Trip Reports

Hi, Brian.

First of all, I'd like to commend you for designing such a great, informative site.

My family and I took our first trip to Disney World in March 1995. We didn't do much planning in terms of day-to-day activities. Although we had a wonderful time, I think we would have enjoyed ourselves even more with a little more planning. So for this trip, I bought the requisite guide books ("The Unofficial Guide . . " and Birnbaum's) and scoured the Internet almost daily the three months prior to our trip. Your site is a godsend and I enjoyed reading and gleaning information from the trip reports. The message boards also helped a lot.

Here is my two cents worth on our trip. Feel free to share it. Participants are myself (Grace, age 38), my son (Alan, age 6), my sister (Rhoda, age 34), and her two sons (John, age 9, and Andy, who turned 7 on our trip). Trip duration was 10 days/ 9 nights, four nights off property and five nights at the Treehouse Villas at Disney Institute ($199 plus tax/night, annual pass rate, room only, through WDW 800 reservation #). However, we didn't participate in any Institute programs.

Day of departure - This day drrrragged by, just like the previous week did. Our direct red-eye flight wouldn't leave until 11:30 pm. We spent part of the day packing, most of it impatiently waiting. I told the kids not to take naps and to keep active. I wanted them asleep on the plane. They were pretty high on the anticipated trip. They chattered away in the car on the way to the airport, but once they were on the plane, they were in Z-land. I don't sleep well on planes, and this trip was no different, no matter how hard I tried.

Day 1 - Arrived at MCO at about 9:45 am. Maybe the red-eye flight wasn't such a bad idea. There weren't the hordes of people I expected to see. Getting our luggage was easy and the (on-site) Dollar Rent-a-Car line had only two people in it. [We needed a car off property and planned to keep it our entire stay for two reasons: 1) Keeping the car cost only a tiny bit more than returning it prior to our Disney stay and paying for a shuttle to the airport (hope that made sense), and 2) I read mixed reactions about bus service at the Institute and I wasn't big on bus transfers if we wanted to go someplace other than the parks.]

It was almost lunch time by the time we left the airport, and since we didn't make it to "the biggest McDonald's in the world" our last trip, we headed there for lunch. They serve pizza in addition to the usual McDonald's fare. There's an ice cream and dessert counter, too. We probably spent more for game tokens than for our lunch ($23.74 incl. tax for the five of us). There's also a huge play structure.

Lack of sleep was really getting to me. Fortunately, we were able to enter our room about 2:00 pm. (Our first four nights were at the Villas at Somerset, located on Poinciana just a stone's throw from 192 in Kissimmee. The condo was spacious, 3 br/2 ba, fully-equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, huge living/dining room combo, 2 TVs and a VCR, community pool, $95 plus tax per night. I'm sure cheaper ones abound, but we were happy with this unit and it was centrally located.)

We all took much-needed naps.

Later, the kids wanted to eat dinner at Denny's (kids' needs are so simple, thank goodness), which we did ($38.15 incl. tax and $5 tip). After that, we headed over to the Wal-Mart Super Center in Kissimmee to stock up on food, water, laundry soap, toilet paper, etc. We all had a great night's sleep that night.

Day 2 - We ate a light breakfast and light lunch in the condo since we had a dinner Priority Seating at Ohana at the Polynesian. Since this was our second time here, we didn't have any non-Disney activities planned except for Universal Studios, so we acclimated ourselves to the weather and spent the day by and in the pool.

I also went to the local AAA office for discount Universal tickets. I don't know that it was worth the drive, but the AAA prices were $36.13/adult, $29.05/child, tax include.

We arrived at the Polynesian before 5:00 pm and valet parked the car. We got there early, hoping we could buy our passes at the hotel since we were going to the Magic Kingdom that night. One of the CMs there said that that (buying passes there) wasn't possible and was extremely apologetic about it, telling us to hop the monorail after dinner and buy them at the TTC.

Our priority seating was for 5:30, but we were seated at Ohana when it opened at 5:00. We were all addressed as "cousins" and given a little tour of the restaurant before we were seated. I asked our server what the long Hawaiian name on her badge meant, and she said, "Sonya." She is from a country in South America, I forget which one, and was a great server. I don't think anyone really eats their money's worth at all-you-can-eat restaurants, but they really try to get you to do that here. We started off with bread, salad, egg rolls, and pot stickers with a variety of dipping sauces. There might have been more which I've forgotten now. If you plan to eat here, do not -- I repeat, DO NOT get full on the appetizers. Sonya next brought us a huge wok-like pan with a heap of white rice (they called it sticky rice) shaped like a volcano in the middle of it, surrounded by grilled goodies (vegetables, chicken, salmon, turkey, fish, beef -- yes, all of that). She next piled on huge grilled prawns. I'm not big on sauces (although I did like the ones offered), so this was my kind of food. I also had a Cockatoo Colada (think pina colada with coconut rum -- very delicious) and Rhoda and her kids shared two virgin strawberry daquiries. Sonya kept coming by, making sure our pan was full, asking if we wanted more of something. We really stuffed ourselves. Then she asked what we wanted for dessert. Although we all wanted a little something sweet, we passed on dessert, so she brought out a palette cleaner of fresh pineapple chunks on skewers with caramel sauce for dipping, and that was the perfect ending to our meal. During the meal, kids of all ages were encouraged to participate in the coconut race, where coconuts are swept around the restaurant with brooms. All participants receive candy shells at the end, so everyone's a winner. This was our most expensive meal of the trip ($99.80 including tax and $15 tip), but I have no regrets. It was a great meal.

