Trip Reports

Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: PO
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Infant/Toddler, Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, Infrequent, Rookie
Comments: Marilyn wrote a wonderful summary-style report that may be particularly helpful for families with toddlers and/or preschoolers. The report covers a lot of details on the attractions, restaurants, and so on.

Who: Gulliksen family - Marilyn (me), Greg, Andrew (4 1/2), and Steven (2 1/2)

When: May 1 thru May 16, 1997

Where: Walt Disney World - Port Orleans - Standard Room

How: Western Pacific (WestPac) Airlines

Why: Last family vacation was August 1993 to Southern California. Andrew was 13 months old. I really needed this vacation.

GoH: Marilyn - 76, 78, 83, 85, 88, 89, 91 Greg - 91

First time for Andrew and Steven.

Audience - This series of trip reports is probably most appropriate for families with toddlers and/or preschoolers.

This was the first time flying for Steven. Andrew didn't remember his last time flying. Prior to the trip Andrew was concerned about flying but we worked thru his various worries (for example, plane would be too noisy, how it would land, what if someone opened the window).

Both kids did just great. The flights were uneventful. Steven slept going to Orlando and Andrew slept on the way home. We took two strollers with baskets underneath and gate checked them. WestPac is a no frills airline so we took our own snacks. (Steven's favorite book is now an airplane book that belongs to his brother.)

We used Florida Towncar for transportation between the airport and Port Orleans. We made a side stop at Goodings for drinks and snacks. Our driver was Ken. The service was prompt. Driving was much safer than the Disney buses. Ken even made sure the kids were buckled in. (We brought our own car seat.)

Rather than give a day by day accounting of where we went and what we did, I'll give a park by park review along with other subjects (dining, hotel, etc.)

Port Orleans. We were in building 1 on the first floor. The prices were raised 25% when WDW combined two of the room categories. When I called them I was told that I might get a better view. No luck, the view was still of the parking lot. We had no problems with noise except that our kids probably annoyed other people - we are sorry. Cleaning was average. We didn't have one of those fantastic maids who nicely arranges stuffed animals and toys for the kids. Steven had a sinus infection about a month before the trip. Unfortunately, it started up again the day prior to the trip. Luckily, the doctor had given me some samples of antibiotics. The medication needed refrigeration, so we had to fork over $5.00 a day for a refrigerator. Greg wasn't able to find an ice chest at Goodings.

SET FLAME ON

The refrigerator rental is really a rip off. We purchased a styrofoam ice chest after several days for about $5 and kept things cool with ice from Disney's ice machine. If we had to use the refrigerator for the entire stay, it would have cost us $75. Disney is making a bundle on this. The bad part is we threw away the ice chest at the end of the stay. We did put it in the recycle trash can but it seems like a waste of resources. I wonder how the serious environmentalists feel about this.

As an alternative, Disney could sell ice chests and set up a mechanism for reusing them. An idea I like even better is to charge a flat rate for renting refrigerator (for example, $20 and prorated for less than 4 days). At the rates they charge, the refrigerator should be included.

SET FLAME OFF

We liked staying at the Port Orleans but also want to try other resorts. Another change since the last time we were at WDW is that they are no longer putting little shampoo bottles and lots of bars of soap in the rooms. Instead there is a liquid soap dispenser by the bathtub. Each day we were given 1 bar of soap by the sinks.

Disney bus service was good. Most of the time the bus arrived timely. The only time waiting was lengthy was in the middle of the day. There is an "internal" bus which runs from 4 p.m. thru midnight between Port Orleans, Dixie Landings, and Ft. Wilderness parking lot. This is great for Hoop- Dee-Doo attendance. BTW, the internal bus wasn't listed on the transportation schedule.

Since Steven still needs a nap and Andrew takes one at daycare and preschool, we planned to take nap breaks on most of the days. The biggest disadvantage to this is that our kids were taking 2 hour naps. When this is added to transportation, wind down time, and wake up time, we would lose about 4 hours in the afternoon. Greg likes taking breaks but doesn't recommend taking kids who are still taking long naps.

