Trip Reports

Amy (& Eeyore) - November 13-20, 1998- Dixie Landings

Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: DL
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Amy and her beanie baby (read the report, you won't believe me anyway) visited WDW for a nice week-long trip in mid-November. This is almost a solo trip report, but not quite...at least Amy doesn't talk to - herself This is a very nicely written, detailed, play-by-play report of a wonderful trip!


November 13-20, 1998

Well, here it is (finally) - my first trip report. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If not, please be gentle! 8-)

Participants:

Me – 45 – turning 46 on the trip. I have been to WDW six times previously – a day trip to the MK in 1977, Dixie Landings in Oct 1992 with my parents (at the tender age of 39), then solo trips in Nov. 1994, Nov. 1996 and Dec. 1997, followed by a trip with my 81 year old aunt in April 1998.
Peegue – my somewhat grimy Ty (don’t tell Disney) stuffed pig who goes everywhere with me. We tried to bring Eeyore, too, but Peegue said it was too crowded in the carry-on for both. Also, she reminded me that there was almost no chance that an additional Eeyore wouldn’t be purchased on the trip, and we needed to leave room for him. Peegue will be providing her report at the end of each day, but she mostly stays in the room as she is too big to carry around. I’m not sure what she does there, but I guess we will find out as we go along. She doesn’t know that other stuffed animals (aka "plush" animals) are allowed in the park and we are not going to tell her, right?
The Trip: Staying for a week, from November 13 – 20, 1998, at Dixie Landings for the fourth time. So on with the show….

Day 1 - Friday, November 13, 1998 – We’re Off!

After surviving the October flood in South Texas just four weeks earlier, I was not too pleased to find, the day before my departure, that heavy rain and flooding were predicted for departure day in both San Antonio (my departure city) and Houston (where I was connecting to my flight to Orlando). I was also not too pleased to find I had come down with a cold on Wednesday afternoon. I couldn’t do anything about the weather but I did manage to get an appointment with my doctor for 4:00 PM Thursday before my 6:10 AM departure Friday. I begged her for drugs to unstop my nasal passages to prevent the intense pain in my ears that I knew would be the result of flying. She came through with a prescription for a decongestant and (happily) some samples of some antibiotics, (which I am sure would have been hideously expensive) to take with me in case I needed them.

Friday morning dawned very early as my Dad was picking me up for the trip to the airport at 5:00 AM. It was still raining lightly, with temperatures in the low 50’s, but no fog or flooding so I figured if there was a delay, it wouldn’t be here in San Antonio. Houston was another story. Upon arrival at the gate in SA, the plane was there but the gate agents were not too optimistic about our chances for leaving on time, as there had been some pretty major delays due to weather in Houston the day before and it had not improved any overnight. There were thunderstorms and flooding predicted for the morning there. The weather angels were with me, though, and the flight left SA on time and arrived in Houston a little early. I relaxed a little then since I knew I would not miss my connection to Orlando, even though I knew it might still be delayed.

I was happy that the gate number of my arrival gate in Houston was only six away from the departure gate, since Continental airlines occupies a large part of Intercontinental Airport. Unfortunately, they were not in the same area. In fact, they were about as far apart as they could be. Oh, well, it will help me get ready for all the walking at WDW. Once I finally arrived at the gate for the Orlando flight, there was not a long wait to board and the flight left only a little late for Houston, which surprised everyone. It was a little bumpy shortly after take off due to all the bad weather but I knew it would be smooth sailing soon. The weather in Orlando was sunny and warm so no problems there.

We arrived a little late and there was quite a delay getting the luggage. There was also a delay at Mears as a line had formed behind a couple making a 20 minute transaction with the only ticket agent. I never did find out what was taking so long but eventually another ticket window opened and the line began to move again. It did make me wish again that I could justify the added expense for Tiffany or Florida Town Car, but with just one person, it would cost almost $50.00 more and it just didn’t seem worth it when I think of the souvenirs I can buy with that amount of money. 8-)

I arrived at Dixie Landings, the second stop on the Mears route, about 12:30 PM. I was a little dismayed to see a fairly long line at check-in but they had 12 people doing check-in so it didn’t take too long to get to the window. I had called a few days earlier to the room controller to request one of eight specific rooms (out of more than 2000) and was pleased to find I had actually gotten one of them. It wasn’t ready but I was prepared for that so I just left my luggage and headed out with my trusty annual pass in hand. (I had an annual pass for the first time, purchased for my April trip since I knew I would be back this month.)

It was MUCH warmer in Florida than in SA. I considered changing into shorts but that seemed like too much trouble, so I set out in my blue jeans, which I came to regret later in the day. (So I don’t have to mention it later in the report, the weather the whole trip was pretty nice, although warmer than I was hoping it would be. The highs were in the low 80’s and the lows were in the mid 60’s, with moderate but not unbearable humidity. I live in South Texas and am generally sick of warm weather since we have so much of it. However, it didn’t rain even once while I was out of doors and it wasn’t unbearably hot so I really shouldn’t complain.)

I took a bus to MGM, then caught the boat to the Beach Club for lunch at Beaches and Cream because I wanted to make sure I got there. I think the burgers there are okay but I love the malts! They must use a quart of ice cream in them. Yummy.

After lunch I called Dixie Landings to see if my room was ready and get the number (#8543), then got the boat back to MGM, arriving about 3:30 PM. The wait for Tower of Terror was about 20 minutes so I rode once. As the elevator car was just about to enter the drop shaft, I realized it was Friday the 13th! Eeeeeek! Oh, well, too late now. (And I had already survived the big ride – the flight to Orlando – without incident.) All went smoothly but I decided not to tempt fate with another ride. Besides, Star Tours was calling. I shopped my way to Star Tours, where I rode three times, once with no wait, then once with a ten minute wait and the final trip with a 20 minute wait, which is unusual at that hour in the afternoon. I guess Indy must have just let out. I really love the flight simulator rides, particularly Star Tours. During my 1996 trip, I rode Star Tours 20 times in one week. I’m not sure what it is, but I just come off the ride smiling. What could be better than that?

In line behind me on my third trip through was a couple who had RADP pins on. They turned out to be Ben and Jennifer Milano. Ben had posted about 62 million times on RADP in the months before his trip, asking all kinds of questions, because he was so excited about his trip. I knew he was going to be there that week but it was a surprise to run into him so soon in the trip. I have worn my RADP pin on three previous trips but had never actually run into any RADPers before (except at the monster December meet in 1997) so it was fun to run into them. (I think they were Star Tours virgins.) Just as we zipped past the moon of Endor, the ride stopped. We waited for what seemed like 3 or 4 minutes before the ride CM came on the loud speaker from outside and announced that they had to reset it and we would have to change Star Speeders. Then she opened the doors and another CM came in and pushed a button to reset and we were on our way again in the same vehicle. Apparently someone (a CM) downstairs had opened a door they weren’t supposed to open and it stopped the ride.

After the long wait for the third trip, plus the delay in resetting, it was almost 5:30 PM and everyone I had talked to during the day said to be at Fantasmic by 5:45 PM for the 7:00 PM show so I headed there. I really wanted to see the show but I wasn’t sure I was up for sitting for over an hour to wait for it. As it turned out, I arrived at exactly the right time. They had just opened the section right in front of the exit. I chose a seat near the top so I could beat a fast retreat after the show.

I was at first next to a woman who was also by herself and turned out to be from Turkey. She was in Orlando on business and had just one day to see MGM. When she found out the show wasn’t starting until 7:00 PM she decided she had more to see. I told her the Beauty and the Beast show wasn’t worth missing Fantasmic for but that she really ought to ride Tower of Terror. Since it was so close she went to go ride, and take her chances on getting back into Fantasmic later. I then found myself next to a really nice family from Lancaster, PA and we got to talking and the time passed pretty fast. It was their first trip to WDW so I was able to tell them all the things I thought they ought to be sure and do, which I love doing! They seemed glad to be able to talk to someone who had been there as many times as I have.

The theatre is immense. About 15 minutes after I was seated, we started doing "waves" which was pretty impressive with that many people. The theatre seemed to be completely full by about 6:15 PM There was some other entertainment in the front of the theatre but we were too far away to see much of it, until about 15 minutes before the show, when a comedian came on with a microphone and standing on a platform. He was pretty funny and before we knew it, the show started.

