Trip Reports

INTRODUCTION:

Way back in 1980 I was a college student but already a confirmed WDW addict. I talked Lisa, a friend from high school, into going to WDW on the World Vacation Plan during Spring Break. It was her first trip, and we had a wonderful time at the Contemporary in a tower room, with all meals & recreation included. After she married, she & hubby Tom made one trip there as a couple (before kids). A few years ago we started talking about her family coming to WDW & my family meeting them there, but due to some serious home repair problems they were never able to raise the funds needed to take such a vacation (in the manner they wanted). When I joined DVC last April, I asked Lisa whether they'd be able to make the trip if the lodging & park passes were taken care of, and her answer was an enthusiastic "YES". Knowing I'd book a 2 bedroom unit, we'd be entitled to free park passes for 4 people, which we agreed would be used by her family & in return she would pay for the renewal of my son's & my FL Resident Seasonal Passes (I later decided to make mine an AP) - a good deal for both sides. Later her hubby decided not to come, which left me with one available pass. My good friend Tom has a wife who is an absolute WDW nut, but she's not stayed much onsite and seldom goes for more than a day or two at a time. Tom can pretty much take it or leave it when it comes to WDW - he really only goes to keep his wife & grandson happy. I invited Leanne (the wife) to spend part of the trip with us, which she eagerly accepted (she's no fool)! So, our party consisted of 3 Moms & 3 boys, coming together from 3 different places.

Day 1 - Saturday January 17, 1998:

We (Sue & Chris) left Ft Myers by car at 7:18 am, and were checking into the Residence Inn at Lake Buena Vista at 10:20 am. Since Lisa & the kids would be arriving this day, and Saturdays cost so many points, I booked us a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom villa at Residence Inn for tonight at the government rate of $109 plus tax. Leanne would be arriving early tomorrow morning. To our surprise our villa was ready, and it was right across the street from the main building. This was important as we planned to send the kids over to the main building to pick up the free continental breakfast stuff in the morning, and didn't want to waste time with them walking 10-15 minutes each way. From our balcony we could see the shuttle bus area, so we'd know when Lisa & the kids arrived, too.

The villa was nice, but is nothing compared to OKW! Each bedroom had a single queen size bed, and there was a double sleep sofa in the living room (total occupants can't exceed 6). The master bathroom was off the master bedroom, and there was no door to provide privacy when showering. The shower stall had a clear glass door, and since I was sharing the master bedroom/bath with my 11 year old son, I made sure I showered before he woke up. The 2nd bathroom was across the hall from the 2nd bedroom, and was the size of a normal motel bathroom. The kitchen was well equipped, and the living/dining room area had the sleep sofa, 2 chairs, and a round glass kitchen table with 4 chairs. The balcony was off the living room, but there was no seating there.

Chris & I headed over to Belz Outlets to check out the Disney merchandise. First stop was Character Premiere, where I bought a Vero Beach DVC shirt for $6.99 and got Chris a baseball cap for $4.99. In general, the DVC stuff was looking pretty limited. Next we walked over to Character Warehouse, which had some of the 25th Anniversary stuff on sale. The sweatshirts which had sold for $26 or $28 were on sale for $11.99 - but I already had one. Chris found a baseball cap he liked better than the one we had just bought, so we were able to exchange them without having to return to the other store. Next we had lunch at Jungle Jim's in the Crossroads area. We've eaten here a number of times, and always enjoy it. Chris had a Gorilla Float, a Gorilla Grilled Cheese w/fries, and I had french onion soup. Total check was $6.74.

After lunch we drove to MGM so I could update our passes to include AK. I'd read on the boards that people were upgrading AP's to include AK for around $8, but that the price would be going up in the future. Since tomorrow would be our first day in the parks with our friends, I didn't want to waste the time then fussing with our passes. During our December 1997 trip I renewed Chris' FL Resident Seasonal Pass and goy myself an Annual Pass at the renewal rate, but never activated them since we were using our "free" DVC passes. The CM took them, printed out new passes which included AK, and told me there was no charge since we had not activated the passes yet! I was very pleasantly surprised, as I could see that the price printed on the passes was higher than the price I had paid last month, but the CM was sure he was correct. I thanked him, and we happily returned to Residence Inn to await Lisa's arrival.

