Trip Reports

Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: OKWR, DL, Offsite
Accommodations: Two-Bedroom Vacation Home, Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Members
Comments: Niel and Nancy always take nice, long WDW vacations (my favorite kind!) and always write wonderful reports to remember them. This is the first time I've been able to talk the Bratteli's into letting me post one of their reports, a wonderful documentary on their most recent visit. The family drove from their home in Texas and saw several things along the way. They also spent some time in Orlando visiting non-Disney attractions before checking into OKWR for the bulk of their trip.

May 22, 1997

We started our day with our Park Music disc, and woke Paul with a poor but enthusiastic rendition of the Mickey Mouse Club theme (in harmony!). The car was packed except for the last-minute items, so we ate breakfast and took the boys to school to wrap up their year (John finished seventh grade, and Paul finished fourth grade today). After Niel and I finished getting the house ready, I went to check the boys out of school. We stopped at the house long enough to dump the French horn and get an ice pack for Paul's eye (doesn't take long at school for small disasters) and hopped in the van.

We left at 10:45am and took a more northerly route through Clarksville and Texarkana down to Shreveport. This seemed to shave off about half an hour. We stopped at a lovely Exxon in Rayville (15 mi. E of Monroe) with a nice store and a Popeye's next door. Gas was $1.15!

We hit Vicksburg by 4:15, which was just perfect. We toured the National Park Visitor Center (which closed at 5:00), drove through the park, and still had time to tour the Union ironclad battleship "Cairo" and its museum before its closing at 6:00pm. We then toured Mickey D's and took advantage of the $.55 deal.

We began again about 6:45--a nice stop, though very long for us!

May 23, 1997

We had a great drive through the night-no rain at all. We listened to some great stories and books-on-tape (the Fountainhead ). We were so early that we almost missed our regular Bob Evans breakfast stop in Lake City. They didn't open until 6:00 a.m., so we got gas and puttered around for a few minutes, then opened them up.

It appeared that we would end up closer to our destination if we took the turnpike, so we headed in that way, and on to I-4. We found the Wynfield Inn with no trouble (we could see it from I-4), arriving about 10:00 a.m. Getting off at International Drive, the Wynfield was just a block south. The location was perfect-just a few blocks north of Sea World, and south of Universal Studios. This one was nicer, I believe, than the one we stayed in on U.S. 192 a few years back. Nothing fancy about the rooms, but they were clean and comfortable, and not too small. The pool area was lovely.

We had a conference and decided to go on to Sea World since we were so early. We hadn't been in several years, so we were looking forward to some new attractions. We saw a number of shows (Shamu, the Chinese acrobats, the Dolphin show), and all of the exhibits. The Wild Arctic ride was fun-a simulator replacing the Bermuda Triangle we had ridden before. And the scenery was great. I think Paul's favorite exhibit was the penguins-that was really remarkable to see so many together. "Terrors of the Deep" was great, too-spooky going through a "glass" tunnel with sharks swimming all around and above you. The manta ray nursery was fascinating, seeing so many up close. We had a great time, but got a bit tired (wonder why-must be the heat), so we left a bit early for a swim and dinner. I went by the Publix which is very close (going south on International Drive, you turn left where the Sea World signs take you right) and bought some wonderful Italian bread, sandwich makings, milk, and a salad. We had a lovely dinner by the pool and turned in early.

Saturday, May 24

Not surprisingly, we slept for about 10 hours, but were raring to go again by morning. We were excited about our day at Splendid China, a place we'd heard about but hadn't seen. We had found a coupon for the Ponderosa, one of those buffet places, on the way to Splendid China. We found it, got in the already-lengthy line, and then a tour bus pulled up. When we saw people from the bus going through the serving line (and we hadn't moved) we left. Denny's across the street was too busy (and besides, they didn't have the $1.99 breakfasts that they have in our part of the country), so we tried Shoney's. Even though they had 3 buses outside, the nice hostess said they had a table for us, and we had no trouble getting through their lovely buffet. It was $4.99, but we ate a lot so that we wouldn't get hungry for quite awhile.

We arrived at Splendid China before their scheduled 9:30 opening. Niel visited with the woman at the ticket window, and discovered that although John at 13 was considered an "adult" for ticket purposes, he could get a 40% student discount with ID. So, he whipped out his Crockett Middle School ID card, and got in cheaper than his ten-year-old brother. Occasionally it pays to be honest.

We had prepared just a bit for this by looking through our beautiful National Geographic book on China; we know from experience that we enjoy things more if we have some familiarity with what we are seeing. We remember Paul's excitement at seeing the monuments and the capitol when we drove into Washington, D. C. He recognized them because his second-grade class had studied them. Anyway, we knew we weren't going to Splendid China to ride roller coasters.

We walked through a lovely archway into what they are now calling "Chinatown." (Seems a bit demeaning to me-and this is anything but the squalid place that term conjures up.) This is a recreation of the water city of Suchow, the "Venice of the East." This dining and shopping area is open to the public free of charge, and there is a gate before entering the actual exhibit. There was a brief film to watch first, which helped explain things a bit, and a man (wonder where they found him-he was certainly not Chinese) talked about what route we should follow through the park, etc. There was an acrobat show in the outer area which we watched before we began our tour.

Upon entering the park, we immediately saw the "Stone Forest," which is just incredible. This recreation looks exactly like the pictures we'd just seen in the film, though of course it is much smaller. This was one of the things the boys recognized from our books at home, and were excited about.

The next area we saw was the "grottoes." These have been built into cliff walls in various places throughout China as places of worship. The most incredible was the Grand Buddha of Leshan, which though enormous to us, is only a fraction of the height of the real thing. It stands where three great rivers meet. Paul was particularly disturbed by all the references to Buddha (it was rather overwhelming in this area); this was a cultural difference he hadn't really considered, so we talked about it.

It didn't take us long to stop following the numbers on the map and just wander wherever our eyes led us, and we couldn't pass up the Summer Palace without stopping to look and take pictures. It was beautifully landscaped next to a "lake" with bridges leading to the palace. This was one of the real highlights of the tour, and occupies a very important spot. The Great Wall was another item the boys recognized, and we enjoyed studying it at many spots throughout the park.

Another highlight was the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. We were over-whelmed with the detail of these recreations. What I loved was that they included people and animals, too, all recreated in beautifully painted ceramicware. All the roofs were ceramic, with authentic animal sculpture, colors, etc. The brilliant blue Temple of Heaven was familiar to us in larger form in the World Showcase in EPCOT. The landscaping immediately around each miniature building is in scale, which greatly contributes to the sense of reality. We can't wait to see our pictures; those without people in them will probably be hard to tell from the real thing.

The Potala Palace was enormous (which is a strange thing to say about something so small!); we were fascinated by the huge display of ceramic people and animals on the slopes around it. But there was another treat in store here: a box to drop a quarter in. We bit. As we watched, some of the people began moving, rolling down a large tapestry before the assembled dignitaries.

The final highlight for us was the Terra Cotta Warriors-a recreation of the excavation of a tomb which contained thousands of warriors, horses, etc., representations of the army the emperor led in life. They recreated the tomb as well as the soldiers, and it was incredible.

Splendid China was a new and wonderful experience for us. It did require some patience and persistence on our part; we like to read all the signs, and study, and take pictures. This is really a great outdoor museum, and we love museums. The guide books suggest allowing three hours for this; there are 70 sites listed on the map, plus 9 possible shows to see. We saw only the big mid-day show at the Golden Peacock Theatre, which was quite good. But I can't imagine giving this attraction only three hours. We spent seven hours here, and could easily have stayed longer but for heat, exhaustion, and sunburn (this, our first full day in Florida, proved to be the hottest of our trip). Niel and John went back later for the evening show; Paul and I were just too tired, but it was a great day for all of us.

Sunday, May 27

We packed our bags (early!) to leave the Wynfield Inn, and ate some cereal in our room. We drove to the OKWR to get our passes, leave our car, and put heat-sensitive items in storage. Then we hopped the Magic Kingdom bus (it would have made more sense to do EPCOT this morning, but we just couldn't wait for the MK!).

We arrived a bit early, and were pleasantly surprised to see an older gentleman with a table set up near the entrance, serving free coffee. Another Disney touch! (If they have to wait, give them something to make them smile!) We drank our coffee and enjoyed reading all the people's names on the "Walk Around the World."

When we got in, we enjoyed our stroll up Main Street and the boys were a bit wowed by the Castle's appearance (even though they've seen so many pictures-Niel and I saw it last fall). We smelled the cookies and watched the new show in the theatre, "Mickey's Big Break." It was really cute-well worth seeing. We decided on Big Thunder and Splash Mountain today, so we positioned ourselves accordingly and enjoyed our first encounter with the NELSONS in their yellow t-shirts, whom we were to see frequently. (They apparently were having a large family reunion here-how wonderful!)