The show is pretty cool. The most impressive part for me was when the dragon breathed fire and the water caught fire. The water screens were cool, too. I hope the show eventually becomes a little less popular because I don’t think I would wait that long for it again.

Since I was near the exit, I didn’t have any delays getting out. As I walked past the sign that pointed to stroller parking, I began to imagine how big the stroller parking lot must be for all those people (I am envisioning the TTC for strollers) and what a nightmare it must be to try and find your stroller in it. I was really glad I didn’t have to deal with that. When we emerged onto Sunset Boulevard, there were people waiting to get in so I think they were going to do another show, although it wasn’t scheduled. I headed for the exit and there was a Dixie Landings/Port Orleans bus waiting which I was able to get on, although I had to stand. I was back at Dixie Landings by 8:00 PM. I browsed the shop to see the latest crop of T-shirts and other souvenirs, decided I didn’t need dinner, and then headed over to Bell Services to see about getting my luggage to my room. Since a bell CM was available then, he took both me and my luggage to the room. I had to show him where the room was!

Safely ensconced in my room with my luggage, I unpacked, made notes for my trip report and collapsed in bed at 10:00 PM, leaving a wake-up call for the next morning.

Magical Moment today: Driving through the WDW gates. We made it here!

Peegue Report – Day 1

Jeez, I hate travel days. I was jammed in that crowded carry-on with cosmetics, underwear and snacks for the room from 4:45 AM until almost 9:00 PM. What kind of day do you think I had? Finally She released me from the suitcase, I got to watch Her unpack everything and then we climbed into one of those great tall beds together. I guess it was worth it. Tomorrow is bound to be a better day.

Day 2 - Saturday, November 14, 1998 – Magic Kingdom at Dawn

Mickey called to wake me at 6:00 AM. I was pretty tired as I had been awake from about 2:00 –3:30 AM. (I was either too sick or too excited, or perhaps both, to sleep very well.) I showered and dressed and left the room about 6:50 AM. I stopped at the front desk to retrieve some of my Disney dollars I had dumped in the lock box before heading to the park yesterday and encountered a 10 minute wait to get into my box, due to an early morning line and only 2 people at the front desk. I barely made it to the bus stop for the 7:10 AM bus which I find gets me to the MK at just the right time for early entry.

I never feel I am really at WDW until my first trip down Main Street and this was the first time I had seen the castle in its full "castle" state since it was the cakestle. It was gray when I was there in April but they were still painting the "bricks", the moat was drained and there was a crane there. It was great to have it back to its natural state, although I was glad I got to see the cakestle. I headed straight to Space Mountain and rode twice, once with no wait and then with a five minute wait. Next I went for my first trip through Buzz Lightyear. That is a fun ride! I did really badly on my first trip through so I went back two more times, all with no wait. My first score was a humiliating 10,100, followed by a merely embarrassing 20,500 and finally breaking 50,000 with 55,200 on my third ride. I really wanted to break 100,000 but it wasn’t to be that day.

Next stop was at Snow White (after a brief moment of silence in front of the shrouded Toad Hall) where I rode in the Sleepy car after about a5 minute wait. By this time the line at Peter Pan was too long to get in a flight before rope drop so I went to wait for that. It happened at about 8:55 AM.

They now have CM’s lead people coming from all three directions toward Splash Mountain so that all three directions end up in the same place at the same time. I will say that the CMs were walking fast enough that I had a hard time keeping up with them. (I have arthritis in my feet and one knee and can’t run.) Once we got to the point where the Adventureland group came in, all bets were off and whoever could move fastest got in line first. The line looked immense when I got to it (it was across the bridge in front of Splash Mountain) but apparently they hadn’t yet begun letting people in to the queue area because once I got to the entrance, I walked almost all the way through the queue area before being stopped by those ahead of me just before the steps going down to board the ride, about a 10 minute wait overall. Next was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which also had about a 10 minute wait (although it was up to 20 minutes by the time I had finished riding).

After BTMRR, I had time to check out the Briar Patch to see the newest Pooh merchandise before heading to the Crystal Palace for my 10:15 AM priority seating. I arrived at 10:00 AM and was seated in about 10 minutes. I got to sit in the room off to the right of the entrance area for the first time. The view in that room is a little more peaceful since it looks more onto a garden than out onto the porch where people are waiting for tables. The breakfast was the same as in years past, with plenty of choices. I pigged out on all kinds of naughty things I don’t eat at home and loved it.

New since the last time I was here is Piglet. He is now in the entrance area where Pooh used to be and Pooh now circulates with Tigger and my good friend Eeyore. I almost missed Tigger while I was getting my food. He had already signed my autograph book and moved on to the next table but I was able to get him to come back for a photo and Tigger hug. Next came Pooh, followed by Eeyore. I had worn my special Eeyore shirt just for him and he was so happy he gave me an extra hug. You can’t have too many Eeyore hugs in my opinion. I didn’t notice it at the time, but in my pictures, you can see that Eeyore had one of those round Mickey stickers they hand out in the parks stuck to his tummy down at "little kid" level. I don’t know if some kid gave it to him as a gift or if it just got reapplied to Eeyore when the kid hugged him.

While I was breakfasting, I wrote a postcard to a friend of mine who is a big Piglet fan and left room for Piglet to sign it. As I was leaving, I went to be photographed with Piglet and get his autograph in my book and I asked him if he would sign the postcard, too, and he was so happy to do that for a fan that he gave me an extra hug. When my friend got the postcard, she thought I had just written Piglet’s name on there and I had to show her the picture of Piglet and me before she believed Piglet had actually signed it! [By the way, I am happy they now have Piglet but I think he is a little strange looking. Don’t tell my friend I said so, though ;-) ]

I left Crystal Palace around 11:15 AM and took some photos of the flowers around the hub with the castle in the background that really came out great. Then I walked over to Tomorrowland and did Timekeeper, which is interesting the first few times but which I can kind of take or leave now. Robin Williams is funny, which makes it worthwhile. Next I saw Carousel of Progress which I just love. I don’t know why it fascinates me so, but I try and see it several times each trip. Then I rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority twice, because I wanted to see the inside of Space Mountain again.

By this time, my cold was starting to wear me down a little so I headed back toward the exit, browsing the shops on Main Street as I go. I got the bus back to Dixie Landings about 1:30 PM and went back to my room to rest for a little while. I don’t usually do that when I’m there this time of year because the parks close so early but I just wasn’t feeling up to being my usual theme park commando self.

I slept/rested for about an hour and then the parks started calling again so I got the bus to Epcot at about 3:00 PM. I went first to Spaceship Earth, which was a walk-on, and then decided to go see Universe of Energy but it was down so I went to Horizons and rode twice without getting off. I love Horizons and I will really miss it when it closes. Next I went to Wonders of Life and rode Body Wars three times, all with essentially no wait. The flight simulator rides are some of my favorites and because the lines are usually short to non-existent I always ride them multiple times. I like Star Tours a little better than Body Wars, though.

I headed from there to World Showcase to see the China movie, since I hadn’t seen it in a couple of years, stopping to watch at Test Track to see if any cars would go by. Apparently they were testing it because one car did whiz by while I watched. I waited a few minutes to see if another would go by but I never saw another one. The China movie was good, and I think it is my second favorite of the three WS movies. France is far and away my favorite, though.

After the movie I sampled some of the food and wine in the vicinity. The first two booths I came to in WS had only beer. Finally the Russia & Eastern Europe booth had some red wine so I had a glass but it was pretty bad. I tried the Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce at the Southeast Asia booth and it was really good. By now it was about 6:30 PM and I was starting to wear down again so I decided to head back to the exit.

When I got to World Showcase Plaza, I discovered the Junkanoo Bus Band was there. I had never seen them but they were at the top of my list of shows to catch this trip so I found a wall to sit on and stopped to watch them. The band itself is on the top level of a joyfully painted double decker bus. There is a woman who sings and dances down in WS Plaza and she teaches brave guests how to do the dances that go along with the reggae and calypso music the band plays. I actually got brave enough to go out there and do a couple of dances, although I did them pretty badly. Just before they finished playing, she led the group in a limbo. I immediately left the dance floor. Most of the group was older men and little kids but there was one young woman, who had been with her parents on my bus to Epcot from Dixie Landings, who was really good. She must not have any bones in her back. She was able to bend backwards and get under the pole way after the kids had started ducking under it. I was amazed!

