Trip Reports

CAST OF CHARACTERS

The Fam:

Mom - 34, stay at home mom (former music teacher), planning freak; previous visits to WDW in Nov.'73, Feb.'82, Dec. '83, Feb. '88, and August '94; this trip is #6
Dad - 32, husband of the planning freak; 2 previous visits including Aug. '94; this trip is #3
DD3 - 3, daughter (4 in Oct.); 1st visit
DD1 - 1, daughter (2 in Oct.); 1st visit
The Grandparents

Dad's mom - 50-something, Dad's mom; 1st WDW visit, went to Disneyland years ago
My mom. - 60, my mom; previous visits to WDW in '74, '83, plus a couple more maybe
My dad. - 61, my dad; same as above
HISTORY

About half way through my husband's master's program at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), he noticed how stressed I was getting with the 2 girls on my own while he was studying, and working full-time. He said, "I owe you". I quickly agreed and said he could give me a vacation to WDW! Dad finished with his classes and thesis in Dec. '98. So, we planned to go either in Jan. '99 or October '99. We decided not to go right away, so the kids would be a bit older. Then we had to change our plans for the Oct. trip because of Y2K! My husband won't be able to get vacation at that time of year. Our latest possible date was August. So here we go.

My most recent trip was with my husband in August 1994. We had a great time - I think we stayed 3 nights at the All Star Sports Resort. We spent the first evening at PI and really enjoyed the comedy club, but weren't too wild about the nightclubs. It was fun to walk through the 70's nightclub, and I did enjoy the Jazz, but we didn't stay very long. Then we spent one day at each of the major parks. I had a free admission for Epcot because I was a teacher (they had a special thing going that year for educators). Since that saved more money than any multi-day pass at the time, we didn't do any park hopping. I love everything from Small World to the Tower of Terror, and Dad will at least ride everything once, enjoying some things more than others.

PLANNING

We decided early in our planning to invite my mother-in-law to join us. We thought she could use a vacation, and she would be a great help with the girls. That way we could take turns for that afternoon nap time and earlier bedtime. When we thought she wouldn't be able to go, we invited my parents to come along. Now, because of more changes in plans, we're ALL going. I'm glad though, honestly. I think it'll be great.

I've done just about all of the planning. In looking for a resort, I visited the WDW website many times. We originally planned to stay in the Wilderness cabin - but when Dad's mom re-joined the group, we needed a bigger place. I chose the Treehouse mainly because of the lower price and the fact that it has 3BR's. (That makes 4 separate sleeping areas including the LR.) I made the reservation in Jan. before realizing that our AAA membership might get us some discounts. I called back a month later to check, and was SO happy to hear that the time I reserved was included in the AAA discount window. We saved a bundle there. (Regular $365/night; discount $292/night + tax) After making the reservations, I read the Birnbaum Guide, The Unofficial Guide, and the ...with Kids guides to find a few more hints. I realized my husband has the MKC through work. Dad never realized he was a member either. It turned out that there were no more Treehouses with the MKC discount, but I was quite happy with the AAA discount. I later got information about the restaurants and shops that accept the MKC and planned to use it as often as possible. THEN - I read about Annual Pass discounts on the DIS web site. I gave it a try and brought our nightly cost down to $243.00 /night including tax.) That difference paid for the annual pass and then some. THEN - I read about a discount called Deluxe Fall on the DIS web site. It didn't begin until the 18th of August, but it was worth the extra effort to get it. It made our last 5 nights $220.89 /night including tax. Averaging it out, that comes to 224.58 /night including tax. I didn't even have to show my AP at check in, and the person at CRO who helped me with the reservation said I didn't even need to activate it this trip to get the pass holder discount. Now I have an annual pass to use anytime in the future. That makes a $770 savings for the 6 nights (after the cost of annual pass). It pays to keep working on those ressies.

Everyone in our group has AAA, so we bought passes there. 6-day all-in-ones (@ $250 adult/ $200 child) for 4 of us and 5-day hoppers for my parents ($190 each) (DD1 doesn't need one.) As I mentioned above, I also now have an annual pass which I will probably save for another visit since we have the 6-day hopper, and I don't have plans to go to WDW within the year. Not long after I purchased the passes from AAA, Disney changed the ticket prices and started the new passes. I'm glad I got in on the old ones.

As for the transportation, my parents would be driving on their own from PA. We planned to drive also, but we would have had to rent a mini-van since we can't seat everyone comfortably for 2 days of driving in our car. I made reservations with AVIS, but my husband didn't want to drive in the mini-van they offered. Hertz had a much higher price for their windstar. THEN, I saw something on CNN about discount travel on the web. I decided to fish around a little and found Bestfares.com I checked their "snooze you loose" fares and after a few weeks, I found a $158 RT from PHIL. To Orlando with Continental. I decided to check the Newark flights to see if they had the same deal. They did, so I made reservations for 5 and it was a done deal. DD1 pays 1/2 fare since she's under 2 and I wanted a seat for her. She's a big girl. I am NOT going to hold her on my lap for that long even in a safe situation, let alone in an airplane. We'll take 2 car seats to use on the plane and in FL. I am SO happy we'll be flying. I was not looking forward to the 2 full days in the car with the kids. (It takes two solid days to travel to Ft. Lauderdale, which is our first destination). Plus we would have had to get two hotel rooms each way for the extra night. We decided to spend one more day in FL and shorten our trip by one day.

After I had done most of the reservations and planning, I was introduced to WDWIG and Brian Bennett's websites. I again started obsessing, reading MANY MANY trip reports and other information. That was SO helpful.

ITINERARY

My dad's brother lives in Ft. Lauderdale, and my brother and his wife live in the West Palm Beach area. We planned a combination of visiting and sight seeing. We plan to break up the trip as follows:

August 10: My parents will leave via their own car from PA to FL. (2 day drive)

August 11: My family and mother-in-law will drive to Newark, NJ to fly to Ft. Laud.

August 11-13: 3 night stay -Ft. Lauderdale (group split between hotel / uncle's home)

August 14-16: 3 night stay W. Palm Beach (group split between hotel / brother's home)

August 17-22: 6 nights at WDW Treehouse Villa (DI). (My parents will leave a day early)

August 23: The fam. and mother-in-law will fly from Orlando to Newark + drive home

We'll pick up a rental car (National - Disney guest discount - total approx. $203.59) at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and use it up until the 17th when we arrive at WDW. We won't be without a car totally then, as my parents will probably have a mini-van.

Update: We decided against the rental for the week and car-pooled with my parents in their van. That worked out pretty well and saved us the $200.

We plan to leave W. Palm Beach fairly early on the 17th to get to WDW for the day. I have tentative plans set up for each day, ROUGHLY based on the Unofficial Guide to WDW touring plans and the preferences of the people in my group. (more on that later) I think I can be flexible enough to make necessary changes when we get there. I just wanted to avoid the "okay, what do you want to do now" scenario. Everyone seems to be more than happy to leave everything in my hands. Reading other peoples' trip reports has been quite helpful to find out how much a family like mine can realistically do in a day. I have made a few changes to my touring plans based on some suggestions and recommendations. (I found the trip reports that gave times of day as they toured most helpful. It was interesting to note that most people were able to visit about 2 "attractions" per hour. That's counting live performers in World Showcase, etc as an "attraction" and most of the time families stopped for snacks or meals along the way. I decided to use that average as a guideline for our group.

We will take a break each afternoon for naps, etc. All three of the grandparents have offered to take those breaks to get out of the sun and to get some rest. It looks like maybe once or twice Dad and I will be able to get away on our own. I also hope that the other adults will get away to do whatever they most want to do.

