Trip Reports

Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: ASMR
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: If you like long, detailed, play-by-play trip reports, you'll LOVE this one. Kevin is from the UK, so he has a unique (for us colonists) point of view on traveling to WDW. On the other hand, with a good sized handful of kids, Kevin's family can teach us a lot about what to do and what not to do on a trip to Walt Disney World.

Weds 16th September to Thurs 1st October

Pre-Trip Plans

Having read a few pre-trip reports here on RADP I thought it might be a good idea to try one myself. I've been lurking around and occasionally posting for about 18 months now. I think I know some of you better than a few of my relatives. Some of you certainly can fight like a family. It might not be pretty at times but it makes for one hell of a good spectator sport. :-) First of all I will introduce us all.

Kevin (me) 40, incredibly handsome, very intelligent, witty, in fact all round wonderful person. Hey, I could be, you don't know. At least I didn't lie about my age. :-) I work as a Project Engineer in a local factory. It is really me that is the Disney nut and I am slowly indoctrinating my wife. I work on the Chinese water torture principle, a little at a time with amazing regularity will eventually wear her down.
Tammy, 34, still a bit of a babe. Lets hope she reads this, it might put me in the good books for a short while. :-) Oh heck, I'm fed up typing in these smiley things already. Just take everything I write with a large pinch of salt and you won't go far wrong. :-) Dammit, there goes another one. Tammy works nearly full time as a Documents Controller in another local factory. Not the same one as me, that would be pushing togetherness too far.
We have been married 12 years and live in a small town in the West of England. This will be our 5th trip to WDW together and our 2nd with the children. The children! Nearly forget them. (Don't you sometimes wish you could).
India, 7, (8 in November). A bright, happy child, she is very rarely miserable and tends to enjoy most new experiences in life. She is very clever for her age and according to her latest report has the literacy level of a 9 year old. She obviously gets this from her father's side of the family. Oh, in case you hadn't realised by now, I do have a very high opinion of myself.
Georgia, 4, (5 in October). Ah, Georgia, what can I tell you about her. Georgia is best described as a wilful child. Please do not mention the *NO* word to Georgia as it tends to produce bouts of crying interspersed with temper tantrums and sulking. Poor George, you would think she was an awful child the way I talk about her but she is actually happy most of the time and quite loving as well. She is also a very pretty little girl, now this is one thing I cannot take the credit for, comes from her mother.
The only other member of the family is Duke the dog. He, of course, has to stay at home boarding with my mother. Not that he minds, he probably gets more fuss and attention there than normal.
Now, this might seem like a lot of useless information about us all but I tend to like to know a little bit about the people involved when I read a trip report. Besides which it has a certain therapeutic quality writing about yourself. I'll bet that this is the first that all you RADPers have been used as therapists. Do you charge much?

Right, on to the proper stuff!

We will be leaving the UK on September 17th and returning on October 1st. We are staying at the All Star Music and have Unlimited Magic Passports. (This is what the UK tour companies call the Length of Stay Passes). By the way, you may have noticed that I use very few acronyms, I just think things are easier to read that way. On our previous trips we have stayed at the All Star Sports, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans and a couple of off-site motels. If we had the money it would definitely be the Wilderness Lodge for us but.......maybe next time.

What are we looking forward to?

First and foremost having a wonderful time. We are determined to take things easier than normal, relax back a little and take in the atmosphere rather than rushing around trying to fit in every ride and attraction. The length of stay passes will help here as you don't feel you are constrained by timescales and can tour at your own pace more readily.
The Animal Kingdom. All that I have read about it seems to indicate that it will be my sort of place. I like the idea of walking around and LOOKING. Hey, I'm not adverse to the odd thrill ride but what I really love about Disney is the fact that the vast majority of it can be enjoyed by all the family. If the balance swings too heavily in favour of thrill rides then I think some of the unique Disney magic will be lost. Not that I'm getting older or anything, you understand.
Meeting Ronnie! We are all getting together for a meal in the Biergarten on the last full day of our holiday which will be the first day of hers. Having e-mailed each other for a while now she fully understands how daft I am so the reality should not come as too much of a shock for her. She is such a nice lady that I am sure that she will endure us with great fortitude. I think I may even manage a beer or two in celebration. Purely to be sociable, you understand. By the way, Ronnie, sorry for making you number 3 in the things we are looking forward to list, a typing error only. You know you are the top of the list really. Mines a large Becks, thank you.
Attending an RADP meet! Laurie S. (TDC Tink) is arranging a meeting and we are all looking forward to this whenever and wherever it is. If you are attending and see this awkward looking British family stood off to one side please come and talk to us. We have all got RADP pins and are going to wear them whenever we are in the parks. I am really interested to see if anyone recognizes them.
Fantasmic! Please let the soft openings be open to everyone. At the present time there seems to be some confusion as to wether it will be for Annual Passholders only. If anyone from Disney is reading this please consider your overseas visitors. We are every bit as passionate in our love for the parks but the distances involved make it impractical to have an Annual Passport.
Rock 'n Rockets. We have tickets for the fireworks festival on the 25th of September with the B52's. This should be some sort of event and it seemed like a good opportunity to take the girls to their first concert.
Boardwalk. We are going to Gullivers to use our $50 dollar coupon from Rita Aeros book, then on to a night out at the Boardwalk with the girls spending a couple of hours in the kids club at the Boardwalk Inn. I am particularly looking forward to Jellyrolls but, with a voice like mine, it might not be so pleasant for other patrons that night.
Food. This is Tammy's area of expertise really. We have Priority Seating for 'Ohanas, Artist Point (this time the long suffering children will be hived off to the Cubs Den) and the Rose and Crown, after all, I have to have a real pint of beer sometime during my stay. Tammy has all sorts of plans to eat desserts until they come out of her ears. Beaches and Cream had better prepare itself for an all out attack. Please note that extra staff will be required to man the counter at the Main Street Bakery. I will endeavour to punctuate her all out attempt to break the record for most food stuff consumed on one trip by dragging her away to ride something every now and again.
Pleasure Island. Now, I know this is a hot potato on the newsgroup with pretty much a 50/50 split between people that regard this as a family night out and people who think that this is an inappropriate place for children. Well if you are in the latter group then, sorry, but my two little horrors are hitting the Island at full speed. After they have been there for an hour or two there may be many who will feel that it is an inappropriate place for adults! Seriously, I see nothing wrong in children enjoying an evening out at Pleasure Island as long as they don't stay too late, say 10:00. I have read people say such things as 'You would'nt take you child to a bar at home, would you?' ......erm, well yes I would actually. I don't know if is a cultural differance or not but the pub in the UK is very much viewed as a meeting place and it is becoming far more widespread for children to be accepted in these places, especially if a meal is being eaten. Let me just say in my defence that I do agree that past a certain time it is better for younger children not to be present but to assume that just because somewhere serves alcohol then it will provide a negative experience for the child is somewhat dangerous. I believe if a child is brought up to understand that drinking is a social activity that is acceptable when confined within certain limits then he or she will have a far more balanced outlook when it comes to the time when they are old enough to make their own decisions. Stigmatise it or ban it and rebellion is sure to follow. My children love to dance and have fun and India in particular will love the Adventurers Club (she has been there before) but I will, of course, exercise the same parental judgement at Pleasure Island as I would anywhere else, that is if I think the climate is unsuitable then we will leave. Whew, sorry to rabbit on for so long but I had to get that off my chest. Good looking and long winded, what woman could want more.
OK. We've had the good things now what about the bad things. What we are worried about?

LOUD NOISES. If you have ever been to Walt Disney World with children then you will probably know what I am talking about. Everything is soooooo loud. From the music to the fireworks there is an enormous fright factor for young children. Surprising really, my two spend half their lives running around screaming their heads off but as soon as something is louder than them they don't like it. I think India will be ok but Georgia may just go off the deep end once or twice. I am trying to head off any potential disasters by taking ear plugs with us, to be brought out only if all else fails.
The plane journey. Again, you have to experience 9 hours on a plane with 2 young children to appreciate the hell on earth (in the sky?) that this can be. Preventative measures have been taken, toys, books, games etc but if you are on the 10:30 Caladonian flight from Gatwick on September 17th and half way through the journey people are begging the stewardess for a parachute then you know that we have failed. Which brings me nicely on to....
The journey home. Same as the journey out but with the added pain of knowing you are leaving WDW far behind. Actually I usually find the journey back better than the journey out as we travel back overnight and most children sleep at least part of the way.
Trying to get the girls to take a nap in the afternoon. Think of one of those joke tins where you take the lid off and a fake snake leaps out at you. That is what it is like when India and Georgia get up in the morning. Now think what it is like trying to force that snake back in the tin again. That is what it will be like trying to force them to have a sleep in the afternoon. OK, I am exaggerating slightly, Georgia will sleep if she is tired enough but India will be more of a problem. We are going to take a stroller because I know how the distances sap the strength in little legs so they will all just have to push me around whether they like it or not.
Our trip report. This is really a worry for you lot in RADP land. Not having written a trip report before I am going to jump in with both feet when I get back. You may have noticed that brevity is not one of my strong points so you could be in for boredom on an unrecognised scale.
Well, I think I have finally reached the end (hey, there is no need to show that much elation). If you have stuck with it to the end then you have either enjoyed it or you are a masochist. If it is the former then I am very pleased and if it is the latter take 20 lashes, you deserve it.

Finally thanks to everyone on the group for providing me with both entertainment and information over the last 18 months. Maybe we will see some of of you soon!

DAY 1. WEDS 16th SEPT:

Well, we have returned and depression has set in. Now, if I'm going to be depressed then all of you have to suffer too, so here is the start of our very long and incredibly tedious trip report. A word of warning. Don't read this in bed, it's better than any sleeping pill.

We are going to stay overnight at a hotel by the airport as it prevents a really early start tomorrow and adds an extra day to the holiday. We pack up the car and leave our West Country home at 10:00, stopping to drop off the dog, Duke, at my mothers. We all line up to say goodbye to him but he is more interested in the bone he has been given as way of compensation. Flippin' ungrateful hound. He will probably get more fuss and attention staying with my mother than he normally gets at home so don't feel too sad for him.

We stop for lunch with Tammy's Godmother who lives quite close to Gatwick airport and in her garden she shows us a little visitor she often gets. Lying on her lawn is a small deer. Wow, imagine having your very own Bambi. She tells us that it does have it's downside as the deer eat everything in sight, including the rose bushes.

Off to the Ramada Hotel at 3:00. It is a lovely sunny day, which is just as well considering the weather that we have to come. More of that later. We have a swim in the indoor pool and a soak in the hot tub, Georgia finally enjoys herself after a brief tantrum because we do not have her armbands We then get the car out and drive into the airport for a look quick look around, mostly to get in the holiday spirit and a beer in a pub. Back to the Ramada where Tammy takes the girls up to the room to watch her soaps while I retire to the bar for a pint or two while I watch football on the TV. Man Utd 3 Barcelona 3, in case you are interested. You're not? Oh, sorry. By the way, the lawn areas at the Ramada are teeming with rabbits. Bambi and Thumper in one day! All the females are in bed by the time I get back to the room. Georgia wakes up once in the night as it is quite dark in the room and her state of mind has not been helped by India who was apparently whispering to her about monsters just before they went to sleep. Older sisters, eh. Overall thoughts on the Ramada (in case you are English and thinking of staying there), not bad and at £110 for a family room with two weeks free parking it is fairly good value. I think we may try somewhere else next time, though.

