought about suggesting we walk to the Contemporary but decided that Chandra arriving via the monorail would be more dramatic. I didn’t realize that we would encounter a problem with the doors closing on the monorail so we sat there for well over five minutes while the exit doors kept opening and closing, opening and closing. Thank goodness the sound system didn’t constantly repeat “please stand clear of the doors”. The doors finally closed for good and we were off.

We did a short walk around the Contemporary and based on Chandra’s reaction to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand Floridian, I knew this wasn’t a good fit for her. And it wasn’t. I like the Contemporary but it wouldn’t be a place that I would scramble to get if a deal was offered. I’d more than likely go back to the Polynesian. We were quickly back on the monorail for the trip to the Polynesian. I had every intention of staying on the monorail when we pulled into the TTC but then we saw it. A huge blow up Stitch in holiday gear. A big plastic inflatable Stitch. Chris is Stitch addicted. We had no idea if Chris would ever be able to see this so we got out here for some pictures. Then we took the walkway over to the Polynesian.

Here, I showed Chandra the room Rich and I had for our only stay at the resort. We got lucky with our standard view and had a great time overlooking the Grand Floridian, the marina, and the Wedding Pavilion. I’m not sure I can top that trip if I ever stayed here again. Then we walked through the grounds and the Great Ceremonial House.

We found our way over to the Wedding Pavilion and I told Chandra that she should go inside and get a quote for Marlie’s future wedding. Chandra was definitely not amused. I figure I have lots and lots of time to get it into Marlie’s thinking that a Disney wedding would be awesome. And Chandra will have plenty of time to save up the $50K for the thing.

We got back to the Grand Floridian around 11:00 and sat at a nice table overlooking the beach and chilled for a while. Rich finally called me and said they had just gotten to the Animal Kingdom! An hour after we left them? The bus situation was horrible and there just wasn’t one coming for the Animal Kingdom at the Grand Floridian. Rich said there was a Cast Member there who repeatedly called for a bus but there were several very disgruntled Grant Floridian guests. I told Rich I would have just gone and gotten the car and driven over and back by that time. But Rich and Chris stuck it out. A few minutes later they called and said they had the FastPasses for a 1:40 window. Chandra and I headed out to meet Marlie.

The boat pulled up with 28 very happy pirates singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me, AARRGGHH!” at the top of their lungs. And it was 28 kids. Those five earlier disappointed pirates were shuttled onto the boat at the first island. Kudos to Disney for trying to make things right. In order to get the kids off the boat, each parent had to show their receipt and their beeper. Then the respective child(ren) were allowed to disembark. No child was allowed off the boat without having a parent present with the proper documentation. Very good practice. As Marlie exited, she was given a paper bag with a treasure chest inside. She also had a Disney plastic bag with the remainder of her lunch and all kinds of junky souvenirs like fake spiders and plastic rings. The treasure chest had Mardi Gras type beads and coins in it. We took Marlie over to a fountain near the pool area and took pictures of our now successful treasure finding pirate.

I called Rich to check on their progress. We had planned to meet back at the Grand Floridian but I suggested that the guys take an Animal Kingdom Lodge bus and I’d drive the rest of us over there. Then The Kids could return easily to the Animal Kingdom for their Safari and Rich and I could go back to the All Star to check in Bobbie and Ed. We learned very quickly to be flexible and utilize the Disney transportation as needed. On our way to the car, a Cast Member in the car lobby area saw how Marlie was dressed up. He acknowledged her as “Pirate Marlie” (she still had the name tag on one of the ears). The CM talked to Marlie and asked about her cruise. Very nice for Marlie to have that interaction. Big thanks to Cast Member to make Marlie feel even more special this morning.

I drove us over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge after realizing that it’s been a full week since I was behind the wheel of a car. Rich and Chris were waiting for us outside the lobby so we all went inside to regroup and figure out what was going on with the rest of the day. I wanted to get Bobbie and Ed checked in and make sure we got rooms near each other. I think that was a big concern of Bobbie’s because she asked Rich about it specifically in an earlier phone call. The Kids were ready for their Safari. We would all meet up at Epcot for some of the Off Kilter shows. Rich and I would do all of them while waiting to see when Bobbie and Ed would get to Kissimmee. They were supposed to call this morning when they left the Everglades. I hadn’t heard anything yet.

While we were discussing the events of the day, I glanced at a discarded USA Today newspaper on the side table. Jerry Orbach, who we all admired as an actor (“Law & Order” and “Dirty Dancing” to name just a few) had succumbed to prostate cancer. Farewell Jerry, you were Class all the way.

It was some time shortly after noon when we parted with The Kids. They had Rich’s cell phone again. We do have the walkie talkies but were using them only when we were in the same park. The cell phones worked out great during this trip. I highly recommend using them when you have parties that need to split up. The only thing is to turn them to silence or totally off when you are even nearing entering an attraction. There’s nothing more annoying than having to listen to someone else’s conversation while you are standing in line. Especially if it’s work related. Extreme peeve of mine.

The Kids went back to Animal Kingdom and rode the Safari which kind of under whelmed Chandra. It was enjoyable but I guess nothing she thought was special or really different from any other animal park. The Kids think they did Dinosaur with this trip. But even if they didn’t (they did ride it at some point), Marlie braved it but like with Twilight Zone, it’s not something she’s going to be running to get back on. At least she went back in time for a while. The Kids then went out to the bus stops to grab a bus to Epcot. Chris is very Disney savvy and they noticed a Magic Kingdom bus pull up first. So they took that and then transferred to the monorail since (1) Chris and Marlie hadn’t ridden the monorail yet and (2) Chandra told Chris about the big inflatable Stitch at the TTC. This was the closest Marlie would get to Magic Kingdom on this trip.

Rich and I returned to the All Stars and I picked up Ed’s reservation confirmation slip. Housekeeping was still in the room but I made it quick so I wouldn’t disturb them. We didn’t get any extras during our stay although they did make sure that our curtains were always closed behind our Christmas display in the window. One day, they even turned it on for us since I had forgotten. After we asked for additional towels that first time, we always had seven sets in the bathroom. We did repay housekeeping since we always had Marlie’s air mattress under one bed and made sure all our things were picked up the best we could. We attempted to tip them every day but after the first couple of days, the tips were left behind.

We went down to the lobby for check in. I was a little concerned because the reservation was in Ed’s name. But I explained to the Cast Member what I wanted to do and she cheerfully took all the information and looked up everything. Because we had paid for the entire stay before we even got to the All Star, there wasn’t any credit card deposit required. I asked for the “pay as you go” thing so their room keys could not be used as a credit card in the parks. We did have our credit card on our keys, though. Helped at a little later that night. I told the Cast Member that I wanted to make sure Bobbie and Ed were close by us. They were – in 3647 right next door and connecting to our room. Whoo Hoo!!!! These rooms are never guaranteed but I was hoping. It really helped with planning our mornings and days. The room was still blacked out and I figured that was because housekeeping was still on the floor. The Cast Member said the room was clean and so was ours. She manually unblocked everything so we could access the new room as well. I was given the keys and we were set. I try to do this for my guests so they don’t have to deal with all the Disney stuff. They tend to get confused and look to me for answers and this is easier.

Rich and I went back to the room, opened up Bobbie and Ed’s and used the connecting door. We left that open and relaxed for a little bit before we went to Epcot for more Off Kilter. I was getting hungry since we hadn’t had that much to eat yet with the pirate cruise and the Animal Kingdom bus problems. But neither one of us wanted anything huge since we figured we’d be going out to dinner once Bobbie and Ed got there. Plus, The Kids were meeting us at Epcot and Chris wanted his nachos from Mexico (his favorite) and Chandra said something about egg rolls in China. Which is what I wanted.

We waited through the first Off Kilter set on getting food, hoping to get more of a definitive idea of what was going on with the rest of the day. Unfortunately, that happened right after the first show. I had a message from Ed on the cell phone. I walked over to a more quiet area and called him back. If you heard a screech today, that was my teeth being gritted with what Ed said. “We are now leaving the Everglades”. It was 3:00! He said he figured it would take them five hours to drive up so that would put them there at 8:00. They would get dinner along the way. At that point, I just gave up. I knew they wanted to do more at the Everglades since their trip down there was held up due to the traffic. But I thought maybe a half day. Dave really enjoys these trips so I tried to see it from his perspective. One of the big reasons I wanted this trip to happen was Dave was unable to make it to Chris and Chandra’s wedding. He had never met Marlie or Chandra. This is Rich’s only brother and they grew up quite close. Dave was going to be the person responsible for raising Chris if anything had happened to us. I wanted Dave to get to know Chris’ new family as much as possible. I cheerfully lied to Ed that everything was fine and to call us when they got closer. I don’t think it worked very well, though.