We hopped the monorail around 7:00 pm and got off at the TTC. There was only one window open and the line was getting long. I was near the front, so that didn't bother me, but people in front of me and behind me were really getting steamed. A cast member walking by let everyone know they could also go to Guest Relations at the entrance of MK to buy passes there. I was close to the front, so I didn't bother. Well, I should have. I had a children's 5-day pass with one day left from our last trip, which I planned to use as credit toward a new 5-day hopper for my son, and the CM at the window said only Guest Relations did that. After all that time in line, I thought, to heck with it, I'll just hang on to it 'til next time, and bought four 5-day hoppers for Rhoda and the kids ($206.44+tax/adult, $165.15+tax/child with MKC discount), a "regular" annual pass for myself ($268.18+tax w/MKC), and a ticket to Blizzard Beach for myself ($23.75+tax w/MKC) since we planned to go there in two days.

I was expressing my annoyance to my sister about the CM not being able to credit my son's old pass while we were heading to the monorail station, and on the way up, a CM said, "Perfect timing." I thought he was being sarcastic since a car had just left, and coupled with the heat, I was in no mood, but sure enough, one was on the way. We were the first ones up there, so he told us to go up front and ride with the driver, which the three kids and I did (max. 4). A CM took our picture and we were on our way. So much for my foul mood. The cake castle came into view. I guess I'm one of the few who likes it, although I am glad it's not permanent. I figured since it was evening and we saw hordes of people returning to their cars at the TTC, MK wouldn't be so crowded. Boy, was I wrong. Of course I didn't take into account it was an early entry day!

We all headed for Tomorrowland first. The line at Alien Encounter was more than an hour long, so we went to the Timekeeper, which had a short line. As fans of Robin Williams, we all enjoyed it. We then went to Toontown, which we're familiar with, having been to Disneyland. The line at Barnstormer was also long, so we avoided it.

Andy doesn't like the intense stuff, so we split up. I took John and Alan and Rhoda took Andy. The two boys wanted to go to the Speedway, so we got in the long line. It started to rain a little, so I took out our 99 cent disposable rain ponchos (yellow) that I bought at a Target back home. (Note: They're much lighter than the Disney ponchos and they held up throughout our entire stay.) Just when we got almost to the front of the line, they closed the ride (as well as others) due to lightning.

We didn't get much accomplished that night. We wandered around and got into whatever short lines (to open attractions) we could find: Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Hall of Presidents, etc. Since we had to get up early the next day, we ended our day watching the fireworks and Tinkerbell come down. That never fails to bring a tear to my eye. The line to the monorail to the TTC was huge. I'm glad we were parked at the Polynesian, although there was a small crowd of people in the know who used the MK resort monorail to get to the TTC and to their cars at the various MK resorts (us included, but at least we ate there).

Day 3 - We ate breakfast in the room.

Arrived at opening time at Universal Studios. It's expanded quite a bit since our last visit over two years ago. I understand they're building a Universal City similar to what's out in California. There's now a huge parking structure (it's nice to have covered parking) and lots of stairs and escalators and walking to get to the park entrance. We welcomed the walk after the Ohana dinner.

We headed straight for Terminator 2 3-D. Now that alone was worth the price of admission. GO SEE IT.

The kids (avid Nickelodeon watchers) wanted to go on the Nickelodeon Studios tour next, so we headed over there. John and Alan were picked to participate in one of the audience participation games at the end, which pleased them to no end.

In case you're wondering why we weren't catching all the "premium" rides, it's because we went to Universal Hollywood last summer. Their tram ride covers a lot of USF's separate attractions (Earthquake, Jaws, Kongfrontation, etc.). We had already experienced Back to the Future and ET also.

We ate hamburgers at Mel's ($34.92 incl. tax and 10% AAA discount). The kids wanted to cool off, so we went to Fieval's Playland, which has a water slide and a lot of water spouts. They got drenched, and all for naught since it started to rain, the heaviest and longest period of rain we experienced (while outdoors) our entire trip. Oh well, we sure cooled off and our ponchos allowed us to walk around while everyone else scrambled for shelter. It surprised me how few people had rain gear.

It wasn't until mid-afternoon (the worst possible time) that John and Alan wanted to go on Back to the Future and Andy wanted E.T., so Rhoda took John and Alan and I took Andy and there we stood for 70 minutes to get on a 5 minute ride that we had both been on before! Andy gets such a kick out of E.T. saying his (Andy's and everyone else's) name at the end and he just enjoyed it so much, so who am I to complain? We then experienced more rides and shows: Xena/Hercules show, Hanna-Barbera ride (kids loved it and went on it twice), Animal Actors Stage, etc. We bought souvenirs (10% off with AAA card), then saw Terminator 2 one last time (no line late at night) before heading out. Sleep came very easily.