After the rope dropped and we were hurrying toward through Frontierland, John gave us a good show. He was walking (very quickly) backwards, talking excitedly and gesturing, when he encountered one of those barrels full of plants and fell backwards right in to them! He righted the barrel and continued on his way, rather embarrassed. (We saw some cast members standing around in this area-they obviously enjoyed John's graceful display-and I later found out more about what they were probably doing. A waitress who shall remain nameless told us that the cast members sometimes watch the "rope drop sprint" for entertainment. Another fun pastime, she said, is to pick a family with a video camera and follow them around trying to get into their movies without being noticed. When the family gets home, they'll wonder who that is that keeps popping up in the pictures! Sounds like something I would have enjoyed at that age.)

Anyway, they did Big Thunder first while I waited, and I discovered a geyser I hadn't seen near the exit area. I enjoyed visiting with the moms and babies (who were much more interested in the squirrels than in watching the train) waiting on benches in the shade. I also waited for them through Splash Mountain, and thought I had missed them for awhile; it's always hard to guage the time for this ride. Next-to Fantasyland for Peter Pan, perhaps our favorite FL ride.

About 10:30, we left to catch the Monorail for EPCOT. We were to meet our friends, the Taylors, and their family, the Fishers, for lunch at the Coral Reef. We were waiting on the platform, and who should walk up but all eight of them! We had already arranged to sit up front with the driver, so we had fun with that-Paul had never made the trip to EPCOT in front. He gave them a certificate, which Paul promptly put in his wallet.

We hurried to claim our reservation at the Coral Reef, enjoying the Flower and Garden Show displays as they whizzed by. It was fun to watch the Fishers enjoy their first glimpses of the park. Their eyes really got big when they first walked into the Coral Reef and saw the fish. Their video camera was going constantly! Mike and Carrie, Niel and I sat at a table together, our four kids sat together, and the four Fishers sat together, and I must say our waitress was very patient! I had the pasta and seafood, which was wonderful, and Niel had...

After lunch, we asked if Charles could "mess around" with us and spend the night, so he accompanied us for the rest of the day. We all visited the Living Seas and enjoyed watching the manatees munch lettuce. The boys enjoyed getting in the "suits" and trying to manipulate the claws on the ends of the arms.

We agreed to meet the group for dinner, and left to get our room and unpack. Charles was good enough to help us with this chore, then they spent some time just enjoying each other and playing with their Star Wars cards. We called our online acquaintances, the Basterras, to set up a meeting time. Jenny answered the phone, saying she had just been enjoying the Jacuzzi while Brian and the girls were out seeing "Lost World." She told me that Brian would call when he returned; they sounded like lots of fun, and we were very excited about meeting them.

We arrived at Misukoshi a bit before the Taylors, and discovered that Carried had given us the wrong reservation time. They had room for us earlier, so we went ahead; it proved impossible to seat us together as there are only eight spots at each table. We did sit in the same room, however, and it was great just to watch Jacob Fisher's (age 7) face while he watched the chef prepare their meal. He was in total awe, having never been to a Japanese restaurant. We ate the chicken, and decided that we could have done without the chicken and filled up on the vegetables. They were great.

Afterwards, we took Charles and went back to OKW so that they could visit.

Monday, May 26

We had breakfast in room this morning, to give John and Charles a little more time together, them we returned Charles to the Polynesian so Mike could take him to meet the group he would be part of for the rest of the week.

We hurried to MGM for opening, headed of course for the Tower of Terror. Paul decided not to ride this time, so he and I enjoyed waiting together. Next we crossed over and rode Star Tours, then doubled back for The Great Movie Ride. We didn't wait for any of them, done in this order. Next we took the "101 Dalmations" special effects tour; this was a fun, current re-tooling of the previous "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" tour. It was fun to see how they filmed some of the special effects with the puppies.

We were planning to have onion rings and malts-our favorite things-at the Prime Time Cafe. This turned out a bit differently than we had planned: the boys were hungry, so they ordered a hamburger kids' meal. The onion rings we ordered were not the wonderful, light, thin ones we love, but a few thick, fast-food type rings. I can't imagine why they have changed them. Our malts were delicious, but larger than we remembered. It was amazing (and disturbing) that we spent $40 on this. We left after lunch, so the boys could swim and I could go to gardening classes.

"Photography" was a class on flower photography. Someone from the Disney Institute discussed lighting and how to reflect light on to your subject, and how background color changes the look of your subject. She suggested posterboard in various colors as an easy, inexpensive background.

The next class was called "Good Bugs, Bad Bugs," and featured a speaker from the WDW Integrated Pest Management department. He was very interesting, and had ovbiously really prepared for this. He talked about the history of pest management, the development of pesticides, and the natural controls that are favored now. He told about Disney's philosophy of pest management, and I must admit I believe him when he says they rarely use chemical pesticies, because of the incredible amount of wildlife we saw during this trip. Paul counted something like 30 lizards and rabbits inside Disneyworld, and we didn't count all the duck families. Butterflies roamed everywhere, enjoying the flower show. Someone asked about mosquito control (which I had always wondered about), and he said that they use a larvicide on bodies of standing water; this is not harmful to other forms of wildlife in the ponds.

We had a lovely dinner at "home;" we had bought a good-looking quiche at Goodings for $6.95, which for Goodings was very reasonable. We also purchased a yummy Caesar salad and some crunchy bread. An easy dinner...

At 8:00, we walked to Turtle Krawl to meet the Basterras. There was a man in the Gurgling Suitcase buying a beer, and we correctly surmised that this was Brian; Jenny in her "red glasses" (as good as a yellow rose) was sitting at a table next to the water. We had a perfectly wonderful evening visiting with our new friends. I'm afraid we may have worn them out talking (we stayed until 11:00, which was amazing-Niel is always in bed by 10:00), but I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.

We talked about politics, children, television, history (American and English), education, business, movies, and more. We discovered many similarities: Brian and Jenny work together in their own small business, as do we, Jenny and I are both former teachers, Niel and Brian have a common interest in and skill with computers, as well as a love of motion pictures (especially Westerns) and a fair collection.

Jenny is a language expert (seven?); Brian is a paramedic. Their skills were both put to use when someone from a foreign country became seriously ill and needed a translator; Brian suggested that his co-worker call Jenny, and a new business was born. Brian eventually quit his job, and helps Jenny out of their home office. They help people all over the world who become ill or injured in a foreign country and cannot communicate.

Brian and Jenny and staunch Labor supporters. We are very Conservative. We found out that "Labor" in England doesn't have exactly the same connotations that it does in America. For instance, they want the government to meddle less in their lives, and were greatly upset over the centralization that they saw during the Conservative rule. Brian is an ardent Constitutionalist (which, he says, has not always made him very popular). He said "We have no Bill of Rights-not even the simplest rights that you have here are guaranteed to us." This was certainly enough to make us think about what we take for granted. He is for getting rid of the monarchy, which is outdated and very expensive. (We tend to think of the monarchy as a quaint and harmless tradition, but if I thought my tax dollars were buying yachts, I suspect I would feel the same.)

Jenny was kind enough to challenge Paul to a game of ping-pong. The Basterra's lovely younger daughter arrived and visited with us for awhile. (Her sister was watching television; American TV is her particular passion.) She is 14 and very articulate for her age. We enjoyed hearing her views on Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom; she is horrified about their locking animals up for human to view. Niel baited her a bit, and she argued her point well, conceding gracefully when necessary. She also told us that Girl Scouts in England isn't much fun. (We had talked a bit about John and Boy Scouts.)

This was an absolutely delightful evening. We hope to visit with the Basterras again.

Tuesday, May 27

We awoke slowly this morning, and realized that we needed to move up our planned departure time due to EPCOT's early opening. We grabbed some cereal and made a dash, stopping at the Disney Institute to schedule some classes.

Upon arrival at EPCOT, we walked on to Spaceship Earth, and were treated to a performance from the "Jammitors" as we walked in. (The guys that play trash cans-they're great!) We enjoyed Innoventions for awhile, finding many new displays. When the other pavillions opened, we headed to Wonders of Life, where the boys had a turn at the "coach." They boys chose tennis, and learned a thing or two to improve their respective serves. We enjoyed Cranium Command, burned off a few calories on the exercycles (Niel did it just to see Disneyland!), and tested our hearing.

We enjoyed the Universe of Energy, but again we wish for the old pre-show. ( And we could do without Ellen!) The old material was so informative, and the "cube" presentation so clever. The fact that the pavilion is largely run on solar energy is never mentioned now. But the dinosaurs are still ferocious. We can attest to that: one spit on us!