I scheduled three character breakfasts at Cinderella's, Chef Mickey's and Artist Point. I'd like to hit one of the water parks with the girls. River Country looks like the best bet for the girls and hopefully won't be as crowded as the other water parks.

I do NOT plan to buy many souvenirs. I think that in all my trips to WDW I've probably bought one sweatshirt and maybe one or two other little things. I bought NOTHING during my last trip. My husband and I have been talking about this, and we plan to set a limit from day 1 with the girls and their grandparents (giving gifts to the girls). They shouldn't have too much trouble with this. It's nothing new. I think it's enough that they'll be having a wonderful time on the rides and at the shows and a wonderful time with their family .

TOURING PLANS - AND HOW WE "FOLLOWED" THEM

As I said previously, I used the "Unofficial Guide..." for advice on the times of day, order of attractions etc. Then, I made a list of all the attractions in all four parks and had my family tell me which attractions they "REALLY wanted to see", "would go on if others were going (and the line wasn't too long)", "would be willing to pass up", and "refused to ride (or couldn't because of age, height, etc.)". I used that info. to group the attractions into several different categories (must see, see w/out kids, etc.). Remember, I admitted I was a planning freak already.

I sketched out the 'days' by AM and PM chunks and left it flexible enough to switch one AM for another (in case we would rather sleep in than do Early Entry-EE). But wait, that's not enough for me to really grasp my plans... I then took out the mini maps of the parks from the guest books that were sent with each of our reservations (we made a few) and marked a "path" from one attraction to the next to see if it made sense. (I really need to visualize things.) I taped on the schedule from my itinerary for each AM and PM. This was probably one of the best things I did. (Of course, the planning ahead of time made this possible, but it was a real cool thing to see the "plan" on the maps.) I carried these little maps in my little wallet-type pouch and made notes on them throughout the day.

Here are the plans as they were before our trip: (picture if you will... my original copy...color-coded.... Inserted are the actual events of the day.

PS - priority seating arrangements

DAY 1 - THE PLAN (Tuesday, August 17)

6:30 Wake up

7:00 Breakfast in room

7:30 Check out

8:00-11:00 Drive to WDW from W. Palm Beach

11:00-11:30 Pre check-in -get resort bus passes

11:30-12:00 Bus to Epcot (or to villa if open - alternate plan in parentheses)

12:00-2:00 Lunch/Innovations/Fountains/Live entertainment (lunch in room if open)

2:00-2:30 Take Monorail to Magic Kingdom via TTC (naps if room open)

3:00-3:30 Parade (naps cont.)

3:30-4:00 Bus to Villa (bus to MGM)

4:00-5:30 Naps/Rest / Snack (Mulan parade -etc. if naps taken earlier)

6:00-6:30 Bus to Studios (B +B show)

6:30-7:20 Beauty + the Beast (final show 6 or 7?)

7:25- 8:15 PS Dinner at 50's Prime Time Café (MKC card -yes)

8:15-9:00 The Magic of Disney Animation OR Backlot Tour OR Sounds Dangerous

9:00-9:30 Bus to villa

DAY 1 - REALITY

We woke up at 6:00, had breakfast in the room and were on the road by 8:05. The trip took just a bit longer than 3 hours (with 7 people in a van for 3 hours, someone's bound to need a bathroom break along the way). We pulled into the Disney Institute and were welcomed home by the cast member at the gate. I checked in and the cast member at the desk gave the kids crayons and Mickey stickers and coloring books. Since our reservation was split, (first night on one discount the remaining 5 on another) I checked in for the 1st night and was told to stop by the next day to check in for the remaining 5 (new keys were issued on the 2nd check-in). InTouch Family Communications had delivered our 3-way radios to the front desk. They were fairly simple to set up and use. Our room was not ready early as I had hoped, so we packed our stroller, splashed on the sunscreen and took the DI bus to Epcot. I was finished at the front desk by 12:00 and we were waiting at the bus stop by 12:20. Bus Stop 8 at DI is the last one before the parks. We were at Epcot by 12:30. I knew it would be a crowded time for lunch, but sometimes you have to hang with the crowd. We headed over to the Land for lunch at the food court. We had lunch at about 1:00. (Tuna salad sandwich, Chicken caesar salad, peanut butter sandwiches for the kids) At 1:25 there was no wait for the Food Rocks show, so we watched it. DD1 was getting tired but the room wasn't ready. At 1:45 we were heading out of the Land to catch the monorail to the MK for the parade. (Since the kids are usually napping at 3, this was the only day the parade would be possible.) On our way upstairs, we notice the RAIN - big time rain - and our ponchos were still in the suitcases. We decided to hit the Circle of Life film to wait out the rain (1:57). The rain was lighter but still coming down when we came out again - but the room was still not ready. Innoventions was closed for renovations. (Somehow I had told this to Dad during all my reading on the web, but I failed to change my tour plan and forgot about the renovations.) Dad's mom requested the Living Seas (2:50), so we took the ride and looked around just a bit afterwards. At 3:20 I called again and the room was still not ready, but I realized that by the time we took the bus back over to the welcome center, it would be close to 4pm (check in time). We just missed our DI bus at 3:30 and had to wait until 4:00 for the next bus. At the front desk they still were saying the room wasn't ready. She double-checked with housekeeping and it actually was ready. We drove over to the treehouse and enjoyed a rest until 6:00. (Okay, I didn't rest, I unpacked most of this time, but the kids got to sleep.) The afternoon had been difficult on DD1 so the break was quite welcomed. Our walk to DI Bus Stop 1 was about 7 minutes. (We were just a bit closer to the pool.) We waited for the bus until 6:20 and arrived at the Studios at 6:40. We caught the last song by Four for a Dollar and the 7:00 Beauty and the Beast show. This was a big hit with the kids. DD3 especially liked the dresses of the girls in the last song. (Having just seen 3 performances of "The King and I" with yours truly as "Anna" in the big hoop skirt, DD3 was way into big dresses.) MGM was pretty crowded that night so our walk over the the 50's Prime Time Café was not an easy one. Without a PS we would not have had a chance there that night. Even with the PS, we didn't get seated until about 8:00. Since it was so crowded, I don't think the interaction was that great. But, when Dad was being complimented on his clean plate, my mom told our waitress - (I never caught her relationship to us --Sister, maybe) that Dad had actually given his cranberry sauce to his mom to finish. Dad's mom then asked our Sister what happens to tattletales. Well, sister returned with a place mat folded into a hat with "tattletale" written across the front. The meal took way too much time (over after 9:00), but was mostly enjoyable. The onion rings were the best part. (Most had turkey, I had BBQ chicken but couldn't finish it - which is okay, because they ran out of clean plate stickers anyway. There must have been a lot of stuffed people running around MGM that night!). We caught the bus at 9:25 and went right to bed.

DAY 2 - THE PLAN (Wednesday, August 18)

Early entry into MGM 7:30am (later for kids)

6:00 Wake up /breakfast in room

7:00 Bus to Studios

7:30-9:00 Tower of Terror

Rockin' Roller Coaster

The Great Movie Ride

Star Tours

8:30? (breakfast at Commissary??)

9:00-9:30** The Little Mermaid (first show)

9:30-11:30 Muppet Vision 4D

Hunchback of Notre Dame show

11:30-12:00 Bus to Villa (11:45 PS if needed)

12:00-3:00 Lunch /relax / Naps/ Swim?

3:00-3:30 drive to AK

3:30-5:00 The Oasis

Festival of the Lion King

It's Tough to Be a Bug

5:00-5:45 Dinner at Tusker House

5:45-6:30 Kilimanjaro Safaris

Pangani Exploration??

