Trip Reports

Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: WL, DL, Offsite
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Toddler, Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie
Comments: Doug and Julie took their two kids (8 and 4) for a wonderful twelve day visit to Florida to see family and WDW. They stayed offsite during a portion of the trip, then moved to Wilderness Lodge. Later in the trip, the family moved again, this time to Dixie Landings. Among the great features of this report is a well-written comparison of the two themed Disney resorts.


OVERVIEW:

October 16, 1998 to October 28, 1998
The Smith Family players:
Doug, Age 40, Engineer at a semiconductor manufacturer, first trip to WDW, once to Disneyland in 1976.
Julie, Age 38, Librarian, stay-at-home mom, second trip to WDW, the first in 1981, once to Disneyland in 1979.
Rachael, Age 8, second grader, first trip to WDW, first plane flight.
Logan, Age 4, first trip to WDW, first plane flight
Flew from Boise, ID to Orlando FL via Salt Lake City, UT on Delta, National rental car, Annual Passes.
Stayed at the Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Colony Beach and Tennis Club on Longboat Key near Sarasota, Wilderness Lodge (WL) and Dixie Landings (DL) at WDW.
PLANNING:

It was a cold February in Idaho and Doug was expecting a nice bonus check from work in August. We hadn’t had a major family vacation in quite some time, so where are we going to go? Florida naturally came up as Julie’s brother and his family live just south of Sarasota and because of all the theme parks within a day’s drive. Planning began almost immediately and after a little research, the initial objectives were:

Spend a few days with Jay (Julie’s brother), Heidi (his wife), & Chris (their 4-year-old son).
Spend at least 3 days in WDW.
Spend a couple other days exploring the area, including Sea World.
Don’t make $’s a primary consideration (Doug is a major tightwad), as this will be a once in a lifetime event.
WHEN: It had to be after the bonus was received in August, preferably when minimal crowds were at WDW, minimizing the amount of time Rachael was out of school. This quickly led us to the end of October, as Rachael had the 21st thru the 23rd of October off due to a teachers’ conference, so the vacation began to build around that time frame.
WHERE TO STAY AT WDW: After purchasing 5 WDW guide books and spending many hours visiting web sites, we narrowed it down to the Wilderness Lodge (being from the West, we liked the western theme) or Dixie Landings (Doug’s brother had recommended it). So we thought, why not try them both out?
SCHEDULE: The initial plan was to fly into Tampa (cheaper air fares) on Saturday, 10/17, rent a car, drive to Orlando, spend a week there, drive to Sarasota and spend the 2nd weekend with Jay & Heidi, then drive back to Tampa and fly home on Sunday, 10/25. Well, after talking with people who had been there, reading the guide books, and printing out reams of information from the web, we decided that one week in WDW just wasn’t going to cut it. We opted for leaving on Saturday (10/17) and returning on Wednesday (10/28) and still visiting the relatives during the middle weekend. The final vote was to stay at WL from 10/17 to 10/23; drive to Florida’s West Coast for two days stay with Jay & Heidi, and then back to DL from 10/26 through 10/28. We contacted Doug’s brother (who is a travel agent in Salt Lake) in April, and had him make the room and car rental reservations. All we needed were some cheap plane tickets to Florida and we were ready to go.
The best advice we can give anyone at this point is to count on plans changing, so be flexible. Jay and Heidi were invited to a wedding on the weekend of 10/24, and had to work during the week, so that only left the weekend of 10/17. We ended up changing our departure day to Friday the 16th, so that we could spend more time with relatives during the weekend. This would require Rachael to miss an additional day of school, but we felt it was worth it. WL reservations would have to be bumped a day as well as DL as we still wanted to stay at both resorts. However, we found out later that any reservations made by a travel agent for a WDW resort can only be changed by that travel agent! This was very frustrating to us and to Doug’s brother, whom we bothered constantly. Just as we were about to lock in our airline reservations at ~$450 per person, the airlines came out with a $199 round trip rate, which we promptly booked into Orlando. However, as we arrived in Orlando Friday afternoon, and did not want to drive to the West Coast of Florida that night, we needed a place to stay that evening. We ran across a brochure on the Holiday Inn Sunspree resort, which catered to kids, and was near I-4. Decision made.
ADMISSION PASSES: Initially, we were going to purchase Length-Of-Stay (LOS) passes, but after deciding to stay at 2 different WDW resorts (we had heard it was difficult to orchestrate LOS passes between different resorts) and spending at least 10 days in the parks, the AP’s made the most sense financially. And who knows, we may make another trip next fall.
COMMENTS: In the weeks preceding our departure, Doug and Julie constantly refined and honed the schedule. We decided that we were not going to attend any early entry days (surprise mornings), as we are not morning people, but instead, use the strategy of attending each park on the day after its early entry day. Breaks in the middle of the day also made sense because of the kids. We made reservations to the Hoop-De-Doo Review as well as priority seating arrangements at many restaurants. In making the final plans, we found the guidebooks and web sites extremely helpful and could not imagine making this trip without all of the guidance they provided. The web sites that were checked practically every night during the planning stages were Deb Wills’ WDWIG, Brian Bennett’s Trip Planner, and Rita Aero’s Destination Disney. The RADP was also helpful and provided answers to many specific questions. Thank you, one and all.
10/15/98 (Thursday)

Packing had started many weeks before, but it took until 10:30 p.m. to get everything ready and stacked by the door.

10/16/98 (Friday)

We were up at 5:00 AM, hustling and bustling to get everything done, and arrived at the airport at 6:45 (we originally said 6:30, so we were running late as usual). Julie’s folks were there to meet us and take our car back home rather than leave it in the airport parking garage. We hauled all 12 bags (7 checked & 5 carry-on) to the counter, checked in with no problems, and said our good-byes, boarding around 7:50. The plane left on time at 8:10 AM. We arrived in SLC at 9:10 and had a short walk to the boarding area for the plane to Orlando. Bruce & Abigail (Doug’s brother and his daughter) met us at the airport, which was a nice surprise. We boarded the plane last as our seats were toward the front and we were talking with Bruce. The plane left on time at 9:50 for a 4+-hour flight. The trip was relatively uneventful as Logan slept for most of the way (whew!) and Rachael read. Doug could see a little bit of WDW from the left side of the plane as we came in to the Orlando area quite a bit south of town.

We arrived at 4:30 EDT at MCO and rode the overhead rail system to the main terminal (Rachael & Logan were all smiles and said this was the best "ride" they had ever been on). Then down to second level to collect our luggage (all 7 arrived, yea!), and then down to the first level to the National desk. Julie & the kids waited nearby with the luggage while Doug stood in line for the next available clerk. After waiting about 15 minutes, he got a trainee who had a little trouble with a couple things (the child’s car seat, and which car had the biggest trunk), but it got all worked out. We were then directed out the doors, across a busy street, and into the nearby parking garage, where we were assigned a red Pontiac Grand Am. We were concerned with the size of the car, but the National rep in the garage said we could trade for a different car if we had trouble fitting our luggage. It took three tries to get the luggage to fit, but it did, with quite a bit up front. The car seat was installed, we located the appropriate maps, sunglasses, coins for toll roads, etc. and prepared to leave MCO. We made our way North to the Beeline expressway and turned west. We had to pay two tolls along the way (75¢ and 50¢). Merging onto I-4 was a pain, as it was 5 o’clock on a Friday, but we got the job done, despite not being used to stop and go traffic on the freeway.

