Trip Reports

8-3-98 to 8-14-98

Participants are myself, Grace, 39; my 7-year-old son, Alan; and my cousin, Ben, 45.

Introduction and Preparation:

Ah, the power of television!

It all started earlier this year. I asked my son if there was any place in particular he wanted to visit for summer vacation. Since we had "done" Disney every year since 1994 [WDW in 7/97 (Treehouse villa at Disney Institute) and 3/95 (Old Key West 2 BR villa); Disneyland in 4/98, 7/96, and 1/94 as well as frequent trips since childhood], we didn’t consider Disney an option. I was thinking Hawaii or Mexico, where Alan’s dad is from and we have plenty of family. Alan said he’d think about it and let me know.

Then one evening in late April, we were watching TV when the commercial for the Animal Kingdom came on. You know the one. It starts out with the words, "First there was the castle…" and they show the castle, then Epcot, then MGM. "And now…" Then to the opening strains of the song Circle of Life, the Tree of Life comes to life and Animal Kingdom is shown. Alan and I were awestruck just by the commercial. It just blew me away.

He turned to me and said, "Mom, can we go to Disney World again?" Me being mom, of course I had to retort, "Again?! But we were there just last year." He replied, "But I really want to go back and see Animal Kingdom." Mom said, "Are you sure this is what you want?" all the while thinking "please say yes, please say yes." Alan said, "Yeah, I’m sure." Mom said resignedly, "Ohhhhh, okay."

Now a word about cousin Ben, who is a DVC member. (It was at his invitation that we went in 3/95.) He’s one of those laid-back, easy-going types, as well as very generous. When I mentioned our plans to him, he said, "Maybe I’ll go this year, too. We can stay at OKW."

Well, the bad news first: The earliest he could take vacation was 8/8, so I wouldn’t be able to use the annual pass I bought in 7/97 (to take advantage of the annual pass rate at DI). Also, OKW was full.

The good news: He got a 1 BR preferred view at Boardwalk Villas instead.

The bad news: Because we weren’t at OKW, we wouldn’t get the free passes that come with the room (and I understand that offer ends next year).

The good news: We were going to Disney World!

I had un-bookmarked all the Disney web sites I visited prior to last year’s trip, so the first thing I did was find them all again and bookmark them. These I visited almost daily up to the day of departure.

My vacation would be the first two weeks of August. Alan and I would leave on Monday, 8/3 and return on Friday, 8/14. Ben wouldn’t be arriving until Saturday morning, 8/8. I made reservations to stay off-site our first six nights (we like to do non-Disney stuff, too), then the next five nights would be at BWV. I also reserved a compact car with Dollar at their website, entering "daily" where it asked for a rate code. I got a rate of $119/week and $24/day for the four extra days, better rate than AAA or Costco. Although I think WDW transportation is excellent, I like the freedom of having wheels.

I was flipping through the "Orlando Official Accommodations Guide" I ordered from the "Go2Orlando" website and came across the ad for Country Inn & Suites by Carlson in Lake Buena Vista. It had just opened last winter so I knew it wouldn’t be some fleabag hotel in need of upgrading. I put out a request for info. on a few message boards and got back favorable comments from people who had stayed at other Country Inns, though not this one. A travel agent also e-mailed me with a good review of the LBV property, which she had toured. I called the reservations number (800-456-4000) and got a super saver rate of $69/night (plus 11% tax) for a room with two double beds or queens (I forget already), a microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker and coffee, iron, ironing board, and hairdryer. Daily deluxe continental breakfast was included as well as daily weekday newspaper. Also, complimentary fresh fruit and coffee in the lobby and nightly freshly-baked cookies. Local calls complimentary. Also, gameroom, pool, and coin laundry facilities.

I bought our Disney passes at the local Disney store. I got myself and Ben 6-day all-in-one hoppers ($250.77 each incl. tax, Magic Kingdom Club price) and I got Alan a 5-day park hopper ($152.16 incl. tax MKC) since he had one day left on an old pass. I also made some priority seating arrangements.

Ready, set, Disney, here we come.

(Note: This report contains spoilers. If you want to see any of the attractions "fresh", no advance info., please avoid attraction descriptions and move on to the next paragraph.)

Day of arrival, Monday, 8/3

We arrived at MCO (Orlando International Airport) around 6:30 p.m. and were greeted by light rain. Dollar is on-site, so we just had to walk across the street from the terminal to pick up our car. The heat and humidity hit us hard upon leaving the terminal for the walk over. What a welcome for our cool, fog-encased San Francisco bodies. We were drenched in sweat by the time we got the car loaded up and ready to go. We took 528 west to Orlando, paid a few bucks in tolls, took 4 west (south) to exit 27, and got to the hotel, which is just a little bit north of Crossroads (where Goodings is) and the Hotel Plaza Blvd. entrance to WDW.

There was plenty of outside parking available. We got a warm welcome from Curtis at the front desk when we checked in. There are complimentary safe deposit boxes at the front desk. The lobby is homey with a small fireplace and overstuffed chairs. We were very pleased with the accommodations, which included everything promised above. Our room was clean, spacious, and beautifully furnished and the a/c was on when we unlocked the door with our key card, so we were cool and comfortable. There was an easy chair with standing lamp (my reading chair) and a small table with chairs, perfect for eating. There were two phones, one between the beds and one on the table, and a big color TV with cable and remote. The bathroom was a good size (huge vanity and mirror, plenty of towels) and there was an extra sink with lit mirror in the room, a nice convenience. There was also plenty of storage space. What a great value for $69/night. We unpacked and rested a bit.

Since we hadn’t eaten since the breakfast we were served on the plane, we were starving, so we went to the on-site Tony Roma’s for dinner. I had a salad, steak, baked potato, and a cocktail. Alan had a kid’s meal of cheese pizza, carrot and celery sticks, drink, and "dirt ‘n worms" for dessert (chocolate pudding w/cookie crumbs and gummy worms). Total cost incl. tax and $4 tip was $27.97. (Note: All future amounts listed will be total amounts incl. tax. I will also list tip if it applies.)

We were pretty beat after dinner. I saw a Walgreen’s across the street and told Alan we should go over there and get some water and snacks for the room and to take with us to the parks. He was so tired, he didn’t even want to do that, so we just walked back to the room and got a good night’s rest.

Tuesday, 8/4

We woke up very refreshed, showered, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Alan ate cereal and I had a toasted bagel w/cream cheese, orange juice, and coffee. (This would be our daily breakfast until our move to BWV.) The hotel put out a nice spread: waffles, bread, and bagels, and toasters to toast them, butter, cream cheese, honey, syrup; muffins, donuts, cookies; cereals (Cheerios, frosted flakes, and raisin bran) and instant oatmeal; fresh fruit (bananas, oranges, apples) and juices (orange, apple, cranberry); milk, coffee, tea bags and packets of hot chocolate. Kids received a little goodie bag.

We got to Universal Studios just as it opened ($6 for parking) and I used our US Airways boarding passes to get a small discount on tickets. Total cost for one adult and one child was $69.96.

We headed straight for the new Twister, Ride it Out. Because we arrived early, there was no wait. The two anterooms have monitors showing clips from the movie, behind-the-scenes clips, and clips of actual twisters. In the final room, everyone is ushered onto two elevated areas that look onto a set similar to the drive-in scene in the movie (gas pumps, drive-in, snack bar). It then gets dark and it rains complete with thunder and lightning. You can see a twister start to form on the back screen, then it materializes in front of you, floor to ceiling, taking up the middle third of the room. At one point, water is shot out at you from behind. A fire starts. It climaxes with a huge bang and the two elevated platforms drop. Quite frankly, I was a little disappointed. I think a better idea would have been to put a clear, mesh-like screen between the audience and the set (for safety), make the twister bigger in diameter, and have big props flying through the twister. Well, that’s my opinion.

From there, we hightailed it over to Back to the Future, the Ride, about a 15 minute wait. This is your typical bumpy simulator ride, but with great scenes, including the inside of a volcano.

From there, we crossed the bridge and walked over to the Earthquake attraction (about a 20 minute line), which starts with a film narrated by Charlton Heston describing and showing how earthquake scenes are made, then a pre-show with volunteers from the audience in an earthquake scene. The last segment is a subway ride in San Francisco. Being from S.F., I must say they made the inside of the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station look pretty authentic. The car makes a scheduled stop, then you hear and feel the rumblings of an earthquake. The lights flicker and dim. The car gets jostled. Then the street above opens up. A fire starts and a gas truck starts falling toward you on one side. On the other side, a flash flood enters the station. Cut. That’s a wrap.

It was already very hot and humid, so we stopped for a bottle of water, $2.50. (This is why I wanted to go to Walgreen’s last night, Alan! $2.50 would have gotten us a 6-pack!)

From there, we went to Alan’s favorite, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. The line wasn’t too long and moved quickly. There’s a short pre-show with Hanna and Barbera (I believe) on film showing how cartoons are made, complete with Yogi and his sidekick (forget his name now), Elroy of the Jetsons, and some villains. The second part is a very fun simulator ride with cartoon scenes showing the Jetsons, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Yogi, etc.

Alan wanted to get wet after that, so we went to Fievel’s Playland with all its water contraptions. He also went on the water slide. He was drenched from head to toe, which is what he wanted. I stood under a water spout for a bit, too, to cool off. I knew walking around the park would dry us off quickly.

We were right next to E.T. Adventure, so we walked over there. The line was pretty long and Alan didn’t want to wait in it, which was fine with me. We had ridden this many times before here and at Universal Hollywood, so it was okay that we missed it.

On our way to the Small Soldiers movie prop area, we encountered some Rugrats. Alan had his picture taken with Chucky and Angelica. The Small Soldiers prop area also had some good photo opportunities, including a life-size doll box you could stand inside of to look like a doll on a shelf.

We were ready for lunch at this point, so we went to Lombard’s Landing (in San Francisco, of course) for a nice, cool table service lunch. I had a fresh seafood salad with scallops, shrimp, and chopped vegetables; a bowl of lobster bisque; and a virgin pina colada. Alan had a child’s fish & chips w/corn on the cob and a drink. Total cost with 10% AAA discount and $4 tip was $30.47.

Alan wanted to go to Nickelodeon Studios, so we did that next. We were in line for about 45 minutes, but the big fans and misters were on and there were monitors on for entertainment, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable. Alan played a little with his Nintendo Game Boy to help pass the time. Once inside, you get to see actual sets of two Nickelodeon shows (although at this time, there was no actual filming going on) while a guide talks about the Nickelodeon network. The last segment, the audience is separated into teams (kids get their own section) and games are played with audience participation, similar to a game show. One lucky kid is chosen to get slimed.

Alan wanted to go on the Hanna-Barbera ride again after that, which we did. We then split a large Icee ($2.75). The heat was too intense for us, so I decided to do my shopping then since we were near the main store (Universal Studios Store) that had the biggest selection and it was cool in there. I got 10% off my purchases with my AAA card.