Lisa's flight landed at 1:20, yet Mears didn't get her here until after 2:30. She & the kids had only carry-on bags, but they waited quite awhile watching all the Mears vehicles picking up people going to WDW resorts. After storing their bags in the villa, we walked over to Marriott's Orlando World Center (Residence Inn guests can use the facilities and can charge back to their room). The boys enjoyed the glass elevators that run up 26 or 28 stories. Lisa does not like heights, so she waited in the lobby while the boys & I took a quick ride. We wandered out by the pool, and realized it was warm enough to swim - so she & I went back to Residence Inn to get the boys' swimsuits while they sat in the lobby watching the elevators. The boys swam for about an hour - the pool there is very large, with waterfalls & a water slide. After returning to Residence Inn we grabbed sweatshirts & drove to Downtown Disney. The parking lot at the Marketplace was full, so we parked at Pleasure Island & took a bus to the TTC. We boarded the monorail & got off to shop at the Grand Floridian, and then made a mad dash to the Contemporary fearing we'd be late for our 6:30 priority seating at Chef Mickey's. We made it just a few minutes late, which was no problem.

We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving, and were in the back room that's up a couple of steps & has the window looking outside. The food was wonderful, and the boys really ate a lot. The parmesan mashed potatoes were a big hit, as were the desserts. Lisa almost got hit by Pluto during the napkin twirling as she was returning with a plate of food, but managed to avoid it! Lisa bought dinner for us, which was very nice. After dinner we shopped awhile, then went to the observation deck on the 15th floor to watch the fireworks at 8:30. It was fairly cool & windy up there, so most people were huddled inside the door. I found by standing at the very end of the deck I was somewhat sheltered, and had an unobstructed view of MK & the fireworks. Lisa came out to where I was, but the height problem kicked in and she had to inch her way back to the center of the building. I was able to see Tinkerbell descend from the castle (as a tiny speck of light), and the fireworks were gorgeous. The best part was not being trapped in those awful MK crowds when the fireworks ended! After what seemed like a long wait - due to the cold weather - we boarded the bus back to Pleasure Island, retrieved the car, and returned to Residence Inn.

Day 2 - Sunday January 18, 1998:

Leanne was due to arrive by 7:30, and I had left a message on her machine yesterday to let her know what building & room we were in. Lisa needed to run to Walgreens to buy a medicine spoon since Justin (10) was on antibiotics and he was a major pain about taking medicine. You'd think she could just pour a teaspoon and put it in his mouth, but he had to take little sips & then sip water & then eat something, repeating that process over & over. Getting 2 teaspoons into this kid was an ordeal! I thought about letting the guard at the gate know we were expecting Leanne, but there was some lady (not an employee) standing there, so we just went on to Walgreens (at 6:45). When we returned, I talked to the guard, who didn't seem too bright, but figured Leanne would find her way. Shortly after we got into the villa, Leanne calls me. She's been at the guard shack since 6:30 (turns out she was the woman we drove past) but she left our room number at home & the guard wouldn't give her any information. She got our building number wrong, and he would not confirm/deny the number, but he did suggest she could go to that building & knock on doors until she found us! So, she went knocking on doors at 6:30 in the morning, waking up strangers who were not us - with the guard's consent. After hitting all 8 units in the wrong building, she returned to the guard shack and chewed him out a little more. I was shocked at the lack of concern for her safety as well as the comfort of the guests in that building by the guard's suggestion she just go knocking on doors! What an idiot.