Horizons made us a bit sad, because we know this is probably the last time we'll see it. I do hope they'll refurbish and reopen it (and don't leave out the orange smell). This exhibit, more that any other, is what EPCOT is about: visions of communities of tomorrow.

From here we crossed over to the Land to chow down on some of their delicious roasted corn at the Corn Festival. We had butter running up to our elbows, but it was worth it! I took the guys to the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Show Festival Center, and they stayed for the course on voice animation. We weren't sure what this really had to do with flowers, but it was cute.

The guys got their first glimpse of the great Fantasia topiary that is the centerpiece of the Flower and Garden Show. Mickey is in his sorcerer's outfit under the main arch, with the enchanted brooms swirling around him. Behind, in three separate gardens, are represented Fantasia's dancing hippos, ostriches, and mushrooms. The hippos and mushrooms were turning-a great display.

We passed Mexico with its beautiful, lush foliage and brilliant-colored flowers cascading down from the pyramid and from baskets wherever you looked. Norway was mild in comparison, with its all-white gardens representing snow. The poinsettia tree in the square was rather dramatic, though. A pair of trolls in authentic dress came out to greet visitors, and we took Paul's picture with one of them. We each chose something from the Kringla Bakeri: Niel had a turkey sandwich, I had a chicken salad sandwich (with lovley mushrooms), Paul had a pastry, and John chose a "Veiled Maiden" (! This is an apple concoction with whipped cream on top.) We sat to eat, then ventured on to China.

The penjing were China's contribution to the Flower and Garden show, and once again they were spectacular. These are reminiscent of the more familiar Japanese bonsai, but are miniature representations of a whole scene or landscape-often a famous natural landmark. Tiny boats, homes, or cattle may be added to give realism. We recognized some of these landscapes from our visit to Splendid China. We went in to see the wonderful film, and as we expected, recognized more this time because of our SC visit. The boys, in particular, recognized the Stone Forest, the giant Buddha of Leshan, the Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City, Mongolian yurts, and of course the Great Wall.

We checked out the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves topiary and garden railway in Germany (which has been greatly expanded). In Italy, we saw the wonderful Pinocchio topiary as well as a display for the yet-to-be-released Hercules. The joke gardens were fun, too, though we couldn't trick the boys into getting wet! At the American Adventure, the Voices of Liberty were just about to sing, so we stayed to hear their wonderful performance. So much professionalism concentrated in one spot! We have commented that we would pay just to see/hear one of the performances that are constantly going on here. And so many times we just walk by because we are in such a hurry to "see it all." We caught the tail end of Nicholas the mime's performance in France.

Here we decided to part company so that I could attend a gardening class and the guys could go back "home" and swim. We rode the FriendShip together, and I headed to the Topiary class. The horticulture expert talked about shrub topiary (spirals, cubes, etc.), wire-frame topiary (shrubs which may take many years to mature), and the much faster sphagnum topiary. The sphagnum topiary is made by stuffing a wire frame with sphagnum moss, then wrapping it with monofilament. A dibble is used to make holes for the plants (they use small ivies), then ordinary hair pins are used to train and secure strands of the plants. This was a fun and informative class.

I caught a couple of the wonderful demonstrations that were set up in Future World. The backyard habitat demonstration was really interesting, and proved its worth because a family of ducks (7 babies!) had taken up residence in the tiny pond, and some tiny bunnies were living in the low-growing "understory" plants that they recommended for attracting animals. (In Texas this would of course attract mice and snakes!) The guys at the Verti-Gro demonstration weren't there, but I enjoyed looked at their equipment-stacked foam containers connected by a central pole. Plants are grown vertically in a soilless mix to which you add water and nutrients.

The Integrated Pest Management demo was excellent-the head of the Disney IPM department was there to show beneficial insects (ladybugs, green lacewings, wasps, etc.) and discuss Disney's philosophy. There was another woman there who was, as I am, concerned about using pesticides on her property and in her home. I asked about ants outdoors. He suggested Combat or its commercial grade Max Force, which is a bait. He also suggested baits for roaches. I asked about boric acid, and he told me that you can make your own bait from boric acid, sugar, and water, but that if you use too much boric acid, you will kill the worker before he gets back to the nest. He also told me that I needn't worry about animals or children when using boric acid-it's completely harmless.

We rested and the boys swam, then we headed back to EPCOT for the concert in the America Gardens Theatre. We used the complementary valet parking (what a deal!) at the Boardwalk, and walked through the International Gateway. We were amazed that more people didn't arrive early for the Peabo Bryson concert. Once he started, the place filled up quickly. He was backed by the Disney All-American College Orchestra, and they were wonderful. He and two backup singers did his best standards, then his disney work, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "A Whole New World." He was an electric performer, and gave so much of himself, going throughout the audience shaking hands, etc. while singing. The Disney "handlers" were going crazy following him. It was so amazing to get this quality of performance for the price of admission to the park. Quintessential Disney-give them more that they expect!

Wednesday, May 28

It was early opening at the Magic Kingdom today, so we did the big attractions first:

Space Mountain, the Jungle Cruise, the Swiss Family Treehouse, Pirates of the Caribbean; we stopped to listen to the wonderful steel band, and John and I did the limbo (we embarrassed Paul). We went to Frontierland and caught part of Diamond Horseshoe, saw the whole Country Bear Jamboree, then decided to leave when the lines got long. We went back to the OKWR for a sandwich; the boys swam. I went to EPCOT for the Hanging Baskets class, then met my guys at 4:00 at Beaches & Cream. We had two kiddie burger baskets and a Fudge Mudslide with 4 spoons-we were quite a sight going after that! Since it was raining when we left, we visited the Yacht & Beach Club for awhile, then walked over to the Boardwalk to the Atlantic Dance Hall for the Vacation Club member social.

We were not prepared for the wonderful spread they put on. It was hosted by the ESPN club, and they served wonderful chicken wings, chili with chips and toppings, bacon-wrapped scallops, and fried wontons stuffed with crabmeat. Wow! Soft drinks were free, $1 beer and $2 chablis were offered. They also hosted a sports trivia contest. They didn't even try to sell us anything.

Next we wandered the Boardwalk a bit, and Paul bought Daddy an adorable ceramic Mickey. The Boardwalk DVC units were open from 7-8 pm, so we went up to see them. The Grand Villa was beautiful, and quite different from OKW's, but definitely smaller. It is of course laid out on one floor, so it is rather spread out. The living area is cozy; the dining area, which is open to the kitchen, is rather more spacious. The bedrooms were lovely, especially the master suite which had views on two sides-the Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Clubs, Spaceship Earth and the World Showcase (I'm sure that's why they picked this unit to show! What a view!).

After this we enjoyed the rest of the Boardwalk, including the amazing Wyland gallery, then went upstairs to the Bellevue room. John beat Daddy at chess while we listened to Sam Spade. We love this room!

Back to OKW to prepare for our busy Thursday and get to bed relatively early...

Thursday, May 29

This was really a different day for us. Niel and I had decided to go to the Disney Institute, and we had given the boys a choice: they could go to the Institute with us, or they could have money and more or less free reign for the day. They loved the idea of the Institute, but freedom won out. They endured lectures, written instructions, and warnings, then headed out for a morning of pure video-game indulgence at Innoventions.

Niel and took a course in Disney Architecture, taught by Ray ?. Seven of us were ushered into an attractively (and studiously) cluttered room with large tables. After some introduction, we were divided into two groups to build a "resort" from building blocks provided. We were asked to consider such things as location, light, color, scale, landscaping. The results were quite interesting-two entirely different ideas, but both were obviously created by people familiar with Disney concepts of building.

Next we were shown slides of different features of Disney architecture. Of particular interest was the way detail is used to lure people back to WDW. People notice a detail and think, "I didn't see that before-it must be new!" (e.g., the mice on the columns in Cinderella castle.) He showed details on the Haunted Mansion that we'd never noticed (and I thought, "That must be new!"), such as columns made of coffin shapes. The "dirt," the spiky, unkempt (looking) landscaping, the black wreath, dark green door (opposite of welcoming red), the spooky music, all create the sinister appearance of the Haunted Mansion. Ray also showed us how adaptation is used in "borrowing" other buildings for the World Showcase. His example was the Doges Palace, and its namesake in the Italy pavilion.

We then boarded a DI van for a tour. Our first stop was the Casting Building, which also borrows elements of the Doges Palace, but uses them in a most unusual way. The building has a very contemporary feel, but uses various design elements to make it a "castle:" turret, slits, drawbridge, etc. A diamond pattern is important, and is repeated often throughout the building. The windows are very memorable for their diamond pattern. Inside, there is a small rotunda (reminiscent of D.C.) surrounded by "golden" character statues on pedestals.

