Trip Reports

• Time of Year: Spring
• Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
• Resort: All-Star Music Resort
• Accommodations: Standard Room
• Ages Represented in Group: Adult
• WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie
• Comments: J.D.'s report is a wonderfully written document on "how to visit WDW alone." A surprising number of folks have emailed me over the last few years asking about going to WDW alone. J.D.'s report will be my recommended reading for such inquiries in the future. Another neat feature of J.D.'s report is that he visited Busch Gardens on the trip. His description of that park could be very useful to anyone that is considering a side trip.

Saturday, March 1, 1997

I've conned my good friends, Don and Joan to get up early and take me to the airport for my 6:25 flight out of Portland, Oregon. The flight was uneventful, but we were delayed in Salt Lake City for an hour and 15 minutes.

I guess an engine fell off the plane or something. OK, that's not really what happened, but have you ever tried to interpret what the pilots say over those squawky intercoms? I have no idea what the explanation for our delay was. Anyway, we got to Orlando only an hour late. I guess the ghost of Mr. Disney was pushing the plane along for me. The good news is that Delta offered the in-flight movie for free to all the passengers. The bad news is that the movie was "Dear God". I didn't watch it.

As the Mears shuttle was making its way to the All-Star Music resort I began to have second thoughts. Would I have any fun by myself? Was I cheating myself by not experiencing WDW with someone? All doubts disolved quickly as we drove past the Disney-MGM Studios and we could see a bit of the fireworks show, Sorcery in the Sky. I was suddenly so excited that I began to get shaky and teary-eyed. I could hardly believe that I was really there.

Reality quickly set in after I got checked in. The cast member who checked me in pointed me toward the door next to the gift shop (Maestro Mickey's) and said that's the way to my room. Well, it was the way to the parking lot! After ten minutes of wandering around dragging my heavy suitcase I finally went the opposite direction and found my room in the Jazz 9 building, room 9440. I inserted my card key into the lock and . . . nothing. I tried it again. I pushed it in farther. I pushed it in halfway. After a while I gave up and dragged myself (and my heavy suitcase) back to the lobby and learned that you have to insert the card, the PULL IT OUT, then turn the door handle.

Jeez! Why couldn't I have figured that out and saved myself a lot of aggravation!?

After settling in, I went back to the lobby and visited Maestro Mickey's. What a great gift shop. They have all the t-shirts, post-cards and souvenir knick-knacks you would expect, but they also sell cereal, milk, sandwich fixings, and drinks. What a great way to save money by not eating the expensive food in the parks. I had already packed some mini boxes of cereal in my suitcase, so I bought some milk (and post-cards for my friends back home).

I went next door to the Intermission food court and bought a pretty bad cheeseburger. But, what the heck! It was a Disney burger, so I loved it. I also bought a souvenir ASM refillable mug which can be refilled for free anytime at the ASM (or any Disney resort if you're sneaky).

By this time I was pretty tired so I went back to my room. At this time I was glad that that I had gotten stuck with the Jazz building instead of the Broadway building that I had requested because the Jazz is closer to the lobby. I found the room to be a lot nicer than I had expected, being a "budget" resort and all. I picked up my free soaps (bath bar and facial bar with Mickey imprinted on them) and Mickey shampoo and threw them in my suitcase. I then hoped that the maid would give me a new supply every day (she did). They make great souvenirs and gifts for the folks back home.

I then filled up the ice bucket with ice to keep my milk cold, planned the next day, mailed a few post-cards and collapsed into bed. What a day!

Sunday, March 2, 1997

My first full day at WDW started when I got my wake-up call from the nice cast members at All-Star Music. I was hoping to get a call from Mickey telling me to get out of bed, but it didn't happen. However, I did answer the phone with an enthusiastic "hello" every morning, just in case. The phone just rings until you answer it and then you hear nothing but dead air. Oh well, it didn't dampen my enthusiasm.

I decided not to use my early-entry option for Disney-MGM and took the hotel shuttle to Magic Kingdom, instead. I've heard that some shuttles make several stops along the way to the parks, but the ASM shuttles always took me straight to whichever park I wanted. That's something to consider when you are making your trip reservations. I had heard that this was the best day to visit MK because the crowds are usually lightest then. Out front were several characters and I managed to get a few photos and autographs. HERE'S A TIP: Don't feel embarrassed to ask for autographs just because you're an adult. I am a 34-year-old guy and all the characters were more than happy to indulge me. Davy Crocket even talked with me for a little while. Sadly, he wasn't surrounded by kids like the others were, but that worked to my advantage.

Main Street was open early, but not the rest of the park. I have to admit, I really liked what they have done with Cinderella's Castle. I know a lot of people don't like the garish pink color, but I found it to be kind of festive. The only thing that disappointed me was finding that not all of it was painted. Some of the back and side walls are still gray.

I reached the mob near the entrance to Tomorrowland just in time for the rope drop. I was then able to be in the first group to visit the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. What a great attraction! I don't scare easily, but that "ride" had me jumping. Even though I had read extensively about it in guidebooks and this newsgroup, I was still startled by the monster's breath and other sensations. I wanted to do it again, but the crowd outside had already built up and I was anxious to try other things.