We sent the boys to pick up continental breakfast and a newspaper at 7, ate in the villa & were at OKW by 8am to check in. The check in process (room not available yet) was completed by 8:15, so we headed to the bus stop and were in Epcot by 8:45. We rode Spaceship Earth since the line was short, then did Honey I Shrunk the Audience (lots of screaming on this one), Journey into Imagination, Living With the Land, Food Rocks, and Circle of Life. We walked over to France for our 11:40 priority seating. I was really impressed with how they've redone the restaurant (Chefs de France) - it's gorgeous now. I didn't care for it before, and was sorry to hear Au Petit Cafe would not be back, but I really love the new look. The kids all got the chicken & pasta kid's meal (Chris' favorite in WDW), and the moms all got onion soup. This was Leanne's first time to try french onion soup, and she loved it. Lisa & Leanne decided to share Crem Brulee for dessert, which Lisa loved, but Leanne was not thrilled with. The total check was $38.54 plus tip. After lunch we walked & shopped World Showcase for most of the afternoon. Lisa commented that she thought Nathan (7) was coming down with an ear infection (a chronic problem he has), but we were hoping she would be wrong. When we got to America, the characters were out so Chris & Justin wanted to get autographs. Lisa & Leanne went in to the show, while I stayed with the kids. After the characters left the kids & I sat at a table in the outdoor restaurant to wait for the other moms. The kids were thirsty, so I got a large coke with 3 small cups to divide it up, returned to the table & found out Nathan doesn't like coke. Oh well, since he didn't speak up earlier I suggested he visit the water fountain (he does like water). While sitting there, I saw a woman carrying a tray with 3 quarter pound hotdogs & some drinks. Two of the birds flew down at her & each grabbed a hot dog, pulling it out of the bun - but they lost their grip & the hot dogs ended up on the ground! She was stunned, and so was I. We also ran into Chris' Dad (Tim) and his friend (Jerry) while we were sitting there. I'd booked a studio at OKW for 2 nights as a Christmas gift for them, and they'd also arrived that day. We chatted a bit, then Lisa & Leanne returned, so we went our separate ways. We finished the countries, skipped Maelstrom due to a long line, rode the boat in Mexico, and did Horizons. We took the bus back to OKW & got our room.

I'd requested water view, upper floor, non smoking - and all my requests were met. We were in building 45, which is on the Trumbo Canal, in room 4524. In 1995 I was in the unit directly upstairs, and liked the location. The view is the canal and the woods across the canal, and further off is the main building. I noticed there was no soap/shampoo in Lisa's bedroom, and one of the 3 sets of blinds on the glass doors in the dining room was missing the rod used to turn the blinds open or closed. I reported this to the front desk, and also requested assistance programming the vcr to record (I'd brought a blank tape to record my soaps). The others returned to Epcot for the evening, while I prepared to go to Pleasure Island. Before I left, the soap/shampoo arrived, and a maintenance guy brought the blinds part & after some good natured ribbing programmed the vcr to catch my soaps. I arrived at PI just before 7, and added PI to my AP for $33.34. I lined up for the Comedy Warehouse, and saw the first 2 shows. At the first show, I was seated in the first row behind the 2 rows of tables that are on the floor. Next to the keyboard was a family who had a bunch (4) of kids, including 2 little ones sitting in a double-wide stroller. The stroller kids must have been maybe 3 or 4 yrs old. The parents evidently ordered them hot chocolate, because I overheard the waitress warning them it was hot, but she'd put an ice cube in it - and she'd used large cups so it wouldn't be as easy to spill over. Dad goes ahead & gives them to the little girls without any warning, so of course the smaller one puts it up to her mouth & takes a drink and gasps that it hurt her. Dad said something to the effect of "you don't just drink something if it might be hot" - duh, like a 3 yr old is going to know to be careful! Anyways, Dad goes back to his conversation with Mom while the kids are sitting there in the stroller with their hot cocoa. I noticed the smaller one was sort of tipping the cup (sort of absentmindedly not paying attention to what she was doing, in typical kid fashion), and had started talking to the people sitting next to me when all of a sudden the little girl was shrieking! As a mother myself, I recognized it was a "pain" cry, and figured (correctly) that she had spilled the hot cocoa on herself. The Mom pulled her out of the stroller, and pulled down her pants to see if there was a burn, then took her (screaming still) to the restroom - I presume to put some cool water on her. The manager brought them a tee shirt for the girl to wear since her pants were all wet, and I guess the kid was not seriously hurt since she was back in the audience when the show started. I noticed they were in the same spots for the 2nd show, so either they know someone who works there, or they got special consideration due to the cocoa incident.

