Trip Reports

INTRODUCTION:

In January I decided to add some additional points to my DVC membership. I called my guide to check availability of points in my use year (April), knowing that my home resort (OKW) had been sold out of April points for quite some time. I also own points at Vero Beach, and found that they were almost out of April points that included the free park passes - so I quickly bought 60 of them. Originally I had figured I’d add points after April, figuring I wouldn’t be able to squeeze in another trip before then, but didn’t want to risk the free pass points not being there. Since I was buying in January, the 1997 allotment of 60 points was given to me, and since it was too late to bank them into 1998 I had to either book a last minute trip or let the points go unused (which would have been a heart breaking thing to do).

A friend/co-worker from another part of the state had been really interested in my DVC purchase the year before, so I invited him and his family to be our guests at OKW. Needless to say, he jumped at the opportunity (my friends are no dummies)! I also contacted my son’s teacher, thinking I might take him to WDW for the weekend & fly him home on Monday (I’d be staying until Wednesday) and she checked her calendar & said to take him on the vacation! So, he missed 3 days of school but it was with her approval.

A couple of days before the trip I came down with a very sore throat. The night before we left I got very little sleep, despite having taken a cold medication. I was hoping things wouldn’t get worse, so I packed a bottle of non-aspirin pain reliever & tried to ignore the pain.

Day 1 - Saturday March 28, 1998:

Chris & I were on the road at 6am. For several years now there’s been road construction on I-4 near Tampa, and I wanted to get through that area as early as possible. We stopped for gas and a McDonald’s breakfast in Sarasota, and arrived at the Epcot parking lot at 9:15. Since I have an annual pass, parking is free. The sore throat was not too bad, since I took some pain reliever at 6 & it was supposed to last 6 hours. On the way in to Epcot, I picked up a brochure on Science Jam - which was going on until early April. We stopped to see some Lego robots & some of the other exhibits. Since the Rousseau’s were arriving tomorrow and we’d be spending that day at Epcot, we were not under any pressure to see any particular attractions today. I rode Journey Into Imagination while Chris played in the Image Works. We then decided to do the Tech Trek described in the Science Jam brochure. This involved visiting 8 exhibits in the 2 Innoventions buildings, completing a task, getting a sticker, and then turning in the completed page (with all 8 stickers) for a prize.

At Motorola we had to find a flashing purple light & "talk" to each other on some walkie talkie type radios. At GE we had to find the light that turns on without a switch. At GM we had to explain to the CM how the electric car starts (by punching in a combination on the key pad). At Honeywell we went through the House of Innoventions. At Family PC we had to take a digital photograph, which Chris was then able to pull up on a computer monitor and make changes to it (smearing Mom’s face around quite a bit). At IBM we sent some electronic postcards. This was pretty cool. You get your picture taken, select the background (moon, under sea, or 2 others) & then enter the e-mail address you want it sent to. The whole process takes under a minute, and it’s free. At Sega Chris had to find & play a new snowboarding video game (which he loved), and at AT&T he had to learn how to use the wrist telephone & explain it to a CM. After getting all of his stickers we received 2 Tech Trek buttons and a cd-rom called InventorLabs. The CM warned me, though, to read the instructions carefully because if I tried to load it like any other cd-rom it would change my windows 95 to 3.1 and mess up some stuff on the hard drive! I think we’ll just leave the cd-rom unused, or maybe Chris can take it to school.

After completing our Trek, we rode Horizons. Some obnoxious person had thrown a wad of chewing gum at the moon you pass shortly into the ride - it was stuck there on the moon’s surface. It was gone the next day. After exiting Horizons we noticed they were running cars on Test Track. They seemed to be alternating between a fast car and then a slower one. There was no sign of anything going on, so I wonder if they just run a car every minute or so just so we are left with the impression that progress is being made on that attraction. We passed some areas that were closed off in preparation for plantings for the upcoming Flower & Garden Festival. We had an 11:30 priority seating for lunch at Chefs de France, so we passed some robotics & space exhibits on our way to World Showcase.

