Trip Reports

I debated on whether to create this report after we returned or to go ahead and post what I have done so far. After Brian posted his on-going report I decided maybe I'd do the same. In that way I might be able to help someone else who is just starting to plan their trip as well. First, let's get to the basics.

THE CREW:

Myself (John), 45, employed by Lockheed Martin, Fort Worth, Tx, 4th trip to WDW
My wife (Paula), not as old as me (I'm no dummy!! I'm not telling you her age!), Mary Kay Consultant, 3rd trip to WDW
Our son (Lane), 6, just starting kindergarten, 1st trip.
THE TRIP:

October 25, 1997 through November 1, 1997
Depart Austin, Tx, Southwest Airlines, 6:45 PM to arrive in Orlando at 10:15 PM
Rental car from Interamerican Car Rental, Geo Prizm with unlimited mileage
Accommodations at Westgate Vacation Villas, just off Hwy 192 in Kissimmee
Depart Orlando, Southwest Airlines, 3:45 PM to arrive back in Austin at 5:40 PM
We had been "planning" another trip to WDW sometime in the near future to take our son and my sister and her family. Well, when my new nephew Sam arrived last April we knew the "plans" would have to be delayed for several more years. We wanted him to be old enough to enjoy Mickey's home as much as all of us. We had pretty much given up on the idea of a trip for at least the next three or four years. Plans do change don't they?

After a particularly bad day/week/month at work last June (over budget, behind schedule, massive overtime... Get the picture?) I was talking to one of my cohorts (Linda) about how much I needed a vacation away from the mad house. She mentioned she owned a time share villa in Orlando and wasn't going to be using it this year even though she would like to. Suddenly she had my full undivided attention. Yes, she was willing to rent it to me for a week and yes, she was interested in trying Mary Kay products. I could see we were beginning to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. I called home and told Paula what had transpired over the last few minutes and asked if she was willing to be a part of my scheme. The squeal in my ear meant approval. So it began. I called my sister and asked if she would be upset with me if I went to WDW now without her. Her only comment was have fun and take lots of pictures. Let the planning begin!

I started cruising the net for air fares, rental cars, etc, etc while Paula checked her schedule for possible dates. Because of planned events and other commitments we decided on the last week in October. Linda felt that date would not be a problem (off season) and begin the process of reserving the villa for us. At first we thought about driving down (Paula has a free Mary Kay car) but the idea of an excited (i.e. can't sit still, won't hush) six year old for 1200 miles one-way was not too appealing. I do so love the boy and really didn't like the thought of probably murdering him somewhere east of New Orleans. I used lots of resources on the net (airline/motel websites, maps, search engines, etc) to try and get an idea of our costs to fly or drive. Flying was going to eat so much of the budget that it just didn't seem possible. I logged on to all the airlines that serve Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport and checked prices and schedules. The best deal I could find was Delta for about $240 round trip. That was a considerable amount more than driving was going to cost, even figuring high gas prices, worse than normal miles per gallon, and "unforeseen" problems/costs. This leads us to tip number one:

TIP: An obvious tip is to surf the web for prices and information and double check often. I used several search engines to locate information on airlines, motels, cars, and Disney. (That's how I found this site.) Also, use those 800 numbers. They're free and can give you a person to talk to who might be able to steer you into other money saving areas.

We were well into planning the drive when I logged into Southwest Airlines (SWA) one last time just for grins. What did I happen to find but a very low-key four day sale to everywhere they fly. The tickets had the usual restrictions plus blackout periods and had to be paid in full within two days of reserving. No problem, the dates were fine and I was using plastic to pay.

TIP: Always use a credit card to pay for airline tickets and rental cars. You may have extra travel and/or collision insurance just for using the card. Also, in case of problems later on the credit card company could be a big help in correcting the situation. Check with your credit card company for details.

Taxes, fees, and tickets came to $160 each. So much for driving to Florida. Driving still would have been a little bit cheaper, but I figured I would save a bundle on defense lawyers by not having the murder trail. There is a catch to the tickets that only applies to someone flying SWA from the DFW area. A law, known as the Wright Amendment, limits any airline departing from Dallas Love Field to travel only to the adjoining states. SWA flies from Love Field. We would have to change planes (and re-check luggage) in New Orleans with a minimum one hour lay-over, per the Amendment. This law protected DFW Airport when it first opened in the 70's. (Helped to stifle competition.) Well, we came up with a great plan to get around this. We decided to drive to my sister-in-law's house in Austin, TX and fly out from there. This accomplished several things for us: it would give us a non-stop flight to Orlando, the tickets were cheaper than flying from Dallas Love Field, we'd get to see my wife's sister, and we could totally surprise Lane with the trip. He knows we are saving for WDW but he doesn't know when we are going. Traveling to his aunt's house on Saturday morning will give us an excuse for the luggage. This way he won't pester us to insanity by wanting to know how much longer before we get to go. We plan on telling him as we are leaving his aunts for the airport (the video camera WILL be rolling!).

TIP: Check on airfares from other nearby airports if they are available. The difference in price and convenience by using Austin over Dallas more than made up for the drive to Austin. Plus, you may be able to gain some extra benefits as we did (seeing family and holding down anticipation).

For a rental car in Orlando I've chosen Interamerican Car Rental (1-800-327-1278). I have not used them before but checks with the Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce did not reveal any problems. We've selected a Geo Prizm with unlimited mileage for $140. This includes all taxes and airport fees. I checked with 12 different rental companies and Interamerican had the best deal. Rates for the same size car ranged from $271 to $140. Another company with rates very similar was Florida Auto Rental (1-800-327-3791). Both companies have been in business for awhile and have offices throughout Florida. I'll let you know how it goes.

TIP: I've been told that rental car rates are based on projected supply and demand of vehicles for the dates and location requested and these rates can change several times a day. Also, when you make a reservation you are reserving a specific rate and not a specific vehicle. So, CALL OFTEN! When you get a decent rate, make a reservation. Then, keep checking and see if you can get a better deal. I made a chart using Microsoft Excel and call all 12 companies at least once a week (I'm still doing it). The results are very interesting. No one has had the same rate twice!

