Trip Reports

Bryan F. Irrera - December 3-10, 1998 - Boardwalk Inn

Time of Year: Holiday Season
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: BIR
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie
Comments: Bryan and his friend Paul flew out to Orlando for a week long trip that included a day at Universal and a thorough going-over of Walt Disney World. Very nice report, with plenty of opinions to think over.


December 3-10, 1998
Boardwalk Inn
Two Adults (31 and 29 respectively)
Dec 3, 1998 Thurs (Heading to Disney, Epcot)

When I went to bed the night before, I never thought I would get to sleep, but I finally managed to get THREE whole hours! I got up at 3:00am, hopped into the shower, called Paul's stepfather, Alby, to wake him and soon we were all ready to go.

After saying goodbye to Paul's mother, Linda, and handing the keys over to our friend, K.O., Paul, Alby and I got into Paul's Saturn to start our journey. The trip was mostly uneventful, though Alby initially missed the exit for the airport, but we had allowed ourselves an extra half-hour, on top of the required hour and a half lead-time, so made it to the airport with time to spare.

We sat in the airport at the terminal, having been left by Alby at the baggage drop-off, and read for quite a while. Finally, we were on the plane (US Airways). I sat on the aisle. Paul quickly fell asleep, missing the in-flight snack (pretty good, actually) which consisted of a cup of peach yogurt, sliced cantaloupe, a small box of raisins and slice of pound cake. I quickly returned to my comic books...a surreal experience is reading of the adventures of Superman while I was flying.

We made good time in the air, arriving in Orlando nearly twenty minutes early. After getting our luggage, we hopped into our transport van (Mears) to the hotel, getting a scenic tour on the way (getting a nice glimpse of the "Dixie Landings" hotel at the van's first stop).

We quickly checked in, recieving our portfolio packet and keys (which, because of our length-of-stay package would be our tickets to ALL the parks). After fishing out our fannie packs, cameras, Unoffical Guide to Disney (Sehlinger's), itinerary for the day and Epcot map/pamphlet/guide, we embarked into the parks.

I was pleasantly surprised by how MANY attractions we managed to experience in that first day, in such an easy time...there were barely any lines/waits, and when there were it was due to the fact that an attraction only allowed one group at a time (a movie, for example).

Our first ride was "Spaceship Earth" located inside the geodesic dome-sphere at the front of the park (I called it the "big golfball" most of the trip). It was a magical journey through the history of communication...and civilization. At first, when the ride was just beginning, the "train" stopped for a moment, which gave us both a quick little nasty knock because we had once been stuck on the first hill of a roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure for about twenty minutes. However, I loved the ride regardless. Oh, look for the "mickey" formation in the starry night at the end of the ride! I FOUND him!

From there, we went to see the 3D movie adventure "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" with Rick Moranis and Eric Idle. It's such a shame that due to Paul's vision problems (he has no depth perception...even real-life is 2D to him) he could not fully appreciate this attraction, as it was one of the better 3D movies I've ever seen (the best I've seen is "Terminator 2:3D" at "Universal"). There were a few moments during the movie that I actually jumped as stuff seemed to be flying at my face...and there are a few REAL surprises, but I won't give them away.

Next, we went to the Land pavillion, where we rode "Living with the Land". Slow moving ride, but very relaxing. I found the greenhouse portion of the tour, which is of course, the main point of the attraction, to be fascinating, and regret now not taking the greenhouse tour...maybe next trip!

We stopped for lunch at the "Sunshine Food Fair" at the Land Pavillion. Paul had a cheeseburger and fries, I had a stuffed baked potato and salad. While there, I stopped into the bathroom...the cleanest public bathroom I've ever been in in my entire life!

Next, we did "Body Wars" and this is the only attraction that TRULY DISAPPOINTED me (besides "Jaws" at "Universal"...for similar reasons). I think I've been jaded by the movie rides at "Dave and Buster's" here in Philly, 'cause this was just too much of a wimp ride...especially considering the buildup it has gotten in ALL of the guidebooks. I felt it was too short and it didn't feel "real" like some of those simulators do. Even Elizabeth Shue and Tim Matheson can't SAVE this one!

"Cranium Command," however, another attraction at "Wonders of Life" is amazing. The technical stuff behind it...the animatronics, the synchronization of the video, etc. as well as the star power...let's see: Jon Lovitz, Bobcat Goldthwait, George Wendt, Charles Grodin, Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey (as "Hans and Franz")! What a line-up! And what a funy movie/show! This is one of my favorites! Oh, and don't miss the pre-show...it's entertaining AND important...

"Ellen's Energy Adventure" stars Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye (the Science Guy) as Bill teaches Ellen about energy (including a trip to the dinosaur era...including an Ellen Animatronic), also starring Jaime Lee Curtis and Alex Trebek with Michael Richards in a great cameo! This is a cool ride, funny movie, and educational to boot! This is an exciting attraction...I'm hoping that the "G" word (or the "L" word) doesn't ruin this attraction and Disney manages to ignore Ellen's personal life for a while!

