Trip Reports

Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Off-Site and CBR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Toddler, Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent, Rookie
Comments: Greg and his family traveled to Florida for his brother's wedding. After the family time in Tampa, the family spent four days at WDW. Like a lot of other folks before him, Greg makes a pretty strong case for on-site Accommodations after staying off-site for the first night.

When I started planning our Disney vacation last December, I got a lot of ribbing from my wife and my son about using the web to gather useful information. They thought I was going way overboard about planning, but as we were driving down from Indiana I noticed that they both wanted to study the binder of information I had assembled from your site and Deb Wills WDWIG. On the way home, I had to promise not to waste any family time writing a trip report, but I'm on my lunch hour now - and I want to write a trip report for two reasons. First, like many others I am very grateful for the tremendous help these web sites have been. I am certain that our enjoyment of WDW was enhanced by what I learned from you people. Second, I wanted to write this to help our family remember what a great time we had. Our children are young (Kevin is 9, Grace is 4) and wont remember that much as time passes, and I want to more specifically remember some of those awesome moments of Disney magic that can make even a cynical adult cry with delight or gasp in wonder.

Some very brief background about us. We are a family of four (Me (Greg) - 35, Lisa - 31, Kevin - 9, Grace - 4) from Portage, Indiana (near Chicago). We were going to Florida for my brother's wedding in Tampa over the July 4th weekend and decided to stay an extra four days to do Disney. We had been to WDW once before as a family, but only stayed for one day (off site). We left Tampa on Monday, July 6th and were in the parking lot at Typhoon Lagoon 45 minutes later.

Monday, July 6

One of the unique things about WDW to me is the tremendous attention to detail. Once we passed through the enormous entry arches into WDW, I felt like we had been transported out of civilization. Then as soon as you make the turn onto the access road leading to TL the scenic effects begin - the dense "jungle" foliage, the Burma Shave type road signs - And You're Not Even There Yet!

We changed into our bathing suits and stuffed everything into one large locker. We carried nothing with us - no towels, no shoes, no fanny packs - except a $20 bill in my suit for lunch. This worked very well for us. It was so hot (low 90's) that we "air dried" pretty quickly when we were out of the water. Some of the pavement was hot (especially at the shark reef), but you could usually avoid it. We felt very mobile and carefree this way.

I noticed all around the park that acres of "reserved" beach chairs (nobody there, but a towel draped over it) had been set up that took up a lot of beach space for no useful reason. We rarely saw people using their chairs. It was more like they were just hoarding the premium beach space. I don't understand why people would do this. There was no shortage of chairs. How about taking one when you need one and putting it away when you're finished?

To me, one of the best things in all of WDW (and of course, all of life) is to float aimlessly around TL in a tube on Castaway Creek. If you're stressed, this is the answer. A close second at TL is hearing the "whump" of the wave machine and the screams of the crowd as the big wave rises. Grace loved it when I held her out in the middle of the wave pool. She would tell me when the next wave was coming and we would run for our lives trying (unsuccessfully) to escape the crash.

Even though we heard that the park closed because it hit its maximum capacity, we didn't wait in line anywhere for more than about 20-25 minutes. The longest line was for the family raft ride. We heard from people who were at Blizzard Beach the same day who told us that several slides there had waits longer than an hour.

The biggest slide at TL was the Humonga Kowabunga. I didn't think much of this slide (just a straight drop, then a giant wedgie for your trouble). Lisa loved it though. She said it was her favorite part of TL. I think she liked it because it felt like cheating death to risk such a dangerous drop.

Lunch for the four of us was just pocket change shy of $20 which is about $4 more than we would normally spend at a place like Arby's or Taco Bell (this is just for all you bean counters out there).

After lunch we did the shark reef - several times. I heard a CM say that there was Plexiglas separating the fish from the snorklers, but I think that was just meant as a joke for the timid snorklers in the crowd. One time at the starting ledge, I am sure that Kevin and I could have reached over and touched a very friendly stingray.

Grace loved the Ketchakiddie Creek play area and the small slides at the outer edges of the wave pool. Her favorite was the tube slide, as soon as she hit the bottom I would lift her out of the water and she would run back to the top. I noticed that there was a wonderfully cooperative attitude among the parents at these places. All the parents watched all the kids and made sure that they played fair and took turns.