We exited the Freeway and headed South on 435 to the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, where we had reservations for our first night. After talking to the guard, we were glad we had reservations, as he said the Sunspree was booked for the weekend. Checking in, the clerk said they were actually overbooked and offered to send us down the road 1 mile to another hotel, with them picking up the tab. We thought about it, but we were tired and ready to land somewhere. The kids checked in at a special desk just for them, and got a bag full of goodies. We were assigned room 538, which is on the 5th floor at the back of the hotel complex, looking in towards the pool. Luckily, it was near the elevator, so hauling all of the luggage up was not too tough, only took 5 trips. Each room has a theme, and ours was "Max’s Treehouse," which was nice with bunk beds in a separate area for the kids. The adults had a queen-size bed in the back portion of the room.

We went down for dinner at the food court and had their all-you-can-eat buffet. The kids ate free, which was good as Rachael was just getting over a cold, and didn’t eat much. Logan had a piece of pepperoni pizza after turning his nose up at everything in the buffet. We looked around the hotel for awhile, and Rachael even entered a contest, in which she was later selected as one of the winners and received a prize. We bought some items for a quick in-room breakfast from the little store in the hotel. Back to the room, Rachael & Logan took a bath, Doug fell asleep, and Julie reorganized our belongings. Called Jay and Heidi to arrange a meeting place and time for tomorrow. Rachael & Logan fell asleep almost immediately (Rachael in top bunk, Logan in bottom) after their bath, Doug & Julie discussed plans for the next day. Lights out around 11:30 EDT (only 9:30 MDT, but we were bushed).

10/17/98 (Saturday)

The alarm woke us up at 7:30 AM, so showers were taken while the kids slept in until 9:15. We all had doughnuts & OJ for breakfast, while Doug hauled all the suitcases down to the car in a pouring rain. We left around 10:45. Rachael seemed better, at least initially. We took 435 directly across I-4 to take a quick peek at WDW before heading for the West Coast of Florida. We saw Spaceship Earth, a monorail, the Tower of Terror, and a power pole shaped like Mickey just before hitting I-4. It was still raining on and off as we headed west. We stopped at a rest stop halfway between Orlando and Tampa to get drinks, and get everybody settled down. Rachael & Logan were not really appreciating the long drive after sitting in an airplane for 5+ hours the day before, and made the typical comments, "Are we there yet?" and "When are we going to get there?" Made our way west on I-4, turned south on I-75, then turned west into Sarasota. It turned out to be a beautiful day on the west coast, but we were held up a little bit at the south end of Longboat Key because of an "Arts in the Park" type of festivity. Turned north and found the sign for the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort around 1:00 p.m.

Stopped at the guard hut and found that they were expecting us. We received a packet of information along with a parking pass and directions to the main lobby. Julie went in, checked us in, called Jay to get directions to the room. We then drove back around, met Jay and he showed us where to park. The "Castaways" is a separate building right on the beach, about 100 feet from the deck to the water. It had two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, dining area, living room, and large deck. We said our hellos, unloaded the car, moved in, and immediately changed into our swimming suits and headed for the beach.

This was the kid’s first time on any ocean beach, so they were intrigued with the sand, shells, and waves. Everybody got instructions on what can and can’t be done on the beach, including the "shuffle" to avoid stepping on rays. The water was warm and the beach sloped very gradually into the ocean, so we could go a long way out and still be in shallow water. Most of the afternoon was spent sunning, swimming, collecting shells, playing, and building sandcastles. Jay and Doug took the kids to the pool for awhile, with Chris (Jay & Heidi’s 4 year-old son) & Logan wearing water wings. Then, Jay & Doug headed to a local grocery store for supplies, while Heidi, Julie, & the kids continued to play on the beach. A wedding took place on the beach right in front of our place, so we sat on the deck and watched. Then Heidi & Julie went out to get dinner at McDonalds for the kids and Tommy Bahamas for the adults. Jay, Doug, and the kids played on the beach, built more sandcastles, and watched a beautiful (but very fast) sunset. After the sun goes down, it is amazing how much life shows up on the beach and in the water. We saw all sorts of birds, small and large crabs, rays, etc. After seeing all of that, nobody wanted to go swimming anymore.

Dinner was very good, and everybody was hungry after a day on the beach. All three kids went to bed immediately after dinner on a king size bed, watching a little TV. They were still a little wound up, so Heidi went in with them and told stories until they fell asleep (including her!). Jay, Julie, & Doug talked around the dining room table. Heidi woke up and joined in until around 1:00 AM. The air conditioning in the main room would not turn off, so it got very cold. We had to turn on the heat to compensate. The kids were moved onto rollaway beds so that everybody could go to bed. Both Logan & Rachael were very restless, so their rollaways were positioned against the walls to keep them from falling out.

10/18/98 (Sunday)

Got up at 9:00 and had a breakfast of doughnuts, fruit, and bagels. Started packing up while the kids played. Then we decided to go swimming in the Gulf one more time before cleaning up and loading the car. We said our good-byes and were heading north on Longboat key towards Bradenton by 11:30. Hit I-75 north, up to I-4 and across to WDW. Only stops were for gas in Bradenton and at a rest stop near Tampa. The kids were much better on the trip back, as they were a little worn out.

We turned into WDW around 2:00 and followed the signs to the MK resort area, stopping at the MK entrance gate to get directions to the Wilderness Lodge, which were to "follow the green line." We made it to the WL gatehouse, and received directions and a parking permit. The very friendly "guard" even challenged Rachael (Logan was asleep) to "wear her parents out" while she was here. It was a short drive up to the WL, where the setting was beautiful. We drove under the entrance canopy and received help unloading the bags from the car. Julie & kids went into the WL lobby while Doug parked the car. Walking into the WL lobby simply takes your breath away. There are so many things to look at and the 7-story height of the lobby is awesome. We had called the room controller before leaving Idaho requesting a "woods view" room with bunk beds, high up on the northwest wing with a view of the MK. The WL staff was very courteous and friendly and we found that we were expected. We received a "newspaper" for the WL, our guest cards, maps & schedules for each of the parks, and a few other miscellaneous items. We were assigned room 6024 and the CM at the front desk said, "our friends" were waiting in the room. Not expecting any "friends," he elaborated after seeing the blank stare. Julie had called to arrange Chip and Dale Beanie Babies to be on the bunk beds, and this is what he was referring to.

We took the lobby elevator up to the sixth floor, found our room number, and were impressed with everything. The room was a little on the small side, but very comfortable and well decorated. The kids really loved the bunk beds, especially with Chip and Dale waiting. The balcony had a 4-foot high wall (which we liked, from a "parents" perspective) with a view of Bay Lake, the Contemporary Hotel, monorail, top of Space Mountain, and the top of the MK castle. The bellman arrived just a few minutes later with all of our bags. We took some pictures and videos as we got to know our "home" for the next 6 days. Doug went back down to the car to clean up, gather up some the little things, and explore the WL a little. He stopped by the Roaring Forks (RF) to purchase 4 refillable mugs (2 large and 2 small) on the way back up to the room. After everybody had settled in, Julie did some quick hand washing in the bathtub (swimsuits & sandy beach clothing) while Rachael & Logan watched cartoons from the top bunk.

We left the room a little after six o’clock to explore the hotel (Doug carrying backpack with camcorder and camera). We toured the laundry, pool, RF, arcade, Artist Point, and Whispering Canyon Restaurants. Whispering Canyon (which is easily viewable from the WL lobby) had some dinner antics going on, which Rachael thought were funny. Then it was out to the boat dock for a ride on the blue flag boat to Fort Wilderness (FW). We arrived around 7:00 and found lots of people milling around waiting for the 7:15 Hoop-De-Doo Review (HDDR). We got our tickets for Wednesday’s HDDR, pressed some pennies, and explored FW a little. Then we had dinner at the Trail’s End Buffeteria, which had good food but our server left something to be desired, even though it was a buffet style meal. One of the high points of the meal was that one of the CM’s went way above and beyond the call of duty to wrap up two glass cowboy boots (they were included with the desserts we ordered) so they wouldn’t break on the way back to the WL. We walked back to the FW dock to take the boat to the Contemporary.