When the band stopped playing I once again headed toward the exit. I hadn’t gotten far when I saw some kids playing in the fountain that shoots water out of the sidewalk. They were screaming and having so much fun I had to stop and watch them. It was a warm humid evening and it looked like such fun. A little farther on, the big fountain was "performing" so of course I had to stop and watch that before moving again toward the exit. This time I was distracted at Innoventions when I remembered I wanted to find the internet postcard booth. I thought I would just look in and see if it was nearby and it was right by where I came in. I had a sizable list of e-mail addresses with me so I sent a bunch of e-cards. The next distraction on my trek to the bus was the kids chasing the lights in the sidewalk between Innoventions and Spaceship Earth.

Finally I made it out the exit and was back at Dixie Landings by about 8:00 PM. I toured the gift shop again, got a grilled chicken sandwich and some onion rings from the food court and took it back to my room to eat. The chicken in the sandwich was so tough I couldn’t eat it. I cut what I could into bite size pieces and ate those but had to leave most of it uneaten. I wasn’t all that hungry so I ate the bun with the lettuce, tomatoes and onions, finished my onion rings, and collapsed into bed about 10:00 PM after making notes for my trip report.

Magical Moment today: My first Eeyore hug of the trip.

Peegue Report – Day 2

I couldn’t believe the wake up call came so early, but She let me sleep while She showered and dressed. Then She got me and gave me a book to read. It was okay but as soon as She left, I turned on the TV to watch the Disney World info network while I waited for the housekeeper. She was pretty cool last time I was here and she played with me a little and put me in the window so I could look out. This year, she must have been real busy ‘cos she just moved me off the bed so she could make it up. She left me on the little table, with my book but I couldn’t see the TV too well, so I just read and napped, until Amy came back for her nap. After She left I was pretty bored and I was wishing I had let Her bring an Eeyore but She didn’t stay gone too long and soon we were snoozing in that great bed.

Day 3 - Sunday, November 15, 1998 – An Early Birthday Celebration

When planning this trip, I had planned to celebrate my birthday on the 18th with dinner at Harry’s Safari Bar & Grill, followed by drinks and sing-a-longs at Jellyrolls. I switched the celebration to Tuesday night so I could sleep late on my birthday and then get up early Thursday for early entry at MK one last time. Then when the dates for E-ride nights came out, I pushed it back still further to Sunday night, so I wouldn’t have two late nights in a row. Anyway, to make a short story long, I now had ressies at Harry’s for 7:30 PM tonight. My original plan had been to go to early entry at MGM this morning then to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival around 11:00 AM. The cold was still with me, though, and I had decided before I went to bedthat sleeping was more important than Tower of Terror this morning so I didn’t set an alarm.

Even without the alarm I woke up at 6:00 AM but took my time getting dressed, then went to the Colonel’s Cotton Mill (the Dixie Landings food court) for breakfast. I ate and wrote postcards, mailed them and went back to the room to slather with sunscreen before setting out for Epcot around 9:00 AM. I went first to Spaceship Earth but it was down so I went to Wonders of Life and rode Body Wars three times in a row. The first time there were six other people on the ride. Since there were so few people waiting, I decided to see if I could just stay on for the next trip. I asked and the CM said yes, but it turned out there was no one waiting for that vehicle so I rode by myself two more times. I left after that because I was too embarrased to ask to go again. Did I mention I really like this ride?

Since I was so close, I went and rode Horizons twice without getting off in between, then saw HISTA, with no wait. By this time, World Showcase was open so I set off in that direction, stopping, literally, to smell the roses in the rose garden along the walkway between JII and WS. The first Food &Wine Festival (F&WF) booth I ran into was five countries who had only wine and no food. All were big wine producers – Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Portugal and Australia. I started with a Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc, which I think is the Robert Mondavi joint venture with a Chilean wine producer. My next purchase was an Argentinian wine, Mariposa Malbec. I had heard of Malbec but I don’t know that I had ever had one. I really liked it a lot. Then I backtracked a little to the Meet the Winemaker booth where I visited with the winemaker from a winery I had never heard of and can’t recall at this moment.

After three wine samples I decided it was time for food. I had the Lamb Souvlaki at Greece and the Pork Tourtiere with Hunter Sauce from Canada, then went to see the Canada movie since I was right there. Next it was on to the UK where I had a lamb chop with mango chutney at the New Zealand booth and then stumbled on a delightful sparkling wine, Seaview Brut, at the UK booth. I browsed the shops in the UK where I found an Eeyore note pad that seemed necessary to my continued existence and a tartan map of Scotland that I thought my brother-in-law would like for Christmas and sent them back to my room. I also saw Tigger and Eeyore out in the little park at the UK but they had long lines and I had just had breakfast with them the day before so I didn’t stop to speak. I went back for one more little glass of bubbles before moving on to France.

In France, I saw the movie, which I just love. The combination of the magnificent scenery and the beautiful music takes me away from heat and aching feet and I completely lose myself in the experience. I usually see it at least twice each trip and I always leave thinking I will skip Disney World and go to France next time. So far, I haven’t been able to actually do that.

After the movie, I set out once more in a serious quest for food and wine and found some delightful items, including Hummus with Pita Wedges and Tabbouleh and Indigo Hills Zinfandel at the Eastern Mediterranean booth, followed by Pasteles de Carne (meat turnovers) from Brazil. I found a bench in the shade to eat my treats and met an older woman who lived near Disney World and came to Epcot several times a week to walk for exercise and then just enjoy the ambience. During the F&WF, she would come one day and sample some food, then bring her mother the next day if she thought mom would like it. I was very jealous she got to come so often.

I had one more glass of the Zinfandel before moving on to the American Adventure. I hadn’t seen the show at the American Adventure in several trips so I decided to see it. I found it wasn’t going to start for 15 minutes so I went to the US F&WF booth and got an apple dumpling which was really good. While I was waiting for the show, I saw another RADP button and it turned out to be attached to Julie, imkiwi10, who was organizing the Nov. 18th meet at Buzz Lightyear so I stopped to say hello to her. This was unprecedented, finding a second RADPer this trip, since I hadn’t run into any on previous trips, except at the ginormous meet at Epcot last December and the 1st Toad-In the next day.

After the AA show, it was almost 3:30 PM and I wanted to have time to rest for a while before dinner so I decided it was time to head toward the exit. Before I got far, I was attacked by one last bit of food, the Tandoori Chicken at the India booth near Italy. It turned out to be more than a bit of food and I began to become concerned that I was not going to be even thinking about being hungry by 7:30. I also became concerned when I realized how tired I was and how far I was from the bus to Dixie Landings. It took me about 20 minutes to get to the bus stop, without any major stops along the way.

I went back to my room and rested for about an hour before setting out for the Dolphin at about 5:50 PM. It took about an hour to get there via the Marketplace. I stopped in the character shop at the Dolphin on my way to Harry’s and was seated about 7:00 PM. The meal at Harry’s was fabulous. I was not particularly hungry after all the food and wine I had at Epcot in the afternoon so I ordered a glass of wine to start with. My server, Kennie, must have been concerned I would be lonely dining by myself so he brought a large stuffed gorilla and seated it in the chair opposite mine at the table. I asked what his name was and Kennie paused for a second and then told me it was Russell. I don’t know if he had to recall the name or if no one had asked before and the poor creature was only then christened Russell. In any case Russell and I had a nice conversation, much to the consternation of the couple at the next table. Fortunately for my pocketbook, Russell didn’t like lamb or red wine. He seemed to be more of a steak and beer kind of guy and I hadn’t ordered any of that.

I had an Australian red wine, I think, that I liked and I perused the menu while I sipped it. I finally settled on the rack of lamb which came with dried cherry risotto and crispy spinach. It was huge. (Oh, goody, more food. Groan) It was incredible. The lamb was so tender I could have cut it with the edge of my plate and it was crusted, I think, with herbs. The spinach was crispy because it was fried and was also wonderful as was the rice.