Day 4 - We ate breakfast in the condo, then headed to Blizzard Beach after microwaving a few bags of popcorn to bring for a snack.

There was already a small crowd at 8:45 am when we arrived, 15 minutes before opening. We got some deck chairs under shade near Melt-Away Bay (wave pool) first, then headed for the lockers. On the way back to our chairs, we were offered samples of just-made doughnuts, so delicious I ended up buying some.

We all stayed in the wave pool for a while. My son's water goggles kept coming apart, so I bought him another pair which were a little more secure. They cost $5.00+tax at the Beach Haus. A little later, he dropped them just once on the ground and they broke. I went back to the Beach Haus with my receipt and explanation and they replaced the goggles immediately. I also bought a Kodak waterproof disposable camera for $14.95+tax at the Beach Haus. I wish I thought of that at Wal-Mart, where they're much cheaper, I'm sure.

Rhoda and I split caring for Andy throughout the day so we would both have a chance to do the things Andy didn't want to do. He preferred Tike's Peak and the Ski Patrol Training Camp as well as the wave pool. Summit Plummet was a little much for all of us, we didn't go on it, but we went on everything else. We especially enjoyed Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride. We went on that a number of times via the chairlift and saved our energy for the stairs leading to Toboggan Racers, Snow Stormers, Runoff Rapids, Cool Runnings, and Downhill Double Dipper. I'm surprised Disney didn't install moving walkways like at the San Diego Zoo. Those stairways are not short little jaunts! Oh well, I still had that Ohana dinner to walk off, plus all the not exactly low-fat meals I had been eating lately!

Today, it was a hot dog lunch, about $6+tax. We ate separately, so I don't know what Rhoda and the boys ate. Lines for the slides were a little long, but they moved fast and were definitely worth the wait. The boxed drinks we had kept in the freezer the night before kept us cool throughout the day. They were ice cold and slushy. Hawaiian Punch is especially good.

Toward the end of the day, lines got dramatically shorter. We were all having such a great time, we stayed almost until closing. We were starving afterward, so we went to Chili's for dinner ($51.23 incl. tax and $6 tip). We were all exhausted by the time we returned to the condo. This was our last night here. Our plan was to get up at 5:00 the following morning, leave for WDW at 6:00, pre-register, get our resort I.D. cards, and be on a 7:00 bus for early entry at MK. We decided to scrap that plan and have a good rest since we had had two early mornings in a row and, hey, we were on vacation!

Day 5 - We woke up later than usual and had a leisurely breakfast in the condo.

We registered at Disney Institute around 11:00 am. I had read on the boards many times that even though your reservation shows you were given an annual pass discount rate, the front desk CMs never ask to see your AP. I didn't want to be embarassed in case they did, which is why I bought an AP. At one point during registration, the CM said, "Now I just need to see your" -- and I thought, I'm sure glad I bought it -- "American Express card and we're all set." Oh well, I guess I'm returning to WDW before the pass expires! Our room wasn't ready yet, which was fine since we had a few things to take care of. We dropped off our baggage, including a bag of perishables which DI refrigerated for us.

A piece of luggage my nephews were using had broken a few days prior. We wanted to check out the Nike factory outlet, which had a luggage outlet in the same mall, so we headed over there. We have a Niketown where we live and everything is retail-priced, so it was nice to spend considerably less for Nike products. The store was pretty crowded, too. My sister got what she needed at the luggage outlet.

We then had the lunch buffet at a Ponderosa Inn ($28.58 incl. tax and $3 tip for 2 adult/3 child buffet lunches and drinks). The food was actually pretty decent. It was nice to have a fully-stocked salad bar and the kids loved the dessert bar. We had one of those nice saucy waitresses who took good care of us and ran to our car to return the spray bottle/fan my son left on the table.

From there, we went to Publix to get food for the room. We stocked up on boxed juices and bottled water ($1.99 for a 6-pack of Deer Park Spring Water, less than the cost of one bottle at the parks). It was 4:00 pm by the time we got back to DI. We got our room key card and went to the Treehouse Villas. We were assigned #407, close to the bus stop. The way the treehouses are situated, you're either close to the bus stop or the pool. I'm glad we were close to the bus stop since I knew we wouldn't spend a lot of time at the pool.

When we entered, it was pretty hot inside. I immediately put the A/C on and we rested for a bit. The condo we had checked out of was always an icebox, just the way we liked it since we're used to a cool climate, and we were feeling pretty uncomfortable in here. When the bell person arrived with our luggage, I mentioned it (the A/C) to him. He said to wait a little while, that since the A/C had been off, it might take a few minutes to kick in. We had already been there a few minutes, so I asked him to send over a maintenance person anyway, which he did. We were unpacking, and when my sister and I realized we were fanning ourselves, we knew the A/C wasn't working properly. A maintenance man, Dan, arrived and explained that these were older units (the treehouses) and that this was probably the coldest it would get. I told him we basically needed a walk-in icebox. He called the front desk to try to get us into a fairway villa. None were available, so he proceeded to go to as many unoccupied treehouses as he could to find the coolest one for us. Now that's Disney service! Fortunately, the winner was the treehouse right across from us, #452. In addition, it had a wall A/C unit in the bedroom downstairs. That sold us on it. Dan took me over there to check it out before we made the move. When I walked in the door, it must have been 20 degrees cooler than the one we were in. Dan said it might be a little noisy because of the buses entering and exiting. I told him I'd take noise over unbearable heat. Calls were made and they sent Rose over to help us with our baggage and give us new key cards. Dan left, then came back with a new A/C filter for the wall unit. He's a real nice chap. Rose stuck around to chat awhile. She's lovely and very nice.