"Horizons" contains some stunning dioramas. However, the ride stopped at least THREE times while we were on it! Okay, this may have been to help someone in a wheelchair. Fine. I understand that. What bothered me about this ride was not the stopping part, but the fact that the announcements to tell us we'd stopped (as if we hadn't noticed) overlapped the dialogue from the ride...as if it wasn't already hard enough to hear it (the volume was WAY too low for me...I'm 80% deaf in my right ear and this was the ONLY ride I had this problem with). Anyway, a could-have-been good ride was ruined for me...

In the Mexican pavilion we rode the too-short in my opinion, but beautifully crafted "El Rio Del Tiempo" or "The River of Time"...we also got a preview of the atmosphere for tomorrow's lunch and I can't wait. It's totally gorgeous in there.

Next, we rode "Maelstrom" in Norway (after looking in the replica of the wooden stave church...interesting). Again, the ride was crafted well and has a BRIEF thrill at the end, but promises more than it delivers...we did skip out on the travelogue movie...Also, this is where I first started noticing a nasty trend...rides/attractions that exit through stores, as if the stores aren't enticing/crowded enough without the help! I couldn't decide if this was terrible planning or excellent planning, ya know?

We bypassed "China" temporarily and, after briefly browsing through Germany and Italy (which we intend to shop through more thoroughly tomorrow) went into "American Adventure." This was a stunning show. Not only is it a moving, heartwarming, patriotic tribute to our forefathers, but its technical merits were very high. It had the greatest animatronic effects I'd seen yet (though I would later go into "Countdown to Extinction" which I feel is close/better). It's also the only show that touched me so greatly that I ended up in tears...during a montage of great twentieth-century people, after tears started forming in my eyes to see Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and others, Christa McCauliffe and the other six Challenger astronauts were seen onscreen and I began to weep uncontrollably...to have it driven further on by the sight of Ryan White's smile...a truly great show, just bring tissues.

We headed back to the hotel at that point (5:30pm!) and headed to our room. After a brief rest, and ditching our fanny packs for the night, we went back in to the park to Norway to the Restaurant Akershus, where we ate smorgasbord for dinner (I had two glasses of the house Zinfandel, as well).

After buying some imported Norwegian candy (chocolate covered liquid raspberries and strawberries!), we headed back to "China" and explored the art exhibit there while waiting for the movie to start...I'd want to return to the exhibit the following day for some photos...stunning clothes (traditional wedding clothes, etc). The movie "Wonders of China" was STUNNING! Since the movie was done in full panoramic shots, I ended up doing nothing but slowly spinning around trying to take all of the beautiful scenery in...someday, the real China is now very high up on the list of places I would like to visit.

After the movie, we hustled to the "secret park" behind the "Rose and Crown pub" in the English pavillion, but it was closed off for a private party, so Paul and I had to pick a spot on the nearby bridge...I can't imagine a better spot for "IllumiNations," though! Granted, this was the "X-Mas" version of "IllumiNations"...introduced by the legendary Walter Cronkite...but I can't imagine the STANDARD show being any better. This combination of the music, lasers, lights, fountains, and, most importantly, fireworks, was a GREAT way to end our first night in Disney!

Dec 4, 1998 (Epcot)

Well, I slept well, as did Paul...I got seven hours and Paul got eight. Three different pillows of VARYING thicknesses! I found two like my ones at home and no trouble getting to sleep (unlike my usual tossing and turning at a hotel)...my hip was acting up though. Venturing into the park, we bypassed the World Showcase (since it wasn't actually opened for another two hours), and headed to the "Living Seas". There, we journeyed under the ocean tank (after a movie about the creation of the ocean) and explored through the various aquarium exhibits. While there, we were treated to a short cartoon...worthwhile to check out: "Animated Atlas of the World" is Atlas, with a voice suspiciously like Sylvester Stallone narrating (though I've since checked his www.imdb.com entry and it doesn't mention it...anyone know if this was him or sound-a-like?), telling about the various features beneath the ocean (mountains, valleys, geysers, volcanoes, etc.).

Next, we returned to the Land pavillion to see "Circle of Life". This is a short film, featuring Simba, Timon and Pumbaa, about the environmental destruction caused by man and the ways we can help. While at the Land pavillion, we also saw "Food Rocks," an audioanimatronic presentation of food parodies of famous rock stars (ie. Pita Gabriel, the Peach Boys, et al), singing about nutrition and the four food groups...can I suggest an update including the Spice Girls?