The Kids called and said they were on their way to meet up with us. We decided we all would do counter service things at Epcot so everyone could get what they wanted. Nothing huge though, because I decided that we would still go out to dinner that night, Bobbie and Ed or no Bobbie and Ed. Rich and I had a nice time at Damon’s at Old Town Kissimmee last month and Chris and Chandra like Damon’s in Toledo so that’s where we were going.

After meeting up with The Kids, we enjoyed more Off Kilter and slowly everyone got something to eat. Rich and I split the two egg rolls from China. Chandra wanted the fish and chips but the line was too long. Chris got his nachos and a child’s meal of a burrito, chips, and a drink for Marlie. Marlie didn’t really know what to do with the burrito (and she’s one quarter Mexican) and claimed she didn’t like the chips plain. I convinced her to try the burrito and she did manage to eat a half of it. She also tried the chips. It was hard for her to do since she was intently watching Off Kilter during the time. Chris made short work of his nachos. Chandra ended up eating the rest of Marlie’s food. It wasn’t that much of a meal but we knew we’d be going out later.

By the way, Chris thanked me for the heads up on the horrible way you have to enter Epcot through the front gates. He said they were all prepared and had their passes out for immediately after security. He agreed there’s got to be a better way and to have some room in between security and the turn styles.

Since I was a bit miffed at the Bobbie and Ed situation and The Kids were with us, I had turned off my cell phone completely. Earlier, it had been on a meeting status which meant I couldn’t hear it but it acted like the phone was on. I decided to turn it back on before the last Off Kilter show at 6:00. I had a message from Bobbie. They, of course, were taking alternative routes instead of the turnpike. But they were going to be coming up I4 from route 27 and thought they could follow my directions from there. Could I call them back and verify that? I know you can get to Disney World by continuing on Route 27 up to Highway 192 but that would have totally confused them. So I called Bobbie back and she said they weren’t that far away. And they weren’t. But I wasn’t going to miss the last Off Kilter set of this trip. I went into selfish mode and told Bobbie to call back when they got to the McDonald’s but I wouldn’t be able to answer until after the show at 6:30. That was fine with her.

The last Off Kilter set was great and it was enhanced by the band member’s families being in the audience. It was very cute to see the kids running around and having a great time. Marlie was up dancing around. It was sad to realize I probably won’t see Off Kilter again until Memorial Day weekend. Oh well, I have all four of their CDs and all of them are autographed. That helps me get through the long commute to work and then home from work. My podmate, Daryl, who is Chris’ age, laughed at my addiction to a “bagpipe band”. Then I played the snippet of “Whiskey in the Jar” from Off Kilter’s website. That shut him up! Plus, they do a killer “Summer of ‘69”, “Johnny B. Good”, and a lot of original songs that they wrote. It’s just not bagpipe stuff.

The five of us waved goodbye to the guys and then we headed out International Gateway to go back to the All Stars to wait for Bobbie and Ed. Right as we exited, my phone rang. It was Bobbie and they were at McDonald’s. They thought they’d get their dinner there but I told them we were going to Damon’s and they should wait for all of us to have a good meal together.

I drove us over to McDonald’s and had to direct the BAV to where there was more parking. How Dave fits that thing into a normal parking space is beyond me. It a full size van with an additional top on it. It’s just huge. I think it’s bigger than a Hummer. I’ve driven it and while it handles very well, it’s a freaking tank. I had Rich get out to ride to All Stars with Dave driving. We had all the room keys to open the security gate. Ed switched over and rode with The Kids and me. Ed was concerned that we would have far to go. Err, no, one quick left turn and we’re here.

I parked Jasmine and Dave parked the BAV. Then the great unloading began. This is always a problem with Bobbie and Ed. They have so much stuff! I thought I had over packed for us and I probably did. But Rich and I usually live fairly simple on our trips. Bobbie and Ed have to have all their breakfast gear with them including a full coffee pot, mugs, spoons, etc. Plus all kinds of assorted cereal, fruit and pastries. They enjoy a quiet meal since they wake up earlier than anyone else. Then they each have a couple of suitcases. I’m not sure how many trips it took but I did find out later that Dave’s bag was so big, he left it in the BAV and would visit it during the day for things he needed. The BAV could barely hold all the things for three people for 10 days. Jasmine is about one fourth the size and we got everything in for us and the extras for The Kids. Of course we did laundry; Bobbie and Ed don’t while on vacation.

By the time everything (or almost everything) was unloaded, everyone was getting hungry. Bobbie wanted something simple but everyone else wanted a meal. Damon’s was the choice. We all piled into the BAV but it was a tight fit. Marlie ended up smooshed in between Chris and Chandra. I think she was used to it since that’s where she sat in the back seat in Jasmine. Rich drove us over to Old Town and there was plenty of parking nearby. He checked us into Damon’s which was very crowded. It was 8:00 and we were told a half hour to 45 minute wait. That didn’t surprise me since we were a party of eight and it’s tough to seat all of us. Bobbie, Ed and Dave went out walking around Old Town and I don’t think it impressed them too much. It’s more of a trashy boardwalk type of place. Rich and I love it, though.

There isn’t too much space to wait inside Damon’s so I went outside to sit on a bench. At least I could people watch that way. I was hoping that since we were all finally together that this dinner would be a highlight of the trip. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

We were seated right at 8:30 and looked over the menu to figure out what we wanted. The server was initially good with our large party and our varying requests. She took our drink orders and told us the specials and then left. Everyone decided on their meals so when the server came back, we were ready. Rich wanted this pulled pork with cheese thing but the only way to get it was with ribs which he didn’t want. She talked him into getting it. I ordered just potato skins, Chris ordered a chicken sandwich. Then Chandra said she was finally going to get her fish and chips. The server looked at Chandra like she had two heads and said “I thought I told you when you sat down that we didn’t have any more fish and chips”.

The server NEVER said that and she shouldn’t have challenged Chandra like that. It was just downright rude. Even if she had said something, Chandra was the customer and a more polite “I’m sorry, I must have forgotten to tell you we’re out of that tonight, may I suggest something different?” Chandra was now flustered because she had to go back and re-read the entire menu since she had jumped on the fish and chips. Ed was disappointed too because that’s what he wanted. Dave ordered next – potato skins and French onion soup. Ed had to wait so he could go back through the menu. Marlie got the kid’s cheeseburger. Bobbie ordered quesadillas. Chandra then ordered a sandwich and Ed did the meat loaf but with Boston clam chowder, which was the special soup. Again, the server said “I told you we were out of that too”. She hadn’t because I thought about getting it myself. Ed said “what are the alternatives”. She snapped “French onion”. Never gave him the option of not getting soup.

Things went downhill after that. Although the conversation was good the service was non existent. It was nice that Dave was at one end of the table with Chandra and Chris across from him and Ed next to him. They were talking about all kinds of things. We never got refills on anything. It was at least forty-five minutes until I started to get antsy about just where our meals were. It was now 9:15 and The Kids had expressed an interest in going to Pleasure Island that night. But we hadn’t even eaten and hadn’t even been told anything. The server finally went by and said our food would be out “in a moment”. Fifteen minutes later and no server sighting, I was ready to explode. I told Rich it was ridiculous and he should go find a manager. He’s much more diplomatic than I am. Chris was sitting next to me and he poised himself for a Sheri meltdown. Rich stood up to find a manager and just then our server brought out the food. It had been an hour since we ordered.

Six of the eight of us were served. Rich’s and Ed’s meals ended up on the floor. That’s fine, mistakes are made. But what happened next really torqued me. Because it had taken so long to get the food, Rich and Ed both said not to bother with replacements since we had already been there long enough. To which the server replied “it’ll only take three minutes”. That’s when I loudly asked just why it had taken an hour to get the food in the first place but the two big meals could easily be replaced in three minutes. The server said she’d go get a manager. Damn right you will. I mean, what could have taken so long? Two plates of potato skins, a couple of sandwiches, a quesadilla and a kids cheeseburger. If anything, Rich’s platter and Ed’s meatloaf should have been the holdups.