Right, that's the first day finished. Now I know it had nothing directly to do with Disney but stick with me here, this is just scene setting. Besides this is MY trip report and if you don't like it then a large raspberry to you. :-)

DAY 2 - THURS 17th SEPT.

I wake up at 5:30 mostly due to a bad shoulder that I have had for some time. I would like to say that it is a sports injury, old war wound or something equally macho, unfortunately it is due to excessive computer use both at work and at home. I get up and walk around the hotel for an hour then return to the room at 6:30 when everyone else gets up. Shuttle bus to airport. We check in 3 hours before the flight. An attempt by me to get them to take Georgia in the hold with the other luggage is thwarted. Curses! After breakfast we go through to the departure lounge where the annual holiday ritual in the duty free shop takes place. The testing of the fragrances. Tammy tries so she gets a headache and forgets which one she likes best, while I have such a variety of smells on me that flies drop dead as I pass. After choosing something or other we board the Caledonian DC10 at 10:00 and eventually take off at 11:00, half an hour late.

5 mins after take off Georgia asks 'Are we at Disneyworld yet?' This does not bode well. We have 3 films on the plane Deep Impact (which Tammy and I have already seen) Hercules (hooray!) and Shooting Fish which really help to pass the time. The food is also very good. We get a main meal, an ice cream to eat while watching the films and a cream tea with scone, jam and clotted cream. I think I could recommend Caledonian to anyone. After all my fears the girls are actually very good on the flight. We arrive at Sanford in a storm and the last few minutes of the flight are a little bumpy. I can tell this not only from the movement of the plane but also by the shade of white that Tammy's knuckles have turned.

We disembark on to a bus in the pouring rain and the short sprint from the plane leaves us soaked. Customs is the next hurdle and we wait in a queue for 1 ¼ hours. Thanks a lot Sanford. By the time get through customs we have no trouble retrieving the luggage, in fact mine has started to gather dust! Car collection is another time consuming process and we finally clear the airport at 5:00.

Enough moaning. We are off down the Greenway which is fine and takes us straight into Disneyworld , after a few tolls. The only thing I miss about coming down I4 or 192 is that there are no wonderful signs to tell us we have arrived. Drive passed the new Macdonalds (hmm...very strange looking place) and into the All Star Music. Check-in is very smooth and we are allocated a room in Calypso, 2nd floor, courtyard view just as we requested. Thank you Disney. If you want to be close to the food hall, shop and bus stops then this is the building for you. Our room was fine for the whole holiday, we had absolutely no problem with noise.

Unpack, then straight on the bus to Epcot. I don't know if I mentioned it but we have length of stay passes. It is, of course, still raining and I am beginning to wonder if we have made the right decision as Georgia falls asleep on the bus. India is very excited and Georgia wakes up as we exit the bus and make our way to the main gate. Our first close up view of Spaceship Earth is, as always, stunning. It is an amazing sight at night as you look up at this huge purple, shining ball hanging above you. No lines, we can't resist, we're on! The girls enjoy it, except Georgia is not keen on the men with the funny faces. We eventually work out that she means the audioanimatronic actors with the tragic masks. Outside to briefly watch the dancing fountain. Two beautiful views within 15 mins, not bad eh? Now, I don't care what you all think, this is MY fountain and India will challenge anyone who says it isn't. We get something to eat in the Electric Umbrella. By the way, I will probably not mention what we actually eat unless it is an exceptional meal. Too many hot dogs otherwise.

We leave at 8:30 to avoid the crowds. The girls have now been up since 6:30 UK time and it is now the equivalent of 2:00 am. Neither has complained very much, it must be the excitement. On the way back to the room we stop to buy the refillable mugs, excellent value for money, especially if you are staying 2 weeks. The girls are in bed at 10:00. Someone must hit them over the head while I am in the loo (sorry, bathroom) because when I come back out they are out to the world.

Except for the weather and the delays at Sanford airport an excellent start to the holiday.

DAY 3 - FRI 18th SEPT

A combination of the time difference and my bad shoulder has me awake at 4:30. Everyone else wakes up at various times until we are out of bed by 6:00. Weather is overcast again and the forecast is for rain for the next 3 or 4 days. Hey, if I wanted miserable weather I would have stayed at home.

We shower then go to the food court for breakfast. The girls chose big sticky cinnamon buns, oh well, they are on holiday, nutrition will have to take a back seat for a couple of weeks. In the car and off to Publix on 192 to get a few essentials. Beer, cereal, beer, squeeze breeze, beer and postcards. Trouble is, have we got enough beer? At this point I should say that it is a drawback not having a fridge in the room but I am not paying $6 a day as this adds up to a lot of money over a 14 day stay. This could jeopardise the purchase of other more important items such as.......ooh, I don't know, beer perhaps!

Back in the car and off to Sea World. We have not been here for about 5 years but I find that it is quite a relaxing park to do first as it allows you to move at a more leisurely pace between large shows and attractions, not having to worry too much about lines. We are ready for the opening at 9:00 and head straight for Journey to Atlantis which doesn't start running until 9:30, which defeats the object of being there for the rope drop somewhat. Tammy chickens out and takes Georgia off to see the manatees but India decides to ride with me. Brave girl! This is a fun ride but not a patch on Splash Mountain which seems to be the nearest Disney equivalent. My main problem with it is that it seems that it's number one priority is to get you wet. Not just damp but absolutely soaked! We were in the front of the boat and after the big drop you come around a corner to a very small drop whereupon a wave engulfs the boat. no kidding we were wet from head to foot, I had to wring out my t-shirt and empty the water from my trainers. It is probably worse in the front but I saw people all day coming off it drenched. Never mind, onward. After the Penguin Encounter we go to Pacific Point Preserve. This is very pleasant watching the seals and sea lions waiting none too quietly to be fed by fish buying tourists. It is a nicely themed area with many of the seals lining the edge of the pool hollering and barking to be fed. Reminds me of meal times in the Stringer household.

We move on to Shamu Stadium where we get ice creams and drinks and sit down to wait for the show. As I wait a man comes up and asks if I want to be in the show. He says that I may get a bit wet and then gets me to sign a disclaimer. Now, I may be a bit daft but I am not stupid, I can see another soaking coming. My worst fears are confirmed when he stands up and says 'The fool..... er, gentleman is going to do it!' (Thanks to Blazing Saddles for that joke). It is a sort of men v women thing with the men being set up as the fall guys. (Isn't that typical of life in general, eh guys). As expected I end up soaked but I get to stroke a killer whale and is well worth it for that alone. I also get given a towel.

The girls are itching to play in Shamu's Happy Harbour which is a play area for children. They spend a very happy hour or so while I go off to get us lunch. This is a great place to let children blow off steam, about the only place Disney has on a par with this is the Boneyard in the Animal Kingdom.

We head over to the Hospitality Center for our free beer, just the one, I'm driving. At this point it starts raining and doesn't stop for the rest of the night. While we sit and drink our beer we get chatting to a friendly, elderly American couple and it turns out that in the war he was stationed a few miles from where we live. Small world isn't it.

After a few more shows we go to Wild Arctic. This will be a test for Georgia as she has not been on a simulator ride before. She comes through with flying colours, which is more than can be said for her father who feels a bit green afterwards. I do get slight motion sickness so always avoid Body Wars but never seem to have a problem with Star Tours. I was a bit concerned about the polar bear we saw there. (Wild Arctic that is, not Star Tours). It was on its own in an area that did not seem that big and was swimming back and forth in a very repetitive manner. For all of you that criticise the Animal Kingdom because you do not see all the animals on the safari, please stop to think that it is better for the animal to be able to roam freely. You may or may not be able to see it every time you ride but isn't this a small concern when compared to the animals welfare? There is always plenty to see so what does it matter if you don't see a lion or cheetah, maybe the next time you will be lucky.

We see Shamu Rocks America at 7:00 then head for the exit as the park closes. Georgia is in the stroller we brought with us. This turns out to be a mixed blessing as we hoped she would only use it when she was tired but she wanted to be in it everyday from dawn 'til dusk. It was just easier to let her have her way on this one in order to be able to move around faster.

Back to the All Star Music and straight to bed for the girls at 9:00. Tammy and I follow soon after.

DAY 4 - SAT 19th SEPT

We all get up around 6:30. All these early mornings must come to an end soon. Mickey rings with an alarm call at 7:00 and we get India to answer it. Today is early entry into the Magic Kingdom and fireworks tonight. Unfortunately there is no Spectromagic the whole 2 weeks we are here, not very fair, you would think they could run it at least once a week even in off season. We plan to hit the Magic Kingdom for a short while until it gets crowded and then zip across to Epcot before returning for the fireworks at night.

We have breakfast in the room. This is something we do most mornings as it saves the expense of a meal and allows us to get ready quicker. A nice cup of coffee in the never full mug helps perk us up too. Georgia insists on fizzy orange every morning which might not do her teeth much good but at least keeps her happy. If you happen to see a toothless, yet smiling, young girl, you will know why. On to the bus at 7:30. Wait a minute, what is this strange, bright object in the sky? Yahoo! Dry and hot.

We head straight for Fantasyland to allow Georgia to do the one thing she has been looking forward to since we arrived. Dumbo. Her father has to miss the ride to look after all the equipment. Nothing to do with the fact that it goes round and round, you understand. Georgia loves it and India enjoys it because she gets to ride on her own. The Carousel is next, which I ride and survive intact, thank you very much for your concern. Peter Pan is better than I remember, those mermaids are good looking! Georgia comes through her first dark ride with no problem. Things are going too well, I am waiting for the first disaster. Georgia does not want to do Snow White as we have told her about the witch so Tammy and I take turns to ride with India.

It's a Small World has Georgia and India singing and Kevin cringing. No, that's not fair, this ride is too easy to take a pop at. It almost seems like it is not fashionable to say you like it, but along with the Carousel of Progress it is probably the finest example of old style Disney.

Sorry to upset all you Toad fans but Tammy has a quiet snigger as we pass the boards hiding the new Pooh ride. She never did like poor old Toad, I always felt sort of neutral about it.

The first showing of the Lion King is about to start so in we go. This is the first real goose bump moment of the holiday. The dark theatre, the first few bars of the Circle of Life and the film always make for a special feeling.

Let me state here and now that this is it! This is what we came thousands of miles for. Not Florida, (lovely as it is) not Sea World and certainly not the weather. DISNEY. More specifically Walt Disney World. The music, the smell, the cleanliness, the flowers, the CM's. It isn't just the rides or shows, it is the FEEL. An intangible, unexplainable phenomenon. I have to say that despite the doom and gloom that I often read by contributors to this newsgroup I see very little evidence of decline, it is as wonderful as ever.

The park is now beginning to fill up so we head to the Main Street Bakery where we buy ice cream cookie sandwiches which we eat in seclusion in the waterside park looking at the castle. Funny how children have a strange ability to cover at least 50% of uncovered flesh with any available foodstuff. Thank goodness for wet wipes.