A long hallway takes off from this, leading upwards to the main desk. There are panel trompe l'oeil murals all the way up the hall, each using those memorable windows, so it is as if you are looking through them to a scene outside. The best shows Walt sitting in the window, looking out on a fantastic EPCOT scene with symbolic elements that never could be seen together, the dream that he never lived to see. How did the artist choose to connect Walt with the present? His socks are the same diamond pattern and color that is repeated throughout the building. All the elements serve to tell the new prospective cast member that they will be a part of something with a wonderful history and tradition. A wonderful detail that we certainly could have missed was the faux "cracks" painted into the murals and onto the walls. They were so real that you had to touch them (even after being told they were painted), and then you smile when you realize you've been had, which is the point. Ray reminded us that in Italy long ago, the "nouveau riche" (who were often looked down upon) had cracks painted into their walls to make others feel that they had stability and longevity.

Next stop was the Team Disney building, where, as Ray said, the "suits" work. It was designed by Japanese architect Isasuro Asasaki (sp?). I was most interested to "understand" this building better, because I have never liked it. It is a very whimsical design at first glance, and is made entirely of squares and circles. The tall, cylindrical center of the building, which Niel was disappointed to find was not a nuclear reactor, turned out to be the big surprise. After you enter the cube-shaped reception area, you go outdoors agai-into the huge cylinder-which you find to be the largest sundial in the world. The ground is covered with large round stones in Japanese fashion, and there are stepping stones through this in a circle. At intervals there are stones with famous quotations on the subject of time. There are huge elliptical patterns on the wall to mark the hours. When Michael Eisner took over, he said he didn't want any more boring buildings on the property, and he certainly has done something about that.

We passed by the fire station, which was designed by Robert Venturi (as a consolation prize for losing the Swan and Dolphin, I think) to look as though two five-year-olds designed it. Well, he certainly succeeded. I personally think he was trying to get back at the board of directors. Half the buliding looks as if it is constructed of red Legos, and the other looks as if it was colored with pink crayons. But it's not boring!

Our next stop was the Dolphin, one of the pair of imposing Michael Graves structures on the property. It is also the largest hotel, with 1500 rooms. The requirements were stringent: that it serve business/convention travelers, not be over 8 stories high, that all rooms be 15 minutes or less from the main lobby, and that it have a "water" theme. They threw out the height requirement, of course, resulting in your seeing a giant dolphin and swan rising out up next to the Eiffel Tower. There are lots of excuses for this, but it seems like a clearly economic decision. We were shown some of its other features: the whimsical and disconcertingly "busy" lobby. It looks like huge cabana to me, but we were told that there was no "right" answer for this building. Ray says this is an "intellectual response" building rather than an "emotional response" building (Grand Floridian, for example), and that it requires you to think. Imagine that!

Our last stop was the Wilderness Lodge. We already knew quite a bit about this building, but enjoyed seeing it through someone else's eyes. He did tell us that some of the materials used are imitations, because so much wood and stone would have been required for this building. However, the rule is: if you can touch it, it's probably real. He mentioned the music, the Arts & Crafts furniture, the cozy seating groups in the breathtaking lobby, the Gustav Stickley lamps, and the Frank Lloyd Wright design motifs in windows, light fixtures, etc. We were happy to see the hidden Mickey in the fireplace that we hadn't been able to find.

All in all, this was a great course. Ray was very knowledgeable, relaxed, and amusing. We returned slightly after 12:00, and left for a sandwich. We returned to DI at 1:30 for "Wine, Wonders, and Song," taught by Reid Rapport, the sommelier we met last year in the Romantic Dinners course. We were given 5 wine glasses, and were taught the basics of wine tasting. We peeled grapes and tasted the bitter tannin in the skin, then tried two white wines first with a grape and then with brie.

During the tasting, the chef working with Reid was demonstrating the cooking of a penne pasta dish and bruschetta topped with onions, herbs, and parmesan. We tasted two red wines, then tried them with apples and cheese. Finally, we tried both wines with the finished pasta and bread. Both wines were good, and the food was excellent. We learned some things about wines that we didn't know; we just want enough knowledge to add a complementary wine to dinner occasionally.

Our next class was to start soon, so instead of going back to OKW, we called the boys. They had just returned from their solo day at EPCOT, and were excited to tell us all about it. We checked in for our last class, "The Cover Page" (or how to produce the wonderful-looking dishes found on the cover of "Food and Wine" magazine), and there were only 5 students-great for us, but not good for the Institute. Our instructor for the class was very funny, in addition to being very good. His assistant was the chef from our previous class. We began with a lesson on artichokes, then the chef put croutons in the oven. We chopped artichokes, calamata olives, garlic, cilantro, and tomato which we sauteed in olive oil to make a wonderful tapenade which we ate on the croutons. Then we were given instructions on our bowtie pasta dish, which was served with a sweet pea puree including bacon and morels. They were both marvelous. Our instructor told us about tricks that are used by food stylists to make food phtography look good.

The boys had a great time being independent for the day. After several lectures, they played a game or two on Turtle Krawl and caught the bus for EPCOT. They played games in Innoventions to their heart's content, then they played in the Image Works. At some point during the day, the went to the Pizza piazza and had pizza and bread sticks. They also left through the International Gateway, walked to the Beach Club, and visited Beaches and Cream. They shared a "frozen sunshine" and had a wonderful time. We called them at the room about 4:15, and they had just returned, bubbling about their day.

We returned in time to get them and go back for the evening entertainment at the Institute. Marc Zabladoff (who came out in a sport coat and tennis shoes), editor of "Discover" magazine, made a very nice introduction of Marvin Minsky, whom he called the "Father of Artificial Intelligence." He was an unassuming man, and talked about some fascinating things, but was rather disorganized, and a bit hard to follow. We were to meet the Taylors on the Boardwalk at 9:00, so we left early, apologizing to Mr. Zabladoff who had come to sit right behind us after his introduction.

We found the Carrie, Mike, and Grant on the Boardwalk after walking around a bit. We enjoyed some of the entertainers together, and Carrie bought some goodies at the Bakery (Hue G. Krazont, proprietor). It was good to see them, and we walked them out to their car. We then went upstairs to the Bellevue Room for chess and scrabble, and listened to an old Sherlock Holmes program. A great family evening!

Friday, May 30

We were moving to Dixie Landings for the weekend (don' use up all those points!), so packing was in order this morning. We had breakfast in the room, and packed the car. The boys wanted to play tennis, so Niel and I read in "Papa's Den" for awhile, a very pleasant pursuit! We took the boat to Pleasure Island and saw "Lost World" which was fun (who cares if it has no plot?). We ate lots of popcorn and hid behind our hands in the gross part.

We enjoyed walking around Dixie Landings; they did such a great job with their theming. We finally got the luggage we'd had transferred at 5:00 (Mario had told me we'd be better off taking it ourselves-he was right!). In the evening we walked around some more, bought a delicious calzone from the Colonel's Cotton Mill, and strolled to Port Orleans. We were delighted with the theming there. Walking around behind the main building, between the blocks of rooms, were "streets" made by putting in curbs and black iron fences. The "streets" were labeled with tiles in the sidewalk; we began looking at them and enjoying the jokes: Cafe au Lait Way, and our favorite, Rue de Baga. The landscaping was just perfect, with quaint fountains in the "squares"; the whole thing really did look like New Orleans. "Charming," was Niel's reaction, and he was right. Our previousexperience with the resort was the pool area, which is cute in a rather loud way, but I don't really care for it. We went into the food court area and bought an order of beignets; eating them on the walk back was fun, though we got absolutely covered in powdered sugar. The place was really romantic at night, and the return walk was lovely.

Saturday, May 31

We slept in a bit, and the guys went to get a pastry while I washed my hair. We drove to Celebration, the new Disney-planned community south of Hwy. 192 just east of WDW. The plan is to go back to the small-town ideal (before Wal-Mart!). We explored the newly-completed downtown area, which is small but very interesting. Goodings has a small, but very good grocery/gourmet store. Saturday mornings there is an open-air market, so we enjoyed seeing that. Vegetables were beautiful and well-priced. Children were riding around on 3-wheel bicycles selling sodas and bottled water to raise money for their school. There was a Mustang show going on (Stampede '97), and that was fun to walk around. There was a lovely bakery where we bought a pastry, a clothing store, a book and gift shop, a cafe, AMC theatre, nice Italian restaurant, ice cream shop, and more.

We enjoyed going through a number of model homes. The homes are all, by code, very traditional in style. The first one we went in was quite large and absolutely lovely, with a beautiful open kitchen and spacious living area. There was a small but beautiful pool (we saw these small pools at several homes) with a charming outdoor living area: gas grill, sink, frig, dining table, etc. the whole thing was screened (?) in such a way as to feel completely open to the outdoors (we've seen this material used around here recently but don't know what it is).