I ate almost everything on my plate, while sipping my second glass of wine which was, I think, a red Bordeaux of some kind. I just laughed when Kennie brought the dessert tray around but he had the last laugh when I succumbed to the lure of some white chocolate profiteroles and ordered some bubbles, a glass of Korbel Brut, to go along with it. The term "some profiteroles" is something of an understatement. In fact it was a tower of profiteroles as big as my head. Needless to say, I did not make it through the whole tower (although I did finish the bubbles). They were pretty good but I think they would have been better if I hadn't already been as full as a tick.

I had the famous $50.00 off coupon, so my dinner after tax and tip (based on the total before the coupon) came to only $23.70. Before I left, I asked Kennie if he would see if he could find Russell, who had gone to visit some other guests about halfway through the rack of lamb, and bring him back for a photo. Unfortunately in the photo he was against a background the same color he was and he doesn’t show up all that well. Too bad because I think that might have been one of my favorite character photos!

I left Harry’s a little before 9:00 and walked over to the Jellyrolls at the Boardwalk. I have wanted to go there ever since I found out it was a sing-a-long kind of place. The two teams of dueling pianists were both very good and very funny. People would write song requests on napkins and send or take them to one of the performers with a tip. They always had more requests than they had time for. Each duo would play for an hour and they alternated throughout the evening. At first they played a bunch of songs I didn’t know. I’m not sure if I didn’t know them because I was too old or too young. Eventually they started playing more songs I knew and I really had fun. I had a glass of barely drinkable red wine, then three glasses of water, which I was glad about the next morning.

I finally tore myself away a little after midnight, took a cab back to Dixie Landings and collapsed into bed around 1:00 AM.

Magical Moment today: Dinner with Russell the Gorilla

Peegue report – Day 3 Today was more fun. She slept a little later and then left me in bed. The housekeeper moved me again (she is a real drag, with no imagination) but put me back on the bed when she left. It took me a while, but I finally found the remote and was able to watch some TV. Then about 2:00 PM, a new friend arrived. She apparently purchased a Figment beanie on Saturday and he arrived this afternoon. I couldn’t get the bag open but we were able to talk and made plans for the next day. Amy was gone until real late and Figment and I fell asleep before She got home. She woke me up when She got home, and She let Figment out of his bag. The She and I climbed into our bed and went to sleep. Sigh.

Day 4 - Monday, November 16, 1998 – Hit the Stores and Shop Like You Mean It

I had scheduled a rare "sleep late" day so Mickey didn’t call to wake me. He must have been thinking about me, though, because I woke up early anyway. I stayed in bed and read for a while, then piddled around the room doing some things until about 9:15 AM, when I set out by bus for the Downtown Disney Marketplace. I stopped first in the Christmas shop (called, I think, Disney’s Days of Christmas) and found a Christmas stocking with Eeyore’s head peeking out of the top. I bought it to complete my stocking set, which now consists of Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore. I was looking for some cute ornaments but I didn’t find any that really called to me. (This may possibly be due to the fact that I already have a sizeable selection of Disney ornaments and I don’t actually put up a Christmas tree most years.)

Next I stopped at the Gourmet Pantry where I bought some gifts for some clients and some chocolate truffles in the shape of Mickey, Tigger and Pooh for me. (They didn’t have any Eeyore ones. Someone needs to look into that.) I was pretty hungry after spending time in that shop. I had planned to have an early lunch at Planet Hollywood and this seemed like a good time to head over there. On the way, though, I spotted Pooh Corner and of course had to just glance in. My glance rested on a green nightshirt with Tigger wearing Pooh slippers on it. My conversation with myself went something like this:

Chancellor of the Exchequer: We don’t need to spend money on a nightshirt. We already have six Pooh or Mickey themed T-shirt nightshirts. That seems like plenty.

Kid Who Loves All Things Pooh: But Chancellor, this one has Tigger wearing Pooh slippers. Look how proud he is.

CotE: But Kid, we already have a T-shirt with Tigger wearing a Mickey outfit and a nightshirt with Tigger holding a little stuffed Pooh. We don’t need anymore nightshirts.

KWLATP: But Chancellor, that nightshirt is flannel and this is a T-shirt nightshirt. They aren’t the same at all. I really want this one. Pleeeeeeeeeeease. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

Well, this discussion went on in the same vein for some little time until finally my Adult Who Hates to Look Stupid, who was worried that this discussion might have taken place out loud and would begin to attract the store clerks attention, teamed up with Stomach who was screaming louder and louder about being hungry, and forced a decision. We bought the nightshirt.

My cold was still hanging with me a bit and that spurred me on to get to Planet Hollywood for rest and sustenance. It was just about 11:15 AM and there was almost no one in Pleasure Island or at Planet Hollywood so I was seated immediately. I enjoyed the décor but I’m not really a movie buff so a lot of the memorabilia they have was wasted on me. I had no idea what movie most of it was from.

Since I was feeling so bad with my cold, I decided to order a glass of orange juice instead of a cocktail or wine. I sipped on that while I perused the menu. I finally decided on a bleu cheeseburger with bacon. They forgot to put the bacon on it, but it was the best hamburger to date in WDW. It was great! I highly recommend the burgers there. I liked my lunch there but I think the Rainforest Café is a lot more fun and their Amazon Natural (veggie burger) is really almost as good. I probably won’t do PH again.

>From Planet Hollywood I walked back through Pleasure Island (I had taken the sidewalk outside PI on the walk to PH.) I had never been there before. The place was pretty deserted as it was just 12:30 PM but I got to see the outside of the Adventurers’ Club. One of these days I am going to go there for the shows and the Kungaloosh! Maybe next year. I stopped at DTV, the PI character shop and found the Mickey Mouse T-shirt I wanted to wear on Mickey’s and my birthday Wednesday (It has Mickey hugging a stuffed Pluto – it’s pretty cute) and sent it back to my room.

I finally arrived at my main shopping goal for the day – the World of Disney store. I pulled out my list and started loading up my basket. I bought some client gifts and some Christmas gifts, then picked up a purple Eeyore T-shirt I felt was essential to my continued existence. And, yes, Peegue was right. I did buy another Eeyore. Well, they’ve changed them since my last trip. I had to. I also bought some cute gloves with Tigger on them, (since I know it will eventually get cold enough in South Texas to wear them, even though there have been no real signs to date that it will happen), along with a few other smaller things. Finally, it was time for The Decision. Am I going to buy that fuchsia fleece Eeyore turtleneck or not? Can I afford it? Will it get cold enough to ever wear it? The Chancellor and The Kid geared up for battle again. I won’t go into all the details but let’s just say that I am sitting here enjoying the warmth of the cutest, softest, most expensive turtleneck I have ever owned. Score two for The Kid.

An hour and a half and $200.00 later, I emerged from the World of Disney with a smoking credit card and headed back toward the dock to take the boat back to Dixie Landings to drop off some stuff and put my feet up for just a few minutes. I arrived at the dock at 2:30 PM, the boat arrived about 20 minutes later and was back in my room by 3:10 PM. It’s not the fastest way to get there but it is a great ride.

It was now past 3:00 PM and I had not set foot in a park, so I didn’t linger long in the room. I caught a bus to MGM at 3:25 PM and went first to the Animation Tour, which has moved to expanded quarters since the last time I took it. The tour itself hasn’t changed all that much except I think we spent a little more time with the animator. I still liked the tour better before they took out the monitors along the way where you heard the explanation while you were seeing the folks actually doing the work. The tour group was so big that for the most part I was looking at something totally different from what the guide was explaining, when I could hear her at all, which often I couldn’t. It is still a worthwhile tour.

Next I rode the Great Movie Ride, with no wait. Then it was time for a few more trips on Star Tours since I was nowhere near my trip goal of 25 rides on Star Tours. I rode three times, all with no wait, then went to see the Muppet Movie. When I came out of the movie, I went to glance at New York Street. It was just getting dark and I happened to notice that some of the Osborne lights were up in the little square at the end of New York street so I went down to look at them. They were scheduled to open for an annual passholder preview the day after I was leaving so it was a treat to get to see that small part of them. They even had the "snow" going. It was a nice little surprise.

As I headed back I found myself again at Star Tours so I rode again (still a walk-on). When the doors opened to exit, the CM was in the hallway offering to let us all ride again, so of course I did. After my second trip it was almost 7:00 PM so I left and caught the bus back to Dixie Landings.