From there we went to Terminator 2 3-D. Now this is my favorite attraction here. The line was long, but at least it moved. There’s a pre-show with one actress and a film, then once in the auditorium for the 3-D show, there are three actors representing the movie characters: the woman, her son, and "Ahnold", plus the actress in the pre-show. There are some great effects where the live actors are on stage, then sort of "blended" into the film, and then you see the film characters. It’s really a thrilling (though loud) show with plenty of 3-D. Like I said, my favorite.

After this, we were ready to call it a day. We obviously missed a lot of attractions, but they were attractions we had already seen on previous trips. We went to Guest Services to get our second-day-free passes in case we wanted to come back (has to be used within seven days), and then exited the park.

I did not want to pay $2.50 for bottled water again, so we went to Goodings. I wanted to go to Publix, but Alan wanted to get in the pool, so I opted for the closest place to the hotel, which was Goodings at Crossroads, a scant block or two south of the hotel. Everyone on the message boards was right. Items at Goodings are more expensive than at Publix and Wal-Mart. A 6-pack of water (16 oz. bottles) was $4. (Oh well, better than $2.50 a bottle.) However, they do have decent packaged food (salads and ready-made meals you can microwave). I bought snacks (microwave popcorn and munchies), water, soda, boxed juices, and two packaged dinners and a packaged salad.

We then returned to the hotel for a swim. The pool at the hotel is small, but better than nothing. After showering, I microwaved our meals. I had chicken breast w/rice, Alan had lasagna, and we split the salad. These were good-sized portions, too. They were all actually pretty edible. Total cost was about $10. I then went to the lobby for freshly baked cookies (peanut butter as well as chocolate w/white chocolate chips -- delicious) and coffee for dessert. We watched some TV and hit the sack.

Wednesday, 8/5

Breakfast at hotel, then off to Sea World. $6 for parking, $70.51 for one adult, one child. I showed my AAA card, so there was a little discount in there somewhere. At the entrance, we encountered the Shamu character, so Alan had his picture taken with him (her?).

We arrived at opening, so we immediately headed over to Journey to Atlantis (flume ride), knowing there wouldn’t be any line. One look at the five-story (?) drop, though, and we both said no thanks. (I wasn’t always like this. I used to love thrill rides. Ever since pregnancy, though, I’ve lost my nerve.) I understand the theming before the drop is very well done and I wanted to see it, so I asked if there was a chicken exit. Alas, no, there wasn’t.

Alan loves animals and creatures, so we then went to feed the stingrays. (Keep your hand flat, shrimp sticking up between your second and third fingers, and the stingray will swim over your hand and suck up the shrimp.)

From there we went to the dolphin show. The singer who entertained us before the show started was very funny and included audience participation in his repertoire of songs. After the show we went to the dolphin feeding area, where we bought dolphin food and I got some great pictures of Alan feeding them.

We then went to Shamu Stadium for the killer whale show. Before the show started, the huge screen up front showed a film which included various sea life multiple choice questions with answers numbered 1, 2, and 3. Then a camera would pan the audience, and whoever it landed on would be shown on screen. That person would then answer 1, 2, or 3 by holding his/her fingers up. You either got dinged right or buzzed wrong and a shark would cross the screen as if to eat you. The last game was between adults and children, with children always the runaway winners. It was hilarious and well done. Alan wanted to sit in the splash zone, which we did, and got very drenched at the end just from the whale flipping water at us with only its tail. This show was magnificent. The whale was very well-trained and it was easy to see the great rapport between the female trainer and whale.

We decided to have an early lunch after that, so we split a chicken/rib barbecue platter (came with fries, cole slaw, and a roll) and a large drink ($8.10).

After lunch, we went to the Nautilus Theater to see Cirque De La Mer, which was so enjoyable. Before the show started, there was a mime who came into the seating area and did a lot of antics with the audience. He was excellent and very funny. He was also part of the show and got four or five men from the audience to participate in a boxing skit with him that was hilarious. There was also a fire dancer, two men who – I don’t know the term for these performers. Basically, one could carry the other in the air with one hand. He could also stand the other on his head upside down (head to head) as well as do other movements like this. It was really amazing. There were other performers as well. It was very Cirque de Soleil-ish, though not quite that caliber, but close. The mime had that whole theater laughing, though. It was a great respite from the heat.

Just outside of the theater was an area with lots of misters hanging from trees. They were so strong that when Alan stood under one, I could barely see him through the mist (ah, San Francisco fog). We stayed there for a little while. I got a Shamu ice cream bar for Alan and a frozen lemonade for myself ($4 for both).

We then walked to the various sea life areas: Terrors of the Deep to see sharks, eels, and barracudas; Pacific Point Preserve, where Alan fed the sea lions; Penguin Encounter; Tropical Reef; and Manatees: The Last Generation?, where we saw a family of these beautiful creatures. My niece loves manatees, so we went to the shop to get her a little souvenir.

When we came out of the store, the sky had darkened and I felt the storm coming. The rain started almost immediately. It just poured and poured. Everyone went running for cover. I had brought ponchos from home, so Alan and I put them on and headed out of the park, but not before we stopped at Guest Services for our second-day-free passes (once again, must be used within seven days).

We took a nice nap when we got back to the hotel. After that, we went to a nearby Subway. Alan had a kid’s meal (sandwich, cookie, drink, and toy) and I had a small deli sandwich and a drink. Total cost was less than $6.

We then went to the Nike Factory Store at Belz Factory Outlet (there’s another one in Kissimmee). Are these Nike stores ever NOT crowded?! I got Alan a few things for school. We then headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

Thursday, 8/6

After breakfast, we took off for Blizzard Beach. We got there about 8:30 a.m. I knew we were going to spend all day there, so I bought a tickets for Alan and myself instead of using one of my pass days. (I sure miss the old world hoppers, which included seven days of the minor parks!) One adult, one child was $46.78 w/MKC discount. We were allowed to enter the park at 8:45, but only to rent lockers and use the dressing areas. I rented a locker for $5 (you get back $2 when you return the key) and we stored everything but our towels, sunblock, water, and snacks. We kept our water shoes on. I wore one of those waterproof tubes holding my money around my neck, had my key bracelet on one wrist, and my waterproof camera strapped to the other. The paths to the attractions and wave pool areas were roped off until 9:00, but once they came down, everyone took off, though orderly. Because it was still early, there were plenty of chairs to choose from, so we chose two reclining chairs with an umbrella over them on the sand by the wave pool and left our towels and snacks there.

We first took a short dip in Melt Away Bay (the wave pool), then headed for Toboggan Racers, Alan’s favorite. Guys are so competitive! We alternated between Toboggan Racers and Snow Stormers (which are next to each other) for a while. The line moved quickly. I’m tired just thinking of all those stairs we climbed! We then took a break in the wave pool.

We then went to the chair lift. Long line there, and we knew there would be another line at the top, so we took the stairs up to Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride, another of our favorites. I’m no marathon runner, but I’m not a couch potato either. I’m somewhere in between, but still, those stairs are killer! Sure enough, there was a queue at the top, but it moved fast and there are umbrellas and a huge fan was up there, so the wait wasn’t uncomfortable.

Alan wanted to go to Ski Patrol Training Camp (sort of a pre-teen area) to walk on the foam "ice" floes, so we went there. I took some pictures of him, and then we went on some of the slides in that area.

We broke for lunch at that point. Alan’s a pizza freak, so I ordered the pepperoni pizza combo, a personal pizza which came with a side Caesar salad and drink. I had a hot dog, he ate the pizza, and we split the salad and drink. Total cost: $11.35.

Back up to Teamboat Springs via the stairs. After that, we went to the nearest entrance to Cross Country Creek, the creek that surrounds BB. Alan got in a tube and I WALKED, tubeless, behind him all the way around to our starting point. Isn’t that about a mile plus?

Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher are a little much for us chickens, so we headed back up to the Toboggan Racers/Snow Stormers area and alternated between there, Runoff Rapids (a nice, long tube ride down a slide that twists and turns), and the wave pool for the rest of the afternoon. We picked a good day to spend all day at BB. It was hot and sunny and not one drop of rain.

We returned to the hotel and showered, then had dinner (6:00 PS) at the Rainforest Café at Downtown Disney. Our table was right next to a huge fish tank, so we had a little light. I had the coconut climber (blended drink with coconut rum, yogurt, chocolate, as delicious as it sounds) and the Rasta Pasta (pasta dish w/grilled chicken and vegetables in a cream sauce -- yum). I had heard about the huge portions here, so I didn’t order an appetizer, which was a smart move because that was one big dish of pasta. Alan had – you guessed it, the kid’s pizza and a drink. Poor guy didn’t like his pizza, though; said it was made w/spaghetti sauce, not pizza sauce! He liked the atmosphere, though, especially when the elephants and gorillas shrieked. Total cost was $34.75 incl. $5 tip.

It started to rain a little when we left. We took a brief walk through the Lego store and World of Disney. I planned to do some shopping here the following week, but wanted to take a look-see at all the different rooms. After doing that, I suggested to Alan that we turn in early since we planned to arrive at Animal Kingdom the following morning when it opened. He’d have none of it. He had been itching to go to Disney Quest ever since I was dumb enough to tell him about it after reading about it in a Disney magazine, and now we were so close! I must admit, I was pretty interested myself, so off we went to the West Side.

I should have paid more attention to the pricing structure at Disney Quest so I could be very accurate, but it was something like $15 for 60 units, $20 for 90 units, and, on this particular day, $60 (or $69, I can’t remember) for 100 units/day for three days. I say "on this particular day" because the pricing structure changed a little on a subsequent visit. Now knowing my son, I should have just gone for the big one ($60), but I figured we would only spend this one time here and that would be it. Yeah, right! Since I’m not a game freak like him, I asked the CM if I could just purchase units for him and pay the entrance fee for myself. No, everyone who enters has to purchase a package. I purchased two $20 packages ($40.24). Each package includes a $2 entrance fee. If you don’t use up all your units in one day, you have to pay another entrance fee when you go on another day. Example: You go today and buy a $15 package (60 units). You use up only 35 units and have 25 units left. Tomorrow or any subsequent day up to a year, I believe, when you return, you give the CM your 25 unit card and pay a minimum $7. For that $7 he/she will then transfer those 25 units to a new card and add another 20 units, so your card now has a total of 45 units. On the other hand, let’s say you’re enjoying yourself so much that you run out of units real fast. There are machines located on the premises that allow you to add units to your card w/cash or credit card. Now don’t hold me to these prices because I’m writing strictly from memory.

You use your card to enter (it has a magnetic strip) the building, but it doesn’t take away any units just for entering. You enter an elevator, and the Aladdin genie (Robin Williams) puts on a little show for you on a screen that takes up the top half of one of the elevator walls. You are whisked to the third floor, Ventureport. There are five floors total of attractions. There is also a gift shop and snack and dessert bars.