We decided to go with Linda and Westgate Vacation Villas even though we found cheaper accommodations at a couple of other places. Talking with Linda I knew exactly what I was going to get as far as quality, comfort, and convenience. The location is less than 1 mile from the WDW exit off of Hwy 192. As a back up (just in case Linda couldn't get our time period) we also have reservations made at the Ramada Inn 192 Disney Area (1-800-272-6232). Seven nights for $178 including tax! Not bad! It's a Ramada so it should be a decent room. A few days before we leave I will call and cancel as long as everything else is OK.

TIP: Use the same tip for rental cars when checking on motel rates. Prices are not as fluid for motels as they are for rental cars but they will change based on the number of confirmed (with a credit card) reservations for that time period. So, once again, CALL OFTEN. When you call be sure and prod the reservationist for specials and/or discounts that might be available. Also, some people are more willing to dig than others. After several calls I found both cases and got the rate I did at Ramada. I called back a couple of weeks later and reconfirmed (the lady told me, "boy, you got the good rate didn't ya?").

We purchased 4 Day Park Hopper Passes at one of our local Disney Stores ($427 with Magic Kingdom Club (MKC) discount) and also purchased some "Disney Dollars". We use the Disney Dollars to pay Lane when he completes his list of daily responsibilities (clean room, brush teeth, etc.). He gets a star when he remembers to perform each duty and 10 stars are traded for one Disney Dollar. (He's not old enough to know how cheap he's working.) It we have to remind him, he doesn't get the star. I found this idea on someone's website and it works well. His 'memory' is really improving. This is the money he will use to buy his souvenirs (within accepted parental limits) and so far he has around $15 saved up. At the rate he's going he should have three times that amount before we leave.

TIP: By purchasing our plane tickets and park passes separately and several months apart I was able to pay for each without having to take any money out of our 'Disney Trip' savings account. I've also managed to pocket more than half the money we're planning to spend on food, souvenirs, and 'stuff'. Considering that we only started planning this in June I feel we have done well. So, the earlier you start to plan your trip the better off you can be from a financial standpoint. I realize this is a no-brainer tip but it is something to consider when making plans.

We bought 4 day passes instead of 5 day in order to save money. The 5 day pass adds the water parks and Pleasure Island but we won't be using any of those this trip. We plan on leaving Disney/MGM Studios until last. If we have not done all that we want to do at the other 2 parks by the 3rd day we will use the 4th day of the pass to finish up and then buy a single 1 day pass for MGM. That method is cheaper than buying the 5 day pass. I have scheduled priority seating at Restaurant Akershus for lunch, Spoodles and 'Ohana for dinner, and a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's. All were made at least 55 days before the scheduled date and I received my asked for time at all but Chef Mickey's. My third choice at Chef Mickey's was finally available. All other meals will be walk-up, off-site, fast food, or something simple back at the villa.

TIP: Off season or not, make your priority seating arrangements as soon as possible.

We will pack light since we can do laundry in the room and plan on buying 'extras' and consumables at Wal-Mart after we arrive. We are going to buy Lane a couple of those cheap hand-held electronic games to play with on board the plane and while standing in long lines. He will also have his own disposable indoor camera we will give him to take pictures at the character breakfast. Fanny packs will be used to carry extra film, Band-Aids, aspirin, etc. We are also planning on one day at Universal Studios and as an extra, if available, a half day at the coast. The remaining time will be spent driving around and exploring all of WDW. We plan to avoid the early entry parks each day as well as all the parks on the evening of Oct 31 (Halloween).

That's the plan up to now. I know things will quite possibly change after we arrive and we will make adjustments as required. Now all we do is wait. I hate this part!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, the day to depart finally arrived. I had made a checklist of things to do before leaving and had it arranged in a time line order (one month before, one week before, night before, etc.). It helped us not forget things that needed to be accomplished before we left. Plus, completing the checklist helped build the excitement for Paula and I. Believe it or not Lane still did not know we were actually going to WDW. He still thought we were just going to his aunt's house for the weekend.

TIP: Notify your local police and fire department that you will be out of town. My neighbor informed us that the police came by each day to check all doors and windows and make sure everything looked OK. The fire department also knew that the house was not occupied during that time and would not have to worry about rescue attempts if a fire did occur. Also, ask your postal carrier for a form to have your mail held at the post office. Complete the form, put it in the mail box, and you can either pick up your mail or have it all delivered to your home on your return.

A couple of days before leaving I reconfirmed all of our reservations (air, rental car, and villa) and canceled all backup reservations. I had Linda's owner ID just in case I needed it for Westgate and had purchased $750 in American Express Travelers Checks to use for food and "stuff". With the checklist all but completed we tried to get some sleep Friday night.

We left at about 11:00 AM Saturday morning (25 Oct.) for the drive to Austin. Even trying to pack light we still had three suitcases, two camera cases, and one tote bag full of items needed on board the plane. I was beginning to think we might have to rent a U-haul just to carry everything! I managed to get it all crammed into the trunk and we headed for I-35 south to Austin.

We made it to my sister-in-law's house a couple of hours before we needed to be at the airport. We spent some time catching up with each other's lives and then finally decided it was time to tell Lane what we were really going to do. Actually, Paula could not wait any longer. We sat down at the dining room table and I told him what was going on while Paula video taped both of us. Lane was excited but not as thrilled as we had hoped he would be. Since he had never been there he could not imagine what he was about to experience. We watched the Disney planning video (1-800-222-7452) one more time and headed for the airport. The flight down was almost completely full (the plane came in from Phoenix and El Paso) and it was hard finding 3 seats together. We departed on time and arrived about 10 minutes early. Lane enjoyed his first plane ride but we could tell he was a little bit nervous about it. He could NOT set still and was talking at 900 mph. The video game we brought with us (a surprise for him) helped as did Crayons and a coloring book supplied by a stewardess.