We leave the Magic Kingdom and head for Epcot. Our attempts to ride in the front of the monorail are declined due to staff training in progress but our trip is fun anyway, especially as you circle Spaceship Earth. As we go in I am strangely drawn to ride the old ball but I'm outnumbered and dragged off to Journey Into Imagination which I ride with India and Georgia as Tammy thinks this is silly. At this point I feel I have to apologise for marrying a woman with no soul. Ouch! (She has, however, retained a pretty good left hook.) I'm glad that we rode it before the rehab started, it has always been one of my favourite attractions. Tammy is off into Honey I Shrunk the Audience and is disappointed when she does not feel the mice. (Hah! the spirits from Imagination have their revenge.) The girls have fun in the Image Works with India looking like a demented conductor playing the light orchestra thing. I go into Honey I Shrunk the Audience (India doesn't want to do it after a nasty experience with a large snake on our last trip) which I really enjoy but I never really see many of the 3D effects. I probably only see about 30% of them in any 3D attraction. The only exception to this is the old Magic Journeys film which I thought had the greatest effects I have ever seen, pity about the storyline. By the way, Tammy really likes the True Colors pre-show, which just goes to show that she does possess some sort of emotional and spiritual depth, no matter how shallow and warped. Ouch! (The right hooks not bad either.)

(No it's not so much the pictures I like as that tune - sad as it may seem it gives me the Disney goosebumps like Circle of Life and Oh Canada) - Tammy

Well, I knew it was all going too well. Here comes the rain again. We rush over to the Land. The Circle of Life is interesting, if a little simplistic. Timon and Pumba help to keep the children interested. (Me too if the truth be known.) Food Rocks is next, something that I am never that fussed about. Anyone that ever heard 'fruit, fruit, veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit' will know what I mean. The girls think that it is great fun, however. Living With the Land is one of Tammy's favourite rides, she loves to see everything growing and is always amazed to see the cotton and peanuts, after all, these are exotic plants to us people from rainy old England.

(One day I will do The Land Tour - just never enough hours in a Disney day!) :Tammy

A decision now has to be made. Do we have a quick, late lunch or opt for the character dining meal in the Garden Grill. The rain decides for us. As we sit in our booth slowly rotating with a table full of food, a pitcher of beer and 2 excited children straining to see Mickey and Minnie, I know we have made the right choice. By the way, we walk straight in at 3:00. First the food: very good, including barbecued chicken, beef, cat fish, corn bread, fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. Of course Georgia gets her regulation french fries, not that she eats much, too excited. India eats quite a bit, it's funny, the whole trip either one was eating well or the other but never both at the same time. The characters are Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale. The girls have an absolute whale of a time, Georgia is giggling fit to burst when Minnie tickles her. The girls get their autograph books signed, (I made them books with the characters name and picture on each page, which seemed to go down well and attracted quite a few comments, not from Mickey, of course, but he made his thoughts known.) and there are many happy pictures and videotape used. As Tammy said, the look of delight on their faces makes you realise that all the planning and saving is worth it. As we leave I see 2 chipmunks, oh, it's ok, it's Chip and Dale together. thought I'd overdone the beer there for a moment. The characters have been round about 4 times each, one of the advantages in dining at a quiet time.

A brief look around Innoventions, a quick ride on Spaceship Earth (see, got them on there eventually) and we go off back to the room. We had planned for a longer break but time is short as usual so a brief 45 min nap, shower and then back to the Magic Kingdom. Wonder of wonders, the evening is lovely. Dry and balmy. We stake out a place to watch the fireworks to the right of the castle on one of the paths just off the hub. At this point both Tammy and I notice how beautiful the castle is looking. Bathed in changing pastel colours, the face lift has done this lady proud. Tink flies and the fireworks erupt in all their glory. This has to be one of the defining moments of any Disney holiday, watching great chrysanthemums of colour burst above the castle. Georgia copes quite well but India seems to think that crouching on the ground will make them quieter. She still watches though.

A walk through Tomorrowland and a ride on the TTA are fitted in before closing. Tammy is undecided on whether or not she will ride Space Mountain later in the week. A hot dog, fries and coke at Casey's Corner top up the stomachs and we exit to find very long queues for the buses. I think 'this is going to take ages' but after a couple of buses the infamous cattle truck turns up, tooting it's horn to cheers from the assembled throng. Now, I didn't know what to expect but from some of the things I had read I was anticipating the ride from hell. Far from it, this was very little different from a normal bus and we were on our way within 15 mins of lining up. As Hades would say 'Two thumbs, waaay up'.

Back and bed at 11:00. The girls are a bit fractious, probably over tired.

DAY 5 - SUN 25th SEPT (or rain, rain and more rain)

Up early again at 7:30. Quick breakfast and on the bus to the Animal Kingdom. The only problem is, as we get off the bus, it starts to rain. It is grey, overcast and miserable. Tammy and I look at each other. This is not how we want to see Disney's new park. A quick decision is taken and an about turn sees us waiting for the bus to Epcot. As we wait we see the bus for the Contemporary, so we hop on and get the monorail from there. Ask to ride in the front again but this time we are told we cannot because they have just stopped allowing passengers to ride with the driver due to bad weather! We never did get to ride up front, ah well, something to be top of the list on the next trip.

In Epcot we head for the Universe of Energy, basically trying to hit all the things that mean we can spend a lot of time inside. I prefer this latest version with Ellen although it probably wouldn't stand too many repeat visits. The dinosaurs are fun as always and the girls cope well with the noise and dark.

A quick hop to the Wonders of Life sees Tammy going on Body Wars while the girls and I play around on the interactive exhibits. Goofy is in attendance dressed as a tennis player so photos and autographs follow. We intend to have a photo with every character so that they can put them into their autograph books to provide a long term momento.

We have an early lunch of chicken caesar salad and waffle with bananas and raspberry sauce then go into the Making of Me. Tammy has already had a little talk with India so we get no awkward questions but I learn a thing or two and keep on at Tam for the rest of the day. 'But how do the tadpoles get to the egg, eh, Tam, eh?' She says she will show me tonight. Does this mean we will have to watch a film again?

Cranium Command is fun, as ever and has me shouting 'Shape up, Scuzzy' at the girls all day. Tammy is hoping that the Odyssey restaurant will be open as she harbours fond memories of coconut cream pie from a trip 5 years ago. It seems a shame to see this building not in use.

On to Horizons which is starting to look like it is in need of a rehab before we seem to run out of steam in the dreary conditions and decide to head back to the hotel. Apparently the bad weather is caused by a tropical storm out to the west and on top of that Hurricane Georges is waiting out to the east. Trust our luck, plan a trip for 18 months and hit 2 storms in one go. They say on the TV that Georges may be worst hurricane since Hugo and we were in Florida for that. If you e-mail me I will tell you next time we have a trip planned and you can avoid being there at the same time as us, I think we must be a jinx. You would think that we would be used to the rain coming from the UK but the main problem in Florida is - how do you dress for it? It is so hot outside that you can't overdress and those ponchos make you sweat but if you wear shorts and a t-shirt and get wet, the air conditioned rides are uncomfortably cold. Our poor maid must have suffered during our first week having to clamber around drying shoes and socks.

Anyway back at the room we all have a nice rest before showering and heading off to the Poly for our 7:30 Priority Seating at 'Ohanas. We arrive early for a look around. We have been to the Poly before but it seems nicer this time. The girls enjoy looking around the waterfall and seeing the parrots and I enjoy a beer. We are shown to our table and seated after'Aloha's' to one and all. Funny, I never knew I had so many cousins. At this point I should mention that most of the meal information comes from Tammy's trip notes. Mine says something like 'Had nice meal' while Tammy goes into chapter and verse about every course and every piece of food. So here is what we had, courtesy of my greedy wife. Tammy starts with a Parrot Cocktail made of amerretto and cherry brandy amongst other things. It comes with a little glass parrot mixing stick and one cocktail umbrella. Oh dear, one of anything is bad news when you have two daughters. I ask the waiter if we can have another umbrella for daughter number two and he returns with a cup full of them! Good man. I stick with the beer, why change the habit of a lifetime? The all-you-can-eat menu begins with pork dumplings and vegetable spring rolls. The dumplings are delicious but we don't ask for more because we have seen what is to come. The main course is served on a lazy susan ( I am assured by Tammy that this is the correct culinary term, looked like a turntable to me) and comprises chicken baked in a banana leaf, lightly smoked salmon, oak grilled turkey breast, king prawns and mesquite grilled steak. The meats are barbecued over a large flaming pit in the centre of the restaurant and are brought to your table on long skewers. If this all sounds nice, let me tell you, it tasted better. For dessert we have fresh pineapple covered in caramel sauce. During the meal the children are organised in a game where they have to push a coconut around a pathway using a broom. India takes part and has fun but Georgia is a little too shy. She's not too shy to get some sweets that all the children are given after the game though. The only bad thing about the whole evening is that Georgia had a child's meal of hot dog and fries but was still charged $8.95, the same as if she had the full menu. Oh well, you can't let little things like that upset you when you are on holiday. The whole meal costs $94 including tax and tip and a couple of beers. It really is more of a dining experience than just a meal and the girls go around saying 'Aloha' for the next day or two.

We are finished by 9:00 so we wander down to the covered dock (it is still raining) to watch the Electric Water Pageant, which is nice to watch if you happen to be around when it is on. I would not make a specific journey to see it.

Our journey back is a bit long winded. We take the monorail to the TTC, I know we could have walked but we are feeling lazy. The bus to Downtown Disney and then the bus back to the All Star Music. Should have taken a taxi. Ah well, live and learn. Bed at 11:00.

By the way, Tammy does show me about the tadpoles back in the room. She uses a notebook and diagrams to explain all. So THAT'S how it happens! I still don't believe her though, I've seen the stork in Dumbo and this seems much more likely to me.

DAY 6 - MON 21st SEPT

Sleep in until 8:00. Have you noticed we are getting later every day in getting up? Probably a good thing, you can't push the little ones too hard. The weather looks more promising so we clamber on the bus to the MGM Studios at 9:00. I love the way all 4 parks seem to welcome you in. The Magic Kingdom is Main Street with it's view of the castle and at the Studios it's the walk up Hollywood Boulevard towards the Chinese Theatre. The background music adds to the atmosphere. We head straight for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid which the girls enjoy, trying to catch the bubbles. I know lots of people like the big rides but really this is the type of attraction that Disney does like no one else.

On to the Great Movie Ride, cowboy side. Once again the girls are good, not minding the dark or the alien scene but India is on the floor with her fingers in her ears for the gunfight at the bank. They both love the Wizard of Oz, I still get amazed by the Wicked Witch, this must be the best audioanimatronic figure in any of the parks.

We hurry across to the Hunchback of Notre Dame and just get in before the start. We are seated a couple of rows from the front on the left hand side with a small child sat behind us causing havoc for most of the show. His parents don't seem the least bit worried at his antics, if it was one of my children acting like that I would be most embarrassed and do my utmost to try and prevent them spoiling everyone else's pleasure. We will definitely see this show again. Having said all that, this show was brilliant. All the leading players were superb, their voices were so strong it sent shivers up and down my spine several times. It was also interesting to see how they dealt with sections of the story that must have been very difficult to fit into a stage show.