Each attraction and game states how many units it requires. When you swipe your card, there is an indicator showing how many units are remaining on your card. If there are enough units for the particular attraction you want, a green "OK" button lights up. If you press it, the points are automatically deducted from your card for you to see. If you don’t have enough units, a red light will flash. Also, units are not transferable, at least not on attractions you and a companion want to go on together. Say you and a buddy want to go on Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster together, which is 18 units. You have 40, he as 15. You can’t swipe your card twice for him and you, nor can you add 3 of your units after he swipes his 15-unit card. (I actually saw a guy ask if he could do that for his companion, one swipe for both, and the CM wouldn’t allow it. However, when my son and I went on the Virtual Jungle Cruise together and he didn’t have enough units left on his card, the CM allowed me to swipe mine twice for the both of us instead of asking me to upgrade his card. I guess CMs are trained to keep smiles on the faces of kids, especially those 9 and under!) I did, however, give most of my units to Alan for the games (pinball, video games, redemption games that award tickets). CMs are stationed only at "big ticket" attractions like virtual reality. They wander around the game areas, but aren’t really stationary.

Once we got off the elevator at Ventureport, we started looking around. Alan wanted to do the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam in the Score! Zone. (I forget how many units that was now, but most of the big ticket attractions were 18 units.) I just watched and took pictures. You get on a contraption with a number that coincides with the number of one of the balls on the huge floor to ceiling screen in front of you and the other participants. Then you manipulate this contraption the way you want to manipulate your ball. You are a ball in a pinball game. The screen shows flippers and things you have to hit to score points, just like a real pinball machine. The winning ball number is announced when the game is over. Alan didn’t win, but he did score a few goals.

We both then went on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride in Explore Zone, 18 units. On this one, you get on a motorcycle type contraption and wear the VR headset. You try to get as many diamonds as you can and find the genie. It’s a team effort with a total of four players. I tell you, pregnancy really changed me. Not only do I not do thrill rides anymore, but while on my carpet ride, I actually started getting sick to my stomach. My vision got a little blurred also. Now I know why they have the warning signs up. I must say, though, the sights were incredible, and of the four of us (two girls perhaps 8 and 12 years old, Alan, and I), the 8-year-old found the genie. When we were done there, I just leaned against a wall for a bit to get my bearings. The nausea went away after about 15 minutes. No more virtual reality for me, at least not the headset type.

We then went to Create Zone and Alan did Sid’s Create-A-Toy, I believe 3 or 4 units. You choose bits and pieces on the video screen (start with a torso, add a head and other parts: elephant ear, butterfly wing, etc.) and make toys similar to Sid’s on Toy Story. You have the option of purchasing your finished toy. Another attraction in the Create Zone that intrigued us was CyberSpace Mountain. You create your own roller coaster, then get in a module (the only way to describe it) and ride your creation. The way some of those modules were moving, you couldn’t pay me enough to get in one.

After that, we decided to just tour the place. We took the stairs from top to bottom because we didn’t want to miss anything. You can also take the Cave of Wonders Slide from the third floor to the first floor (have to be 5’6 or shorter). We played a few arcade games, 2 to 3 units apiece, then went on Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster in Replay Zone.

Now this is really fun. Two people get in a car. The driver drives over balls (ammunition), which allows the car to pick them (the balls) up and they end up inside the car. The passenger then takes a ball, loads the cannon on the passenger side, and shoots it at other cars, aiming for the yellow targets painted on the cars. If you hit a target, that car spins around. The adults really got into this one, myself included.

After that, Alan played a few arcade games, then said he wanted to save his (and my) units for another day, guaranteeing we would return, of course. I said we should just finish them up because we weren’t coming back. "But Mom, we have to get up early tomorrow for Animal Kingdom. Remember? It will take me a long time to use them all up." How did I raise such a clever kid?! Back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Friday, 8/7

In retrospect, yes, Animal Kingdom was worth getting up at 5:30 a.m. Alan was a little bleary-eyed when I got him up, but nonetheless excited. AK, after all, was the main reason we were here. We ate breakfast and saw dawn break on our way to AK. We were at the entrance at about 6:40 with a bunch of people as crazy as we were. We were probably about 25 to 30 people from the front of the line we were in. I had suggested to Alan earlier that we get the "can’t miss four" done (Kilimanjaro Safaris, Tough to be a Bug, Countdown to Extinction, and Festival of the Lion King), then we could explore the park at leisure, and he agreed. When the park opened, probably 90% of the crowd headed for Kilimanjaro Safaris, us included. A handful were actually running, us not included. In fact, I stopped in my tracks at seeing the Tree of Life. Though I may be a little sentimental, my heart is not sitting on my sleeve, but seeing that Tree of Life and thinking about that TV commercial back in April and the opening strains of Circle of Life, my eyes actually watered. It’s just – hmmm – majestic. There’s a good word. I couldn’t wait to explore and analyze it, but the safari (and Alan) beckoned.

I think it took us longer to walk from the Safari entrance to the boarding area than it took to wait in the almost non-existent line to board. Our driver was a lovely African girl. However, there were times that I and, from the looks on their faces, other passengers couldn’t understand her. Oh well, I pretty much got the gist of what she was saying. It was a bumpy ride for authenticity. We saw hippos, a lioness (no males, unfortunately), orangutans (or were they mandrills?), zebras, an elephant, okapi, a warthog, and other exotic animals whose names I don’t remember. A few giraffes actually got up close and personal to the tram. I also enjoyed seeing and learning about the native flora I was unfamiliar with. I would have enjoyed it more if the poacher act was taken out and that time was used to talk more about the animals and flora. I guess they put that in for the kids, although my seven-year-old actually rolled his eyes.

We skipped the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (formerly the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail) and took the back pathway past Asia to get to Dinoland U.S.A. On the way, before reaching Asia, there was a clearing with a picture-perfect view across Discovery River of the Tree of Life. A woman was setting up her family there to take a picture, so I offered to take it so she could be in it, and she did the same for Alan and me. Although there was no line for the Discovery River Boats and a CM was motioning us on, we decided to walk since it was a round trip cruise and we had things to do and see!

I’m going to backtrack a little bit. A day or two earlier, during breakfast at the hotel, my son and I overheard two people talking about Countdown to Extinction, and one told the other it was the scariest ride in all of WDW. I know my son heard it perfectly well since they were talking loud enough for all to hear. Well, now that we were very close to the entrance to Countdown to Extinction, I saw in two different places adults comforting young children who were crying. There were other adults obviously waiting with their young children for members of their groups to finish the ride. I figured any minute now, Alan would change his mind and do an about face, which wouldn’t be a big deal since Ben would be arriving tomorrow and we could swap. Well, Alan just continued on. We entered the anteroom, looked at dinosaur bones, and listened to a short film narrated by Bill Nye. We then entered another anteroom and saw another film explaining the purpose of our journey: to bring back a dinosaur. We then entered the boarding area. The boarding area was also the exit area and a few kids who just completed the ride were very distressed and some were actually crying. I asked Alan if he was sure he wanted to board, and he took my question as fear on my part. He said, "Don’t worry, Mom, it’s supposed to be just like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland," which we both love. My kid, what a trooper. Well, I can see how it can be scary to young children. It gets totally dark, then all species of dinosaur jump out at you. On top of that, it’s very loud. When it was all over, I asked Alan if he found it scary. He said no, but he didn’t like the noise. Sure enough, when we saw our picture on the monitor at the end (a camera takes a photo of your car when the T-Rex rears its ugly head), I looked pretty alarmed and Alan was just casually looking at the dino with his fingers covering his ears! I didn’t buy it, but maybe I should have, it was so funny.

Okay, two down, two to go. We then headed for the Tree of Life to see It’s Tough to be a Bug! (The theater is located at the bottom of the tree, inside it.) We wended our way through a long path to the entrance, and what a path it is! Along the way, you see the "roots" of the Tree of Life and all the animals carved into it. You can also look up and see more clearly the animals carved into the trunk of the tree. Get your video and still cameras ready for this. It’s really a work of art. I used almost a whole roll of film (24 shots) from the entrance to the path to the entrance to the show. You are given 3-D glasses with frames that make you look like a bug. Then once in the "lobby", there are cute movie posters that look like the original movie posters, but with their names changed, like My Fair Ladybug. I wish I can remember them all, they are so clever. The movies whose titles they "insectized" that I remember besides My Fair Lady are West Side Story, Barefoot in the Park, and Annie, but I don’t remember their insectized titles. Oh, I remember another one, The Cockroach Line for A Chorus Line. There were a few more besides. Inside, the seating area is comprised of long benches extending the width of the theater. The screen in front shows a symmetrical design of floor to ceiling rows of butterflies. When the show starts, the lights go off and one of those butterflies on the screen flies out at you. The master of ceremonies (a bug, of course) comes out of a hole in the ceiling and explains the show’s premise. Then various bugs introduce themselves one at a time and do their thing. The stinkbug sends a malodorous spray (I can’t even explain the smell, but it wasn’t intolerable) into the audience. The termite sprays "acid" at the audience. There’s also a good-natured tarantula. Then the "bad" bugs make their presence known. The theater goes dark, but just before that, you see bees flying around and black widow spiders coming from the ceiling. Then when it’s completely black, you hear nothing but buzzing. It’s pretty unsettling. Then just before the lights come back on you get a poke, a "sting", in the back. There were kids screaming and crying, and with good reason, I think. The lights come back on and the show is over shortly after that. Then a voice requests that you stay seated and allow the show bugs to exit first. All of a sudden, you hear screams and you feel light jabs under your rear end like bugs are crawling under you from right to left. I though it was just hilarious. I really loved this show and so did Alan, scary parts and all. I took a look at the bench just before leaving, and there are tiny rubber bumps placed here and there where you sit. I guess what they do at the end is somehow inflate that area underneath the bumps so they puff up, right into your bottom cheeks. Maybe the same theory applies to the "sting". Definitely a can’t misser.

Alan wanted to play at the Boneyard at Countdown to Extinction, so we headed back that way. Right when we got to the entrance, Journey into Jungle Book was about to start and CMs were leading people to Theater in the Wild for the show. I wanted to go, but Alan didn’t and I had promised him his time at the Boneyard, so we stayed at the Boneyard for a while. When he went to the Dig Site, he was disappointed because he thought he could dig in the sand and find dinosaur bones. He didn’t realize it was a skeleton covered with sand. It didn’t hold his interest much, so we headed over to Camp Minnie-Mickey.