We were seated at 11:30, right by the window. I really like what they’ve done to this restaurant during the recent renovation. I was sorry to see Au Petit Cafe go away, but this is just as nice & I don’t have to deal with anyone smoking since it’s now all indoor seating. The windows allow great views, and the air conditioning will be a big plus as it gets warmer. I had my usual - the French onion soup, and Chris had his usual - the chicken breast over pasta kid’s meal. Total check was $10.34 plus tip. I also took another dose of the pain reliever, as the delicious french bread was rough on the throat! Chris was impressed when the waiter scraped the bread crumbs off our table cloth when he cleared the dishes. He commented that there appeared to be more crumbs on his side of the table - surprise, surprise. Our waiter brought us 4 of the chocolate mints, and we were on our way.

We took the Friendship boat back to Future World (I generally prefer to walk, but Chris really wanted to ride). We sent some more electronic postcards, and Chris returned to Sega for more of the snowboarding game. I went to the Centorium to look around. There was a new hard cover book about the WDW resort that was set up in chronological order - from the future all the way back to 1971. I already have 2 of the previous versions of the book, but this was the first time it was in date order and it included both stuff not here yet and stuff that used to be at WDW but is now gone. It was $21.95, and I decided to buy it later at World of Disney to get the 10% mkc discount. I retrieved Chris and we left Epcot to go check in to our room for the night at Comfort Inn Maingate. Taking the tram out to the parking lot to retrieve our hot car was no picnic. The WDW buses are a MUCH better way to go, in my opinion.

The Comfort Inn Maingate is nothing special. It’s located on 192 West, very close to the MK entrance to WDW. In December we spent the first night there (before moving to OKW) on a $25 coupon rate. This time it was $49. When we checked in, I did notice the paperwork did not have a record of my request for non smoking, so I told the clerk any room was fine as long it was non smoking. He gave found a ready room, gave me my keys & a map & off we went. Upon entering I thought the room smelled funny, and started to unpack a couple of items. At that point I noticed ashtrays on the sink, dresser & table! Furthermore, there was not a no smoking symbol on the door. Realizing this was a smoking room we high-tailed it out of there & returned to the front desk. We had to wait in line, rather impatiently. When it was my turn I explained that my room appeared to be a smoking room and that it was not acceptable. He showed me the reservation paperwork where it did not state non smoking was requested (as his explanation of why I was put there), but I told him I didn’t care what his paperwork said - I knew I requested non smoking. He quickly backed off and said he believed me, and got me a non smoking room. At that point they gave my old smoking room to another guest checking in, and I realized I’d left a bag of toiletries on the bathroom sink! To retrieve it I had to follow that guest & he let me go in & get my stuff while he was unloading his car. Then we went to our room, which thankfully was smoke free. It was definitely a Comfort Inn room, though - small & rather dumpy (at least by WDW standards). I would not want to stay there for more than 1 night, and if I had booked the trip far enough in advance probably would have settled for the All Stars rather than being off site. On the plus side, the a/c unit was so noisy it eliminated the possibility of hearing any noise from neighbors or the parking lot.

After putting the suitcases in the room, we headed over to Belz Outlet Center. I bought a cute Pooh outfit for my niece’s birthday ($28 marked down to $16.99), a Megara straw ($.49) and a pad of note paper with the Coronado Springs logo ($7 marked down to $.99). There was a big tent sale going on in the parking lot, and I bought a pair of Vans shoes for Chris (size 8 adult - WOW) for $14.99. After shopping we drove to OKW and took the Trumbo Ferry to Downtown Disney. This is such a nice boat ride, and our boat is lots more comfortable than the ones going to Dixie Landings or Port Orleans. Those people sit on wooden benches, while we have nice thick cushioned seats on a pontoon boat. Our driver even played music on his radio.