We explored the Contemporary hotel for a few minutes before taking the monorail to the TTC. Switching to the Epcot monorail, we arrived at Epcot just in time to see Illuminations from the monorail. The driver slowed down, so we got a nice long view. We stayed on the monorail back to the TTC, and by then, it was around 9:20 and we were wondering the best way to get back to the WL, with the last boat at 10. We decided to ride the monorail around the hotel loop and back to the Contemporary, hoping to catch the boat back to the WL. We just made it on the last boat! Wandered back up to our room and put the kids to bed while Doug & Julie got ready for the assault on Epcot in the morning. We washed two loads of laundry at the WL laundry facility, charged the camcorder batteries, packed items in the backpack and fanny packs, etc. We are very hopeful that future nights will be more organized and therefore earlier, as we were very tired. Finally made it to bed at midnight, with alarm set for 7.

10/19/98 (Monday)

Plans sometime change. The alarm did not go off, so we woke up at 7:30 instead of 7. Everybody got ready, wearing our blue Idaho shirts, and we left at 8:30 for Epcot. We took the bus for the first time, which was very easy and relatively uncrowded. At Epcot, we tried to use the AP’s we had gotten from the Disney Store in Idaho, but were rejected at the turnstiles. We were directed to the nearby guest services and exchanged the "passes" for the actual AP’s, which slowed us down a little more. Then back to the entrance and retried our passes. The kid’s worked fine, but Doug & Julie had to do this weird 2-finger thing in order to get in. Took a few tries to get the fingers positioned just right, but eventually they got it down. Got in line for Spaceship Earth, which we entered after about a 15-minute wait. Then on to the Universe of Energy which was a little too much for the kids. We wandered through the central plaza, stopping at some of the leaping fountains for a few minutes to play. The Journey into Imagination was closed for refurbishment, so we decided to separate, Doug & Rachael to "Honey, I shrunk the Audience" and Julie & Logan to shop.

It was almost noon, so after joining back together, we headed for The Land in order to make our 12:30 priority seating (PS) at the Garden Grill. This restaurant rotates, giving a variety of views, and Rachael thought this was "really cool." The meal was OK, but there was no choice of food. Dessert was very good, apple cobbler for adults, "worms and dirt" for kids. Mickey, Minnie, Chip, & Dale came by to sign autograph books and pose for pictures. Logan slept for most of the lunch, which was the first indication that he wasn’t feeling well. We walked over to the Wonders of Life via the showcase plaza overlooking the lagoon, stopping by the fountains one more time on the way. Saw Goofy inside the pavilion and Rachael got pictures and autograph. Then we went into Cranium Command, followed by a look at the various displays inside the pavilion. We decided that was enough of Epcot for our first day, and headed back toward the entrance.

Got our hand stamped and took the monorail to the TTC. We transferred to the express monorail to the MK, then took the boat to the WL, arriving around 2:45. All of us went swimming, with Logan wearing a life jacket so he could go down the slide. Went back up to the room at 4, changed clothes and then headed back out to the bus stop, stopping by guest services on the way out to buy E-tickets for Doug & Rachael for Friday, 10/23. We got on the bus heading for the MGM with stops at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian, arriving at 5:00. We got right in but still took awhile to figure out the two-finger thing with the AP’s. We looked around a little bit, and then headed for dinner at Pizza Planet, one of Logan’s favorites. Got our food and ate upstairs, but did not play any games, as Julie was not feeling well.

Then, we made our way to the Fantasmic Amphitheater at around 6:15 for the 7:30 show. The place was already crowded. We got seats about 10 rows up just left of center. The wait took its toll on all of us, and although the show itself is very good, the crowds made it unbearable. There is a single route out that is wall to wall people as far as you could see. At the first opportunity, we darted to the side to regroup. We had originally planned to see it more than once, but decided that once was enough. Logan got a light sword during the pre-show, and little did we know that this would be the "prized" souvenir for the entire trip.

We made our way back to the bus stop, along with everyone else and had to wait awhile to get on a bus. We got back to the WL at 9, went up to the room for some medicine, down to RF for "dinner," then out to the dock to watch the Electrical Water Parade, which started at 9:35. It was very good and we all liked it better than Fantasmic, primarily because of the lack of crowds. Back up to the room to eat and then to bed. Doug went back out for a cup refill, out to check on the car, do a little more hotel exploring, and then headed back to the room. Doug & Julie discussed plans for tomorrow, Doug updated his journal, then went to bed at 11:30!

10/20/98 (Tuesday)

Up at 7 and out the door by 8. We went to ride the boat to MK, but were informed that it would not be arriving until 8:30, so we decided to take the boat to the Contemporary and monorail around to the Poly, GF, & MK. We had to wait in line at the MK until 8:30 to get in. Started to get the hang of the AP’s and the two-finger thing. We saw Pluto on the way in, so had to stop and get his picture and autograph. Julie & Logan went to rent a stroller while Doug & Rachael headed for Liberty Square to wait for the dash to Splash Mountain when the park opened. At 9, they opened the park and we all walked behind two cast members with a rope between them to Splash Mountain. It was all very calm and organized. After weaving through the Splash Mountain entry/waiting area for what seemed like forever, Doug & Rachael arrived at the logs, and were able to get on after a very short wait. We weren’t going to argue about the front row position, as getting a little wet is all part of the fun. Rachael was a little apprehensive about the "big drop" and had her head down for the picture, which disappointed her. She pledged that on E-night, she would be looking right at the camera with her hands in the air.

Julie & Logan explored the MK a little bit and decided to go on It’s A Small World (IASW) while waiting for Doug & Rachael. We met outside of Splash Mountain and made our way to Fantasyland. We checked out Dumbo, but the wait was 30 minutes, so we decided to go elsewhere. The line for Peter Pan was short, so we started there followed by IASW again, then back to Dumbo with less than a 20-minute wait. Julie stood in line with the kids with no intention of getting on while Doug took pictures. Guess what, all three ended up riding with Rachael "driving." We made a quick trip over to Ariel’s Grotto to play in the fountains and cool off, then over to the Carousel. Afterwards, we headed to Frontierland for the Country Bear Jamboree, then had lunch right next door at Pecos Bills. We then walked to the Frontierland train station and took the train all the way around the MK, back to Frontierland. Then it was over to the Jungle Cruise, which claimed only a 20-minute wait, but it was probably closer to 30. We were not too impressed as we remembered the Disneyland version being much better. Stopped at Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats just outside the Jungle Cruise, where the kids really enjoyed driving the little radio controlled boats. The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was next followed by the Tiki Room. We retrieved the stroller from in front of Jungle Cruise and stopped at the Sunshine Tree Terrace for a snack and to avoid the rain, which had just started falling. Julie & Rachael went across the way to the character area and got hugs from King Louie and autographs from Baloo & Rafiki.

By then, it was around 2:15, so we decided to head for Main Street to claim our curb space for the Magical Moments Parade (MMP) at 3:15. Julie & Rachael shopped while Doug & Logan sat on the curb in their rain ponchos. After watching the MMP, which was very good but short, we went to the front of MK, turned in the stroller and took the boat back to the WL. We called to change our PS at Gullivers from 5:30 to 7, in order to have some down time in our room. Doug went down for drink refills, Julie returned a call to her folks, and Rachael & Logan headed for the bathtub.