We watched a little of "Colors of the Wind, Friends from the Animal Forest" at Grandmother Willow’s Grove. Alan said he didn’t want to watch it again (he had seen it at Disneyland), so we exited and waited in line for the first Festival of the Lion King show to start at Lion King Theater, located adjacent to Grandmother Willow’s Grove. All the walking (believe me, plenty of that) and the heat (that, too) was getting to Alan, so he just leaned on me and drank his water and we fanned ourselves with our hand-held, battery-powered fans. We finally got to enter the theater. The show is done in the middle of the theater and surrounded by four seating areas: warthog, elephant, lion, and I forget the fourth (giraffe?). We sat in the warthog section. Four actors come out, one to lead each section (there is audience participation). The eyes started watering again when I heard the opening notes of Circle of Life and the four actors began to sing. Am I going to cry from now on every time I hear that song? Maybe I’m so sentimental about it because I think the opening sequence in the film is so visually beautiful, with the sunrise, all the animals gathering, then bowing at the sight of Simba, all those great voices singing Circle of Life. Well this show was just as visually (as well as "audiolly") pleasing. The colors were vibrant. Timon was the master of ceremonies. Four grand floats entered, one holding Pumbaa. There was dancing, singing, acrobats, antics. My hands hurt from all the applauding. Believe me, folks, you can’t miss this one. It’s everything it’s cracked up to be. It will have you cheering and put you in the best of moods.

I’ve read a lot of disparaging of this park, but to me, seeing just the four above attractions is worth the $40+ ticket. Heck, just seeing the Lion King show alone is worth it.

Well, after all that, although it was only 10:30 a.m., Alan and I were beat. I had made a PS before leaving home at the Rainforest Café in AK and requested 12:00. It wasn’t available and the best they could do was 11:00. I’m glad it turned out that way because we were ready to take a load off, so off we went for an early lunch. Alan knew he didn’t want the pizza here. In fact, all he wanted was onion rings. Well, RC doesn’t even have onion rings on the menu, although they garnish some of their dishes with thin batter-fried onions. I asked for a plate of those for Alan and Christina happily obliged. (I’m not normally so indulgent with my son in "real life", but we were on vacation and we both deserved to be spoiled. He did well in school and was conducting himself pretty well for a 7-year-old. Mom worked long and hard, too.) Alan said he would just drink water so he could order the kid’s sundae for dessert. He knows I frown on soda and dessert, pick one or the other. I ordered the Calypso Dip (artichoke and salmon dip served with pita bread wedges), which we both found very yummy and inhaled quickly. I also ordered the Volcanic Cobb Salad (lots of different greens, bacon, grilled chicken, chopped hard boiled egg, crumbled bleu cheese, I believe olives, all piled high, then chopped tomato at the very top and running down the side to resemble lava, vinaigrette dressing throughout – delicious, huge, and couldn’t finish it) and a lemonade. Alan had his onion strips and banshee sundae for dessert (vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, crunchy topping). Total cost was $32.75 incl. $5 tip. We then went to the Rainforest shop and bought a few souvenirs.

We left the park around 12:30. The walk back to the car was no picnic in the blistering hot sun. Alan suggested Disney Quest next. I suggested a swim and a nap. Mom won. We went back to the hotel, got into our swimsuits, and made the mistake of lying down for a little while. We both promptly fell asleep, me for about two hours, Alan for four hours. I got to catch up on my reading while he slept. When he finally woke up, we swam for a bit, showered, and went to Disney Quest to use up the rest of our units.

I got two $7 what I call "re-enter" packages and 20 units were added to each card. Alan wanted to play the arcade games that award tickets that can be redeemed for goodies, so we went to The Midway on the Moon area on the 5th floor and he used most of his units there.

He wanted to try the Virtual Jungle Cruise, so we went down to the Explore Zone on the first floor. I assumed (correctly) that I could handle this without stomach upset since I didn’t need to wear a headset. This is where the CM allowed me to swipe my card for the two of us since Alan’s card had less than the 18 units required. We were given paddles w/sensors. We got in the raft while it was deflated and low to the ground, then it was immediately inflated and the cruise started. The raft moved back and forth, up and down depending on the scene. The floor to ceiling screen in front of us showed raging river and waterfall scenes. At certain points, water was splashed on us. You had your choice of routes to take. It really was fun and I didn’t get sick.

Alan used up the rest of my units and his playing redemption games. (I ended up adding $10 worth of units to his card. I forget now how many more units that bought him.) There are ticket counting machines that give you a voucher after all your tickets are counted; better than carrying hundreds of tickets around. Alan really liked the choice of goodies offered and I thought Disney was pretty generous. Where other places require 1000 tickets for a gazoo, here, 50 got you one of those little animals (mainly prehistoric) made of that hard material, painted nicely, about 6" or more high; 100 got you a jar of Disney’s version of slime, a little gun w/a Nerf bullet or bow w/Nerf arrow; 300 got you a decent stuffed animal. There were plenty of choices at all levels. Since 50 was the minimum amount of tickets needed for redemption, Alan was also given quite a few vouchers worth 49 tickets or less by kids and adults who had them left over and were on their way out. Now take a wild guess what he said next. "Mom, I think I’ll wait until I have more tickets before choosing a prize." Mom: "Son, you have plenty. Pick something and let’s go. Look at all the nice choices." "But Mom, you said we have a free day next week, no parks. We can come back then." I knew from the start he’d be a Quest addict.

Well, we were pretty hungry by then, it being late evening, so we headed next door to the snack bar. I ordered a kid’s burger and fries and kid’s drink (so Alan could keep the Disney Quest cup), one of the specials (small salad, small bowl of vegetable soup, a half sandwich stuffed with a huge mound of chicken salad), and a drink, and we split everything. Total cost was $15.64. I really liked the food choices here. Usually, places like these offer hot dogs, pizza, nachos, soda, and Icees. Here, they offer nice healthy salads, wraps, and sandwiches as well as hamburgers, etc. I was a little glad we would be coming back on another day so I could try something at the Cheesecake Factory concession. Too stuffed now, though.

On the way back to the car, I shopped a bit at the All-Star Café store (got a sweatshirt for my baseball-playing nephew) and the Planet Hollywood store, which had a special at the time: buy two t-shirts and get a free cap. There was an extra gift right there. This for me is a better way to shop. Instead of devoting a lot of time to shopping and doing a lot of browsing and trying to find the perfect thing, I just think of who I have to buy for, hit a few places, and make snap decisions. It’s funny, but I find that when I shop this way, people really appreciate what I give them. Better that than looking and looking and finally finding what I think is the perfect thing, then the recipient doesn’t like it. What a waste of time and effort! If someone doesn’t like my "snap decision" gift, no big deal since not a lot of thought went into it!

We headed back to the hotel. Although it was late, we weren’t dead tired since we both had had naps, so Alan watched some TV (the Disney Channel, of course) and I read before going to sleep.

Saturday, 8/8

Ben called from the airport when he arrived at 10:00 a.m., and by the time Alan and I got to MCO to pick him up, he was waiting for us, luggage in hand. Ben is an avid ice skater and a good one. He can do spins and two-revolution jumps. He had been to the Rock and Roll ice skating rink in Orlando before and wanted to go again, so that was his plan, but first, we returned to the hotel so he could rest a bit. I called the rink for information. There was a three-hour session starting at 1:00, so he rested until then. Alan played a few games in the small gameroom in the hotel. We then dropped Ben off at the rink just off International Dr.

Alan was hungry and wanted to eat at the nation’s biggest McDonald’s on International Dr. He saw it as we passed it on the way to the rink, so we had lunch there. Alan had a kid’s meal of his beloved pizza (there’s a pizza parlor and ice cream parlor there, in addition to the usual McDonald’s fare) and I had a hamburger meal. Total cost was $8.15. He played a few arcade games and we left.

We were close to Belz Factory Outlets, so we headed over there and went to the Character Warehouse. There was a rack of t-shirts, white and all size adult large, with just the design I wanted: a symbol of each of the parks with the name of the park directly under it (the castle, the Epcot ball, the MGM water tower, and the Tree of Life); the words Walt Disney World; and pictures of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy; the entire design in bright, vibrant colors. I ended up buying four of these. The regular price of $16 was crossed out (actually, I saw them at the parks for $19) and they were $7.99 each. The price tag said "misprint" on it. I made sure all the words were spelled correctly, which they were. I asked a CM what misprint meant. She said it could mean the design wasn’t exactly in the right place it should be, maybe too high or too low. She gave me a couple more examples. Well, these shirts looked perfectly fine to me. There was a purchase limit of 12 misprint shirts. I found a nice pale pink knit crop top with a Mickey Mouse emblem and the words Walt Disney World Tour, originally $32, priced at $12.99. Although the tag said misprint, again, it looked fine, and believe me, I checked everything twice. I found some nice youth sweatshirts with designs front and back for $10.99, $25 at the parks. Alan was extremely patient the entire time I shopped (once again, snap decisions), so we headed to the toy outlet and I let him pick something for himself. There was also a Planet Hollywood store with a lot of products on display, but I didn’t have time to go in since I had to pick Ben up.

To backtrack a little bit, when we got out of the car to go to the mall, I put my backpack in the trunk so I wouldn’t have to lug it around. Well, it had the umbrellas in it, and when we left the mall, it was pouring. We put the plastic bags with the purchases in them atop our heads and ran for the car. Of course we were soaked head to soggy socks just running that short distance. Traffic was slow-moving because of the rain. We had planned to go to AK for the three hours before closing, but Ben opted for MGM since it was open until 9:00, so we headed over there. I could tell Alan didn’t really want to go because the rain turned him off, but he didn’t say a word.

I found a parking space very close to the entrance. I guess because of the rain and the late hour, about 5:00, the park wasn’t crowded at all. Ben took off his way and Alan and I went ours after we chose a closing time meeting place.

We walked right onto Star Tours, the Star Wars simulator ride.

We then went to Muppet Vision 4D, Alan’s MGM favorite. The anteroom has plenty of monitors showing Muppet antics, then it’s into the theater for more Muppet antics, this time in 3-D. At least this show got Alan a little animated.

From there, we did the Backlot Tour, which had a pre-show with two audience volunteers that showed how water effects are staged. Fans to wind-whip the water were used as well as explosives to get the water sky-high. Then there’s a walk through the prop room, with props used in actual movies and TV shows. Next is the tram ride to various sets used in movies and TV programs as well as more props. I got a little wet at Catastrophe Canyon, where you get up close and personal to an explosion, fire, and a flash flood.

We then caught the last show of Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Musical Adventure, another Disney extravaganza complete with high-caliber singing, dancing, juggling, etc. Although this is a great don’t-miss-it performance, its effect on me isn’t as profound as that of the Lion King.