Our schedule was basically to let the kids sleep to their normal wakeup time which was between 7 and 8 a.m. (Yes, in Colorado they wake up between 5 and 6.) Greg was up first and showered. He would go to the food court and bring breakfast back. If the kids were asleep, I would shower while he was out. We normally were headed for the parks between 8:45 and 9:15. We would eat at around 1 p.m. at a nice restaurant and head back to the hotel for naps. Usually, we were back in the parks by 6 p.m.

Evenings were spent either at the Magic Kingdom (9:30 closing most of the time) or Epcot (9:00 closing time). The Studios closed a 7 p.m. so we only went there once in the late afternoon.

We never did early opening. (The plan was to follow the kids schedule and getting up early didn't fit in the plan.) We always went to a park which did NOT have early opening scheduled for that day.

Our kids have watched the Disney park videos for years. This includes the videos from the parks and the sing-a-longs which are filmed at the parks.

We were extremely lucky. They didn't scream and cry when the attractions were scary. At only one attraction (Honey, I Shrunk the Audience) did Andrew ask to leave. Luckily, the scene was over quickly so we saw the entire show.

I'm not sure our kids were character crazy. They liked giving them hugs and squeezing noses and pulling tails. The second two were cause for scoldings from Mom & Dad. I think they preferred the rides just as much if not more.

Andrew hated standing in line. Several times he asked to stay in the hotel room and play. I really think they needed more time just to run around and play. But we didn't consider it because we lost so much time for naps. Maybe we should have only taken 1 stroller. Then the boys would have had to switch between walking and riding.

I was also extremely disappointed in the souvenirs. It may be partly because I have access to two Disney stores. The quality of the t-shirts didn't seem as good at WDW than at the Disney stores. Within a week after I returned, I was back at the Disney store purchasing some items. I had waited until after the trip because I hoped WDW would have something better.

Greg woke up early to see the shuttle take off. It wasn't too spectacular from WDW but he's glad he saw it.

We walked over to the Broadwalk one day. We weren't too impressed with the architecture. I liked the Beach and Yacht Clubs better.

We saw several tour groups with flags but had no problems with them. The only problem with other guests we had was right before the parade at the Magic Kingdom (see mk report for details).

We rented a car for three days. The process to pick up a car and return it was efficient. I was back at the hotel in less than 1 hour both times. We used the car to spend a day at Daytona and another at Sea World. We also stopped at the store for more juice boxes and cans of pop and an ice chest.

One day (at naptime) I took the boat to the Marketplace. The driver was great. He was talking about all the new construction that was being done by private companies. (Apparently, he doesn't consider Disney construction private.) He said that if Disney were doing the construction, it would have been completed a year ago. He also said that we wouldn't have been able to see the construction because it would have been blocked from our view.

I was disappointed in the Marketplace. It might have been the mood I was in and the lack of finding anything I really liked.

The parade times are inconvenient for kids who are still taking afternoon naps.

Our brick is located close to the Polynesian Resort. It's behind Luau Cove toward the Grand Floridian. I have a good picture of it.

We liked sitting in the back row. The kids & Greg could stand up. Greg did videotaping and the kids could see over everyone's head.

The politically correct changes didn't bother me.

And now to the parks!

Magic Kingdom

It took several days before I even wanted to take a picture of the castle cake. I'm very glad that it is temporary. The last week of our stay a crane was behind the castle in Fantasyland. Some of the candles were deflated. I was secretly hoping that they were removing the decorations. It appears as if they are just fixing things up. Later in the week, the cranes were working on other parts of the castle. The candles which were previously deflated were now inflated. Also, the water was drained in front of the castle so that a crane could be placed on the west side of the castle.

Main Street

We rode the horse drawn trolley. The kids just had to do on it the first time we saw it. It's in the videos and in a book Meet Me in the Magic Kingdom. This is a nice way to get down Main Street.