At Downtown Disney Chris went to play at the Lego Store, while I wandered around. I got a free chocolate sample at Ghiradelli, then bought the book I wanted at World of Disney. It’s called WDW Resort - a Magical Year by Year Journey. I also picked up a Mickey Mouse umbrella for someone at work (at their request) and a refrigerator magnet for me with the current WDW logo. I checked on Chris, and he opted to remain at Lego while I went to the West Side. When I returned he had built a Lego car & was racing it with other kids. They have a special area to do this. We took the Trumbo Ferry back to OKW, and the driver kind of rammed the dock somewhat. He claimed to be distracted by a large group of young ladies waiting for the boat!

We drove over to Old Town in Kissimmee, and wandered around. We had pizza for dinner at Venetia, along with more pain reliever for me. The pizza was pretty good, but the service was excrutiatingly slow and they automatically add the gratuity onto the check regardless of party size. The only good thing is there was no smoking, which was a pleasant surprise (it seemed like the percentage of smokers at Old Town is higher than in the general population). Chris bought 6 of the $.25 bottles of Pepsi from the general store, and we were back at the motel by 8. I put in for a wake up call, retired to read my new book while Chris watched Nickelodeon, and was asleep by 8:45.

Day 2 - Sunday March 29, 1998:

The sore throat was noticeably better today, but not well enough to go without another dose of pain medicine. Today the Rousseau family was driving down from Tallahassee (about 4 hours), and meeting us at OKW. The boys had no idea where they were going! Ed & Cathy got them up early & just had them get into the van. They were on the road by 4:30, and as they got close to Orlando they figured out they’d be in Orlando but still did not know if it was WDW or Sea World or Universal. As they neared the WDW exit they made the kids put pillow cases over their eyes, and let them remove them just as they approached the Welcome to WDW gate. From that point, it was just a couple of minutes until they arrived at OKW - around 8:45. Chris & I had left Comfort Inn and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast - which we ate in the lobby of OKW. We arrived OKW at 7:45 and checked in with no wait. When I gave the CM my credit card for the express checkout, I noticed on the paper that we’d be in bldg 45 (which makes 3 out of 4 time so far - but I like that location so it’s okay). The unit was not ready, but they now have a key system like at the All Star resorts. Instead of a separate key the resort I.D. will also open the door. I was given a card with a phone number & was told to just call during the day to see if the room was ready & if it was they’d activate the key from their end without my having to return to the front desk. This is a great system. We ate our breakfast, and Chris went to the arcade while I waited for Ed & his family to arrive. I’d never met his family, but was hoping we’d enjoy each other’s company. After Chris finished with his dollar in the arcade, we moved to a bench out front until they arrived. The entire family was very nice, and very happy to be at WDW (I told you my friends are not dummies). Since I knew where our unit would be, we moved our vehicles to building 45 and took the Epcot bus from the Turtle Pond bus stop. I had already picked up all the resort I.D.’s and the 4 free park passes would be used by the Rousseau’s so we had no stops to make before entering Epcot. First stop was Honey I Shrunk the Audience, which was a huge hit. The kids thought it was totally cool, Cathy screamed at the mice part, and Ed just tried to figure out how the effects were done (especially the sneezing dog). Next we rode Journey Into Imagination and spent some time in Image Works. On the way to Energy we came upon the Jammitors performing, and since Jon is interested in drums we stopped to watch the performance. It was loud, but entertaining. Everyone enjoyed Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and we got spit on by one of the dinosaurs. Ed asked if he was going to get spit on at every ride! But, he seemed to be enjoying himself so it was not a problem. We rode Horizons, adults in one car & kids in the other. For 3 kids who had never met before, these 3 were like long lost buddies! They are all really nice kids and they were wonderful together. After Horizons it was time to walk to our priority seating (1pm) in Morocco.