We retrieved our luggage and went down stairs to the rental car area. I found the rental car phone and called Interamerican to come pick us up. Even after reconfirming the reservation a few days earlier they had us down to arrive at 10:30 AM instead of 10:30 PM. They corrected the mistake immediately and sent the bus to pick us up. The bus (almost brand new and very clean) arrived in less than 10 minutes and we arrived at the lot about 10 minutes after that. The car (4 door Geo Prizm) was waiting for us when we arrived. I had found a web site (www.bnm.com/orldo.htm) with a 10% off coupon so the total was about $126 for the entire week instead of the $140 I had planned (the car was actually $99 but all the taxes and airport fees took it to $126). The car was very clean and did not have a cigarette smell. The clerk did not try to sell us any optional insurance and the whole rental process took just a few minutes. However, in our (my) haste to get out I forgot to get my credit card back from the clerk. We were half way to the villa when we realized what I had done. Needless to say we made a quick U-turn and headed back (two trips through the toll plaza in less than 30 minutes). When we drove in the driveway they met us with the card which had been sealed in an envelope with our name on the outside. Now that my panic attack had been squelched we headed for the villa.

Westgate Vacation Villas are located about 1 mile west of the WDW exit off of Highway 192. They set about ¼ to ½ of a mile south of the highway so we never heard road noise. We checked in about 11:30 PM (very quick and painless) and would be taken to our villa by Mike who was assigned to us for the week. As we were being checked in the desk clerk told us we had an "urgent" message waiting for us. My first thought was an emergency back home; some one gravely ill or some accident. The clerk retrieved the message and I read it with a huge sigh of relief. It was from Interamerican Car Rental informing me that I had left my credit card. Panic attack number 2 now squelched. We followed Mike to our villa and he then gave us a quick tour and explained where everything was located. He then gave us a ton of coupons, maps, schedules, and other brochures and told us if we had any problems or questions to contact him first. We also received a bottle of champagne and a couple of long stem carnations.

The villa was VERY nice. Full kitchen stocked with pots, pans, appliances, dishes, silverware, dishwasher, ice maker frig, and etc. The villa also contained a washer and dryer, iron and ironing board, 3 remote controlled TVs, VCR, large dining area with a huge glass top table and 8 chairs, wet bar, sectional sofa w/queen sleeper, two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and a screened-in patio with several patio chairs, loungers, and table. The master bath had an enormous two person Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, and large in-room safe. We were very impressed with the size and quality of the room and the property. During our one week stay we contacted Mike several times with a whole range of different questions and each was answered immediately and correctly. I think Lane could have just stayed in his bedroom the whole time (he loved having his own remote 25 inch color TV with Nickelodeon and 2 different Disney channels). He also later enjoyed feeding the ducks and swans that would came up from the small lake outside our patio. It was very obvious that they had been fed by humans before! We got unpacked and settled in, set the alarm, and got to bed ready for our first day at the parks.

FIRST DAY, SUNDAY, 26 OCT.

Sunday Morning at 6:30 is awful early but we wanted to try and enter the Magic Kingdom (MK) as early as possible. The weather was nice and sunny as we stopped for a quick bite to eat (can you say 'Egg McMuffin'?). We got the car parked in the lot about 8:45 ($5 for the day) and took the ferry boat across. We already had our tickets so we avoided the wait at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC). We rented a locker (under the train station) for $3 with a $2 deposit for the key (unlimited access), stashed the camera bags, and walked out into an extremely crowded park. What are all these people doing here? Well, so much for the September trip reports talking about how low the attendance was. The only explanation we could come up with was Halloween week. Even the folks at the villas were talking about how slow it had been the weeks before we got there. The crowds were at least 2 or 3 times as much as I had expected, even for a weekend. It looked like long lines would be the rule and sure enough my planned schedule was "out the window" before lunch. We fought our way down Main Street towards the CastleCake and then cut through towards Toontown. Lane had to have a ride on the Teacups and just as we were getting off characters from Alice in Wonderland came out. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit, Alice, and the Mad Hatter were all there at the same time. Lane, for some reason, is absolutely terrified of any kind of costume or mask. He has been this way since he was less than a year old and has never grown out of it. Today was no exception. Paula took his autograph book and asked for the autograph for him stating that he was a little shy. Everyone was happy to sign except for the Queen of Hearts. Boy, what an attitude! Off with her head!! She acted like it was a MAJOR bother for her to sign the book. She played the character perfect. We went on into Toontown and rode the Barnstormer which Lane loved. "We" played in the water at Donald's boat for a few minutes and then explored Minnie's house. By now it was almost noon (see what I mean about the crowds). We decided to move on and come back later for the rest of Toontown. Next was the Tomorrowland Speedway. Paula drove by herself with Lane and I in front of her. It was about a 35 minute wait with only two lines moving. After the Speedway we headed on into Tomorrowland for what would become the greatest event of the entire trip.

We walked toward Carousel of Progress and noticed that Goofy and Pluto were out signing autographs so we thought we would try again to get Lane to ask for the autographs. It was beginning to look like the character breakfast we had planned at Chef Mickey's tomorrow wasn't going to take place. We waited in line for Goofy first and when our turn came Lane wouldn't go up. Paula told Goofy that Lane was a little scared but Goofy wouldn't sign the book. He motioned for Lane to come and give him the book but Lane stood his ground. Lane then took his camera out of his fanny pack and tried to get Goofy's picture but Goofy turned his back to him. He kept motioning for Lane to come up to him but Lane wouldn't budge. Neither would Goofy. Finally Lane got up close enough, hiding behind Paula, to give Goofy a High Five. Goofy then took the book from Paula and wrote "Don't be shy. I am a nice guy. Goofy". Paula read this to Lane just as Goofy set down on the pavement and motioned for Lane to come sit in his lap. Lane wanted to but just couldn't quite muster up enough courage to do it. Goofy then leaned over to the side just as far as he could and motioned for Lane to give him a kiss on the cheek. Finally, Lane's feet were able to move and he did give Goofy a quick peck on the cheek. Goofy then acted like the greatest thing in the world had happened to him! As we walked off Lane said, "Mom, he really is a nice guy" . Lane then decided, on his own, that he wanted Pluto's autograph too. He walked up to Pluto by himself, a little apprehensive at first, and asked for the autograph. Pluto drew his paw print and Lane started to walk off. Paula told him to wait for a picture, which he did, just as Pluto ruffled his hair. He came back to Paula and I and said "That wasn't bad at all" and Paula began to cry. The curse had been broken! Goofy must have spent close to 10 minutes with Lane even though there was a long line of people waiting for their turn. From that moment on the trip was referred to as the "God bless Goofy" vacation. I explained to the CM escort what had just happened and asked him to PLEASE tell Goofy how much we appreciated what he had done. The CM assured me he would pass the message along. Goofy, if you happen to read this, thank you again!!