We left the WL at 6:30 and used the rental car to drive over to Gullivers Restaurant at the Swan Hotel. Logan was still not feeling well, so he did not eat much and was very shy around the man who came to our table making balloon animals. He made a green sword for Logan and a white teddy bear with a red heart for Rachael. As things were winding down, Logan decided he had to find a restroom, so Doug & Logan went to find one. While they were gone, the balloon man stopped back by and made a pink sword for Rachael and a "Blue" dog for Logan. We finished our meal and paid using the $50 coupon from Rita Aero’s book, which made the dinner only cost us $29 + tip. It was very enjoyable meal with excellent service.

Doug ran the balloons and souvenir cups out to the car while Julie & the kids inquired about the fastest way to Epcot. We proceeded toward the Dolphin Hotel to the boat dock and after waiting about 10 minutes, boarded a boat bound for the International Gateway at Epcot. After a stop at the Boardwalk, we arrived just prior to 9 o’clock and Illuminations. We did not have to show our AP’s, as the gate had just closed. We ran to a position near the UK on the bridge and watched the show. Logan sat on Doug’s shoulders, so he probably had the best view. We were blocked by trees, bushes, and people, so only could see the higher fireworks. For a last minute idea, it was well worth the trip.

We hustled back to the boat dock and got on the first boat back to the Swan and Dolphin, but decided to get off at the Yacht & Beach Club dock to look around. We pressed some pennies, explored both hotels, looked at the Stormalong Bay pool area and then walked back to the car via the Dolphin and Swan hotels. We drove back to the WL, arriving at 10:30, stopping to get some kid’s packets at the valet’s station just outside the WL (they were out when we checked in), and headed up to the room. Both kids were out like a light. Doug went down to RF for drink refills while Julie filled out the order slip for a room service breakfast (something she likes to do but rarely gets a chance!) to be delivered between 9:30 and 10 the following morning. Doug wrote in the journal and was in bed by 11:15.

10/21/98 (Wednesday)

The kids were up around 8:30, and the room service breakfast arrived at 9:40, which hit the spot. Logan was not talking because he said his throat hurt and Julie was just coming down with a cold, but Rachael & Doug were doing OK. We all watched TV, read the paper on the deck, laid around, and relaxed until about noon. We left the WL about 12:30 and went to Epcot via bus. Rented a stroller and headed for the World Showcase (WS). Rachael got an Epcot passport in order to learn a little more about the countries she would be "visiting," as a school assignment. She was to ask how to write and say "Merry Christmas" in each language. Mexico and the boat ride were first, followed by Norway and Maelstrom, with no wait for either. Julie & Rachael went into the China shops while Doug & Logan went on ahead to look for something to eat/drink. Had to wait for the drawbridge between China and Germany to be put back down before proceeding.

We went over to the Outpost and stood in the water misters for awhile to cool down and got in line for something to drink. Doug panicked when he realized he had forgot his backpack, so hustled back to where we were waiting when the bridge was up, and found it lying on top of the stone fence where he had left it. Whew!! Got back in line at the Outpost where Julie & Rachael rejoined the group. Logan thought the Cold drinks and ice cream tasted great, as it must have felt good on his throat. Oktoberfest was the theme around the Germany pavilion. Julie bought a nice clock in a shop and had it sent back to the WL, a nice feature. The model trains between Germany and Italy caught our attention next, and we looked around for awhile admiring the layout

The American Adventure show time was not for another 40 minutes and Julie & Logan were not feeling too well, so we headed back for the entrance via the Canadian side of the WS. Turned in the stroller and saw the WL bus pulling out just as we were running up. Tried to flag him down, but just got a smile and a wave. Had to wait 15 minutes for the next bus. Julie & Logan immediately lay down for naps, while Rachael put the rest of the country stickers in her passport and then Doug & Rachael wrote in their journals. Rachael put on her bathing suit and Doug & Rachael headed out. Stopped at the Mercantile for postcards & stamps, refilled our drinks, and went out to the pool. While Rachael swam, Doug sat near the pool and wrote some postcards to be sent to family and friends back home. We went back up to the room at 6 to find Julie in the shower and Logan still asleep.

We left at 6:35 for Fort Wilderness via the boat for the 7:15 HDDR show. The boat was waiting, so we arrived at 6:45 with plenty of time to spare. We checked in with host, had our picture taken and while we were waiting, bought Pooh and Minnie flashlights. Logan was sick and couldn’t talk, but at least we got some smiles out of him. They let us in at 7:15, where we sat at table 54, close to the center of Pioneer Hall. The first song was about where everybody was from and as Doug was wearing his Idaho shirt, one of the young women in the group came over and sat on his lap, asking a few questions while the group sang their song. Very embarrassing! The waiters came around and served drinks, dinner, and dessert as the show went on. Logan turned up his nose at the normal fare, so the waiter went and got him some macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately, he still wasn’t hungry except for the 2 pieces of bread that he ate. Also during the show, our picture was brought around and for the price of $20, we could have an 8x10 and 2-3x5’s. Well, it was a good picture of all of us, so we opted for the picture. The show was very well presented and Rachael especially liked the humor, but Logan never wants to go back.

The show ended at 9, so we walked back to the FW dock, and were back at the WL by 9:20, just in time for the Electrical Water Parade. It was as good as before. We went back up to the room, where Julie, Rachael & Logan fell asleep almost before they could change into their pajamas. Doug went out to the RF for a drink refill and more exploring in and around the WL. Came back to the room to write in his journal, resupply, charge camcorder batteries, lay out clothes, etc, before going to bed at 11:15.

10/22/98 (Thursday)

Doug and Rachael were up, dressed, and out the door by 8. Julie & Logan stayed behind for the first half of the day. We had to wait until 8:25 for the first MGM bus, which was the longest wait for a bus the whole trip. The bus stopped at the GF on the way to MGM and Doug recognized a few of the professional golfers he could see on the Palm course, playing in the National Car Rental/Disney Classic PGA golf tournament. We arrived at 8:45 and immediately entered the park and got in line for the Tower of Terror (TOT). The park opened at 9, and we strolled behind the rope, much the same as we did to Splash Mountain. We only had to wait 15 minutes in line before getting on the "freight elevator," where Rachael & Doug found themselves in the front row again. One short drop followed by two big drops and it was over. Rachael said it was scary, awful, terrifying, but she had a semi-smile on her face. She was probably picturing herself telling her friend’s back in second grade that she had gone on the scariest ride at WDW, and survived.

Next, we decided to go to Star Tours, followed by Muppets, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, and the backlot tour, all with minimal waits. We noticed that they were already stringing the Christmas lights, and it was only mid October! We had planned to meet Julie & Logan at the 50’s Prime Time Café at 12:15 for lunch, but it was only 11:30. Rachael elected to try for Star Tours again, so off we went. We got right on and were back out after only 15 minutes, so back again. It was close to noon now, so time to meet Julie & Logan. They were waiting for us, with Logan sitting in a stroller. Julie & Logan had taken it easy for most of the morning. The 50’s Prime Time Cafe brought back many childhood memories for Doug & Julie. The atmosphere was very interesting and the food was OK. We decided to go to the Little Mermaid show, parked the stroller, and after a 15-minute wait, we went in. It was a good show, but Logan obviously was not feeling well, as he ignored the show from one of his favorite Disney movies. Walking out, Logan proved that he was really sick. After cleaning up the mess, we went to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground just to regroup.