I checked the program for attractions still open. Alan wasn’t in the mood to see much. Disney Animation? No. ABC One Saturday Morning? No. Not even The Making of ARMAGEDDON? Still no. Not whiny, vehement noes; just tired noes. I knew he didn’t really want to come to the park in the first place. I also knew now wasn’t the time to ask if he wanted to go on Twilight Zone Tower of Terror just to see the theming, then we would take the chicken exit, but I did anyway. He just shook his head no. At that point, I just searched for an empty bench, and when I found one, sat us both down, leaned him against me, and just let him doze. I hugged him tight, stroking his face and taking in that wonderful little-boy smell. He slept soundly with a smile on his face, tucked into my arms. Of the many wonderful moments I experienced this vacation, that’s my favorite one, the one I remember with the most clarity and I’m sure will never forget. I didn’t have a book with me, so I just people watched until Alan woke up. I was perfectly content doing that, too.

I guess that nap was all Alan needed because he woke up refreshed. I bought him a Mickey ice cream bar ($2) and we resumed our walk, which is pretty much all we both wanted to do. I took pictures of him and he of me at various locales. I didn’t bother fussing over him. So the pictures will show him with ice cream on his face and shirt. So what. The smile will say it all.

We found ourselves a decent spot on Hollywood Blvd. to watch the Sorcery in the Sky fireworks. I got Alan his usual flashlight with the different colors that becomes sword-shaped with a quick flick of the wrist ($5). When the lights went off, the flashlight came on and we watched the fireworks. I just love the Fantasia sequence at the end. Alan didn’t take his eyes away from the sky once until it was over. We then met Ben, made the short walk to the car, and headed out. Traffic wasn’t so bad considering it was Saturday night. I stopped at Walgreen’s to pick up some more bottles of water and Ben needed a few things, too. They sold 8-packs of 8-oz. bottles of water for $2.50 per 8-pack, which are the perfect size (8 oz.) because you just down the whole bottle and throw it away.

We went back to the hotel and I gave Ben one of the "four park" shirts I bought today. He loved it and left it out to wear the next day. Ben was really beat from the red-eye flight, skating, and our trip to MGM. He immediately fell into a deep and sound sleep. After tucking Alan in, I went to the lobby and had some fresh fruit and a cup of decaf. I then did as much packing as I could. Tomorrow, we would be moving to Boardwalk Villas. Although I had enjoyed my stay at this hotel and we had already been to a few Disney parks, I felt like my Disney vacation would be starting in earnest tomorrow with the move onsite. I think we all went to sleep with smiles on our faces that night.

Sunday, 8/9

We all awakened about the same time, unusually giddy. I wonder why?! We had our last breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and headed for Publix. We bought breakfast items (eggs, bacon, toaster hash browns, bread, butter, milk, cereal, fruit, juice), sandwich fixins (cold cuts, cheese), prepackaged salad mix, pop, and munchies. I had some tea bags from the hotel. As much as I would enjoy having a fully-equipped kitchen, I was on vacation. I didn’t plan on doing any serious cooking! I also bought a small box of laundry soap and small bottle of pre-wash stain remover. Alan loves feeding his white t-shirts! What I forgot (conveniently, perhaps?) was dishwashing liquid.

We drove on to BWV, and at the guard gate, were greeted by the CM with a hearty "Good morning." We told him we were checking in. I just love when they say, "Welcome home." My heart skipped a beat. Geez, Grace, please don’t get all maudlin and teary-eyed again! Up to the turnaround and entrance to the lobby. A CM opened our doors with a smile and treated us like royalty. I popped open the trunk and he unloaded everything. I told him which grocery bags needed to be refrigerated. He gave me a valet ticket for the car, then asked how many bags we had. I said, "I’m on vacation. No hard questions, please." He laughed, said, "I’ll just put 15+", which with the grocery bags was a good possibility, then gave me the baggage ticket. We gave him $10 and entered the Boardwalk Inn and Villas lobby. It was spacious, beautifully decorated, and cool. There’s a shaded veranda with rocking chairs facing Crescent Lake. That looked very inviting.

Ben checked in. The room wasn’t ready yet, but the CM gave us an information packet and a card with a number to call around 4:00 to check if the room was ready. The one thing he forgot to give us was a parking permit for the car, so I gather he just never asked Ben if we had a car and Ben forgot to tell him. Every time I passed by the lobby on subsequent days and thought to ask for one, there would be a line of people, so I never bothered. I always had my resort ID at the ready, but it sure would have been much easier having that piece of paper on the dashboard. (In the evenings, valet parking at BWV is $6 for non-Disney resort guests. I was asked just once when arriving by car by one of the valet guys if I was a guest. I said yes, and when I opened my purse to show my ID, he said, "That’s okay." He never did see my ID. That was the one and only time. They must have good memories, because I wasn’t asked again after that.)

Alan and I had visited the Boardwalk last year, but this was Ben’s first time to see it since his last trip to WDW was in 3/95, so we wandered around and I took pictures of him here and there before we headed for Epcot. Now I love to walk – it’s one of my main forms of exercise -- but I sure wish the walk to the International Gateway was somehow shaded more. I had to allow Alan a couple games at the ESPN arcade just so I could stand in there and absorb as much a/c as I could before heading out. It was the hottest time of the day and that was one killer walk after leaving the shade of the Boardwalk.

Once at Epcot, Ben headed for the countries and Alan and I headed for Future World – excuse me, Innoventions Plaza. We would meet again at BWV at 4:00. We kept to the shady areas the best we could (I went through two bottles of water), and when we arrived at the jumping water spouts between World Showcase and Innoventions , I joined Alan and we got ourselves drenched.

From there, we headed over to one of our favorite pavilions, Wonders of Life. There was no wait at Body Wars, a simulator ride that takes you through the human body. I’ve heard about the nausea this ride causes, but this time as well as previous times I rode it, I was fine. Alan loves doing all those sensory/optical illusion attractions. He then rode the healthcycle with the screen and got a kick out of speeding up and practically running everyone down at Disneyland. (Believe me, he’s not the monster I’m making him out to be!) We were both a little hungry, so we had a little something at Pure & Simple. We didn’t want to fill up too much because we had a PS at the Cape May Clambake later on, so I ordered one kid’s hot dog meal (came w/baked chips and a drink) and a vegetable soup and we split everything, total of $6.41.

We then went next door to Horizons. Although many think this possible look into the future is dated, I enjoy it. Alan especially likes the "pick your scene" at the end (underwater, desert, or space). This time, we chose the desert.

From there we went to Universe of Energy for Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Give me a comedian (or -enne), give Alan dinosaurs and Bill Nye, give us both an air-conditioned venue, and we’re happy campers!

No trip to Epcot is complete without going on Spaceship Earth, which we did next, no waiting.

Then it was Innoventions time: computer games on the east side, video games on the west. I just planted myself on a bench for the long haul, knowing we’d be here until it was time to go. I thankfully remembered to put a book in my backpack.

When time was up, we headed for the Ice Cool Station. Now that’s a nice place to visit frequently during the summer. Coca-Cola set it up. You enter and walk through a nice cool pathway, then enter a room with Coke merchandise for sale. There are drink dispensers set up and small disposable cups. The dispensers hold sodas from various countries (probably most of the Epcot countries) and you can sample them all you want, free (well, there is park admission, of course). Beware, the Italy beverage is bitter. Yeah, I know it says so right there on the description label, but some people take it lightly. It is BITTER. Mexico was good (apple soda) and my favorite was the China-Japan mix. They were both melon -flavored, but different melons, and together, it was the best, in my opinion. I didn’t sample them all because I liked the China-Japan concoction so much, I stuck with that and didn’t want to get too full trying the others. We drank just enough to cut the thirst, then walked back to BWV.

We had a great villa (1 BR preferred view), third floor (lobby was on second floor, gym and exit to Luna Park pool on first floor), not too far from the one bank of elevators (a little jaunt, but I’m not complaining – those hallways stretched for miles, it seemed). There was one wide balcony for both living room and bedroom. The balcony had chairs and a small table and overlooked the Luna Park pool. We also had a great view of the Boardwalk, Crescent Lake, and the Epcot resorts in that area. The villa had ceiling fans in the living room and bedroom; a two-area bathroom (one area had toilet, wide and deep sink, and walk-in shower w/shower massage, ample shelf space to put bottles and cosmetics, spacious; the other area had whirlpool bath, vanity, walk-in closet w/keyed safe, also spacious) with plenty of towels; stacked washer/dryer; small, but fully-equipped kitchen [automatic dishwasher (only one packet of powder was provided and the ½ bottle of Palmolive dishwashing liquid was probably left over from the last tenant), big split sink with garbage disposal, oven, four-burner electric stove, microwave, regular-size (not mini) refrigerator/freezer, coffeemaker (no coffee provided), dishes, utensils, pots and pans, and breakfast bar with chairs]; closet behind entrance door (for storage and which also contained a portable crib, vacuum cleaner, iron, and ironing board); huge armoires in both LR and BR that housed TV (with cable and remote), VCR (in LR), and drawers for storage; and a sofabed, comfortable overstuffed chairs, a small dining table with chairs, and homey prints on the wall in the LR. This was Ben’s villa so he got the BR, which was spacious and had a king-size bed. Alan and I got the LR. Also, a newspaper was at the door each morning.

Now take a good tip from Grace here. The few sofabeds I’ve used in my lifetime have been very uncomfortable. With modern technology, you would think someone could come up with a decent one by now. My little secret: open up sofabed, take the mattress off, stand it up, close up the sofabed, place mattress on floor. Okay, okay, you can stop calling me a genius.

Well, we had a little time before our PS, just enough time to do laundry (two loads), unpack, and for Alan to take a short nap. Once I got the clothes in the dryer, it was time to walk over to the Beach Club.

We were all ravenous by the time we were seated, and what better place to be when you’re ravenous than the Cape May Clambake?! Ben and I loaded up on peel-and-eat shrimp, clams, mussels, and a few oysters. They set out little pots to haul all your seafood in. We ate those with our salads from the huge salad bar. The clam chowder was good, too. Alan ate shrimp and salad. Next came a plate of mini hot dogs, bread, mac & cheese, and a little adult food for Alan. Ben and I pretty much sampled everything. There was fish, braised sirloin tips, potatoes, steamed mixed vegetables – I can’t even remember everything. All I know is there was an abundance of everything and everything was good. I had a pina colada and Ben had a virgin strawberry daiquiri. Alan enjoyed the array of desserts to choose from. I think I had a square of cheesecake and a little carrot cake since I ate so much dinner. Alan almost finished a whole slice of chocolate decadence cake. That cake is so rich and so dense. I like chocolate, but not that much.

Now someone has to educate me here on buffet tipping. I’m not a cheap person, but if you’re getting your own food at the buffet line, technically NOT being served by someone else, do you still have to tip 15 to 20%? I hope we didn’t tick anyone off, but we only tipped $7 on a bill of $62.17. The value of the drinks we were served was about $10 and of course used plates were taken off our table. Well, if someone has this etiquette info., please let me know, and if protocol still calls for 15 to 20%, then our apologies to Durland, who was a good server.