From there it was into "Innoventions," where we played video games briefly, sent e-postcards, and messed around initially. The highlights: "GM's" presentation of their newly developed ELECTRIC car (now available only in Arizona and California, but should be available (and even better) via Saturn (a subsidiary of GM) in a few years..., the "house of the future" from "Honeywell" including an electric TOILET (wash and DRY cycle) and programmable just-about-everything(s), and "Refreshment Station Cool," sponsored by Coca-Cola, in which we sampled beverages made by Coke around the world. I like the "Smart Watermelon" from China best (though the pineapple drink from Britain was very good). Avoid the "Beverly" soda (Italy) at all cost! Don't say I didn't warn you! Then again, go ahead and drink it...and send me a picture of the face you made!

Next, we returned to China to finish looking at the exhibit of traditional Chinese clothing...gorgeous! Then it was off to lunch in Mexico. We were seated right next to the railing and got a GREAT view of the "Rio Del Tiempo" ride as it went under the volcano and pyramid. The food was very good. While Paul had a simple combination platter, I tried the "Pollo Con Fideo". It consisted of grilled chicken breast served over angel hair pasta with a sauce of tomatoes, garlic and chipotle pepper...awesome, but somewhat spicy...I was actually dipping chips into the SALSA to cool down my mouth from the sauce on my pasta! While walking to Canada, we got to see the "Holiday Cheer Around the World" show at the International Gateway. It starred Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Baloo, King Louie, Pinocchio, Pooh, Tigger and Eeyorre (but, I thought, strangely NOT Donald!). Afterward, we got our pictures taken with both Pooh and King Louie.

In Canada, we caught the tail end of one of "Off Kilter"'s sets, then headed into "Oh Canada," another movie in the round, similar to the China movie in presentation, but not in execution: it was nice, but NOT breathtaking. I just couldn't find the beauty in the skyline of Toronto as I do with New York, Philadelphia, even Atlantic City. While there, we picked up a copy of "Off Kilter"'s CD. We then shopped through England, picking up some "Jelly Babies". While in England, we went back to the park by the bandstand and walked through the hedgemaze!

In France, we had an encounter with "the Beast," though he was about to leave, so we did not get a picture with him...we did see four obnoxious teenage girls torment the poor guy by acting like (editor's note, they were acting poorly)! The scared/spooked him by repeated screaming when posing for a photo. He kept jumping away from them, probably afraid he stepped on one of them and they kept screaming! HORRIBLE!

While waiting for "Impressions De' France" to begin, while CM "Linda" was giving the usual speech before an attraction, she asked "What do you not do in the auditorium? Anyone?" and lifted her mike to the audience. Since I was near her when I answered, she called me up to the podium to say "No drinking, eating, flash photography or videotaping in the auditorium" ---oops! I FORGOT to say "no smoking"! Very nice girl...it's amazing that they say that French people are rude...!

This movie, though not completely panoramic ala "Wonders of China" was nonetheless breathtaking. I think if I could stick to the rural areas of France I might want to go...but I couldn't live on nothing but pastry (well, I *COULD* I suppose, but...), and I don't like French cooking!

We returned to the hotel for a nap/rest and I took a WELL-deserved long bath. We tried the Norwegian candies (similar to liquid cherries, but with raspberries and strawberries, respectively) and decided to buy an extra tin of each before we left... Before heading out to dinner, we ordered a fridge for the room ($6.00/day)...a great idea if you can. We bought extra bottles of that Power-Aid stuff and a 2liter of soda, later that night, to keep in the room...it was also good for storing the chocolates we bought through the week.

Upon re-entering the park, we shopped through Italy, Germany, America and Japan (where I found rice candy...a treat I hadn't had since childhood! Yay!).

Finally, we went to Morocco for dinner. Let me tell you: beautiful atmosphere, very friendly and attentive servers, a BEAUTIFUL and TALENTED belly dancer! This place is going to be a tradition with us at Disney. (For the record, this was the first time EITHER of us had EVER eaten Moroccan food). We tried an appetizer called brawa rolls (beef in fried flour covered with powdered sugar) -- good! Paul enjoyed his beef shish-kabob and rice. My dinner was great -- Sultan's Feast: beef kabob, chicken braquette (on a kabob) and meatballs with rice. I did not, however, like couscous (but, then again, I've ALWAYS been a picky eater). I also got a great non-alcoholic drink with peach nectar and orange juice and got to keep the souvenir glass. I finished off with a dessert of orange mousse! YUM!

Dec 5, 1998 (Magic Kingdom)

After getting merely six hours sleep (Paul got seven) we got up at 6am to get ready for an early-entry day at the "Magic Kingdom" - after a quick shower, we went down to the Boardwalk Bakery for a breakfast stop. I had a cherry danish...YUM (Paul had NOTHING), and we each had orange juice...Minute Maid, owned by Coca-Cola (a corporate sponsor)...YUCK (we prefer Tropicana)!