My next stop was Space Mountain. HERE'S A TIP: Pack a small flashlight in your fanny pack (or purse or whatever). A lady in front of me was trying to read her guide map while we were inside the building waiting in line. I whipped out my pen light and helped her find what she was looking for. HERE'S A TIP: Feel free to ask about wanting the front seat (or back seat) of any ride. The CM's will be glad to accomodate you. I got the front seat and had a blast.

I then went to Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan, Legend of the Lion King, and It's a Small World.

I enjoyed the queue line of IASW in WDW better than in Disneyland because it is covered and prevents the sun from baking you into submission.

After that I found a small "hidden" park near the entrance to Liberty Square. I sat there for 10-15 minutes and there was nobody else there. I updated my journal (so that I could remember everything for this report) and had my first encounter with the infamous seagulls. They didn't bother me (probably because I didn't have any food) and I went on my way.

Before touring through the Haunted Mansion I stopped to gaze at the Liberty Tree and Liberty Bell. After HM, I went straight to the Country Bear Jamboree and was pleased to see that they have the original show. I went to Disneyland last year and was very disappointed to see the "vacation" version of the show. Yuck! The original is much much better. I just love it when Big Al sings "Blood on the Saddle". Does anybody know where I can buy a recording of it?

I then realized that I had almost completed Birnbaum's first-day plan and it wasn't even 1:00 pm.

I bought a smoked turkey leg from one of the vending carts in Frontierland. Man, was that thing huge! I wondered if they had slipped me an ostrich leg by mistake. Anyway, I only ate half of it before my stomach was bursting at the seams.

Next up was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Pretty good ride. I'm not sure why, but I liked this one better than the one at DL. Maybe it's because I didn't have to wait as long in line this time.

In fact, throughout the whole week, I didn't have to wait in line for any attraction more than 15 minutes. And that was only twice. Much of the time I didn't have to wait at all. HERE'S A TIP: Go to WDW during the off-season. Go ahead and take the kids out of school for a week. The shortness of the lines will make it worth your trouble.

The Remember the Magic parade was only half an hour away so I decided to snag a good spot in Frontierland and enjoy it to its fullest potential. I wasn't disappointed. What a magnificent parade! HERE'S A TIP: cover your camera when the Little Mermaid float comes near. It shoots out streams of water. I got sprayed on the right shoulder just as I was taking a picture. If I had been standing just a couple of inches to the right I would have had an unhappy moment.

Splash Mountain was next. It was my favorite ride of all, just as it was in DL. Both versions are pretty much the same, but I did notice a few differences in the locations of some scenes. After the ride I bought the photo I looked like such a doofus!) and a Splash Mountain t-shirt.

While taping the Disneymania show in the castle courtyard my camcorder battery ran out of juice. Good thing that I brought an extra with me. HERE'S A TIP: If your battery runs out, have it recharged at the camera shop on Main Street. They will recharge it for FREE! The camera shops at the other two major parks will do the same.

I window-shopped on Main Street for a while and bought a monster-sized Rice Krispy treat covered with a thick layer of chocolate. Mm-mm good! I ducked into the Main Street Cinema to finish my snack and watched "Steamboat Willie" (the first time I had ever seen it. Does anyone know if it's available on video?) and "Mickey's Big Break". Both movies were wonderful. M's BB features cameos from several stars including Roy Disney who portrays his Uncle Walt (but he's shown in silhouette so you can't see his face).

Spectromagic was next and I managed to find a great spot right next to the gate where the parade starts. What luck! It's too bad that I spent most of my time videotaping the parade instead of just watching it. I didn't think it was much of a parade and that it couldn't compare with my beloved Main Street Electrical Parade in DL (I'm now taking a moment to mourn its passing), but a few nights later I watched it without the camera and fell in love with it. HERE'S A TIP: Watch the parades and shows without a camera the first time and then take pictures during a later show. You'll be sure to capture the magic which doesn't show up while you're staring through a viewfinder.

The crowds were thinning out at this time so I went to the Jungle Cruise. I LOVED IT! Did you hear me? I LOVED IT!!!!! The WDW version is much better than the one at DL. I especially enjoyed the misty rainforest and the temple. I rode the Orinoco Ida with Juan as my guide. He was wonderful and made the most of the corny jokes. I highly recommend touring the jungle waters with Juan. I also recommend riding at night when it's a creepier experience.

I then did my first repeat of my vacation. I rode BTMRR, but while it was dark. Much better this time. As an added bonus, the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks were shooting off over the castle during my ride. What a sight! The Disney magic was in full force that night.

The park was just closing so I took the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center. HERE'S A TIP: Be sure to ask to ride up front. You get a great view, and at the end of the ride the driver will give you (adults included) a co-pilot's license. From the TTC I caught a shuttle to the Disney Village Marketplace. HERE'S A TIP: If you have a Magic Kingdom Club card do most of your shopping at the DVM. The parks won't honor your 10% discount, but DVM will. You can save a bundle of money that way.

After my shopping excursion my feet were begging for mercy so I took the next shuttle back to ASM, planned the next day, arranged a wake-up call, and collapsed into bed.

Monday, March 3, 1997

I had arranged for a rental car from National for the day so I got it and headed toward Tampa and Busch Gardens. Now, you're probably wondering, "What does this have to do with Disney?"