Steven is really into trains. We rode the railroad all the way around once. Another time we used it for transportation between Toontown Fair and Frontierland.

We skipped the cinema - no interest for mom & dad this trip.

Picked up GoH badges & posters. Managed to get a couple extras for other folks.

Adventureland

Jungle Cruise - Rode it twice. Greg finally got a good skipper the second time for our video.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Rode it twice also. The kids really liked the Pirates.

Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse - The kids ran thru this one.

Neither Greg or I had a desire to do the Tiki Birds so we skipped it. (I wish they would have updated it to use some of the current birds.)

Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Greg and I did child swap. Andrew was tall enough to go but didn't want to. I entered the exit after Greg rode. Btw, I walked up the exit as if I belonged. I was asked quite politely, if I needed any assistance. When I said "child swap", I received a "go ahead". The amusing part was the difference in the tone of voice. The question had a tone of politely thinking I didn't belong there. The statement was more of a "oh okay".

Also, Briann, JD, and George were filming Inside Out at BTMRR on May 16. Bummer! I just canceled my Disney Channel subscription.

Country Bear Jamboree was the favorite MK ride/show for both Andrew and Steven. We saw it at least 4 times. Greg prefers the Vacation Hoedown.

Splash Mtn was another child swap. While waiting for it, I discovered the penny presses. I could sure get addicted to pressing pennies. Greg waited less than 5 minutes for this ride.

Tom Sawyer Island was great especially the rifles in the fort. Andrew was a little scared of the barrel bridge but did go on it again. Steven's short legs made it hard to navigate but he still had fun.

Liberty Square

Diamond Horseshoe Revue - skipped.

Hall of Presidents. Andrew had been asking to go to this show but by the end of the show he was ready to leave. He doesn't watch the sing-a-long's all the way thru so I'm not surprised. He has a shorter attention span Steven. Greg didn't like the new narrator (sorry I forgot her name). He would prefer a deeper voice like James Earl Jones. This show isn't the best for younger kids. Btw, don't take videos from the middle of the back row. Ours was accidentally on and we got a lot of projector noise.

Haunted Mansion was okay. Neither boy wanted to go again but they weren't acting scared either. It was darker than I remembered (maybe I was worried about the kids' reaction). This one also seemed darker than the Disneyland version.

The Keelboats and Riverboat were fun. I forgot to look for the characters on the riverboat so we missed them.

Fantasyland

Carrousel - had to do it twice. Steven liked riding the horses.

Dumbo - we did it once. When requested again, we answered "No, the line is too long." This was our first ride in the Magic Kingdom. The wait was 30 minutes. Our longest wait and we did it early in the morning.

It's a Small World - twice. The second time the line was short. Steven was singing along by the end of the ride.

Mad Tea Party was a hit. Both boys had ridden a similar ride at a local amusement park last year. Rode it twice.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - Steven drove like Mr. Toad.

Peter Pan's Flight - rode it twice. Peter Pan is now a favorite movie especially for Steven. Andrew prefers the sing-a-long.

Legend of Lion King - caught an early show and happened to enter just prior to the pre-show starting. It's so hard for the little ones to see when standing up and in the back. We thought Andrew might be scared but he was fine. The videotape shows the cast members which we didn't notice while watching the show.

Skyway - Rode it both ways. We were lucky enough to be in line when the fireworks started. It took longer than I would have liked to get thru the line and into the car. But the fireworks lasted to just before the exit. Great! Another day the skyway was down. It appeared as if they were doing maintenance to the cables. On our last day it was running again.

Snow White's Adventures - Andrew's first favorite Disney movie. We managed to do this one twice.

Ariel's Grotto - Greg and I stood in line and let the kids play in the fountains here. They had so much fun in the water. If it's not really hot, take spare clothes for the kids.

We also caught the characters in the 20,000 leagues waiting area.