The manager came back and asked what the problem was. Miraculously, two fresh plates of food were brought immediately out. I voiced my complaint again about why this food could appear when it initially took an hour. Rich and the manager talked for a while. We kept everything under control. Chris was getting angry with us during this time. I thought we handled it very well but he’s in the service industry and I guess he thought we were being too harsh. I didn’t think so but he knows my temper and he thought it was going to explode. It almost did but I let Rich handle most of it. Then the manager asked “besides (all the bad stuff) overall was the service OKAY?” That got Chandra. She said “No, it’s not okay!” The manager said she’d take care of us and then left.

After that, the server became all sweet. “Anyone need refills?” Heck, a camel would have been parched during this time. When the bill came, all the meals were reduced by 50%. The entire dinner was less than $50 but it wasn’t worth the aggravation. We could see where the restaurant was initially busy and we were a large party. But if the server had let us know what was going on with the kitchen or even bothered to check back with us every ten minutes or so, that would have made the situation a lot more bearable. As it was, we didn’t get out of there until 10:00 or so. Way too much wasted time. No one likes to eat a full blown meal that late and we had a six year old with us. Marlie, by the way, was fantastic during the whole wait. She and Bobbie did the games in her kids menu.

And this episode deserves a little sidebar. I had told my podmate, Daryl, about Damon’s. He was in the area just before we were. He took his roommate and friends to Damon’s. He had the same lousy service we did. He loved the food and the atmosphere but the service was horrible. Two separate days, two separate incidents. Rich and I loved this Damon’s at Thanksgiving and The Kids have always had enjoyable times at their Damon’s in Toledo. What was up with the holiday time?

After we finally escaped Damon’s (maybe that should be Damien’s?), we all piled into the BAV and went back to the All Star. I was disappointed that The Kids wouldn’t be able to experience Pleasure Island but they surprised me by saying they still wanted to go. They took off and Rich told them to use the room key and have a drink on us. I nearly fell off the bed. Rich was being generous? Wow – Damon’s must have really affected him.

Marlie became fast friends with her new Unca Dave. Rich and I watched TV in our room while Dave educated Marlie on all the fossils and rocks he had picked up while in the Everglades. Marlie is quite a curious little girl and learned a lot from Dave. At midnight, Rich and I had to almost pull her over in our room to get her to go to bed. We had to promise that she could go over to the other room in the morning when she got up. Marlie has such an extended family system. All of the Niklewskis are technically step-whatevers but no one cares. Marlie has special names for her great-grandparents (she has one Grandma and that’s Chandra’s grandmother since everyone calls Hallie that). Bobbie and Ed are Grandma Labonte and Grandpa Labonte. That’s because the first time Bobbie introduced herself to Marlie, Marlie immediately thought of the race car driver Bobby Labonte. Rich and I are just Rich and Sheri and that’s fine with us. None of that grand-anything for us. Just a little too young right now for that designation.

We got Marlie into bed after a slight struggle with her saying she couldn’t sleep without Chris and her mother there. I did what I normally do with her. I told her that if she still felt that way after laying there with her eyes closed for five full minutes, then she could get up. Worked like a charm and she was fast asleep within a minute.

Now Chandra gets to take over the trip report with her first hand experience at Pleasure Island. I have edited some of the things for a family trip report. Let’s just say that you might want to re-think your plans to take your youngsters to the nightclubs late at night. Here’s Chandra’s report –

Pleasure Island trip - Although I thought that I'd be overdressed in club wear that is NOT the case. A lot of people were dressed in nice shirts or had their hair done up and had makeup on. Grungy and no makeup folks like myself were in short supply. You don't have to even pay to get in if you stay outside at the soundstage and don't go in anywhere and don't drink. The music outside is just as good and the big stage has a massive screen behind it so you can watch the videos or get a better view of whatever is going on at the time as far as the show goes.
 
It's the place to be at midnight so you wouldn't miss the New Year's celebration if you just stayed out there. Dancing is usually going on out there as well. We saw a lot of people trying to get into places with wristbands and stamps from another night. It doesn't work because they change the color of the bands, the design of the stamps, and even what hand it goes on every night.
 
People stood in line for a long time to get into the places they wanted to go into. It's a waste of time. We just went to the Adventurer's Club because there was no line. We got our hand stamped and swiped our pass (or you could pay at that time if you didn't have a pass) and went in. It was nice to look around but basically boring. I've been told that we would have had more fun if we knew where some of the shows were. There aren't many tables. There are just a lot of easy chairs and relaxing seating areas.
 
Anyway, we got our stamps and wristbands there and then we left. After that we just got waved through at the other clubs. Don't go to your fave place first if it's busy. Just go to the least crowded one, get your stamps and wristbands, and then head through the place to make it look like you wanted to be there and right out to the place you want to go.
 
The only place we saw a line that wasn't waving people through was 8Traxx, but we didn't look very hard. And you may still be asked for your ID even with a stamp. Chris was, but again...we were waved through and right past the long line of people.
 
We went to Mannequins first. Chris doesn't drink at all anymore, but he knows he liked vodka. I didn't know what they had available, but I like 151. I just went to the bartender and told him that my husband had never been to a bar before but he liked vodka and to tell me what he recommended and the price. The bartenders are very cool there and he made Chris a drink with vodka and cranberry juice. Then I asked him for something with 151. He looked at me appreciatively and asked, "Are you sure?" Ha...obviously this guy is not familiar with how much I can drink. I told him yeah and he thought that was cool and made me a very neat looking drink. No clue what it was but it was as big as a double shot and it was very blue.
 
I downed mine and Chris sipped his. Then we made it out to the dance floor. Very scary when there's a lot of people. It spins so when I jumped on I tilted and about fell. Just as I started to get my balance, Chris grabbed me to get HIS balance. I ended up falling into a guy that was standing there. He just smiled. I'm thinking that people there are used to it. Uh....lots of different persuasions at Mannequins...lots and lots. That's kind of the place to be for that I suppose. Not sure how you want to put that in your report or if you do at all, but I think it might be important for people that might otherwise be uncomfortable with the situation.
 
We had fun dancing and then got off the dance floor. That was much easier. We got outside of the bar at 10 minutes to midnight so we took in the show at the stage. It was a lot of fun and they had a girl up on stage that was there for her bachelorette party. She and her group had a blast and it's a great place to consider for something like that...especially if the bridesmaids give the bride a scavenger hunt list. Lots of people there so it would be fun. She had asked the MC if he could serenade her as Elvis Presley and he did right before midnight. Then we did the countdown and the fireworks and then more dancing.

Then we went into the Beach Club. There was a band there and it was great. The band is on a stage on the main floor, but you enter through the second floor. The stairs are outside. There is a bar upstairs and downstairs. There's a split level between the first and second floors and that has pool tables and other games. We didn't really look in there. [We ordered and] my shot of 151 came in a rumrunner this time and it was gross. Not my type of drink. It cost a lot, too. I think it was 7.50.  (Drinks at Mannequins were 3.50 for his and 5 for mine BTW). Always ask. I don't know if it's the same cost at every club. I doubt it. Chris and I got two jello shots as well. These were worth it at 2.50. They were more like jello bowls. They were huge and I've taken jello shots down in one swallow before but this took like four or five for me. They were very strong.
 
After that we went down to the dance floor and didn't want to leave. The band was awesome and encouraged the audience to sing along. The dancing was more like swaying with the music and it was just the best. This club seemed to cater a lot to the over 35 crowd. That was fine with us.
 
We went back to the bus stops (no shelter for the All Star stop) and sat on the bench. The bus ride was crazy. A lot of very happy and drunk people. I'm sure that the bus drivers have to draw straws for that route. Then we walked back to our room and Chris wouldn't let me wade in the wading pool which made me pout and that's it. You know the rest.

Chandra’s report off. I do know the rest. Realize that during the entire night, Chandra had two drinks and a jello shot. Chris had one drink and a jello shot. They did charge one round to the room for $15 which Rich and I didn’t think was bad at all. Of course, decent drink prices lead to people buying more. I’m not sure the late night Pleasure Island is much for me at all. I’m glad The Kids experienced it and the New Year’s Eve thing sounds like fun. But I’d leave after that.

The Kids were extremely quiet for coming back after 2:00 AM. Rich and I woke up of course but just laid there so The Kids could get settled down. We figured they had a good time and there is one phrase that we teased Chandra about for the rest of the trip and probably for the rest of her life. She was happy and content and whispered it to Chris and I just about died laughing. It won’t make it into the trip report but she knows what I mean.