We then boarded the bus and soon arrived at the MK. After waiting at the entrance, we were let into the park at 8am. We walked straight to Tomorrowland and entered "Alien Encounter." I agree with the guidebook(s) that this attraction is WAY TOO intense for small children, but contained enough (dark) humor for the adults to minimize some of the fear (though this is still VERY scary...it scared me MORE than TZToT). I noted the location of a store that sold Skippy/Alien Encounter merchandise so we could stop in later in the day and we proceeded.

After that got our adrenalin going, we headed into "Space Mountain." It was strange to see how much my perceptions of the ride had changed over the years. At nine-years old, never having ridden ANY rollercoaster before, let alone one that was plunged in darkness (and I remember it being FAR darker, too), I thought the ride was a pretty scary thing. Now, being thirty-one years old, and while not a champion roller coaster rider, having conquered the "Great American Scream Machine" at Six Flags Great Adventure, this seemed to TAME by comparison now!

"Buzz Lightyear's Star Command" was next -- a very fun ride! In the ride, each capsule is equiped with two laser pistols and you have to hit as many targets throughout the ride as possible! Meanwhile, a score tally is added for you as you go along...imaginative, and I'm sure destined to be a classic ride tht kids will love for YEARS to come!

From there, we strolled to "Fantasyland" to see/ride "Peter Pan's Magic Flight" - a kiddy ride to be sure, but one that has captured my heart with it's many panoramas of the story of Peter. Then, we had a mild jog/march to "Frontierland" as the rest of the park was opened. There we rode "Splash Mountain" (a "Song of the South" themed water flume ride...but don't dismiss this as just any log flume...this is a MAJOR attraction). Mixed in with the flume parts of the ride are many animatronics depicting the story of B'rer Rabbit and singing various songs from the film (including, of course, "Zip a Dee Doo Dah").

After that was "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"...good exciting roller coaster, though not TOO scary!

We then went to the "Country Bear Jamboree -- the special Holiday Show" It stars all of the cast of the regular show, singing country-fied X-Mas songs (some standards, some original to the show). Very good animatronics! Great music! Next, the old favorite and still a wonder: The Haunted Mansion! Ghoulishly delightful!

For lunch, we took in the "Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Show" (I had a smoked turkey and cheese sandwich, Paul had a smoked ham sandwich...great pickles there too!): great actors/singers/dancers, all capable of great adlibs (though I'm sure that a LOT of the jokes get recycled...).

From there we went into "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- okay, so I wasn't trapped in there again (when I was nine, the ride stopped for about ten minutes at the cannonfight scene)...it was still pretty tortorous for me -- my LEAST favorite "classic" ride! IMHO, the imagineers can feel free to bulldoze this one anytime.

We then hopped onto the WDW Railroad to Mickey's Toontown - we explored Mickey's house, then went to Tomorrowland and rode the "Transit Authority" (once known as the WEDWay People Mover)...what a great way to get an overview of Tomorrowland.

From there, we took in the great classic...though newly refurbished...show "Carousel of Progress"! "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" indeed! What a great way to see hom many advances have been made in just this century!

"The Timekeeper" was next. It stars Robin Williams as the Timekeeper robot (animatronic) and Rhea Perlman as Nine-Eye, his assistant (I originally thought this voice was Andrea Martin, but I've been corrected). Is is synchronized with a 360 degree movie adventure about Nine-Eye going back in time with Jules Verne. Funny and well presented. It makes you wonder how many of Robin's funny line were adlibs, too.

From there, the "Liberty Belle" -- a Mississippi River style riverboat (ala Mark Twain) that circles Tom Sawyer Island. nice and relaxing, but this would have been imporved by the inclusion of more benches!

Then, we went to the "Hall of Presidents" -- we sat in the last row and while we got a GREAT view of movie, it was not such a great view of the Presidents themselves. I immediately mentally added this attraction to our redo list for Weds so as to get a better look. Back in "Fantasyland" we took in the puppet show "Legend of the Lion King." This is a not-to-be-missed "cliff notes" version of the movie, as realised through very muppet-like puppets (and considering that Jim Henson's Muppets are in MGM Studios, this isn't too far off from a possibility). Masterful staging!

After navigating through the crowds during a parade (we didn't catch one parade on our trip...I was WAY into park commando mode! On our NEXT trip, we'll be slowing down the pace considerably and catching a few...), we managed to get to "Adventureland" and checked out the "Jungle Cruise". This is always fun and exciting (or at least I thought so when I wrote it in my journal on that night...look ahead for my redo ride entry on Weds the 9th for more info). While our guide told the mostly scripted BAD jokes, her delivery was very dry/droll ala Ellen Degeneres/Wendy Liebman. I thought she was hysterical (and still do...if only we could always get her).. About this point, I was seriously starting to feel ill (gee, considering the lack of sleep we'd been getting, the fact that I'd only had a danish and a sandwich, am slightly balding and didn't cover my head or use sunscreen in the heat , and had done more walking in three days than I might do in a couple of weeks normally may have had something to do with it...ya think?). I decided to forge on as we only had a couple more things on the itinerary left to do. I really just thought I was tired. HAH!