Carousel of Progress was next with only a 5 minute wait. It was fun as always and even more fun explaining to Lane what was going on at each stop. There wasn't more than 20 people in our section. Next was the Tomorrowland Transit Authority for a little trip around Tomorrowland. Lane decided Space Mountain looked like fun so it was next on the list. Paula didn't ride it this time so I went with Lane. About 1 hour total spent going through the left side. Lane loved it. He has always enjoyed any type of roller coaster or simulator ride.

By now it was almost 2:00 PM and we were about to starve. We decided to head for the other side of the park and see if the crowds were any smaller there. As we walked through the hub we could see that people had already lined up for the 3:00 PM parade. The lines for Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain were very long so we passed them for now and headed for the Pirates. I took a gamble this time and took the right side of the line. We were the only people on that side and we had a boat all to ourselves. This was more like it! I have always loved this ride the most and I was somewhat sad to see the Politically Correct (PC) changes. I'm sure if pirates still roamed the seas today they would be PC. Yeah, right! Lane was a little scared at the beginning because of the darkness but he quickly got over it. Paula and I started singing "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me" at the top of our lungs and I think he was too busy being embarrassed to be scared. We had lunch at Columbia Harbour House (chicken strips w/fries, large drinks, and one side order of grapes - about $25). The food was pretty good and there was enough to fill us up. Next was The Haunted Mansion. People were standing in a single file line out to the gate so we just walked past them and got up near the covered area. Several more people did the same thing and then the whole line more or less moved up. This lead me to believe that most of these people had never been on this ride before or they would have known how you enter the Mansion. I had hoped that a lot of the crowd was local folks just there for the weekend but after this I began to doubt that theory. The doors opened three times before we were able to get inside and into the library. Lane's eyes were about the size of silver dollars but he was being brave. We had told him that it wasn't really scary at all and was a lot of fun. He trusted us enough that he wanted to ride. Of course, he loved it. He even laughed at the part where the "hitch hiking ghost" is riding in the doom buggy with you.

Well, it's that time again! Time to float through It's a Small World! That song!!! Get a grip John, you're an adult, you can handle the pain! Think of your son. It won't last long. See, the line is moving almost constantly. It will be over before you know it. OK, OK. Now boarding. We're off. Floating. Floating. Maybe if I hum an old Lynard Skynard song. Almost done. Wait a minute, what's this? A log jam! There must be a dozen boats in front of us and they are all stopped! We can't get off! That song!! Over and over again! That's it, I'm going to swim for it. Where's the stinkin' life preserver? Hey, we're moving a little bit. Almost there... Quick, unload!! "Gimme three steps, gimme three steps mister and you'll never see me no more!"

Peter Pan coming up next...always a 30 minute wait. I think if the park was deserted it would be a 30 minute wait. Still fun, flying over London. The Lion King show is next with about a 10 minute wait. Cute, and a nice place to seat down for a few minutes. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, again with about a 30 minute wait (right side for those of you who might be wondering). Lane "drove" and Paula and I keep acting like we were going to crash (screaming and yelling) and he loved it. He was laughing so hard he could barely hold the steering wheel. Dumbo and Cinderella's Carrousel finished up the rides for today. We headed for a good spot to catch the SpectroMagic Parade which was scheduled for 6:15. The parade was very enjoyable and Lane thought all the floats were "way cool". It has been so long since I last saw the Electric Light parade that I can't make a comparison. We slowly headed towards the front of the park, watching the fireworks as we went. We merged in with the crowd and headed for the ferry boat. Out to the car and off to the villa we went. We decided to stop at the grocery store for some supplies and such. Mike had told us to bypass Goodings and head out about another ¾ of a mile to the Publix which was a lot cheaper. We took his advice and purchased about $25 worth of soft drinks, milk, microwave 'stuff' and snacks. We had free continental breakfast back at the villa most of the week so breakfast was not a problem. Got home, ate, showered, and got ready for tomorrow.

TIP: Try and plan out your days as best you can, but remain flexible. Since you can't predict the crowds or weather before you arrive you may not be able to see and do everything you had hoped for. You may have to set priorities based on 'must see' and 'maybe next time'. You'll see what I mean in the following paragraphs for Monday.

SECOND DAY, MONDAY, 27 OCT.

Today started out even earlier than yesterday. We had Priority Seating (PS) at Chef Micky's for 7:30 and we did NOT want to be late. Weatherman had forecast an approaching cold front with rain and much lower temperatures. That turned out to be an understatement. We got to the Magic Kingdom parking booths and entered the far right booth. We told the attendant where we were going and he directed us to the far right and follow the blue line. We got to the Contemporary and the guard directed us to the self-park or valet parking. We went with the valet. We arrived at the check in point at about 7:20 and there was a line with about 20 ahead of us. The line moved fast and we were taken to our table. Goofy was doing 'guard duty' as we walked in. Our waitress explained everything and we took our place at the buffet line. Now folks, you need to realize that I love to eat. I'll try just about anything at least once. Most of you probably don't feel the same way. But, it you can't find something on this buffet to eat you need medical help! This was good chow!! Several different types of omelets, scrambled eggs, 3 different meats (bacon, link sausage, sliced ham), potatoes several different ways, toast, biscuits, gravy, breakfast pizza (?), pancakes, waffles, cereals, donuts, muffins, coffee cake, fresh fruit, and on and on. There was almost too many choices. I needed side boards for my plate! When we returned to our table our juice and coffee was waiting. The characters there visiting the tables were Chip, Dale, Minnie, and Mickey. They spent as much time at each table as you needed to get autographs, pictures, and a little bit of fun and kidding around. The area was bright and cheery and we had a wonderful, if not bloated, time. Lane at one point walked half way around the room to sneak up behind Chip and pull on his tail and then come running back to us laughing like crazy. This is the same boy who less than 24 hours ago was petrified to even be near one of the characters. Thanks again Goofy! The tab, with tip, was around $45 and well worth it.