Toontown Fair

This has improved a lot but still is not as good as Toontown in Disneyland.

Donald's Boat, Mickey's Country House, & Minnie's Country House. Everyone seemed to congregate in Minnie's kitchen.

Barnstormer. Steven rode once with dad and once with mom. Andrew didn't want to go.

We went thru the villain and princess lines at the hall of fame. They called the princess line something else but I can't remember what. The title was appropriate for Mary Poppins and Bert who were there at the time.

Tomorrowland

Astor Orbiter - Andrew kept asking to go. The boys liked it enough to even want to do it again.

Take Flight - Steven liked the planes. Once a trip is enough for us.

Alien Encounter - skipped

Speedway - twice. Once was in the evening and was pretty much walk on.

Space Mtn - skipped. I would have liked to see the Fed Ex changes tho.

Timekeeper - I must agree that taking little ones to the circle vision movies isn't wise. We enjoyed the show in between watching & chasing the kids.

Carousel of Progress - Changes are okay. We enjoyed the updates at the end of the show. Andrew liked going around the stages.

Transit Authority - I think this is a nice break. Greg liked the old Disneyland version better (but alas, it's gone).

SpectroMagic

This parade was better this trip. Greg & I had seen it when it first started. The music was really bad then. Everything made alot more sense this trip. I still miss the Electric Light Parade but this one is good also.

Remember the Magic Parade

Thanks for letting us know about kids needing stickers to participate. We staked out a spot early - more than an hour. We picked the spot by the planters outside the Hall of Presidents. We could sit down while we waited and use the strollers to set the boundaries. Using the older floats brings back memories.

About a 1/2 hour prior to the show, I noticed cast members handing out stickers on either side of us. However, neither one was moving our direction. So I grabbed Andrew and went to ask. We were given stickers for the Aladdin float for my two boys. I also obtained a Mickey Mouse sticker for the girl waiting beside us. Apparently, we were at the edge of where the floats would stop.

A while later the cast members came to show the kids what to do. I went out with Andrew and Steven. While I was gone, a group of people came and butted into our space. Apparently, they were handing people over the bushes. Also, a group of people butted in beside the family waiting with us. The people coming over the bushes were pretending to not understand the language. They also claimed someone had been waiting. I gave them a piece of my mind. Really, there was plenty of space I was just irritated at the rudeness.

Now back to family #2. They were bad enough that they were blocking the view of the kids in strollers. The parade started - the Mickey Mouse float stopped by front of us. The kids came out and cast members started selecting them to dance with. The kids in family #2 went out but none of them were selected. So they came back disappointed. I explained that they needed stickers (probably with a rude tone of voice).

Two floats went by and Aladdin stopped in front of us. Steven had fallen asleep prior to the parade starting. He slept all the way thru it. Andrew went out. He was a little slow following along. The cast members were great. They watched all of the kids to make sure they were participating in "Aladdin says". They also made sure the kids were headed back prior to starting again.

I really enjoyed it. I would like a longer parade but who doesn't.

Epcot

Epcot is Greg's and my favorite park. I really liked seeing the extra topiaries. I would have liked to have more time to check out the flowers and topiaries. The Kids Zone in the World Showcase were great. Andrew and Steven both like doing arts & crafts.

We purchased passports for the kids. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the translations in the comments section.

Future World

Spaceship Earth - Andrew had decided that he wanted to go on the big golf ball first. It was both boys favorite ride at Epcot. Since this was our first ride, I remembered to get comments. Andrew liked the "guy painting the ceiling" and Steven saw "lots of guys." I liked the new ending but do miss Walter Cronkite narrating. We rode this at least 5 times. I lost count of the number of times.

Horizons - I'm finally starting to appreciate this ride. Too bad it's going to be closed. We had two votes for the sea adventure and two votes for the space adventure. The sea adventure won which happened to be the first two seats. They also voted last.

Wonders of Life - We only did Cranium Command. It's one of Greg's favorites. Another trip and we'll do more here.