We explored the "Swiss Family Treehouse" -- having seen the movie a few times in the intervening years hasn't made this attraction any more exciting...in the future we will pass. For the record, I thought that maybe I was feeling this way because I was feeling that way, but Paul agreed with me on this "attraction."

Finally, we took in the "Tiki Birds" (Under new Management). The show begins as normal when suddenly IAGO and ZAZU show up and Iago wants to jazz up the show...with some surprising results. Very funny and enjoyable. Take an open mind into the hut with you. Returning to Main Street and browsing, Paul and I had a brief encounter with Donald and got our picture taken with him! As we exited the park it was becoming more obvious that I was sick. However, we had dinner reservations at the California Grill at the Contemporary Hotel (very high class -- the hoipoloi dine there). I rested some at the hotel and took a short nap.

We headed out the Contemporary Hotel...we took a bus from the Boardwalk to the Magic Kingdom, then hopped onto the monorail. There were problems with the train and it stopped twice. My head was pounding at that point (we think I got heatstroke). When we arrived at the Contemporary, we headed into the Sundries shop. I bought some aspirin there. While waiting in line, I jokingly remarked to Paul that a little girl in the store, standing next to the Jelly Belly jelly beans display, seemed to be looking around suspiciously and was planning to shoplift. And don't you know that almost as soon as I said it: the little brat DID it. She popped a handful of jellybeans into her mouth. I was stunned that the two cast members in the store didn't seem to notice, not even the third cast member who was purchasing something (and chatting with the register jockey). Then the little girl walked out WITH the cast member who made the purchase! Well, that was certainly something you don't see EVERYDAY! We were seated for dinner and I asked for water (to take the aspirin). Between getting the water and the menus I felt worse (the room begin to spin a bit), so Paul and I asked to be excused (the staff was very understanding).

After leaving the Contemporary for the Magic Kingdom and transferring to a bus, we had one of the FUNNIEST, COOLEST bus drivers back to the Boardwalk: Ron Charleston (or Charleton). he led the riders in a singalong and quizzed us in Disney trivia. I almost forgot the pain I was in. However...one old curmudgeon was overheard (as we walked back into the hotel) saying "I didn't ride the bus to be ridiculed." Apparently he didn't appreciate the humor of being threatened with cleaning after the elephants in the Animal Kingdom if he didn't singalong, even in jest!

After returning to the hotel, I took a cool bath and went to bed (falling asleep around 9ish). Meanwhile, Paul went down to the Boardwalk and had a pizza from Spoodles' take-out window. I didn't even hear him come in.

Dec 6, 1998 (Animal Kingdom)

I got nine hours of sleep (don't know when Paul got in bed). We got up and I found that Paul had bought me a baseball cap to wear for the rest of the trip. I had some "Tasty-Kake" Butterscotch Krimpets for breakfast (in fact, I had them everyday except for Saturday)...we had packed a box to bring a taste from home for ourselves.

Once we were dressed, we headed out to the bus stop to go to the "Animal Kingdom"

I have to say that, though beautiful...and probably the place I took the most pictures...and though the animals were cool to look at (especially the hippos and gorillas)...this park, in it's current state, did NOT thrill me (But as they say "that's why they make both chocolate AND vanilla ice cream").

First, within the "Tree of Life" (however unthrilling the park, this structure is worth the price of admission as a work of art), we saw "It's Tough to Be a Bug". Besides being a transparent commercial for Disney's new flick, this was the single WORST 3D movie we saw during our entire trip. DO NOT believe the cast members who tell you that every seat is equal. We sat towards the side and I saw double images throughout the show! The pre-show, with vintage Broadway showtunes, is a blast, though (I would say that the pre-show may be worth sitting through this dreck)!

We then rode on one of the BEST rides on the premises (and by that, I mean ALL of WDW, not just AK): "Countdown to Extinction," in which riders are sent back in time to bring a dinosaur back from the cretaceous period. Exciting, fun preshow film, GREAT animatronics, combined with an exciting ride!

Next, we rode the Kilimanjaro Safaris: the best single part of this ride is (except for the poacher storyline, which could get tiresome after a few ridethroughs) its randomness. There is no way from trip to trip to know QUITE where the animals may be, or even WHICH animals will be available.

After the safari we checked out the Gorilla Falls Exploration trail. The naked molerats were cool, the hippo pool was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip, and the gorillas were so majestic (they did NOT throw poop). I did hightail it through the aviary, though...I'm highly frightened of birds (a major part of my lack of enthusiasm for this park).