Before we finished eating it started to rain, with the sky solid overcast and dark. We took the monorail, front seats, around to the Magic Kingdom. Lane enjoyed it and I had to ask for his co-pilot card. By now the rain was even harder so we pulled out our Wal-mart ponchos (99 cents each) and headed for the gates. Stashed the camera bags in a locker again and headed for Tomorrowland to finish up. First was Astro Orbiter for Lane and I. Just as we started the ride the rain came down in buckets! Between the speed of the Orbiter and the force of the rain each drop felt like getting hit with a BB gun. Before we got off there was about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the 'rocket'. Quite an experience. Next Lane and Paula went to Take Flight while I checked out Alien Encounter. After listening to people and reading these reports we determined there are two schools of thought about this 'ride'. You either love it or hate it. I loved it. I wasn't bothered about Skippy getting torched during the pre-show but it might bother others. The movements of S.I.R. (robot operator of the 'demonstration' pre-show) were some of the best and smoothest of any I've seen at WDW. Even though I knew most of what was going to happen I was still startled when the events occurred. One thing that bothers me though is the fact that most of the screams and yelling you hear are actually the sound track. The mother-in-law comment is also sound track. Maybe it adds to the excitement but I don't like it. Other wise, I enjoyed it. Not for Lane however. I would almost say not for any pre-teen. Just too intense. I found Paula and told her to go in while I took Lane for a consolation ice cream cone. He wanted to go with Paula but the ice cream smoothed things over (he was about to freeze after eating it). She came out with a very unusual look on her face. I hadn't told her anything before she went in. The wait was only about 20 minutes for me and even less for Paula. Remember, its raining in buckets and the temperature is low 60's.

Next was Time Keeper. Paula and I enjoyed it due to the Robin Williams humor but Lane sat on the floor after a few minutes. I found out he couldn't see. This more or less finished up Tomorrowland so we headed back to Toontown Hall of Fame. The rain let up some as we entered the building and got in the queuing line (very short). We saw Mickey, Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, Donald, Goofy, Mad Hatter, and several others before the bottom dropped out of the clouds and everyone came inside looking for cover. When that happened the queues filled up. It was raining so hard we could not see to the other side of the walkway. It finally let up enough to catch the WDW Railroad around to Big Thunder Mountain. We made a dash to Splash Mountain with about a 30 minute wait. This was the first time any of us had ridden this ride. What a hoot!! This may knock Pirates of the Caribbean from my number one spot. Everyone was already wet from the rain so a little more water wasn't going to make any difference. We next went on Big Thunder which was almost a walk-on. The line moved non-stop all the way to the cars. Paula now got her chance to experience what we did on Astro Orbiter. Sixty MPH rain drops in the face. Almost like being sandblasted. Lane, once again, loved it.

Country Bear Jamboree was next and since we exit out into Pecos Bill's Café why not. Salad for Paula, hamburger for me, and the boy will have the hot-dog please. Sorry but I don't remember the cost and I forgot to write it down. Somewhere around $20 - $25. We had hoped to catch the 3:00PM parade today since we missed it yesterday. Sorry, its a rain out. So, from now on we refer to the "Remember the Flood Parade" as the one that got away. Since we were now more than a half day behind on our schedule we decided we really needed to head for EPCOT and see if we could regain any lost time. This is where my last tip comes in. There was so much more we wanted to see and do but we had to decide what our priority list was. The crowds on Sunday and waiting for the tide to go out Monday just ate too much time. I was very disappointed.

Monorail to EPCOT, first stop the lockers and then Spaceship Earth. A complete walk on. Spent a little time in Innoventions and headed for Universe of Energy. As we walked in the pre-show had just ended and everyone was boarding the cars. I would have liked to see the new pre-show but this did save us some time. Lane got absolutely nothing from Bill Nye even though he knew who he was. But, the cars turning and moving got him excited. Wide open eyes as we moved back a couple of million years. Horizons was next. Another walk on. I still enjoy this ride but I guess it is due for a face lift as well. We went back to Wonders of Life which we had bypassed. Rode Body Wars, this time with a couple of motion sickness pills pulsing through my veins and did just fine. Last time I got a little weak kneed on this (Star Wars doesn't bother me at all, just Body Wars). Both Cranium Command and The Making of Me were closed/broke. So we played around a little bit and headed back out into the rain. Next we rode GM's Test Track. Settle down, I was just seeing if you're still awake. We crossed over the rivers and headed for Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Between the rain and Illuminations 25 starting soon I hoped for a small crowd. It worked. We were very close to the entrance to the pre-show but once again we got hit with technical problems. They had to empty the theater and most people opted to leave. Some went back into the pre-show area and were there when we were allowed to enter. No estimate as to how long on repairs. The CMs would not allow anyone to sit down and Paula's fused right ankle (old accident) was beginning to really hurt. I knew the rest of the trip would be in a wheel chair for her. Finally, in we went after about a 45 minute wait including the pre-show. This was fun! We had told Lane that he could take off his glasses if it got "too real" for him and ensured that he knew nothing was going to hurt him in any way. I believe we did an excellent job of coaching him on everything at WDW but we dropped the ball on one ride at Universal (details later). After the thing with the mice he watched the rest of the show with his feet pulled up into the seat with his chin on his knees. He's still talking about the dog with the sinus problem. This was FUN!! Paula was in quite a bit of pain so we headed toward the exit as Illuminations was finishing up behind us. Monorails back to the Contemporary and picked up the car ($4 total in tips). Back at the villa and Paula stayed in the Jacuzzi for quite awhile, holding her feet and ankles up against the jets. Dinner is a blur. I think I went for stuff at Taco Bell. We wuz tired! Listening to the news we found we had been under several tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, and had set a new record for rain fall for that date. It rained on us that day over 15 hours without stopping.