The kids had been itching to go to Epcot all day (they're avid Nintendo 64 and Sega game players), but by this time, it was already past 7:00 pm, so they opted for the pool, about a 5-15 minute walk away, so I drove them! I thought I might check out the big Disney store at the Village Marketplace, but instead I hung out in the room watching TV and cooling off.

The treehouse villas really are nice. There are stairs leading up to the second floor entrance. You walk in to a small living room with TV, couch, table, and two easy chairs with ottomans flanking a small table with a checkerboard painted onto its surface and checker pieces on it. There is also a small, but fully-equipped kitchen with a table and two chairs. Two bedrooms are on this floor, one with its own bath. There is a second bathoom with a tub/shower combo. A winding staircase takes you downstairs to a third bedroom with TV and a door leading out. The laundry room with washer, dryer, iron, and ironing board is down here also. All the bedrooms have lots of storage space. The decor is rustic (i.e., bed "headboards" made of tree branches) and beautifully done. There are two balconies off the kitchen and master bedroom and a table and chair set-up on the porch outside the front door. There is also daily cleaning and newspaper. If you like big, spacious bathrooms, this is not the place for you. The bathrooms are tiny, but I'll take two bathrooms over one when travelling with three boys who drink a lot! The shower in the master bath is a tiny circle with a curtain next to a barrel-like tub. I felt pretty cramped taking a shower, so instead, I'd bathe in the tub, which had a built-in seat, and just rinse off in the shower.

Okay, enough of that. After resting for a while, I walked over to the pool. The path is well-lit and the walk was nice, listening to all the night creatures. I was smart enough to spray myself with bug spray before I left. Rhoda wasn't, and when I got there, she and her kids were sitting on deck chairs wrapped in their beach towels, swatting bugs and scratching themselves. The pool isn't huge, but Alan had it all to himself. We walked back to the room, cooked some supper, ate, and went to bed.

Day 6 - We woke up bright and early, ate our cereal, and got on the 7:10 bus to Epcot for early entry. The bus's first stop at DI is at the treehouses, so we always got on first and got off first. By the time we left DI after all the stops, the bus was SRO.

As soon as we arrived at Epcot, we headed for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and walked right in. I thought I was pretty jaded, having seen it before, but I still screamed and jumped out of my seat (like everyone else) during the mouse scene. From there, to Spaceship Earth.

After that, the other three took off for Body Wars and I took Andy to the Universe of Energy for the Ellen show, which was very well done. He's a big fan of Bill Nye, who is also in the program/ride. After this, we exited and I longingly looked over at the Test Track. Too bad it wasn't open for our visit.

Andy wanted to enter Wonders of Life, which we did, where we did some of the hands-on stuff, great for kids of all ages. I then took him to Living Seas. We waited and waited for the manatee to show up, but it didn't. From there, we went to the fountain to meet the others. While we waited for them, we watched the "show" the fountain performed to music, one of my favorites. We also caught the Jammin Janitors' show by the fountain. They use all kinds of cleaning products (garbage cans, plungers, brushes) as percussion instruments.

We all then went to Innoventions West for games galore. From there, to The Land for Food Rocks and the Circle of Life show. Our priority seating was at the Garden Grill, so we went there after the show. Rhoda wanted to eat light, so she went off by herself and it was just the kids and me. I think $9.95 per child for chicken strips, macaroni & cheese, and biscuits is pretty steep, even if it is all-you-can-eat, but you can't put a price on their happiness with the attention they got from Mickey, Minnie, and Chip-n-Dale. The adult lunch included baked chicken, another meat (I forget what now, but I think ribs), mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, and biscuits. Our server was very attentive, always asking if we needed seconds or anything else. The only thing more I asked for was a bowl of vegetables for the kids. My dessert was apple cobbler a la mode. The crumb topping was delicious. The kids' dessert was dirt-n-worms (chocolate pudding with cookie crumbs and gummy worms), which they gobbled up, when just a minute before, they told me they were full when I tried to push the vegetables on them! The total for one adult and three kids was $51.66 incl. tax, MKC discount, and $7 tip. The price also included beverages.

The heat was really taking its toll on us, so we played a few more games at Innoventions West, then took the bus back to the treehouse. Between the hours of 12 noon and 6 pm, the buses operate every half hour, and sure enough, our bus was on time. We all took naps, awoke refreshed, and had a light supper in the room. (Ah, the advantage of having a kitchen.)

We then drove to the Yacht & Beach Club and valet parked. We arrived well before our Illuminations cruise was to start so we could check out the Boardwalk. We took a leisurely walk on the grounds of the YBC, took pictures by the lighthouse, fed the ducks, then walked to the other side of the lake, past the Dolphin and the Swan, to the Boardwalk. We watched the sidewalk entertainment (a juggler) and headed over to the Boardwalk Bakery for treats.