6:30-8:00 drive to Fort Wilderness for Campfire

9:00 back to Villa

9:30 Bedtime

DAY 2 - REALITY

I wasn't sure if the early entries would work with the kids, but it turned out to be one of the best plans for the week. Mickey woke us up at 6:00 and we had cold and/or hot cereal in the room. We left the treehouse at 7:20 and caught the first Studios bus at 7:35. There was a decent crowd there for EE, but it wasn't too bad. We got to the park at 8:00 and were in line at the Tower of Terror at 8:10. (My parents took the kids and did a baby swap at The Great Movie Ride). We were "dropped" at about 8:35 and were on our way to meet up with the others by 8:40. Dad's mom enjoyed this ride - especially the holograms. I enjoyed it more with the multiple drops - 5 years ago it was just a fake and then one drop. Dad and Dad's mom grabbed a fruit snack on the way over to the Little Mermaid. We had to wait a while for the 9:15 show. I didn't realize they did an earlier show on EE morning. In fact, my dad asked someone at the LM entrance when the first show was and they said 9:15. Later we found out that they did have a show at 8:40. The Little Mermaid was another big hit for the girls. (Later that night we gave ratings for the rides and shows and most of them got a 5 out of 5 from DD3. I'll fill you in later on those that were less than 5.) We got into Muppet Vision 3D at 10:07 and at 10:30 we split up. My parents took the kids to wait in line at Hunchback and Dad, Dad's mom and I went to Star Tours and practically walked on. We met up for the 11:00 Hunchback show. My parents were able to save us seats - pretty close to the front and on the center aisle. They were there in time to see Randy the juggler and enjoyed that. They said he put a bowling ball on his head (ouch). This was a truly spectacular show. DD3 has never even seen the movie and she followed the story pretty well. At the end, the goat and Quasi-moto came up to her on the aisle and touched her head/chin etc. She got a kick out of that. After the show, she was collecting the confetti from the floor into a nice neat little pile in her hand. I kept it for her in my wallet and we'll use it in her album. On our way out of the park at 11:40, the lines were unbelievable at Star Tours and Indy. (I must say, I was patting myself on the back for some careful planning. We didn't have to wait much for anything all morning. That helps when you're moving slowly to begin with in a large group with people needing bathroom breaks and snack breaks at different times. We could feel the heat building as we stepped onto our air-conditioned bus at 12:00. It took about an hour to re-check in, buy E-tickets for Dad and I (for Friday) and get back to the Treehouse for lunch. The kids were napping by 1:30. We changed our plans a bit and decided to take the bus to AK -- big mistake. It took us about an hour to get there on the bus. Our goal was to hit the 5:00 Festival of the Lion King Show. It was raining a bit here and there, so we really didn't spend much time in the oasis. Somehow, I expected this to be a LONG walk - from reading everyone's descriptions. I was surprised how quickly we got through it. We had some time to eat up, so we checked at the tip board and decided we could fit the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" show in. My mom waited with the kids while we went through the line. There was no line really, we just walked the path around the tree. But, when we got inside, to wait for the doors to open, it took a while and we started to wonder what was happening. The Cast member apologized to everyone waiting and said that the bugs were on strike and that they were in negotiations and would be starting the show as soon as possible --likely story. I didn't want to miss the 5:00 Lion King, so I asked about the wait. Joey said we could come back later to be "back-doored" into the show". So we left and headed for Camp Minnie-Mickey. DD3, who didn't really sleep during naptime, had fallen to sleep in the stroller, but I promised her I would wake her up for the show. When I did, she was quite cranky. At 5 till 5:00 she finally stopped fussing to say she had to use the bathroom. The cast members led me to the nearest facility and we were back just shortly after the show started. This was also a great show. The acrobatics of the monkeys and the aerialist bird acts were my favorites. This show was a 5 for everyone. DD1 spent most of the time looking at the Elephant, Giraffe, and Lion floats saying "eh-phant", "giaff" and "wion". I love that. They were both clapping their hands to the music by the end of the show. After the show we walked into a nearly empty Tusker house (My family is beginning to wonder how I'm managing to avoid the lines, and no one is mocking me for starting my planning 7 months in advance.) We had a nice meal here. I shared a rotisserie chicken with Dad (actually I had the wing from my Mom's, too. The kids had Mac and cheese I think - but it wasn't a big hit.) We then smooshed (I'm ignoring my spell checker on that one, because that's what DD3 and I called it) a couple pennies at the Tusker house. The Safari was a walk-on at this point (6:20). We may not have seen as many animals as the first rides in the morning, but who knows. We enjoyed it. By the way, when the driver says to hold on to small children, hold on to small children. DD3 nearly cracked her skull on that ride. That would not have been fun. After all, we still had the bug's life show to see... Speaking of the bugs, we went to the "back door" and took turns seeing the show. I got to see it twice since my dad backed out. You're right, Brian, this show IS blurry. I even lost the 3D effect a couple times and saw 2 of something. Our two sittings for this show were at 6:45 and 7:15. The kids sat this one out of course. And I wish other kids could have done the same. One girl behind us in the first show was pretty scared. She screamed to her parents "I never wanted to see this show", over and over again. I felt bad for her. Hey, if a kid says they don't want to see something, why take them??? We were planning our MK Early entry, so we skipped the other stuff and went back to the villa. We got back at 8:00 and put DD1 to bed. Dad, DD3 and I went for a swim and hot tub dunk from about 8:30-going on 9:00. We were all in bed by 10:00.

DAY 3 - THE PLAN (Thursday, August 19)

Early entry into MK 7:30am

6:00 Wake up / snack in room

7:00-7:30 Bus to MK

7:30-9:50 Dumbo

Peter Pan

Cinderella's Carrousel

Legend of the Lion King

Country Bear Jamboree

9:50-10:45 PS Character Breakfast (Cinderella)

10:45-12:00 Hall of Presidents

Small World

Carousel of Progress

12:00-12:30 bus to Villa

12:30-1:00 snack "lunch" in room

1:00-3:00 Naps/Rest

3:30-4:00 bus to Epcot

4:00-6:00 Spaceship Earth (if no line)

Food Rocks

Circle of Life

Living w/ the Land

6:00-6:45 Supper -counter service

6:45-9:00 World Showcase

Get snacks

Find viewing spot (early)

9:00** IllumiNations

9:30 bus to Villa

10:00 Bedtime

(MK closes at 11pm?? Monorail?)

(BTMRR and SshM)