Afterwards, Julie & Logan went out and caught the bus for WL while Doug & Rachael stood in line for the Great Movie Ride. The wait was about ½ hour and Rachael didn’t like it as she didn’t recognize most of the movies and thought a lot of it was too scary. We did Star Tours for the fourth time, then out to the bus stop and back to the WL by 5:15. Julie had called around to find a doctor or medical clinic for Logan, so we packed up the troops and headed for the Florida Hospital Centra Care Clinic near the Crossroads plaza. We arrived at 6, filled out the required paperwork, and Logan & Julie were admitted at 6:35. They reappeared at 7:15 with a diagnosis of croup. Doug went to the in-house pharmacy for 3 prescriptions, some Motrin, and a thermometer. We drove back to the WL, where Doug & Rachael went down to RF for dinner. Logan wouldn’t eat much except for some Pringles. He took his medication and went to bed. Doug took some wet clothes down to finish drying and brought them back up by 9:25. Doug & Rachael went out to watch the Electrical Water Parade, but by 9:45, they figured it had been cancelled because it was too cold and nasty, at least by Florida standards. Due to Logan’s condition, he and Julie slept in the queen, Rachael in top bunk, and Doug in bottom. In bed at 10:15; what a day!

10/23/98 (Friday)

Doug was up early to take a shower. Woke up Rachael, got dressed, had breakfast in the room and left. Julie & Logan stayed in the room this morning to sleep in and take it easy. Doug and Rachael took the bus to Epcot, so Rachael could finish her passport. We went directly to the Living Seas, then to WS shortly after 11 (opening) and took the boat across to Morocco. Then to Japan, Morocco and France where Rachael saw a street vendor selling personalized parasols and really wanted one. So we ordered and paid for it with money she had saved, and they told us it would take about 1 hour to finish. So, we were off to Great Britain, where we went toward the back and had a little fun in the hedge maze. Then on to Canada, where Rachael finished her passport and we waited a few minutes for the movie. The Canadian pavilion grounds are beautiful. Back to France to pick up the parasol, and then to Future World. The wind was blowing hard, so Rachael had to be very careful with her parasol, as they told her to leave it open for another hour or so for the ink to dry. We wandered through Innoventions, and then took the bus back to the WL.

Julie & Logan had explored the hotel, got lunch at RF, and just took it easy in the room. Also, Julie had mentioned to the housekeeping staff that Logan was sick, and that a change of linens would not be required. About half an hour later, a knock sounded on the door, and one of the housekeeping staff was there with a signed picture of Winnie the Pooh along with a Pooh beanie baby, with wishes for Logan to get better. Brought tears to Julie’s eyes! What service above and beyond! After Doug & Rachael returned, Rachael changed into her bathing suit and she went swimming while Doug took pictures and videos of the geyser and around the pool area. Had PS at Whispering Canyon at 5. Rachael took part in the horse races, but Logan did not feel like it.

Doug & Rachael left at 6 to take off for E-night (advertised as starting at 7) at the MK. Took the Crockett bus to the TTC (just for something different) and then took the monorail around to the MK. We arrived with plenty of time to spare, so got our wrist bands near town hall and were informed that the park was going to stay open until 8, complete with unscheduled Spectromagic parade at 7 and fireworks at 8. The E-tickets would be accepted from 8 until the park closed at 11! Took the Transit Authority, just so Rachael could see a little bit of Space Mountain before riding, and since there was hardly any line at Space Mountain, we decided to go. Rachael thought once was enough, so we found a decent place to watch the parade from afar and then called Julie and left a message that we would be a little later than we thought. Watched the fireworks from near the Liberty Square entrance, which was not ideal, but uncrowded. We had always imagined that the fireworks went off right above the castle, but in reality, they are quite a ways behind the castle.

Then we headed toward Splash Mountain. It’s a little strange walking toward Splash Mountain when there are throngs of people heading the other direction! We wandered through the empty chutes leading in, and did not run into any people until we could see the loading area! We got on after a very short wait, front row again, and Rachael vowed to do better this time. She wasn’t up to raising her hands in the air, but was willing to keep her head up. She did it! Next up was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which had the longest wait for the entire night, approx. 20 minutes. Little did we know that they were having problems with some of the trains, and had to shut the whole thing down for awhile right after we got off. It was fun and Rachael enjoyed the ride, saying that if the lines were shorter, she would go again. We stopped off at Country Bear Jamboree, just to say we did it again and then got some ice cream at 9:30.

All this time, Doug was prepping Rachael for the infamous Haunted Mansion, which she really didn’t want to do, but she was willing to humor dad. Afterwards, she said she was never going to do that again! Pirates of the Caribbean was next, followed by the Buzz Lightyear Spin, and then back to Splash Mountain for the final time. Again, absolutely nobody in line, but it still took 5 minutes to walk from the entrance to the loading area. We got in the front row again, but this time we were all by ourselves. Practiced holding our hands up during the two shallower drops before the "big one." The drop finally came and everything went well, only the picture would really tell, and it looked great. We stopped and purchased it on the way out. By this time, it was after 11, and they were closing up, so we had a leisurely walk back to the entrance, enjoying the relative emptiness of the park. We took the monorail to the TTC and the Boone bus back to the WL. It was around midnight by the time we got to the room, but Julie was still up and we woke Logan up to give him some medicine. Rachael got ready for bed and was asleep by 12:05. Lights out at 12:30.

10/24/98 (Saturday)

Our last day at the WL (boohoo). Because of Logan’s condition, we had arranged for a late checkout from WL (1:00) and an early check-in at DL. We were up at 9:00, Julie & Rachael got dressed and headed down to Artist’s Point for the character breakfast. Doug & Logan finally got up, left the room around 11 and toured the hotel one final time, taking lots of videos and pictures, returning to the room at 11:30 to start packing. Julie & Rachael had one of the most enjoyable character meals and best breakfasts while at WDW. Pooh, Tigger, & Eeyore were great, as well as the CM’s at Artist’s Point. Logan & Rachael watched cartoons, Julie packed suitcases, Doug lugged them down to the car (took 4 trips + the final load with everybody carrying something). We said goodbye to room 6024 and the WL, but promised we would be back before we left the property. Received an itemized statement when we checked out and got everybody loaded up in the car heading for DL.

We were a little too cocky after being on the property for 7 days, so didn’t refer to the map and promptly got lost. A quick look at the map, a U-turn, and we found ourselves at the DL entrance. We checked in with a minimal wait and were assigned room 9728 in Paterre Place, which is part of the Magnolia Bend section of DL. We had originally requested a river view room in the Alligator Bayou section, but because of our early check-in request, we were moved. We were on the 2nd floor at the north end of Paterre Place, close to the bridge across the Sassagoula River and easy access to the main building and bus stop, right next to one of the quiet pools. The room had two double beds, an end table between the beds, a table with two chairs, a TV cabinet with 3 drawers, and a bar for hanging clothes in the sink area. At first, we were a little disappointed with the room, but it grew on us, so we decided to stay there, rather than request a river view room. Doug unloaded the car from the nearby parking lot and we spent the next hour moving in and getting familiar with DL. The refrigerator we asked for at check-in was delivered within 15 minutes of our arrival at the room, and extra pillows we had requested from housekeeping, were promptly delivered. The next few hours were spent relaxing, watching TV, writing postcards, taking naps, etc. We decided to try out the pizza delivery service for dinner, which was good albeit it took over an hour to get there.