(I particularly like the effects of the houses burning and the cauldron spilling fire onto the floor below. Also the fact that the costumes are so bright and vibrant: - Tammy)

Star Tours is next This is India's favourite attraction, she rides this as often as she can. Even I can ride this, as many people have written, it does not bother me in the same way as Body Wars. Poor Georgia does not like this very much and is crying softly to herself half way through, I get the impression she has been putting on a brave front on some of the rides up to yet and it is starting to tell on her. We will be careful about the things she goes on from now on. Partly because Georgia is a bit upset we stop for an early lunch of hot dogs and fries at the Backlot Express. On to Muppetvision 4D, which we arrive at just as it is about to start so we miss the pre-show. Both the girls like this. My favourite is the Swedish chef, probably because we both make the same amount of sense to people. A dash across to Beauty and the Beast sees us enter the theatre just as it starts and just as the rain begins to pour down. We are under cover but, unfortunately, the stroller isn't and is full of water when we leave. The Mulan parade is cancelled due to the weather and we never did get to see it.

We return to the hotel and because the rain is not too bad we have our first swim of the holiday. Like most small children the girls love the water. India can swim about 10 yards, not enough to go anywhere out of her depth, but Georgia cannot swim at all and so has one of the Disney life jackets. It is quite funny to see her bobbing along with her long blonde hair floating behind her and her head sticking out from the top of the jacket.

We get dressed up to go out as tonight is Priority Seating at Gullivers followed by an evening on the Boardwalk. We get the bus to MGM, then the boat to the Swan and Dolphin. This is the first time that I have looked around these hotels and they are both very nice. Now, if I can just work out how to get the money to stay here for 2 weeks....... As we leave the Dolphin, Tammy is walking ahead of us as the girls and I are looking at a model of the hotels. As she leaves a lady on the door gives her a Mickey poncho, it is still raining, of course. I think 'Wow, that's nice, giving away ponchos because of the rain' and when the girls and I exit we pause by the lady. 'Are you with the convention?' she asks. Ooops! No we are not, so no ponchos. I can see how she thought Tammy was though as she is dressed up in a short black evening dress, looking even more foxy than usual. I guess a father in t-shirt with two small children in tow is less likely to be a conventioneer. When we get outside I tell Tammy about the poncho and we consider going back in and giving it back but are too embarrassed. If anyone from Disney is reading this, I am only too willing to return it to you, just send me the flight ticket and I will be there. I don't feel too bad later in the evening when we see piles of the ponchos at the doors to the night-clubs that have been left by people.

On to Gullivers for 6:30 seating. This place is supposed to be a giant bird cage with a huge domed ceiling. It is very nice but feels a little cold. (As in atmosphere not temperature.) This is a character meal and Rafiki and Timon circulate. Timon is great fun and makes a noise a little bit like a small raspberry when things do not go right. When he reaches us the girls want autographs so the pen comes out. Unfortunately it falls to bits in Timon's hand. Raspberry. Tammy fixes it and it falls apart again. Raspberry. Fixed again, Timon keeps turning the pen off as the button is on the top. Raspberry. Raspberry. Raspberry. Of course, by this time the girls are laughing themselves silly. Eventually we sort things out and have our meal. (Reverting quickly to Tammy's notes for details of meal.) Tammy has lamb in marsala sauce, rice pilaff and stuffed tomato. I have fillet mignon, jacket potato and stuffed tomato and we split a side order of garlic mashed potato. The food is very good. Total including 2 child's meals, 2 milk shakes, 3 beers, (hey, Tammy had one of them) 1 Sprite tax and tip was $100. The $50 dollar coupon is accepted with no problem at all. I think that this place is very good value with the coupon but I don't think we would make a return visit without it.

After leaving us Timon crept up behind a young girl on the next table. After he left she leant across to me and asks 'Are you Kevin?' It turns out to be Molly, Beth and Gary Hodges' daughter. Beth and I had swapped e-mail and knew we were going to be eating in Gullivers at the same time but what are the chances of being seated right next to each other? This is the first time we have met anybody from RADP (despite wearing our pins every time we are in the parks) and if everybody is as nice as Beth and her family then we will be very lucky. We discuss where we have been and what we plan to do and all too soon we have finished our meal so we say our goodbyes and leave for the Boardwalk. By the way Beth, Molly struck us as being very confident and intelligent, you should be very proud.

We drop the girls off at the Boardwalk Harbour Kids Club at 8:00. Although it is quite well equipped with games, videos, toys etc. we are not all that impressed with this place. It is not helped by the elderly lady that books the girls in. She isn't exactly unfriendly, just not particularly welcoming. I would expect somebody more outgoing and happy to be in charge of a children's club. At least I can control the children for the rest of the holiday with threats of returning them to the strange old lady at the Boardwalk!

Anyway, Tammy and I go off to the Atlantic Dance Club. Strangely, there is no one on the door as we enter. Straight to the bar and after a couple of minutes we are served, but we have been looking around and realise something is not quite right. Everybody is reasonably well dressed and they are wearing name tags, then the DJ announces that the general public will be allowed in after 9:00! We are in the middle of an automotive convention. It is now 8:30, we have just bought a drink, so what would you do? We decided to brazen it out. I don't think that I fit in very well with my bright orange t-shirt, jeans and RADP badge proudly displayed but nobody comes to throw us out. After 9:00 the swing band comes on, they are very good and a few people are dancing with one couple standing out. They are very good and seem to keep going non-stop with some very energetic dancing. Never mind sports or jogging, this must keep you really fit.

As we are to pick the girls up at 10:00 we decide to leave and go to Jellyrolls but with the cover charge of $6 we decide it will not be worthwhile for 30 mins. (Something else to save until our next trip.) Instead we sit outside the brewery and have a beer between us. It has just stopped raining and there are very few people about so it is very pleasant to sit and look out over the water with the lights from the Yacht and Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin twinkling in the distance. I try to take some video but there is condensation on the lens. This is a problem that I found all holiday. When the camcorder had been in the room overnight in cool, relatively dry atmosphere and you took it out into the hot, humid Florida air, then condensation would form all over it and I had to wait for a couple of hours for it to acclimatise again before I could use it.

We pick up the girls from the Wicked Witch of the West. They have not had a bad time, just not a very good time. It has cost $20 for the 2 of them for 2 hours.

(When we picked them up they were snuggled up under blankets watching a Disney video with some other children - so they looked happy enough: Tammy)

We all have a wander around the Boardwalk and then go into the Boardwalk Inn for a look around. Now this place is impressive. I never really thought about it as one of the places we would like to stay at before but I would definitely like to now. I can see why it costs so much to stay here.

We have learnt from our previous night and decide to take a taxi back. The lady on the front desk calls out to the front and they say there is already a taxi waiting, so off we go to the All Star Music. It costs $8, including tip.

Tammy lets the girls have a few minutes in the games room before we all go to bed at 11:00.

The next part will follow soon, if you can bear to read something written by a poncho stealing, gate crashing family. Oh, the shame of it all.

DAY 7 - TUES 22nd SEPT

The girls and I get up at 8:00. Tammy has been up since 6:30 and has collected the coffee from the food court. Now you may think she is being a saint, getting up early and cosseting the family but I know her secret agenda. She has been having a sneaky Cherry Danish! Didn't bring one back for me, either. (mumble, grumble.)

The weather is foggy but not too bad, so off to the Magic Kingdom.

We aim straight for Splash Mountain. Georgia says she wants to do this even after seeing the drop. I realise we have made a mistake after the second small drop when the wants to get off. She survives, of course, but is frightened. We had to buy the picture, the look on her face is pure terror. India enjoys it, which is good as this is the first time she has ridden too. Tammy is pleased that India likes Splash Mountain as this means she won't have to ride it again this trip as India is shaping up into my ride buddy.

On to Big Thunder Mountain which is India's second favourite ride. After her fright Georgia does not want to ride so we do the baby swap with India riding twice.

Pirates of the Caribbean is next, which we all come through without any problem. On to the Swiss Family Treehouse which is looking very smart after the rehab. Georgia is having a little sulk and is not keen on having to walk around the treehouse, so a sit down in the Tiki Room seems like a good idea.

I have to say that I think the New Tiki Room is a big improvement. It was in need of modernising. I have read that some people think it will date very quickly but I would think that once the audioanimatronic figures are in place it would be fairly easy to re-programme a new soundtrack in the future.

A rest break for coke and cappuccino floats later, we are off to the Country Bear Jamboree. Georgia falls asleep but I don't think that this is a critical appraisal of the show on her behalf.

Now, I know you must all be a bit concerned that everything must be drying out, after all we haven't seen any rain for at least 5 hours. Fret no more, here it comes again. We jump on the riverboat for once around the river, which is pleasant but is always nicer in the sunshine. (What isn't?)

After lunch at Pecos Bill's we go to the Haunted Mansion. Georgia is fine with this but India is scared in the graveyard by all the things that pop out from behind the gravestones. It's funny how you appreciate different things on different trips. I really enjoyed the old Mansion this time, not that I don't always but sometimes things can lose their impact after many repeats. It was a pleasure just standing and looking at the outside and noticing things like the bat weather vane, which I have never noticed before.

We find a place to stand and watch the Remember the Magic parade, close to the stocks in Liberty Square. It is raining hard so everyone has umbrellas up. The parade starts late and India and I are stood on a small wall so she can see. Just as it gets underway a rather rude lady jumps up on the wall right in front of India and proceeds to wave her brolly around in order to make it even harder to see. I have had enough, I jump down off the wall and lift down the lady. I then tell her 'Madam, if cannot control your umbrella, then you do not deserve to be in charge of it.' Then I fold up her brolly and break it over my leg. All right, all right, so I am exaggerating slightly. What I actually do is go 'tut' quite quietly, but I think I make my point. With a bit of jigging around we manage to get a view for India.

Even in the rain, without the stops for children to play games and with the lady characters holding umbrellas (by the way chaps, look out for Pocahontas, a definite babe) this parade is 100 times better than Mickey Mania, which was the afternoon parade last time we were here. All those large mouse parts walking around singing 'Rock the house with the mouse.' Weird.

We return to the hotel where I take the girls for a swim in the rain while Tammy has a rest. We decide to go to Planet Hollywood and then on to Pleasure Island. As it turns out it would have been better to go to Epcot for Illuminations as this is only the second dry night we have had since we have been here.

We arrive at Planet Hollywood around 6:30 and only wait about 5 mins to get in. It is another 25 mins or so until we are seated. Tammy has a burger with bacon and cheese and I have chicken breasts with mashed potato. Which actually eat half of each others, that way we can try two things. I know that this place is loud and a little brash but we both thought the food was excellent and not badly priced by WDW standards. The girls have burgers and fries but India is not very well and doesn't eat anything.

A decision is made to go straight back to the room but just as we reach the bus stop India decides that she feels better and wants to go to the Adventurers Club. After many 'Are you sure?'s, off we go to Pleasure Island. Of course, when we get there we find that the Adventurers Club is closed until 9:15 for a private party, so we go to the Rock n Roll Beach Club instead. A band are playing and the girls are happy on the arcade games. It's great for the pocket because, at their age, they don't even want to put money in, they are content jumping on the bikes and cars and pretending to drive. A game of table football sees Tammy and Georgia beat me and India. I still maintain someone must have slipped a tranquilliser into my beer to affect my performance so drastically.

