Trip Reports

• Time of Year: Spring
• Travel Method: Unknown
• Resort: ASR
• Accommodations: Standard Room
• Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Teen, Adult
• WDW Experience Represented in Group: Unknown
• Comments: David's report is a short one, but it covers a lot of the bases. The hints and tips that he has spread throughout the narrative are of particular interest, even for the WDW veteran.

April 1, 1997 to April 5, 1997

Arrived at WDW's All Star Sports Hotel at 4 p.m., April 1 to wait about an hour to check in. Could have been worse as the guy waiting behind me was told by the desk clerk he was at the wrong place. All Star Music was the next one down.

The clerk gave me a plastic card with my name on it. That was our bus pass, gated entry pass, ticket to the Magic Kingdom and room key. And guest services says when we leave, it becomes a souvenir. Ingenious?

We had adjoining rooms with my in-laws, so we were two husbands, two wives and four boys, ages four to fourteen. Thank Disney for pools open till midnight, refillable mugs and lots of distractions.

The first of our four days was spent at the Magic Kingdom. We got there bright and early, about 7:30 a.m. to beat the crowds, but bowing to the tastes of the youngest, we hit Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White's Adventure, Dumbo, the Tea Cups, etc. Not exactly a touring plan you'll find in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney so we had nearly hour waits later on for the Mountain rides.

My eight-year-old nephew balked at going on any ride that had a fright or excitement factor, the weasles in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, for instance which left the railroad trip around the park. He became lost at Tom Sawyer Island when he wouldn't follow us through the cave, then wandered off rather than waiting for us to return. His mother was in tears as we looked for him. Well, we didn't include me since I figured he was being a wet blanket anyway so why spoil our good fortune.

Other highlights . . . the hot breath of the creature in Alien Encounter that gave my "too-cool-for-Disneyworld" teenaged son the screamies (I thought AE was not as scary as hyped but the pre-show was darkly provocative a la Tarentino) . . . Chicken Mike on the Jungle Cruise . . . the Macarena dancers at the outdoors "disco" by Space Mountain. Downer: the stand and search seating scheme that replaced reservations at the Diamond Horseshoe.

MGM on the second day where we did Star Tours still the king of all motion simulator rides in Orlando for my money, the Great Movie Ride and Muppets 4-D before the floodgate of off-property tourists arrived. Other highpoints: the comicly inspired routines of the toy soldiers from Toy Story (we secured a perch on the curb 45 minutes before the parade) . . . the sensory exhilaration of The Little Mermaid show with its lasers, mist and colors . . . and the trailers from the awful sci-fi movies I enjoyed while eating the Attack of the Stacked Killer Sandwich at the Sci Fi diner. Downer: the unintelligible patter of the tram guide on the backlot tour.

Blizzard Beach at 8:30 a.m. on the third day. Despite our preparations, we all suffered sunburn courtesy of the wonderful Florida weather. Cover the top of your head, especially if you're over 40, and don't forget to sunblock the tops of your feet. Other highlights: watching the glowing shuttle rise into the afternoon sky, a curling vapor trail in its wake . . . my son needing to use the facility immediately after his 60 mph plunge down Summit Plummet body slide so that he could discreetly re-arrange his swim trunks . . . my wife and her sister screaming as they flipped and flopped down the Run-off Rapids tandem tube slide (my sister-in-law claimed she was screaming Yeehaa cowgirl style, but I suspect it was really EEEEEEHH! AAAAAAAUGHHHH!) Downer: Waiting an hour for the five-second Douple Dipper Tube ride at 10 a.m.

Universal on the fourth day. We all voted Jaws as the most over-rated ride of the trip. But I was blown away, literally almost, by Terminator 3D, which combined live action, effects and an awesome 3-D show. At the end, the audience gave a spontaneous ovation and I personally doubt whether I will see anything so spectacularly done on the screen again. Two thumbs up from me. I also liked the Happy Days atmosphere of Mel's Diner with the du-wop group harmonizing nearby, but after the Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood and the Sci-Fi Diner, I was getting tired of eight dollar hamburgers. But Mel's shakes, mmmmmmmm.

Kudos to the Disney bus system which never left us waiting for more than ten minutes, despite the holiday season traffic and the construction. Unfortunately, there were waits: four hours on a Tuesday night for the Rainforest Cafe, two hours for the Tower of Terror, an hour for just about any ride at Universal on a Saturday afternoon, etc.

Images that will last till next trip . . . the teenagers who hopped off the Magic Kingdom railroad to visit Mickey's Toontown though it was nearly midnight, the grill-top drummers at Universal, the caricature sketch artist at All-Star Sports that seemed to attract a crowd whenever he worked, all the Aussies invading from down under with their off-color version of Tie Me Kangaroo Down, and many others.

David E. Talaga

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