Ben took off for Epcot (his favorite park) after dinner. He planned to stay for Illuminations. Alan was "parked out", but I talked him into going to Honey, I Shrunk the Audience with me. Those mice never fail to get a scream out of me. As many times as I’ve seen HISTA, you’d think I’d be a pro by now, but them mice get me every time. I think it’s because just when I think it’s over, I get one last "brush".

I asked Alan if he wouldn’t mind staying at the park. He said, "But Mom, you promised, just this one show," which I had, so we headed for the Boardwalk. We had rented a pontoon boat last year to see Illuminations 25, and it’s my understanding that’s the version still being used, so I didn’t feel too bad about missing Illuminations. Besides, it started raining again, albeit a light rain. Just when we got to the dock and covered waiting area at the IG (we decided to take the boat back just for the fun of it, even though we were so close to BWV), it started pouring. What perfect timing. Well, maybe not. Now Alan wanted to WALK. Oh well, fine with me. I had our umbrellas with me, so we popped them open and walked back to BWV. At least it wasn’t scorching hot and the walk did us both good after that huge meal.

Back at the room, I took the clothes out of the dryer, folded them, and put them away. Yeah, I know I was on vacation, but I had to fold them so I wouldn’t have to iron them!

The rain was still coming down. It was kind of a downer for Alan. He equates rain with being indoors. I would have preferred to stay at Epcot, but I know he was tired. He watched a little Disney channel, then went to bed. I followed soon after after reading for a bit.

Monday, 8/10

We didn’t plan any early entry days. Our goal this trip was not to make the parks, but our enjoyment the main focus. I’m sure a lot of that had to do with the fact this was our third time here in three years. I asked Alan what he wanted to do, and since River Country was the only water park he hadn’t been to in WDW, we went there. I asked if he wouldn’t mind combining it with a visit to another park later in the day, like AK, and that was fine with him, at least at that moment. Ben had his own agenda and took off for parts unknown. Alan and I ate our cereal, got the car from valet, and headed for the Wilderness area. We parked the car at the lot, caught the bus that deposited us near the stables, and walked the short path to RC.

I bought a pass for Alan ($11.53 MKC) and entered with my all-in-one. Well, RC was certainly much smaller than Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, but then it was the only water park where characters showed up and Goofy even cavorted with the kids in the spray pond. Alan still hadn’t mastered his swimming skills and most of the slides ended in deep water, so he pretty much avoided them and we stuck to the pool and parts of the lake, although I found the lake uncomfortably warm. We went on the tube ride down the slide just once, which ends in 6’ of water. That freaked him out a little, though I assured him the tube would most likely not tip over, and that if we went on it again, like the last time, I would go first so I’d be at the bottom for him. No, once was enough for him.

There was a tamer slide that he did go on that ended in water shallow enough for his comfort. All of a sudden, I hear through a bullhorn, "Will the boy who just went down the slide and his parent please come here." The CM then held up a pole to Alan and said he was too big for this slide. I hadn’t noticed the sign indicating the height restriction. So what it came down to for Alan was it was either the pool or the rope swing contraption that you grabbed and swung on and it dropped you in the lake; not as many choices as BB or TL, that’s for sure.

We stayed mostly in the pool. A few times I left Alan in the shallow water while I went down Slippery Slide Falls. There’s about an 8’ to 10’drop from the bottom of the slide to the water, then you land in about 10’ of water, so that was definitely out for Alan. It was fun for me, though. I’m glad I had a one-piece suit on. After that, we stayed mostly in the pool, where I tried to teach Alan how to swim and tread water.

We then broke for lunch. I ordered a hot dog w/cole slaw and a drink. Alan had a hot dog kid’s meal (came with a drink and chips in a plastic pail w/shovel attached ) and a dill pickle, another of his favorite foods. (No more hot dogs for the rest of the year!) After lunch, we went in the lake and Alan played on the contraptions he could handle. We then spent a little more time in the pool, and then I reminded Alan that since we were going to AK, we should leave so we could shower and change. He didn’t like the idea much, but he went along with it. I guess that’s why I miss the old 5-day world hopper passes so much. They included seven full days at the minor parks. Since I entered RC today with my all-in-one hopper, it would have been a waste if I didn’t use it again today at one of the major parks.

We took the bus back to the car, drove back to BWV, and took our showers. Alan asked why we couldn’t just shower at River Country to save time. I had to explain to him I was one of those obsessive parents who doesn’t want her child straying too far from her, and since he refused to enter the women’s locker room, I certainly couldn’t enter the men’s. Ben was in the room resting. He got up when we were ready to go and came with us to AK.

He was just as awestruck as I was at seeing the Tree of Life. We were on our way to the safari when I checked the schedule and saw that the last Lion King show would soon be starting. There was no way Ben was going to miss it the way I carried on about it. Alan didn’t want to sit through it again (Are you my son?!), so Ben took off for Camp Minnie-Mickey and Alan and I headed for the safari. This time, we saw pretty much the same animals we saw last time, plus a few more whose exotic names I don’t remember.

At the end of the ride, we decided to take the Pangani Trail this time, and I’m glad we did. There were plenty of picture opportunities. We saw a mother gorilla and her baby, and when we passed the huge picture window area, we saw a defiant boss-man gorilla who just sat there quietly smirking at all of us. We also saw a hippo swimming underwater. What a sight to behold.

We had a Mickey ice cream bar break after that ($2 each). You’d think seeing the hippo would deter me!

We couldn’t wait to get back to Tough to be a Bug. We just loved the whole experience, from the walk down the tree root path (Did I get that carving? How about that one? Here goes another roll of film.) to the lobby with its posters to the show itself, even including the "sting" and rush of "bugs" at the end.

Alan didn’t want to do Countdown to Extinction again. He was a little tuckered out from the long day and didn’t feel like going on the boats or seeing what shows were available either. We wouldn’t be meeting Ben until closing, so we browsed in some shops and I found a nice AK t-shirt for Alan ($14). Something just made me buy it right then and there, and I’m glad I did because I didn’t see it at the World of Disney store later in the week (where I could get a discount). I also found a polo type shirt with the AK logo on the breast pocket for Ben, originally $32 and now $14.99.

Alan asked if we could just go to the entrance and sit and wait for Ben. I said that was perfectly fine with me. I got him the bottle of Sprite he asked for ($2) and off we went. We found a vacant bench and played word and spelling games until we saw Ben. Ben assured me he had done the "can’t miss four" and wholeheartedly agreed with me that the Lion King was spectacular.

We drove back to BWV. Alan fell asleep at the table after eating a light supper. I tucked him in and then relaxed on the balcony. I was enjoying the pace of this vacation: no early entry (although we have experienced early entry and I do recommend it if you’re so inclined), no rush rush, got to get here next, see this, see that. Now I wished I bought some wine to have with my cheese and fruit while sitting on the balcony with my book. Ice cold water would have to do. I slept well that night. I might mention that although there’s noise from the boardwalk at night as well as late swimmers, it never bothered me, and I’m a light sleeper!

Tuesday, 8/11

Since we were going to Magic Kingdom today, we decided to take the bus instead of drive. After bacon and eggs in the room, we stopped at Guest Services on the way out to pick up our E-Ride cards for tonight, $29.68 for the three of us. We walked down to the bus stop and waited no more than a few minutes when the bus arrived. We got to MK a little past opening (9:00). Ben took off after we agreed to meet at Chef Mickey’s a little before our PS time of 7:00 that evening.

Alan wanted to go to Fantasyland, so we headed in that direction. We rode Dumbo, Snow White, Peter Pan, and Small World in quick succession.

We then went to the Haunted Mansion, one of my favorite attractions. There’s just so much stuff to see here, you have to keep your eyes open so you don’t miss anything. Alan took it all in, too, with a minimum of discomfort. He just closed his eyes when he knew we were near the mirrors that would show a "ghost" sitting between us.

Alan then wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The line was long at that point. I asked a CM if BTMR was one of the nine E-ride night rides, and when he told us it was, that made Alan very happy. He would wait until tonight.

We then did Pirates of the Caribbean and the Tiki Room under the new management of Zazu and Iago. I’m glad it still hasn’t lost its charm, though I never cared for Iago’s obnoxious voice.

The line for the Jungle Cruise was very long, so we skipped that and headed for Mickey’s Toontown Fair via Fantasyland. As you can see, we had no set plan; our destinations were spur-of-the-moment. The line for Barnstormer (kid’s roller coaster – one of the few we can handle) was about 30 minutes, but we stuck it out and went on it.

We then headed for the Tomorrowland Speedway, which also had about a 30 minute line, but Alan wanted to drive, so we stuck that out, too. Hand-held fans are a real godsend in those lines. I could adjust my neck strap so the unit rested on my chest and the fan at the top end (pointing upward) would cool my neck. What a relief! The 8-oz. bottles of water I had left in the freezer overnight (brought a few in my backpack) kept us well hydrated and kept hunger at bay, too.

We had had our fill of MK at that point, so we headed for the bus stop (must’ve been around 1:00 p.m. or a little after). We waited about 15 minutes, then the bus came. When I got to my seat, I noticed Alan had taken a seat further up front. I motioned for him to sit with me, but he wanted to stay put. Poor guy was so hot and tired, he immediately dozed off. The first stop was either the Yacht or Beach Club and the opening of the door woke Alan up and he immediately got up and headed for the exit. I could tell he was pretty disoriented, he didn’t even bother to look for me; just started to walk off the bus. I had to yell for him to come back. Once seated next to me, he immediately fell asleep again. Then when we got off at the Boardwalk, we had to walk up a short hill, into the lobby, and to the elevator. By the time we got to the room, he was wide awake again, but I ordered him to lie down and rest since we would be out late tonight. I set the alarm for 5:45 p.m. and we both had a nice, long nap.

After showering, we drove to the Contemporary for our 7:00 dinner PS at Chef Mickey’s. We met Ben at the entrance. There was a line of people and we got in at about 7:15. Pluto (Alan’s favorite) was the official greeter. We had some time with him while waiting for our table. I said to Pluto, "Don’t tell the others, but you’re his (Alan’s) favorite," and Pluto acknowledged that with plenty of hugs and time spent with Alan. He also drew his paw print in Alan’s autograph book. I made sure I got lots of pictures. We were then seated at a great table right next to the buffet line.

Drinks included in the buffet were sodas, lemonade, milk, coffee, and tea, but I felt like having a pina colada, which I did. We then ate, and boy, did we. There was a full salad bar with plenty of fixins; the usual kids’ buffet of mini hot dogs, chicken fingers, and mac & cheese; and the adult buffet with prime rib, turkey, parmesan mashed potatoes, a chicken pesto dish, steamed vegetables – I know there were more dishes. The food was plentiful and good. As usual, I didn’t have much room left for dessert, so I sampled a little of this, little of that. I like the way they put individual portion desserts on little wax doilies for those who don’t want a whole slice of cake. I had to sample a little cream puff, which, with real whipped cream, was yummy. For the kids, there was soft-serve ice-cream with canisters full of various toppings: cookie crumbs, all types of candy, etc. There was also a table where they could frost their own cupcakes. Goofy stood by this table and was available for autographs and pictures.