Well, there may a few of you out there who want to see what else Florida has to offer on your next trip there so I thought I would include this page in my trip report. I promise, we'll get back to Disney fun tomorrow. Anyway, there was lots of road construction all the way to Tampa. And when I say there was lots, I really mean there was LOTS! I could swear they were rebuilding the entire state. A couple of times traffic came to a complete stop on the freeway, but I finally made it to Busch Gardens at about 11:00 am. I took the tram from the parking lot to the front gate and paid my admission. Darn it! I forgot to flash my AAA card and get discounted admission to the park. HERE'S A TIP: Don't forget your AAA card if you have one. It will save you money in lots of places you might not expect.

There is not nearly the amount of information available for Busch Gardens as there is for the Disney parks, so I didn't know what to do first. All I knew was that I wanted to try the death-defying, puke-inducing roller coasters there. HERE'S A TIP: If you go to Busch Gardens (or any of the Busch parks, including Sea World) check out their web site at www.4adventure.com. The whole park is themed around Africa. Like the Disney parks, it is divided into several themed "lands", such as Egypt, Congo, Stanleyville, and the Serengeti Plain.

My first stop was to visit the gorillas and chimpanzees at the Myombe Reserve: The Great Ape Domain. They were cute, but I wanted to spill my guts and other viscera, so I went to ride on Questor. It is a simulator ride which uses the same kind of technology as Star Tours and Body Wars. The ride takes you on a wild journey to find a certain substance so that your host, a scientist, can complete his futuristic machine. It was a pretty good ride.

Next up was the mother of all roller coasters: Montu. I'm sure there are better coasters in the world, but this is the best one that I've ever been on. You sit in your seat underneath the overhead track and get whipped up, down, around, upside-down, sideways, cross-ways, and slant-ways. The incredible thing about this ride was that there was no waiting in line to get on, unless you wanted to ride in front (which I did). The whole park, I soon discovered, was completely empty of waiting times. Maybe weekends, summers, and holidays are busier times, but I seemed to hit the park on just the right day. The ride lasted just less than two minutes, but it was enough to turn my legs to jelly. Fortunately, my stomach held up just fine. I bought the souvenir picture that is taken of riders while they are whipped around and went back for another ride, this time in the back row. HERE'S A TIP: Pack plenty of quarters with you. Personal belongings are not allowed on the wild rides so lockers are made available throughout the park. Each costs 50 cents, but they don't hold much, so buy your souvenirs after you're done riding.

Busch Gardens is not just an amusement park; it's a zoological preserve. Close to half of it is taken up by the Serengeti Plain which can be toured by monorail or train. Since the monorail was closed during my visit I took the train from the Egypt station. This was a nice little ride that took us past several wild animal habitats. I got to see zebras, gazelles, giraffes, antelope, and other creatures. I was lucky enough to see a nest of eggs near the fence that an ostrich had laid and was keeping a close parental watch over. After the Serengeti Plain the train took us through the amusement areas. I made a complete circuit of the park and then continued on to the Congo station where I disembarked. This was near two of the other rides that I was anxious to try:

Kumba and The Congo River Rapids. Kumba is another thrilling roller coaster that makes lots of wild loops and turns. It was pretty good, but I like Montu just a little bit better. In the Congo River Rapids you board a large inner-tube-like raft and take a very wet white-water ride. Along the way you will get splashed by coin-operated machines that observers use to shoot streams of water at the rafts. This ride, which I rode twice (again, no waiting) is very similar to the Bigfoot Rapids in Knott's Berry Farm with one big difference. At Knott's you may get drenched. At Busch Gardens you WILL get drenched. There's no way to avoid that waterfall. HERE'S A TIP: Pack an extra pair or two of shoes and socks. Your shirt and pants will dry quickly under the hot sun, but I spent the rest of the day squishing around in wet feet.

I ate a plate of nachos from a vending stand and went off to ride the Python. This is another roller coaster, but not quite as wild. It doesn't have loops, but you do go through a couple of corkscrew twists. The ride lasts only a minute. My next stop was the Tidal Wave. This attraction can best be described as a log-flume ride that takes you through some cheesy scenery before the big splash-down. Splash Mountain is much much better, but Tidal Wave does have one nice difference. When the raft slams into the water at the end of the big drop it creates a tidal wave (hence the name) that washes over the crowd standing on the near-by observation bridge. Riders will get a little wet, but the observers will get drenched, soaked, and maybe even drowned. For the less hearty, part of the bridge is protected by a large clear plastic barrier. This allows you to be in the direct path of the tidal wave without getting wet. It's a great spot to take pictures or shoot some video.

I spent the rest of the day wandering through several more animal exhibits (emus, and penguins, and chimps, oh my!) and shopping. There was a whole section of the park that I didn't even get to because I didn't have enough time. After exiting the park and grabbing a burger at Burger King I drove back to the ASM. Just outside WDW along the freeway there is a large metallic Mickey Mouse head shape. Does anybody know what this is for? I wonder if it has anything to do with Disney's Animal Kingdom. If you know, please tell me.

After eating a bowl of chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream (very good) at the Intermission I went back to my room and planned for the next day at Epcot.

Tuesday, March 4, 1997

Before heading off to Epcot I had to return the car that I had rented yesterday from National. Luckily, the National office is on WDW property so I didn't have to go too far to return the car. Unfortunately, I tried to rely on the maps in my guidebooks (Birnbaum's and Sehlinger's) to find my way around. I eventually found my way to National, turned in the car and got a ride back to ASM. HERE'S A TIP: Before going to WDW get a Disney Trasportation Guide by calling (407) 824-4321 (or pick one up at Guest Services at your Disney resort). It's map is much better than the ones in the guidebooks. Even if you don't rent a car this guide is a good thing to have because it has an excellent chart showing you how to get from one place to another by using WDW transportation.