Day Nine – Friday, December 31, 2004 – “Happy New Year! An Unexpected Midnight Surprise”

Bobbie and Ed were bright eyed and bushy tailed by 10:00. Our room was very slow to get up. Marlie had been promised to be able to go over to the other room and I’m sure Chandra and Chris were grateful after their adventures of last night. Rich and I got ready for the day. Marlie got dressed and she and Rich joined Bobbie and Ed for a walk around the All Star grounds. I believe they went over to the All Star Sports since Marlie hadn’t seen that yet. I stayed in the room and worked on the trip report and enjoyed the quiet while Chris and Chandra really struggled to get up. I had to laugh to myself. I was that young and stupid at one point in my life.

I thought today would be a good day for everyone to go to Animal Kingdom. Since the other three parks would be open late with fireworks, we figured people would go to those places and stay all day. Dave and Ed had other ideas, though. They really didn’t want to do Disney. They wanted to find some more rock and fossil shops and do some poking around the area. I knew Dave wasn’t a big Disney fan so this was fine. Although both of them had three day hopper passes. But at least the unused days were not going to expire. They would keep the remaining two days (they did do Disney the next day) for a future visit. Bobbie was going to have one day left on her pass.

After lots and lots of discussion about what was going on for the day, it was decided that Dave and Ed would take Jasmine and do their exploring. The rest of us would take the BAV and head for Animal Kingdom. Marlie still hadn’t seen Flights of Wonder. I tried to get Ed and Dave interested in that but it was not to be. Oh well, to each his own.

Chris and Chandra somehow managed to get themselves together and we were ready to go around 11:00 or so. I literally cringed at seeing Dave behind the wheel of Jasmine. No one except Rich and me has driven her. Dave is a big man and seeing him in the car had me envisioning Jasmine having a nervous breakdown. As it was, Dave had the seat shoved all the way back and had to move the steering wheel too. It took me weeks to get everything back to normal. Sorry Jasmine but it was necessary. Hope you understand.

One thing before we left. We had been trying to get back to Wal Mart to return all the clothes that Chandra had bought for her and Marlie. It just wasn’t feasible with everything else going on. If we were going to do it, it would have to be today. It had been quite a discussion for a while. Bobbie solved that issue immediately. She asked Chandra if she and Marlie could wear the clothes. Chandra said yes but they wanted the money back. Bobbie handed Chandra $60 and things were settled. My in-laws are the best people in the entire world!

The six of us piled into the BAV (much easier than last night) and Rich drove us over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Again, we managed to keep Chandra out of the lobby. We had a quick bus ride over after waiting maybe 10 minutes. This was a great idea for the day. Much less crowded than our previous visit. In fact, most things were nearly walk ons all day long. Bobbie had expressed an interest in “that bug movie” so we went back there first. And walked right into the preshow area. A show had just started so we got the full bees buzzing to popular tunes. With these kinds of attractions, I let Rich lead the way. He picks a good row and then we all just follow him. I find it’s easier for me to say “excuse me but that’s my husband up there” and keep us all together than for Rich, the ever polite one, to let 62 people go in front of him after I’ve already entered a row.

We sat in the middle of the theatre which is great for the show except for one special effect that can get to me. It’s when the bug spray comes out. Sometimes the fog engulfs me and I can’t breathe. I’ve learned now to just hold my breath until the spiders come down and I’m fine. Marlie did great again and Chris got to feel the final effect since he missed it last time. After the show, we did our normal soft pretzel snack. We got three pretzels from the kiosk – one for Rich and I to share, one for Bobbie (she had no clue how big the thing was) and one for Chris (with nacho cheese). Plus a couple of beers for us and a soft drink for Bobbie. The Kids went to the Flame Tree BBQ for “real food”. Chandra needed something like that to settle her stomach. Hehehehe – Pleasure Island wasn’t that kind the day after. They got a kid’s hot dog meal for Chandra and a kid’s chicken wing meal for Marlie.

We all met up just a few tables away from where we were on the earlier visit. It was so less crowded than before. Lots of tables available this close to lunch time. It was very nice sitting there along the water and enjoying our snacks/lunch. Bobbie couldn’t finish her pretzel but the human vacuum cleaner known as Chris dealt with that. The entertainment boat went by again with the same songs and the same dancing and the same characters and the same performers. Marlie didn’t care. She waved and smiled at them just like she did a few days ago. Bright eyed innocence of a child.

It was close to the next showing of Flights of Wonder so we headed back for that. This show is getting more and more popular – it even has FastPass now although we could never find the booths for it. Standby is fine. Rich was in line and it started to move while everyone else was in the bathrooms. I was sitting on a bench over to the side with everyone’s stuff. They joined Rich in the line while I attempted to carry everything. Fortunately, Chris saw my struggle and came over to help out. We all entered the theatre together. Sorry to everyone who thought we were cutting in line. We weren’t going to get any better seats than you were anyway.

We took seats on two different benches, one in front of the other. We learned this trick so if Marlie couldn’t see the stage because of tall people in front of her, we could switch around so she could be as tall as she needed to and we could be behind her and not bother anyone else. But everyone was fine. The only problem was this family in front of us. It was mom and dad with three kids and a nanny. I think the kids should be on that new nanny from hell show. Spoiled brats. But they didn’t interfere too much with the show unless the boy was standing up to see better. Fortunately, the mom made him sit down each time.

This was Bobbie’s first time seeing the show and she enjoyed it. Chris again took Marlie up to the stage to get up close and personal with the birds after the show. Like I said, Marlie is a very intelligent girl and she loves learning things. This is a great way to get kids to get little bird facts into their heads. After the show, Marlie shocked me when she told me that she knew the guy on the nickel really wanted the turkey as our national bird and not the bald eagle. She had that a little wrong. The guy on the nickel is Thomas Jefferson and it was Ben Franklin who wanted the turkey. But that was a little tidbit of information that most people don’t know. My little trivial granddaughter, I’m so proud of her. Chris later said he had taught her that. My little trivial son, I’m so proud of him.

After the show, we made our way to Dinoland via the walkway past the Expedition Everest construction so Chris could see it. We spent several minutes here looking at what we thought would be how the attraction worked. I repeated that I would have to be drugged in order to ride this thing. Chandra said that I had to do this at least once or how else could I effectively report on it? Thankfully, I have until 2006 to think up excuses.

In Dinoland, Chandra suggested that she and Bobbie take Marlie on Triceratops Spin. I had asked for a visit on Primeval Whirl since I hadn’t done that in quite a while. I had played grandma last year and took Marlie on Triceratops Spin while everyone else whirled. So we split up briefly and arranged to meet up at the exit to the Whirl since we thought that would take longer.

We basically walked right onto Primeval Whirl. It was a little backed up but not much. Chris got a big kick out of my reaction to this attraction. I don’t like heights when I’m not at least partially enclosed. I have to have something below me and around me. An open top is fine as long as I can’t see how high I am. Primeval Whirl is very borderline for me. I wasn’t a happy camper anytime we went whipping around those high corners. Chris laughed through the whole thing, ungrateful pup.

We got off the ride and went over to Triceratops Spin where Bobbie, Chandra and Marlie were finishing up their ride. Things were fine except Marlie refused to let them down from the very top. Thank goodness I wasn’t with her! Rich and I wanted to do Dinosaur but that wasn’t a big favorite for Marlie or for Bobbie. The Kids wanted to go to MGM for The Great Movie Ride. Bobbie chose to go with them so we split up yet again. Dave and Ed had Bobbie’s cell phone so we gave Chris Rich’s and we were set for the rest of the day. The plan was to meet up back at the room where we’d decide on dinner and then stay in for New Year’s Eve. None of us really wanted to go to a park for the evening.

Rich and I went over to Dinosaur and lamented that Dave won’t be able to go on this again. But he was having fun with Ed doing things he wanted. We walked right onto Dinosaur. This isn’t Rich’s favorite attraction so we just do it when convenient and we don’t have to wait very long. Today was easy. After our trip back in time, we made our way to the exit of the park. We were walking out to the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus stop and heard people calling our names. The Kids and Bobbie were still over waiting for the MGM bus! Rich and I debated going over there (it was at the second set of bus stops across the entrance for the buses and we would have had to walk a long way). We waved back and then went to the Lodge stop. Where we waited and watched The Kids wait. Four Epcot buses came and went. I called Chris and asked if there was someone he could complain to. He said it wasn’t an issue because they had taken their time getting out of Animal Kingdom and when they got to the bus stop, there was a bus to MGM already there but it was totally full so they knew they had to wait at least twenty minutes for the next one. Rich and I settled in for our wait which was about 10 minutes or so. While we were boarding, so did The Kids and Bobbie.