THIRD DAY, TUESDAY, 28 OCT.

Back to EPCOT today after the Continental breakfast at the villa. (That must have been the largest single block of cream cheese I've ever seen. A man could do some serious bagel eating with all of that.) We also tied the record low for this date - I think it was 49 degrees. This was the same front that had dropped 4 feet of snow in Colorado. At least the sun was out today. If it had been cloudy today I was afraid we would have to worry about moss growing on our north sides.

In order to keep this report from equaling "War and Peace" in size I will just hit the high spots and whatever information that would be helpful to you folks making plans. Here goes.

First thing after entering the park we rented a wheel chair for Paula ($5). Next stop was a trip through Innoventions. We caught the Garbage Can Band on our way out and watched/listened to their show. Over to the Living Seas where we left the wheelchair and made our way through the queue. Lane enjoyed seeing all the fish and sharks but his interest was fading fast. We recovered the wheel chair and headed for The Land. The elevator from the entrance is to the far left as you go inside. Food Rocks is cute but not as good as the old Kitchen Kabaret. The Living with the Land boat ride was next. The boat operator loaded Paula, in the wheel chair, into the boat. We had no problem hearing as we had before. Lane actually enjoyed seeing the plants growing in the green houses. Journey Into Imagination next. Had to wait for the wheel chair car and Paula still had to walk on. Is the door bigger on this car? There was not a line to board. We stayed in Image Works as long as we could to allow Lane time to explore. The elevator was broke so we had to leave the wheel chair downstairs. We went past the fountain on our way to World Showcase (WS) and caught the tail end of a show. How big are those pumps anyway? Around to Mexico and found the wheelchair entrance way around to the right. Almost looks like a service entrance. The River of Time boat ride required her to leave the chair at the exit and board. I still like the view of this place as you first walk in. One of these days I'll try the restaurant and see if Disney knows how to make an enchilada. Remember, we get the real homemade stuff at home. The Chinese Acrobats were next. Good show. Didn't see anything else. Back to Norway next for our 2 o'clock PS at Restaurant Akershus. After a 5 minute wait we were seated and then shown to the buffet line. Lane wasn't too thrilled with the choices but he did get full. Lots of different fish dishes and cold pasta and pasta salads. There was some hot food but not as much. We ordered 3 different desserts which were all excellent. Spent about $55 after MKC discount. We enjoyed the meal and would consider going back.

After this we just rolled around WS toward the American Adventure, catching what sights we could. We knew Lane would not enjoy any of the Circle Vision movies so we passed them all. We caught some of a Caribbean jazz band. Really good. On to the American Adventure. Paula felt like she could stand/walk long enough for this so we left the chair outside. This is a must see for any American. You can't help but be proud, even though we still have room to improve. My opinion. Lane was asleep after the first few minutes. On our way out we ran into several of the characters signing autographs. On around WS toward Canada. The stilt birds were not out, neither were the living statues. We found a spot for wheel chair viewing of Illuminations and waited for the show. After a couple of hot-dogs the show began. It was good but I don't think it was as good as before. Again, my opinion. Follow the thundering herd to the exit and return the wheelchair.

FOURTH DAY, WEDNESDAY, 29 OCT.

Today was scheduled to be Universal Studios day. After $6 to park we made our way to the entrance. Covered parking and moving walkways are nice. There is a central hub for the present and future parking garages where we rented a wheel chair for Paula ($6). It was still a pretty good hike to get to the main entrance. Bought our tickets ($106 after 10% discount) and rented a locker for the camera gear. This is a nice place but it just feels so different from WDW. Can't put my finger on it but its there. Maybe its the landscaping - very little of it. One thing I noticed was the employees REALLY went out of the way to be polite and helpful. We didn't run into any disrespectful CMs at WDW but there wasn't that many extra helpful or pleasant ones either. I got the feeling that Universal is really trying to compete with WDW as a place to spend your entire vacation. There is MAJOR construction going on (you can see the beginnings of what looks like a SUPER KILLER roller coaster going up). The TV news also made an announcement that Universal had bought over 2,000 acres of land from Lockheed Martin (wonder if my stock went up?) to begin phase three of their expansion, which will include over 13,000 hotel rooms! I think they are getting serious! Now, on to the high spots. You must see Terminator 2, 3D!! What a show!! This was the only thing we did the entire trip that got a rousing ovation when it ended. Just super. We enjoyed Kongfrontation also. We set in the very front of the cable car and I thought Lane's eyes were going to pop out of his head when it looked like Kong was going to grab us personally. Other enjoyable rides were ET, Earthquake, Hanna-Berbera, and then there was Jaws (some rides were actually ridden on Friday - read on). We were not prepared for the Jaws ride. It scared the you-know-what out of Lane! He was setting on the outside of the boat and almost exactly where the shark comes up out of the water with about a 6 foot diameter open mouth and a couple of zillion razor shape teeth. He was screaming and trying to climb over his mother. He calmed down quickly (with our help) but was still shaken for some time. The boat 'captain' also is toting a grenade launcher that is VERY loud and makes some pretty good explosions, not to mention the burning gas tanks that really put out some intense heat.

We also enjoyed a couple of the shows including Hercules & Xena (a "how do they do that?" show), Wild West Stunt Show, and the Nickelodeon Studios Tour. We probably only saw half of the rides and attractions due to the park closing at 5:30 to get ready for their Halloween Horror Night. One thing they did that was a pleasant surprise - a second day free! You exchanged your 1 day ticket before leaving for a 1 day pass good for any one day during the next seven days.