DAY 3 - REALITY

Our wake-up call was for 6:00 again this morning. We were able to get the gang moving quickly with only a snack of a breakfast for some and none for others. We were on the second bus to the MK at 7:10 and reached the gate by 7:40. Our morning in Fantasyland went pretty close to schedule. 7:55 Dad/DD3, Mom/DD1 on Dumbo, then we went to Peter Pan and Cinderella's Carrousel (8:10) and Small World. The Grandparents skipped Dumbo and the Carrousel. Actually Dad's mom was not feeling well and didn't go on anything in Fantasyland. The Lion King show was not part of the EE, so we got in line for Winnie the Pooh at 8:30. At 8:50 we walked down to Liberty Square and got in "line" for the Haunted Mansion. We were in the first group to enter, but they didn't open the doors until 9:00. This was Dad's mom's first ride this morning. At 9:15 we walked to Frontierland for the Country Bear Jamboree. This is a family favorite. It was great watching my dad's face during this show. We've been singing the songs from this since my first trip to WDW. We had less than a 5-minute wait and were part of a very small audience. At 9:40 we walked to the castle for our 9:55 PS at Cinderella's Royal Table. This was a pretty relaxing breakfast and a quick one. The whole process from check in until we left the castle was under an hour. They served us muffins and fruit with coffee and juice immediately and the pre-plated breakfast of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and french toast was served soon after. We got autographs and pictures with Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Jasmine, Belle, Snow White and The Fairy Godmother (lobby). Everyone was quite pleased with the meal and the girls were completely tickled to meet the princesses. Dad's mom decided to go back to the treehouse since she was still not feeling well. The rest of us went to Tomorrowland and caught one of the first shows of Carousel of Progress (opened at 11, closed at 5 or 6??). At 11:35 my mom and dad took the girls back for naps and Dad and I stayed to tackle as many mountains as possible. Dad and I checked the line at Space Mountain. It was a 30-minute wait. I would have gone for it, but we decided instead to take the fastpass. We scanned our park passes at the machine and got a return time for 1:05 to 2:05. This gave us time to go to the other mountains. We got to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 12:00 and the sign said 60 minute wait. We again got the fast pass. Our return time was 12:50-1:50 (with less than an hour on the fast pass, why were those people getting into that regular line????) Use the fast pass people. You'll be glad you did. With two fastpasses in hand, we went to Splash Mountain and had a 30 minute wait. While waiting in line, we were able to radio across the Disney property to the Treehouse to find out that my parents and the girls reached the villa at 12:15. Those radios were so cool. We were headed for our laughing place at 12:27. We hit the shops to buy those "fat pens" for the character autograph signing. (Cindy and the girls were able to handle the "skinny pens" - they have such delicate little hands, you know). I got a Pooh pen and Mickey pen. DD3 chose the Pooh, so we gave Mickey to DD1. At 12:45 we went to the BTMR fastpass entrance. However, the ride had stopped because someone tried to get out of the train. The cast members (Disney bouncers) were trying to be accommodating when they apologized for the delay for the fastpass entrance. We were allowed in at 1:00 (only a 15-minute wait there). By 1:15 we were on the ride. (Wait time total: 30 minutes - much better than the 60 minutes posted.) The people in that regular line didn't seem very happy to see us pass them. Next was our Space Mountain ride with a short wait in the fast pass lane. We were on the ride at 2:00 and heading out the gate by 2:20. On the way out of the park I asked about the red "guest of honor" name badges. They don't make them at the MK anymore. I was bumming. (Later we found them at MGM - but they only had preprinted names. We finally found them at Downtown Disney in the Marketplace.) At 4:07, after a rest, we were on the bus to Epcot. Again, DD3 decided to fall asleep on the bus instead of in her bed. When she got off the bus she was cranky. I sat with her while the rest of the group went into the park. It was raining again. This would become a pattern for us. We soon determined that Epcot = Rain. At about 5:00 we went on Spaceship Earth with next to no line. Some of the group went on it twice. We had planned to do the World Showcase, but it was raining, so we went to the Land for supper (5:30) I was disappointed, because I really wanted to eat my way around the world. Oh well, next time. Some of the group got in line to Living with the Land (6:15). I didn't realize how long the wait was or I probably would have skipped it. We waited 30 minutes. At 7:00 we went to a very soggy Norway to ride Maelstrom. We had a bit of a wait for that as well. Of course everyone was trying to find anything to do indoors. We decided to stick around, hoping that the rain would empty the park and then end just in time for Illuminations. At 8:00 we walk up to China and decided to see an 8:15 show of the Pu Yang Acrobats. They were very good. We got seats with a great view and enjoyed their performance. (They were performing indoors because of the rain.) We walked clockwise around to find a viewing spot for Illuminations. Everything was filling pretty quickly, so when I saw a spot, I pushed the stroller up to the edge. There were people sitting on the benches to either side of this small space. I don't remember why, but I said something to DD3 about how the people were saving seat for their families (I think maybe she said that she wanted out of the stroller and I was explaining why she had to stay). Anyway, a woman looked up and said she had more people coming to join her. I said, "so do I". Maybe she thought I was going to steal her seat, or that I shouldn't stand so close to her bench. I don't know. If you're reading this - sorry if you thought I was being rude. I just didn't know how else to respond to your statement. I'm pretty sure we were near Italy at this point. Just as it started, we realized it wasn't such a great spot. I was also not interested in getting tied up in all the exit traffic. I decided to start walking clockwise out of WS. (In hindsight, I realize I should have walked back the other way for a few reasons - it was shorter, and the wind was headed toward Canada and the UK. We got caught in a cloud of smoke on the way out.) Another disappointment - I really wanted to watch Illuminations, but I just caught bits and pieces. I didn't get to take notes about our departure times. I know, you're not going to sleep well tonight now that you don't have this pertinent information. But, both girls fell asleep on the way to the bus and I had to carry two sleeping 30+ lb. girls onto the bus. At some point we got to sleep - I think.

DAY 4 - THE PLAN (Friday, August 20)

Early entry into Epcot 7:30am (later for kids/others)

6:00 Wake up /Breakfast in room

7:00-7:30 Bus to Epcot

7:30-11:00 Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Test Track

Cranium Command

Universe of Energy

(fountains, etc for kids)

11:00-12:00 El Rio del Tiempo

MaelstromThe American Adventure

China??France??

12:00-12:30 Lunch at World Showcase coun. serv.

12:30-1:00 bus to Villa

1:00-3:00 Naps/Rest

3:30-4:00 drive to AK

4:00-6:00 Festival of Lion King (if missed Wed.)

Tarzan Rocks

Kali River Rapids

Countdown to Extinction

Boneyard (kids)

6:00-6:30 Dinner at counter service AK?

6:30-7:00 bus to MK

7:00-8:15 Rides in Tomorrowland , etc.