During our brief stop at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we went into the nice gift shop to get something for Chandra to remember her favorite resort. One day, she’ll get to stay here. We picked up a license plate with the Lodge logo on it. We figured she could put it next to her computer at home. Rich then drove us back to the All Star where we were sure Dave and Ed would be waiting for us. It was around 4:30 or so. We’d have a long wait for anyone. This was our ninth long day on our trip and it was nice to hang around together at the room. All our guests were out having fun and we were getting the break we both needed.

Ed and Dave went to some places in Winter Park and just did their own thing. Lunch was at Taco Bell but that’s all I really know about their adventures. Dave did get Marlie a 100,000 year old alligator fossil. I knew that girl could charm anyone. Dave is a very good uncle. I guess it’s a bit hard for him to realize that his two nephews now have kids of their own. Great-Unca Dave. They didn’t get back to the All Stars until after 6:00. The four of us got caught up on things and wondered where we lost the other members of our party.

The Kids and Bobbie made it on The Great Movie Ride and did Star Tours again. Then they stumbled into the MGM preparations for New Year’s Eve. They were given party hats and noisemakers and got their picture taken a couple of times. Chris had his Photo Pass from the earlier character encounter at Animal Kingdom and these photos were simply added onto the card. Extremely easy way to collect your pictures from around Disney World. They also saw the band from earlier and finally got the name of it – Mulch, Sweat and Shears. Get it, Blood, Sweat and Tears? Anyone, anyone? No?

Chris added this in his own words –

If you want my take on the Disney New Year’s atmosphere at MGM: There was a stage set up in front of the BAH and a DJ/MC guy was up on stage. They were playing modern music and people were dancing and all that. Strobe lights, etc. In fact, Chandra and I wanted to stay to enjoy the festivities but it was 6:00 and that meant being there for four hours. So, if you want to enjoy New Year’s Eve parties, show up early. I bet MGM is the best place to be since Epcot and Magic Kingdom are highlighted on ABC with Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve and are probably more crowded. That and MGM just lends more of a party atmosphere with all the neon lights and the BAH looks more modern and party-like than Spaceship Earth and Cinderella’s Castle, which sells the feeling more for me.

Those of us back at All Stars were starting to get hungry and decided on doing something at the food court. I called Chris and they were just pulling up to the All Star Sports on the bus. We agreed to meet at the Music food court.

We were greeted outside Melody Hall by The Kids and Bobbie in full New Year’s attire. That was really cute to see. Once at the food court, things got a little confused. We had eight people trying to figure out what they wanted to do. I kind of wanted the fried chicken meal and just about everyone else wanted pizza. I think I’m on the road to boycotting pizza just because I see it way too much going down the throats of my family. Rich told me to get my meal but Ed was insisting on paying for everything and I didn’t want to be standing there letting my food get cold while everyone was deciding on what they wanted. Rich and I had a little tiff because he thought I was being stubborn and not getting anything to eat. I was just waiting until the other seven figured things out. The Niklewskis are not known for their decision making skills. They are way too nice to each other. I’m more of a “make up your darn mind” kind of person. I stood over to the side until a couple of pizzas were decided on and then I went to get my dinner. I still had to wait for everyone to get their drinks which involved more negotiations.

I wasn’t real thrilled with my dinner. The chicken was tough and dried out. The potatoes were cold and I had doubled up on those because there were only two other side dishes and neither one appealed to me. Marlie got a kids cheeseburger but didn’t eat that much of hers either. Rich reminded me later that he had a meatball sandwich. I think I was still ticked off enough at him that I didn’t really notice. The pizzas were devoured by The Kids and pronounced “pedestrian” by Dave, the Pizza King. Rich had warned Dave that this was just food court pizza and Dave shouldn’t expect anything special. But it filled our stomachs for the night ahead.

After Bobbie was finished eating, she was extremely antsy to get back to the room. That’s how Bobbie operates. When she’s done with dinner, she wants to go. No small talk at the table. But Dave, The Kids, and us were having good conversation and wanted to finish things up. So we sent the older folk back long before us. We followed when we were ready. I really don’t like being rushed to finish up after dinner. That’s when Rich and I have some of our best conversations.

I don’t think we got back to our rooms until after 9:00. We spent the rest of the time for the evening watching TV and visiting. Marlie spent a lot of time with Dave and Ed. The Kids and I were getting nice and relaxed on the beds and just chilling with the TV. We had to be careful with what we were watching. Bobbie and Ed don’t have the best of hearing so their TV was always cranked up with the volume. If we were watching something on a different channel, we had to make sure the connecting door was at least almost closed. And then we had to have our volume higher than normal. But at least once it got closer to midnight, we all agreed on which channel to watch (Dick Clark with Regis subbing this year – here’s to seeing Dick back next year). We could even not have our volume up at all and still be able to hear everything from the next room.

Rich and I brought a couple of bottles of champagne from home and they were chilled down along with a bottle of cider for the non-drinkers (and Chris and Chandra went right back to being non-drinkers after last night!). Bobbie insisted we open the first bottle before midnight because she wasn’t sure she could stay up that late. Sigh. Midnight is an early turn in for me. But we popped the cork and right after that, Bobbie came over to the room and said she didn’t want to disturb us but Marlie was sound asleep on their bed and what should they do? Poor girl just conked out even though she really wanted to stay up until 2005.

All of us were together to watch the Times Square ball drop. I again heard the Illuminations fireworks going off and decided to go outside and see what others were doing to celebrate. I had brought noisemakers and hats but I thought it would be too quiet and I didn’t want to disturb Marlie. I opened Bobbie and Ed’s door and had the best surprise. We could see all of the Illuminations special New Year’s Eve fireworks!! Plus MGM’s fireworks went off at the same time. Chris said later that the Epcot show was “bigger, badder, and longer”. A totally unobstructed, if distant view. I got everyone out there and we enjoyed the show very much. Everyone on that side of Rock Inn appreciated it. Chandra tried to get Marlie awake but no dice. The girl was out until the next day. We did lights our around 1:00 AM with the intention of doing Epcot all day tomorrow.

Day Ten – January 1, 2005 – “Is Everyone Hung Over?”

Bobbie and Ed were up at their normal time and our room was struggling awake. Again, the great-grandparents took Marlie for a walk around the grounds. This time, Rich stayed behind to get ready. Marlie didn’t seem to realize that she missed the fireworks of last night. I think the walks with Bobbie and Ed were better than the fireworks for her anyway. She doesn’t get to see Chris’ family that much so it’s nice for her to spend time with all of us.

The Kids wanted to get their packing done this morning so they didn’t have to bother with it tomorrow. Their flight was taking off at 10:00 (we hoped) and we wanted to get them to the airport no later than 8:00. That meant an early wake up for all of us. Having The Kids pack things up this morning helped out Rich and me since once they were all taken care of, anything left was up to us to take back to Georgia. The only problem was the other room was antsy to get to Epcot to “do something” and it was still going to take The Kids quite a while to get everything packed. So around 11:00 or so, Rich took his parents, Dave and Marlie and drove the BAV over to the Swan to get started on Epcot. I stayed behind, worked on the report and watched as Chris and Chandra attempted to repack everything into the two suitcases and their carryon bags. Lesson learned for me. Never give your kids very fragile wine glasses as a Christmas present and expect them to easily transport them back on an airplane. I have just gotten so used to driving everywhere these days.

The Kids were packed up and ready to go right before noon so I drove the three of us over and parked right next to the BAV at the Swan. We were walking through the Boardwalk when Rich and I connected via cell phone. They were on their way to Mission:Space to get FastPasses so I figured we could meet up there and get within the same time window. Since we didn’t have Dave or Ed and their slow pace or Marlie and her “what’s this” walk, the three of us were only about five minutes behind the others. It was lunchtime and my in-laws have to have lunch at lunchtime. Rich and I figure on this in our travels with them and today was no exception. We met the others outside the Electric Umbrella and Chris and Chandra went to Mission:Space with my Annual Pass to get our FastPasses for later. The other five had theirs for right after 1:00. Chris scored ours for 1:15 (his and Chandra’s) and mine for 1:18. They thought that was quite funny. It didn’t matter since all eight of us were within the same window.