We then walked back to the Bayside Marina at YBC. Tom (our driver) took my AMEX card (10% discount) and took care of the transaction. He then got the kids fitted into lifejackets, and we were on our way to Epcot in a pontoon boat to see Illuminations. Tom is funny and very informative. He's really up on Disney's past, present, and future and told us all about the upcoming Animal Kingdom theme park. He took us for a spin around the lake before parking under the International Gateway Bridge, where we waited, dry (it was sprinkling), for the show to start. About the only thing I remember of Illuminations from our last trip is seeing a few lasers over a bunch of heads, so seeing it clearly and in its entirety was a real treat. When it was over, we leisurely headed back to the marina. I think $81.09 incl. tax and discount is a high price to pay for the cruise and I'm sure we could've spent less on dinner at a restaurant with an Illuminations view, but we enjoyed it nonetheless, the kids especially, who saw bits and pieces of Illuminations between heads their first time here. Our kids really enjoy being in and on water, so they loved having the pontoon boat to themselves. On the way back to the room, I mentioned that the next day would be an MK early entry day. I couldn't believe it when the kids said they wanted to return to Epcot. Oh well, fine with me -- less crowds.

Day 7 - After breakfast in our room, we drove to Epcot and arrived at opening time. We drove because we planned to go directly to a water park later in the day. It wasn't an early entry day at Epcot. I guess everyone was at MK (early entry) because it wasn't crowded at Epcot at all, which really surprised me.

Today was to be our World Showcase day, so we leisurely strolled Future World, waiting for WS to open. The kids spent a lot of time at Innoventions East (computer games) and Innoventions West (Nintendo and Sega). As much as we nagged them that they could do this stuff at home, they stayed put. I guess we don't have the same variety at home.

From there, we went to the World Showcase, stopping at the water spouts so the kids could cool off. It was there that John noticed he wasn't holding the autograph book he had brought with him in case he encountered characters. He was pretty upset about it since he had had the book since our first trip and it was full of signatures.

Rhoda took off to look for it, telling us she would meet us at Akershus, where we had a priority seating. The boys and I went to Mexico first and did the El Rio del Tiempo ride, which had no line. While on it, I pointed to the people at San Angel Inn Restaurant and jokingly said to Andy, "Are those real people or Animatronics?" He insisted they were Animatronics!

From there, we went to Norway and rode Maelstrom, again no line. We then went to China and watched "Wonders of China".

From there, back to Norway for lunch, where we met Rhoda. She didn't have any luck finding the autograph book. She told me she was standing outside the men's bathroom John had entered earlier, waiting for a man to come by whom she could ask to enter and check if it was there, when a CM named Derrick passed by. She told him her story. He went into the men's room to search, but it wasn't there. He got her name and told her to make sure she came to Guest Relations before leaving the park, that he would "take care of it".

Another report writer on this site had raved about Akershus, so we thought we'd try it, and I'm sure glad we did. Our server suggested that the kids take a look at the buffet to see if they'd like it, and if not, a kid's menu was available. Our kids like all kinds of food, and one look at the buffet, and they opted for the buffet. There's a cold buffet with deli meats and cheeses, breads, various types of pickled fish, and a variety of salads (the chicken and mushroom salad is not to be missed -- I had seconds and thirds), all delicious. Then there's a hot buffet. During our visit, there was a lamb and vegetable dish, fish, mashed rhubarb, a creamy cucumber soup, meatballs -- I can't remember everything, but there was more, and everything was very tasty. Our server was from Norway and gave us a brief education about her country. We had fruit slushes, sodas, and coffee to drink, and for dessert, we all split a decadent chocolate mousse cake and the rice pudding I had heard so much about -- well, we didn't really split the rice pudding. I practically inhaled all of that! Total cost was $63.52 incl. tax, MKC discount, and $6 tip (I'm never sure what to tip at buffets).

After lunch, we strolled through the rest of WS, stopping at each country. We also caught the character show at the stage at American Adventure. I enjoyed it as much as the kids did. At Morocco, we took pictures of the kids in fez hats and caught the outdoor show there. In France we saw the "Impressions de France" show. I was sorry to miss the living statues. We stopped for delicious mocha frosts, $3.75 each, and made our way slowly to Canada. It was mid-afternoon and very hot, so we were literally shuffling. The kids were anxious to get to a water park, so we skipped the "O Canada!" show and headed for the exit.

Rhoda remembered she had to stop at Guest Relations, and while we were looking for it, we ended up bumping into Derrick, who took us all over there. Derrick let John know that he had a few connections at WDW, then he gave John a bag. In it was a brand new autograph book, complete with signatures, a Disney pen, and a certificate with John's family name on it. Derrick saved the day and we can't thank him enough!