After the 2nd show I decided to head back to OKW, but first stopped at the West Side to buy some biscotti at Wolfgang Puck's Express. I got back before the others, so I had cappuccino & biscotti for a late dinner. The others returned around 10:30, and had gotten stuck on Ellen's Energy Adventure when the ride broke down, and almost missed Illuminations. Overall, it was a good day for all of us (except maybe that kid who didn't belong in the Comedy Warehouse in the first place).

Day 3 - Monday January 19, 1998:

We had breakfast in our villa. I had brought my electric orange juicer, and some tangelos picked from my grandmother's tree on 1/16, so we had fresh squeezed juice each day. We caught the bus to MGM, and entered the park at 8:30. We saw Star Tours (boys thought this was very cool), Great Movie Ride (gangster side), MuppetVision, Backstage Tour, and then let the boys go to Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground for a little while. After the Moms shopped, we picked up the boys & saw Beauty & the Beast Show (not a big hit with the boys, but the moms loved it). We made it to our 12:35 priority seating at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, and were seated within 5 or 10 minutes of that time. Our waitor was absolutely hysterical, and when I looked at his name tag I saw it was the Ghassan I'd heard about on the boards. He truly is entertaining, and does a good job as a waitor as well. He had a fake mustard bottle with a yellow string that squirted out, and as people would pass through the area he'd squirt them, eliciting a scream from all but a few! Leanne was scolded a number of times for her elbows on the table, and Justin looked like he didn't know what to make of the place! The blue plate special was a chicken, broccoli & pasta dish that both Lisa & Leanne ordered and both raved about how wonderful it was. I got the chicken caesar salad, and the boys each got a kid's meal. For dessert we shared the s'mores. I used my Disney Dining Experience card for 20% off, so the check was $51.73 plus tip. We ran into Tim (Chris' dad) & Jerry in another room at the restaurant, and they too had a great meal - and 2 clean plate stickers. We got out of lunch just in time to catch part of the Hercules Parade from a distance, and then went right into Indiana Jones for the next show. The boys liked this, of course - anything with explosions & gunfire would be considered cool. It had started to rain a little, but not too bad. Chris & I decided to return to OKW, while the others stayed in to see Little Mermaid & Hunchback and do some shopping. Going to WDW as often as I do, I really don't like staying in the parks all day & really like relaxing at OKW.

We ran into Tim & Jerry again at the OKW bus stop, so we rode back together. Their studio was downstairs and over one unit in our building. I stopped at the Hospitality House to purchase E-Tickets for the 6 of us for Tuesday night, then returned to the villa. Chris picked up a movie or 2 for later tonight. I rewound the tape & watched my soaps (Port Charles & General Hospital) before the others returned. It was almost 7, so Leanne & I drove to the Boardwalk for their open house so Leanne could see how those units compared to OKW. Before we left I started dinner for the kids, which Lisa finished preparing. After touring the BW units Leanne & I split a yummy chocolate/peanut butter thing from the BW Bakery & looked through the shop. We drove over to Downtown Disney & shopped at the Marketplace. Leanne bought a bunch of stuff for her bathroom (Mickey soap holder, liquid soap dispenser, etc), golf shirts for her husband, and some jewelry. She was impressed with the Lego creations, the stuff in Art of Disney, and the Christmas store. We got back to OKW around 10, and the kids were all in bed. The moms' called it a night, too.

Day 4 - Tuesday January 20, 1998:

We had breakfast in our villa again. Lisa had decided that Nathan had a fever, and probably an ear infection, so she called his doctor in New Hampshire to see if he would phone in a prescription to a local pharmacy. Of course the doctor was not in yet, and when she called back later they told her to take Nathan to an emergency room or something as they would not prescribe anything without seeing him. I was a little surprised, since the kid is 7 years old and has chronic ear infections. Lisa certainly can tell when he has one & when he doesn't, and I thought the doctor would just prescribe "the usual" for him. On our way out of OKW we sent the kids to the game room & the moms went to tour the grand villa model. I've got a grand villa reserved for November 1998, and Leanne & her husband will be among the guests on that trip, so this was an opportunity for her to see what it was going to look like. Both Leanne & Lisa (and Lisa's kids) were totally impressed with the 2 bedroom unit - I even heard one of her kids say "this is nicer than our house!!". They were stunned at the grand villa. Leanne tried to describe it to her husband, who has seen pictures of the 2 bedroom, and she told him the 2 bedroom was a drop in the bucket compared to the grand villa! We also looked at the models of the Vero Beach & Hilton Head resorts. We then hopped on the MK bus (after getting the boys out of the gameroom) & arrived there at 9. Since we were doing E-Ticket later that night, we made it a Fantasyland morning. We did Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr Toad (right side), Teacups, Barnstormer (twice), met Mickey in Toontown, and then the boys & Lisa rode the Grand Prix Raceway. After, we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (formerly Wedway People Mover), Cinderella's Carousel, and saw the Legend of the Lion King. By now it was only 11:15, but we left the MK & rode the boat to Wilderness Lodge for our 12:00 priority seating at Whispering Canyon. Tim & Jerry had checked out that morning, and were meeting us for lunch before they returned home, so we were a party of 8. We were seated kind of in the back, which I was not thrilled with, but it was the only available table for our size party. I got the Rancher Rick's Chix, Lisa got a burger, Tim, Jerry & Leanne got the all-you-can-eat thing, and the kids got kid's meals. For dessert each kid got a cup of worms in dirt (Lisa's kids weren't sure what to make of this when we asked them if they wanted dirt & worms), and we also ordered 2 huge brownie/ice cream things. I think they were called mudslides, and they each had 4 large brownies, a huge mound of vanilla soft serve ice cream, nuts, chocolate sauce & a cherry. We could not finish it all, and I was absolutely stuffed! The total check was $100, but my DDE discount brought it down to $80 plus tip. As we were leaving the restaurant, Justin & Nathan were leading the way. Our waitress pulled out her cap gun & began shooting at their feet telling them to "move it, move it, get those feet moving - faster - get out of here"! It was really fun to watch their reaction. I don't think they've been anywhere with this kind of interaction before this trip. Tim & Jerry left to drive home, and the rest of us took the boat back over to MK.

We rode Small World (boys not impressed, but it's Leanne's favorite), and Haunted Mansion. I think Nathan was a little unsure, but he enjoyed it somewhat. After this we split up, with Lisa, Leanne & Justin staying in the MK to do Hall of Presidents & some other stuff. I took Chris & Nathan to the Frontierland train station where we boarded the train to Main Street & took a bus back to OKW. The other night Chris had bought a lighted flashlight that extends like a sword, and Nathan bought a similar one at Star Tours but his did not come with batteries. Chris & Nathan walked down to the store at OKW to see about buying batteries, but was told they did not sell that size so the CM gave them 2 for free. What a nice thing to do. I used another blank vcr tape to record some of the WDW information and DVC stuff on those special tv channels, while the boys played with their flashlights in the other bedroom. We caught the bus to MK at 5:30, and met up with the others in front of City Hall just before 6. After trading in our E-Ticket for our wristbands, Leanne went to watch the fireworks from near the Grand Prix Raceway while the rest of us rode the Jungle Cruise and then I took Justin & Nathan on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (a definite hit with both boys). We met up with Leanne, and ate a quick dinner at Cosmic Ray's. I still wasn't hungry from all that lunch, so I just ate a few of Chris' fries.

The E-Ticket was scheduled for 7-10, and we left Cosmic Ray's just after 7. Lisa took Justin over to Space Mountain, which he rode alone, while Leanne called her husband (it was his birthday) and I took the other kids to Astro Orbiter. I used to like that ride, but tonight it just seemed really boring - certainly not worth the wait. Leanne came over & rode the Astro Orbiter, and Justin joined in as well. He really liked Space Mountain. Lisa decided to ride the Astro Orbiter, but after getting out of the elevator up there decided that she'd better skip it (the heights thing). Next we went to Alien Encounter, where Justin & Leanne went in. Chris & I have done it before, Nathan is really not ready for it, and Lisa wasn't interested. It seemed like they were in there forever, and I was getting quite antsy. The only ride I was really interested in was Big Thunder, and here it was almost 8:30 & I still had only done one thing - dumb old Astro Orbiter. By 8:30 I left Lisa & Chris to head for Big Thunder, knowing that whenever Leanne & Justin surfaced they'd all be heading to Splash Mountain. We agreed I'd stay at BTMRR until they finished Splash & joined me. It turns out Justin & Leanne exited Alien Encounter on the other side of the building, and were standing around wondering where WE were! I managed to ride Big Thunder 6 times, and all but one time I had to exit the ride & walk around to the entrance again. On the one time, the train was not full so the CM let me just climb back through an empty row & get back in line. I could have ridden that train, but all the empty seats were up front & I really prefer the back cars. During this time, the others (except Chris) rode Splash Mountain twice & then came to get me. We had just enough time to ride Pirates of the Caribbean before it was almost 10. We stopped at the Main Street Bakery on the way out, and the others got snacks but I was still not hungry after that lunch so I headed back to OKW while they stayed in the bakery & then shopped at Emporium.