India feels ill again. (I know how she feels, getting beaten by Tammy at table football makes me feel ill too.) The poor thing has been so good but all the excitement and late nights have caught up with her, so it's straight back to the hotel and in bed by 9:30.

DAY 8 - WEDS 23rd SEPT

The alarm goes off at 6:30 and we have a light breakfast in the food court before driving to the Animal Kingdom. I decide to drive because we plan to move on to Typhoon Lagoon later in the day as the girls are dying to go swimming.

It is a beautiful sunny morning as we enter the Animal Kingdom, just the way we dreamt of seeing it. Let me jump forward a bit to tell you that we absolutely loved this park. It is amazing. Green, lush, tropical, wonderfully themed, the paths are narrow and meander around to give a sense of quiet in a busy place. I know people have said that the narrow paths become packed with people. We saw little evidence of this, although I realise that we are visiting in a relatively quiet period. It seems like the way that it has been laid out means you never see large areas covered in people, which adds to the more intimate feel of the place.

I digress. Back to our entry into the park. We move through the Oasis too quickly in our eagerness to get into the heart of the park but we will investigate more fully later in our trip. One thing we do stop to look at is the Giant Anteater. Wow, this thing is big. A big, walking, shaggy carpet. Over the bridge and our first view of the Tree of Life. So many people have said what a wonderful sight this is that I must admit to not being as impressed as I thought I would be. It is very beautiful but I don't think you fully appreciate what the imagineers have achieved until you walk through the roots and look up at it. We had planned to go straight to the safari but the tree sort of draws us in. The walk through the roots is breathtaking, so many animals carved into the tree. I can only echo the many positive things I have read about it. I have read complaints about the length of the walk to It's Tough to be a Bug but all I can say is that they could make it twice as long and it would still be too short.

The girls aren't going to see It's Tough to be a Bug, so Tammy and I take turns. We both really like it but think we made the right decision with regard to the girls. If you have any reservations about you're child's ability to see this attraction, then please let them pass on it because it does have some very intense effects. I don't think the 3D effects are the best I have seen but the combination of 3D, animatronics, sound, smell and characterisation make this a must see attraction.

On to Dinoland and Countdown to Extinction. Again, Tammy and I take turns in riding. I am very impressed with the ride system. It throws you around but remains relatively smooth. I know that people who have ridden the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland tend be a bit dismissive of Countdown, but, not having ridden Indy, I thought it was fantastic. Again, a not-to-be-missed attraction.

OK, time for the long suffering children to have something to do, so we enter the Boneyard. The girls enjoy exploring for a while and have fun in the Dig Site, sand is flying in all directions.

Journey into the Jungle Book is next. This show is nice but something is bugging me as to why I don't enjoy it as much as I should. Eventually I think I work out what it is. The voices. I think that it shows how hard Disney works in the initial animated films to capture the perfect voice for the character. Baloo's voice or Shere Khans can never be replicated and this sort of spoils it for me.

Africa beckons and a trip on the Kilimanjaro Safari. It is about 11:15 and the wait time is 30 mins but seems to go quite quickly. I cannot emphasise how good we all think this attraction is. You really get an impression of being miles from anywhere. Some people have complained that you do not see enough animals, well, go to a zoo then, if your conscience lets you. Having the animals allowed to roam free for their benefit, not yours, enhances the experience enormously for me. The seamless way that the animals are segregated is superb and the overall impact is excellent. Yet another not-to-be-missed attraction. For a park with not much to do, this place has just notched up 3 of my favourite attractions on this trip. Not too bad, eh? Yes, I do realise that this is only my opinion, which, as we all know by now, is practically worthless but it's my trip report, so you'll just have to put up with it. (Don't suppose it will stop me being flamed though.)

Right, I know this is going to be a bit of a shock, but here it is, 12:15 and still sunny and hot. Don't get too excited though, thunderstorms are forecast for this afternoon and Hurricane Georges is headed for South Florida. Ah well, make the most of it, off we go to Typhoon Lagoon.

We find a place to settle, have a quick swim, then lunch. We grab a tube and have a float around Castaway Creek, this is enjoyed by all. The family raft ride is next which is too short but Georgia thinks it is great. We have to leave too soon but a rest is in order before tonights events. Georgia has enjoyed this more than anything else we have done so far.

Back to the All Star Music where the girls have a sleep while I wander around the hotel to take some video. Tammy gets to do some washing, lucky girl, gets all the best jobs. Best news yet, 5:00 and no rain!

Me and my big mouth! 5:30 and it starts to pour.

After showers etc. we leave for Priority Seating at the Rose and Crown in Epcot. Yes! Real beer. We arrive at 7:30 for our 7:40 seating and ask for a seat on the terrace. Not very hopeful of getting one as the lower terrace is closed due to the rain but at 8:05 we are seated close to the front of the top terrace. Food: Tammy has Scotch Broth and Potato Bread followed by the Pie Sampler, which consists of Cottage Pie, Chicken and Leek Pie and Steak and Mushroom Pie. She says this is very good but she can't finish it all. I have salad followed by beef, jacket potato and Yorkshire Pudding. India has fish and chips and Georgia scavenges from everyones plate.

A few minutes before Illuminations, a miracle. It stops raining.

This version of Illuminations is not as good as the old one. It is still good but there seem to be more low level fireworks and lots more smoke. I'm sure that there used to be more water and laser effects as well. Anyway, it is very loud and poor India is terrified, she sobs her heart out, I think she is still feeling a little bit under the weather. How is she going to react for the next two nights of Rock n Rockets? 30 mins of fireworks each night.

As soon as the noise stops she feels better. I ask for a plastic cup for the remainder of my beer and off we go to walk the wrong way around World Showcase. ie.anti-clockwise from the UK. It must be the rain earlier (it is still dry!) but the place is so quiet. It is absolutely lovely, practically empty and all the countries lit up. I see many things I have never seen or noticed before. Has there always been a Viking Ship in Norway? We have to stop while the bridge is raised to allow one of the boats which carry people across the lagoon to come through.

Eventually, after a stop to view 'my' fountain, we get to the bus stop at 10:15. (The buses are supposed to stop at 10:00, one hour after closing.) There is no one else there but a bus driver going to Coronado Springs takes pity on us and says he will drop us off. Another reason to love the Disney transportation system.

The end of wonderful day.

DAY 9 - THURS 24th SEPT

Up at 8:00 and we have breakfast in the room. I drive to the Animal Kingdom and we arrive around 9:30.

The first stop today is the Festival of the Lion King. I had heard so much about this show that I was preparing myself to be disappointed. I am very glad to say that I was definitely not disappointed. This show is superb. The lighting, the voices, the dancing, the floats, the acrobats are all wonderful. This makes it 4 must-see attractions at the Animal Kingdom.

We exit the show into one of the character greeting areas where the girls get the autographs of Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. Tigger is being particularly bouncy and I think that the CM that is with him is having a little trouble keeping him under control, but that's what Tiggers are for, isn't it? All four of us get our picture taken with Tigger , which is one of the very few times it happens on this trip. Funny, I'm never in any of the video either. I put it down to the fact that my good looks would outshine everyone else. Hey, I heard that sniggering!

Over to Africa again for a ride to Conservation Station. Now, I know the ride itself is nothing special, (it is nice to see behind the scenes, though) but the train is fantastic, as are the stations. I can appreciate that the lines must get long in peak season but we have no trouble getting into anything this trip. The longest wait has been 30 mins for Kilimanjaro Safari, nearly everything else in all the parks is either a walk-on or a very short queue. Again, I have read complaints about the walk from the station to the Conservation Station. Come on! It's not THAT far and I would imagine that it's done to split up the crowd of people leaving the train. I'm probably wrong of course, I usually am.

Conservation Station itself is very informative and indoors, which is very important as it has just started to rain hard. If you are looking for thrills, you will find none here but if you are interested in the way they care for animals and are prepared to be educated a little, then you will find it fascinating. My favourite thing here was the Rainforest Sound Booths, very relaxing. We wait for the rain to ease off, then return to Africa.

On to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. There are many great things to see here including the mole rats, hippos and aviary, but, of course, the main draw is the gorillas. For the first time we are actually grateful for the rain. Apparently the gorillas like to come out after the rain and it has just eased off. We see at least 3 from the bachelor group and a mother and youngster from the other side. The area that they have to roam in is big and wonderfully landscaped, with waterfalls and trees all around. We spend about 30 mins watching these magnificent creatures and talking to the very knowledgeable CM. Georgia and India take loads of photos, none of which will come out very well due to the distance involved (no zoom) but we don't discourage them too much as they are so excited. This is the 5th not-to-be-missed attraction, but is obviously dependant on being lucky enough to see the gorillas. We could stay here for hours but eventually have to move on. I spoil all my good work getting into Tammy's good books by suggesting that the mother gorilla looks a bit like Tam before the make-up is applied in the morning. Me and my big mouth.

You may be just getting the faintest suspicion that we like this park

We try to see Flights of Wonder but the show is replaced by a scaled down training demonstration due to the rain. It is now 3:00 and we decide on a late lunch/early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. We are told that there will be a 30 min wait but it is actually more like 15. This place is fun, I have been to the one in London but it is the first time for everyone else. The girls love it and India is convinced that the cheetah above us is winking at her. Tammy and I share the Mojo Bones (ribs) with onions and waffle fries and the Awesome Sampler both of which are really nice, especially the coconut chicken from the sampler. We share the coconut bread pudding for dessert, which is excellent. the bill is about $60 dollars including drinks, tax and tip. I can see that too many repeat trips might lessen the novelty factor but we all rate this very highly indeed, good food at a reasonable price and interesting surroundings.

Back for a shower before we head for the Poly to sit on the beach at the RADP meet and watch Rock n Rockets. Or so we think.

We get the bus to the Magic Kingdom and the monorail to the TTC. As we go to walk into the Poly there are 2 security men at the entrance and a voice says 'RADP?' It is Randy from Illinois. He tells us that the Poly has been closed off to everyone except those people that are staying there. This is very annoying as we have just that morning received from Disney details of Rock n Rockets which tell us all about restrictions at the Contemporary at the road around it but make no mention of any of the other hotels being closed. Not very Disney-like. We hang around for a while to see if anyone else turns up and Randy says he is going to stay and watch the fireworks from a small mound by the car park. There is no way Georgia and India are going to sit around for 90 mins in a car park with nothing to do so, reluctantly, we say goodbye to Randy and walk over to the TTC. I am so disappointed. I have never been to a RADP meet and I was really looking forward to meeting everyone. Oh well, at least we will see the fireworks tomorrow. (See details of tomorrow's trip report for that particular disappointment.) By the way, the rain has stopped and it is a perfect night for it.

We get on a bus to the Disney Marketplace instead. I hate shopping. OK, shopping in a Disney environment is not so bad as normal but Tammy has that glint in her eye. Help! Georgia buys one of those fibre optic wands that she has wanted since she saw them at Epcot so she is happy.

Back to the hotel and in bed at 11:30 so I get away fairly lightly.

Look out, Hurricane Georges is supposed to affect us tomorrow.