Since the kids had been to Typhoon Lagoon in 1995, they wanted to go to River Country. A CM told us that River Country closed at 7:00 pm. It was already 5:00, so we asked which water park was open the latest. He said Typhoon Lagoon, so we headed over there. A lot of people were leaving when we arrived, so we had no trouble finding chairs near Typhon Lagoon (the wave pool). The beach dance party was already in full swing also (daily during the summer only). If I had to choose between going to TL and BB, I'd choose BB, although I did enjoy the mini "tidal wave" at TL, which BB doesn't have. The slides at BB seem longer, and at TL, my rear took a bruising on the slides, something I didn't get at BB. We went on all the slides at TL, and I just remember having more fun at BB. However, TL did have the beach party, which was lots of fun for all of us. John even went on stage with a bunch of others to do the macarena. The three lively party hosts constantly threw out prizes (t-shirts, water bottles, pins). John caught a pin. When it got a little windy, we'd run into the warm wave pool -- pure luxury. We stayed until closing (9:30 pm). The food stands were closed. We were starving and in bathing suits, wrapped in towels, so we drove to a drive-through McDonald's in Kissimmee and ate hamburgers in the car on the way back. We all managed to bathe before hitting the sack rather late.

Day 8 - We ate breakfast in the room and drove to MGM for early entry. I chose to drive so we could sleep a little longer.

None of us wanted to go on Tower of Terror. (We didn't go on it our first trip, either. One of these days . . .) Rhoda took Andy to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The two boys and I headed immediately for Star Tours (got right on, no line), then went to see Muppets 3-D (in a theater less than half-full). On the way to meet Rhoda and Andy, we took pictures in front of Ellen's Buy the Book and the New York Skyline. The five of us then went on the Great Movie Ride. The CM who hops on and plays the gangster did a great job.

After that, the kids saw some Hercules plastic swords with sound effects that they liked, so they dipped into their souvenir funds and bought them. The Hercules parade wouldn't be until 3:00 pm, and we knew we wouldnt last that long due to the heat, so we had the swords sent to the room. (Rhoda and I also didn't want to deal with: 1) another loss, and/or 2) "Mom, can you hold this?") We then took pictures of the kids with those movie props with holes to put your head through (101 Dalmatians, Apollo13, etc.) as well as the huge Coke bottle near the entrance to the backlot tour.

The Studio Backlot Tour was the only place we encountered a line, but while in it, we watched a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Con-Air and the huge fans were going full speed, so it wasn't too bad. The Backlot Tour was divided into three parts: First a little show with two people from the audience about visual effects using water, then a walk through a prop storage area (which is an interesting walk since each prop has a tag attached to it identifying the film or show on which it was used), then the tram tour itself. I got a little wet at Catastrophe Canyon, which was a welcome relief.

After that, we went to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater for lunch (had a priority seating, fortunately). The kids had kid's meals (hot dog, hamburger, and spaghetti -- plenty of food, needed a doggie bag afterward) and cookies 'n cream shakes and split a green salad. Rhoda had a "big dog" (they're not kidding) and a shake and I had a mountain of spicy chicken wings and a Bailey's shake and we split a green salad. The kids would've been happy spending the whole afternoon in there, watching the old sci-fi film clips, nice and cool. Their meals included cupcakes for dessert and frisbees to take home. The total cost was $71.92 incl. tax and $9 tip.

From there, we went to see the Toy Story characters. They gave a little show, gave autographs, then split up for individual picture-taking. There was some confusion as to where the lines were, and by the time we figured it out, the lines were very long. The characters took their time with each person in line and we knew we'd melt in the heat waiting, so we left and went back to the treehouse for a siesta.

After a much-needed nap (we all lacked sleep from the night before), we went back to MGM to catch the last Indiana Jones show. We ate a little supper at Min & Bill's Dockside Diner (beef/chicken tacos w/a side of beans, about $4.50+tax for two big tacos), then got in the line to the Indiana Jones Show. This show fills up quickly during peak times, so it's wise to get in line a good 45 minutes early. The show went off without a hitch, a big delight, as usual.

We then played a few games at Toy Story Pizza Planet, watched some actors and actresses do a little improvisation on Hollywood Boulevard, and left. We planned to spend the entire following day (our last full day) at MK, so we went to the Disney Village Marketplace to get some shopping done. We valet parked, saw the Rainforest Cafe volcano in the distance (we'll give that place a try next time), passed the jumping water spouts where the kids spent a lot of time our last time here, and entered the huge World of Disney store, which is divided into various themed rooms housing different departments (women's apparel, kids, jewelry, housewares, etc.). This is where the kids (and adults) spent the bulk of their souvenir funds. The 10% MKC discount made it all worthwhile, too. We stayed until closing, then off to bed.

Day 9 - We knew we had a hectic day ahead, so we awoke very early and had a big, fortifying breakfast, then caught the 7:00 bus to MK. There were lines already at the gates when we arrived (it looked like everyone staying at WDW took advantage of early entry that day).

The kids had heard about Alien Encounter and thought it would be too scary. None of them wanted to go on it with me (even though I promised to add $20 to the souvenir fund of the person who accompanied me), so I went off by myself and Rhoda took the kids to Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. I was kind of glad it turned out that way, too. It was very liberating to be able to go wherever I wanted to go, for a change, no compromising, no complaints. I went on Alien Encounter (went right on), and after reading all the hype, I expected a little more than what I got. For me, it wasn't everything it's cracked up to be, but well done, nonetheless.