Anyway, while exiting the trail we bumped into a friend of ours, a former(?) member of the Transducer Players (a Rocky Horror Picture Show cast, who perform at the Harwan Theatre in Mt. Ephraim, NJ), who had moved away to Florida in May of 1998 to take a job at the Animal Kingdom. Frank Turco! He was dressed in his Kilimanjaro Safari digs (he drives a safari jeep) and we got a picture with him in uniform...It was a pleasant surprise to be able to find someone you know randomly in the park like that!

We explored for a very little bit after that, after stopping in Tusker House to eat. We had the fried chicken and it was the first meal I did not enjoy in the park (outside of drinking Minute Maid OJ)...the chicken was too spicy (with the wrong spices) and the gravy on the mashed potatoes was...not right.

We went back to the hotel for a rest, then headed out to the Fort Wilderness Campground (initially confusing it with the Wilderness Lodge...except for it's remoteness: a beautiful hotel). There, we picked up our tickets for the "Hoop De Do Revue," transferred to "Epcot" and headed into the "Electric Umbrella" for a bacon double cheeseburger and fries (each). On the way out of the park, we stopped again into "Refreshment Station cool" for some MORE "Smart Watermelon" from China (hey, does anyone know how I can get some of this stuff?). After returning to the hotel to change, we headed out to

"Atlantic Dance" on the Boardwalk for "Swing Night." Frank and some fellow cast members were SUPPOSED to join us, but did not show. Oh well, Frank is a flake. We've expected that from him over the years. We will be seeing him eventually at "Rocky Horror" and will be crowning him! While waiting outside for a few minutes, we noticed a small duck just under the boardwalk at the club...he was "dancing" to the music and we got a bit of a chuckle. We went inside and got some great entertainment , Frank or no Frank, nonetheless, from the live band "Swinghead" and some totally wonderful dancers throughout the club.

Dec 7, 1998 (Universal Studios, Pleasure Island)

After my standard seven hours of sleep, and Paul finally got the same amount as I, we headed out (via Mears Transportation) to Universal Studios. En route we saw some of the construction towards the new "City Walk" and "Islands of Adventure" areas for the park's expansion for sometime next year...we saw the "Nascar Cafe" and I identified both the "Spider-Man" and "Hulk" coasters, as well as the "Dr. Doom" free-fall-like ride.

Upon entering the park, we started our day with the "Back to the Future" ride, another one of those movie-simulation rides -- it was well produced, moviewise, however, I found the ride to be completely uncomfortable as it was very hurky-jerky!

Next, possibly one of my top-five favorite rides of the whole week: The E.T. Adventure. Intro'd by Steven Spielberg himself in a movie intro, the ride takes you on the chase scene near the end of the movie, in/on your own bicycyle. Then, you fly back with E.T. to his home planet and there is a special surprise at the end of the ride (when E.T. personally says goodbye to you!). NOTE: If you want the FULL E.T. experience (wink wink) be sure to stock up on "Reese's Pieces" before you enter the park (they are $1.00 in the vending machines at Disney and $.94 in the hotel sundries shops, $.60 in any store if you park them beforehand and a whopping $6.00 in a TINY souvenir candy box in the "E.T." gift shop at Universal). From there, it was back to the Amity set for "Jaws" -- besides "Body Wars," this was probably this thrill-seeker's greatest disappointment of the week. This ride was a DUD! After that, we trekked into the New York city "backlot" to ride "KongFrontatin". This was actually pretty cool, though I would have wanted it to be a bit scarier.

We briefly stepped into the preview area for the upcoming expansion at this time and I wish it was already done, as "Jurassic Park" alone would have made the trip worth it. I do look forward to seeing what they do with the classic comic strip characters in their stable: Popeye, Hagar, POGO(!) and MANY others.

We then went into experience (not so much "ride" per se) "Earthquake". It starts with a movie showing how an earthquake might be filmed through the use of models, culminating with being able to see the ACTUAL model used on the film we just saw. Then, we were escorted into a room for a demonstration of how chroma-key and matte paintings enhance action sequences. Finally, we board a "subway" train to experience an earthquake first hand, with fire and flooding...cool, but again, WAY TOO SHORT!

Next, we saw "Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera" which is a movie-simulator ride starring Yogi Bear, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Scooby Doo and featuring Dirk Dastardly and Muttley as the villains. While the ride itself isn't that great, it's fun to see the very INVOLVED cartoon...though I'd be curious what will become of it now that Warners (owner of Six Flags) now owns Hanna Barbera? We wanted to see the "Twister" show, but it broke down while we were waiting, so we headed to lunch. We found "Lou' Corleone's" in the NY lot and chowed down on fedicini alfredo (Paul) and pizza and pasta salad (me).

We then took in the "Beetlejuice" show (with the classic Universal Monsters performing rock'n'roll) and the Animal Actors show...saw Babe, Benji, Beethoven, "Mr. Ed" and got goosebumps when Lassie came out!