DAY 10 - FRI 25th SEPT

We allow the girls to sleep in until 8:30. Breakfast in the room and then a debate about what we are going to do. We are undecided as the weather forecast calls for heavy thunderstorms and wind - chance of rain 100%, but the morning looks not too bad so we decide to go to Disney MGM Studios.

Before we leave the resort I think that I had better check with Guest Relations about Rock n Rockets. Imagine my surprise when I am told that it has been cancelled. This is a real let down. What is annoying is that, had I not bothered to check then we would have turned up expecting it to be on. No one from Disney contacted us to inform us that it was cancelled. I know they could have left a message on the phone easily enough as we had a message a day or two before telling us that the shop at the resort was to close 2 hours early. They should surely have let their guests know that a major ticketed event was not to be held. I actually agree that safety comes first and that if there was any doubt about the weather, then they were correct to call it off but I am angry that no one bothered to tell us. I wonder how many people arrived at the site expecting it still to be on.

OK, this is not going to spoil our day. All we are going to miss is a few fireworks, there are many people who have lost their homes or even their lives due to Hurricane Georges.

This is the day that Georges hit the keys so we feared the worst but, as you will see, this turned out to be just about the best day of the holiday to date weather wise. The sun came out once or twice and the breeze kept the temperature down. We had one downpour only that lasted less than 10 mins. It just goes to show the unpredictability of the Florida weather.

At the Studios: We are going to try to do most of the things we have not done yet and one or two that we want to do again. The Mulan parade has already been cancelled due to the predicted bad weather. We started with the Backlot Tour which has changed from the last time I did it, it is now in 2 parts. Catastrophe Canyon is still impressive and neither of the girls is really scared. On to the Saturday Morning Sound Show. This is one of the few changes that I do not like. The old Monster Sound Show with Martin Short was more fun and informative. The 101 Dalmatian show is too quick and does not make much sense. Also the lady that is on the stage must be after the record for getting through this show as fast as possible. She talks so quickly that it is a job to understand her, let alone take on board what she is saying.

Superstar TV has not changed much but is good to watch as it is different every time you see it dependent on the people picked. India enjoys this a lot and tries to get me to volunteer for everything. Likes to see her father squirm with embarrassment, I think. By the way, it is the same lady that was doing the Sound Show, they must rotate between attractions. She seems better in this.

We return to the Hunchback of Notre Dame Show for the second time and are in better seats about 5 rows from the front, in the centre. Randy the Juggler is on and is very entertaining, he is even more fun when things go wrong. The Hunchback Show is even better second time round. If you ain't seen it yet, DO.

Over to Beauty and the Beast in order to watch at a more leisurely pace for the girls. We get the doves at the end this time, they were missing the first time we saw it. This Gaston does not seem manly enough to me, lets face it the Beast would wipe the floor with him in a real dust up. Heck, I think Tammy could give him a good run for his money.

I am going to the Tower of Terror and India decides she will ride it. More guts than her mother, who chickens out again. This is the first time I have ridden it with 2 drops and it is great fun especially the way you seem to hang at the top of the second drop. India is very brave and really enjoys it. This girl will ride Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain but doesn't want to do the Great Movie Ride again because of the gun fire!

We have a late lunch at 3:30 in the Hollywood Brown Derby. Tammy and I share a Cobb Salad with chicken and a NY Strip Sirloin. I had to have the Cobb Salad as I have read so much about it. I'm glad I tried it but I don't think I would have it again, you have to like blue cheese to enjoy this. The steak was fine and we split a Chocolate Pecan Bar for dessert, which is very good. The girls share a child's meal and the whole thing only costs $50 including drinks and tip. Oh yes, the place is very nearly deserted. The whole park has been quiet all day, I suppose many people stayed away anticipating bad weather.

The Magic of Disney Animation has also changed from the last time and the part where you meet a Disney artist is very informative. One thing that I learned is that they no longer colour cells by hand, it's all done with computer. The film of classic Disney clips that they show at the end of this tour always brings a lump to my throat. One of my favourite shops in WDW is the Animation Gallery. If I ever win the lottery I will have one room in my house dedicated to Disney and filled with beautiful statues, paintings and models from here and the Art of Disney store.

We can't make up our minds whether to do the Backstage Pass tour or not. In the end we do and I am very glad as we all really thought this was excellent. The little puppies they created for 101 Dalmatians are so lifelike Tammy wants to take one home. There is a production on one of the soundstages called 'Mortal Kombat Conquest'. This must be a genteel period piece along the lines of Pride and Prejudice, I presume. They end the tour with some of the props from 101 Dalmatians and this is great. The DeVil Mansion is amazing and we spend a little while looking around here when everyone else is gone.

Tammy runs over to Star Tours to get one last ride for India as the park is closing, while Georgia and I take a more leisurely stroll.

We had not intended to stay all day but had such fun that we couldn't leave. The girls still seemed raring to go and it is such a nice evening that we head over to Epcot.

Straight to Mexico to ride the River of Time. This could have been such a good ride had they put in some audio animatronics instead of the cheesy films. It is still quite fun though, the fireworks at the end are a nice effect.

The girls buy the World Passports and get them stamped. This is something I would advise anyone with young children to do. Ours had great fun getting their books stamped and doing little things at the activity stops.

On to Norway. Maelstrom is still fun but I'm sure the oil rig section used to be darker and louder. Nearly everyone walks straight through the film as it is getting close to Illuminations. It must be very disheartening being a CM there. The girls get their passports stamped and a make a little bracelet. Outside we stop at the bakery for an open beef sandwich for me and rice cream for Tammy. She has been on about this all trip, having read about it on RADP. This has the requisite number of calories to qualify for the Tammy Stringer 'Mmm.. that's good' award.

I have acquired a Ringnes beer and we settle down to watch Illuminations half way between Norway and Mexico. It is better without so much smoke but is still disjointed and unless you see one of the water screens square on, you miss a lot of the laser effects. This time India manages to watch it all, albeit crouched with her fingers in her ears, but Georgia cries. I think they have a sort of pact, only one happy child allowed during the showing of Illuminations. To be fair Georgia is very tired by this time, so........

Back to shower and bed.

After being disappointed at missing Rock n Rockets this turned into an amazing, fun Disney Day.

DAY 11 - SAT 26th SEPT

We have a lie in today and as the sleep slowly drains away from me, my brain finally registers the full horror of the day ahead. Shopping! The very mention of the word is enough to strike fear into the heart of any real man. Tammy's eyes are misting over and she is staring off into the distance in a sort of trance murmuring 'shopping, shopping, shopping'.

Oh well, lets get it over with. We arrive at the Belz Factory Outlet around 11:00. The Character Warehouse takes a hammering with a Tigger sweatshirt for me and a Pooh for Tam. The girls get books and hats and various presents are bought. This place is great for authentic Disney merchandise at reduced rates. We find an Alice in Wonderland poster for $3.99, the same posters in the Animation Gallery are $25.

Tam and I both buy Caterpillar boots and shoes, Tammy also buys a pair of Levis.

Two and a half hours have now elapsed and I am beginning to show minor signs of irritation, you know, snarling, snapping, kicking small children. A word of advice, if you must vent your anger on children, pick the small ones, the bigger ones tend to fight back.

We leave and stop off at a supermarket to buy lots of sweets for family members, work colleagues etc.

I think we have spent too long away from WDW, Tammy thinks we have not spent long enough shopping. On the next trip we will compromise, I will drop Tammy off shopping for the day while I go somewhere else. The girls can choose where they go.

Back at the All Star Music we have a quick swim and a shower before we are off to DisneyQuest to use our flex feature. We get there around 6:00 and queue for a short while before we get in with 80 credits each. The lift is fun with the Genie welcoming you and putting on a short show until you arrive at the 3rd floor. Tammy and I go on the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam which is good fun, the winner from each game gets to stay on for nothing. Tammy says her legs feel like jelly afterwards whereas I, being the perfect physical specimen, am fine. Years of playing soccer have moulded me into top condition. (cough, cough, cough.)

The girls then get to do all sorts of fun things like making stickers and morphing their faces into all sorts of funny shapes. I get up upset when someone thinks that I look better after the silly features have been added. Tam and I have a go at the Aladdin flying carpet ride which is very clever. We all have a go on the Virtual Raft Ride, which is fun and not too rough.

Dinner is at the Cheesecake Factory. I had read that the food here was good and they were not wrong. Tammy and I have Teriyaki Chicken Wrap while the girls have their usual fries. They have lived on french fries for 2 weeks but we consider this is OK as they are on holiday. Back to the usual gruel and water when they get home. Tammy finds what she has been looking for all holiday - hot fudge brownie sundae. Her expert opinion, very good but not up to the same high standard as the sundae in Port Orleans. We all have to attack this thing but it still doesn't get finished. How can one person eat this? Looking around at some of the people answers that question.

On to the Alien Encounter thing, which I do with two young lads. It helps to do this with someone who knows how to fly this thing. We rescue 23 colonists from the aliens, due mostly to my expert skills as a tail gunner.

Tammy then starts to queue up for Ride the Comix. Here is where things start to go amiss. Of the 12 stations, 8 are down and only 4 in use. While Tammy queues me and the girls play the silly little games where you get tickets. Tam has to queue for over half an hour, which is ridiculous when you consider that there were very few people ahead of her and that we have had virtual walk ons for nearly everything in the parks. Mind you, it is quite funny watching people waving these imaginary swords around in front of them, locked in their own little world.

By this time we have about 400 tickets and go to redeem them. The queue is big and hardly moves in 15 mins. We are supposed to be going to Pleasure Island and you can tell I'm slightly miffed by the wisps of steam coming from my ears. We give up on this, much to the horror of the girls who have set their hearts on some horrendous piece of brightly coloured plastic, and tears ensue.

To sum up DisneyQuest: Good fun but don't go on a Saturday night. Allow at least 3 - 4 hours. I don't think I would pay a lot of money for this but as a flex feature it's great. What is this American fascination with amusement machines that give tickets for prizes that you could buy at a tenth of the cost? Strange. Before you all shout at me, I also know the answer, Kids love 'em.

It is now 10:00 and we are going to the Adventurers Club come what may. I know that I have said in the past that children are out of place later in the evening at Pleasure Island but this will be our last chance to visit on this holiday so we open the nearest window and hurl our principles as far as we can.

India is tired and playing up a bit. She is doing the monkey walk that all children do when tired. Head down, shoulders slumped, knuckles scraping on the ground. I know she will love the Adventurers Club so in we go.

Georgia falls asleep but India loves it. The library is out of action for some reason so all the entertainment takes place in the main lounge, mask room and treasure room. India is in her element, watching everything, laughing, trying to sing along. Anyone that says children shouldn't go to the Adventurers Club should have been there to watch her. Tammy has a Kungaloosh for the first time, which is excellent.

I wish we could stay longer but decide we should leave as it is now approaching 11:30. We walk back through the West Side. It is the first time that I have really stopped to look at it. I suppose the whole area has grown so much that I miss the more intimate feel that it used to have but the restaurants look lovely at night, except the House of Blues which looks suitably grotty. My only real moan is that I will never have enough time or money to try them all, at least not on one trip.

We stop off at DisneyQuest to try and redeem the tickets again but the queue is still huge at 11:45. Something must be seriously wrong here as I can see a couple of skeletons towards the front.