We stayed at TL from 9:30 AM until 6:45 PM. My only regret is that we chose to spend the first night off site (Day's Inn Sea World, $73/night for you bean counters). Sure we saved about $60 over CBR, but it was a stressful drive to find the place and it broke the Disney mood to have to leave the property and deal with civilization. We also wasted a lot of time looking for the hotel and looking for dinner that we would have avoided had we been on site. I think time is a lot more important than money when you're at Disney. To me, it just wasn't worth the savings.

One final thing about TL that I appreciated more later in the week. They do a better job of handling problems with the magnetic ticket scanners than MGM or MK. When a family tried to use expired tickets to get in, a CM quickly came over, explained that the scanner read their tickets as expired, and directed them to the guest relations window (20 ft away) if they thought there was a mistake. This immediately cleared the way at the entrance gates, preventing a long back up in the line. I wish the other parks worked as smoothly.

Tuesday, July 8

Thanks to Brian and Deb, we used the early check in option at the CBR to get registered, purchase our tickets and catch the Disney bus over to the MK before it opened. We arrived at CBR at about 7:30 AM and did not have to wait in any lines. We took care of everything and were at the MK gates by 8:20.

Again Disney's attention to detail (this time at the CBR Customs House) was impressive. When you enter the Customs House there is a subtle scent of something like wild orchids and pina colladas that enhances the visual impression and makes you feel relaxed. We brought the whole family into the Customs House and (of course) CBR had plenty of things to keep the kids busy while I took care of business. We even had some difficulty convincing Grace to put down the toys so we could leave and catch the bus to the MK.

We paid for our hotel with the American Express card. I didn't know this in advance, but if you pay with this card you get a fanny pack and a cassette tape of Disney music as a free gift. Speaking of credit cards, Lisa and I are big fans of the way the hotel can code the room keys to double as credit cards. This was a huge convenience for us because Lisa and I could split up inside the parks without having to stop and figure out how to split up our cash. The hotel warned us that the card is not accepted everywhere (they say it's good only at major restaurants and gift shops), but we never had any problem using it. I think anyone with a cash register can take it.

So we spent the whole day today at MK. Kevin and I headed to Tomorrowland while Lisa and Grace headed for Fantasyland. I'm glad we decided to get there in time for the rope drop. The excitement of the music coming from the castle, the official Disney welcome over the loudspeakers and then that first rush toward the rides helped Kevin and I get fired up for a big day, starting with the very scary Extra Terrorestrial Alien Encounter. Kevin will tell you he wasn't scared, but when the lights went out and the alien was loose, I know I felt him reach over and touch my hand to make sure I was still nearby.

The only regret I have is that we didn't stop for our guest of honor badges before we began the day. I know everybody is a guest of honor, but I still think it would have been fun to wear that badge around all day. I know our family noticed when other people were wearing them. I liked seeing all the different years, and I was kind of proud that I could get a 1972 badge for myself (I was there before Space Mountain was even open, ya little whippersnappers). We got them on the way out but it's not the same.

My official opinion of the castle/cake is .....it could have been worse. It looks better in person than in pictures. I've been told that the "real" castle underneath is getting refurbished and reconditioned while the cake is covering it. That sure beats seeing a bunch of scaffolding all year. It's interesting that they use so many inflatable sections - very creative.

We took a fairly random approach to the rides which worked fine for us. I didn't want to overplan the time inside the parks and we felt more relaxed this way, not like we just had to get this and that accomplished by some deadline. The highlight of the day was certainly the Remember the Magic Parade. We stood near the beginning of the parade route by Splash Mountain. Grace sat on my shoulders and Kevin wiggled his way up to the ropes at the crosswalk. Grace is normally a shy girl, but you should have seen her shouting to the characters and waving and cheering. One of the greatest sounds in life must be the sound of your own children's laughter. I know that sound will ring in my ears for years to come.

Amazingly, when the parade stopped for audience participation Grace's favorite character (Snow White) was directly in front of us. We lifted her over the ropes and sent her out to dance with the other children, but she was too shy to join in. Snow White saw her standing alone and came right over to her for her own private encounter. Ahhhh....a little of the famous Disney magic. Tears all around for Lisa and I.

