Trip Reports

Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: BVR
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: Andrew's summary style report covers just about everything! It's very detailed, in fact - it is without doubt the most detailed summary-style report I've ever read.

Trip Report for WDW 1998

Thought that I would share this with everyone after all the great info. This was really the best trip we have taken to WDW so far. Here's to hoping everyone has a great trip as well!

General Info

WDW Experience Represented in Group: Both are typical WDW travelers about once every 1-3 years although we have gone 3 out of the past 4 years along with planning our next years trip already). If I can find the newspaper clipping, there is a picture of me in a baby stroller (with my brothers) during the opening of the MK.
Arrived: Sunday, November 1, 1998 at 10:30 AM
Depart: Sunday, November 8, 1998 at 7:00 PM
Number of people: 2-Me and my wife; both are 28 years old.
Passes Used: Resort Magic (Length of Stay plus Flex Feature)
Weather

Sunday - High in the low-Mid 80s mostly sunny; Lows in the low 70s
Monday - Same as Sunday
Tuesday - Same as Monday except becoming mostly cloudy
Wednesday - High in the low 80s; spotty drizzle in the morning became constant drizzle by night; building winds; Lows in the low 60s
Thursday - High in the upper 60s/low 70s; spotty drizzle in the morning that cleared out to a partly cloudy day at night; high winds; Low in the low 60s
Friday - High in the low 70s; mostly sunny; Low in the low 60s *** The best weather day (all the days were good, but this was extra nice). It was beautiful.
Saturday - High in the mid 70s; mostly sunny; Low in the mid 60s
Sunday - High in the upper 70s; mostly sunny
Comments on weather: Hey it was great! That horrible storm system (Mitch)went by really quickly and did not bother us at all (Thank the Lord above!). In fact, that little bit of drizzle happened during the AK day and made it an even better 'rainforest' experience (that and kept the crowds away).

Boardwalk Villas (1 Bedroom Villa)

This is a really great place to stay at! I really enjoyed being able to walk to EPCOT (about 5 minute walk). The buses from there are very convenient. The boats to MGM were nice, but a bit slow. The Villa had a separate bathroom for the shower and another for a jacuzzi. This helped relax those muscles after all of the walking.

The room was situated in the quiet pool area, so there was no bothersome noise at all. The view was really beautiful. The two individual patios looked right out into a garden with the 'quiet pool' behind it.

If anyone stays here, find out where the nearest exit is to transportation. Otherwise, the walk is incredible! The room was located on the first floor, making it very easy to get out (no stairs or elevators needed).

Overall Park Touring (Fireworks/Evening Show Seen is in parenthesis)

Sunday - Magic Kingdom 9AM-7PM (Fantasy in the Sky)
Monday - EPCOT 9AM-9PM (Illuminations)
Tuesday - Disney-MGM Studios 9AM-7PM (Fantasmic!)
Wednesday - Animal Kindgom 8AM-2:30PM (well, there is none... would scare the animals); DisneyQuest in the late evening
Thursday - Universal Studios 9AM-4PM (did not bother with the Stunt Show Spectacular!)
Friday - Animal Kingdom in the AM; Pools mid-day; Magic Kingdom in the PM (Fantasy in the Sky); E-Ticket!
Saturday - Disney-MGM Studios in the AM; Resort Touring mid-day; EPCOT in the PM (Illuminations)
Sunday - Animal Kingdom; Studios; EPCOT; Magic Kingdom *** The final tour :-(
Place of Interest: Magic Kingdom

Avg Waiting times experienced:

1st Sunday - 0 to 10 minutes
Friday - 10 to 25 minutes then down to 0 minutes during the E-Ticket
2nd Sunday - 10 to 20 minutes (well, we did not do all that much here)
Comments on MK:

This is still my favorite park in and out of WDW. How can you not enjoy it here?
I highly recommend getting an E-Ticket if it is available. We rode Space Mountain over and over and over again!
We both really enjoyed the new Buzz Lightyear ride along with the changes to the Tiki Room. The only thing I wished is that they sang the whole 'In the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room' song.
The new lights that illuminate Cinderella's Castle are great!
Fantasy in the Sky is still the most 'special' fireworks show.
If you can, eat at the California Grill (15th floor at the Contemporary) during the fireworks. What a view!
Favorites: Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion.

Don't miss:

Fantasy in the Sky
Get some popcorn or a snack, and just sit near the castle.
Read the inscriptions on the plaques at Main Street under the Flag, and the Partners statue.
Read the names of the window panes in Main Street. They are a tribute to some of the people that made WDW possible.
Watch the Folding of the Flag ceremony at 05:00 PM. This is yet another tribute to this great country.
Secrets: E-Ticket Nights. Call about this or ask at the front desk. You get a card that you hand in for a bracelet. When the park closes to the rest of the crowds, you get to stay and ride the favorites over and over again. This is limited to only a certain number, so check this out early.