We were seated on time, and our waiter Adnan was very friendly. He explained he was from Marrakesh & did a great job taking care of us. We were seated where we could see the belly dancer easily. The bread served was very good, but it was awful on the sore throat! I took another dose of pain reliever (which ended up being the last dose I took). The 2 younger boys ordered the kid’s meal Kefta (small hamburger patties w/french fries), Jon had Tangine of Kefta, Cathy had vegetable couscous, Ed had chicken couscous, and I had the chicken bastilla. Ed tried a bite of mine, and was surprised at how good it was. I’m not an adventurous eater, but I like this. For those of you new to Moroccan food, it’s a thin pastry (like filo dough) wrapped around chopped chicken & walnuts, then dusted with cinnamin & powdered sugar. Sounds strange, but it’s very good. Ed picked up the lunch check (thanks, Ed), so I don’t know the total - but they did give us 20% discount for my Disney Dining Experience card (available only to FL residents, for an annual fee of $35-40). While we were eating we were entertained first by the musician, and then by the belly dancer. Ed & the boys especially enjoyed this part, and the dancer did a good job. She got one older man with a big belly out there, and than a little girl. I called OKW from the restaurant, but the unit was still not available, so we decided to stay in Epcot a while longer.

We shopped in Morocco, then wandered to Japan. As we arrived, the drummers started so we stopped to watch and then went into the shop. Jon bought a Japanese headband, and Chris bought a soccer game. The instructions were all in Japanese, but he was able to figure it out. Next we took the Friendship boat to Mexico, and browsed inside that pavilion. We posed for pictures wearing the giant sombreros, and took the boat ride. We also ran in to some Mexican drummers performing - this was definitely Jon’s day! After Mexico we headed to Innoventions, where I showed the Rousseau’s how to send electronic postcards. The kids played video games and the adults wandered around for about 30 minutes. We stopped at a pay phone to beep a coworker to send a happy birthday message, and then rode Spaceship Earth. After the ride we did the simulator ride in the Global Neighborhood (kids found it to be boring, and they were right) & went to catch a bus back to OKW. The 5pm bus arrived at 5:05, and while on board I realized I had not called OKW back to activate the keys! So, we got off at the Millers Road bus stop & took the path back to the Hospitality House. There was a long line for check in, so I went to the house phone & in 5 seconds had the keys activated. We walked to building 45 (maybe moving the cars this morning was not such a great idea) and moved in. The Rousseau’s loved the unit, and were thrilled to be staying there. This unit was the mirror image of one’s I’d been in before - the master bedroom was off to the left rather than the right, but it didn’t take long for me to get used to that. The Rousseau’s took the 2nd bedroom & bath, Chris slept on the sleep sofa in the living room, and I had the master bedroom to myself. We snacked on some stuff Cathy had brought, and rested a bit. Cathy took Chris & Matt to the main pool for some swimming & tennis.

Jon realized he’d forgotten to bring a book he needed to finish for school, so Ed dropped me off at the Marketplace & then went to a book store to buy the book and then pick up dinner for the rest of the group. I walked over to Pleasure Island, and attended the first 2 shows at the Comedy Warehouse. As usual, they were great. There were 2 new actors working - not sure who is gone - and both were very good. Three of my favorites (Layden, Kelly & Steve) were there as well, so it was a great night, even though I left early. I visited the Adventurers Club for a little while, and then went to the West Side to buy some biscotti at Wolfgang Puck’s. When I boarded the bus to OKW, the driver was switching off. He told a little girl she would have to drive, since he was leaving - and her eyes got really big! When I got back to the room the adults were asleep & the kids were watching a movie in the living room. At 11 I sent them all to bed, and we turned in for the night.