Just as the bus pulls in at 12:00 we see the New Years Eve fireworks going off from Pleasure Island. Just another small joy that adds up to the overall miracle that is a Disney holiday.

DAY 12 - SUN 27th SEPT

After our late night we sleep in until 9:00. The mornings are getting later as the nights get later.

We are going to Blizzard Beach but as it doesn't open until 10:00 we drop in on the Coronado Springs Resort for a look round. This place is BIG. The swimming area is very nice but if I were staying at a moderate then I think I would prefer Port Orleans.

At Blizzard Beach we base ourselves by Tikes Peak and the girls have a play on the slides. After letting them play for a while (and having a bit of relaxation time ourselves) we head off for a go on some of the slides. The girls and I go up on the chair lift but Tammy walks up as she has a bit of a thing about heights. The view from the top is quite spectacular and, if you look carefully, you can see the centrepiece of all 4 parks. We come down on the Teamboat Springs raft ride which is longer, faster and better than the Typhoon Lagoon family raft ride.

After a slow drift round Cross Country Creek, trying to avoid the occasional icy drenching, we head across to Runoff Rapids. I am not sure whether Georgia will be able to do this but she rides with me in a double tube and has a great time. We all do the left and right open sides and then take turns to do the centre enclosed dark tube run. This is fast and fun. They only allow single tubes on here so Georgia has a little sulk as she cannot ride.

Lunch at Lottawatta Lodge is next. The girls share fries (what else?) and onion rings while Tammy and I split a tuna roll with potato salad and meatballs, linguine, garlic stick and Caesar salad. This is fine for the money.

After lunch we get the customary mid-afternoon moaning session from Georgia. First she wants an ice cream, then, after she has been given the one she asked for, she wants the one that India has got. When she can't have this she says she doesn't want hers because it is too cold! If anyone out there can provide Disney with a recipe for hot ice cream, Georgia would be most appreciative.

It has been sunny most of the morning but the clouds begin to bubble up around midday.

Back to the hotel, shower and off to Epcot at 5:00. This is going to be an evening for just wandering around World Showcase, looking, drinking and snacking on the way. Mexico is first. We get a childs meal of nachos, burrito and churro, a beer for me and a margarita for Tammy. Georgia is asleep in the stroller so Tammy goes into the pavilion to buy a present for her mother while I get a table by the waters edge. It is at this point that I have one of those Disney moments. Just sat there quietly staring across World Showcase Lagoon and watching the world go by, beer in hand. Amid all the hustle and bustle of the attractions and shows some of my most memorable times have just been sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the sights, smells, sounds and atmosphere of Walt Disney World. It is something that you can't really make happen, it just sort of sneaks up on you and you suddenly feel warm, content and above all, happy.

Tammy returns and sits with Georgia while I take India on to the River of Time ride before we move on to China. A beer and the child's meal of sweet and sour chicken are taken here. The chicken is very good, we are thoroughly enjoying our trip around the 'world'. India buys a fan and some little nodding turtles, at which point Georgia wakes up and has to have a fan as well. There are some beautiful shops, with some beautiful price tags as well, although the girls have spent their money very wisely overall.

In Italy the girls get their passports stamped and are busy making spaghetti and meatballs from wool and paper plates so I back track to Germany to pick up a Beck's beer.

We are aiming to get around to the UK and Canada to watch the bands and so we have to get a bit of a move on from here. As we pass France we pause to watch the Living Statues. They certainly are very lifelike (should that be non-lifelike?) and one seems to fall in love with a watching lady. You could practically hear his stone heart cracking.

On to the UK and the only disappointment of the night, it is Sunday and the British Invasion are not playing. Never mind, it means we get to watch Off Kilter twice. I try to get a beer in the UK and the girl asks me for ID. Yes! Tammy bet me that I wouldn't be asked this time as I have passed 40. I return with Tammy and she agrees that perhaps I am old enough after all and tells me that many British people resent being asked. I tell her that, far from being resentful, I take it as a compliment, in fact it has made my night!

On to Canada for the first Off Kilter show. If you like to have a good time then make sure you see these boys. They really look like they enjoy what they are doing, but then again who wouldn't? Doing something you love in a place like WDW. Yeah, I can think of worse things in life. We fit in the Oh, Canada show, mainly because Tammy really likes the music, before the second Off Kilter show. A beer in Canada for me is accompanied by a beaver tail for Tammy. By the way, Julian sent me an e-mail and suggested I try a beer in Canada that is 8% alcohol. All I can say that is that at the end of a trek around the 'world' it is probably just as well that I stuck to the Moosehead. Some people may feel that this particular evening involved too much drinking but I prefer to look upon it as a cultural experience where we sampled the fine brews from across the globe. In fact it would be almost impolite not to take up the opportunity. (Hic!)

The hour or so that she slept in the stroller has done Georgia the world of good and she is raring to go. India is happy 95% of the time anyway. The exception to this is Illuminations. We watch from the steps in front of Canada and poor India is not happy again. Two minutes after she is back to normal and skipping about. She asks if she will have to see it again and I tell her just once more when we meet Ronnie on our last night. She is afraid that Ronnie will think she is silly for being scared, so I explain that everyone is scared of something and not to be worried. I know this is true because the end of the holiday is approaching and I am pretty flippin' scared about that!

Now I don't want to alarm you good people but it did not rain once today. Not a drop. The two days we were supposed to get the worst weather have been the best of the whole trip, so far. Don't you just hate weather forecasters?

A near perfect Disney day.

Oh yes, a last thought. I'm not stupid (no, really I'm not) and I fully understand that all this is artificial, created, but I don't care. If there is anywhere more beautiful than the Disney parks at night then I have not found it yet. Mind you, I am biased.

DAY 13 - MON 28th SEPT

Up at 7:45 (an alarm call was definitely required this morning) and breakfast in the room before leaving for the Magic Kingdom.

Our plan is to head straight for Mickey's Toontown Fair but as we walk up Main Street the dwarfs are out in one of the side streets so we stop for Dopey's autograph. We are stopped again by the tea cups by the Queen of Hearts. She seems very impressed with our autograph books and shows them to the Mad Hatter and the CM that is with them. I think what pleases her most is the fact that her picture is in the books but the Mad Hatter's is not. We thank her for her time and she dismisses us with a flick of her hand. As we leave she looks even more haughty and smug than usual.

We finally make it to Mickey's Toontown Fair and we all ride Goofy's Barnstormer. This is Georgia's first roller coaster and she thinks that it is fun. Donald's boat is down for rehab so we continue into the Toontown Hall of Fame and queue for 20 mins just to get Donald's autograph. On to Mickey and Minnie's houses. Of the two I think Minnie's is better, especially the kitchen with the refrigerator full of cheese and the microwave cooking popcorn. I know many people do not like Toontown but I would imagine that most of them don't have children. Mine had a blast and loved looking in the houses.

There are more people in the park today, probably due to a combination of Early Entry and the lovely sunny weather.

We move on to Tomorrowland and the Timekeeper. Tammy does not think much of this but I quite like it. It is just a shame that on a hot, tiring day you are not allowed to sit down in any of the 360 degree cinemas. Perhaps the next generation of this type of attraction will be 3D 360 degree cinemas with comfortable fully rotating seats. The Carousel of Progress is next. This is still a great , fun attraction, I hope they never close this. A ride round on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority is relaxing. The queue for Space Mountain is only about 15 mins. Tammy has been debating whether to do this or not, this is probably going to be her last chance as India and I are doing E ticket tomorrow night but Tam has decided it is pointless to take Georgia as she will not go on anything. They will probably go to Epcot and attempt to find more sweet delicacies. Anyway, she decides to ride. India does not want to go on, so we do the child swap. Tammy rides first and comes off smiling. It was down for rehab last time we were here, so we have not ridden for about 5 years. It is rougher and better than I remember, probably helped by the fact that I am in the back seat. At one point I thought I was going to take off. Definitely more thrilling than I expected and, although it is slightly lighter, I could not really see the track ahead. Unfortunately this is the only time we get to ride this trip but we will make it must-do on our next visit.

Next stop is Tom Sawyers Island. The girls get to run around for a while, exploring the caves and windmill. At the fort Tammy spies the wooden building blocks laid out for the children to play with. Elbowing a few youngsters out the way, she is in her element so the girls and I explore. The girls massacre many tourists with the guns. Funny how India doesn't mind the loud bangs they make when she is the one making the noise. We return to find Tammy looking pleased with herself at the poor excuse for a dwelling she has constructed. Sigh, 3 children to look after is a bit much.

Aunt Polly's is a disappointment. Tammy queues up to find that the only thing they have left is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The girls have this and we return to the mainland to watch the parade. While we are waiting Tammy and I share a baked potato. The parade is much better in the sunshine and we get the full show with the stops for the children to play. Unfortunately we are in the wrong place for the girls to take part but they enjoy watching anyway.

After the parade we leave the park, along with thousands of others. I am actually surprised how few people there are at the bus stop and we get back to the All Star Music quickly. A swim and a shower and we are ready for the Wilderness Lodge.

We get the bus to the Magic Kingdom and the boat from there. It is a lovely evening and the boat ride is very pleasant. I have never arrived at the Wilderness Lodge from the water before and it is a lovely sight as the sun sinks lower in the sky. We have a look around and then take the girls to the Cubs Den. There is another elderly lady in charge but she is very nice, more like someone's granny or perhaps a fairy godmother? The whole place is much more pleasant than the kids club at the Boardwalk. The children get a meal and animals are brought in from Discovery Island. The girls are eager to tell us about their encounter with a skunk (Flower, of course) and a baby alligator. They would have no problem returning here.

Once we have got rid of the girls, er.... I mean, placed our little darlings in the children's club, Tammy and I explore some more. We have been here before on a previous trip but this visit just reinforces our existing thoughts. What a wonderful place. This place must be great at Christmas. The big comfy chairs, huge fireplace and cosy seated areas on the upper floors make it feel so welcoming despite it's size.

We have Priority Seating for 7:30 at Artist Point and are told our table is practically ready, so we take a pager and go to the lounge next door where Tammy has a cocktail made with Kahlua, cream and coke, while I have an unusual choice, beer. 20 mins later and the pager has not gone off, so we go to see what is happening. The lady apologises and we are shown to our seats immediately. First impressions are that it is not as ornate as I expected it to be, nice enough but just not spectacular. Warm bread is brought straight away with butter, salmon pate and apple butter. You are obviously aware by this time that I am referring to Tammy's notes for this part of the evening. If I make any mistakes please forgive me as it is a little hard to read her writing which is smudged. I think she's been reading it in bed and drooling again. We were considering a bottle of wine to go with our meal but decide against it after seeing the prices. We do have a glass of red wine which is excellent but I'm glad that we did not have the bottle as it is full bodied with a strong flavour, one glass was just about perfect. (Accompanied by a beer, of course.) We split two entrees. Buffalo strip loin with gratin dauphinois and baked caramel onion. Salmon on a cedar plank with baby sugar snap peas, squash and carrots. Both are excellent, the buffalo tastes very similar to beef. For dessert we share the fresh berry cobbler with cinnamon ice cream. This was good but too much for the two of us, it included blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and black currents. I honestly can't remember how much it cost (I have probably subconsciously blocked it out) but it was not cheap. However, it was a very nice meal.