Day 5 - Wednesday January 21, 1998:

Today Leanne was leaving. She decided to skip the parks & go shopping at Belz Outlets before driving home to Gainesville, FL. After breakfast in the room, the rest of us took the bus to MK. We saw Timekeeper, Carousel of Progress, rode the TTA again, and let the boys go back to the Grand Prix Raceway. We stopped at the candy store on Main Street and bought a stick of marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed M&M's. We left MK, and there was a broken OKW bus at our bus stop (with a mechanic working on it). They sent a Disney Institute bus to pick us up, but we had to stop at TTC and then Typhoon Lagoon before heading to OKW. It seemed to take forever, but at least we weren't left standing at MK. I drove Lisa & Nathan over to the Centra Care across from the Crossroads, while Chris & Justin stayed at OKW. While at Centracare, I saw their magazine ad that mentioned complimentary transportation to & from, so Lisa checked & found that they would take her back to OKW. I returned to OKW, and as I drove along the main road I could see the boys on the porch. They must have spotted me because they bolted inside suddenly. I asked what they had been doing while I was gone, and they said they were just eating pretzels. I noticed the bag (which had been unopened) was practically empty, and Chris admitted that they gave most of the pretzels to the ducks & birds. I had noticed the large duck & bird population as I was driving up, so I knew what they were up to - but I didn't think they would toss the entire bag! When Lisa found out she made Justin pay for that bag out of his spending money, since I guess he'd known better than to do that. I made the kids lunch, and Lisa called around 1 to say Nathan had a double ear infection, and his fever hadn't come down yet. The doctor had given him something but wouldn't let him leave until it brought the fever down, and she'd still need to get a prescription filled before returning. We agreed I'd take Chris & Justin to Stormalong Bay to swim & we'd meet back at OKW by 4. It rained on the way over to the Beach Club, and I sat huddled under an umbrella with a towel wrapped around myself while the kids swam. They loved the slide and the whirlpool area the best. Of course they got hungry - it must have been 20 minutes or more since lunch & they didn't get to eat many pretzels after all, so I got them some cheese fries & then they swam some more. Stormalong Bay was not crowded, and when I got towels the CM didn't even want to see my resort I.D. I was kind of disappointed, since I want them to keep unauthorized pool hoppers out, but maybe she didn't ask because I was carrying my DVC tote bag.

We returned to OKW at 3:45, and found a note from Lisa saying that Nathan wasn't allowed to swim (per the doctor) & they were at the OKW store. I threw in a load of laundry, and they returned around 4. We took a bus to MGM, then took the boat to BW for our 5:30 priority seating at Spoodles. The kids all got the kid's make your own pizza, I got the Greek salad and a wonderful glass of white merlot, and Lisa got a sombrero (kahlua & milk), Crazy Greens Salad, & the proscuitto wrapped scallops on garlic mashed potatoes. After discount, the check was $47.87 plus tip. The boys loved their pizza, but each topping they picked was extra, which was a little bit of a surprise. Lisa said the scallops were a little overcooked, but the potatoes were wonderful. My dinner was exactly what I always get at Spoodles, and was just great. I'm sure I'll repeat the meal again in March! We stopped at the candy store for the kids, and then went to the Boardwalk Bakery for dessert. I ate a couple of bites, and then left them to head for Pleasure Island. Lisa stayed with the kids for dessert, then they returned to OKW to pick up a movie & returned to the room.