I was still able to get to Epcot in time to make use of the early-entry program. I did a little wandering around Innoventions East and found that I didn't really care for it. It just seemed too commercial for me. Sure, I know that many Disney attractions are sponsored by outside companies (Nestle sponsors The Land, Mattel sponsors It's A Small World, etc.), but those companies don't seem to stuff their names down your throat the way they do at Innoventions.

One attraction I did enjoy was the one where Epcot guests are superimposed into television shows such as The Tonight Show. The attraction broke down a few minutes after I got there, but it was fun while it lasted.

Then, the rest of Future World opened and I made a mad dash for The Wonders of Life pavilion.

I was one of the first to ride Body Wars that day and thoroughly enjoyed it. In case you don't know, it is a wild simulator ride with the same technology as Star Tours. The ride takes you on a trip through a human body after you are miniaturized. After that I rode one of the bicycles that take you for a tour of Disneyland and tell you how many calories you've burned.

It was close to 10:00 so I headed off toward Journey Into Imagination to meet my dad and his wife, Julie, as we had planned earlier. They spend the winters in Texas and were driving to Miami to visit her dad. I had planned my trip to coincide with their arrival in Florida and thought we would spend several days together. I waited around for a while but didn't see them so I got in line for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I'm not able to see 3-D effects due to an eye condition, but wanted to try this show anyway. I'm glad I did because the movie is hilarious. There were some effects which I did get to enjoy such as the mice and the dog's sneeze at the very end of the show. If you've seen it you know what I mean, but I won't spoil the surprise here for the rest of you. I immediately got into line for the J into I ride and ahead of me were Dad and Julie. It turns out that they had just seen HISTA, too, while waiting for me to show up. We rode J into I together and I found it to be a nice little ride, but not a must-see.

We walked over to World Showcase which had just opened and found a brass combo performing. Just as I started taping them on my camcorder they stopped playing and wandered off. Hmph! Oh well, there was a mariachi (spelling?) band performing in front of the Mexico pavilion. Just as I started taping them they stopped playing and wandered off. This just didn't seem to be my lucky day! We went inside the pavilion and rode El Rio del Tiempo. I found it boring and not worth the two minutes we spent in line. Over in Norway we rode Maelstrom and I enjoyed this much more. The giant oil rig seemed out of place, but I did enjoy the trolls and the theming of the ride. And, no, we didn't stay for the film afterward. My thanks to everyone in this newsgroup for the warning.

We wandered through China, not stopping for the movie. We didn't see much of Germany, but did have fun watching the miniature trains outside. We walked right on past Italy and headed for the American Adventure. The next show wouldn't start for another half hour so we grabbed a quick lunch at the Yakitori House in Japan. I had the teriyaki beef on a stick which was pretty good. After watching a few minutes of One World Taiko (a Japanese drum duo), we found that we had missed another show in the American Adventure. Just across from AA was the America Gardens Theatre where I watched Character Carnivale featuring several Disney characters singing and dancing. It was fun. Our timing was finally right as we got into AA just as it opened for the next show. The Voices of Liberty, an excellent a cappella choir performed American folk songs before we were ushered into the main auditorium. Like most Americans, I imagine, I enjoyed AA more than anything else in the World Showcase. It's a very moving show featuring fantastic audio-animatronic figures. I would loved to have stayed for another show, but we had lots to see that day.

We bypassed the rest of World Showcase, stopping only long enough to take a few pictures.

Julie was anxious to see The Living Seas so we went there next. I found the huge aquarium to be pretty interesting and especially got a kick out of seeing the diving tube fill with water and the diver swim around inside. Dad and Julie were leaving for Miami the next day so they decided to leave Epcot and rest up for their trip.

After that, I had a fun time in The Land. The Living With the Land boat ride is pretty interesting.

They've got several different methods of growing food on display and I learned that most of the food grown in the pavilion is used at various WDW restaurants. Food Rocks was a terrific musical show featuring parodies such as the Peach Boys singing "Good Nutrition" (a variation of the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"). I've read a few negative reviews of the show in this newsgroup, but I highly recommend it.

While getting my camcorder battery recharged at the photo shop I went to Centorium for some window shopping. There, I found Chip and Dale playing and wrestling with several children. It was an enjoyable way to spend several minutes.

My next stop was Spaceship Earth. It was an impressive attraction, but I really liked the Global Neighborhood exhibit at the end of the ride. I especially enjoyed the personal simulator ride called Ride the AT&T Network. Yeah, it was commercialism at its worst, but it was a fun ride. So sue me. I was just killing time until IllumiNations25 began so I watched the huge fountain between the two Innoventions buildings. Wow! Is that thing impressive, or what?! The fountain was the nicest surprise I'd seen at Epcot. It's a nice diversion during the day, but at night, when the colored lights shine through the choreographed-to-music water, it is truly spectacular! Why haven't I been able to find any mention of it in the guidebooks? Also, be sure to check out the sidewalk panels in the Innoventions courtyard which have tiny little lights shining up from them. I think it's done with fiber optics. It was fun to watch people's faces when they discovered it.