8:15-8:45 bus to villa - Kids to bed

9:30-10:00 Dad and Mom back to MK for

10:00-12:00 E-night

DAY 4 - REALITY

Today we have our first major schedule change. Since the E-night plans were added at the last minute, and we couldn't handle that many E's in one day, we skipped the EE and decided to go to MGM for the morning. Our wake up call was for 7:10. DD3 woke up with a bit of a temperature. We decide to split up for the morning. We, the Fam., stayed at the treehouse and the grandparents went to MGM. They arrived at 9:00 and saw Sounds Dangerous at 9:20. They said it was okay. Then, they saw the 10:00 Indiana Jones Show and the Movie Ride. (I know this, because I communicated with them via radio in order to live vicariously through them.) In the meantime, back at the treehouse.- DD1 got a bath, got dressed, etc. She put on her sunglasses went to the door and called for Grandpa. DD3 announced that she was feeling better and wanted to the parks. DD1 said "I wanna see show". So we got on the bus at 10:25 and arrived at the Studios at 10:50. The kids wanted a snack so we stop at Starring Rolls and had a snack and a half -Chocolate croissants, bagel, milk, coffee. We met up with the grandparents and got in line for the Animation Tour. DD1 was just not dealing with the line thing. We decided to leave. The Bear in the Big Blue house was starting soon (11:45) so we tried that line. Again, DD1 was just not handling it well. We bailed out and went back to the treehouse. We had lunch at the treehouse and Dad went to Goodings to replenish our supply while I put the kids in for naps (1:15). The grandparents stayed in MGM and did the Backlot Tour after the Animation Tour. Then, they went directly to the Animal Kingdom from the Studios. After naps, we tried to follow our afternoon schedule. We drove to AK (3:35). This actually worked out better than the bus. We even made a wrong turn once or twice and got to the park in 1/2 hour (4:01). The grandparents were in line for Tarzan Rocks. Our goal was to meet them there. But we didn't make it, they were turning people away because the show was full. (Oh yeah, it's also raining again -no, pouring.) We took shelter at the Flame Tree Barbecue. This was not the best place to hang out. It's just the counter service with no tables. You have to walk outside to even get a fork or napkin. Out of desperation, I decided to get some food for the kids and myself. Dad didn't want anything. I didn't want anything BBQish. I love ribs, but I just knew it would not be a good choice for stand-up eating. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich and fruit plate. (These items were on a separate little menu on the cash register. I assumed they were the non-BBQ type foods --wrong.) The chicken salad was flavored with BBQ sauce or something. It really was disgusting. The kids had some of the fruit. When the rain calmed down a bit, I decided to get the kids some food they could eat. We headed to Restaurantosaurus. DD1 and I shared a mammoth sized hamburger and DD3 had a hot dog. Everything comes with fries, and the girls just don't eat them, so we had french fries coming out of our ears. We met the grandparents there and skipped out on them to see Countdown to Extinction (6:15). I had entered two parks by this time and had not been on any rides until this one. The night would be an improvement over the day. DD1 and the Grandma's went to the treehouse in the van. Dad, DD3, my dad and I were headed for the MK. We just missed the bus, so we decided to get on the Epcot bus instead and take the monorail over. The Epcot bus also stopped at MGM. I got an idea. We hopped off the bus at MGM at 6:55. We hustled our way to Beauty and the Beast. Grandpa and DD3 caught the 7:00 show again, while Dad and I went to try out the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster. We waited 1/2 hour (they also had fastpass here, but we didn't get to take advantage of it.) and were doing 60mph at 7:35. Weeeee! That was fun! Now I'm feeling better. I've now gone on 2 rides, and I'm looking forward to E-night!! We left the park and headed to the TTC by bus. At 8:05 we were on the monorail to MK. We asked DD3 what she wanted to do. I felt bad that she hadn't been able to do anything in the parks either because of DD1's fussiness and the rain. We let her choose between the Characters (toontown) and the singing birds (Tiki). She chose the birds, so we took the WDW Railroad to Frontierland and walked to Adventureland. When we got in the line for the Tiki Room, she got a bit scared by the fire and the music. She decided she'd rather see the characters. I had to explain that it was too late and that we would not be able to get to the characters. She was okay with that. We walked toward Main Street and planned to at least catch a glimpse of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Well, we caught more than a glimpse. We ended up right on the corner of Main street near the flag pole circle (on the left side facing the castle). We ended up with a spot that had just been vacated by a family of cockroaches --literally. A family had been sitting on the curb at this spot and they were scared away moments before our arrival by some rather large cockroaches. The cast member who assisted them told the incoming group to just stand. We waited from 8:50 to 9:05 in that spot. There were a few people in front of us, but we're tall, and they weren't, so we had a perfect view of everything all the way from the entrance, around the circle and past us. I video taped quite a lot of it. DD3 got a seat on Dad shoulders. After the parade, Grandpa and DD3 went back to the Treehouse. Dad and I exchanged our passes for wristbands at City Hall and walked up Main Street in search of ice cream. Unfortunately the soft-serve place in Adventureland was closed and it was getting close to Fantasy in the Sky (10:00), so we postponed our treat. We watched the fireworks on the path to Adventureland - not the best view because of a tree. But it wasn't bad either. We got to see Tinkerbell (a first for both of us). At 10:20 we went to Splash Mountain with no wait. At 10:30 we got in line for BTMR, there was a bit of a line. At 11:00 we decided to get the ice cream on Main Street. This was our longest wait all night. There were not many people in front of us, but the line was oh so slow. We sat on a bench and watched the colors change on the castle while we enjoyed our cones. At about 11:30 Dad convinced me to go on Alien Encounter. I did not want to go on this, but I sacrificed. I just limited my sensory input (I pulled away from the back of my chair and closed my eyes just a little .) I just knew this would not be my type of fun. It wasn't too bad, but I'm not planning to do it again. (And I certainly wouldn't wait in line for it.) Dad liked it. At 11:55 we did Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin. My score was 135,600. I like this ride. At 12:05 we went to see Timekeeper. This was slightly familiar, but I didn't think I had ever seen it. It was fine, but it was spoiled by a guy behind us who kept saying how "lame" it was. Space Mountain had stopped (12:30), so we went to Buzz Lightyear again, hoping SM would be running later - no such luck. (Spin score, second time 120,800) Dad wanted to go to the Haunted Mansion for our last ride. On our way, we met Tigger, Minnie and Goofy in front of the castle. I had my picture taken with Minnie and told her I'd see her at breakfast --what a woman. We were on the HM at 12:50 and leaving the part at 1:00. I never thought I'd last for the entire E-night, but it went so fast. I would definitely recommend it. We crawled into bed at 2:00.


DAY 5 - THE PLAN (Saturday, August 21)

Early entry into MK 7:30am (for those who care)

6:30 Wake up / Breakfast (snack)

7:30-8:00 Bus to MK

8:00-10:00 Railroad to Toontown

Winnie the Pooh

Pirates of the Carribean

Haunted Mansion

Tropical Serenade

10:00-10:25 Monorail to Contemporary

10:25-11:15 PS Chef Mickey's at Contemporary

11:15-12:00 Monorail back to MK or Epcot

12:00-12:30 bus to Villa

1:00-3:30 Naps/Rest/Snack

3:30-4:00 drive? to River Country (or other park)

4:00-5:30 swim/rides etc. / change

5:30-6:00 boat to MK??

6:00-8:30 Timekeeper

Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin

Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Try Space Mountain

Alien Encounter

Speedway (kids)?

Skyway (kids)?

(or split up -kids to Fantasyland first, then

join other adults in Tomorrowland via skyway)

sometime supper (cntr srvc. Tommorowland? Or Diamond Horseshoe -show times?)