The homes all had beautiful porches and outdoor spaces but very small yards (expensive land, I suppose). Paul enjoyed going through the homes with us. He observed that the first home we saw was pretty, but he would rather live in something a bit more "humble." We love his wisdom.

After the home tour, we decided to go to Pebbles restaurant in the Crossroads (recommended to us by the author of Florida's Other Theme Parks , via the forum. We thoroughly enjoyed it:

excellent food and service in a casual, quiet setting. The boys' burger was quite good, Niel's tenderloin tips (on a French roll with caramelized onions and a yummy sauce) were excellent as were my chicken quesadillas with green chile sauce. Their dinner selections sound wonderful, though I expect the place is rather crowded then.

We returned for a nap and a swim. The boys went up to the main building (after the afternoon storm blew over), bought a whole box of Entenman's doughnuts, and ate them on the porch. Swimming makes for hungry boys!

Sunday, June 1

Niel took off for OKW about 6:30 to check in and get our passes. The boys and I packed most of the lugage, then we headed to Boatwright's for breakfast at 7:00. We enjoyed our breakfast, but were a bit disappointed at some of the changes. That's probably one of Disney's biggest problems-pleasing repeat customers! Anyway, my favorite Atchafalaya Bumper Harvest was gone from the menu; when I asked about it, the waitress told us that they were no longer serving crawfish at all. Pretty sad for a "cajun" restaurant! Anyway, I chose the Acadian for the andouille sausage. Niel had the Big Woods combination; the tasso was OK. When this place first opened, the potatoes were mixed with cubes of sweet potato, and the plate was garnished with a small piece of grilled corn on the cob. We're so glad that we ate here several times before the menu got blander (as we've observed, menus for the most unusual restaurants begin with many adventuresome choices, then those choices seem to disappear; public opinion, I suppose. We always try to get to the new restaurants as soon as possible for this reason. Back to breakfast-the boys had cottontail toasties, their favorite here. We'd been joking about all the baby rabbits around; the ones at Dixie Landings seemed to be missing their tails. Hmmm...

After breakfast, we said goodbye to Dixie Landings, packed the car, drove to OKW and parkedk, then caught the bus to EPCOT (we did this so that our car would be more secure-we were parked in sight of the bell stand). Our main objectives today were to see the Discover Awards expo, and enjoy the last day of the Flower and Garden Show-including shopping! (From our experience, the displays and shops disappear on the 2nd of June like Brigadoon.)

We found the expo with some trouble-it was almost hidden. Our efforts were rewarded; we saw incredible things and talked to their inventors. There were lots of neat things to take home, too. NASA, especially, had lots of great things: 3-D pictures and glasses, a computer disc of pictures, lots of literature. We even came away with a videotape of something-we'll have fun studying these when we get home.

We visited the Land Pavilion and watched "Honey, I shrunk the Audience." When world showcase opened, we enjoyed the Maelstrom and made our way around the lagoon to the International Gateway. We walked to the Boardwalk to make our 12:00 reservation at Spoodles.

Spoodles was everything we'd hoped; we were handed an exciting, adventuresome menu containing dishes from all over the Mediterranean. The decor was in keeping with the theme-sunny, colorful, lots of brick, copper, painted wood. The tables were equipped for "tapas" dining: a stack of small oval plates of various colors, and a glass full of silverware. This is just the way we like to eat, anyway; we often order different things just so we may all taste them. We ordered the "Mediterranean sampler," which was rather a work of art-a long, narrow platter with toasted pita triangles down both sides. Perhaps my favorite was the feta cheese salad; the marinated onions were wonderful, too;

While we ate it began to rain, and this quickly became a downpour. We seemed to hit this kind of luck with the rain all through our trip-all but once, later this afternoon. When we finished eating, I wanted to catch the last container gardening demonstration and do my shopping at the festival shops, so we planned to meet at the Discover expo by 2:30. I enjoyed the demo, then purchased my "topiary" shirt, an outfit for Ruth at our store, a festival poster, and a beautiful bonsai tree for Niel for our anniversary. Just as I was leaving, it began to pour. I made a dash so I could meet the guys, and got absolutely soaked.

We returned to OKW to get our room, and had to wait until exactly 4:00 for the first time ever. They gave us 2830, which wasn't too bad location-wise, but just not our favorite 23. We couldn't expect them to kick someone else out just for us! The view isn't as nice, but then nothing is as nice as that view. We surprised the housekeeper, who was aparently just getting through with our room.

After we unpacked, we drove to the Boardwalk and valet-parked again, then claimed our reservations at the Flying Fish. The decor was delightful; the place is named for a car on a roller coaster, and there are stylized, whimsical details everywhere. The surprise is the the monochromatic metallic gold and cream color scheme; this gives the place the dressy look befitting the menu.

We had heard a review of the potato-wrapped snapper, so Niel and I made an exception and ordered the same thing. The boys ate a child's fish plate, which was also very good. Our meal was most enjoyable; we would definitely do this one again.

We strolled the Boardwalk, then went over to EPCOT to enjoy the Rose & Crown and watch Illuminations. This has become a favorite tradition. We didn't want as much "pub grub" as usual, since we had just eaten, but we did get an order of sausage rolls. (No more Scotch eggs! Horrors!) Niel had a Bass or two. We got the best table on the outside, and I went inside for our drinks and snacks. (They have a stand for beer outside, but it doesn't taste the same from a plastic cup!) We e;njoyed the IllumiNations 25 show; it was more abstract than previous shows, but it's always fun to see something new.

Monday, June 2

Breakfast was Whispering Canyon this morning, and we enjoyed it as much as ever. Paul especially loved the acorn-shaped waffles, and asked our waitress to bring him more. The potatoes were very well-seasoned, the bacon and sausage were delicious. Meeko ate breakfast with us, too, brought by one of the waiters who was having funl

There was no bus directly to the MK, which we had planned, so to avoid lots of hassle we changed gears and went to MGM. Upon arrival, the heavens opened, so we pulled out the rain gear and headed for the first Beauty and the Beast show, stopping on the way to make new lunch reservations at the Sci-Fi.

The show has been changed a bit since the new theatre has been built (which is a great improvement-dry!). It was still a wonderful show, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had extra time before the Hunchback show, and the Animation tour was full, so John requested that we take the Backstage tour. It had changed somewhat since our last tour, so it was fun to do again.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame show was fabulous. The creative staging and sets, the beautiful singing, all were so professional that this show could very easily stand on its own. I believe they have learned a few things from doing Beauty and the Beast! Doing a daytime, basically outdoor show (the Backlot Theatre has a nice roof, thank goodness) is incredibly limiting in that all scene changing must be done in front of everyone, and spots cannot be relied upon to focus attention. The set itself was unbelievable. The use of puppets for exposition was brilliant-it avoided scene changes, use of horses and too many characters onstage. And puppets were most appropriate since some of the gypsies were puppeteers. The players sang their parts live, which was just incredible. They sounded just like the voices in the film. They used a runway which brought the characters down into the audience, as well, and dropped bell-shaped confetti on the audience during the festival scene, also connecting the audience to the performance. Before the show, a tremendous juggler/comedian entertained, which was wonderful considering the long wait for the performance. Definitely worth it!

We had made 12:00 reservations at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre for lunch; this is the only place we've gone in WDW where we've had to wait a significant time with reservations. They really should improve the queue for this restaurant. We saw people wait in line for 20 minutes (why I don't know) only to be told that there were no tables available until 6 p.m. Anyway, once we were seated, we had fun as always watching the B-movie clips and cartoons that really took us back to the old drive-ins we used to enjoy.

We were shocked at the prices, but I suppose that if they can charge this much and still have people lining up to eat there, that's capitalism. We decided that we'd better really enjoy it, because we won't be back anytime soon. Niel and I split a "Trashburger" (that's with grilled onions, swiss, mushrooms,etc.), which was delicious-it was $11.50. The boys split a "Megaburger" which was basically a plain hamburger, though good, for $9.95. We also split two shakes at $2.95 each. We spent $33 for half a burger and half a shake each-but it was fun.

We got out just in time to get a good spot for the Toy Story Parade, which was great fun, though short. Niel hadn't seen it before, and he enjoyed it. I still think the army men are the best thing in the parade.