We dressed, and headed for the main (South) DL bus stop for a bus to the MK. There were quite a few people waiting, so the bus was packed. We ended up only taking up two seats, with the kids sitting on our laps. The bus driver said the MK was very crowded, because of the Spectromagic parade and fireworks scheduled for the evening. We entered the park around 7 and immediately started looking for a place to watch the only scheduled parade at 8 and fireworks at 9. Main Street was very crowded, but found a decent place near the hub under a tree in order to stay out of the light rain. Doug was walking around and overheard some CM’s saying that because of the crowds, there was going to be a 10 o’clock parade as well. After asking the CM’s for confirmation, we decided to watch the later parade instead and headed for Tomorrowland.

We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (which will always be the People Mover to Doug & Julie), Buzz Lightyear (for some reason they closed the line as soon as we entered the interior), Teacups (Julie took pictures as she did not want to ride), and the Carousel. Then we found a place on the Tomorrowland bridge to watch the fireworks. It was crowded, but with Logan on Doug’s shoulders and Rachael standing on the curb, we could all see OK. Now to find a place for the Spectromagic parade. Eventually ended up with front-row seats in Frontierland, right across from the Country Bear Jamboree. Everybody enjoyed the parade and it was not nearly as crowded as it was on Main Street. We stopped in a couple of shops, one to get sweatshirts, as we were all a little wet and cold. Then it was out to the bus stop for a bus ride back to the DL at 11:45. We remembered to set the clocks back 1 hour for daylight savings time and were in bed by 12:30 EDT.

10/25/98 (Sunday)

After dressing, we were all out the door by 8:20. We had to wait a long time for the MK bus, but one finally arrived and we were at the MK by 9:10. Rachael & Doug went to Ariel’s grotto for an autograph and picture. Julie & Logan rented a stroller and we all met at the castle for the character breakfast. The Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, & Peter Pan were all there. Rachael got pictures and autographs from all, but Logan was just too shy. Breakfast was good and the atmosphere was very pleasant. Back out to IASW (this was one of Julie & Logan’s favorites!), the Skyway to Tomorrowland (20+ minute wait), and the Carousel of Progress, which everyone really enjoyed. Doug & Rachael did the Astro Orbiter while Julie & Logan shopped. Rachael had purchased an MK passport, and was getting the appropriate stamp in each "land." In Toontown, Julie & Rachael went into Minnie’s house while Doug & Logan looked around. Doug, Rachael, & Logan did Goofy’s Barnstormer, then went to Donald’s boat for some cooling off in the water. We took the railroad back around to Frontierland and got some ice cream. We wanted to ride the Liberty Belle riverboat, but it had just left, so opted for the Hall of Presidents instead. Very good show except the narration left a little to be desired. We stopped at ‘Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe,’ and purchased a few things. Rachael was able to get some of her passport stamps, but we decided that she could finish on our next trip to MK.

We left at 2:30 as people were lining up for the 3 o’clock parade. The bus arrived just as we got there and we were back at DL by 3. We explored the main building a little more, stopping at the store to buy some souvenirs. Then back to the room where Julie & Logan promptly laid down, and Doug & Rachael went for a cup refill, and to check out Old Man Island, which has a neat play area and pool. Back to room where Rachael played with her Little Mermaid Gigapet and Doug wrote in his journal.

We left the room at 5:00 for the bus stop, and again had to wait until 5:30 for an MK bus. We arrived at the MK and took the monorail around to the Contemporary, where we had reservations for 6:15 at the California Grill on the 15th floor. We asked for a window table in the corner closest to the MK, but they were all taken. The best they could do was one row back, which was OK with us. The table had a paper tablecloth, which the kids (and parents) could color on to their hearts delight. By the end of the night, there was not one bare spot and it was quite a work of art. The 4-course dinner was very good, the view spectacular, and the service superb. Logan did not like his Macaroni & Cheese, so the waiter replaced it with a PB & J sandwich at no charge. The fireworks were great with Doug going out on the observation platform to take videos. While he was gone, Logan leaned a little too far back in his chair and it tipped over . . . right into a waitress. Nobody was hurt, but a bond was formed between our 4-year-old and the waitress. Every time she passed, she had a nice comment for Logan. The huckleberry cheesecake dessert and the rice crispy treats for the kids topped off the evening.

We left at 8:15 and decided to see if we could make it to Illuminations at Epcot, via the monorail. We had the opportunity to ride in the front of the monorail from the TTC to Epcot, which was a very memorable experience for all of us. Everybody was getting tired, so we decided to just head back to DL and bed. We timed the bus from Epcot to DL just right and arrived back at our room by 9:10. Rachael & Logan took a bath and then we all headed right to bed at 10. Animal Kingdom tomorrow, with the alarm set at 6:30!!!!

10/26/98 (Monday)

As usual, the alarm did not go off, so we were up an hour late at 7:30 and out the door by 8:30 with munchies for breakfast. The bus came after a 10-minute wait and we were dropped off at the Animal Kingdom (AK) by 9:10. We decided against renting a stroller, at least initially. We had not made any PS arrangements for this day, so the first stop was the Rainforest Café to see if we could make reservations. They were booked, but told us to come back around 11 and they would probably have some openings. After actually entering the park, we were told there was a 45 minute wait at Kilimanjaro Safaris while there was no wait for the "It’s Tough to Be a Bug" show. Doug & Rachael decided to hit the show while Julie & Logan explored and shopped. The entry into the show winds around the Tree of Life, which is a very long, meandering path, but provided many interesting views. Rachael did not like the show, as it was too scary for her. We regrouped and headed for the Safari. The wait was much shorter now so we got on after a 20-minute wait. Everybody enjoyed the ride and all the animals that we saw, although the poacher aspect could easily be dropped, as it was a distraction.

We took the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and really enjoyed it. All of the animals were very visible and the sights were beautiful and varied. We were going to take the train to the Conservation Station, but the line was too long, so elected to head over to the Flights of Wonder show at 10:30. We had the opportunity to sit and watch the show in the shade, which was a nice break, as it was getting hot out. The show was very entertaining and the kids enjoyed it. We walked back to the Rainforest Cafe at 11 and were able to get in. Logan was still not feeling that well, so he did not eat much, but was entertained by the interior of the restaurant. It was different, but none of us really enjoyed it, too dark and the food wasn’t that good for the price. We went to the 12:40 "Colors of the Wind" show with Pocahontas and many live animals. This was a good show, especially for the kids. The first three rows in the center section were reserved especially for them, so they all get a great view and a "leaf" as a momento. A couple with one child in a stroller were just leaving the park and overheard us discussing whether our not we should get one, and graciously offered us theirs. Their generosity was very nice and Logan certainly appreciated it, although Rachael had seen some double strollers and wanted to ride too.

Next we headed for Dinoland and the kids spent the next hour playing in "The Boneyard." It had slides, rope bridges, dinosaur sounds, and an area where you could uncover dinosaur bones. Even Doug & Julie got into the act by climbing rope ladders and going down slides. It was very easy to get lost and it took us awhile to figure how to get out. Julie found a couple of shops she wanted to explore, so Doug, Rachael, and Logan went on the Cretaceous Trail and got something to drink. Doug was the only one interested in the Countdown to Extinction ride, so it was nixed. We wandered back toward the entrance, turned in the stroller, went to the bus stop, and rode back to DL after the bus made a short stop at Blizzard Beach, arriving around 3. Logan was supposed to nap, but didn’t, so he and Rachael watched TV while Julie did some postcards and Doug updated his journal.