7:30-8:30(9) whatever, find spot for viewing

9:00 Main Street Electrical Parade

10:00 Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks

DAY 5 - REALITY

The early entry plans went down the tubes when I scheduled the E-night. I not THAT crazy. My parents left for the bus before us. I thought they were going to the MK for a bit before our PS at Chef Mickey's. It turned out that the DI bus driver offered them a ride directly to the Contemporary Resort. We caught the same bus later and the driver asked us if we were going to Chef Mickey's. My parents told them we were on our way. He also dropped us off at the entrance to the Contemporary before his regular MK stop. We arrived at 10:15 for our 10:30 PS. We were seated immediately after our photo in front of the big plate. Chef Mickey's isn't as peaceful as the Cinderella's. We did some napkin twirling for a couple celebrations. The buffet was....what's the word? HUGE! Anyone who walks away hungry from Chef Mickey's was too tired to walk up to the buffet. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, all kinds of potatoes, french toast, pancakes, fruit, muffins, biscuits, croissants, donuts, toppings for the pancakes (including M&M's), and then some. We visited with Chip and Dale, Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy. Chip and DD1 really hit it off. DD1 kept giving hugs to Chip over and over again. Some time after Chip left the table he came back again to sneak in another hug from DD1 before he went to another table. She is a real cutie, how could he resist? We were offered a package of 2 large photos and 2 small photos (in magnet holders) for about $26. No one wanted the large photos, so we ordered 2 magnets for $12 and got 2 more "reprints" for $8. Each magnet photo ended up costing $5.25 w/ tax. It was the only photo we had of the whole group during vacation. After breakfast we rolled ourselves, I mean the stroller, on to the monorail and took it around the loop to get a peek at the other resorts. We got off at the TTC and were planning to either hit MK or whatever. The A/C was not working in our part of the monorail, so by the time we reached the TTC, we were all pretty nauseous. We decided to go to Downtown Disney for a bit and then back to the villa. DD1 needed a nap already (12:00) so Dad decided to take her back. Unfortunately there is not a DI bus from TTC. You have to take the DD bus and transfer to the DI bus or take the monorail to MK or Epcot and transfer to the DI bus -whew. This was probably one of our worst bus rides (especially for Dad and DD1 who had to make the switch). We did some shopping and looking around at the Marketplace. DD3 played in the jumping water a bit. I bought Christmas ornaments for the girls (I buy one every year, so I just counted this towards my Christmas expenses, and not part of the souvenirs). I bought a Cinderella ball for DD3 ($7 minus the MKC discount / plus tax) and Chip and Dale on a half-eaten cookie for DD1 ($8 - MKC discount +tax). I had "guest of honor" badges made for the girls and myself. ($5 each - MKC discount +tax) Dad's mom bought each of the girls an outfit. We got as far as World of Disney and had to head back to the busses. I really wanted to go the Lego display, but couldn't walk the extra 20 yards or so. We waited for the bus (2:45). We knew we were very close to the villa, but after Dad's report to us on the radio, we knew we had a few stops on the way (more at DD and Typhoon Lagoon). We finally got home and had a chance to rest. We were working on ideas for the evening and of course it rained. Dad had gone for a walk on the golf cart path over to the welcome building. We had to go pick him up in the van because of the rain. By this time we realized that it would be a waste of a day on our passes to go to the parks, so we decided to have supper at the Villa. (Kraft mac and cheese and Progresso Chicken Noodle soup - now that's good eatin' ) We then decided to go back to DD for a while. Dad's mom decided to stay at the villa. Dad found a path to DD on his walk, he said it was probably 10 minutes. It was actually more like 15-20 and that only got us to the West Side. Fortunately we read about the boats that go from the West Side to the Marketplace starting at 6pm. It was better than the bus at least. It was about 6:30 and we were walking up to the dock as the boat arrived. It was a five-minute ride over to the other side. Dad decided to take DD3 out in one of the 2-person boats (Water Mouse). They had a half-hour ride ($18.00 total). I took DD1 on the little train ($2.00 total), then we did some more shopping. After our earlier trip to DD, while we were getting off the bus, someone (I'm not mentioning names) dropped my bag from the Christmas store and decapitated poor little Chip and Dale. I took the broken ornament back to the Christmas Store and asked if there was anything they could do. The Cast Member looked at the measly $8 price tag and told me to get another one and he would put it in a box. Just a tip here: If you're buying something breakable, make sure they put it in a box the first time. We met up with Dad and DD3 after their boat ride. DD3 said,"I had a BLAST!" We went to World of Disney and I bought a T-shirt and a very nice hardcover Disney songbook, "The New Illustrated Treasury of Disney Songs". This was a gift for the girls and I. We play the piano and sing a lot. (I used my MKC discount on the $19 shirt and $35 songbook.) That was it for our souvenirs. Dad didn't want anything so he let me spend his money. My parents bought each of the kids a set of pens. DD3 got the princess set and DD1 got the Pooh set. We finally made it to the Lego store, but it was quite crowded. The kids played a while and went down the slide a couple times. We actually never made it into the store, however. We all had our eyes on Ghirardelli's. The kids had a vanilla cup to share, I had a chocolate milkshake and Dad had chocolate ice cream in a chocolate dipped cone. The milkshake was excellent. DD1 and DD3 finished their ice cream and helped Dad finish his cone. We waited just a bit for the boat back to the West Side and then walked back to our villa. My parents went down to the pool and hot tub for a bit. After the kids were in bed we took our turn at the hot tub. We were in bed by 11:30. We actually had a nice day even with the rain and the bus problems and not going to the parks. Next time I'll schedule a day like this. Now we all have one day left on our passes for a future visit.

DAY 6 - THE PLAN (Sunday, August 22)

7?? Wake up / breakfast

9?? church

12:30?? PS Lunch at Coral Reef

The Living Seas

?? World Showcase entertainment/films

??-?? Naps/Rest/swim?

Attractions missed on previous days or

Favorites again

DAY 6 - REALITY

Our wake up call was for 7:00. I had called a couple places to find out about church services. Each time, I was told that there were two services at the Poly (8:00 and 10:15 or was that 8:15 and 10:30??) Anyway, from reading the Unofficial Guide I suspected that these were the Catholic services, so I asked about a Protestant service. Each time, they had to look it up and then told me about the 9:00 service at the Poly. Now, why didn't they list that to begin with? We went to the Poly in the van. We arrived just in time. There were crowds of people leaving from the 8:00 service. There were not many people at the 9:00. (Is it any wonder?) The services were in Luau Cove. After church my parents said their good-byes and went back to the villa to finish packing. We took the monorail to the MK (10:00). We walked directly to Toontown. At 10:30 we walked right on to Goofy's Barnstormer. Dad's mom stayed with DD1 while Dad, DD3 and I went on the ride. When it stopped (and boy, did it stop - you really have to hold onto your kids and put your arm on the bar here) the cast member asked us if we wanted to go again. DD3 had given the ride a 5, so I asked her if she wanted to go on it again sometime, she said "yes". I asked her if she wanted to go again right now, she said "yes", and we were off. Dad got off to video tape us from the exit ramp and ground. (The first time he video taped from the seat in front of us.) It was a wild little roller coaster - more than I expected. I didn't know it made such twists and turns. She loved it though, and I was happy to be taking her on her first roller coaster ride. After that, we walked right into Minnie's house. It was a bit crowded in the kitchen, but it was fine. We got in line at the character greeting and DD3 chose the Minnie/Chip and Dale line. (The other lines were Alice/Jasmine and Donald Duck/Pluto/Goofy.) After meeting briefly with Minnie and the gang, we got back in line for Donald, but the line was too long for us. We probably would have been in the room in 15 minutes, but that's too long in my book. At 11:00 we went over to Donald's boat to cool off and get wet. I took the girls' shoes off and let them run around in their clothes. (I had a bag of dry clothes with me.) Dad and Dad's mom left us at the boat and went to Tomorrowland for the Alien Encounter. They radioed back and said there was a 10-minute wait. They went on the ride while I got the girls changed. Later, Dad explained how the Alien Encounter was not as good as Friday during E-night, because they left the lights on during the whole thing. I'm assuming that was a mistake. The darkness pretty much makes the attraction. He never asked about it, so who knows. When I reached Tomorrowland, I parked the stroller by Buzz Lightyear and took the girls on the TTA (11:30). Space Mountain was stopped and the lights were on. That was cool. I kept in contact with Dad and Dad's mom, so Dad was able to join us on the TTA just as we were coming to the exit/entrance. He hopped into our car and rode the 2nd time with us. This time SM was running and the lights were out. By the time we reached the entrance/exit again, Dad's mom was ready to join us. (Have I mentioned how cool those radios were??) I got off with DD1 (twice was enough for me) and Dad's mom joined Dad and DD3 for the 3rd trip. I went below and DD1 and I waved to them from the ground, then we went into Star Traders and waved to them from there. When we were finished with the TTA, we got right into Carousel of Progress (Dad's mom missed this on Thursday). DD3 gave this ride a 3 because it gets dark for a moment when the fuse blows in the second scene. (I wanted to ride Buzz with DD3, but the line had a15 minute wait at 11:30 and was a 30-minute wait by 12:00. I could have handled the 15 minutes if I didn't have both girls on my own.) We left Tomorrowland at 12:40. Dad's mom stopped at Casey's on Main Steet for a hot dog and caught a later bus. Our bus left at 1:00 and we were at the villa at 1:15. By the time Dad's mom got off of her bus it was pouring. We had lunch and naps at the villa. Dad met the National Rental car shuttle at the DI Welcome Center at 2:20 was back to the villa with our 1-day rental by 3:00. We all took naps during the rain. Those treehouse quilts sure are cozy on a rainy afternoon... Our evening was unplanned except for two requests. Dad wanted to see the new Tiki show and Dad's mom wanted to see some of the World Showcase. This would have worked except for the rain and the slow bus to MK. (It took an hour to get there this time. We had a half-hour wait for the bus.) We left the villa at 5:00 and went into the Tiki room at about 6:15. During our wait outside (the cast member said it would be 8 minutes, but it seemed longer) DD3 and DD1 entertained the crowd by dancing together to the music. It was pretty cute, I must admit - and actually almost more entertaining than the Tiki room itself. I wasn't impressed with the new show. I know the old one wasn't anything spectacular, but I think I liked it better. We said good-bye to the castle and took the monorail to Epcot via the TTC and arrived at 7:00. I had made PS arrangements at the Teppanyaki in Japan just in case it was raining. Guess what? It was raining, so we got to Japan around 7:30 and waited to be seated. While we were waiting, DD3 and DD1 again became the entertainment. As I mentioned earlier, DD3 had seen my performances of "The King and I". She and DD1 like to be the princesses and get down into the toad bowing position on the floor. Then we have to clap our hands and/or move them to another spot while they're still in toad position. The people in the waiting area must have thought my husband and I were on some kind of power trip, having our children bow to us. I tried to explain, but it's kind of difficult to understand unless you've seen the musical. It certainly was a moment to remember. We were seated at 8:00 after waiting almost 1/2 and hour. DD1 and DD3 used the chopsticks (wrapped with a rubber band) -this was another highlight of the meal for us. We had a nice meal. It came to $106 (tax and tip included) for 3 adults and 1 child's meal, plus a fruit cup for DD1. However, I knew we were in trouble when I looked at my watch when we were seated. By the time we finished our meal Illuminations had started. We again got to see bits and pieces, and of course we got stuck in the mob. We said good-bye to the big ball. By the way, there are stars on the ball now. I guess there'll be "big doin's goin' on here" for the millennium celebration - as Mickey would say. I lost track of time here, but we usually had pretty quick trips home. I spent some time packing before bedtime (probably about 11:30).