Now, one point I feel I need to cover is the Back to the Future ride. We will NEVER set foot on that ride again. This had to be the worst ride I've ever been on. It is a simulator ride, much like Body Wars, where you are chasing Biff through time, each of you in your own Delorean. We were in 3 of the 4 back seats (8 people at a time with several cars going each time) with the gull-wing door closing almost against my head. The ride started OK but quickly began some of the most violent movement I've ever seen. If my head was not pounding against the non-padded door it was slamming back against a hard rubber neck brace. I spent the entire ride just trying to keep from getting a concussion. I finally managed to turn sideways enough to be able to brace against the back wall and door by wedging my right arm into the back corner. I used my left arm to hold on to the lap bar and try to not hit the seat back in front of me. We were in the car to the far left of the Omnimax screen (almost on the edge). At this sharp angle the film was blurred and unfocused. That fact, along with the head pounding, was more than even the motion sickness pills could help. Paula, who does not have any motion sickness problems at all, got somewhat sick also, mostly from her head being jerked so hard. When this torture machine finally stopped I was soaked from sweat and could hardly stand. My head felt like I had just gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. The CM (?) could see I was in poor condition and was really worried about me. Bless her heart, all I wanted was to get the heck out of there. We got back to the wheel chair and I used it to help hold myself up. We had to stop several times for me to rest before we made it to an area where I could set down and regroup. Needless to say we were done for the day. As we were getting out of the ride we overheard several other people commenting on how rough it was. Of course, Lane loved it. You need to consider these points before you ride this yourself. We left the park and went back to the villa for some much needed rest.

FIFTH DAY, THURSDAY, 30 OCT.

MGM studios today. The first thing we did was schedule a PS for the Prime Time Café. The earliest time was 1:05. The decision to dine here was made at the last minute so we had to take whatever we could get. First stop was Superstar TV. Lane started whining when he found out this was not a ride. Once inside I think he did enjoy it. Muppet Vision 4D was next with only a short wait. The crowd was so noisy that we couldn't hear any of the pre-show. Wheel chair seating was at the very back so we could not see anything going on above us. Lane was having a fit by this time wanting to go to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (HISK) Playground so away we went. On the way over we stopped to see Buzz, Woody, and a Green Army Man. Lane was wearing his Buzz Lightyear watch and showed it to Buzz. He immediately got excited and was trying to show it to Woody but Woody would have nothing to do with it. "We" played around for awhile at HISK and then took the Backlot Tour. Catastrophe Canyon was a hit. By now it was about 12:30 so we headed back towards the Prime Time Café. We were about 20 minutes early in hope of getting in and out in time to see the Hercules Parade. No such luck. In fact, we were not called to our table until 1:45, 40 minutes past our scheduled PS. The food was good (Mom's pot roast, hot dog for Lane, iced tea) but our waiter was a complete dud. I intentionally had my elbows on the table, went to the restroom, talked with my mouth full, etc., and never once did he say anything. The only comment he made was about my clean plate. Paula and I were both disappointed. Price, with tip, about $50. Paula said for that price they should at least give you a couple of dinner rolls. "Did your Mom ever fix pot roast and mashed potatoes and NOT fix rolls too?" Good point. Since we had missed the parade we decided to go to the Great Movie Ride next. We got the gangsters and Lane enjoyed the experience. Star Tours next. The line did not look very long as we by-passed them going to the wheel chair line. This was more to Lane's liking. Time for the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. The show had not changed a bit from when Paula and I saw it five years ago. We only had time left for one more thing so Tower of Terror, here we come. The wait was about 45 minutes. We wheeled through the entire queuing area with everyone else and left the chair at the elevator. It was waiting for us at the bottom when we got off. This was a hit. Paula was not too sure about it but loved it after we got off. If memory serves me correctly (no notes) we had a short drop and then two full drops. It didn't feel like full free fall to me and at the top of the first rise (door opened on last drop) the reversing of directions caused a slight negative G effect by pulling us downward at the beginning of the drop back down. Ahhh, who cares!! It was fun!! Lane was a little scared at first but me laughing my head off helped him figure out that it was going to be fun. And, one more time, he loved it!

It was getting close to the 7:00 closing time and we had 7:30 PS at Spoodles so we headed for the lockers and the exit. We parked in the self park area at the Boardwalk and made our way back to the boardwalk area. Paula's ankle was doing OK after a couple of days of riding so the walk was not a problem. We had about a 10 minute wait for our table. The food was very good. I had a pumpkin and sweet potato lasagna, with roasted pine nuts, that was great. Paula had a salmon and mashed potato dish that she thought was OK. Lane did the "make your own pizza" thing. Keep in mind that the food here is brought out as it is finished. Nothing sits under a heat lamp. I received my food first, a minute or two later Paula got hers and Lane received his baked pizza several minutes later. He just knew he wasn't going to get to eat. A few bites of our meal helped him to not die of starvation. The atmosphere is much like a Macaroni Grill if you have those in your area - open kitchen and fairly noisy. It will get a repeat visit. We finished our meal and took a stroll around the boardwalk. We could see the fireworks from EPCOT over the top of the hotel.

I like the boardwalk area. It was a pleasant night, not too crowded, and was a nice place to slowly walk around, talking and holding hands. My idea of a good vacation.

SIXTH DAY, FRIDAY, 31 OCT.

We had originally planned to use this day to explore WDW and maybe spend a little bit of time on the coast. We woke up to solid overcast and again, nonstop rain. The cold front from Monday was now coming back as a warm front heading north. Since we had finished our 4 day passes to WDW we decided we'd use the free one day passes we had from Universal. We slept in a little and went down for breakfast. We met Mike in the lobby and asked him some questions about owning the villas. To save time let me just say we bought one. Picked up a foreclosure unit with no closing costs and a decent price. It's over 1,700 square feet with a loft. One king size bed, one queen, two full, and two singles in the loft. It's a time share, of course, but we actually own the unit for our week (warranty deed and everything). We can trade it, rent it, sell it, whatever. We joined Interval International for the time share portion. Received a large full-color book listing all 1,800 of their member resorts worldwide with pictures and full descriptions of each. Old Key West and the Boardwalk Villas are the member resorts for Disney. Tons of other information I won't bore you with but I believe we did a good thing for us.