Universe of Energy - I liked the new show. The kids decided it was too noisy. Greg and I think it is unnecessarily too loud.

Innoventions - we didn't do much here because the kids would start running around. I did get a chance to send some e-mail. Next time we'll do more

Living Seas - Kids enjoyed watching the fish.

Land - Circle of Life movie is much better. Food rocks could use some improvement. I liked the music but not the animontrics. Living with the Land - I'm neutral on the changes.

Journey into Imagination - the ride had too many dark and gloomy scenes together so Andrew thought it was scary. Both boys loved the Image works - the pin tables and music floor were a big hit. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was the worse ride of the trip. It's the only one where Andrew asked to leave. Luckily, the snake left right away so we could stay for the entire show. The mice didn't bother the boys because their legs are too short.

World Showcase

Our kids liked playing in the fountains between Future World and World Showcase. One morning they played there for at least 15 minutes. I enjoyed watching the people walk by. Andrew was stepping on the fountains which caused the water to squirt in different directions. Luckily, most of the time the direction was away from the people. An older gentleman and a couple stopped and watched the kids for quite awhile.

El Rio del Tiempo - enjoyed it.

Maelstrom - Andrew had been worried about the trolls. He enjoyed the ride because the trolls were farther away than in the video.

Wonders of China - Boys weren't interested even though the movie is good.

Trains at Germany - Steven loves trains. We had to drag him away. Snow White remembered Steven from an earlier character greeting. It sure is special when a character remembers a child's name.

American Adventure - One of Greg's favorite. It doesn't video well. Maybe that's why they tell you not to video it.

Impressions de France - the hot air balloons were a big hit.

O Canada! - The Canadian Mounties were popular with the boys.

Illuminations 25 - This is a big disappointment. Bring back the old show. I hope the updated version is better.

Studios

We spent the least amount of time here. The shorter hours were partially the reason.

Beauty and the Beast - I liked the Disneyland version better

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - I was leery of trying this one but did. I'm glad I did. I was expecting the elevator ride prior to the drop to be longer. Greg's hat was on the floor on top of his feet. Then it was up at his knees. It'll be nice when the boys are older and we can go together. I want a picture of the family on this one.

Magic of Disney Animation - I had to leave with Steven because he was just running around. Greg said Andrew didn't like the movie at the end with the sad or scary clips of movies.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid - Great I loved it. Steven looked a little scared when it rained.

Making of Evita & backstage pass - we skipped.

Backlot Tour - I do like Catastrophe Canyon. Greg went one time during naps and videotaped the show. Andrew liked seeing how things are done.

American film Institute - I liked looking at the exhibits. Greg left with the kids.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids - I watched the exit so the kids could just run around. It is easy to lose the kids here. They had a good time playing and climbing.

Hunchback of Notre Dame - I really enjoyed this also. Andrew liked the bells. Mostly, he wanted to go play in the rain with his umbrella.

Muppet*Vision - the best. I loved watching my kids reach for the objects.

Toy Story Parade - this is one of the kid's favorite movie. They loved the parade and they liked seeing Buzz and Woody at the Pizza Planet. Take your flash if you want to take photographs in Pizza Planet. Don't be in a hurry to leave the park when the parade is over. We happened to be leaving twice afterwards (naptime - and both times Steven fell asleep before we got back to the hotel). The walk is slow and crowded.

Star Tours - I was amazed when the cast member said that Steven could ride if he would sit in a seat by himself. We all got to go. The boys didn't want to do it again tho. Greg went twice while the kids were napping. This is my favorite of the ride simulators.

Indiana Jones - Good as always. Andrew had more fun watching the crew move the set pieces. He really wanted to see the truck tipped back over. So we waited after the show. Unfortunately, they moved the larger set pieces in front of the truck while it was still upside down.

SuperStar TV - I was picked to play Ethel Mertz I loved it. Greg video taped my scene. I liked watching the audience pans and seeing the people with video cameras when "no taping" is permitted.