Kevin was a fountain of information on the characters, identifying the ones we didn't recognize and giving us the inside scoop on the proper greeting for each one. His favorite ride was the Jungle Cruise. He now knows what he wants to do with his life, he wants to be a smart alecky tour guide on the Jungle Cruise like our guide J.P. (short for "jungle person"). He also was very high on the Astro Orbiter, the nine year old's equivalent to the Flying Dumbos.

Grace's favorites (excluding the character tent) were probably the Lion King show, the Cinderella Carousel, and Goofy's Barnstormer. Actually she loved all of Toontown and all of Fantasyland. She also loved the characters, the parades, the shows, the lollipops, the gift shops, the french fries,... you get the idea. I think we've discovered the next Disneyholic in our family.

Lisa's favorite was probably the Hall of Presidents. It was an extremely impressive show. The animation (or whatever you call it) is amazingly lifelike. I had fun trying to identify the presidents before they were introduced. Try it yourself, it's pretty tricky. I'm not a big Bill Clinton fan but he has a great line in his speech about how "there is nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what is right about America". Wow, I agree. I started thinking about what each president might say if he had one line when he was introduced. Kennedy's "ask not what your country can do for you..."; Roosevelt's "speak softly and carry a big stick"; Nixon's "I am not a crook". Wouldn't that be great?

My favorites were Space Mountain (for the usual reasons) and the Haunted Mansion, which nobody in my family wanted to ride except me. Here's a classic ride that can take Disney veterans back to 1972 and also has incorporated ultra modern holographic imagery for the video game generation. Sure it's not really scary, but that was never the point. This is the key to the Disney allure. They don't do the "highest" or "fastest" or "steepest" anything - that kind of thinking is too one-dimensional for Disney. They excel at giving you the best comprehensive ride experience, beginning as you wait in line. They challenge all of your senses. (I almost gagged on the "dust" on the way into the mansion) You can make that ride ten times in a row and see (hear, smell) new things each time. This is the hallmark of quality.

When Grace fell asleep in the stroller around 5:00 we decided to head back to CBR for a break. Grace really doesn't use a stroller anymore, but from our experience with Kevin at the same age we knew that it would be essential while at the MK. We dug up an old umbrella stroller from the garage and threw it in the trunk for just this reason. If you're not planning to rent a stroller each day, the umbrella strollers seem much more convenient than the clunky Graco types, especially when you are trying to squeeze onto a crowded Disney bus or working your way through the cafeteria style restaurants.

I have read on radp and in the trip reports about people having their rental strollers "stolen". After our experience, I don't think this happens as often as people think. There were several times when we parked our stroller in front of a ride only to find it had disappeared when we returned. In fact, the stroller had not disappeared, it had just been relocated by some CM because it was in the way. We learned to look around the general area where we left our stroller if it seemed missing. Sure enough it was always somewhere nearby, just not exactly where we left it.

So we were on our way out of the park when I spotted Minnie Mouse near City Hall. Grace had been looking for her all day. Unfortunately Grace was now asleep. I took her over anyway and got in line. When Minnie saw me approaching with Grace she was very animated (this is daddy speaking here, but Grace is really adorable when she is asleep). We sat down next to her and Minnie gently rubbed Grace's cheek with her soft white hands. Grace woke up for about three seconds, saw Minnie, smiled and waved and fell right back to sleep. Minnie and I had a good laugh and then I took her picture sitting on the ground next to Grace in the stroller. Several hours later it dawned on Grace that this had happened and she started explaining the whole encounter to me (as if I had missed it). Ahhhh.

When we got back to CBR it started to rain so we ordered dinner off the room service menu and munched on snacks from the mini-bar. I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to tip the delivery woman since a gratuity is automatically added into the bill. I gave her $2 more since it was raining when she delivered our food. I hope that's about right. The dinner bill was about $31 for pizza, breadsticks and cheesecake.

I don't know why so many people on radp complain about the mini-bar. The prices were very reasonable and certainly lower than most other mini-bars I've seen. Almost everything except liquor was $1 which is what many hotel vending machines get for the same things. (By the way, the Daiquiris are very good, so is the Zinfandel) We did not pay the $5/day extra for a separate fridge and I don't think we would have saved any money if we did. You'd have to drink a lot of pop to make up for the $5/day you're paying for the fridge - and at that point all you've done is break even. Let's say I would have saved maybe ten bucks, best case. We spent about $500/day at this place (hotel, tickets, food and souvenirs) what's another $3/day, especially if we have saved the hassle of driving out to Publix?