Day 3 - Monday March 30, 1998:

We ate breakfast in the villa - cereal for some, oatmeal for others. We took the bus to MGM & arrived at 8:30. First stop was the Tower of Terror, primarily for Ed & Jon (the only dare devils). Chris waited for us at the exit, but the rest of us went through the lobby & library and exited using the chicken elevator. Matt seemed a little nervous - he needed to hear repeatedly that we were NOT going on the ride - but he did fine. After TOT we did Star Tours, which was a big hit, and then rode the Great Movie Ride. I requested to be seated in the front 2 cars (for the Western scene), and we ended up in the row immediately behind the driver. It’s fun to watch first timers when the bank explodes (the Rousseau’s had never been to this park). While on the GMR I was beeped, so when we got off I went to a pay phone to call the office. The beep was just a test - to make sure the beeper was working. On previous visits they had tried to beep me, but it never worked - and we later found out the provider didn’t have the beepers set up right. I also found out the coworker who wanted the umbrella was now saying "never mind, I found one here". Grrrrr.

Next we went on the Backstage Tour, where the kids really enjoyed the 1st part where they stage the submarine battle in the special effects water tank. We played with the boxes that make noise outside the Goosebumps attraction until it was time for our early priority seating for lunch at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. Within 5 minutes Ed was scolded for elbows on the table, but overall we were pretty well behaved & the waiter couldn’t give us too much grief. We ate a lot - a chicken caesar salad, soup & tuna sandwich, soup & salad, breast of chicken sandwich & salad, granny’s pot roast kid’s meal, chicken strip kid’s meal & salad, bunches of perrier water, and a butter finger milk shake (shared by Chris & me). We skipped dessert! Once again Ed picked up the check (thanks again, Ed), so I’m not sure what it all cost. We were in there a long time, almost 90 minutes, which I consider too long. Our waiter disappeared at times, although when he was present he was fun. He made all 3 boys get up & sing Ittsy Bittsy Teapot while doing the hand motions to everyone else in our dining room - that was pretty funny! I’ll bet Jon won’t share that information with his teenage friends!

After lunch we shopped a bit, then saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We were seated in the front row, towards the right side, and everyone enjoyed it. We saw MuppetVision, and I think maybe Ed didn’t get spit on at this one! Afterwards we took the boat to the Yacht Club & relaxed at Stormalong Bay. The CM at the towel station didn’t check our I.D.’s like she was supposed to, although I did have them in my hand. Cathy forgot to pack her swim suit, so she took a nap in the shade. I rented a tube for an hour ($3) and gave it to the boys for the last 30 minutes. It was a little too big for me - when I sat in it my arms did not extend far enough to paddle through the water so I was basically stuck in one place until a current moved me. It was starting to get late, so after about 90 minutes we left for MK.

We took the bus from Yacht Club to MK, and immediately secured our spot on the curb in front of Tony’s for Spectromagic. Since there was 90 minutes to wait, Ed, Jon & I went to Adventureland pick up some Mexican food for dinner. I got a taco salad & a kid’s meal for Chris & me, but when Ed found out they didn’t have non-meat items for Cathy he & Jon headed over to Columbia Harbour House to pick up their dinner. He got her a vegetarian chili in a bread bowl that she said was great. After eating his taco salad, Chris went to the candy store to buy a rice krispie treat - which had gone up in price to $3.50!! This is no longer something we’ll be buying. Later Cathy & Jon went to the Emporium to shop, and came back with candy for all of us from the candy store. Spectromagic began at 7:30, and it was beautiful. The Rousseau’s had never seen it, and were impressed. We left as soon as it ended, since Chris & Matt really wanted to play tennis again. We caught the bus to OKW, and stopped off at the villa. Ed & Jon decided to play tennis also, and Cathy & I decided to ride the Trumbo Ferry to the marketplace (to return that umbrella). Unfortunately the boat had stopped running at 7:20, and I later found out it was because they were running out of gas! That certainly seems like poor planning on Disney’s part. We ended up taking the bus and after returning the umbrella wandered around the marketplace & West Side before taking the bus back to OKW from Pleasure Island. While at Downtown Disney I chatted briefly with the CM at the DVC booth, and was told the BW studios are larger than the OKW studios. I’m not sure if it’s a big difference, but I always liked the BW studios because with the sleep sofa instead of a 2nd bed it makes the room appear larger.