On arrival at Dixie Landings I decided a little glass of wine in the bar might be a good thing. It was. I had a glass of Columbia Crest Merlot which was very nice. It reminded me of a Cabernet Sauvignon from another Pacific Northwest winery, Waterbrook, that had a very distinctive flavor – lots of cherry and chocolate. So I had another, along with some garlic cheese bites (fried garlic cheese with a dipping sauce) followed by a piece of key lime pie. On the way back to the room, I stopped at the DVC booth to find out if it was even a remote possibility that I might be able to become a member. I love Dixie Landings but I would give it up in a second if I could somehow afford to stay at the Boardwalk. The CM at the DVC booth was nice and offered me a free lunch if I would come tour the property. I just wasn’t ready to commit that much time but I am still going to put a pencil to the numbers she gave me and see if it might work out. Since it was almost 10:00 PM, I went back to my room without a stop in the gift shop (I was afraid my credit card might implode if I charged anything further to it today) and was asleep by 10:30 PM.

Magical Moment of the Day: "Snow" on New York Street at MGM

Peegue Report – Day 4:

I thought She would never leave this morning. Figment and I had planned to play cards, but we couldn’t find them. Then we decided to see if we could tune in the adult pay per view movie channel. We found the remote and pushed all the buttons but, would you believe it, Disney doesn’t have an adult pay per view movie channel in the room. Now what are we going to do? Figment came up with the idea of getting Amy’s Crayola markers out and drawing. I wanted to draw on the walls but Figment’s imagination didn’t reach that far and we found some drawing paper and used that. I drew a picture of Amy and Figment drew a picture of someone named Dreamfinder, then started crying. I’m not sure why. To cheer him up, I told him my joke about the… well, never mind that now. Anyway, he was fine again. He started making up jokes and that’s how we spent the rest of the day. Amy finally came home a little before 10:00 PM. She had some new friends with her, Chip and Dale beanies. She put on her jammies, then She, Figment, Chip, Dale and I climbed into bed and I was sound asleep before the lights were even out.

Day 5 - Tuesday, November 17, 1998 – Animal Kingdom!

I woke up on my own at 5:40 AM. Since I hadn’t planned to be out real early, I stayed in bed and read and made some journal notes until almost 7:30 AM. I got up and showered and dressed and left the room by 8:10 AM. Halfway to the bus stop I remembered I needed sun screen so I went back and slathered. At the bus stop there was a beautiful redheaded young girl, who turned out to be 12 years old but looked a little younger to me. She was very friendly and we had a great time talking about our favorite rides and parks. The MK bus finally came about 8:35 and we said goodbye. As the bus pulled out, I happened to look back and she was watching me and waved to me. Something about that made me feel really good. What a neat kid! If I had been sure I would have one like that, I might have made more of an effort to have kids. As it is, I have all I can do just looking after myself, so I think it has all happened for the best.

I arrived at the MK just as the park opened and took the train to Mickey’s ToonTown Fair. I wanted to be sure and ride Goofy’s Barnstormer while there was no line since it wouldn’t be open for E-ride night. It always seemed to have waits that were way too long for the 50 second ride when I was trying to ride last December. No waits this time. I was the only person on the ride the three times I rode, all without getting off except after the second trip to move from the front to the back of the coaster because the CM said it was more exciting in the back. It actually is a pretty good ride, although way too short. I should think it would terrify lots of little kids.

Being Goofy replete, I went to see if the line for Dumbo was long. It was a bit long, about 10-15 minutes but I decided to wait. I hadn’t ridden it since 1994 and I really wanted to this trip. I have to admit it’s not the most exciting ride at WDW and I did feel a little silly riding without any kids. Only a little, though. Snow White had no line so I rode once (Happy car) and then rode Peter Pan with a five minute wait. Next it was off to sing along with the dolls in It’s a Small World, then to Haunted Mansion, also a walk-on. I wanted to ride Jungle Cruise but the line for that looked long so I decided to skip it for now and went to see the newly refurbished Swiss Family Treehouse. I didn’t notice anything different except the water system wasn’t working. Was that just a temporary thing or was that the "refurbishment"? I hope it was just temporary.

By now it was a little after 11:00 AM and I wanted to spend the rest of the day at Animal Kingdom, so I took the monorail to the TTC and caught the bus to Animal Kingdom, arriving about noon. The main goal for the day was to see the Festival of the Lion King, which I had missed when I was there for the resort preview last April. I headed off to Camp Mickey-Minnie, got a corn dog and some water and, at the suggestion of the CMs in the area, got in line for the 1:00 PM show. While I could have gotten in line much later than I did, if I had I would have been standing in the sun for the duration of the wait if I hadn't been one of the first people in line. For that show you want to be either one of the first or very last in line. The line is enclosed but unshaded and even in mid-November was very hot. I ended up in the warthog section which was kind of fun. The show is very good, but like Fantasmic, was not worth waiting that long for. The costumes were very creative and the dancers and acrobats were good, but I probably won’t see it again until you can just walk in as the show is about to start.

After the show I was still hungry so I got a hot dog, which was surprisingly good, and headed off to Dinoland to ride Countdown to Extinction. I had been disappointed in it when I rode in April but they have changed it since then and it was much less tame. In fact it was somewhat scary, with the dark and the dinosaurs and the roughness. Since it was a walk-on I decided to ride again. The second time through I was first in line for the pre-show and I talked to the CM, who had been there since it opened, and she confirmed that the ride had changed since I had ridden before.

On my way back to Safari Village, I bought a Simba print ice cream bar and went through the Cretaceous Trail to see if it had been improved since April. The concept is interesting but there is not enough information about what plants are there and where they lived, how long they had been around etc. I would have liked to see more animals. There was a CM there who clearly didn’t have enough to do. It worked out great, though, because I had my own personal guided tour of the area, which did help. It is a nice, peaceful, shady retreat but not a compelling attraction.

When I arrived back at Safari Village, I discovered the March of the Artimals, (which the guidemap says is not a parade but which looks a lot like a parade) was about to start. Whatever they want to call it, it is a lot of fun. The costumes are so imaginative and joyful and so were the floats. The colors were bright and exuberant and it challenges the imagination to identify the animals as they come by. The costumes are designed so you can see the CMs faces and there was lots of interaction between guests and the Artimals. I think it is my favorite parade. No, I know it is my favorite. A must see.

Since I was in the neighborhood I stopped to see It’s Tough To Be A Bug, which had no line. I actually took some time to stop and look at the Tree of Life, which is truly spectacular. I was worried at first that people behind might be irritated that I kept stopping but everyone was doing the same thing. It was exciting to see macho men and cool teens stopping dead in their tracks and pointing to the tree saying, "Look, there’s a ______ !" with such enthusiasm in their voices. I also spent some time wandering through the Tree of Life Garden looking at the animals there.

At about 4:00 PM I decided it was late enough to go see the safari, which was a walk and walk and walk and walk-on. That queue area is huge. Next time I am going to stop and watch the TV monitors placed along the way because there was some entertaining stuff on them. I hope I never have to wait in line through that queue. The CM who drove our safari vehicle was South African and she was really good. We saw lots of animals, including the lions, but no cheetahs. I took a lot of pictures, many of which I looked at later and wondered what, exactly, I had been trying to photograph.

After the Safari I went to the Pangani Forest Trail, which was closing at 5:00 PM, about 30 minutes later. I guess that is just the last time they let people in because I was there for longer than 30 minutes. I really like this attraction. The hippos were just resting when I arrived in their area, but just as I was about to move on, one of them swam up near the glass so I stopped to watch for a minute longer. All of a sudden, the other hippo swam up and they started playing with each other. These hippos were frolicking in the water. It’s hard to imagine these ungainly creatures doing that, but frolicking is the only way to describe what they were doing. I was completely mesmerized and stayed there for quite a while watching. It was one of those magical AK moments. When I got to the gorilla area, there were two gorillas there and they were moving around a little.

After emerging from there, it was too late to go to Conservation Station, which was the only thing I wanted to do that was still undone, since the park closed at 6:00 PM. I headed back toward the entrance. My plan for the evening was to take the bus to All Star Sports to look at it, particularly in the dark, to see if I would be comfortable staying there by myself on a future visit (since the moderates are getting so expensive). Then I was going to bus to DDMP and get a quick dinner at either Wolfgang Puck’s takeout place or a deli sandwich or something from the Gourmet Pantry, then boat back to Dixie Landings. I decided I was too tired to do that. I had been thinking about the fabulous veggie egg rolls and chocolate soufflé I had eaten at California Grill last time I was at WDW and decided to bus to the Contemporary and see if I could get in there without a priority seating. I really wanted to sit in the bar and luck was with me as I got the last table in the bar.