Our only complaint was that the maid didn't restock the mini-bar after our first day. Maybe it was just too shocking to believe that anyone actually uses the mini-bar for its intended purpose. If I ever request membership into TDC, I hope the title "Defender of the Mini-Bar" is still available.

We returned to MK after dinner for Spectromagic and fireworks. There was a big delay at our bus stop because of some construction. When the bus finally arrived the CBR crowd was very polite and orderly, making sure that the people who had been waiting the longest got on the bus first. I guess Disney rubs off on people pretty quickly. On our way back later that evening we had to stand in the aisle. A very kind woman volunteered to let Grace sit on her lap the whole way back. She let Grace tell her all her MK stories. Wow.

When we got back to the MK we found a spot on the circle near the train station behind a foreign tour group. I was hesitant about this location, but Lisa always wants to give people the benefit of the doubt and not prejudge anybody. She was right of course. These teenage girls were wonderful. They were polite and well behaved, and when the parade started they insisted that Kevin move to a spot in front on the curb with them. I was very impressed. In general we thought the foreign tour groups were well behaved. It probably helps that Disney limits the size of each group to 25. In four days we did not have a single problem with the big groups and often saw better behavior than I would expect from American teenagers.

I was underwhelmed by Spectromagic, but then I'm not a Fantasia fan either. The beginning and the end were great, but the middle seemed a little slow and lethargic. Lisa and the kids enjoyed it though. The fireworks were much better. I especially liked the appearance of Tinkerbell (my personal favorite) at the start of the show. Just like the old Sunday evening TV show. And can someone explain to me how fireworks can explode in an asymmetrical pattern?

Here's a little CBR tip for anyone who gets a room in the Jamaica area: Jamaica is the last stop on the return route for the CBR busses. But Aruba is the first stop and Aruba is very close to most of the Jamaica buildings. We got off at Aruba each night and walked back to Jamaica instead of waiting.

Wednesday, July 9

Today we went to MGM. It was early entry day and we arrived around 8:45AM. I'm inclined to agree with those who think it's a bad idea to go to the early entry park. The main street was absolutely jammed when we got there. We spent a little time with the characters out in front of the gates before we went in and I'm glad we did. There seem to be fewer characters available inside MGM and the lines for them are quite long.

MGM was a great change of pace from the MK. We liked to get in line early for the shows so we could get good seats and enjoy the preshow too. We started at B&B. The pre-show singers, Four for a Dollar, made a memorable impression on Kevin. We were on the Boardwalk the next evening when Kevin saw two of them in their "civilian" clothes. He said "Look it's Two for Fifty Cents" and they all had a good laugh.

Here's a tip for young children at the MGM shows: We were carrying a shoulder bag with some rain ponchos, water bottles and other miscellaneous stuff in it. At each show I put the bag on my lap and then put Grace on the bag. This brought her up to my eye level and we never had to worry about whether her view was blocked.

I held Grace closely in my lap while we watched B&B. The combination of Grace's delight, Lisa and Kevin on either side, and the great show gave me a tremendous feeling of peace and contentment like I have rarely felt before. I felt this certainty that for this time everything in my world was perfect. I was so happy I cried.

There's a lot to like about the MGM shows. They have talented professional actors (these are Equity Actor's Union roles) and creative special effects. My favorites are the doves at B&B and the marionettes at HND. The waiting lines aren't as stressful as MK either. The best line scenery has to be at Muppetvision 3D. I was hoping the line would move slower so I could spend more time reading the phony movie posters. My family was also impressed that I could identify the "top secret experiment" behind the knothole wall. Amaze your friends with your wisdom - the experiment is actually a double check valve, backflow prevention assembly. It's a functioning part of the water system at MGM. (Trust me, that's more than you really need to know about backflow preventers.)