After grabbing some fish and chips in The United Kingdom I found a spot for IllumiNations25 between France and the International Gateway. Sorry to say this, but I found IllumiNations25 boring and not worth my time. The music was uninspiring and the show was too far away to enjoy. In my opinion, it can't hold a wet candle up against Fantasmic! in Disneyland, which I think is the most wonderful and awesome thing Disney has ever come up with.

Upon leaving Epcot I boarded a monorail and shuttle to the Disney Village Marketplace for more shopping. After getting back to my room I planned for the next day and collapsed into bed.

Wednesday, March 5, 1997

This was my day for the last of the three major WDW parks: Disney-MGM Studios. The first thing I saw as I approached in the hotel shuttle was the Hollywood Tower Hotel, which houses the Tower of Terror, shrouded in eerie fog. What a perfect setting that was. Of course, I made that attraction my first stop at the park. I was surprised, but delighted, that there was no waiting for this ride. The CM's there play their part to the hilt as slightly demented bell hops. We were ushered into the library to watch a short pre-show film that tells the story behind the attraction.

Our usher then showed us to the service elevator which would take us up to our rooms at the hotel. Now, everyone knows that this ride features a couple of horrifying drops as the elevator plunges toward the ground, but there's more than that. Before the drops there are a couple of creepy scenes in which you see things such as giant floating eyeballs and the ghosts of past guests. They are very effective in setting the tone for this ride. The second time (I took another ride immediately after the first one) I rode next to a man with a bigger belly than mine. This allowed me to get some "air time" as the safety harness did not come all the way down to my lap.

What a rush! HERE'S A TIP: Sit in one of the middle seats of the car. The special effects of the ride will seem much more real there.

The next ride, The Great Movie Ride, is a favorite of mine. I did have to wait a bit for this ride, but it was worth it. I just wish they would add more "coming attractions" clips to the pre-show waiting area. I saw each of the clips three times before we were allowed into the tour vehicles.

We were treated to the "cowboy" scene as we rode through the western set. If you've taken this ride before you know what I am talking about. I would find out later that there are at least two variations of this attraction.

I next went to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid was not one of my favorite Disney movies, so I didn't really expect much from this show, but I fell in love with it. It was enchanting and magical. The show takes place in an underwater environment (of course) in which the tone is set by black light and a curtain of water which opens the show. At one point, the audience gets showered by a light rainfall.

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (such a long name!) is a fun show with lots and lots of action. The show reproduces a few scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but none of the other Indiana Jones movies. Although I enjoyed the show, I was just a bit disappointed that they didn't explain how the stunts were carried out. They just performed them. But, like I said, I enjoyed it anyway.

Next up was The Magic of Disney Animation. This is billed as a self-guided tour, but unless our guide's name was "self" then somebody ought to check the promotional literature. HERE'S A TIP: Sunday is one of the early-entry days for the Studios, but if you want to see the animators at work go on a weekday. The animators don't work on weekends. To start the tour we were placed in a showroom which displays awards, cels, figurines from Hercules, and many other interesting items. Then we got to see a short film with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams as Walter turns Robin into a cartoon character. Robin was at his best, of course, but I was delighted to see what a great straight-man Walter Cronkite is. They make a great pair. We finally got to tour through the area where the animators work and then ended up in a room where one of the animators drew pictures for the audience and answered questions. Pretty interesting.

While waiting for the Toy Story parade I bought a Hunchback ice cream bar. I thought that it would be shaped like Quasimodo, but it was just a regular bar. It did taste pretty good, though. I found a vacant spot for the parade and waited for the fun to begin. The parade was great. All the toys from the movie were in it. I especially liked the aliens.

Earlier that day I had made priority-seating arrangements for the 50's Prime Time Cafe. I normally hate going to restaurants by myself, but I'd heard about this place and just couldn't pass it up. The waiting area is decorated like a living room from the 1950's and has several television sets that show clips from classic 50's sitcoms. The only problem was that the noise level in the room was pretty high and I couldn't hear the TV. After a ten minute wait I was seated at a table in a room designed to look like a household dining room, complete with more TV's, Formica and turquoise. I was waited on by "my little brother Christopher". He really played his part to the hilt.

He introduced me to all of my "cousins" who were also dining there. Chris wore a toy gun holster complete with cap guns. One of the guns had a broken handle which he was upset about. Then he showed me the menu for the specials which was written in crayon and I ordered the turkey platter and a chocolate milkshake. The food was ok, but nothing to write home about. I did enjoy the "hominess" of the food, though. The mashed potatoes had lumps. One lady at the next table didn't finish her meal and Chris had us all shake our fingers at her and shame her for disappointing "Mom". Chris later had her explain the specials to a family that had just been seated. Another lady got the "airplane" treatment when she didn't finish her food. I was too full for dessert, but did enjoy looking at the dessert menu which was in a View Master toy. After eating everything on my plate (Of course I finished everything. Hey! I wasn't about to be humiliated!) I paid my "grocery bill" and went off to the next adventure.

My next stop was the Monster Sound Show in which audience members try to add sound effects to a short film starring Chevy Chase and Martin Short. The host for the show gave his instructions at a breakneck pace to the participants. The results, which should have been hilarious, turned out to be a dud because no one knew what to do with the sound effects equipment and created lots of silence when the movie was played back for the audience. At the exit of the Monster Sound Show is a room called Soundworks. This is a fun place where you can can experiment with sound devices and make your voice sound funny by playing with buttons and knobs. HERE'S A TIP: Make sure you get in line several minutes before the MSS begins because there is an interesting and funny pre-show film with David Letterman and Disney sound effects artist Jimmy McDonald.