The bar area was significantly reduced due to a private party in a large part of what was once the bar. It had been that way last time I was there, in April, so I don’t know if that is a permanent change or not. I hope not because I really like dining in the bar and watching the fireworks at the MK from there.

It was about 6:00 PM when I arrived. The fireworks were scheduled for 7:00 PM and it was a great night for them. I ordered a glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel and perused the menu. The tables in the bar were very close together and I was next to a very friendly trio from Pennsylvania who also had a house or condo in Orlando and were down for an extended period of time. We visited throughout the evening, which made it a lot more fun. I ordered the veggie eggrolls with TJ’s voodoo sauce that had called me to the place, and they were as good as I remembered. Next I was torn between a flatbread (or whatever they call their pizza) and something lighter. I was afraid I would be too full for the chocolate soufflé if I ate the pizza. I finally opted for the ravioli which turned out to be one huge ravioli in a flavorful broth. It was light and it was pretty good, but I think I like the pizza better. I had another glass of Ravenswood with the second course and then ordered the soufflé just before the fireworks began. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) it takes twenty minutes so I watched the fireworks between courses. The soufflé was as good as I remember. Last time it came with a peanut butter anglaise and this time it was accompanied by peanut butter ice cream. They were both great. I ordered a glass of Roderer Estate Brut, since I think chocolate always goes better with bubbles and immersed myself mentally in chocolate and champagne. Yummy.

I waddled out of the Contemporary about 8:30 PM and caught a bus to the Marketplace about 8:45 AM. I walked over to the boat dock and the line wasn’t too long so I got in line and was on the boat after about a 10 – 15 minute wait. I arrived at Dixie Landings about 9:30 PM and went straight to my room and to bed in my new Tigger nightshirt which had arrived that day.

Magical Moment of the Day: Frolicking hippos at AK

Peegue Report – Day 5

Once again no awful Mouse calling to wake us up. Amy stayed in bed for a while, which was great. After she left, Figment, Chip, Dale and I tried to decide what to do. I wanted to watch the Disney info channel again but Figment was pretty sick of it by now. He suggested we go sit by the window and see what was going on outside. It took a while but with all four of us pulling on it, we finally got the blinds open so we could see out. Chip and Dale were acting silly and waving at people walking by. Figment decided we needed to make signs to hold up in the window so we got the markers out and made some signs. Mine said, "Help! I’m a prisoner in a beanie baby factory!" Figment’s said, "Reopen Journey Into Imagination". Chip and Dale made one that said, "Nuts! we need Nuts! More Nuts!" The people outside thought we were pretty cute. We had to hide them when the housekeeper came in because we were afraid she would just throw them away. During the afternoon, a big gray Eeyore arrived and we were able to let him out of his bag. He wanted to make a sign, too. His said, "Thenx fer notising mee. Eor" We just stayed in the window until we say Amy coming, then we hid the signs, lowered the blinds, and sat on the table, looking innocent. She came in and pulled a silly new nightshirt out of the bag Eeyore was in, put it on, and we all got into that bed, which seems much smaller than it used to, and went to sleep.

Day 6 - Wednesday, November 18, 1998 – A Birthday Celebration

Today is my birthday. It is also Mickey & Minnie’s birthdays (although they are a little older than I am). I planned to sleep late but I woke up at 4:15 AM. I tried to go back to sleep but finally gave up at 6:00 AM and got up to make trip diary notes and add up my purchases (eeeeeek! ). I turned on the news to get the weather and found that there was a chance the characters were going to strike today. What! But it’s Mickey’s birthday. It’s my birthday. I’m having breakfast with Mickey. He has to be there. What about my birthday picture with Mickey. No, No, No. No strike. Not today.

I dressed and left the room at 8:20 AM and caught a bus to the MK around 8:35 AM, arriving about 15 minutes later. Once again I took the train to Mickey’s ToonTown Fair. While I was waiting for the train to leave, I asked the conductor CM if Mickey was here today. He wouldn’t say. He just kept saying, I don’t know. I really was afraid they had decided to strike. This morning my mission was to have a birthday picture taken with Mickey at the Judges’ Tent so I went straight there as soon as I arrived in MTTF. I found a bit of a line and they were letting people in so I decided he surely must be there. Happy day! He was there. I had about a 15 minute wait before I got to see him. The nice photographer took a picture with her camera and then took one with my camera. I wished Mickey happy birthday and then told him it was my birthday, too. He hugged me and wrote happy birthday in my autograph book, then pointed to the words and hugged me again. I kissed him on the nose and the photographer tried to take another picture with my camera but due to the red-eye reduction flash delay, she got a picture of the ceiling instead. Oh, well. My day was complete and it was not even 9:30 AM.

There was more good stuff to come.

I had a 10:15 AM priority seating at Chef Mickey’s so I decided to make my way over there. I was able to ride in the front of the monorail and even got a pilot’s license. I arrived at Chef Mickey’s about 10:00 AM and was seated about 15 or 20 minutes later. The breakfast buffet there is similar to the one at the Crystal Palace – very plentiful and tasty – and again I pigged out. Mickey, Minnie and I were not the only ones celebrating birthdays. About halfway through my meal, they had a little song and everyone was supposed to twirl their napkins (I can never get mine to twirl properly) and they brought cupcakes with candles to everyone celebrating a birthday. I got one, along with about three kids at other tables in my area. Goofy came over in his chef’s outfit to help me blow my candle out and my server took a cute picture of Goofy and me. (The cupcake was really good – chocolate, yes!)

Goofy doesn’t really circulate there. He stands near the front where you can go get his autograph and have pictures taken, while Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale circulate. Chip and Dale are dressed in chef’s hats with white aprons, Mickey is in a full white chef’s uniform, complete with hat and Minnie is in her normal polka dot dress with a little white apron. Many photos were taken by the ever helpful CMs and I got all the characters’ autographs.

I think my server took a break about the time I finished so it took me a little while to get my check. While I was waiting, they came back again and did the napkin thing and brought three more cupcakes for new arrivals celebrating birthdays. It turned out that one of the kids at the next table was having a birthday, too. He was impressed that someone my age was still having birthdays and we got to talking. Finally the bill came, and I was able to leave about 11:50 AM.

My original plan for the day was to go to MGM after breakfast but I really wanted to go see Conservation Station at AK so I took a bus there, arriving about 12:30 PM. I made the long trek to the train to CS. While there wasn’t a long wait to get on the train, each train did fill up and there were people who had to wait for the next train. On the ways to CS, I saw some lions and some other animals Conservation Station wasn’t excessively crowded though, and I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted to do. The live cams are pretty cool. I found a gorilla who was moving around and some lions. As I was about to leave, I saw an exhibit called Sounds of the Rainforest, which had a little line. I stopped to see what it was and the CM said it was worth waiting for so I got in line. It only took about ten minutes and I was in a booth with earphones. It seated five or six so I was put in with a family of four. We put on the earphones, pushed a button to start it, closed our eyes and we were transported to a rainforest. There was a narrator who told us what we were hearing and talked about the importance of the rainforests to the environment. It was really cool and an important message for kids (and adults) to hear. It was a nice little retreat from the bustle of the park and I was glad I had stopped.