Place of Interest: EPCOT

Avg Waiting times experienced:

Monday - 0 to 10 minutes (Maelstrom is the only attraction we waited for)
Saturday - 5-15 minutes
Sunday - 5-15 minutes
Comments on EPCOT:

This is sooo beautiful. This is truly a park of discovery. Soak it all in!
Favorites: Innoventions (I like gadgets) and The American Adventure (The American Pavillion is the best!)

Don't miss:

Illuminations
The living statues at France.
The various shows at the world showcase and in the center of Future World.
Sitting in the butterfly garden near Horizons.
The landscaping everywhere
Place of Interest: Disney-MGM Studios

Avg Waiting times experienced:

Tuesday - 5 to 15 minutes (ToT is the only wait)
Saturday - 0 to 5 minutes (empty, Saturday AM must be a good time to go)
Sunday - 15 minutes (only went on ToT one more time)
Comments on Disney-MGM Studios:

Fun park that keeps growing. Plenty of things to do.
Favorites: ToT, The Great Move Ride, and MuppetVision 3D

Don't Miss:

Fantasmic! Get here early! They start seating an hour and half early. We
got there an hour early and got very good seats.
The 'Singing in the Rain' corner near the Backlot Tour.
The Animation Tour.
Secrets:

Fantasmic Dining! Place a reservation at one the designated MGM restaurants (make sure you ask for Fantasmic! Dining) and you get priority seating for Fantasmic! This is limited, so make sure you do it early!

Place of Interest: Animal Kingdom

Avg Waiting times experienced:

Wednesday: 0 to 5 minutes up to around noon then became about 15-20 minute waits. Remember, it rained somewhat this day.
Friday: 0 to 5 minutes up to around 10AM then became 30-45 minute waits.
Sunday: 0 minute wait for CTX (left after this one ride)
Comments on Animal Kingdom:

This is a real diamond in the rough.
Despite some low opinions by some on the Safari, we both really liked it! I did not expect all of that lush vegetation! I highly recommend getting here first thing in the morning and doing the Safari. We were able to do the Safari many times in a row without a wait first thing. After that, the line goes waaaaayyyyy back.
If it is too crowded by 10AM, go to another park and come back around 3:00PM. That's when everyone is leaving.
The park does not have huge walkways to it, so the crowds seem large than they are. It gets a bit rough to walk around when the characters come out, so be 'extra' patient.
If there is something that could be skipped, I would say it would Conservation Station. It was a bit of a long haul to do very little. Hopefully, this will get better.
When Asia opens in 1999, there should be more attractions to divide the crowds up.
There are some interesting Hidden Mickey's in DinoLand, USA.
Favorites: CTX and Safari

Don't Miss:

Trying to count the animals in the tree of life.
Jumping water at the river in Camp Minnie-Mickey.
Fossil Preparation lab
The cast of the T-Rex at Countdown to Extinction.
Stilt birds spotted around Tree of Life on the way to Dinoland, USA.
Place of Interest: DisneyQuest

Avg Waiting times experienced:

Wednesday: 5-10 minutes
Comments on DisneyQuest:

When are they opening the one in Philadelphia?
This is great! It's a virtual park!
We both really liked making your own roller coaster (I called mine the Cosmic Banshee) and then RIDING IT! What a great idea! You really go through the loops, twists, and turns! Flight simulation technology at its best!
We used the Flex Feature for this. It lasted several hours.
Favorites: Kind of hard to say, liked it all!

Don't Miss:

CyberSpace Mountain
Virtual Jungle Cruise
Place of Interest: Pools

Well, I threw this in here for the heck of it. We wanted to relax more, so we did not go to Blizzard Beach or the other Water Parks. Nothing wrong with them at all, just wanted to avoid any bus transportation at the time. Instead, we went to Stormalong Bay and Luna Park.

One comment is WOW! What a pool the Yacht & Beach Clubs has! Don't miss this one! That slide they have there really shoots you out! Really nifty! The Keister Coaster at Luna Park was alot of fun as well! All in all, it was a good, but not complete replacement for the water park. It does not have that lazy river tub type attraction.