Great Movie Ride - We had the gangster scene this time. The boys did okay even thru the alien scene.

Restaurants, Swimming, & Characters

Hoop Dee Doo reservations were made in advance - approx 1 1/2 years.

Character breakfast priority seatings for 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian and Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom were each made exactly 60 days in advance. For a party of 4, I received the times I requested.

We wanted some flexibility because we didn't know how things would work out so we did not make any other advance priority seatings. We called Disney dining from our room either the day before or on the day we wanted to eat at a restaurant. Only once did we have to pick a alternate place. In general we were given times that were close to when we wanted to dine.

In general we liked the family style restaurants. I think the entire reservation process is much better now.

I didn't include reviews for the fast food restaurants or food carts. In anyone is interested in the prices, I still have the receipts. We liked the Sassagoula Food Factory. The kids especially liked getting snacks there at the end of the day. Steven wanted pizza every night. I liked the brownie sundaes. Greg and I ordered kids meals when we needed to eat but weren't very hungry.

Restaurant ratings are

1 - Definitely we'll go everytime we are at WDW

2 - Like to go everytime we are at WDW

3 - Would return but will try a different meal

4 - If someone new in the group wants to go

5 - If we hear the menu changes

Whispering Canyon - Wilderness Lodge - Dinner - Bootleg was great. Andrew had spilled his root beer. Bootleg got a rag and made him clean up the floor. (I think this may have been more of a reward for Andrew instead of a punishment. It helped pass the time for Andrew who was not on good behavior here.) Rating - 1

Teppanyaki Dining - Japan - Epcot - lunch. The kids liked watching the meal cooked for them. We ordered a child's plate to be split between the two boys. Rating - 2

Beaches N Cream - Beach Club - dinner - One of my favorite places to go. I didn't get to go here as much as I would have liked. Rating - 1

Fireworks Factory - Pleasure Island - Greg went for a drink & nachos late at night. It's one of his favorites. Rating - 2

1900 Park Fare - Grand Floridian - Breakfast on Mother's Day - I think the food selection was the best for the character breakfasts. Rating - 2

O'hana - Polynesian - Dinner. We weren't thrilled about the food. The service was good. The coconut races and hula hula hoops were fun. We won't go back unless we hear the food has changed. Rating - 5

Rainforest Cafe- Marketplace - dinner. We enjoyed this. Andrew was a little scared at first but by the end of the meal he was fine. Rating - 2

Cinderella's Castle - Magic Kingdom - breakfast. Just okay. The characters were really good. The food wasn't as good as 1900 Park Fare & our waitperson wasn't the best. We might try another meal there to see the characters. Rating - 3

Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - lunch. Characters were good. I didn't care much for the food. If I go back it'll be to go to breakfast. Rating - 3

Coral Reef - Epcot - lunch. The kids were really rowdy here which was probably a reflection of their mood and not the place. Rating - 1

San Angel Inn - Mexico - Epcot - dinner. I love the atmosphere. The kids were good and ate good here. Rating - 2

Alfredo's - Italy - Epcot - lunch. We didn't care for menu selection. I prefer Olive Garden. Rating - 4

Sci Fi - Studios - lunch. We like this place. The service was slow which has always been our experience. The food was okay but the atmosphere was great. Our kids weren't good again. We'll try it again the next trip. Every hour a family (or table may be more appropriate) is chosen to receive a small 25th anniversary cake. We were chosen to receive the hourly birthday cake. It was a pleasant surprise. Rating - 1

Hoop Dee Doo Revue - Ft. Wilderness - Dinner (5 p.m. show). This is a must see in my book. We rode the Internal bus to the Ft. Wilderness parking lot. Then we took another bus to Pioneer Hall. Since we were early, we looked at the animals. The kids even fed the goats and sheep. Well, Andrew didn't feed the sheep. He felt much safer feeding the goats because there was a fence between him and the goats. Rating 1 +++++++++++.