I took the train back to Harambe and decided a little rest before E-ride night would be a good idea so I began to make my way back to the exit, stopping at the Oasis to see the animals on the way. There was an anteater who was on a mission. He was digging up a storm. I stopped and watched him for a while and took way too many pictures of him. I made the long walk back to the bus to Dixie Landings (which of course is the last stop. Why is that?) and arrived back at the room by 3:00 PM. I rested for an hour or so, then got up and left for the Magic Kingdom for the RADP meet at Buzz Lightyear and E-ride night. I got my wristband, then went to the photo center to look at the photo of Mickey and me taken that morning. It was pretty cute so I bought it and had it sent back to my room. I still hadn’t ridden Jungle Cruise so I went there and found only about a 10-15 minute wait so I rode. The CM wasn’t bad but the crowd was pretty unresponsive so it wasn’t a real exciting ride. I got an egg roll from the cart in Adventureland and then walked over to Tomorrowland for the RADP meet. I was a little early so I rode TTA, then went to wait in front of Buzz Lightyear. It turned out to be only three of us – Julie (imkiwi10, the organizer of the meet), a CM in merchandising at MGM, who was also named Amy, and me. We waited a little while to see if anyone else was going to come, then went to ride Buzz. We all rode in separate cars so we could compare scores. Julie was really good and I was the worst. We rode a total of three times and I finally broke 100,000 points on the third trip. Julie had over 500,000 on the second trip and Amy broke 300,000 on the third ride. The ride stopped for a couple of minutes the second trip through which helped everyone’s scores except mine. It was just about 7:00 PM after our third ride. We had our picture taken in front of Buzz Lightyear with Julie’s friend, Tourist Mickey, then Amy had to leave and Julie had two minutes to get her E-ride wristband and meet her family at Big Thunder Mountain so we all said good-bye.

I went first to Space Mountain since I was in the neighborhood, and found no line at all so I rode three times. They had both sides open so I rode the left side first since it is never open when I ride during early entry. Then I rode the right side to see if I could tell a difference, which I couldn’t. For my last trip I rode the left side again. Being Space Mountain replete, I rode Astro Orbiter to see the Magic Kingdom from the air at night, then went to see if Buzz Lightyear was open. It was so I rode four times without getting off. My scores were not spectacular but it was fun. I really like this ride.

At about 8:00 PM I set off for Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain RR. The bridge from TL to the hub, and the hub area was deserted. It was almost eerie being there by myself. There was a line at BTMRR, about 5 minutes, but I was able to ride three times. I encountered another RADPer, FDC/TDC Elliott, who is a CM at BTMRR. I also saw Julie and her family, who got off the train I was boarding, so I guess she hooked up with them okay. At 8:45 PM, I decided it was time to go check out my favorite MK ride, Splash Mountain.

It was a walk-on. I rode a total of four times. I had to get off after the first trip and go through the queue area again because there were people waiting to get on. After the second ride, there were only a couple of people waiting so I asked if I could stay on and the CM replied that he wasn’t going to let me get off. For that trip and the next, there was no one in the boat/log with me. In fact, there was no one in the boat/log in front of me.

After four splashes, I was Splash Mountain replete. I was also drenched. It was about 9:45 PM so I headed for Main Street and the bus to Dixie Landings. They were combining some busses and there was some confusion about where the Dixie Landings bus was picking up. At two CMs instructions, I ended up at the wrong stop and had to cut across the driveway to get to the right stop, dodging busses. I finally found the bus and got on. It was a fairly warm evening so the driver had the air conditioning going full blast. I was freezing because I was so wet, so he turned it off.

Back at Dixie Landings, I stopped at the food court to get something to eat, took it back to my room to eat and was in bed by midnight, exhausted but happy. What a great birthday!

Magical Moment for the day: A birthday kiss from Mickey Mouse!

Peegue report – Day 6

Today was Amy’s birthday so we all got to have birthday hugs with her before she set off. We were all tired from getting up so early and decided to nap in the morning. We woke up when the housekeeper came and moved us to the other bed so she could make up the one we were sleeping in. I guess we should have put out the Do Not Disturb sign. After the housekeeper left, we started looking for some food. I knew Amy had brought food because I spent the whole first day crammed in a suitcase with it. We found some cookies and ate them and were rummaging through the drawers looking for more when Eeyore, who had been keeping watch for Amy, told us she was coming. We quickly scrambled back onto the spare bed and tried to look hungry. Amy took a little nap with us, then left again. We found the rest of the food and ate all the pretzels. Then we were thirsty. We got up onto the sink and tried to drink out of the faucet. Chip and Dale were being silly again and got into a water fight, which made a big mess all over the floor. By the time we cleaned it up and hid the wet towels, while Eeyore worried about getting in trouble, even though he wasn’t even on the sink, Amy was home. She had some food with Her and She shared some of it with us. Then we all climbed into that tiny little crowded bed and tried to sleep with Chip and Dale squabbling over the covers.

Day 7 - Thursday, November 19, 1998 – More Food & Wine & Magic

Due to my late night on Wednesday, no wake up call from Mickey. I woke on my own about 6:45 AM and left the room at 8:10 AM. At the bus stop, there were two very friendly preschoolers who loved my T-shirt with Pooh hugging Eeyore on it. (It’s one of my favorites, too!) We chatted until my bus came about ten minutes later. My destination for the morning was a last visit to the Magic Kingdom to do all the things I hadn't yet done.

I went first to Buzz Lightyear and rode five times in a row, all with no wait. My high score for the day and the trip was 269,000 but that was with a stop in a room where I was really close to a5000 target. My high score with no stop was a barely respectable 169,000. (I suppose I will have to use the arthritis in my hands as an excuse.) I finally moved on when my hand became too sore to continue shooting targets and I was too embarrassed to ride one more time before a CM shift change occurred.

I walked up to Mickey’s ToonTown Fair to tour Mickey and Minnie’ s houses, which I had not yet done this trip despite two previous visits to MTTF. I think both houses are particularly well done and so creative and clever. Minnie’s is a little more fun because there is more to see and lots of hands-on stuff. I love the magazine covers on the wall and the answering machine where you can listen to her messages. I never seem to get tired of touring here.

Next stop was Fantasyland where I rode Peter Pan (10 minute wait) and then I moved on to ride Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, both walk-ons. One more thing I was determined to do this trip was try a Dole Whip. I have been hearing for more than two years on RADP how good they are but I was never even thinking about being hungry when I’ve been in the neighborhood before. It was approaching 11:00 AM and I hadn't eaten breakfast so I had sped right past hungry and was on towards famished so I bought one. I was at first daunted when I was asked which Dole Whip I wanted. I didn’t know there were choices. I finally settled on a vanilla/pineapple combo. Yummy! Those who had raved about these were right. I think I am going to have to make this a must-do from here on out. I sat on a bench on the bridge between Adventureland and the hub to eat my treat and enjoy the flowers, with a little spot people watching thrown in.

My last stop in the park was the Carousel of Progress for one more "ride". I sadly said goodbye to the Magic Kingdom for this trip and took the monorail to Epcot. On the ride from the TTC to Epcot, I accomplished another long-time WDW To Do item – I rode in the front of the monorail with only the driver (pilot?). I’ve been in the front a number of times, but since I am by myself, there is always room for more guests and I’ve never had the trip to myself. That’s my favorite segment to ride up front because of the trip into Epcot before arriving at the station. The pilot was a computer geek whose name I’ve forgotten (and who may be reading this report on RADP) so we talked more about computers than Disney World, which disappointed me a little. We did talk about the contract negotiations which he said the media was blowing all out of proportion – a strike was really not imminent.

Once in the park, I walked on to Spaceship Earth, then went to Body Wars where I rode a total of four times, all with no wait. (Have I mentioned that I really like these simulator rides?) Being too embarrassed to ride again, I walked over to the fountain, which was performing, and watched the show. At 2:00 PM I made my way to World Showcase and the Food & Wine Festival. I got another glass of the Argentinean Malbec I had enjoyed so on Sunday and more of the Canadian Pork Tortierre and sat down to eat. Just as I was about to leave, Off Kilter arrived so of course I had to stay. I ran quickly to the UK for a glass of bubbles (Seaview Brut) to enjoy while I watched the show. Another item checked off my To Do list. This group is really different. It’s Celtic music with a rock and roll beat. The mixture of the bagpipe and electric guitar is really fun. Thanks to RADP for the recommendation here!

Next stop was more bubbles from the UK before heading off to France where another want-to-see appeared – the Living Statues. There was a woman out. She was incredible. People were in a circle around her and were taking turns standing beside her and having photos taken with her. Sometimes she would just stand still and not move and other times she would change position and put her hand on the guest’s shoulder or head or something. She moved so smoothly and gracefully that it was just how you imagine a marble statue would move if only it could. Finally I got up enough courage to ask the CM with her if he would take my picture and I went out there. She didn’t move for me but after me a man in a sleeveless shirt went to have his photo taken and she took hold of his shirt at the shoulder and gently tugged on it as he tried to walk away. As I was getting ready to leave, someone nearby asked the CM how she left – did she walk or did he carry her out. He said we would have to wait and see so I decided to do that since he said it would be soon. When it was time for her to leave, she picked up her long skirt and (still gracefully) sprinted off into the building. Before leaving France, I went to see the movie one more time.