The characters came to the tables throughout the meal. No need to chase after them, they came to you. There were Chip, Dale, Minnie, and Mickey, and they spent time with each person when they got to your table. Now and then, the music would play and the characters would dance and have everyone twirling their napkins. What a perfect way to begin our evening at MK, including E-ride night. Total cost for the meal for the three of us was $64.62 incl. $7 tip.

We took the monorail to MK. First thing we did upon arrival was exchange our E-ride cards for bracelets. We then stood on the stairs of City Hall and watched Spectromagic, Disney’s light spectacular parade. After that, we casually browsed the shops of Main Street to avoid the crowd that leaves after the parade. We then found some curb space to sit on and wait for the fireworks. At precisely 10:00 p.m., Tinkerbell came down from the castle and the fireworks started. The show, as always, was a wonderful treat. When the show was over, we hopped to Tomorrowland to avoid the mad rush of people leaving the park.

E-ride night had begun, and until 1:00 a.m., the following nine attractions would be open only to resort guests with multi-day or length of stay passes who paid the extra $10 adult/$8 child admission: Alien Encounter, Astro Orbiter, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Country Bear Jamboree, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Timekeeper. A few snack bars and stores would be open. All other stores, snack bars, restaurants, attractions, and "lands" would be closed. (Note: The E-ride night admission fee is in addition to your park entrance admission.)

It was my first time to see Tomorrowland practically deserted, even more so than on early entry days (which actually can be pretty crowded). Alan didn’t want to go on Alien Encounter, so he and Ben went to Timekeeper while I went on AE with a handful of others. Two young kids (about 10 to 12 years old) without bracelets were turned away. I guess they’re really strict about that. Once inside, there are three parts: a short show on a monitor, then sort of a pre-show, and then you enter a third area where you are strapped to your seat with a shoulder harness. Once it’s locked, you can’t get out. There is another short show on the monitors, then you are plunged into total darkness with the impression (through audio and other effects, like warm "breath" blown on you) that a carnivorous alien is roaming around the room ready to eat you. It can be very disconcerting, especially for little kids. Proceed with caution, parents!

When that was over, I waited outside of Timekeeper (directly across from AE) for Ben and Alan, and when they came out, we split up and Alan and I went to Big Thunder Mountain. I was hoping we would be able to repeat this ride again and again without getting back in line, as I had read many times on message boards was possible, but that wasn’t the case. The line was longer than I had expected and I overheard a CM tell someone that E-ride night had actually sold out that night, which I understand never happens. It moved fast, though, and we enjoyed the ride. The theming at night is beautifully done.

From there, we went to the Country Bear Jamboree (no line), then onto Pirates (short line). Alan didn’t want to enter the Haunted Mansion at night, so we headed back to Tomorrowland, but on the way, we stopped around the castle area to take pictures. There was one deserted "photo spot" where Alan and I took pictures of each other with the castle in the background, lit up in a beautiful shade of blue. It was nice to be able to take pictures at so many empty picture spots that are usually packed with people during the day.

We then went back to Tomorrowland so I could see Timekeeper, a Circlevision show with scenes of the past and present and visions of the future, all narrated by Robin Williams, who mans the "time machine". The next show wouldn’t be for another ten minutes, so we sat inside the cool lobby. I thought we’d be able to cool off at night, but no, it was hot and humid and I had my fan going full force, so the lobby was a nice respite.

After the show, we got in line for Astro Orbiter. This line moves very slowly since the ride is similar to the Dumbo ride except it’s spaceships going round and round which can also be driven up and down. You take an elevator to get to the ride, so you have a nice bird’s-eye view of the park while on the ride. It was a nice wait, though, because Chip, Dale, and Goofy went down the line greeting all the kids, but a long wait nonetheless.

Alan had had enough attractions, so we just walked around the park (the areas we could, that is), took more pictures, and browsed the open shops until closing. We then met Ben at the entrance, took the monorail back to Contemporary, got the car, and drove back to BWV. The two guys went right to bed. Because of my afternoon nap, I wasn’t too exhausted. We had a free (no parks) day the next day, so I read on the balcony for a bit before bedtime.

I should mention I was surprised I wasn’t bit at all by mosquitoes the entire vacation. Last year at the treehouse, we all had our share of bites, but this year, none, even though we left the balcony door open. I would still bring insect repellent in the summer, though, just in case.

Wednesday, 8/12

Alan and I slept until we could sleep no more. Ben took off to do his thing and Alan and I had a big breakfast in front of the TV.

We then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at Luna Park. I never saw the two other quiet pools, so I don’t know what they’re like (quiet, I guess), but the pool at Luna Park is huge. Its depths range from 3½’ to a little under 5’. There is a water slide that looks like a roller coaster called Keister Coaster, which is very kid friendly since it drops you into 3½’ of water, but nonetheless fun. Older kids and adults enjoy it, too. It’s also pretty tame. You just sit in it (no tubes or mats) and it swiftly brings you down and out of a clown’s mouth into the water. The pool water is warm. There are two Dumbo showers (water comes out of the trunk): one outside the pool that you stand under and one that showers cool water onto the surface of the pool. It’s a nice way to cool off if the pool water gets too warm for you. It was a hot, sunny day, so in the pool we basically stayed except when using Keister Coaster.

What looks like a carousel is actually the snack bar. Alan had a snack of nachos (a bag of tortilla chips and a cup of warm cheese sauce, "mmm, these are good, Mom") and chocolate milk, $3.82. They also sell cocktails, but alcohol and the hot sun don’t mix for me. I brought down a couple frozen bottles of water that morning, which were enough for me after our big breakfast.

We returned to the room about mid-afternoon, showered, and then headed for Downtown Disney. The deal was I got to get my shopping done, then we would go to Disney Quest. We parked on the West Side and had a late lunch at Bongos Cuban Café. I had some chicken vegetable soup and a thin-sliced beef, tomato, and lettuce sandwich with plantain chips (delicious) and a virgin pina colada. Alan had a kid’s hamburger and french fries and a drink. Total cost was $29.56 incl. $4 tip. This looks like a fun place to visit for dinner. There was a set-up on stage for what looked like a salsa band, so apparently, you get live music with your dinner.

From there, we went to Downtown Disney. The shuttles weren’t running yet, so we hoofed it over there. It’s quite a walk in the hot sun and Alan handled it well, so I thought we deserved a reward (an ice cream treat, say), so after browsing through the Lego store and buying a few small gifts, we went to Ghirardelli. I ordered a cookies and cream shake and a one scoop sundae with toasted almond ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and chopped toasted almonds on top. I asked for a few more chopped almonds on top and the gal happily obliged. Did I tell you I like almonds? Total cost was about $8 (had to give my receipt to claim my goodies). They had cups and pitchers of ice water out, so I just brought one of the pitchers and two cups to our table and we alternately ate sundae and drank milkshake and water. I like breaks like that.

Since I couldn’t find everything I needed at the Character Warehouse at Belz, I went to World of Disney and got the rest of my shopping done there (10% discount with MKC or American Express card). There are a dozen rooms in this place (adult apparel, jewelry, youth dept., housewares, etc., etc.). I spent a good two hours in there doing my "impulse" buying. If you don’t see what you want, ASK. I liked the design on a shirt, but not the color. There was no other color on the floor, so the CM called "upstairs" by radio and "upstairs" told her what colors and sizes were available. I ended up getting the shirt I wanted in the color and size I wanted. Thanks, Pam. Alan was eyeing a big stuffed Mickey Mouse doll. I asked if he liked it, and my wonderful 7-year-old said, "Yes, but it’s $32! That’s real expensive, Mom. I’ll get a smaller one." I said, "Alan, you’ve been such a good trooper and you’re such a great kid, I think you’ve earned it." Like I said, I’m only indulgent on vacation. And to further justify my purchase, do you know that whole two hours, he never complained once?! Yeah, he knew he was going to Disney Quest, but still, a 7-year-old not complaining once in two hours while Mom shops is a pretty big feat!

Well, the shuttles were running by the time we left World of Disney, but Alan was in no mood for bus schedules. He took my hand and we literally ran back to the West Side. After putting my big, bulging bags of purchases in the trunk of the car, Alan grabbed my hand and we ran once again to Disney Quest. This time, in place of the 100-units-a-day-for-3-days package, I noticed a different multi-day package that four people could share for about $60+. Sorry I didn’t get the details since I knew we wouldn’t be getting it. I purchased two $20 packages (90 units each) and we entered.

We both went on Buzz Lightyear and the Virtual Jungle Cruise, then Alan did Mighty Ducks while I played a few games. Alan then used the rest of our units for video, pinball, and redemption games. He did especially well at the firemen game (aim your water cannon and blast water at the backlit windows ). You play against others or with the computer if you’re alone. He won almost every time. There was one game with a spinner. You press the button to make it stop on a number, which is the ticket value. Alan hit the jackpot, 200 tickets. One ticket spit out. I told the CM at the prize counter, and he said, "Well that sure sucks," and immediately gave me a voucher for 200 tickets. I said, "I’m sure there’s a way to verify that he really did hit the jackpot." He said, "That’s okay, I believe you." How could he not with Alan frantically nodding his head while I explained what happened.

By the end of the evening (read no more units), Alan’s take along with the ticket vouchers from his last visit was about 1200+ tickets, so now it was his turn to go shopping. Like I said, Disney is pretty generous with their prizes. Even just 50 tickets will get you a little decent something. After choosing all his goodies, the CM put them all in a big purple Disney Quest bag. I told Alan to give his voucher worth about 40 tickets to a kid who wasn’t holding too many, which he did.

I was still full of lunch and Ghirardelli, but I had to get a little treat from the Cheesecake Factory, so I got a tiramisu to go (sponge cake, marscapone cheese, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, a little espresso flavor, a jillion calories), either $2.75 or $3.75. I sampled about a teaspoon of it – okay, a few teaspoons, then left the rest for Ben. We then left Disney Quest and I took a look-see in the House of Blues store. Back to the car, back to BWV, into bed and Z-land.

Thursday, 8/13

The three of us had initially planned to do early entry at MK today, but we were all still fast asleep at the time we would have had to leave to catch the bus, so scratch that. Ben took off and Alan and I lounged around, watching TV. We weren’t very hungry, so we just had toast and juice for breakfast. We left about 10:30 a.m. and headed for Epcot, planning to see the countries and go to Typhoon Lagoon later in the day. Once again, Alan played a game or two at ESPN on the Boardwalk while I tried to absorb some a/c for the walk to International Gateway.