Departure Day - THE PLAN (Monday, August 23)

7:00 Wake up (pack meals/snacks)

8:00 to Wilderness Lodge

8:55-10:00 PS Breakfast at Artist Point (character)

10:15-11:30 Walk around Resort or Shop DD

11:30-12:00 back to DI for TTC ??

12:00 leave for airport

12:30-1:45 check in / packed lunch in airport

2:10-4:55 departure for Newark

6:00 Dinner on route home

7:30?? Home

DEPARTURE DAY - REALITY

Dad's mom set her own alarm and was up pretty early. Our wake up call came at 7:00. We did some more packing before going to breakfast. We drove over to the Wilderness Lodge for our 9:00 breakfast at Artist Point. We arrived about 15 minutes early, and were seated right away. The kids got pages of the characters to color. Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were the characters here. This was also a pre-plated meal, but the fruit plate was extra ($9). The girls had been eating mostly fruit at the breakfasts so we got it. (We ended up taking half of it with us and had it in the airport for a snack.) We had eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes (whole wheat or something), there was also a plate of bread (blueberry and pumpkin, banana or zucchini or whatever). The kids ate the fruit and the pancakes. The characters came around for autographs and pictures and then we got some extra attention from Eeyore mostly. He was a bit depressed, because he and Tigger tried to help the waitresses but they kept messing up. DD3 had to go out on the porch to give him a hug. Tigger and Pooh were entertaining a few tables away with dancing, climbing on the walls and beams and swinging between two chairs. Pooh came back over and sat at our table for a while. The kids really enjoyed it (so did the adults, I think). It was a nice way to finish the trip instead of just getting up and leaving. We finished our packing and were out of the villa at exactly 11:00. There is a table with large checkers on it in the living room and the kids gathered up the checkers while I packed some snacks. The next thing I know, most of the checkers are gone, and no one is offering an explanation. I figured DD1 put them in a drawer or something. I looked all over, but couldn't find them. I figured housekeeping would find them under a pillow somewhere. From here the day went down hill completely. I'll spare you the details, but it included an absolutely awful headache (which lasted a day and a half), a leaking dirty diaper on the plane, no meal on the plane after being told there would be one, sitting in the noisiest part of the plane (next to the flight attendants' area and emergency door... The list goes on. We arrived home at about 9:15 and went to bed immediately. The next morning we were able to watch the video of the vacation. It helped me remember that it was such a good vacation - it's so easy to forget that after a departure day like that. (Dad's mom drove home to Long Island and Dad flew to Raleigh for work in the afternoon. The girls and I vegged for 2 days (most of that in our pajamas ). Oh yeah, guess what I found in one of the pockets of the suitcase? Those silly checkers!! DD1 decided to bring a little Disney home with her. Now I have to mail them back. Nice try, DD1.

SUMMARY

What can I say, we were at WDW after all. It was wonderful, and even with rain and other problems, you still have a good time. I failed to mention some of the little things we saw - like talking trashcans and water fountains, and musical groups (Off Kilter, Cast in Bronze, and a group or two more). We didn't stay long to listen, but just hearing them in passing adds to the fun. I even like the piped in music on Main Street.

If I had it all to do again, I would change some things, but I would not have gone with the girls at this age (almost 2 and 4) without the assistance of the grandparents. They enjoyed seeing the girls enjoying everything and were a big help to Dad and I. I knew this when I planned the trip - which is why they were there. Somewhere along the way, a woman commented to Dad's mom how nice it was that she was helping with the grandkids. This woman and her husband paid for the grandparent's trip and they hadn't offered to help with the kids at all. (See tip below)

We liked the Early Entry especially at the MK. It worked out pretty nicely at MGM as well. I think we could have done one more at Epcot if we hadn't planned on the E-night for that night. It was amazing how we were able to move from attraction to attraction in the mornings and how the lines were building and the heat pouring down as we were leaving the park. I really felt bad for those people who were in those hour-long lines in the heat. I really owe this to the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. I was able to modify their tour plans to fit our needs and still benefit from their experience. I will definitely include at least some EE next time.

I loved having the kitchen. I can only take so much eating out (Did I say that??) We had about 3 gallons of milk, several gallons of water, lunchmeat, fruit, yogurt, etc in the refrigerator. I also had tuna fish, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and hot/cold cereal, soup, crackers, bread and snack foods. When we ate in the parks, I tried to take it easy and share meals when possible. The portions are sometimes quite large and the prices are pretty high. Would you believe I actually didn't gain any weight on this vacation?

TIPS

* If you have a semi-large to large group like ours and you can swing the cost - get the communication system at InTouch. It was SO VERY helpful during our stay. I can't say enough about how it saved us time and aggravation to be able to communicate with each other. ($170 for 6 days, 3 units) There we even times we were somewhere like the bus and would see the rest of our group, but they couldn't find us... we radioed to them and gave walking directions to where we were.
* If you're taking the grandparents or other persons with you and you want help with your kids (a night out, help pushing the stroller, etc.), make sure you agree on this before you plan your trip. We talked quite a lot about this before our trip, and everyone knew what to expect. With the kids so young, they can only be in the parks a limited time. I really appreciated being able to get away while the grandparents were back at the treehouse with the girls.
* Carry water with you. We had several water bottles in carrying pouches. I washed the out each night and refilled them with bottled water (we bought several gallons in W. Palm Beach before we left for WDW.) We froze about a half a bottle over night and added cold water to in the morning. That gave us nice cold water to drink for a good part of the day.
HIGHLIGHTS