Kevin and I were killing some time in an arcade by Star Tours while Lisa and Grace were watching the Little Mermaid Show when we discovered the best video game we have ever played. We sat in two seats in front of a giant video screen and became the pilot (me) and the gunner (Kevin) on an X-wing fighter. We had to wipe out two invasions of Imperial storm troopers flying the dreaded tie fighters before we earned the chance to attack the Death Star canyon like Luke Skywalker and R2D2. Ultimately, the force was not with us. We got zapped before we could drop our torpedoes. But we live to fight another day. I think we had more success than the other players that day because by the time we were destroyed a good sized crowd of other dads and sons had gathered.

We had a great dinner at the Prime Time Cafe (about $60). Our waitress was hysterical. My wife (an only child until she was nine) loved being called "sis" and the kids liked hearing her call me BillyBob. The highlight of the dinner for us was when I got publicly scolded by the entire dining room for not keeping my elbows off the table. Grace called me "bad bad BillyBob" on and off for the rest of the night. During dessert Kevin squealed on me to the waitress for the same offense, hoping for another scolding. She thanked him kindly for the information and then went off and made him a pointy hat with "Tattletale" in big red letters on the front. There were even a few "Clean Plate Club" stickers passed out.

After dinner I went off to do ToT. We saw the elevator doors open up in the tower when we were standing in line for B&B and everyone chickened out of ToT except me. Again, this was Disney at its best. The complete package starting with the misty waiting line and playing tricks on all your senses. While I'm thinking about it, this idea about choosing the left side whenever the line split rarely ever worked for me throughout our entire stay. I think this "secret" may now be too well known to be useful.

On the way back to catch up with the family I stopped to look for a certain kind of souvenir I collect from places we visit. Our friends call it "the Kitsch Hall of Fame". It's just a collection of famous structures from different cities cast in plastic or tin. I was looking for an Earful Tower from MGM and I had both bad and then good service from the CMs. The first lady I asked simply said "we don't have them here". I moved one store down and asked again. "I don't have it, but I'll find it for you sir" was the next response. Five minutes later Disney made a sale ($13 for you bean counters), removing any doubt about why they are so successful.

We did a lot of our souvenir shopping today and, again thanks to Brian, we took advantage of the package delivery service. This saved us a lot of hassle with our packages because it's a pain to load and unload the stroller every time you stop for another ride or show. Also, we needed to have our hands free to take care of the kids. Everybody liked the matching tank tops and shorts. We got every character.

Our last stop of the day was at the Indiana Jones stunt show. This was a special treat for us because our friend Paul works on this show. We got the VIP line treatment. We just walked up when we were ready, gave them our name and walked right in. We sat in some reserved seats right in the front row. We were so close we could feel the heat of the explosions. Wow. We all loved it. Lisa and the kids liked the show while Paul and I talked about all the technical details. Trust me, you'd be amazed if you knew how some of this stuff works. All in all, I'd say the Indiana Jones Show was $40 million of Walt's money that was well spent, wouldn't you?

We headed back to the room around 9:00PM so we could enjoy the swimming pool and other amenities for a little while. When we got to the room we discovered that our maid had taken Grace's two favorite dolls from the table and sat them together on the bed. The TV remote was in their hands and they were watching the Disney Channel on TV. Grace was delighted that they weren't bored while we were gone, and Lisa and I were simply delighted about how these people go the extra mile to make sure you have a good time. Is it any wonder why people return so often? We changed and walked across the island to Centertown. The Old Port Royale pool is nice, but was way too crowded for us to enjoy at that time of the evening. We liked the quiet of the Jamaica pool much better.

You may have noticed that we did not take the highly recommended afternoon break at MGM. We would never attempt this at MK, but MGM seemed to have a slower pace and the kids were not showing any of the signs of being tired. I guess every parent has to make the decision independently. I did notice several cases of frayed nerves (parents and kids) every afternoon. I assumed these people did not have the luxury of taking a "time out" and felt sorry for them. We will never stay off site again.

Thursday, July 10

Our last full day at WDW. We returned to MK for the day because that's what we thought the kids wanted most. We returned to our favorite places and tried a few things we missed the first time around. We spent about an hour in the character tent waiting in all three lines for the Famous Faces, Mickey's Friends, and the Villains. Lisa had picked up an autograph book for the Grace on Tuesday and she really liked collecting autographs. We saw Snow White and with a little subtle help from me she "remembered" seeing Grace in the parade on Tuesday. Grace got an extra bonus because this time The Prince was with Snow White and she got his autograph also. We have a terrific picture of the three of them.