From there, onto Space Mountain. It's nice to be able to speedwalk through all the hallways to the launch area (15 minute wait). I then proceeded to Frontierland and waited for it to open. At rope-drop, a lot of people started running. Fortunately, no one got trampled. Having been on Jurassic Park - The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, which also has a very high drop through water, I didn't feel a great need to get in the already-long-and-growing-by-the-second line at Splash Mountain, but I did want to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which I did, no wait. I then headed over to Adventureland, got right on a half-filled boat for the Jungle Cruise. Our driver was a real funny young guy, should be a comedian. I then went on Pirates of the Caribbean, no wait. From there, to Liberty Square to the Haunted Mansion. Now that I liked, even more than Alien Encounter. The effects are just awesome.

I then went to meet the others and we all went on the Tomorrowland Speedway (no lightning this time). From there, we went to a character greeting. The kids got autographs from and pictures with Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, Timon, and others. We were near the Jungle Cruise, so we headed that way, and lo and behold, a one hour line. I couldn't believe it filled up that fast. The Tropical Serenade was about to start, so we saw that instead. It will be closing this year for an upgrade, so I'm glad we caught the "classic" performance.

From there, we went to the Crystal Palace, where, fortunately, we had a priority seating. I say fortunately because you needed one if you wanted to eat lunch there that day. They were turning walk-ins away and giving priority seatings for dinner only. The Crystal Palace is the first place we chose when we made our list of restaurants to book because we all love all the Winnie the Pooh characters. On top of that, you get a very good buffet lunch. There's a kids' buffet with the usual kid fare: chicken strips, mini corn dogs, etc. The adult buffet (which our kids preferred) has a salad bar with various types of salads and a delicious selection of hot foods. When we were there, it had a variety of pastas, gumbo soup, jambalaya, fajitas, a variety of vegetables, a sausage dish, etc. There were non-spicy foods, too. The spicy ones stick in my mind because I love spicy food. There was also a dessert bar (soft ice cream and toppings, cookies, brownies, fruit cobbler, a delicious don't-miss bread pudding) and beverages were included (2 adults/3 kids, $57.29 incl. tax, MKC discount, and $6 tip). There were a number of birthdays that day, including Andy's. Our server brought over a cupcake w/candle and a card signed by Pooh and friends, then the staff surrounded our table and sang Happy Birthday. A Pooh character comes to each table and they circulate, so we got pictures with all of them, one at a time: Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. (Where are Piglet, Roo, etc.??!!) The characters really take their time at each table and are very affectionate. The kids loved the attention. We took our time and lingered over both lunch and dessert so we could have time with all the characters. (We actually might have gotten our money's worth this time!)

After such a big meal and still lacking sleep from the night before, coupled with the heat, we decided we would go back to the treehouse and rest, but on the way out, we noticed people staking their spots for the Remember the Magic Parade, and since we hadn't seen any parades yet this trip and I had read that this parade shouldn't be missed, we decided to stick around for it. We got a good spot at a curb on Main Street since it was still early. Unfortunately, there was no cover, so we practically got heat stroke waiting for the parade to start. The frozen lemonades ($2) helped, although they tasted "like my vitamins", according to John. I guess it was all worth it, though, because Andy was chosen to participate in the parade. What a birthday gift! At first, the parade "coaches" passed to stoke everyone's enthusiasm and wake us all up from heat-induced slumber as well as show the chosen participants what they were supposed to do. Then the parade started and out came all the themed floats and characters from years past to the present (Mickey and friends, Cinderella & Co., Snow White & Dwarfs, Lion King, Pocahontas, Aladdin, etc., etc.). I'm so glad we stayed, although by then I had heat exhaustion. I didn't bother with my fan/spray bottle. I just opened up a bottle of water and poured it all over myself. A good tip from the kids: When you pass a water fountain, fill your cap/hat with water and quickly put it back on.

We left after that, boarded the bus (on time) back to DI, and took a nice, long nap in our "icebox". We then drove to the Grand Floridian to see the grounds. We valet parked, took pictures of the kids by the antique car and on the carriage parked out front, and walked around the grounds. GF really is spectacular, but way too ritzy for me. Oh well, one day when I win the lottery . . .On our way to the monorail, we stopped at a store in GF and I bought a handful of cute little refrigerator magnets, each one showing all three park symbols: the castle, the Epcot "golf ball", and the MGM water tower. They cost $1.50 each, probably the cheapest souvenirs in all WDW, even cheaper than the pens, and they're actually very nice.

We took the monorail from there to MK. It was already close to 8:00 pm and still very crowded. We split up. Rhoda took John and I took the younger two. They actually were happy just strolling around (or perhaps the lines turned them off). We went to the Welcome Center, got our 1995 (date of first visit) badges, watched the film, took a look at the model for Animal Kingdom (it's going to be HUGE, five times the size of MK), got our lithographs, left, and strolled some more. We ended up in Adventureland, bought a few vegetarian eggrolls ($2 each), walked some more, and ended up in Frontierland, where we watched the SpectroMagic Parade.