Rich and I weren’t that hungry for lunch but I was pleased to notice that the Electric Umbrella had some other choices besides the typical burger meals. Bobbie, Ed and Dave all got some sort of meals while Rich and I just got a couple of beers for ourselves. The Kids came back and Marlie had already been ordered a kids chicken strips meal after we told Ed NOT to get the only other thing he saw for Marlie – the regular adult chicken strips. That would have been way too much for the little girl. The Kids both got chicken strips but they were way later than the other orders.

Bobbie took Marlie out to the patio seating and was hoping for a couple of fountain shows while we waited. I’m not sure if this was the start of the off season but there were no fountain shows at all while we were sitting there. The crowd level today was extremely low. I don’t know if everyone was sleeping in from last night or leaving to get home but New Year’s Day is a great time to visit Disney World. It was like the whole world was on autopilot or something.

We enjoyed our food and beverages but Bobbie finished up before anyone else and did her antsy dance again. She kept looking at her watch since we had entered the first of the Mission:Space windows. We had an hour to use them but she wanted to go, go, go. Chris and Chandra had barely started to eat and I reminded Bobbie that I wanted everyone to ride together. Dave even piped up with “we have an hour, don’t we?” My mother-in-law is just the type of person that can’t sit still for more than five minutes. Not even at breakfast when she’s reading the newspaper – she’s constantly getting up and down for more coffee or to get fresh milk or something.

After everyone was finally finished, it was time for Mission:Space. Chandra and I had given Marlie some pointers on what to do on the ride. Sit back in your chair and look straight forward, don’t turn your head and don’t shut your eyes. Once we said the do not shut your eyes part, Ed chickened out. He doesn’t do well on motion simulators and I was concerned with that. I suggested he go through the preshow with us and then bail out if he needed to. He didn’t even want to do that. I don’t think he trusts me when I tell him nothing bad is going to happen up to that point. Marlie was a little fearful but Chandra and I assured her that she could leave if she wanted to. I’d even give up seeing Gary Sinise so Marlie wouldn’t have to ride. Marlie was confused on just who Gary Sinise was until Chris said “he’s Mac Taylor” (from “CSI:NY”). Then Marlie really wanted to go on the ride. Like grandmother, like granddaughter, I suppose.

We were on the next mission to Mars with our FastPasses. Dave almost balked at the last minute too. He’s not a ride person. I expressed my dismay, though. Dave works with NASA and I really wanted to get his opinion on the attraction. I was sure it wasn’t going to be mind blowing for him but I didn’t want him to be here with a perfect opportunity to see this and then not go. He was persuaded. I wanted to ride with Bobbie and Dave so the three of us were joined by a single rider and Chris, Chandra, Marlie, and Rich went into the next shuttle. Rich and I had five newbies with us and it’s always nice to ride with rookies.

The reactions? Dave said it was “OK” so that means it was a hit with him. Bobbie said she’s glad Ed didn’t go on it because it made her feel woozy. Not sick, just a little off kilter. Chandra and Chris loved it and Marlie bounded out of the shuttle with a big smile on her face and a very enthusiastic “I want to go on that again!” This is one of my favorite attractions now so it made me happy to see most of my family enjoying it.

Ed was waiting for us at the exit and we spied the email portals for The Kids to send a message to Chandra’s mother. One family was hogging up two of the machines which was a little rude to begin with but there wasn’t a line or anything. We figured once the family realized there were people waiting, they would vacate one machine. Nope. I think we finally said enough things to them and the dad left his machine. How many friends could his kid have anyway? We left our Kids there for their fun and the rest of us walked outside.

Earlier, Bobbie had begged me to let her come along with us for the rest of the day. She said Ed and Dave were way too slow for her. The two guys were enjoying Epcot but at their own very slow pace. Trust me, I was in a very anti-commando mode but Ed and Dave were about at a turtle pace. That’s how they enjoy life. Stopping and smelling the roses. Ed had taken the time it took us to ride Mission:Space to analyze the Epcot entertainment schedule. He wanted to see most of the acts. It was close to 2:00 and the last scheduled performance of the American Fife and Drum Corps was going off at 2:30. Ed wanted to “hustle” back there. So he and Dave took off with one of our walkie talkies. We kept the other one while we still had three cell phones between the five of us.

Chris and Chandra had problems with sending the emails. After they were done with the first one, they noticed people were waiting so they gave up the machine and went back in line. Only to have the people they gave the machine to send multiple emails. But The Kids waited and finally got their emails done. Bobbie was waiting outside with just Rich and me and she was getting very antsy yet again. After about ten minutes, The Kids came out. Rich and I just wanted to roam around World Showcase but maybe see Universe of Energy. The Kids and Bobbie wanted to see all of Future World. So we split up with the meeting place of Germany no later than 6:15. That was also the meeting place and time with Ed and Dave.

The Kids headed for Wonders of Life since it had been open for the holiday season. I guess New Year’s Day means holiday season is officially over in Disney’s eyes because the whole pavilion was closed down again. I guess Marlie will never ride through blood. Then they headed over to Universe of Energy and after a quick bathroom break for Rich and me, we joined them in the line. We had about a ten minute wait since I think we just missed a performance. But that was fine because Chandra, Marlie, and Bobbie had never seen this attraction before. So they got to see the whole preshow. And it’s been a while for Chris to see this as well.

After everyone got the intro with Ellen and Jamie Lee (I tend to ignore Bill Nye the Science Guy – he annoys me), I led everyone to near the front of the left side car. I knew we’d be going into the ride portion first. I think Chandra was amused with how this attraction works. I thought Marlie would either be scared of the dinosaurs (one of the reasons for not going on it last year) or just out and out bored. She was neither although her grandmother was in need of a rest by now.

Ellen correctly answered the Final Jeopardy question and we all headed out. BTW – Marlie knew the answer to the question too. She either was paying attention or is as smart as her grandmother thinks she is. The Kids still wanted to do Future World and Rich and I wanted World Showcase so we left Bobbie with the younger set and we went for a couple of walks around Showcase Lagoon. The Kids and Bobbie did the Imagination Pavilion stuff. Chris’ words –

I’m glad they put Figment back as the main character in Journey Into Your Imagination. After we got off of Journey Into Your Imagination, Marlie got to interact with one of the Image Works Cast Members. He took her picture and goofed around with her for a little bit.

Chris also noted that he kept pointing out Figment to Marlie and telling her that he remembered Figment from his childhood. Damn, I really am a grandmother, aren’t I?

More from Chris – After Imagination Pavilion, we went on Spaceship Earth for the boring ride through communications. Chandra said she like it, though.

As for us, we leisurely strolled around the World Showcase a couple of times. I wanted to stop in the shops since it was just the two of us and Rich didn’t seem to mind. It was our last day with the entire family and while it would have been nice to spend all day with everyone, there was something special about using this time to wind down with just each other. We had no plan in mind but did end up at the big Japan store which is now devoted mostly to those cheap video game toys for the kids. They still have the authentic Japanese things but they are far removed from the front of the shop so you have to wend your way past all the little critters to get back there. I’ve been searching for a silver Lucky Cat for a while. There’s a different Lucky Cat for “granting” you what you need to make your life better. We have a white one for general happiness and I guess that’s been working. I gave Chris a purple one for creativity but he probably doesn’t need it since he’s one of the most creative people I have ever met (Chandra is very close second). The silver one is for patience and everyone knows I need a dose of that every day. We finally found a little one for $2.95 and I thought I’d put that in my car. Just to go and show you that I need this Lucky Cat, I didn’t want Rich to buy it because the line was more than three people long! But he stood there and got me the cat. Later, the whole family agreed I needed this daily reminder of patience. The Cat is now in my car to help me through the commute. It’s helping, it really is (I cuss to him and not to the other drivers).

During our walk, Ed raised us on the walkie talkie. He said that they were in Canada (we were in America) and the Cast Member there insisted that Off Kilter would be performing there at 4:30. Rich and I didn’t think so; in fact one of the band members told us they were looking forward to having New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day off. We decided to continue our walk and if we ended up there, that was fine. A few minutes later Ed called back and said the first Cast Member was mistaken. It was the other band that does the weekend shows or when Off Kilter isn’t performing.