Next door to the MSS is Superstar Television which, in my opinion, is a much better show.

Several guests are outfitted in costumes and act out scenes as they are superimposed (by use of the "blue screen" technique) into famous television programs such as Golden Girls, Home Improvement, Gilligan's Island, and Cheers. One of the best bits was the chocolate-wrapping scene from I Love Lucy. It's a very funny show. HERE'S A TIP: Try to be in the front of the waiting area so that you have a better chance of being picked. HERE'S A TIP: If someone in your group (or even you) is picked to be in the show make sure you have your video camera ready because participants are not given a tape of their scene when the show is over.

I knew that the backstage tour was about to close early so I made that my next stop. The first part of the tour is a demonstration of water effects in which a couple of guests are doused by a hurricane and torpedo explosions. Also, on display is a full-size model of the Nautilus. After that, we walked through a props room and boarded trams for a tour of wardrobe rooms, an airplane set, and residential streets featuring vehicles and house facades used in several movies and TV programs. I liked Catastrophe Canyon, but wished it would have related to a specific movie. HERE'S A TIP: If you don't mind getting wet at Catastrophe Canyon sit on the left side of the tram. The right side stays fairly dry. The view on the left side is much better. It was a nice tour, but I have to admit that the backstage tour at Universal Studios is much better (I've only been to Universal Studios Hollywood, not the one in Florida). At the end of the tour we were dropped off at the American Film Institute Showcase which houses props and costumes of famous shows. My favorite here was the display of storyboard art from Toy Story. Outside are more props from the Muppet shows and movies and from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

I went through The Great Movie Ride again and was treated to the gangster scene this time. I sat right behind the hostess and when the gangster took over the tour (I hope I'm not giving away too much) he talked to me in character and showed me his gun. Then I went for a cruise to the Moon of Endor at Star Tours. Except for the queue area it's exactly the same ride as in Disneyland, but then, why mess with perfection? The only thing I don't like about this ride is that it's over too quickly.

That was the end of my day at Disney-MGM Studios. Most resources I've read said that you can devote just one day to the Studios, but I knew I would have to come back to see more.

Tomorrow, though, we head back to the Magic Kingdom.

Thursday, March 6, 1997

This was my second day at the Magic Kingdom and I began it just like my other day there, at Alien Encounter. Believe me, this attraction doesn't get any less scary than the first time. Even though I knew what was going to happen I was still squirming in my seat.

I went to Take Flight next and took the ride through a cartoonish history of aviation. My opinion: skip this if you are pressed for time. Otherwise, it's a pleasant enough way to get off your feet for a few minutes. Next door to TF is The Timekeeper which is a much better show. Since Robin Williams provides the voice for the host-robot how could it fail to entertain? TF is a Circlevision 360 show which takes you on a spin through history with the aid of 9-Eye (voiced by Rhea Perlman), a time machine. What you see on the screens is what 9-Eye is seeing. Don't skip this attraction. HERE'S A TIP: Since you have to stand throughout the show you may want to see it in the morning before your feet get too tired.

After that I took a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, formerly named the Peoplemover.

It's a nice little ride that takes you on a tour of Tomorrowland and even goes inside Space Mountain. Then I headed over to Peter Pan and Splash Mountain.

I had signed up for the Keys to the Kingdom tour and headed to Main Street's City Hall. Our guide for the tour was Alissandra. She is Brazilian, but made sure that everyone could understand her accent. She took us up Main Street and told us about the architecture and pointed out the names on the shop windows. A neat thing about this tour is that we walked slowly the entire time. This enabled us to really take a good look at everything around us instead of rushing around trying to beat the crowd to the next ride. One of the facts she told us was that Main Street goes up slightly in elevation as you walk toward the castle. This is because people entering the park are full of energy and this is Disney's way of telling them to slow down.

As you leave the park at the end of the day your energy level has drained and you get to walk downhill. In Tomorrowland we rode the TTA and Alissandra told us to watch for a hidden Mickey on the ride. It is on the animatronic lady as you pass through the upper floor of the Alien Encounter building, but I missed it. We went through Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and saw Sunny Eclipse, the audio-animatronic keyboard-playing lounge lizard. HERE'S A TIP: Try to find the talking trash can at Cosmic Ray's. The CM's keep moving the trash cans around so it's never in the same place twice. When we got to the castle, one man in our group asked Alissandra about the cable leading from the castle spires to the ground toward Tomorrowland.

Her answer was that it's a TV cable so that Cinderella can watch the Disney Channel. She then asked that we save any "background" questions for when we went backstage, out of earshot of children. We wouldn't want to spoil their magic now, would we? Of course, not. Another fact she told us was that the castle masonry is actually made of fiberglass. Of course, I just had to knock on it to make sure.