After walking through "Lucille Ball: A Tribute" (which was one of the highlights of the park in my opinion), we saw "Terminator 2:3D". This was even more stunning visually than "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" as it combines audio-animatronics, live actors, and pyrotechnics with the movie (seamlessly).

At this point, having seen everything we planned to, we browsed a bit (bought NOTHING) and headed out to catch the Mears shuttle back to the hotel.

I felt that the best way to bridge Universal Studios and MGM Studios (Tues Dec 8) was a dinner at "Planet Hollywood". When we got there, while waiting in line, an employee asked us if we would like to fill out an application for a PH credit card (which would grant you an immediate table when flashed)...for filling out the application, we got a free CD of movie soundtrack songs. We made out like bandits there! We had a coupon from our travel agent for $5.00 off of dinner, a free gift voucher from our travel agent (with a choice of a coffee mug, a pin and a baseball cap...I chose the mug (I collect them)), and got a free calendar with our purchase of t-shirts (got one for myself and one as a souvenir for my mother). The girls in the gift shop also gave us a few extra shopping bags to use for carry-on luggage on our return trip (better then the large plastic bags available from Disney for protecting the Animal Kingdom Barbies I had purchased at AK the day before). In the restaurant, we saw two original "Dorothy" dresses (from Wizard of Oz...one made for black and white), Herbie the Love-Bug (that was the very first Disney movie I had ever seen at a Drive-In theatre, so this was special for me), the original television Jupiter II, the "Flash" costume, a Power Ranger, Madison's mermaid tail, a harp used by Harpo Marx, and original props and costumes from "Titanic" among MANY others.

From there, we went STRAIGHT to the "Adventurer's Club" where I got to interact with "Pamelia Perkins" as soon as I walked into the main parlor (we did the hula hoop together), sat back, relaxed, I ordered a "Kungaloosh!" (wow, these can really pack a whallop, huh?) and watched, laughing thoroughly, as Babylonia had some fun with a pair of newlyweds (in their matching bride and groom Mickey ears) and a pair of newly-engageds. We also saw "Samantha Sterling's Cabaret" filled with fun humor, more crowd interaction, and funny songs. Whenever we return to Disney, this will be like a second home (I only hope that the same Pamelia will be in residence, as the actress, in character of course, was SO charming!).

Dec 8, 1998 (MGM Studios, Hoop Dee Doo)

The morning started with a brief, relaxing, boat ride over to MGM studios...

We began our day in "Twilight Zone - Tower of Terror", a truly great experience/ride. It combines the thrill of a "freefall"-style ride with theatrics as you are on a ride narrated by "Rod Serling" (the set even includes replicas(?)) of famous props from TZ episodes. From there, we went into the "Great Movie Ride" -- a ride I nominate as the single ride on all of the Disney property most in need of an overhaul. None of the scenes was especially well concieved with the possible exceptions of "Casablanca" and "Wizard of Oz" (well, only the Munchkinland portion, anyway) and I would remove the clunky, intrusive "storyline" of the tram/ship being hijacked. Sigourney Weaver's animatronic seemed spastic and is most in need of a fix. I personally would have wanted to see Esther Williams, Hope and Crosby, Grease (or Saturday Night Fever), Gone With the Wind...

Next was "Star Tours" -- though the giant AT-AT and Ewok village outside are somewhat misleading -- I liked walking though the queing area perhaps moreso than actually riding the ride, as you walk through a droid repair shop and see a bunch of the different style droids used in the film(s). The ride portion, another movie simulator, was over too soon and was just another recreation of the Death Star battle from the first movie -- I would have liked a ride around Endor, Tattoine, Hoth, Dagobah and other planets as well! Perhaps, it will be worth it to see what is done with this ride after the Prequel rehab.

We then saw the "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" show, with muppet-like puppets (similar to the ones used in "the Lion King" at MK), live actors and more footage. This was a great show and the water and mist help keep the theatre cool!

We followed that with "MuppetVision 4D," another 3D movie, in which you step into a recreation of "the Muppet Show" auditorium, complete with penguin orchestra and the old heckler guys in their balcony seats. This combined with an "okay" 3D movie (I would rank this lower than "Honey" and higher than "Tough to be a Bug") makes for a great extrasensory experience for anyone who considers themself a fan of muppet artistry. The Pre-Show is one of the best on the entire WDW property, though!

We then took the Disney Animation tour, garnering some peeks at "Tarzan," "Dinosaur," "Fantasia 2000," and "Kingdom of the Sun" in the process. The tour is highlighted by a movie intro featuring Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite explaining the animation process. While walking through the animation studios, I liked getting to peek at the different desks and computers and seeing the pencil tests in progress on some of the screens. I can NOT wait for "Tarzan" now (I was sort of "hohum" when I first heard it mentioned). After eating in the commisary (not great...nothing worth talking about), we took the Backlot tour where we saw the "Golden Girls" house facade, along with "George of the Jungle's" treehouse. In the boneyard, we passed vehicles used in "Starship Troopers," "Blue Thunder" and "Dick Tracy" (and many more).