Grace was too scared to go very far into the Villains tent, but she really wanted their autographs so she asked Kevin to get them to sign her book while Grace and I kept a safe distance. I started to harass the Sheriff a little bit and when his line dwindled he headed straight for us. Grace hid behind my legs and we zigzagged through the tent trying to find safe places where the Sheriff and the Big Bad Wolf couldn't catch us. It was my favorite tent. Not too many kids are interested in the Villains so the lines (if any) are always short and the characters have a lot of extra time for that spontaneous kind of interaction. Donald Duck just does not have the time or the freedom to chase you and your kids around the tent. It helps if you know the storylines for their characters of course. We had been watching Robin Hood a lot lately, so I felt like I was up to speed.

Something interesting we noticed about the autographs was how artistic or thematic many of them were. Pluto adds a bone under his name. Many of the female characters add hearts. Aladdin's looks kind of Arabic with a shining star over the "I". The best one was Cinderella. It's hard to describe, but it has a lot of flowing circular lines. When she's done it kind of reminds you of her horses and carriage. I doubt we would have done the autograph book if we hadn't seen the idea promoted by Brian and Deb. I'm so glad we did. If it didn't seem so weird, I might have carried my own autograph book around (thank God we have kids). By the way, Grace had two Minnie's sign her book on two different days. Both signatures look about the same. They think of everything here don't they?

We walked right onto POTC in the middle of the day. Is this ride losing its appeal? None of us cared for it very much. Kevin was much more interested in the muskets in the gift shop than in the ride. We watched the noon show of Disneymania in front of Cinderella's castle. Next to the parades this is probably the best place to see a lot of characters at once and the crowds are much smaller. Grace and Kevin watched the show out in front with Lisa and I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the mosaic artwork inside the castle. This is actually a very good time for Castle viewing because tunnel traffic is blocked off during the show. Are some of the mosaic pieces really made of gold? It's hard to tell. I found a great replica of the castle in the gift shop. It opens on a hinge and inside is a white pumpkin carriage with Gus as the driver. It's actually a little too nice to put in my collection.

The kids picked up some last chance souvenirs (Tigger and Minnie plush dolls) then we picked up our GoH posters and headed out of the MK. I thought the mandatory attendance at the "sales pitch movie theater" was a little heavy handed, but everyone else was very excited about the new Animal Kingdom. Another 500 acres of theme park. Does Disney own all of central Florida?

We made a quick stop at CBR to rest and then headed over to the Boardwalk for dinner. There's free valet parking for any Disney hotel guest so it seemed more convenient to drive over than to try to make the right connections on the bus system. We ate at the Big River Grille (or River City Grille or something like that). We were disappointed because they have changed the menu since the dining guide was published so none of the special breads or sausages were available. We also had just terrible service from the staff (and this was probably the fanciest place we ate all week).They do have a good microbrew and the kids say they make the best macaroni and cheese at WDW. Still, there was no excuse for how inattentive and unhelpful the waitress had been. They certainly weren't understaffed. A few days later we had dinner near Atlanta (Folks Restaurant in Marietta - don't miss it!) and had a fantastic waiter. It was a good learning experience for Kevin as we pointed out the difference between good service and bad service and showed him how hard work is rewarded with a good tip.

After dinner at River City, Lisa and I wanted to drop the kids off at the Boardwalk child care center and go to Atlantic Dance for a few hours. We felt a little guilty about ditching the kids for a few hours, but when we saw the place Grace fell in love with it. She couldn't get rid of us fast enough. Unfortunately, we hadn't made an advance reservation and that was a big mistake. They couldn't take the kids so we had to skip Atlantic Dance (until next time). They offered to arrange for Fairy Godmothers, but then we would have had to return to CBR and wait for them. It probably could have been worked out, but it just seemed a little too complicated at the time. This is one thing we should have taken care of in advance.

We went back to Centertown at CBR for dessert. This was the only time we went into the food court. It's not my kind of place. It reminds me too much of an outlet shopping mall. We did get some delicious desserts though.