Now for the secret part of the tour. Kids, close your eyes. We entered Tinker Bell's Treasures (Look for the blinking lights at kid's eye level. That's you-know-who.) and went through a door in the back of the shop. There was a stairway that led to the Utilidors, which is short for Utility Corridors. Alissandra then told us that the cable at the castle was actually Tinker Bell's guide-wire as she makes her nightly flight just before the fireworks. Just as we suspected. We also learned the not-so-secret secret that the guest areas of Magic Kingdom are actually the second floor of the park. The Utilidors were built at ground level because you can't build a basement at WDW without running into sea water. We only walked through a small portion of the "backstage" area, but we did get to tour the costume and wig departments and spoke with one of the wig stylists.

After stopping for lunch (I had clam chowder served in a bread bowl at the Columbia Harbour House, yummy) we toured Liberty Square and Frontierland. Just to the left of Splash Mountain is a gate that leads to another backstage area. We went through and found ourselves in the parade preparation area. Alissandra asked us not to touch any of the floats, but I just couldn't resist. We saw the floats from both of the current MK parades (Spectromagic and Remember the Magic) and the Electrical Water Pageant. There were also a few people building floats for the Easter parade.

OK kids, you can open your eyes now. Our next and final stop was Adventureland where we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and learned about forced perspective. One man in our group was allowed up on the balcony of one of the building facades. It was funny to see how huge he looked in comparison with the doors and windows up there.

My thoughts on the tour: If you have the time, do it! But make your reservations before getting to the park because the size of the group is limited. It's been recommended that first-time visitors to WDW not take the tour because it might be disillusioning. However, I didn't find that to be the case at all (although, I have been to Disneyland twice). In fact, it heightened my appreciation of the skill and imagination that it takes to run the park so successfully. The Keys to the Kingdom tour is absolutely worth the $45 it costs. By the way, the "keys" refer to the concept of how things are done at WDW. The four "keys" (in order of importance) are Safety, Show, Courtesy, and Efficiency.

After seeing a few minutes of the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue and watching the Remember the Magic parade again (and appreciating the details of the floats all the more, now) I went to the Hall of Presidents, only to find out that the show had just started and I would have to wait. I dashed over to Tropical Serenade to watch the Enchanted Tiki Birds put on their show.

Gosh, what a disappointment! Aside from the opening number I found the show to be boring.

It's no wonder that people leave during the middle of it. I've heard rumors that this show is going to be updated with new audio-animatronic birds such as Iago and Flit. I sure hope so!

I missed another presentation of the Hall of Presidents due to the battery in my watch losing its juice (I thought I had another 10 minutes to spare before the show) and went to drown my sorrows in a hot fudge sundae at Main Street's Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. It really wasn't very good. There were lumps of ice in the ice cream and the hot fudge was just luke-warm. I finally made it to the Hall of Presidents and thought it was wonderful. I especially liked watching the presidents fidget while Lincoln and Clinton were speaking. At one point during the show I looked back at the balcony and saw the words to the narration being displayed backward on an electronic reader-board. After the show I asked one of the CM's what it was for. He explained that the words are projected onto plates which are placed in front of hearing-impaired guests so that they can enjoy the show just like the rest of us. Kind of like a tele-prompter.

I finally made my first trip to Mickey's Country Fair where I toured the two mouse houses and collected some autographs at the Toontown Hall of Fame. I then rode the Walt Disney World Railroad to Frontierland for another ride on Splash Mountain. I just can't get enough of that ride.

After riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride I watched the fireworks from Fantasyland and fought the crowds on Main Street on my way to the welcome center. I stood in line to collect my 25th anniversary poster and when the lady at the counter asked me the date of my last visit I sheepishly replied, "Sunday". She smiled and gave me a poster, anyway. I spent a short while looking at the exhibits and reading the newspaper clippings regarding the 1971 opening of WDW. I then went into the next room to see the displays promoting Disney's Animal Kingdom. I could have spent a long time in there, but the park was closing so I had to leave.

Friday, March 7, 1997

I got to Epcot just before 9:00 and staked out a strategic spot so that I could be one of the first guests to get into the Universe of Energy pavilion and see Ellen's Energy Adventure. I've never seen the pavilion's original show, but I did really enjoy this one. The whole section with the dinosaurs seemed out of place to me, but I was glad they were there. Perhaps they should have their own show.

I went next door to the Wonders of Life to see the things I had missed before. I took the Metlife Health Review quiz and learned that I need to cut down on fats and such (duh!) and then went to the Metlife kiosk where I registered to win a return trip to WDW. Sure hope I win. About a week later at home Metlife sent me a packet in the mail containing a newsletter in which the headline reads, "J.D. Stearns visits Walt Disney World". It's a cute souvenir. I then saw The Making of Me starring Martin Short, and Cranium Command, a very funny and well-done show. I caught just a couple minutes of the Anacomical Players and left.

Horizons was next. Although I wouldn't rate this as a "must-see" I did enjoy it quite a bit. I was pleased to see the same audio-animatronic family as in the Carousel of Progress. I also liked the fact that I got to choose my own ending for the ride. I chose the ocean conclusion.

I knew I would have to leave soon, but I couldn't say goodbye without wandering through Innoventions West. It's a good thing I did because I got to see Alec Tronic, the coolest audio-animatronic figure to shake your booty to. His back-up singers were pretty wild, too.

I said good-bye to Epcot and took the shuttle and ferry to the Magic Kingdom. The first thing I did was board the train, intending to make a complete circuit of the park.

Instead, I got off in Frontierland and watched Remember the Magic for the third time. I still liked it, but I don't think I'll ever be able to get that song out of my head.