We had dinner in the DL food court, which impressed us all. After freshening up and a quick change of clothes, we left for the bus stop and made it to Epcot before 6. We picked up a stroller for Logan, and promptly went to the WS, starting with Canada. This was really the first time on this side of WS for Julie & Logan, so Doug & Rachael showed them all the sites. On to UK, where Julie shopped and Doug, Rachael, & Logan did the hedge maze towards the back of the pavilion. On to American pavilion to watch the American Adventure. Found we had to wait for 25 minutes before we could get into the 7:30 show so Julie went back to Japan while Doug, Rachael, & Logan went to the Liberty Inn for something to drink. They were having some technical problems with the line we got in, so just barely made it back in time to see the show. It was a very good presentation.

After leaving the American Adventure, we staked out a good place to watch Illuminations between America and Italy. Unknown to us, one of the firework launchers was 5 feet in front of us, so everybody jumped each time it went off. It was an excellent show, but the view was very different from the two places we had been before (monorail and International Gateway). We walked back to the entrance via Morocco, France, GB, and Canada. As we turned in the stroller, everybody said goodbye to the "Golf Ball," and walked to the DL bus stop. It was a very long line, but did not take long to get on what was the 4th bus to pull in. The bus driver must have been a little crazy, as he didn’t stop talking the whole way to DL, and some of the things he talked about . . . . never mind. We were back in the hotel room around 10, Logan & Rachael asleep immediately, Julie soon thereafter, Doug updated his journal and lights out at 11:30.

10/27/98 (Tuesday)

We were all up at 7, with Doug showing signs of a sore throat, Logan still raspy but feeling OK. All of Logan’s medicine was gone now except for the Amoxicillan. Breakfast consisted of fruit rollups, granola bars, and leftover cookies. Off to the bus stop at 8:15 and to the MK for the final time at 8:35. The bus was very crowded; but a man and son crowded together so Julie, Rachael, & Logan could sit; Doug stood, again. Upon arrival, Julie & Rachael immediately headed for the Liberty Square to stand in line for Splash Mountain, while Doug & Logan just wandered down Main Street, exploring all of the nooks and crannies. We noticed that overnight, the fall decorations of pumpkins, gourds, hay bales, etc., had been put out.

When the park opened at 9, Doug & Logan went on the Transit Authority again, then walked to Splash Mountain via Fantasyland. Whenever we had a long ways to go without a stroller, Logan was usually on Doug’s shoulders, which was a very efficient way to travel. We regrouped near the Splash Mountain and walked over to Fantasyland as Logan wanted to do Peter Pan again, which we did, followed by IASW one last time. Doug, Rachael, & Logan did the Carousel with Mary Poppins on board. We met at the Sword in the Stone and took Rachael & Logan’s picture trying to pull the sword, then went to the Timekeeper. Logan decided he needed to visit the restroom just before we were let into the theatre, so Doug & Logan ran to the Plaza Pavilion and made it back barely in time. The show was OK but we didn’t like standing. Then we went up towards Fantasyland, across the bridge (the only bridge we had not been on yet) to the hub, which went through a very beautifully landscaped area. There was a show with Goofy and some girls on the Castle stage that sounded good, so we stopped and watched for a little while. In order to get Rachael’s passport validated, we went to the Athletic Club on Main Street, shops in Adventureland and Caribbean Square, then over to the Liberty Belle Riverboat for the 11:30 ride.

We had 12 o’clock PS at Tony’s, so we made our way toward the entrance for lunch. Rachael & Logan had pizzas shaped like Mickey. After lunch, we had to stop at a nearby shop to get the traditional, personalized ear hats for Rachael & Logan. We explored the end of mainstreet near the entrance before leaving via the resort monorail. We got off at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian to look around and then took a very empty bus from the MK back to DL, arriving at 3:30. Julie was very tired so she lay down while Doug, Rachael, & Logan went to the play area on Old Man Island. Doug worked on his journal while Rachael & Logan explored the large play area. Julie woke up at 4:30, and we walked to the main building to rent a surrey bike for ½ hour. Doug & Julie pedaled while Rachael & Logan rode on the front. We made 3 loops around the DL grounds and all agreed that this was one of the most fun things we did during the trip. We turned in the surrey, stopped at Fulton’s Landing store to buy a few more souvenirs, and then went back to the room.

Doug & Rachael changed into their swimsuits and went to the Old Man Island swimming area at 5:45 while Logan napped and Julie started packing. Doug & Rachael had a very enjoyable time in the pool area, with Rachael especially liking the slide. They stopped at the quiet pool near the room for a quick dip and practiced underwater somersaults, then back in the room by 7. There are no towels at the quiet pools, so they were rather wet when walking into room. Everyone changed clothes, and took the rental car to Port Orleans for dinner. We explored the resort, saw the pool area which we had heard about and then had dinner at the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. The resort was OK, but we did not like the food court area theming. Nobody liked the "big heads" watching.

Back in the car, we drove to the WL via Fort Wilderness. We were able to get into the campground area of FW, but because it was dark, were not able to see much. Drove over to the WL and as we had both the DL and WL parking permits on the dash, the guard said "Welcome Home," which we appreciated. Parked and walked into the lobby, which was just as majestic as the first time. We had brought our refillable mugs with us, so went to the RF and got them filled, then headed out to the beach area in order to watch the Electrical Water Parade one last time. We borrowed a towel from the pool area to wipe off the chairs, which were wet with condensation. The Water Parade at 9:35 was good as always. We stopped by the RF for one last refill and then back out to the car, after saying goodbye to the WL for the last time, at least this trip. We drove back to the DL without getting lost this time, and were all in bed by 10:30.

10/28/98 (Wednesday)

We were up at 8, Doug in the shower while Julie packed, then they traded. Rachael & Logan took a bath. Doug went to check out, refill his mug one last time, and take some pictures of the resort area. By 10:30, the first suitcases were ready to be taken out to the nearby car. It was a very nice morning, but was going to be hot by midday. It took four loads again, but he didn’t have to walk nearly as far as at WL. Everybody helped with the last load, we headed toward Downtown Disney (DD) by 11. Doug turned too soon off the main road and ended up in the Pleasure Island area, so had to go back around and try again. Got it right the second time around, parked the car and walked into the World of Disney Store. Lots of Disney stuff, but definitely not "everything." The advice we heard before that "if you see something you like, buy it and don’t think that it will be somewhere else later," was right on the money. Doug & Logan went back out to the car to get the camera, again with Logan riding on Doug’s shoulders. After shopping, we went to Legoland, which Rachael & Logan thought was very cool. Many of the life-size items, such as dragons, dinosaurs, space ships, workers, tourists, were build entirely out of Lego’s. They also had tons of Lego pieces and you could build your own. The most popular thing to build was a car, which you could race on a special track against the other "car designers."

We went next door to McDonalds for lunch, Doug hauled all the purchases out to the car, and then explored the rest of this portion of DD. Logan rode on a small train, then we all stopped at a bookshop and a Christmas shop. Back to Legoland for a few minutes of play, and then out to the car. Looked at the map for directions to the Belz Outlet mall, which we heard had a very large Disney store with items for a much lower price. We drove right to it but were very disappointed in the size and selection at this store. Doug bought a couple of things while Julie took Rachael & Logan out to ride on a nearby merry-go-round. We stopped for gas at an Exxon station along the way and headed toward the airport. We took the Beeline Expressway back and had to pay the $0.50 and $0.75 tolls along the way. Doug "rimmed out" one of the quarters into the toll basket, so had to scramble to find another without holding the line up too long. Followed the signs to the rental car return, parked, rented a luggage tote for $2, transferred everything to the tote, and got our final receipt from National. Hauled all the luggage across the street into the terminal, up two levels on the elevator, and to the check-in counter. Again, 7 bags checked with 5 carry-ons, although this time, all of the bags were much more tightly packed. The cart was returned and we walked to gate 74, via the monorail, which the kids still liked.