Place of Interest: Downtown Disney

Comments:

Great place to spend a few nights at.
I could spend hours just at the Lego Imagination Center!
Favorites: Ghiradelli's and the Lego Imagination Center

Place of Interest: Universal Studios

Avg Waiting times experienced:

Thursday: 0-15 minutes (Back to the Future was the only wait)
Comments on Universal Studios:

I really noticed the difference in staff quality this year. Disney has an excellent staff of CM's and should do everything it can to keep that quality up and consistent. The employees at USF were somewhat rude and did not care that much (except for the boat skipper at the Jaws ride who was great!).
If you've been there before, don't worry about going back unless you really want to see Twister or T2. When the Islands of Adventure come around, this may improve. For now, I'm going to skip USF in the future.
I think this also takes away some fantasy from a WDW trip. In the WDW area, you are contained in a controlled environment. Driving to USF, the reality of poor zoning, overcrowded highways, and such is present. This is an issue that Universal is going to have to contend with. They do not have 47 square miles to play with (Walt was a visionary when he did this!).
Favorites: T2 and Twister!

Don't Miss:

Boneyard
Alfred Hitchcock: Behind the scenes
Restaurants

Star Rating

* - Don't bother.

** - Ehhh, it's a meal and it did not make me sick.

*** - Good eating.

**** - Now we are talking!

***** - Can I live here?

Restauarant: Liberty Tree Tavern

Where: Magic Kingdom
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Turkey, Ham, Flank Steak, Vegetables, Mash Potatoes and Gravy
Characters: Yes
Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Comsic Ray's Starlight Cafe

Where: Magic Kingdom
Type of Service: Counter
Type of Food: Burgers, Chicken, and such
Characters: No
Ranking: 2 out of 5
Restauarant: Tony's Town Square

Where: Magic Kingdom
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Italian
Characters: No
Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Rainforest Cafe

Where: Animal Kingdom
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Typical American Faire
Characters: No
Ranking: 3 out of 5 (mainly for the interesting animatronics and theming)
Restauarant: Pizzafari

Where: Animal Kingdom
Type of Service: Counter
Type of Food: Pizza and subs/hoagies
Characters: No
Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Donald Duck's Breakfastaosaurus

Where: Animal Kingdom
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Buffet style pancakes, potatoes, bagels, juice, and lots more
Characters: Yes
Ranking: 3 out of 5
Restauarant: Sci-fi Diner

Where: Disney-MGM Studios
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Burgers, chicken, malts, and such
Characters: No
Ranking: 2.5 out of 5 (neat theming)
Restauarant: Backlot Express

Where: Disney-MGM Studios
Type of Service: Counter
Type of Food: Burgers and such
Characters: No
Ranking: 2 out of 5
Restauarant: The Brown Derby

Where: Disney-MGM Studios
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Slightly upscale entrees
Characters: No
Ranking: 3.5 out of 5 (I really enjoyed the Cobb Salad)
*** Get Fantasmic Dining here!
Restauarant: The Garden Grill

Where: EPCOT
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Skillet consisting of Fish, Chicken, Flank Steak, Mash
Potatoes, and Gravy
Characters: No
Ranking: 2 out of 5
Restauarant: San Angel Inn

Where: EPCOT
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Mexican
Characters: No
Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Spoodles

Where: Boardwalk
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Mediterranean with an excellent wine selection
Characters: No
Ranking: 4.5 out of 5 (The Barberisca wine was excellent!)
Restauarant: Calfornia Grill

Where: Contemporary Resort
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Californian Cuisine
Characters: No
Ranking: 4 out of 5 (I actually ate Tofu and liked it!)
*** Great place to view Fantasy in the Sky!
Restauarant: Ghiradelli's

Where: Downtown Disney
Type of Service: Counter
Type of Food: Ice cream and soda!
Characters: No
Ranking: 4 out of 5
Restauarant: Portobello Yacht Club

Where: Downtown Disney (Pleasure Island)
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Italian
Characters: No
Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Wolfgang Puck Cafe

Where: Downtown Disney (Disney West Side)
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Californian Cuisine
Characters: No
Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Restauarant: Hard Rock Cafe

Where: Universal Studios
Type of Service: Table
Type of Food: Typical chain-restaurant fare
Characters: No
Ranking: 3 out of 5
Final Comments

Well, I was sent into the future, sent into the past, almost eaten by an alien, almost eaten by a shark, almost eaten by a dinosaur, flew in the stars, dropped down an elevator shaft, became an honorary bug, saw Africa, became a pirate, saw alot of ghosts, witnessed several major burning catastrophes, experienced cultures from around the world, went into the movies, went into an undersea base, went into space station, and much more.

Now, that I've done so much, I look back and ask myself: 'What are you going to do now?'

I'm going back to WDW! The only question is when ;-)

Andrew Della Vecchia

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