I arrived at Pleasure Island around 7, and tonight saw all 5 of the shows at the Comedy Warehouse. I didn't go into the Adventurer's Club at all, and would never go into any of the other clubs due to the smoky stench in them. At the Comedy Warehouse (for those of you who do not know), each show is different because it's all improvisation based on audience suggestions. Not only is the 7:10 show different from the 8:15 show, the 7:10 show tonight is different from the 7:10 show any other night. Five very talented actors work in any given show, and I've been so often I have my favorite actors. Truthfully, though, all of them are wonderful, so qualifying as a "favorite" is a relative thing. As it turns out, tonight just about everyone working was one of my favorites. I watched the New Year's Eve celebration while in line for the 12:05 show, and left PI around after that (final) show. I got back to OKW at 1:30, and am looking forward to more Comedy Warehouse in March.

Day 6 - Thursday January 22, 1998:

After breakfast, Chris returned the movie, and boarded our bus to MGM from the Hospitality House. We went to Tower of Terror first. We all walked through it, but Justin was the only one not to take the "chicken" elevator out of there. Justin loved the TOT. Following that, we rode Star Tours again, then Lisa took the kids into the Animation tour. I bought a cookie at Starring Rolls, and checked my phone messages at home (for the first time). There were many messages from Chris' new baseball coach (wanting to hear from us before the draft last night but not knowing we were out of town), one from the president of the league about a situation with last year's coach (who had been turned down for a team this year - to Chris' disappointment), one from the last year's coaches wife (about the same situation), from the switchboard operator at work (call my office right away - it's very important), among others. After calling the office, my phone card was pretty much used up, so I was not able to call any of the others. It also resulted in my being left feeling like the "magic" had been sucked away, and I'd been thrown rather abruptly back into the real world without any warning or preparation! I just sat on a bench and wished I had never called, but eventually got over it. The thing at work was not a problem, and the coach things either worked out or were beyond my control. After Lisa & the kids got out of Animation, we did Superstar TV (which Lisa enjoyed) where we were chosen to be the Royal Family. That helped get us back in the "magic" of Disney again.

We then left MGM & took the boat to BW so the older boys could swim at Luna Park. We got lunch at Leaping Horse Libations, which turned out to be a big disappointment. I was expecting something like Hannah's over at Stormalong Bay - with cooking a possibility. Instead, we had a choice of a deli or tuna sandwich, or a fruit plate. Even the kids meal was a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. I got a virgin pina colada (very good) and a small fruit cup & ate part of Chris' tuna sandwich. Lisa & her kids got a deli sandwich, a tuna sandwich, virgin strawberry daquiri & chips. Neither of us would return here again. Justin & Chris enjoyed the pool - especially the roller coaster slide. Lisa & I took Nathan over to Community Hall to see what there was to do (since the playground was too babyish for a 7 year old) & when the older boys heard there was "free" sega games & the soccer game they wanted out of the pool. They changed into their clothes & we left all 3 of them in Community Hall for a half hour while Lisa checked out the BW shop and DVC office. After collecting the boys, we took a bus to Downtown Disney (which stopped at Typhoon Lagoon) and switched to an OKW bus (which also stopped at Typhoon Lagoon) and it took an hour to get to OKW. I think we could have walked faster. At OKW we rented a Canopy Boat & rode up to Port Orleans & Dixie Landings. We then took the Trumbo Ferry to the Marketplace (a very nice and comfortable ride) and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe with about at 10 minute wait. Chris & I shared the Chicken Monsoon (cajun chicken breast over pasta), Lisa got the Planet Pasta, Nathan got the Three Amigos (3 mini hot dogs) and Justin got the Rainforest Rascal (cheeseburger). Total check was $54. The boys each bought a Ty beanie baby in the Rainforest gift shop. We shopped the Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and West Side before returning to Ghiradelli for dessert. Justin got a chocolate bar, Chris & I shared a hot fudge sundae, Lisa got candy, and Nathan got an ice cream. The sundae was 2 scoops of ice cream, some hot fudge, whipped cream & nuts & a cherry served in a beer mug for $5.95 plus tax. I thought this was WAY overpriced! For $5.95 I really expected something quite a bit larger than a beer mug. I don't know what sundaes sell for in the rest of the world, but I would think around $3 would seem fair for what we got. I remember getting a sundae in the Ghiradelli shop in San Francisco in 1981 and being disappointed then (just that it was not "special" like I thought it would be), and this is the first time since then I'd tried it again. I'm sure it was also the last. They did have chocolate dipped frozen bananas (with or without nuts) on the menu for $2, so those of you who remember the good old days when these were sold in the MK can get one here. If I ever return to the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain, that's what I'll get.