We got to Universal about noon and decided to do T2 3D again. This was still the best show/ride of the trip. Another rousing ovation when it finished. Rode ET (longest wait of the day at about 35 minutes). You are handed a boarding pass, after giving your first name, before entering the inside queuing area. The pass is collected just before you board your 'bicycle'. Listen to ET at the end of the ride and you'll know what the pass was for. Spent some time inside a playground area (in the rain) to let Lane burn off some energy. He had set still and quite through the entire process of buying and signing for our villa so we let him run around in here. He kept his poncho in one piece and didn't get as wet as we were afraid he would. Spent some time dodging a few massive downpours and finished up our free day at Universal with the Wild West Stunt Show. We had 7:40 PS at 'Ohana that night to finish up the week so we headed back to WDW.

The Polynesian was packed. The Luau had been canceled due to the bad weather and everyone was trying to get into 'Ohana instead. We were early but still were not seated until after 8:45. The food was delicious and one serving of everything was all we could handle. At about 9:30 the lights dimmed and we were able to watch the special MK Halloween fireworks complete with the piped-in soundtrack. The finale was spread across the entire MK. I had never seen it done like that before. Very impressive!! If we had met our PS time instead of being over an hour late we would have missed this special moment. We had a wonderful time watching the kids in a Hula Hoop contest and then some poor guy who had to run around the dining area holding a pumpkin over his head because he had done something wrong. At 10:30 (no more new seating) out came a stick-up basketball goal and Lane was thrown the ball. He and several of the waiters and busboys then took turns with a little one-on-one for the next 20 minutes. No where else but WDW!! We left stuffed and in good spirits, even though it was STILL raining.

SEVENTH AND LAST DAY, SATURDAY, 1 NOV.

Well, the final day. Sleep late, pack, and check out time. Checkout consisted of dropping the key-card in the box outside the main guard shack as we drove out. We stopped for a quick burger and headed for Downtown Disney to do a little shopping. We drove around too much inside WDW and almost didn't leave enough time. We bought a ton of things (with our MKC discount) that we had seen before that we wanted and headed out for the airport.

TIP: If you have access to a MKC card by all means do your shopping at the big Disney store at Downtown Disney. You get a 10% discount on everything with a minimum $10 purchase. But, keep in mind that if you see something you want that applies to a specific ride or attraction you need to buy it then. For example, Lane wanted to get a pirate hat after riding Pirates of the Caribbean. We bought it then because we knew it would not be available anywhere else.

After stopping for gas ($1.18 per gallon - cheapest we had seen) we took the car back to Interamerican. Check in was less than two minutes and we boarded the bus for the terminal. We were dropped off right at the Southwest gate and luggage check-in was fine. Interamerican Car Rental got 3 thumbs up from us. The flight back was made fun by a couple of 'comedian' flight attendants and we arrived back in Austin a few minutes early. Off to my sister-in-law's house where we talked for awhile and then drove back to Fort Worth that night. Everything was fine and I re-introduced myself to my mattress.

CONCLUSIONS, THOUGHTS, AND FINAL TIPS

This was my forth trip to WDW and required the most "on-the-spot" planning changes yet. I make that statement even with my second trip being with 4 adults and 7 pre-teens. I was the only adult male and was 'elected' to be in charge of everything! The crowds were as heavy as they were when I was there one mid August. I expected more people than normal because of the anniversary but had not counted on attendance being this heavy. Also in the three previous trips not a single drop of rain fell on us. The law of averages caught up with us. Also, we did not know until just before leaving what the park hours were going to be. As luck would have it two of the four parks shifted to earlier closing times just before we arrived. If we have gone a week earlier I believe we would have had a much more enjoyable and slower paced vacation and would have been able to see and do more than we did. As it was, we missed two of the three parades, maybe a forth of MK, almost half of MGM and Universal, and would not have had to fly through World Showcase. I've said this several times already but once again, plan your trip well but BE FLEXIBLE. Decide on what things are the most important to see or do and add to that list if time permits.

This won't go over well with some of the diehard WDW fans but we all thought the rides at Universal (with a couple of exceptions) were a lot more fun than anything at WDW. That statement is made from strictly a thrill level and/or technological standpoint. But, then they should be. Universal is not as old as the MK or EPCOT. As WDW renews and renovates it will come back up to state-of-the-art. Our opinion. Also, Universal is trying hard to compete with WDW head-on as a one stop full vacation spot. When all this construction is completed, at both parks, it won't be possible to see everything in two weeks, much less one. Don't get me wrong, I love WDW and will always go there first and Universal second if time permits. The major additions and renovations at all of the parks are part of the reason we bought the villa. By banking and trading in the future we can get two straight weeks in the villa and give us time to really explore.

All of my comments about the rides, attractions, accommodations and etc. are strictly how we felt. Please don't avoid something just because we thought it wasn't worth the time. We had a poor experience at Prime Time Café. You may have the time of your life when you go. Everyone's opinion will be different so if it sounds interesting to you, go for it!

We did fine without a mid day break even though some of our days were over 16 hours long. We tried to break up long periods of walking with a seat down snack break or an indoor show. Wild rides were followed by tame ones if we could. The weather was cool and sometimes down right cold and I'm sure that helped keep us energized too.

Of the $750 we took with us we came back with over $150. Universal Studio tickets and the rental car were bought with a credit card, but everything else was cash. Not too bad I'd say.

Lastly, thanks to all you folks who have e-mailed me with compliments and questions. That tells me this report is doing what I wanted it to do. I had a couple of e-mails that the return address was bad. Either your server was down or something because my replies bounced back as undeliverable. Sorry. If you have questions about any of this report, again, feel free to ask. It may take me a day or two but I will answer back. Have fun and enjoy your trip. And, if you just read through this whole thing, (bad grammar and all) give yourself some type of reward. You earned it.

Thanks Brian.

John T. Brock

jtbrock@flash.net

John.T.Brock@lmco.com

__________________
You just read a trip report that was originally published in our MousePlanet Trip Reports column.

Reader-submitted trip reports have always been an extremely popular feature here at MousePlanet. In order to improve the search functionality and shorten the time from when you submit a trip report and the report gets published, you can now post your trip reports directly to our Trip Report forums. The forums are moderated, but reports should become available for reading very quickly.