We decided that instead of child care we would make our own fun at our room. Our room in Jamaica faced a very intimate little courtyard with just a few umbrella tables and lots of greenery. It was also quiet because nobody is actually in their rooms until well after the parks close. We left Grace and Kevin in the room (they were ready for bed anyway) and sat out in the courtyard. Jamaica probably isn't the most convenient area at CBR, but if you want some peace and quiet you can't beat it. We raided the mini-bar for Zinfandel and Daiquiris and smoked a couple of fine cigars. While we were out, Lisa had secretly picked up a gift for me which she gave me that night. It was a ceramic Tinkerbell. What a woman (both of them)! Lisa and Tinkerbell have a lot of similarities. Both are small blondes with round features. They can get a little feisty, but they have hearts of gold. They always do the right thing in the end, and magic follows wherever they go.

Lisa was also our family's conscience this week. When we were leaving MGM on Wednesday I mentioned to her that since the ticket scanner had been jammed when we arrived, we got in without really "paying". Our tickets would still work if we tried to use them again. Lisa gave me this puzzled look and said, "Did you have a good time today? Didn't Disney earn their money here?" How can you argue with that? She was so right. I was embarrassed that the thought even crossed my mind. We threw the tickets away.

We talked for several hours in the Jamaica courtyard. Most of it was about the things we had seen or the places we wanted to try the next time we return. We loved CBR, but Lisa wants to try GF while I would really like to stay at WL some time. We both want to see Epcot and spend more time on the Boardwalk. Those family bikes look like a lot of fun. We ended the evening with our nightly ritual, we told each other what our "most endearing quality" had been that day. It was hard to narrow it down to just one thing.

Friday, July 11

Check out is at 11:00 AM and we waited until 10:59 and 30 seconds before we left. The maids invaded our room within the next minute. We took some time this morning to enjoy the amenities at CBR. It made me realize that you can have a great time at CBR without even going into the theme parks. Next trip we're going to plan at least one day with nothing on the agenda, just so we can enjoy the hotel. It's amazing how easily we can come up with a long list of things we want to do next time. Water sprites, Fantasia mini-golf, horseback riding, real golf, monorail rides, ... the list is never ending.

Reluctantly we said good-bye to DisneyWorld and headed north toward home.

Summary

If I had to give only one piece of advice to people thinking about going to WDW I would tell them to save up enough money so that it's not an issue while you're there. Sure things are a little more expensive here than back home, but that shouldn't be a surprise. And it's worth every penny. I have read a lot of advice about doing Disney on a "shoestring", and we have done Disney on a shoestring before. My advice would be - don't come to Disney on a shoestring. Wait until you have more money. We are a very middle income family with a stay at home mom, so it's not like we don't understand. I understand pretty well and I believe that it is an entirely different experience when you can immerse yourself in the Disney atmosphere.

We had a budget, and I did count up our costs each evening, but it was a fat budget with a lot of margin for error. One of the best parts of the trip for me was being able to say "yes" to requests from the children for souvenirs and to reassure Lisa that she could just head off with the credit card and have a good time. We had extra freedom to relax and do what we really wanted to do because I knew that money was not an issue.

Now, since I don't have to limit myself to one piece of advice, here are my other great thoughts for your consideration:

Absolutely, definitely, unquestionably stay at an on-site Disney hotel, and don't go off site for anything after you check in.
At the MK, children really benefit from a midday break. MGM was different for us because it seems to be a little slower paced. We didn't take a break and it worked out fine.
Forget about lugging around a bunch of food and WalMart colas, worrying about how they're going to keep cold. USE THE MINI-BAR FOR GOODNESS SAKES!! It's not going to turn you into a bunch of panhandlers.
Take time to enjoy your hotel. We wish we would have been able to spend more time there.
Don't be reluctant to use the child care. Your kids will love it and you deserve a little time alone to enjoy some of the romantic aspects of WDW.
There is nothing wrong with foreign tour groups that can't be fixed by what is right about them (to paraphrase President Clinton). Approach everyone with an open mind.
You will regret wasting time far more than you will regret wasting money. Don't go out of your way for the sake of saving a few bucks.
Write a trip report, not just for the electronic masses but to preserve the great memories for you and your family. You took pictures didn't you? How about a word picture?
Gregory Casimer

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