Day 4 - Tuesday March 31, 1998:

Following breakfast in the villa we took the bus to MK. At rope drop, first stop was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Everyone except Cathy & Chris rode, and then I rode again while the Rousseau’s went to Splash Mountain. Cathy was really nervous about that one, but she did it for the kids and admitted it was not that bad. Next we rode the Haunted Mansion, and then stopped for a fruit snack outside Columbia Harbour House. Next stop was Tomorrowland. Jon & Ed went Alien Encounter while Chris & Matt headed to the Grand Prix Raceway. Sue & Cathy went to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority & rode twice before Chris & Matt arrived from GPR to join us for the 3rd round. After that, we met up with Ed & Jon - both of whom were disappointed with Alien Encounter. Rather than being scared, they just thought it was stupid.

People were getting hungry, so we went to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe for lunch. I had a large chicken caesar salad, Chris & Jon each got a double cheeseburger w/fries & a large drink (lots of food), Cathy & Ed got veggie burgers, and Matt got the kid’s chicken strip meal. Everything was good, and we sat in the room with the lounge lizard (Sunny Eclipse). After lunch we rode It’s a Small World, and then Jon & Matt got Mickey ice cream bars. The rest of us were too stuffed to even consider them! We shopped Main Street, and then took the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center. We switched to the Epcot monorail, and arranged for Ed & the boys to ride in the front with the driver. The driver entertained them with stories of how he likes to hit birds who land on the track, smashing them. Hopefully this was all talk designed to impress adolescent boys! From the monorail we took the bus back to OKW, where the Rousseau’s packed up their van to return home.

Chris went to the marina with the intention of renting one of the boats that looks like a bicycle, but found he had to be 18 to do so. I had the Rousseau’s drop me off at the marina, and we all said our goodbyes. Chris & I rented bikes and headed over towards the Treehouses, but Chris was complaining that his brakes didn’t work & the steering was messed up. So, we returned to OKW & got him a new bike, and they restarted the rental time for me. We rode around the treehouses and then the Disney Institute grounds. After we returned the bikes Chris got 2 movie (free) rentals from Hank’s and we stopped at the Gurgling Suitcase. I got the drink of the day - some rum punch thing - and Chris got a virgin strawberry dacquiri with a big mound of whipped cream. We walked back to the villa with our drinks, and I relaxed on my porch with my drink & watched the boats sail by. I watched my soap opera from Monday (I had brought a vcr tape), and then packed up some and baked a Stir & Bake carrot cake. We walked to Conch Flats & got Chris dinner from Good’s. He then took the bus back to the villa while I took the Trumbo Ferry to Downtown Disney. He had a nice evening on his own, watching his movies & eating.

The driver on the Trumbo Ferry was pretty funny, and he had a little boy drive the boat part of the way. I wandered the Marketplace on my way to Pleasure Island, where I again saw the first 2 shows at the Comedy Warehouse & briefly stopped at the Adventurer’s Club. They really had the air conditioning cranked up at AC, so I didn’t stay more than a few minutes. I watched some of the Spring Break activities - including a bunch of people playing Twister & caught the bus back to OKW by 9:30. Chris had just finished his second movie, all of his dinner, most of the carrot cake, and had enjoyed his time alone. Tonight he slept in the 2nd bedroom. It was strange having all that space, including 3 tv’s for just the 2 of us.

Day 5 - Wednesday April 1, 1998:

Today was our last day, and we’d have to be leaving early enough to get home for Chris’ little league game tonight. We ate breakfast on the porch, and fed last night’s leftover popcorn to the birds & ducks. We were sad to be leaving, but knowing we’d be back in June was some consolation. The great thing about dvc is you always know when you’re leaving that it’s just until next time! They were starting to renovate building 45 - new carpet, paint - so next time we’re here it will be even nicer.