Rhoda and John just happened to pass by on their way to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so they took Alan with them and Andy and I continued our walk. We were perfectly content just walking around, looking at everything, people watching. I had heard so much about the BBQ turkey legs (about $4), so Andy and I split one. They are delicious and huge. We couldn't even finish it. (The diet starts tomorrow!)

We had to see the fireworks and Tinkerbell one more time, so we went to the castle and sat on the ground, and once again, it didn't dismay. What a perfect way to end our trip. We met up with the others at Tomorrowland. Rhoda and John wanted to ride Space Mountain, and at 10:30 pm, the line was still an hour long. Oh well, next trip. We sat for a bit, watched the dancing going on at the Galaxy Palace Theater for a little while. Andy wanted one of those leashes that looks like it's attached to an invisible dog, so we went to the 101 Dalmatians store and all three boys ended up buying them, walking their "dogs" around. We had seen nothing but long lines all night long, so we decided to call it a night.

We once again bypassed the crowd headed for the monorail to the TTC (the last people in line were at the bottom of the ramp) and we headed for the MK resort monorail and got right on. Our last sight of MK was the lighted cake castle. We retrieved the car at GF, and from there, back to the treehouse. The kids were exhausted and fell asleep within seconds of hitting their pillows. I got all my packing done so I could sleep late and finally went to bed around 2:00 am.

Last day - Rhoda woke up early (around 5:00 am) to get her packing done. I'm a light sleeper and her puttering around woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep. I didn't get to sleep in after all.

My one regret this trip is scheduling our return flight for noon just so we could get on a direct (no connection) flight home. As much fun as we had, I wouldn't have minded taking a later flight with six connections just to have my last Disney fix. I'll keep that in mind when planning my next trip.

The kids slept well, knowing we didn't have "early entry" this morning. They were all very sad to be leaving, but happy to know we would return one day soon. (Our cousin has timeshare points at Old Key West that he's always willing to share. We stayed in a two-bedroom home for seven nights in 1995, thanks to his generosity. He was willing to put us up this time also, but we started planning a little too late.)

My express check-out bill was on the door and all in order. Actually, I had read enough times on the boards that people always found extra charges on their express check-out bills, so we didn't charge anything to our resort cards. We all took pictures of ourselves in and in front of the treehouse, loaded up the car, gassed it up at Exxon, and headed for the airport. I dropped off Rhoda, the kids, and the baggage at the terminal, then returned the car to the on-site Dollar location and an employee prepared my receipt as I exited the car. Homeward bound. Until next time . . .

DON'T FORGET -

Water shoes - We kept ours on all day, in and out of the water, at the water parks, didn't have to keep looking down.
Waterproof holder w/neck strap - Who wants to keep going to the locker for money? I also wore mine in the theme parks so I wouldn't have to keep unloading my backpack.
Waterproof camera - Our underwater pictures came out really well. I also have a neat picture of the kids with the "tidal wave" at TL right behind them.
Water bottle w/fan attached - An absolute necessity in the summer. We found a small, but powerful enough one w/neckstrap at Walgreen's, not cumbersome at all.
Insect repellent - Another necessity in the summer, especially at the treehouses.
Zip-loc bags in various sizes - Believe me, you'll find uses for them (to hold lotions, snacks, film, etc.) You probably have some in a kitchen drawer.
Sunscreen and hat/sunglasses - And don't forget to put the sunscreen on frequently (the hat stays on except when you're filling it with water).
MKC card, AAA card, Orlando Magicard, etc. - AAA card will get you 10% off everything (except food carts), incl. admission, at Universal Studios. MKC will get you some WDW hotel discounts, small discount on park passes, 10% off at various (not all) WDW theme park restaurants, 10% off at the World of Disney store at the Marketplace, etc. Check your membership guide for more info.
Patience and kindness - Hang on to them tight. They're easy to lose, especially during hot peak periods.
CLOSING NOTES - You''ve seen this bit of advice many times, I'm sure, but it bears repeating: Try to stay on-site (in a WDW property), especially during peak times. Why? Although we had a rental car for reasons stated, you really don't need one. Gate-to-door bus service is nice when you're hot and tired and want to take a mid-day swim or nap in your nearby room. You can cover a lot of ground that first hour on early entry days. The CMs at the WDW hotels really go out of their way to make you feel like royalty. You can call for priority seating prior to your trip. The list of reasons is endless. Also, I was very satisfied with the bus service at DI. Because of our proximity to the bus stop, I can attest to the fact that plenty of buses came to the Treehouse Villas. If cost is a concern (when isn't it?), I understand the All-Star hotels are very reasonably priced, or perhaps you can go with other family members or friends and split the cost of a villa/home at a home-away-from home property (and with a kitchen, you can save a little money on food). Many people have said that staying on-site is just plain magical. I definitely agree with that.

If you read this entire report, you saw that we did things a bit leisurely, not feeling the need to rush-rush-rush. A good bit of advice from Rose at DI: Don't run (unless it's part of your exercise program). What we missed (plenty), we either saw on our last trip or will see our next trip. We knew we wouldn't be able to see and do everything in nine days, so we savored and enjoyed what we could see and do. There will always be something to look forward to next time.

Thanks for reading.

Grace Sabin

Delacool@aol.com

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