We left the park just after the parade, and stopped at the Wilderness Lodge for the "Taste of the Lodge" tour. "Ranger John" took us on a great tour, stopping first at Whispering Canyon to speak to the chef. Next, we went out to the smokehouse (we had wondered why we didn't smell the wonderful aroma in the lobby-they said it had become too much), where we saw all the wonderful things cooking that are served at Whispering Canyon. We were given a pork rib, which was absolutely delicious. Next, we were taken to Artist Point, where a sous-chef came out to speak to us (all the AP chefs were on their annual tour of the Pacific Northwest, updating their menus and contracting with suppliers), then serve us some of their signature salmon. He told us that the salmon they were serving was the very best in the world-wild king salmon from the Copper River in Alaska, which is only available from mid-May to mid-June. He was certainly correct-I've never had anything taste so wonderful. The chef also had a whole salmon brought out to show us because he had neverseen one this big; we estimated it at 50 pounds. He also told us that they got one recently that had bear claw marks in it-"the one that got away!" He says that farm-raised salmon can't compare with the wild fish, and I believe him.

Afterwards, the guys rented water sprites from the Lodge and had fun while I rested in a cabana on the beach. When we returned to OKW, the boys hadn't had enough boating, so they rented a pedalboat and toodled up and down the canal. they decided that they'd rather stay and have fun than go to Artist Point with us, so we had a nice dinner alone. The boys had fun ordering their own dinner-nachos, fruit, and candy-and playing along Turtle Krawl.

Of course, we had to order the salmon at Artist Point; we also ordered the scallops that the chef had recommended: au gratin with heavy cream, Romano cheese, and the wonderful morel mushrooms that the chef had told us he had just a few of. Superb! The salmon was all that we had hoped for, and was served with a tasty couscous; the slightly sweet fruit in it was a perfect complement. Niel selected a chardonnay that was really marvelous with our dinner. A great 18th anniversary celebration!

Story Musgrave, the NASA astronaut, spoke at the Disney Institute. We were rather tired, and were tempted to skip this, but were ever so glad that we hadn't. Wewere juyst a few minutes late, and when we arrived, he had begun to speak and show slides of his vacation (at least it seemed that way?) in space. His talk was fascdinating, and not what one might expect to hear from a scientist. Dr. Musgrave is rather a Renaisssance man, and his interests run to art and poetry as well as the sciences. He interspersed slides of "space art" from his personal collection, and recognized one of the painters, who was in the audience.

He was really trying to personalized space travel for us. He kept reminding us that a person (in this case himself) took all of these pictures, and that all the pictures we have of the earth have been taken because someone went into space to take them. His pictures were unbelievable, both of the earth and of other objects. He had obviously studied geography in tremendous detail, and could identify amazing things, such as individual coral deposits, the shadows of the pyramids, and the Cascades in summer (in winter they and the surrounding area are all white). He pointed out the incredible blue of the Bahamas, the green of the Nile delta, and the South American rainforest. Through it all was this incredible sense of awe. We have seen many pictures taken from space, enough so that they almost seem commonplace, but there was something very different about seeing them through the eyes of the person who saw it in person and took the photos.

He showed us a drop of Coca-Cola that he experimented with in space, and reminded us that in 0-G a liquid will take the shape that has the least surface area, and therefore the least surface tension, which is a sphere (John had to remind me about this part-he enjoyed and remembered it). The shape he showed us was not spherical, but ovoid, because Dr. Musgrave had just spun it, so it created its own centrifugal force. It was obvious from listening to him that he has insatiable curiosity, and is constantly seeking more knowledge. He takes his own list of things to see and do in space when he has time out from his duties, and mentioned a list of 100 things to look for in space should he be able to turn off all cabin lights (he kept mentioning zodiacal light).

After his fascinating 2 hr. talk, he took questions, and there were some interesting ones. The first was about whether there is life elsewhere in the universe. He feels that there must be other life, and he compared the idea that we must be the only planet containing life to the idea that the earth is flat. He had a lengthy and interesting answer (John said he was prepared for that one!) The next question was whether he is a religious man, and if so, how does he reconcile religioun and science. He answered that he is a very spirptual being, and that he is seeking God in space. He sees no quarrel between science and religion, and suggests that we have less trouble understanding if we loosen our literal thinking and think more metaphorically.

Once the talk was over, Dr. Musgrave autographed photos at the back of the auditorium. He talked with each one of us, and Niel and I found ourselves asking for photos, too. He asked Paul in particular if he understood the talk, and if he got anything out of it. The boys were a bit shy talking to him, but Paul did tell him that his friend Adrian had found a NASA weather balloon on his farm. Dr. Musgrave told us that NASA had launched balloons in Paris some time ago, and that he was familiar with Paris. He of course resides in Houston now, but had told us during the talk that "I just bought a house here yesterday," so that he could be near the space center, WDW, and some of the other projects he has on tap since he's been canned from the astronaut corps. Yes, he was quite clear that he had not "retired," but had just been told that they weren't going to fly him anymore because of his age. Tragic when he obviously has so much to give. On his last mission (he didn't know it was his last) which was to repair the Hubble space telescope they had to make a few extra passes before reentry, and he had time to study the stars and take more photos; most amazing was that he stood up during reentry (7g's!) and filmed a "disc" of fire that formed behind the ship-no one had ever seen this before.

Paul was tired (as were we all) and slept through part of the talk, but we were so glad that we all went. It was quite an event to remember. Johns comments about the program were mostly of a scientific nature, while Paul's had a more religious/ philosophical bent.

Tuesday, June 3

We were due at Ft. Wilderness at 8:00, so we grabbed a little cereal and juice at "home" and headed out. They've changed the place that you check in, so we had a couple of false starts, but were saddled up and ready to go long before the 8:30 starting time. Paul rode "Pongo" (he was appropriately spotted), John rode ?, I rode Rocky, and Niel rode "Cash." (Wonder why they gave him that one?) We had a great time, though Mama admitted to being a bit sore afterwards.

We returned to OKW, put on swimsuits, and headed up to Turtle Krawl. The guys swam and played in the pool, rode bikes a bit, then we rented a pontoon boat to cruise up the canal. We decided to get our lunch from Good's to take with us (we asked at Olivia's, but they don't pack lunches), and had our only negative experience of the trip. We had one mix-up after another, and after we were well out into the canal, we discovered that our hamburgers had nothing on them but meat. I spoke to a manager on our return, who was very courteous and offered to refund the amount of our hamburgers. (We later discovered that the amount of our whole meal had been credited, which was very nice.)

After a short rest, we dressed again and caught the bus to the MK, and from there took the boat to Ft. Wilderness for the Hoop-de-doo Review. The show was great as always, and the food was predictably good, though there have been small changes in recent years: no more chips and queso, no Sangria, and the corn is no longer on the cob (I always wondered how they kept that many ears of corn warm!)

After the show, we took the launch to the Contemporary (just missed the direct boat) and enjoyed the Fantasia shop for awhile. Then we took the walkway over to the MK (much faster than monorail)...and staked out a piece of Main Street sidewalk for Spectromagic. We were not disappointed-our spot couldn;t have been better, and we saw the whole parade sitting down! A few minutes later, we saw Tinkerbell fly, then the air ove the Castle exploded with fireworks. Not a bad way to end an evening! And we enjoyed strolling around the emptying park, waiting for the crowd to clear.

Thursday, May 4

We made our way early to Spoodles, on the Boardwalk, anxious to try their much-touted breakfast. I had heard only that the breakfast was good, not what it consisted of, and was pleasantly surprised at the variety. Niel and I had similar reactions when we realized it was a buffet ("Oh, no, not another eggs/bacon/sausage AYCE buffet."), but were delighted when we actually looked at the offerings: beautiful citrus, melons, and pineapple, interesting creamed muesli with fresh berries, pastries with lemon or unsweetened chocolate fillings; smoked salmon, fresh onions and tomatoes, sausage/bacon/ham/scrambled eggs, a Greek vegetable frittata with zucchini, olives, potatoes, etc., a Spanish frittata with chorizo, cheese, potatoes, and onions, rotolo (oasted vegetables wrapped in a soft, flat bread and sliced), and a pizza with egg on top. in addition, they bring coffee, juice, etc., and will cook pancakes, French toast, and waffles to order. (We ordered and enjoyed the French toast, but wished we'd save the room for more unusual items.)

After this feast, we walked to EPCOT via the International Gateway and arrived at Innoventions just in time to see the opening fountain display. We enjoyed Innoventions for awhile: went through the house of the future where they were displaying the LCD window film that Niel had been hoping for for several years. The boys showed us some games they had enjoyed on their own the other day. We spent some time in the Discover Expo again; we were surprised to find different people there. They mostly were just showing new gadgets-not the real innovations that had won awards or been finalists. Niel had fun talking to the rep from All-In-One, who was very knowledgeable, but who was surprised at Niel's superior knowledge of remote control and other technology. He assumed that he worked in the field and was surprised to learn that he sells men's clothing! Anyway, we looked for awhile, but the really great stuff like the NASA exhibit and the solar power plant were gone. I was concerned from the beginning that the event didn't receive enough publicity (I had the devil of a time finding out anything about it even a month ahead of time, and I asked a very persistent guy at OKWR Guest Services to find out for me.) We were glad to see that the exhibitors had been given indoor space, instead of the white tents they had last year, but they were in such an out-of-the-way spot, without adequate signage, that I'm afraid most people coming to EPCOT didn't even know about them. I don't know why any of the exhibitors would want to do this again.