Chris returned his movies & waited for me at the main bus stop. I finished putting stuff in the car, then caught the Epcot bus at Turtle Pond. We arrived Epcot at 8:45. Chris went to Innoventions to play, and we agreed I’d meet him at Sega at 10:30. I went on Spaceship Earth, and Living With the Land (a walk-on). Next I went to Living Seas and waited at the exit for the hydrolator doors to open. Having been many times, I didn’t want to sit through the movie - so I was attempting to bypass all that & just look at the fish. Eventually the doors opened, people came out, and I walked in. I wasn’t sure if they’d have a sensor or something that would not let the inside door operate if someone was in the hydrolator, but soon the outside door closed, the elevator dropped about an inch, and then the inside door opened. I was in! I watched them do a couple of experiments with the dolphins - where they hide some objects, show a copy of one of them to the dolphin (above water), and then he swims down to retrieve it. He drops it in a tank & then finds a key which he picks up & inserts into this tank to release a snack (a fish). It was pretty interesting.

Next I rode Journey Into Imagination and Horizons, and then headed to Innoventions to meet Chris. He was in Sega playing video games. While I was gone he had done the virtual reality thing, which he said was pretty cool. We walked out to World Showcase, and waited for the rope drop. At 11 we went to Norway. The CM’s there had formed a long line extending out from the restaurant & were ringing bells and welcoming people to Norway. We rode the Maelstrom twice, then I stayed to watch the movie while Chris rode for a third time.

At this point we were starting to get hungry. Chris wanted Chef Mickey’s, but since they don’t do lunch that was not a possibility. We took the bus back to OKW, and were the only ones on the bus. The driver asked if we’d seen Animal Kingdom (we had not) and encouraged us to go for at least a few hours - since after 4/22 it will be mobbed. I had thought about using today for AK, but my AP includes it after 4/22 and Chris’ FL Resident Seasonal Pass includes it after 8/23 - so I was reluctant to spend approximately $40 for us to see it early, especially when I looked at the brochure & saw a number of attractions that would not be open until later this month or even later. If we only went to WDW once a year or less frequently I probably would have done it, but since we have 6 trips in 1998 alone, it didn’t seem worth it. When we got off the bus we picked up the car & moved it to the Hospitality House. I chatted with a couple of CM’s at Olivia’s who had complimented me on my Dixie Landings tee shirt, and waited for the Trumbo Ferry at 12:40. We took the ferry to Downtown Disney, had lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Express, and then took the ferry back to OKW. The driver was fun, and kept letting it appear as though the boat would crash into the shore, then turning it away at the last minute to get a reaction out of people. After returning to OKW we got in the car & began the drive home (our other home).

SUMMARY:

Overall the trip was wonderful! The Rousseau’s were great guests, and all 6 of us enjoyed ourselves immensely. Within 30 minutes the 3 kids (total strangers) had become best of friends.

This was my first trip at this time of year, and the weather was great. It was 80’s by day, so swimming was very comfortable, yet there was a breeze that kept things comfortable when walking around. At night it wasn’t cool enough to need a jacket or sweatshirt, so there was no carrying stuff around all day like we sometimes have to do in Dec/Jan. The crowds weren’t too bad, either. MK was pretty congested, but I tend to want to leave that park by 11 am anyway. Epcot on Saturday & Sunday wasn’t busy at all.

Everyone slept really well (like logs) at OKW. It was quiet, comfortable, and so much nicer than staying off site somewhere. I asked Ed if, now that he’s stayed on site at OKW for a few days could he ever come back to WDW and stay outside at a Holiday Inn or something - and he admitted No - that would be tough. People who stay outside really don’t have a clue what they’re missing, and much of it is intangible so it’s hard to explain.

Our next trip will be mid-June. Chris & I will spend a couple days at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (for the first time) and then move to OKW for a few days in a studio. It will be just the 2 of us, and I imagine we’ll spend afternoons pool hopping due to the hot weather. It will also be our first time staying in a studio. Until then, thanks for reading my trip report, and have a Disney day

ºoº

Sue Holland

WDW1972@aol.com

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