* Character meals. It gave us an opportunity to visit with characters, relax a little for a meal, and avoid the lines for characters elsewhere (at least with my kids).
* Chip at Chef Mickey's giving hug after hug to DD1.
* Dad's favorites: Ice cream on Main street and at Ghirardelli's, and E-night.
* My favorite attractions: Rock 'N' Roller coaster, Tower of Terror, Hunchback, Festival of the Lion King, and E-night (except for Alien), riding the Barnstormer with DD3 for her first (and second) roller coaster ride.
* DD3 liked everything except the Haunted Mansion - she gave it a 1. I think she especially liked the live shows (Hunchback, B+B, Mermaid) and Fantasyland.
* My mom's favorites: Hunchback (and other live shows), the way the EE plans worked out, the free day on Saturday (Chef Mickey's and Downtown Disney).
* My dad's favorites: The Main Street Electrical Parade, Indiana Jones, and an old favorite - The Country Bear Jamboree.
* Dad's mom's favorites: Spaceship Earth, Tower of Terror, the animals at Animal Kingdom, Living With the Land, Festival of the Lion King, and DD3 and DD1's performance at the Teppanyaki.
BIGGEST PROBLEMS and DISSAPOINTMENTS

* Rain: I expected it, but it spoils things just the same. We missed out on the Magical Moments Parade, River Country and a few other things because of it.
* Getting sick: The stomach problems, fever and headaches hit most of us during our stay. Do yourself a favor and drink bottled water.
* Park Pass choices: If I had known about E-nights when I bought the hopper passes, I probably would not have gotten the all-in-one hoppers. For the difference in price, even if we were able to get the Water Park, it would have been cheaper to pay the separate ticket price. Once I made plans for E-night, Pleasure Island wasn't as attractive to us anymore. I couldn't handle two late nights and there are only a few places on PI I like anyway. Live and learn.
THE TREEHOUSE AND BUS TRANSPORTATION

We were in Treehouse #419. It was just past the bus stop and fairly close to the pool. They were doing some work in that area at this time, but it really didn't bother me to see the trucks, etc. It may spoil things for some people. They were installing conduits and it made the area muddy here and there. The treehouse has stairs to the entrance on the 2nd floor. It is an octagon on top with a smaller octagon-shaped area below. The floor plan of the main floor is cut in half across the octagon. The living room, kitchen and bathrooms take up half and 2 bedrooms are the other half. The living room is not huge, but we were able to open up a queen air mattress on the floor with no problem. The décor is kind of woodsy. There were quilts on the beds. The coffee table read "Pigs for sale" and the end and kitchen table had checkerboards painted on them. All of us couldn't fit in the kitchen at the table for meals, so some of us sat in the living room. They have pretty much the necessary dishes and pots and pans. There are no containers for refrigerating leftovers or a colander. We brought our own plastic cups and sippy cups for the kids. The maid loads and/or runs the dishwasher each day. We requested a high chair and a crib. The crib was in one of the closets and housekeeping brought the highchair in good time. The bathrooms were small, but adequate. The bathroom off of the "master bedroom" had a shower and a European-style bath (barrel-shaped with a built in seat.) There's a narrow spiral staircase enclosed by a gate leading to the 3rd bedroom and laundry room. The 3rd bedroom has it's own TV and is actually nice except that it is not exactly private. You can look right down into part of the room from upstairs. There are thick ropes across the top of the bed making it look like a hammock. The laundry has a full-sized washer and dryer, and ironing board and iron. (Housekeeping will deliver $1 boxes of Tide to your room by request - each box is good for one load.) We brought some detergent with us and then bought more at Goodings. I consider this a plus for the treehouse. It was really pretty inexpensive as Disney accommodations go and we were able to have simple meals and do laundry without leaving the villa.

We were at Bus Stop # 1 (out of 8) in the Disney Institute. That meant we got home pretty quickly from the parks, but our ride to the parks was anywhere from 20-60 minutes including our wait time. Typically it was about a half-hour. At most of the parks the DI bus was one of the closest to the entrance. That helps a bit. Folding the stroller for every bus ride, and holding onto DD1 was tiring, but better than loading up the van most of the time.

CHARACTER MEALS

* If you have kids, do at least one, maybe even more. This was the best way to get the character interaction. I just refuse to wait in those lines. When the girls are older, that may change. But they're still pretty clueless so I was able to get away with it. I think next time I'll try for Cinderella's again and maybe try some different ones just for variety. I think my limit would be 3 for a week-long visit.
VISITING W/ THE KIDS

* One of the best things that kept the kids occupied on the bus and elsewhere was a pen. Sounds simple, but they would draw on just about any paper (park maps, etc). I was saved from many battles by simply offering a pen and paper.
* Even as young as she is, DD1 (22 months) enjoyed a lot at WDW. We very rarely had to pay for anything for her (passes, meals, etc.) It was definitely worth it for her to be there even if she doesn't remember anything.
* DD3 at 3 (2 months shy of 4) just loved it. She got cranky here and there, but that's okay. Her expressions were priceless in the attractions. She was just a touch shy with the characters, but loved every minute of it. When Chip wanted a hug, she said she was too busy coloring...
VISITING W/ THE GRANDPARENTS

* I much preferred the ratio of 5 to 2 instead of 2 to 2. I saw some parents with 3 and 4 kids on their own. More power to them. I don't know how they do it.
FINACIAL SUMMARY

The following were the expenses of my immediate family except where noted. Tips for meals are included. Some totals are approximate since we split the bills at some of the restaurants. Totals for the large group are given where possible.

$558.99 Airfare: (2 adults, 1 child, 1 "infant" in her own seat)

$224.53 Car Rental: 3 one-day rentals for airport transportation (this expense was shared with Dad's mom)

$701.50 Park Passes: 2 adult 6-day all-in-one hoppers; 1 child 6-day all-in-one; one day remains unused on each pass

$ 21.20 E-night: 2 adults passes

$314.64 Annual Pass: remains unused

$467.45 WDW Villa: ($1,347.45 split between 3 groups- not evenly)

$ 76.63 Souvenirs: (3 guest of honor badges, 1 T-shirt, 1 music book, 2 pens, 2 magnet photos at Chef Mickey's)

$ 44.07 3-way radios: (total cost 169.07 - birthday gift money used for rest)

$ 47.64 Dinner: 50's Prime Time Café ($100.00 approx. total for 5 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

$ 48.00 Breakfast: Cinderella's (character) ($100.00 for 5 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

$ 48.00 Breakfast: Chef Mickey's (character) ($125.87 total for 5 adults, 1 child, 1 infant includes $21 for 4 photos)

$ 78.64 Dinner: Teppanyaki Dining ($106.64 for 3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

$ 58.00 Breakfast: Artist Point (Character) ($76.00 - 3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

$ 98.46 Other Meals: WDW counter service and snacks

$157.20 Groceries: for all members of the group - split the cost

$ 39.01 Misc.: water mouse rental, phone calls, tolls, tips, rental car gas

$ 40.97 Books: 3 WDW guide books

$ 3024.93 Total (WDW)

The following are other expenses from our Florida vacation. It's difficult to split them correctly, but I gave it a shot:

$ 32.69 Other travel expenses: airport luggage carts, gas for van, earplanes

$155.66 Hotel: 3 nights at Days Inn Ft. Lauderdale

$319.29 Hotel: 3 nights at Radisson Suites Palm Beach

$ 26.00 Hotel Tips: 6 nights (Ft. Lauderdale/Palm Beach)

$ 97.23 Dining Out: Olive Garden (7 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

$ 51.00 Dining Out: 1 dinner and 1 ice cream trip for the family

$ 45.43 Misc.: 2 adult pairs of watershoes, phone, snack, battery, etc.

$ 27.46 Entertainment: Butterfly World (2 adult admission / 2 free child / $2 book)

$754.76 Total (1st 6 nights Ft. Lauderdale and W. Palm Beach)

$3779.69 Grand Total

By the way, Butterfly World in Coconut Creek was wonderful. If you're ever down that way - go for a visit.

Here's hoping that this trip report will be helpful to many, as the trip reports I've read have been helpful to me!

Mom

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