We caught the Jammitors performing again, whichgave John some good ideas for the band. He wanted to record the performance for Mr. Pack, his band director. Since it was almost time for the World Showcase to open, we headed in that direction to look at exhibits and browse the shops. We skipped Mexico and Norway because the crowd all stopped in these two. We looked again at the marvelous Chinese clocks, Germany, Italy, Morocco, and Japan, then it was time for our lunch at Les Chefs de France. We shared our favorite soupe l'oignon, then Niel chose the ham and Gruyere crepe and I had the marinated chicken and vegetables en papillote. The boys had the grilled beef and potatoes (aka burgers and fries), but they tasted and liked our food as well.

After lunch, we shopped in France and England (where Niel purchased my favorite cologne for him-Woods of Windsor), then decided to return to OKW and rest. Our afternoon was divided: the guys rented a paddlebike and toodled up and down the canal, while I took the car and went to the Village to shop a bit. The new character shop is amazing (maybe a little too polished and well-ordered?); a greet hands you a map of the store as you enter, and you need it! Anyway, i purchased some of the seasoning and sauces that are used in various restaurants in WDW, so that we can relive our expericence a bit at home!

Since we were planning to eat at the Yacht Club and play around the Boardwalk later, we droved to the Boardwalk and used their complimentary valet parking-best bargain on the property for the price of a tip!

Our dinner was one of the real highlights of our trip. We had never been to the Yachtsman Steakhouse in all of our visits. Our thinking was, "Why go to a steakhouse when we come here from Texas?" Wrong! The many good reviews of this restaurant led us to try it, and we were not disappointed. Our server, Thomas, really added to our experience. He was helpful, talkative, funny, and friendly, but in just the right amounts. We were grateful for his suggestion of the spinach salad. Its warm, slightly sweet dressing was tossed with bacon, button mushrooms, and pecans (John liked this, too). Wow! He was gracious about dividing some this, as we wanted to try several items. Our breads, sourdough and an onion bread, were served with butter-soft roasted garlic. The boys especially enjoyed this.

Our entree was the chateaubriand for two, served with their signature "smashed" potatoes, lumpy with cheese and garlic-wonderful. The beef was served with well-prepared Bordelaise and Bearnaise sauces, which reminded us of our favorite Paris restaurant of many years ago (the Colonial House, which was run by a fabulous chef who had retired from a much larger locale.) The vegetable dish was tiny fresh asparagus tips served with mixed roasted peppers and onions-also delicious, even to non-asparagus-loving Niel. The cabernet sauvignon he selected was a wonderful complement to our meal.

The boys had a 6-oz. New York strip steak, which included applesauce (freshly made), fries, and dessert (for $8.50). I really appreciated the restaurants which have real food from their kitchens prepared in child-size portions. (Chicken nuggets get old in a hurry!) The boys frequently split an adult meal, so that they can get something a bit more interesting.

Niel and I gave in and split a dessert, even though we were of course full by this time. Thomas brought a tray for us to select from; Niel said, "It's your birthday, your choice." Even though I told him it was a late celebration, Thomas insisted on announcing my birthday and our dessert was "on him." We had the Jack Daniels chocolate mousse cake, and it was superb.

We (or rather Thomas) had to jump through some hoops to change the gratuity to 20% on Food and Fun. He certainly deserved it, and he figured it out! In parting, he told us that ABC was having a convention in the building, and that all sorts of stars were here. He had seen Michael J. Fox, and Michael Bolton was singing for their entertainment. We walked through the lobby before leaving, but didn't see anyone unusual except men in suits which we took to be extra security.

We headed to the Boardwalk, enjoyed strolling along, then went up to the Bellevue room for more chess and Scrabble. This was a lovely way to end such a nice evening.

Thursday, June 5

We were up early for MK's early opening, and did a few of the things we'd missed. First was Paul's request, the cars (he's now tall enough to reach the pedal by himself), then Snow White, and Small World, then over to Tomorrowland for the WEDway PeopleMover (now the Tomorrowland Transit Authority), Delta Dreamflight (what is it now?), and the Carousel of Progress (the video material on the monitors about the '64 World's Fair was great).

It was nearly 10:00, so we ambled to Tony's to claim our reservations. Although we enjoyed our breakfast, we won't be returning anytime soon. The "country frittata" which we have enjoyed for years, has become bland: the chunks of red potato have been reduced to a few tiny shreds, the Italian sausage is now ham, ... John was hungry and debated between the adult Italian toast and the child's. The menu said that the adult portion was 4 pieces ($4.50), and the child's was 3 pieces ($2.99). John opted for the child's, remembering their generous portions of the past. He received an adult-size plate containing 3 tiny toast points, which rather irritated me. He enjoyed them, and about half of my frittata. So much for Tony's.

We decided to take the train around the park, which we hadn't done since they routed it through Splash Mountain, then got back just as the Magic Kingdom Band began to play. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on a bench and listening to them. They played a little jazz and a little swing, then ended up with Semper Fidelis, and marched off playing the Mickey Mouse Club March. What fun! We returned for a nap, much needed after our late night.

Next we drove to the Contemporary to use a little "fun" on our cards. The guys took water sprites out on Bay Lake, while I sat at a shady table, typed on this, and got strange looks! After a quick change, we drove to MGM for dinner at the Brown Derby. We had the requisite Cobb salad, but unfortunately our favorite oyster brie soup was not on the menu. We asked about it, and were told that they had taken it off, then put it back on Wednesday and Saturday because of customer requests. (The moral of this story is-let them know what you like!) Niel and I split an order of cheese tortellini with shrimp, which was very good; this left us room to order a wonderful dessert-the chocolate mousse with praline topping. The boys made their usual trip to Endor Vendors, then we left to take a last stroll along Turtle Krawl.

Friday, June 6

We packed, then had a wonderful breakfast at Olivia's: John had his favorite French toast, Paul had waffles and eggs, Niel had steak and eggs, and I had "Frenchie's Bounty." I think mine was by far the best-certainly the most interesting. I was sorry that they's taken "Eggs Olivia" off the menu, but this is even better: two toasted bagel halves topped with seasoned thin-sliced beef, spinach, poached egg, and a very tasty sauce. Delicious-but one would have been plenty!

Niel and John rode hydrobikes while Paul and I did some more packing; Niel bought another insulated mug at Good's and had an old one refilled. This brought our Food and Fun balance to 68 cents-not bad! Niel also remembered to take my coupon and get my free cookbook from Olivia's-he said they're charging $9.00 for it!

I drove to Vero, and decided that 192 looked like the most direct route to. I discovered just how far all the development goes beyond WDW. Once we finally got through the traffic (which was nearly to Melbourne) the route was easy and direct: I-95 South to 512 (to Sebastian-I almost panicked; there's a sign that says 512 next exit, but the next exit is 20 or 30 miles down the road! I thought we were going all the way to the town of Vero Beach and we'd have to come north again.), then Hwy 1 to 510, which takes you over the Wabasso causeway to Orchid Island, right on A1A, and you're there!

We arrived about 1:45 and our room was ready. We were given a nice snapshop album and a coupon for a disposable camera at the Vacation Club Desk. The guest services hostess was so nice; she is just waiting for someone to ask about activities so that she can dig into her files for you. We asked about cruises, and she recommended the Lady Dolphin out of Sebastian-she gave us two 2-for-1 coupons, which made this very affordable for the four of us. I asked about Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institute, and she was ready with the literature. She also recommended McLarty Treasure Museum, since we had already visited Mel Fisher's last summer. No shortage of things to do!

We parked underground (one of the things we love about the Inn) and brought our stuff up in the elevator (a switch from OKW!) on the bell cart that was there. All three guys had entirely too much fun riding it in the parking garage! The boys hadn't stayed in the Inn (we did on our trip last October), so they were excited about something new. We ended up with the loveliest, and one of the largest rooms I've even stayed in (2422). On the fourth floor, the view of the ocean if completely unobstructed. It is a dormer, and we think they may have made it larger for this reason. The huge balcony area adds more; it is completely closed on the sides because of the dormer, but this cuts down on the wind. We estimated the total size at 1000 square feet. A bargain for $135 (can't believe I'm saying that, but we've just come from the land of $200+ hotels). The boys were thrilled with the amenities, especially the small kitchen area: frig, sink, microwave, coffeemaker, cabinet with paper goods, can opener, etc. I'll have to say, I've never been in a hotel with quite that much homey comfort. No gourmet cooking, but we made sandwiches and popped popcorn quite comfortably. For a stay of a few days, I believe I may prefer this to a condo. The very nice laundry room is just around the corner, we are a few feet from the elevator (we're used to WDW resorts, where distances to the lobby from your room are measured in miles), what more could we want!