Once inside Epcot, we sat on a bench in the shade near the bridge to World Showcase, waiting for it to open. It was scorching hot and we each drank a bottle of water. The CM manning the rope had a special relationship with one of the squirrels there. The squirrel would eat a treat directly from the CM’s hand.

Once the rope came down, we headed for France. The film wouldn’t start until 11:30, so we took a look-see in the shops, then returned to the theater lobby, which was dark and cool. I never get tired of the Impressions de France film. I just love the scenery and the music.

We swiftly moved through Morocco and Japan, taking pictures where appropriate, and then saw the Voices of Liberty and the American Adventure show. I thought it would be a good, visually entertaining history lesson for Alan with its special effects and audio animatronics, but he fell asleep.

We then picked up a mocha granita (frozen mocha), $3, at Italy, which we quickly inhaled. (We love those things.) From there, we took pictures of the little village with the trains in Germany, took some more pictures at China, but bypassed the film, and went on Maelstrom (very short line) at Norway.

We then entered the pyramid at Mexico and went on El Rio del Tiempo (no line). Mariachi Cobre were playing mariachi music beautifully, alternately melancholy and upbeat. After the ride, we walked through the plaza area a bit. I took a picture of Alan waving a Mexican flag, which we will send to his abuelitos (grandparents) in Mexico. There are also some nice murals in the lobby that made nice backgrounds for pictures of Alan.

We missed much of the WS entertainment (Pu Yang Arobats in China, Houzali Troupe in Morocco, Living Statues in France, etc.) because our timing was off. When they were performing in their respective countries, we weren’t there.

We then walked over to Centorium (a store) at Innoventions East, where characters appear throughout the day, and got more pictures with Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie, then headed for the water spouts so Alan could get drenched. From there, I walked and Alan sloshed to Horizons, where the ride came to a stop in the middle of it for about five minutes. At the end, we chose the space scene.

When Alan suggested we go to Innoventions for "a little while", I should have insisted we leave then for TL because that little while ended up being the rest of the afternoon. Since he accompanied me to the countries, I let him have five tokens ($5) to play the fishing game and the race car game at Innoventions West. He came in 3rd out of 4 in the race car game; not bad considering that all the others were bigger than him. After that, I just found a bench and read while he did his thing (Sega). I’d tap him on the shoulder every so often and point to my watch and he would respond, "Okay, okay, a few more minutes." Once, I asked, "Aren’t we going to Typhoon Lagoon?" to which he responded, "No, we don’t have to go." What?! I was looking forward to being thrown around by the big wave. Also, the beach party was still going on. We had enjoyed that so much last year. Maybe next time, we’ll just avoid Innoventions altogether (fat chance).

Well, it was hunger that finally made him stop after 4:00, and with good reason. The only things we had consumed that day were toast, juice, the mocha granita, and water. I was starving, too. I asked Alan what he was in the mood for, and he said, "Why don’t we go to that fun place you were telling me about." So we walked over to the WorldKey screens and I made a PS at the Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge. I thought about taking WDW transportation since we were close to the monorail station, but with all the transferring we’d have to do (including the trip back), I decided to go back to BWV for the car.

We stopped again at the Ice Cool Station for some Japan/China mix, then walked back to BWV, on the way hearing The British Invasion playing Beatles songs and sounding just like them. I also picked up two cones of my favorite cinnamon almonds ($5), but didn’t open them since I knew I wouldn’t stop once I started and we had a major meal (and I mean MAJOR) ahead of us.

By the time we got back to BWV, we had just enough time to get the car and go to WL, but we were both so hot and sweaty that I postponed the PS so we could take cold showers. That was much better. We then drove to WL.

This was my first visit to the Wilderness Lodge, and what a beautiful place it is. We didn’t really explore much. We needed food badly so we headed directly for the restaurant, located in the lobby. The antics started as soon as we were seated. One CM came and traded his cap with Alan’s and just walked away. He eventually got it back later.

Our server was Dusty Trails. He would constantly gossip about us to the people at his other tables and gossip about them to us. He told the table next to ours that I was buying their dessert.

Dusty took our drink order. Alan wanted a milkshake. It’s $3.50 for one, $3.95 for unlimited. Hello! Yes, he’ll have the unlimited. I ordered a Coke. Dusty brought it to me in a 1-liter carafe with a straw in it. I eventually (about five minutes later) got a mug from a kind CM.

Now about the food. It was smart of us to arrive with near-empty stomachs. Also, if you’re a vegetarian, don’t bother coming here – well, scratch that. There is a vegetarian dish you could order on the a la carte menu, but this place is strictly for carnivores. We opted for the all-you-can-eat barbecue. It started with a platter containing cole slaw, a broccoli salad, and marinated vegetables, plus homemade rolls. Don’t get too full on the salads. Next came a platter heaped with ribs, sausage, a turkey leg, chicken, thin-sliced beef brisket, rosemary potatoes, beans, corn, and Texas toast, all very good except the beans, which Alan and I found a little too sweet. Sorry if I forgot anything, which is a possibility. Dusty frequently came by to chat (he had set a plate on the table -- for himself, he said, but never joined us to eat), making sure we were okay, bringing us seconds if needed. There are four bottles of different barbecue sauces on the table to accompany your meal. Dusty sat down in his chair (where he had set his plate) and explained to us the various flavors. One of them, he said, was very spicy and should be avoided if you have "hemorrhoidic" problems. Ah, toilet humor.

We had no room left for dessert after that huge feast.

There’s also plenty of entertainment while you eat. All the kids were invited to participate in a horse race around the restaurant. The CM asked all the adults to wave their napkins around during the race and yell, "Yee haw!" Those adults who didn’t participate would get to be in the adult horse race!

One guy (perhaps in his 40s) was celebrating his birthday. Maybe he was expecting the Happy Birthday song from a group of CMs. Instead, one of the CMs announced that for his birthday, he would get to take a solo horse trot around the restaurant and sing Happy Birthday to himself.

One table had the gall to ask for ketchup. The CM got the entire restaurant’s attention and said words to the effect of, "Folks, we put four types of barbecue sauce on your table and these people have the nerve to ask for ketchup. So here in my hands is a bottle of ketchup for them from (drawn out) New York City." Restaurant: "New York City??!!" He then waved his gun around and said, "Anyone else want ketchup?" One guy did, and another CM took out her gun and shot him.

You could see through the restaurant window a stake outside. I don’t know what some young girl (maybe about 12 years old) did to deserve this, but next thing we knew, a CM was leading her to the stake blindfolded and tying her to it. Everyone got a huge laugh out of that, the victim included.

A great meal and great entertainment. Dusty’s final words, "Here, pay this and get out!" Total cost was $41.83 incl. $6 tip. (No, I didn’t pay for the other table’s dessert!)

I asked Alan if he wanted to take the boat to MK, but he wanted to swim. Even though Typhoon Lagoon wouldn’t close until 9:30 that night, we decided instead to return to BWV and swim in the Luna Park pool. It got a little chilly waiting for your turn to go down Keister Coaster, but the water was nice and warm, very luxurious.

I am not one of those who can come back from vacation late Sunday night and go to work early Monday morning. I need a little vacation from my vacation, so when we got back to the room, after showering, I decided to do the laundry so I wouldn’t have to do it when I got home and I could just spend the weekend recuperating. We just took it real easy, microwaved some popcorn (I know we had just had that huge dinner, but swimming really gets the appetite going again). Alan watched the Disney channel while I sat on the balcony with my feet up, just enjoying the lovely view, occasionally reading, listening to the fun people were having in the pool and the music emanating from the dance hall. (I have to remember to buy wine next time.) The sky was clear and dry. It was a perfect last evening.

Last day, Fri., 8/14

This is probably the first time you’ve seen this in a report: I was actually ready to go home. The last day of our vacation here last year, I felt I definitely did not have my Disney fill and wanted to stay longer, so for this trip, I made sure we had ten full days (not including travel days), and as you can see, that gave us plenty of time to enjoy ourselves at a non-exhaustive pace.

We had used up our passes, so we couldn’t go to the parks, but at that point, we had had our fill of parks. We had a light leisure breakfast in the room and I prepared sandwiches and packed up the rest of the snacks for the plane ride home. We took one last swim, then got ready to go while Ben checked out.

The CMs we encountered gave us a warm farewell and send-off.

From there, I took Ben to Universal Inn and Tower to check in for his three-night off-site stay (he wanted to go to Sea World and Universal, too, and this hotel had a complimentary shuttle to those parks and was close to the skating rink), then dropped him off at Sea World. I thought of going to Belz to see what was new at the Character Warehouse, but decided against it since I had spent enough money on this trip and I already had all my souvenirs and gifts. I stopped at Walgreen’s to pick up a book for the long flight home to San Francisco.

Alan wanted an "edible" pizza that he knew would be done right, and lo and behold, as soon as he said that, we saw a Pizza Hut up ahead on International Drive. When we entered, the gal asked if we wanted to order pizza or have the lunch buffet (salad bar and Caesar salad, various lunch pizzas and dessert pizza, pasta, breadsticks, cinnamon sticks). I asked how much the buffet was, and when she said, "$4.49 for you, half price for him," that was a symphony to my ears after all those expensive Disney meals. My gourmand son was very pleased to have pizza from a national chain once again. Total cost with unlimited drinks was about $11, including $2 tip.

We had a little more time to kill before our flight. Alan suggested Disney Quest. Fat chance, buddy. We were very close to the big McDonald’s, so we went there and I gave Alan $10 worth of tokens. That kept him busy until it was time to go. We gassed up the car and headed to MCO, where we dropped off the car at Dollar ($274.59 total for 11 days plus about $17 for gas and about $20 in valet parking tips at WDW), crossed the street to the terminal, and checked in for the trip home.

Epilogue

It’s now Sunday, 8-23, and I’ve finally finished this trip report after working on it when I could this past week. Sorry it’s so long, but I wanted to provide a few more details than I did in my 7-97 report (see Brian Bennett’s site).

I ended that report with a short list of tips that I won’t repeat here, but the one thing I will repeat from my last closing statement is, try to stay onsite. On each of our three WDW trips, we stayed both off-site and on. We all know the perks of staying onsite, but more than that, there’s just this palpable difference between the two that I just can’t explain. If you’re planning a trip to WDW and feel staying onsite is beyond your budget, try to squeeze even one night in just so you know what I’m talking about. Remember, there are WDW "budget" hotels (All-Star Music and Sports and the new All-Star Movies opening, I believe, next year) and home-away-from-home properties that you can share with others and take advantage of the fully-equipped kitchen for meals. You also won’t need a car. Staying onsite, you will definitely remember the magic.

Until next time, WDW. Our tentative plan is a 2 BR or 3 BR at OKW in 2000 for various family members (Alan and I included), once again thanks to cousin Ben.

Thanks for your attention.

Grace Sabin

Delacool@aol.com

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