After another enjoyable show of the Country Bear Jamboree I took a stroll through the Swiss Family Treehouse. I still can't believe that tree was made by man. It's just another example of the Disney magic at work.

I boarded the Skyway in Tomorrowland (I've heard the lines are shorter there) just so I could take some shots with my camera from up in the sky. You get a pretty impressive view of the park from up there. I also got a glimpse of the lagoon and a submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which is now closed.

After going through the Haunted Mansion I decided to give the Plaza Ice Cream Parlour a chance to make up for yesterday's disappointing hot fudge sundae. Nope, the ice cream still has lumps of ice in it. Oh well, at least the ice cream back at ASM is good.

I decided to stay for Spectromagic so I found a spot on the curb by the hub and waited for the show to begin. This time I was enthralled by the parade. It really made a difference to see it without looking through a camcorder viewfinder. It's a great show and I loved it just as much as the Main Street Electrical Parade in DL. After the parade I decided to leave. Just as I was about to exit I decided to stay for Fantasy in the Sky. I'm glad I did. I finally got to see Tinker Bell's flight for the first time. What a magical moment! The crowd cheered as she started to make her way down from the top of the castle.

As soon as the fireworks were over I fought my way through the crowd to the shuttle area and went back to ASM. It was sad to leave MK, but I know that I'll be back someday. Back in my room I ordered a pizza from Intermission Food Court and had it delivered. I've had better pizzas in my life, but it wasn't bad. I then packed my bags because I would be leaving the next afternoon, but I knew that I would at least have the morning to spend at the Disney-MGM Studios.

Saturday, March 8, 1997

Today is my last day at WDW and I am very depressed. How could I even think of leaving this wonderful place! Maybe I should just move down here and spend the rest of my days living my dreams.

I took my bags to the luggage area in front of Melody Hall and asked the CM's there to hold them for me until I was ready to leave. Then I boarded the shuttle to Disney-MGM Studios and began my final day of fun.

I rode Tower of Terror, this time in the back row center seat. I've heard that this is the best seat to ride in, but didn't really notice any difference from the other two times I rode. It's still a thrilling attraction, though. Next, I walked to the Theater of the Stars and watched the Beauty and the Beast show. After that I encountered a flood of characters along Sunset Boulevard and had fun collecting autographs.

Then I decided to just walk around for a while and do some sight-seeing. I watched some streetmosphere characters and wandered through most of the park, including the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground and New York Street. I stopped just long enough to buy a Chocolate Chip Supreme Cookie at Ellen's Buy the Book. It was delicious and had big chunks of chocolate. Yummy!

Next, I took a tour of the Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians. It was an interesting tour in which we got to see sets, costumes, and props from the movie. We also got to walk through the soundstages and see the sets being built for the new 13-part mini-series about space exploration which Tom Hanks is producing.

I knew that I would have to leave soon, but just had to stay long enough to see the Toy Story parade again. It was over too soon and I had to force myself to leave. I took a very sad bus ride back to ASM and tried to think of ways I could extend my vacation. Back at ASM, I bought a banana (probably the only healthful thing I'd eaten the whole week) and waited for the Mears shuttle to take me to the airport.

I got my luggage checked and boarded the plane without any trouble. In Atlanta I switched planes and sat in my seat. And sat. And sat. Due to a mechanical problem the flight was delayed about an hour and a half. This was the same thing that happened on my way to Orlando last Saturday. Oh well, it could have been worse. I didn't really want to leave anyway. All the passengers got free use of the earpohones again so that we could watch "The Preacher's Wife". I started to watch, but fell asleep. We finally made it back to Portland and I was greeted by my friends Don and Joan and their son Taylor.

Thus ends one of the most memorable chapters in my life. I hope you have enjoyed reading these trip reports of mine. Now, I'm just sitting here thinking of the next time I get to experience the magic of Walt Disney World. I'm hoping for December of next year. In the meantime, here is a list of some of the many highlights (and a few disappointments) I experienced.

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT WDW:
(in no particular order)

Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain (my favorite ride of all)
• Keys to the Kingdom tour
• Spectromagic parade
• Remember the Magic parade
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (at night)
• Jungle Cruise
• Hall of Presidents
• ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
• The Timekeeper
• The Dapper Dans
• Legend of the Lion King
• Main Street Cinema
• Country Bear Jamboree

Epcot:

• the fountain between the Innoventions buildings
• Body Wars
• Cranium Command
• Ellen's Energy Adventure
• Alec Tronic in Innoventions
• Food Rocks
• American Adventure

Disney-MGM Studios:

• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• The Great Movie Ride
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• The Magic of Disney Animation tour
• Star Tours
• Superstar Television
• Toy Story parade
• 50's Prime Time Restaurant (for the show, not the food)

Other favorites:

• riding up front in the monorail
• Montu and the Congo River Rapids at Busch Gardens
• all the the CM's (including Alissandra, my tour guide and Chris from the 50's Prime Time Cafe.)
• collecting pressed pennies and autographs
• the convenience of my resort ID card
• the convenience of automatic checkout from the hotel

DISAPPOINTMENTS:
(in no particular order)

• IllumiNations25
• missing the Electrical Water Pageant
• missing Sorcery in the Sky
• hot fudge sundaes at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlour
• El Rio del Tiempo
• missing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea because it is closed forever

J.D. Stearns

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

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