We arrived at the gate at about 4:30 for a 6 o’clock flight, so we had time to spare. Doug & Logan headed for the restroom and then got something to drink. Hurray, they actually have Pepsi here instead of all Coke products. Got back and then it was Julie & Rachael’s turn. Well, surprise, surprise, they ran into one last Disney Store and had to buy a couple of last-minute items. Finally, it was time to board. Logan slept most of the way, with Julie & Rachael catching catnaps here and there. The movie was "6 Days 7 Nights" with Harrison Ford, so that kept Doug’s interest part of the way, even without headphones. We arrived at Salt Lake and were met again by Doug’s brother, Bruce, daughter Abigail, and Doug & Bruce’s mother, who was down visiting. This was a pleasant surprise, as it was around 10 o’clock in SLC. Said our hellos and good-byes and then back on the plane. The plane from SLC to Boise was not crowded, so Julie & Logan had one row and Doug & Rachael had another, that way the kids didn’t have to fight over the window seat. One of the nice things that happened was that because of the uncrowded flight, there were extra perishable drinks (lemonade & cranapple) left over after everybody was served, so one of the flight attendants offered them to us, which we graciously accepted (Thanks, Delta!).

We arrived in Boise a little after 11 p.m. and by the time we got organized, were the last ones off the plane. Julie’s folks were probably wondering if we were on the flight at all. When we finally appeared around the corner, smiles broke out all around. We were home!!! Rented another luggage cart, gathered up all of our bags, and took them out to the car. It was a little colder in Boise, but that was not unwelcome after 2 weeks in Florida. Loaded up, said goodbye to Grammy and Grampy, and drove home. It was after midnight, so we unloaded, left everything in the middle of the living room and headed for bed, as Doug had to work the next day. It took us over a week to get everything unpacked and back to where it belonged.

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE MISSED THAT WILL BE ON OUR LIST TO DO IN THE FUTURE:

Ask for a wake up call
Look for Hidden Mickey’s
Return in early December to see the Christmas decorations and atmosphere
France movie in Epcot
China movie in Epcot
Journey into Imagination in Epcot
Horizons in Epcot
Try out some of the restaurants in Epcot
Fantasia Gardens miniature golf
Tours of WL
Conservation train in AK
Discovery Island
Walk from WL to FW
Request to be the "flag family" at WL
Attend the Campfire Program at FW
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING WL VS. DL

WL- The Wilderness Lodge is a Deluxe Resort located within a single horseshoe-shaped 7-story building with many amenities, none of which by themselves are significant, but when taken as a whole, do make a difference. The roadway entrance arch is visually pleasing and increases the anticipation as you approach the Lodge itself. The lobby demands a second (and third) look. While we had heard about possible transportation issues, we found it quite the opposite. There are multiple transportation options via walking (to FW), car, bus and boats, with one bus stop location and the busses were relatively uncrowded. When you drive up, the valets will ask if you need help unloading and the bell services were quick and efficient. There are automatic doors into the breathtaking lobby, with the check-in desk immediately on the right. The single pool area is in the central area of the lodge and is very picturesque, whether looking back at the lodge or looking out past the geyser (which erupts hourly) toward Bay Lake. Towels are provided at the pool. All of the rooms are accessed from an internal hallway and have multiple bed options, including bunk beds + a queen. All rooms have balconies and our 6th floor room looked out toward the MK, where we could see the top of Space Mountain and the Castle. In the bath area, there were towels, bars of soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, and a built in blow dryer. There were seven drawers for clothing and one large closet with a built in safe. There were also extra pillows and blankets in the closet. The shower was large and comfortable, with plenty of hot water. The TV included a remote control and had many choices of programming, including "Toon Disney," which our kids enjoyed. A complementary newspaper was delivered each morning outside our door. Although we never used it, the WL lodge does offer a kids program called the Cub’s Den. There isn’t a specific kids play area but there are plenty of places to explore on the WL grounds. The Roaring Forks Café is a little on the small side but we never had to wait too long for our food/drink. They do offer a variety of choices and two sizes of refillable mugs. There is a waterfront area on Bay Lake where they rent a variety of watercraft as well as bicycles.

DL- The Dixie Landings Resort is a Moderate Resort, very spread out with beautiful landscaping nestled along the Sassagoula River. The main building is across the river from all of the guestrooms and contains the check-in area, restaurants, snack bars, and country store. The transportation options include car, bus and a boat to the Downtown Disney area. There are four bus stops located around the perimeter of the resort with each bus stopping at all four. We found that the busses were very crowded and we had to stand many times. When you drive up, you have to ask for valet service if you would like it, but it really isn’t necessary as there is parking relatively close to all of the rooms. There is one main pool on Old Man Island and 4 quiet pools located throughout the grounds; however, only the main pool provides towels. The rooms are all entered from an outside covered walkway with no balconies. The only bed choices to sleep four were two double beds. The bath area included towels and hand/body lotion but no soap. There were 3 drawers for clothing and a large area for hanging clothes near the bathroom, along with a built in safe. We had to ask for extra pillows. The shower water was on the cold side and we had to turn the temperature all the way to the hot side to make it tolerable. The TV included a remote control, but the channel selection limited. DL has no resort sponsored kids programs, although the play area on Old Man Island is large and very "cool," as Rachael put it. The food court is large and serves a variety of decent food and they offer one size of refillable mugs. There is a rental area near the main building for some watercraft, bicycles and surrey’s.

We enjoyed the Dixie Landings very much, but if we had to do it again, we would stay at DL first, then move to the WL.

SUGGESTIONS

If you have an elementary aged child, a passport is a great opportunity for them to learn about the different "countries," both at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.
Don’t overwhelm your young children with character meetings and meals. Depending upon their age and personality, they may not react to the characters as you might think.
You may be leave feeling somewhat disappointed in the value you received at the "all you care to eat" meals. We tended to fill up after just one helping. However, some of these restaurants have an atmosphere which more than offsets this feeling.
If at all possible, stay on site.
If you are staying in the park, a rental car is not necessary. The Disney transportation will get you where you want to go, albeit maybe not as fast as you want to get there.
Make a schedule, but don’t force yourself to stick to it. Allow yourselves some spontaneity.
Keep a journal, and write in it daily. It is surprising how many of the little details fade over time. And re-reading lets you relive the whole experience all over again.
Ride the boats, they are quick, comfortable, and allow you some time to just sit back and enjoy the view.
Look for the opportunity to ride up front in the monorail, it is worth it!
Take time to look for the details at WDW, there are many and just waiting to be experienced.
There is no way to see and do everything, no matter how long you stay. Pick your opportunities.
If you don’t like Coca-Cola products, your soft-drink options on WDW property will be severely limited.
Before leaving home, buy similar shirts for the entire group with a unique identifier printed on them, i.e. name, city, state, etc. Not only do you promote something which is special to you, but also it makes it much easier to identify members of your group when you get separated.
Think twice before taking a student out of school for any significant time. Rachael had a difficult time adjusting to school again and to make up all of the work she had missed.
Don’t make Priority Seating arrangements at a time before the park is open. We met a family who almost missed their scheduled breakfast at the castle because the CM’s at the MK gate would not let them in.
FUTURE PLANS: As we had purchased Annual Passes, simply because it was the least expensive for our extended trip, it had always been in the back of our mind to return before they expired. Well, we are now planning a second trip in September of 1999. However, it is just going to be Doug and Julie this time, since we don’t want to take the kids out of school again.

Doug and Julie Smith

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