We decided to skip on the soundstage tour ("Mortal Kombat" television series? Yuck!) and the "Making of" film ("Armageddon"? Double Yuck!). We then headed out of the park allowing ourselves plenty of travel time to "Fort Wilderness" campground...

The show "Hoop-De-Do Revue" was very fun -- Good singing and dancing, LOUSY jokes (but in a good way) -- GREAT food: fried chicken (Paul knows I LOVED it, as I compared it favorably to my (late) grandmother's recipe) , corn, baked beans, spare ribs, strawberry shortcake! This show will be a tradition with Paul and I, I'm sure!

Dec 9, 1998 (Around the (Walt Disney) World in a Day!)

For this day, Paul and I just redid a LOT of our favorite attractions. We started at the MK with "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad," "Hall of Presidents" (we sat up front this time), "Haunted Mansion," and "Jungle Cruise." "Jungle Cruise" was horrible, as we were trapped on the boat with one of the South American class trip groups, who nearly capsized the boat! On top of that, the young man's delivery just wasn't as good, though I'm sure he wasn't in to it probably thinking NONE of us spoke English.

We took the long way around from the railroad from Frontierland to Main Street, then took a monorail to Epcot. At Epcot, we saw "Cranium Command" again, headed into RSC (again!) for "Smart Watermelon", and headed into World Showcase. We bought more of the Raspberry and Strawberry candies in Norway, ate lunch in Germany (great Bratwurst), resaw "American Adventure" (which made me cry again), then hustled to Canada to catch "Off Kilter" and the UK for more Jelly Babies!

We then dropped off our packages in the room. After relaxing a bit in the hotel, we hopped onto the boat to MGM, where we took in "Fantasmic!" This show may beat "IllumiNations" as the most spectacular show on property (admittedly, we did not see the end of day fireworks at MK, as I got sick that night). What *I* liked most is that it could be modular and scenes/characters could easily be added or removed at a whim (ie. out with "Pocahontas" in with "Tarzan"). The "storyline" is a trip into Mickey's imagination, where the Disney villains are trying to stop him at every corner. It combines a floating electrical parade, live actors (some as "head" characters), pyrotechnics, and movie scenes rear-projected on fanned "water screens." Scenes include a battle with dragon-form Maleficent and snake-form Jafar. Be sure to look in the pilot's area of the big steamboat in the finale for a surprise! Highly recommended -- a great way to top off your final night.

We headed back towards the New York backlot and our eyes were treated to the sight of the falling snow (actually soap bubbles) and put on special glasses to see the "Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights" on the backlot homes. Over 4,000,000 lights were used in the display. The special glasses enable the viewer to see floating angles around all of the lights. Mickeys (both hidden and obvious) are extremely apparent in the display.

We topped off the night at Pleasure Island and the Adventurer's Club (we never did venture into any of the other clubs), where we took in the "Balderdash" competition, as well as meeting more of the characters in the mask and trophy rooms. While on the Island that night, we stopped to knosh and I grabbed a cheesesteak at the fast food joint near the Adventurer's Club. ATTN: Anyone from the greater Philadelphia area...this is the place for a cheesesteak when you are away from home. They don't put any of that weird stuff on it (by which I mean lettuce, tomato and mayo...not weird in and of themselves, but they DON'T belong on a cheesesteak!)...but you can get fried onions and mushrooms (my toppings of choice)!

Dec 10, 1998 (M-I-C See ya real soon...)

This being our final morning, we decided to finally sleep in and enjoy breakfast in the room. We ordered pancakes and bacon for two, as well as fresh squeezed OJ (Yay! No MINUTE MAID!) After finishing off our packing and checking out, we checked our bags and headed back to Downtown Disney for last minute souvenir shopping for ourselves and others (whomever we hadn't taken care of in the parks).

Mostly, we kibutzed in the book store portion of "Virgin" to kill time til we HAD to return to the hotel (I did pick up two DVD's I hadn't (and still haven't) seen ANYWHERE else: Treasures of the Twilight Zone and More Treasures of the Twilight Zone...I'd been looking for them anyway, and a great memento of sorts for the TZToT). We returned to the hotel, sat in the lobby, and read the magazines we'd bought at "Virgin" til it was time to head out to meet our Mears shuttle back to the airport...

The flight home (again US Airways) snack consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich (on a sub roll), biscotti, and Paul Newman pretzels (all in all I preferred the breakfast).

At the airport, we were met by Alby, with Paul's Saturn and we drove home...though I don't think I REALLY realized I was home until I got up that Saturday (we had still been off on Friday night and went to a local community theatre production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" (starring a number of friends)...thematically appropriate, considering the week we had!).

Bryan F. Irrera

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