Next stop was Morocco, where I found an ice cream cart and had one while I sat on a bench facing the lagoon and watched the crowds go by. I was right by the Kid Stop in Morocco and there was a woman showing kids how to write their names in Arabic letters. When I finished my ice cream I went over there and she let me do my own name. (I brought it home with me.)

About 4:35 PM I discovered a seminar on meritage wines was to take place in the tent between Morocco and France. A line was forming so I got another glass of wine and got in line. The seminar was informative and fun. It was lead by Matt Magoon from Guenoc Winery, which I think was one of the first wineries to do a meritage. He told us about the "rules" for a meritage designation, then we tried barrel samples from Guenoc of each of the five varietals (grapes) that can be used for a meritage. Let’s see if I can remember them: cabernet sauvignon (my long-time favorite), cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot (a new one for me) and my new friend, malbec. (Okay, I cheated. I had to get my notes out to recall the petit verdot). It was a blind tasting, so we voted on our two favorites without knowing which was which. My favorite was cabernet sauvignon and my second choice was the malbec. I still can’t believe I chose those two in a blind tasting!

Then we created our own meritages using a wonderful little tool that I brought home with me. We got to taste our own creations along with two of Guenoc’s meritages. Mine was good, but I have to admit theirs were better. Maybe I’m not quite ready to give up my day job to become a winemaker. I will have to stick with just drinking it.

By now it was 6:00 PM and I decided to begin staggering back toward the exit. I didn’t get far because I stumbled again onto the living statues in France and stopped to watch again. It was a man this time and just as much fun.

After he departed I went back to the UK for one more glass of bubbles and found my magical day was continuing and another To Do item checked off. The British Invasion began playing just as I arrived. Wow! Did this take me back. I was in the sixth grade during the original British Invasion – the Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan. I quickly became a Beatle Maniac (Paul is still my favorite). These guys played all the early Beatles songs, along with a few from other British groups of the era and they were incredible. They sounded just like the originals. I rocked and rolled and sang along with the rest of the aging baby boomers and had a ball. None of the guys in the group looked older than 25. As they were leaving, I told them how great I thought they were and asked them if they actually even remembered the Beatles. A definite must-do for my next trip. I hope they are still there!

Back down at the World Showcase Plaza, who should I find but the Junkanoo Bus Band. I watched for a while and then felt compelled to participate when they did the Macarena. (Every time I hear the Macarena, I think of the "Geeks" trip report from, I think, 1996, where they claim Pooh, Tigger and even my little Eeyore were doing the Macarena at the Crystal Palace. If you haven’t read it, it is a trip report classic and is, I think, still on their web site. If you need the URL e-mail me and I can probably dig it up. Or perhaps Kristen (?) will post it here. Great fun!)

After the Bus departed, I moved on to see if I had left anything I needed at the Centorium, and I discovered Eeyore there. This time I didn’t get out my camera or autograph book. I just got in line for an Eeyore hug. I got two. Sigh. Life is good.

I decided to go do Horizons one last time. On my way there I was sidetracked by the sidewalk fountain between Innoventions and Horizons. It was a balmy night and there were several kids playing in it. One little girl, probably six or seven, was having such fun, running and screaming and becoming absolutely drenched. Her Dad kept trying to get her to leave but she just kept saying, "Dad, you can’t imagine how much fun this is!" He was worried about her getting so wet (it was pretty much too late at that point – she couldn’t have gotten any wetter) She didn’t care about anything else, even whether Dad was getting mad or not. She was right, Dad clearly couldn’t imagine how much fun it was. Thanks to her for reminding me. Another magical moment.

Horizons was, of course, a walk-on so I rode two times without getting off, then went to see if the big fountain was performing. I sat through two "shows", then bid a fond farewell to Epcot and took the bus back to Dixie Landings a little before 9:00 PM. I was too full of Wine & Food Festival goodies for dinner so I went back to my room to make notes for my journal and total my room charges (Eeeeeeeeek!) before turning out the lights at 10:45 PM, exhausted but full of wine, food, pixie dust and Disney magic.

Magical Moment for the day – There were so many it’s hard to choose – the wine seminar, the British Invasion, the performing fountain, the last trip through Horizons, the Eeyore hugs, the little girl in the sidewalk fountain. It was truly a magical day.

Peegue report – Day 7

Amy was gone all day today. We knew today was our last day of freedom before she stuffs us all in those suitcases so we decided we really better take advantage of it. We went and sat in the window for a while and then Figment came up with the idea of doing little pantomime plays in the window. We spent most of the day doing that. Figment would create them, and we would act them out. We decided we needed props so we started pulling stuff out of the drawers and the bathroom. Chip and Dale were into everything and pretty soon the place was a real pig sty <g>. Eeyore kept telling us not to do it, that we were going to make a mess, but you know those chipmunks! The worst was when they were fighting over the bar of soap and somehow launched it into the air and it hit Eeyore. He just walked off and sat in a corner and pouted for an hour or so afterward. Finally we decided we better clean up before Amy came back and we had just about gotten everything put up when she came in. She did wonder why her underwear were on Eeyore’s head though. Poor Eeyore.

Day 8 - Friday, November 20, 1998 – We Say Goodbye

One last phone call from Mickey woke me up at 6:45 AM. I packed, dressed and sent my luggage to storage by 8:35 AM. I had a 10:30 AM breakfast reservation at the Cape May Café at the Beach Club. I took a bus to MGM, arriving just past 9:00 AM. I just had time for Tower of Terror and rode twice (1st was a walk-on, 2nd with a 5 minute wait), before heading to the boat dock to go to the Beach Club. I left MGM about 9:35 AM and had enough of a wait at Cape May to give me time to see the Christmas tree and other Christmas decorations which were now up at the Beach Club. It had been four years since I had done the Cape May character breakfast and it was different. It is now Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale dressed in beach attire (from the 19th century 8-) ) rather than the Admiral Goofy theme. The food was pretty much the same and the only disappointment was that they didn’t have Mickey waffles (or pancakes, I forget which). I made do, however, and waddled out of there. When I was nearly finished, the crowd had thinned significantly and I had an opportunity to have my picture taken with all four characters together, which turned out really cute.

After breakfast, I went back to MGM to spend my last few hours riding Tower of Terror and Star Tours. I went first to ToT and rode three more times (walk-on, 5 min wait, walk-on). Then I went and rode Star Tours seven times in a row (did I mention that I REALLY like Star Tours?). All were walk-ons except for #4 which had about a ten minute wait due to Indy letting out. I finally tore myself away about 2:45 PM, said (an almost tearful) goodbye to MGM and got the bus back to Dixie Landings.

I had about two hours until my Mears shuttle back to the airport which gave me time to clean out my lockbox, change from shorts into jeans for the flight home (just in case it was cool in Texas) and head to the bar for a last drink. I had hoped to get a little snack there, too, but the kitchen for the bar didn’t open until 5:00 PM so I got a bite to eat in the food court before meeting Mears at baggage claim at 5:10 PM. As usual, my stop at the airport was the last one and with the change last year, the buses let passengers out on the lower level, where there is no one to check your bags. A big drawback to Mears because you have to haul your own luggage up the escalator and across the lobby to check in at the ticket counter. They really need to do something about that!

My flight to Houston was on time and uneventful. The flight from Houston to SA was about 30 minutes late but otherwise uneventful. I arrived at 11:00 PM, Mom & Dad picked me up at the airport and I was home and asleep by midnight, dreaming about pixie dust and Mickey ears, and beginning to plan my next visit to the Mouse.

Magical Moment of the day: Seven Star Speeder rides past the moon of Endor in one day

Peegue report – Day 8

Not much to report today. We got stuffed into suitcases early in the morning and spent the day in luggage storage. At least I got to be with Eeyore instead of all that food. (Amy never did figure out what happened to the food. Hee hee.) Finally, late at night we got home and out of the suitcases and I got to introduce Figment, Chip, Dale and the new Eeyore to all my friends at home. We told them all about our adventures while Amy got ready for bed. Then Amy and I got into our own bed and went to sleep. Sigh. It’s good to go away, but it is good to come home, too.

Just sign me Amy (& Eeyore)

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