After eating our ice cream & candy, we took the boat back to OKW. The driver was pretty quiet, until we got to the end when he asked us to "please return your seat backs & tray table to their full upright and locked positions in preparation for landing". Besides our party of 5, there was only 1 other couple on board each time we rode. We poked around the OKW store, while the kids visited the game room for a little while. At 9 we saw the start of Illuminations, but Lisa & the kids gave up & walked back to the room before the main fireworks were shown. I stayed behind, but really didn't see a whole lot from ground level. Last month I was on the 2nd floor in building 30 & had a much better view. After returning back to the room we all packed.

Day 7 - Friday January 23, 1998:

Today we were all leaving, and it was raining pretty heavily. Lisa's flight was leaving at 11:55, and Mears was coming for her at 9:55. She called bell services for luggage assistance, and they said they'd pick her up at 9:30. Originally I thought Chris & I might head into a park, but with the rain I decided to skip that. After Lisa & her kids left Chris & I went for breakfast at Coronado Springs (his pick). When arriving at the gate I told the guard we were here for breakfast. He said, "well before you have breakfast I'm going to slip you a Mickey" and handed us some Mickey Mouse stickers. I work with someone who's a Mickey Mouse nut, so I'll probably give the stickers to him. We were seated in the Pepper Market, and I hung my umbrella on the back of the chair (to not get the table wet) & we went to get our food. We ended up sharing a tomato & cheese omelet with bacon (Chris had already had cereal at OKW), which was very good and plenty for the 2 of us. While eating I noticed my umbrella was missing, and thought someone had stolen it. I asked a CM nearby if she'd seen anyone take my umbrella, and she suggested I check at the registers in case someone turned it in. Sure enough, they had it. A CM saw it & didn't realize we were still there so he turned it in. After breakfast, we hit the road, and I stopped at work - arriving at 1:30. Chris went to work in our Cafe (where he volunteers on occasion) & I got caught up on e-mails and attended a 2:30 meeting that I thought I would be missing. We stayed until just after 5, and then went home. While going to work is not something I usually do at the end of a WDW trip, I knew the coming week was going to be hectic, with me being out of town again the last half, so it was time well spent. However, if it had been sunny in WDW I probably would not have made that same choice. ;-)

SUMMARY:

Overall it was a great trip. Lisa is a friend I don't see much of since I live in FL and she's in NH. Leanne is a relatively new friend - I've known her husband for 10 years but only met her a couple years ago. Everyone got along great, and they were both great guests. Never once did they leave their stuff laying around or beds unmade or sinks messy.

E-Ticket was probably not a smart thing for me & Chris. Neither of us do Space Mountain or Splash Mountain, we don't like Alien Encounter, and Haunted Mansion, Pirates & Timekeeper are easy enough to get on during regular park hours. The only advantage to E-Ticket for us was Astro Orbiter for Chris and Big Thunder for me. We did it once, but probably won't do it again.

Having Ghassan as our waitor at 50's Prime Time Cafe was a terrific and very entertaining experience. It's hard to describe just how great he is unless you experience it yourself. I know I'll be requesting him next time we take people there.

As always, OKW was just beautiful. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing the different buildings, wandering around, and checking out potential future locations. I hope I never get so used to the place that I stop appreciating it's special atmosphere.

Next trip will be a short one - 2 nights/3 days in a studio at the Boardwalk Villas in March. Chris will be staying behind since he'll be in school, so my neighbor Nancy will be joining me. We'll be dining and doing Comedy Warehouse, and are looking forward to lots of laughs. Until then...ºoº

Sue Holland

WDW1972@aol.com

__________________
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.