If I had to make a choice between 'Ohanas and Artist Point, I would probably choose 'Ohanas. The food may not be quite as sophisticated but it is better themed and more fun, especially for the children. Artist Point would be better for a couple after a nice, romantic meal.

We pick the girls up and they have had a great time. It cost $28 for 2 hours which is not bad considering they were given a meal as well. Another wander round finds us down by the waters edge as the Electrical Water Pageant begins, so we watch it again, which is a very pleasant way of passing a few minutes on a balmy evening. The girls want a drink so we go to Roaring Forks where they see the arcade, so in we go for a while. India has never played air hockey before so I give her a game. Whooped her good! (I bet you thought I'd let her win. No way, my pride is at stake here!) Truth is, she probably let me win, she doesn't like to see her father cry. Eventually we find our way to the shop. With Tammy around this is an inevitability. While there, a lady tells us that the reception desk has a list of hidden mickeys for the children to find. Apparently there is one around the large fire place but even with the list we couldn't find it. Observant lot, aren't we.

After a lovely evening we get a taxi back at 10:45.

DAY 14 - TUES 29th SEPT

The girls are somewhat reluctant to get out of bed this morning, but it's amazing what you can achieve with a cattle prod. Off to the Animal Kingdom. It's getting a bit sad now, as every park we visit will be for the last time on this trip. Oh, snap out of it man, still two full days left yet.

We arrive at 8:20 at head straight to the Kilimanjaro Safari. The wait is already 15 mins There are not so many animals today and the driver seems to speed past things a little but this is still a truly great attraction. On to the Festival of the Lion King, where India insists we must be lions this time. This is well worth seeing a second time. (Or third or fourth come to that.)

The Pocahontas show is next. This is a fairly cute animal show which is more for the children than anything. Unfortunately one or two of the animals decide they do not want to play today, which all adds to the fun. What is it with these Pocahontas's (Pocahonti?) another very attractive lady. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for long black hair.

A walk to Dinoland sees a stop on the way for frozen bananas, a Mickey bar and a frozen strawberry bar. Well, that is enough to keep Tammy going, now what are me and the girls going to eat? The girls have fun in the Boneyard while Tammy and I take turns in Countdown to Extinction. It is even better second time around, I spend the whole ride laughing and having fun. Some people seem to think that it is too dark, but just how are the dinosaurs going to jump out at you if it is light? Oh look, there is a huge, ferocious dinosaur up there, I wonder if it will leap out and scare me in a couple of minutes? Was a Carnataurus a real dinosaur or did Disney dream it up? Why am I asking you all these questions?

Oh, by the way, the CM that is loading this ride asks about my RADP pin. When I tell him he says that he has seen several people wearing them that day. Unfortunately, I did not see any of them.

Off to It's Tough to be a Bug again. Another too short walk through the roots of the Tree of Life and we are ready to go. This is also better second time around as the theatre is full to capacity and the screams add to the fun.

We have lunch in the Flame Tree Barbecue, which is good and we sit outside overlooking the river in almost complete isolation. A sad moment as we have to leave the park and bid farewell to the Tree of Life but we take our time walking through the Oasis to take in as much as possible.

A swim, sleep and shower later India and I are up for E ticket night. We arrive at the Magic Kingdom at 6:15 and get our wristbands. We were going to Ariel's Grotto to get the girls autograph books signed, there are only about a dozen or so people in line but we hear a CM say that it will be a 20 min wait so we do not bother. This must be an awful long wait during the day judging by some of the queues we have seen here.

Snow White is a walk on and we also fit in the Skyway to Tomorrowland and back again, plus a dash to Peter Pan before the 7:00 closing time. Bye bye all you non E ticket people, we have got 3 hours of fun to come. First is Splash Mountain, which we walk on to. We are hoping that nobody will be queuing up so we can go again, but there are. Spoilsports, why can't they let us have the park all to ourselves. Actually there are times tonight when it seems like we have.

Big Thunder Mountain has the only queues of the night. A full 5 mins! Pirates of the Caribbean is strange because the maintenance lights came on half way through and stayed on until the end. Spoils the illusion somewhat but it certainly was interesting.

The Haunted Mansion is creepier at night. Why is that? after all the ride is indoors. A walk over to Tomorrowland sees us on the Timekeeper. I cannot do Space Mountain or Alien Encounter as India is still a little too young and I know she would be scared silly. I try to get her to sit in a restroom for half an hour while I ride but she doesn't seem very keen. (Joking, joking!) Back over to do Splash, Big Thunder and the Haunted Mansion again. India gets frightened in the Mansion as a couple of young lads are shouting and screaming at the top of their voices and I explain to her that they are just showing off and they are probably more scared than she is. She seems unconvinced and I'm not surprised, not one of my better 'feel good' speeches. The CM's here certainly have more fun at night. A couple in front of us give the lady CM a bit of cheek as we are getting into the doom buggies and she gestures to the man, who quietly walks round to the opposite side of the buggy from behind, leans in and shouts 'BOO'. I think one of the girls inside is still screaming now.

A hot dog at Casey's (the food is pretty limited on E ticket nights) and a large gungy, sticky slice of chocolate cake at the Main Street Bakery completes our evening. As we walk back down Main Street we have to keep stopping to look back at the castle. I have lost count of the times I have said to India 'Look and remember because it will be a while before we will be back'.

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Meanwhile Georgia and I are off for a girls night out in Epcot - (Tammy). We do both the rides in Mexico and Norway then stop in Germany at the Kidstop for Georgia to make a Robin Hood type green paper hat. Find the passport stop in USA then stop for food - always very important in my book. I have a chicken deluxe burger and fries and Georgia has more fries (just for a change!). We sit in USA opposite the stage, the lights are twinkling and the samba music from the stage adds to the magical feel as it is now dark and everything is looking beautiful. Eventually decide to try and finish Georgia's passport but have no luck finding anyone in Japan but more luck in Morocco and France. By now more than half an hour has passed and I'm sure my blood sugar level must be below par - after all I don't want to faint when I have sole control of a four year old. So straight to the Patisserie for a custard slice - absolutely wonderful - but so big I have to take it back to the room for Kev to sample in the morning. My only complaint about France is that there are too many cakes to choose from - what's a girl to do. Make a mental note to try and sample at least one every visit to the World Showcase on our next trip - that way I should have a good idea of whether they are up to standard!!

Georgia by now not feeling very well - must be watching her mother devour all this food that does it. Anyway I tell her that if she doesn't want to stay for fireworks I will be a good mother and put up with, I mean enjoy, Journey Into Imagination (one of my least favourite rides). I put a brave face on it and am rewarded when she says she feels a bit better now. So we decide to make the most of Kev's absence and have a look in the Emporium before leaving. In case you didn't already gather two of my most favourite things are eating and shopping - in either order or if possible at the same time. Georgia buys another of her 'must haves' here - believe it or not one of those large WDW bags with string handles that cost $2.50 - she is very easily pleased.

Off to the bus stop and with dismay I note that we are at the end of a very long queue and will have to stand all the way back. Now for my one major gripe of our stay - why oh why don't people pay more attention to the little ones left to stand on the buses. Poor Georgia was stood clutching my legs right near the stairwell and no-one offered her a seat. The worst offenders seem to be the Japanese who I have never once witnessed offering anyone a seat. In my opinion it is obvious how dangerous it is for children to try and hang on in a crowded bus and far safer for an adult to hang onto the overhead rail, but I suppose people just think, I've got a seat, I'm all right. Anyway end of whinge - we got home safely needless to say and straight to bed.

DAY 15 - WEDS 30th SEPT

Up at 8:30. We decide on a relaxing day at Blizzard Beach before meeting Ronnie and her family in Epcot tonight. Breakfast is at the food court. The food here is OK but not brilliant, it is more convenience eating than cordon bleu.

We arrive at Blizzard Beach at 10:15 and station ourselves beside the main pool area. India and I go up on the chair lift while Tammy walks up with Georgia. Once again we do the family raft ride and then over to Runoff Rapids before we return to base camp as Georgia is not feeling too well. She has a nice long sleep to recharge her batteries while India takes turns with Tammy and I to do some other slides.

Me and India have a great time on the Toboggan Racers, which I, of course, win, due to my skill and dexterity. Or was it because I pushed off a bit earlier than the rest of the racers? We also try the Snowstormers which is OK but not as good as the Toboggan thing.

India has a lot of fun messing about in the wave pool. We obviously do not have enough time to do Summit Plummet or I would have done it. Honest!

On previous trips I have preferred Typhoon Lagoon because I think it is better themed and more relaxing. I think it probably just about still gets my vote but we have spent much more time at Blizzard Beach on this visit and I must admit that the slides are probably better here. I also think that Disney learned a few lessons with their first big water park and that some improvements were implemented when they opened Blizzard Beach. The most obvious one is that you do not have to roll your raft to the top for the family ride, which is also longer and more thrilling than at Typhoon Lagoon. The children's areas are also much better, with older children catered for in the Ski Patrol Training Camp.

Anyway, after a shower back at the hotel we are on our way to Epcot at 4:30. We go straight on to Spaceship Earth for one last time. Tammy likes the end of this better now, with the twinkling light effects illustrating global communication. It is raining as we leave and we try to dodge the showers as we head for the boat to Germany. I cannot really moan about the weather, this is the first rain that we have seen for a few days. I have read trip reports from about the same time, that some people thought it was hot for the time of the year. Well, after the first week that we had, you will find no complaints from me on that score, we were just pleased to see the sunshine.

We walk from the boat to the American Pavilion as we intend to do the American Adventure. Unfortunately the next show is at 6:20 and we are due to meet Ronnie at 6:30, so we have to give it a miss. If it comes to a choice between Ronnie and the American Adventure, Ronnie wins every time.

As we have a while left, I do what I normally do when confronted with minor disappointments. Have a beer. We walk to Japan for the girls to get their passports stamped and listen to the drummers for a while. Tammy says she has butterflies in her stomach because we are meeting Ronnie for the first time, I have to give her some of my beer to settle her down. Man hath no greater love. Even though we have seen quite a lot of World Showcase, I wish we had spent longer here. Sigh, it seems like two weeks is just not long enough to do everything anymore. Wait a minute, I have the solution. Three weeks next time! I knew the answer would come if I drank enough beer.

Back to Germany to meet with Ronnie. We make our introductions and exchange gifts. I am now an honorary Atlanta Braves fan. Just in case you don't know Ronnie's family are husband Mike (top man, likes sport and not adverse to a beer), her daughter Jill (a pretty, fun little girl) and her mum (also named Ronnie and just as fun-loving as her daughter). We have a table booked in the Biergarten right by the stage, which makes conversation difficult when the band are going full blast. They are good fun but I am quite pleased when they take a break so we can have a chat.

The food is not bad, all-you-can-eat buffet with beef, chicken, German sausage etc. I must admit that I did not notice the food too much as I was too busy talking, however the glass of red wine and Beck's beer were excellent.

We chat about what we have done and what Ronnie is going to do and I give my thoughts on the Animal Kingdom, which you are all probably bored silly with by now.

OK, what do you imagine Ronnie to be like? Happy? Friendly? Full of fun? Bright? Witty? Let me tell you she is all of these things and more. She makes us feel completely