I wanted to stop in at the Mexico pavilion just so I could tell Chandra I did (we kid her about her Mexican heritage but in a good way – how many people with the last name of Niklewski can claim to be one half Mexican?). The mariachis were finishing up and we saw a very familiar face at the cashier. It was Ed! Granted, Epcot wasn’t that busy but we hadn’t had any communication with him after the Off Kilter thing so it was kind of funny. Dave had bought a book and was heading back to Germany to read and wait for our dinner time. It was only 5:30 or so but we decided to walk back there and hang out and wait for everyone else. Our priority seating was for 6:30 and we all had plenty of time.

I later found out that The Kids were at the pavilion at the same time as we were! They watched the end of the band as well.

The Kids and Bobbie showed up shortly after we joined Dave so all eight of us were together and I really didn’t want to check us in that early. I was angling for the Oktoberfest band to start close to 7:00 so we would have a chance to get our food and then enjoy the entertainment during and after we ate.

I didn’t know this until later but Rich thought I was getting upset that The Kids weren’t there yet and he was trying to get them back via the walkie talkie. All I did was mention that as soon as they came, I could check us in at the podium. It wasn’t busy at all and I knew getting in wasn’t going to be a problem. I was so anti-commando during this trip. That Lucky Cat must be working its magic already.

Once everyone was back together, we did have a problem. I checked us in at the podium and was told that a table was ready and everyone could just go inside. So I turned around and….. no one was there. I was moved up in the line to get seated and it was just me. I frantically looked around for anyone. I finally spotted the group but no one was looking in my direction. I finally got Rich’s attention (hopping around, looking like an idiot) and motioned for him to come up. And he did. By himself. So he had to go back and gather up everyone else. Note for future – if your party wants to wait while you check in, make sure you maintain eye contact with at least one person waiting. We weren’t smart enough to think about giving me a walkie talkie.

We were seated at a nice table on the second tier in the middle with a great view of the band and the dance floor. It was perfect timing and I did a silent thanks to the Disney magic for this meal. So far, so good. Marlie had earlier expressed her dismay about having to smell sauerkraut and except for the entry way, there was no “foul” smell. Marlie was put right next to the railing to see everything and I sat across from her. I had to for my “handicap”. I’m the only one in my entire family who is left handed so all meal seatings are carefully considered. Rich sat next to me, Chandra next to Marlie, Chris next to her, Dave next to him and Bobbie and Ed rounded out my side of the table.

What can I say about the meal? It was fantastic. Dave did fine with all the offerings. So did Marlie. I think everyone made several trips back up to the buffet for different items. On my second trip, I came back with a slice of Black Forest Cake which prompted Bobbie to remark that it was early for me to be done. I laughed and said “why wait until I’m stuffed to have dessert?” She agreed that was a good idea. And that cake was fantastic! I’m not sure what everyone had but I know that I really felt so uncomfortable after the meal. I stuffed myself silly.

The band came out and encouraged everyone to go on the dance floor. It didn’t take that much prodding from us and our little girl was up there dancing like there was no tomorrow. Marlie was a flower girl in a record setting number of weddings during 2004 (including Chris and Chandra’s) and she’s an old pro at these kinds of things. To see her doing that stupid Chicken Dance was priceless. She had a little boy her age just a little bit in awe when she was going to town with spinning him around and getting all the motions right. And it wasn’t just kids up there dancing. Lots of people doing the polka. It really was a fun, fun time.

Also adding to the fun were the drinks. Ed ordered a beer but when he saw the size of it, there was no way he’d be able to enjoy it. Rich ordered a beer sampler so he gave Ed the ones he didn’t want and made good of Ed’s drink. I figured a wine flight was a better bargain for me so I did that. Four glasses of wine for $11.75. Very nice and the server did a great job of coming back and explaining the different wines to me (I had to take a bathroom break).

But by 7:30, Bobbie was getting antsy again. The band had finished their performance and most of us were just winding down and enjoying the rest of our drinks. Ed and Bobbie generously picked up the check for all of us and I have to admit, it was a nice way to celebrate our anniversary. The night wasn’t near over, though. I didn’t think it could get any better but I should know by now that somehow, some way, that Disney pixie dust appears from time to time.

Dave was a little worried when he found out that we all anticipated staying at Epcot until after Illuminations at 9:00. I knew it no longer was the special holiday celebration but the regular presentation was fine too. We had all seen the fireworks last night from the comfort of our front door at the All Stars. Now it was time for the ground version. The Kids and Rich had seen it before but everyone wanted to stay for one last time together.

We staked out our favorite spot which, surprise, surprise, was in Germany. Another ulterior motive for me planning this meal. We had an hour to kill so people came and went while the ones left gamely tried to hold places for all eight of us. We weren’t too picky about anything. Marlie and I could sit on the ground with Chandra and Rich and Chris behind us and Bobbie, Dave and Ed behind them. We’re not the tallest people in the world. But we had enough room and a very unobstructed view of Illuminations.

And it thrilled everyone again. I got very emotional about the whole thing and didn’t bother to wipe any tears from my face. This show does it to me time and time again. I know some people can take it or leave it but it has had such a fond place in my heart. I’ve spent way too many times here at different points in my life with different members of my family. This just added to all those memories. I think Chandra leaked a little too. Seeing Marlie enjoying this again with us made the day more than special. It was a true Sprinkle Moment.

But all too soon it was over. We collected everyone up and wearily made our way over to the International Gateway and the exit. We still had the two vehicles to get back to the All Stars and everyone except The Kids needed to pack. Bobbie and Ed really wanted to get going and so did Rich. The Kids wanted to know if they could possibly hunt out more pressed pennies. My attitude was to stay until we got kicked out. So Rich went with his parents and brother and I stayed with The Kids.

Rich’s group encountered Randy, the juggler, on the Boardwalk so Rich enticed them to stay and watch. We hadn’t seen Randy is quite a while and wondered if he was still around working for Disney. Glad to say yes he is. Then Rich got his party back to the All Stars and everyone began the difficult task of packing. Rich almost never packs. I think he gave up waiting for me.

Because we had one more dose of the Disney magic. We took our time walking around. It was at least a half hour after Illuminations when we were finally walking by Chefs de France. Chandra had been taking pictures of different things to show her cousin when she got back. Her cousin’s husband is in culinary school and Chandra wondered out loud if it would be possible to go into the restaurant and get a picture of a real French chef in a chef hat. I blurted out “this is Disney, go and ask”. Chris added “take Marlie with you, no one can resist her”. Chandra normally wouldn’t do this kind of thing but that dust was swirling.

Chandra went up to the podium of the still open restaurant. There’s a hint if you really want to relax and not rush out of Epcot. Make a seating at Chefs de France for the latest time. No one was being herded out of there. Chandra asked about taking a picture and she and Marlie were escorted inside. Chris and I waited. For quite a while. About twenty minutes later, the twosome emerged.

Marlie had on a paper chef’s hat! Talk about adorable! Not only was Chandra able to get her pictures but she and Marlie were able to talk to a chef. And Marlie got to carry around a waiter’s platter and “serve” people! It was just a perfect way to end a great vacation. I looked at my watch and groaned. It was going on 10:30! I was sure Rich would be peeved since I wasn’t there to do the packing. And we all had to get up early the next morning to take The Kids to the airport. But it was well worth the whole thing. All I can say is WOW!

I got us back to the car and back to the All Stars. Much to my surprise, Rich had just about everything packed. He mumbled something about not wanting to wait until I came back. Oops. But he was fine with everything and we finished up in record time. By 11:30, we were all ready for bed. I set the alarm for 6:30 and then also called for a wake up. This was only the second time we had to get up for something. I’m loving these longer vacations.

Day Eleven – Sunday, January 2, 2005 – “Goodbye to The Kids, Long Ride Home”

The phone range right at 6:30 and everyone except Marlie groaned. The only reason she didn’t groan was because she slept right through everything. I answered the phone (although it was right next to Chris) and tried to find the speaker in the dark but couldn’t so I just held the receiver out. Unfortunately for the others, Mickey’s voice was loud and clear. “We’ve got big things to do today!” I heard all three of the others saying something about dead rats.