Paul just couldn't wait to dip his toes in the Atlantic, so we all threw on our suits and joined him. The waves were great-larger than we remember from last summer. Niel and the boys had a great time trying to jump the swells, getting bowled over by them, and finally getting washed up on the beach. Paul's favorite game is just sitting near the edge and waiting for the next wave to wash around him or push him farther onto the beach. I waded with them and enjoyed getting some sun while watching them play.

Family reports:

The waves were bigger than ever and the winds were real strong, and Daddy went real far out and I got worried. But I had lots of fun.-Paul

I left some blood in the ocean-but that doesn't matter because blood is 98% percent seawater anyway (a big one hit him and gave him a bit of a bloody nose).-John

And I learned that frisbees don't float.-Niel

They showered and jumped into the pool; again, Paul was first to get into the slide line (it is a pretty cool-looking slide!);

Niel and John followed. After they had "cleaned off" and played for a few minutes, we went in to change for the Lady Dolphin cruise. I had suggested to Niel that he would need to wash out his swimsuit, which idea he had pooh-poohed (eeyore-eeyored?). We heard an exclamation from the bathroom when he went to change; when he emerged, we found that quite a bit of beach had come back with him!

The Lady Dolphin cruise was interesting, if not exciting. We were not totally prepared for what we were doing, I suppose, since this was sort of a rushed outing. This was more of a party boat (quite a nice one), with a bar and snacks (hot dogs and peanuts). There was a birthday party going on in the main cabin, and it was terribly windy on the upper deck (so windy that they nearly cancelled the cruise, and they had to dock at an old and rather decrepit dock on our return). Anyway, we had a lovely cruise around the Indian River Lagoon, and got a good look at the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, but unfortunately no dolphins. Paul got a bit weary on this 2 ½ hour ride.

When we returned, we strolled about, then realized we were missing the beach campfire program. We hurried down, and got in on the end of the s'mores, perfectly toasting those marshmallows. When we returned to our room, we made a turkey sandwich and watched some of a Hayley Mills film festival: part of Polyanna and The Parent Trap. Our first TV in over two weeks! (Haven't missed it, either!)

Saturday, June 7

What a view we awakened to! Niel couldn't sleep past 5:30, so he enjoyed some early coffee on the balcony watching the sunrise. I joined him (a bit later) and reveled in the sounds and the scenery. The boys slept in a bit, but Paul was ready to go to the beach immediately. We reined him in long enough to do a few other things: a bit of cereal and some juice, a walk, then a member Open House and continental breakfast in one of the Beach Cottages.

The breakfast was lovely (we had enjoyed the juice and doughnuts at OKW, but that was nothing like this!). The dining table had a great treasure and seashell centerpiece, with several kinds of muffins in a giant "clam shell," croissants with butter and jellies, small fruit danish rolls, and a beautiful fruit tray. Someone was serving coffee and juice as well. We had an opportunity to look all over the beach cottage, which was fun (and dream!). One of the cast members told us about all the planned activities for the day, then a Vacation Club rep gave a brief and very low-key talk.

We goofed around for awhile, then went to lunch at Shutters when they opened at 11:30. Niel was hungry for a hamburger, and he went for broke: bacon, swiss, and grilled onions. I ordered one of the day's specials, which was outstanding: a fresh seafood salad served in two "flatbread" rolls, one of spinach and on tomato (just looked llike green and red tortillas). There was lettuce and tomato wrapped in them also. This was a real treat!

Paul had a child's pizza meal, which was a small version of their

wood-fired oven pizza, served with drink and cupcake. John chose the child's hamburger meal, which was a sizeable hamburger with fries, drink, and cupcake. The boys' meals were $4.95, Niel's and mine were about $8.00.

John and Paul had planned to enter the ping-pong tournament, and left the table while we were waiting for our food to sign up. They returned, ate, and we took them their dessert which our waitress kindly wrapped up for us. They played very well, but lost to a boy named Brandon. It was fun meeting some new people and playing with them.

After putting some laundry in to wash, we were all ready for the beach, so we loaded up our gear. Niel and I rented beach chairs, and got a "boogie board" for the boys. All three of them experimented with it, and had lots of fun riding the waves. We read, played in the surf, and built sand castles all afternoon. What a lovely way to spend the last day of our vacation!

Niel and I scurried off to Hale Groves about 5:30 (they close at 6:00) to get our fruit and juice. We bought as much juice as our portable frig. would hold, plus a half bushel each of oranges and grapefruit. Add some mango chutney, and some really cool grapefruit knives...they saw us coming! (Mrs. Hale-I think-demonstrated the knife, wrapped the grapefruit, and sent it back with us.) When we first discovered this place, it looked like a rather large roadside stand-little did we know that behind the shop is an enormous packing house, as well as their groves, and that they ship all over the country.

We managed to tear the boys away from their sand castle (completed with moat and textured roads) and get them into the shower. They again wanted to attend the campfire, where they sang such old standards as, "There was a Mouse who had a dog, and Pluto was his name-o; P-L-U-T-O...." And of course there were the s'mores again.

I finished the laundry and did a bit of straightening and packing, to avoid having to do it all tomorrow. We went down to Shutters for pizza about 9:00. Niel ordered the turkey club and onion straws (which were both good); the boys had a half-and-half pepperoni and four-cheese, I had the chicken-field mushroom-sundried tomato pizza, which was mosts unusual and delicious. I detected portobellos and morels-very good.

We took turns with the aloe vera lotion, then turned in to let the ocean lull us to sleep...

Sunday, June 8

We were awakened fairly early by the light coming in our open window. It is amazing watching the sun come up on the coast; not the big disc you might expect, but a small red circle seen at first through billowy clouds. There is a general glow that begins long before the actual sunrise. Niel and I loved taking our coffee out on the balcony to watch this.

We had done quite a bit of packing the night before, but this always seems to take awhile, and we needed to do a thorough job of the car for our 1100-mile marathon. And, the boys wanted to go back to the beach one more time, just to see what the tide did to the sand castle. So, we didn't get off until 10:00.

We decided to try the coastal route, which may be longer but possibly faster. We had eaten cereal and doughnuts in the room, so we made it until we were nearly to Jacksonville and stopped in a Wendy's for a burger. (Missing Disney food already!) Soon after we got in the car, Niel played the tape he had just bought of "Music from the Parks" done by current artists. We nearly split our sides when Patti Austin came on singing "Zippity-Doo-Dah" in a slow, sultry arrangement. The next several songs were in the same vein, I'm afraid. Tim Robbins doing Davey Crockett was certainly irreverent, but finny if you're in the right mood. The second side was a great impjrovement, with a piano arrangement of the SpectroMagic soundtrack, and Take 6 singing "When You Wish Upon a Star." We'll add this to our extensive Disney music collection, but we will probably skip the beginning of this tape from now on.

We were pleased to find the Battleship Alabama still open (until 8:00 Central) when we passed through Mobile. Added bonus: we were late enough that the guy had already counted his drawer and let us through for free! We took a quick tour of the submarine Drum, and then on to the Alabama. Paul was a bit worried that we would get lost and have to spend the night on the boat (which fears may have been well founded!), but we were able to find our way out in time.

We drove through the night, stopping at a McDonald's north of Biloxi for a bite to eat, and arrived in Longview at Niel's parents' house about 5:30 a.m. Believe it or not, they seemed happy to see us, and Niel's mother cooked us a lovely breakfast.

We arrived in Paris about 8:30, and dropped by the store before we came home to get our mail and check on things. They made it just fine without us, and had good business while we were gone. The house was fine, the flowers survived, and Lucy the cat was very glad to see us. We spent the day unpacking, resting, and reliving our trip.

P.S. Today was also our eighteenth anniversary. I didn't want to do too much cooking, so I did a simple angelhair pasta/vegetable dish, but I used some of the bottled goodies I had bought in the new World of Disney shop in the Village: garlic seafood marinade (from the Coral Reef) for the shrimp I tossed in, and balsamic vinegar (from the California Grill) for the salad. We ate outside on my new "Mickey topiary" tablecloth, with Niel's anniversary bonsai as centerpiece, and Mickey leaning against the tiny tree (Paul's gift). I wore my new "Mickey topiary" tee-shirt, and brought out our honeymoon album that shows Niel and I (were we ever that young or that thin?) in-you guessed it-Disneyworld!

Niel and Nancy Bratelli

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