There have been lots of reviews about the food - some good and some bad. We enjoy this place. It turned out to be the highlight of my vacation. The kids ate well. They ate most of the chicken themselves while Greg and I ate the ribs. Andrew was looking for corn on the cob but we didn't get the cob.

I had originally made reservations for 6 for this show. We were trying to get relatives or friends to go with us. When I knew it would be just 4, I called to change the reservation. I was told that there wasn't a way to change it. I would have to cancel and rebook. So I left everything the same figuring I'd take care of it when I got to WDW. I went to get the tickets and discovered that it wasn't so easy to get it changed. I'd like to thank Jamie and Nicola for their efforts in getting things changed. They had to call the Pioneer Hall. Sounds easy but they couldn't get connected. They ended up using a different phone on a different phone system to get thru. The waiting was worth it - we still had front row seats. (Really I think second row would have been better.)

The strawberry shortcake came. One of the players sat down by our table and asked Andrew if he wanted to come up on stage and be in the show. I nearly passed out when he said yes. Luckily, Greg brought the videocamera. Andrew played the cowboy (Texas ranger) who shoots the Mexican army. He asked several times during the trip if we could do Hoop Dee Doo again.

Afterwards, a boy came up and told Andrew he was really good. He wanted to know if Andrew was part of the cast. No, it was Andrew's first time at the show. We used the boats to go to the Magic Kingdom afterwards.

Typhoon Lagoon

We also spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon. Greg likes to swim but I'm not overly fond of it. We spent most of the day in Ketchakiddie Creek. The kids had a great time there. I drifted around Castaway Creek twice. (I could do this all day.) Greg did shark reef while I was still there. Around 2 p.m. I left with the kids for naptime. Greg stayed and did the slides and wave pool. Steven fell asleep on the bus. Andrew helped carry some of the stuff for me and was glad to get to the room to put it down. I was also glad to get to the room. Sleeping 2 1/2 year olds can get heavy especially when carrying wet towels and swimsuits.

Greg went on Humunga Kowabunga 4 times - just walked on. He also saw filming for Inside Out with J.D.

Port Orleans Swimming Pool

The kids loved the pool. Greg took the boys down the slide with him a few times. Then he discovered the lifevests. Neither boy knows how to swim. Andrew isn't fond of getting his face wet. So he went down the slide once with Daddy catching him at the bottom. That was enough. Now Steven absolutely loved it and he has tubes in his ears and hates ear plugs.

Both boys loved playing with the fountains both here and at the parks. Andrew kept squirting me so I dropped him in the pool. (He was wearing a life vest.) He decided to listen after that.

Characters - who & where

Our kids liked seeing the characters but I think they liked the rides better. We didn't spend that much time at the Studios so the list there isn't even close to being complete. The lines for the characters at the Studios were generally long. Here's where we saw the characters.

20,000 Leagues area - Tigger, Eeyore, Pooh, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Minnie Mouse, Dopey

Pizza Planet - Buzz & Woody (take your flash)

Character Discovery (Epcot) - Beauty & the Beast, Snow White, Aladdin & Jasmine, Mickey Mouse, Tigger, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Roger Rabbit

1900 Park Fare - White Rabbit (lobby), Mary Poppins, Alice, Pluto, Minnie Mouse

Villain line - Maleficient, Jafar, Prince John (who had my kids suck their thumb for the picture)

Cinderella's castle - Fairy Godmother (lobby), Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Peter Pan

Princess line - Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Mary Poppins & Bert

Adventureland - Baloo, Rakiti, Aladdin & Genie, (Jasmine was scheduled for later)

Splash Mtn. - Brer Bear & Brer Fox

Crystal Palace - Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore

Studios - Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Jafar, Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, Sheriff of Nottingham.

Epcot - Mexico - Donald Duck

Magic Kingdom - Ariel in her Grotto and Mickey Mouse in his Studio

Marilyn I. Gulliksen

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