Rich showered first after some protesting. I said I’d finish the last minute packing and get The Kids up and ready to go. We only had an hour as I wanted to be leaving by 7:30 to be at the airport by 8:00. Their flight was at 10:00 and no one wanted any problems with security during the busy holiday travel time. The Kids were subjected to the whole security routine on the way down. It’s a pity Marlie has to grow up not knowing there were times when we didn’t have these things to worry about. I followed Rich into the shower (well, after he was done). Chris and Chandra were just going grungy for the day until they got home. Can’t say I blame them.

By 7:30, we were ready to head out. Rich and Chris took the big suitcases down to the BAV. There was no way we’d be able to fit their one suitcase in Jasmine’s trunk, let alone two and then all five of us in the seats with the carry ons. So we borrowed the BAV while Bobbie and Ed got ready for their trip to Georgia. Those guys came over to say goodbye. I think they are going to try and get out to Michigan sometime this summer so that will be nice for them to visit The Kids.

We managed to leave the All Stars by 7:45. Very bittersweet for The Kids. I’m sure they were anxious to get back home and back to normal. I almost missed telling Rich where to get off the Osceola Parkway and onto the Greeneway. He chided me for it since I’m usually the whiz when it comes to navigating around the area. I had to remind him that it’s been over four years since I’ve flown into Disney World.

Rich did have one mishap. We both knew there were toll booths. I thought I had quarters. I thought Rich had quarters. I knew there was at least one unmanned toll booth on the way. And there was. We didn’t have the 50 cents to throw into the bin. Rich, the moral person, went tharn. He didn’t know what to do. We had no choice but to basically run the toll booth. It beeped at us but unless the mechanical booth could change a dollar bill, we couldn’t do anything. To this day, I’m surprised Rich hasn’t sent change down to Florida to repay them for the oversight.

All too quickly, we were at the Delta baggage check in lanes. At least at the Orlando Airport, there’s not that many cops aggressively urging you to move along. We parked behind the normal unloading zones and took our time getting The Kids situated. We were concerned with how they would manage to get those two big suitcases plus their carry ons into the terminal but once we plopped one of Chandra’s bags on top of the rolling suitcase, things were fine.

We all hugged and promised to see each other very soon. That’s difficult for us with my job and The Kids schedules. But we “talk” via the PC just about every day. We are a close family if not in distance than in our hearts. Rich and I waved goodbye and hoped that the flights home were better than the ones here. All we could do was wait and see. More apron strings were popped this morning.

Rich drove the BAV back to the All Stars and Bobbie, Ed and Dave started their process of loading it up. They were continuing on to our house for the night and then back to Maryland on Monday. Rich and I loaded up Jasmine. For some reason, both Bobbie and Ed thought we needed extra room in the BAV but we were fine. We all finished up about the same time so we headed out for the boring drive to Georgia. Bobbie and Ed refused to give any more money to the Florida government so they were boycotting the Turnpike. They were going to take Route 27 all the way up to Ocala. It saved them $1.25 but they were happy.

Both vehicles stopped at the BP station outside the new Super Wal Mart on Route 27 (site of where Chandra and Chris bought those emergency clothes they didn’t need) and gassed up for the drive. After that, we each went our own way.

Chris called when we were almost home. They had arrived safely back in Toledo but Delta managed to lose not just one bag this time but both bags. The luggage showed up at their house the following morning at 7:30. Poor Mary was coming home after working the late shift at the hospital and had to drag the bags in. She thought maybe there were some bricks in there. One bag was marked “HEAVY”. I have to teach The Kids to pack a little lighter in the future.

Final Thoughts and Overall Observations – “If You Made It This Far, Congratulations!!!!!”

We actually did this entire Disney World trip with Marlie and she never went through a Magic Kingdom turn style. Yes, there were things there she wanted to do but it never worked into the plans. This was not a down side in any manner. Marlie simply didn’t know what she was “missing” because she filled the time up with what was available. She breathed the life out of Animal Kingdom, MGM and Epcot. She spent the time with Chris’ family and that was great because our physical time with her is limited by distance. Marlie is the light in our lives, step-whatevers we are. This girl has all of us wrapped around her little finger (although we try not to let her know that).

There’s a world of difference between a just turned five year old and a six-and-a-half year old. At least with Marlie. She was almost fearless this trip. Although Twilight Zone and Dinosaur weren’t exactly her cup of tea, she tried them. She loved Mission:Space, she loved Sounds Dangerous. The darkness factor was a non issue this trip. We did the whole thing sans stroller. I’m not saying that the next time we take Marlie (and there will be a next time) that it’ll be as carefree as this one but I have to say this trip with a child was painless.

Chandra didn’t have a problem flying. In fact, she liked the smaller planes better than the one bigger one. The ComAir fiasco was horrible and the missing bags were just more salt into the wound. There has been no offer of compensation from Delta although the ComAir president just resigned as I type this. I’m pressing for The Kids to at least ask for mileage reimbursement for Mary having to drive eight hours total to get them to Cincinnati and then having to drive all the way back by herself. That was a bad, bad show on Delta’s part and if I were part of that organization, I’d be bending over backwards to make things right. So far, nada.

We did a lot of offsite and alternative dining options. Red Lobster, Sizzler, IHOP, Damon’s (bad service aside), All Star Food court, Epcot counter service, soft pretzels. If you stop and think about it, Disney World food isn’t that expensive. A true foot long hot dog for $4 is a great bargain. Try and find that at your local baseball stadium.

We had some lowlights – the ComAir garbage, the Damon’s dinner, traffic.

But boy, did we have some highlights. In no particular order:

Off Kilter – Marlie enjoying them, us enjoying them, and just the overall entertainment they provide.
The Germany dinner – a carefully thought out dinner that I worried about for months. Everyone left satisfied and well fed. And Marlie had a great time dancing to the band.
Pleasure Island for The Kids – that was an adventure for them and I’m glad they were able to have such a good time. Neither one of them drinks that much so I didn’t think this was an option. However, they had a nice evening out without Marlie and they got to be silly for a change.
Marlie’s Pirate Adventure – oh, wow. To see that little girl in her red and white striped bandanna and hear her singing the pirates song and to see her smiling face when they docked after the cruise. Words cannot describe this grandmother’s joy.
Seeing the Illuminations New Year’s Eve fireworks from the comfort of outside our Rock Inn room. So we only spent $49/night for that room. The fireworks and being there with family was priceless.
The last night at Epcot. Illuminations with everyone. And then Marlie and Chandra being treated at Chefs de France which was totally unexpected. You should have seen the look on Bobbie and Ed’s faces when Marlie showed up back at the room with that chef’s hat on!

We were all together as a family. We don’t get those chances that much so we cherish every minute that we can. No, it wasn’t a “perfect” vacation. None really are. But it was the best that it could be and that’s what counts. Marlie will never care that she didn’t see Magic Kingdom. I hope she remembers going out for morning strolls with her step-great-grandparents Labonte. Because those moments can’t be duplicated. Magic Kingdom will be there in a few years.

I cannot stress enough the one thing that came out of this entire vacation for anyone ever traveling with a larger party. Do not ever think that all of you will be together 24/7. It just isn’t possible. Even with The Kids and us, we split up. I emphasize that so strongly. While Bobbie would have had a fine time with Dave and Ed, she had a different agenda that fit in better with The Kids. And it didn’t fit in with us. We had three cell phones for communication beyond one theme park and then walkie talkies for within a park. Those were invaluable. And all those devices were turned off whenever anyone was remotely close to entering a line queue.

I will treasure this trip because it was one that was given from the heart. Thank you Bobbie and Ed for everything. No one asked for this – it was a true gift. I guess that sums up the power of a family.

Rich and I have a few Disney World trips planned for 2005. Thanks again to Bobbie and Ed and their birthday gifts to us. Annual Pass renewals. Bobbie said that she knows that makes up happy. So we’ll be there at least for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, sometime during the Food and Wine Festival (have to check the Falcons’ home schedule), and probably Christmas or New Year’s.

And the other big Disney trip? It isn’t to Disney World. I won’t nominate them for sainthood yet but they are close. Bobbie and Ed are taking Rich and me on a Disney seven day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic. We leave December 10th. It’s for Christmas and our anniversary.

I’ve said that there was a lot of pixie dust spread around for this trip. A little of that enters my life every day with all the memories. All I have to do is think about Marlie and her pirate or chef’s hat. Or Chandra and Chris coming in at 2:00 AM all giggly and stupid. All of us watching Illuminations and the New Year’s Eve fireworks.

To my family – Thank you for being you. That’s all I need for the rest of my life.

Sheri Kiklewski

disnut8@hotmail.com

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