Trip Reports

10/30/1999-11/06/1999

Our family of four -- Mom & Dad both 42yo, girl 8yo & boy 6yo -- just returned from a wonderful Halloween trip to WDW. We enjoyed 2 travel days + 6 full days with the Mouse. This was our 2nd time at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and our daughter's 4th and son's 3rd trips to the World.

Mickey's Halloween Party is a Blast!

If you've been trying to figure out the best time of year to visit WDW, get your head out of those travel guides and call CRO to make your reservations -- it's Halloween! The weather's great in Orlando this time of year (70s/80s daytime temps, sweater-weather 60s in mornings/evenings), and the crowd level is low (see my trip report titled "Crowds, FASTPASS and Single Rider Option"). Most of all, if you're old enough to remember what a fun, all-American holiday Halloween can be, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is for you!

We first experienced MNSSHP in 1995 -- it was WDW's trial run at celebrating Halloween, and I recall the "party" as being little more than a Halloween night parade for the kids, a handful of costumed characters, trick-or-treating on Main Street, a few very home-spun "events" and the headless horseman galloping through the park. Now, it's a multi-night extravaganza (offered this year on Oct. 28, 29 & 31) featuring a fabulous parade and numerous carefully-planned and well-executed events throughout the 7p-midnight party hours, complemented by extensive park decorations, special light and sound effects, gently spooky mood music wafting in the background, impromptu drama by costumed CMs and characters and *free* souvenir photos of your family enjoying the fun!

Here's the basic facts: The event is a sell-out, so order early -- tickets for 2 adults + 2 kids + $3.00 s/h totaled $96.08 this year. The park closes at 6 p.m. and then re-opens at 7 p.m. to the party guests. Thanks to some radp'ers who had been in recent years, I learned a really great trick: get yourself a priority seating reservation for 5:30 p.m. or after so you can sit down, enjoy your dinner, put the final touches on your own costumes and then hit the ground running before the other party-goers have cleared the turnstiles. I was too late deciding how we were going to handle the afternoon-evening transition to get into any restaurant but the Plaza Restaurant -- a disappointment because other radp'ers said THE place to be was the Liberty Tree Tavern for decor, atmosphere, CMs that really get into the event and good food, not to mention proximity to the Haunted Mansion. However, we were delighted with the Plaza Restaurant (new to us this trip) -- the food, albeit basic American and deli-style offerings, was surprisingly good, and our CM, "Mary" from Union Lake, MI, was outstanding (she's getting 1 of 2 kudos letters we're sending this trip for above-and-beyond CM service). After dinner, we headed straight for the Haunted Mansion to get the evening started on an appropriately eerie note. Afterwards, 'til the clock struck 12, we did a little of everything, from scheduled party events to just riding the rides on a gorgeous fall night.

From the official program, here's the sampling of events: Every Day's A Holiday Musical Review (Castle Forecourt Stage, 3x during the evening, we saw the last show -- it's terrific); Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Halloween Revue (5x during the eve., we missed it but saw over the swinging doors while walking by that it looked pretty typical of the saloon revue show with Halloween touches); "Boo-to-You" Kids Parades (3x during the eve. at three lands each time, when we participated in Frontierland where Minnie rules, she came out and led our parade, the children loved it); trick-or-treating all through the park all night long; the Halloween Parade (8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on the usual parade route); and Halloween Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks (9:15 p.m. -- I won't tell, but it's not Tink who gets the fireworks going!).

The parade is amazing considering it only runs a few days a year! The headless horseman leads off racing through the park on horseback, followed by floats and characters on foot, all orchestrated to some spooky tunes, including this year's musical tribute to the Villians, who had the greatest float...the Villians thing is "hot" right now. MGM even has a store dedicated to all the old gals and even a few nasty fellas, e.g., the evil queens and wicked witches of the Snow White and Cinderella era, Cruella, Ursula, Scar and Jafar. A country hoe-down was the theme for much of the parade, and the characters dosey-doed and swung their partners through the lands. All in all, it was a terrific Disney parade.

Other highlights of the evening: Merlin came out to the Sword and gathered everyone around for a story--the kids were captivated; Frollo and Quasi eyed each other in cat-and-mouse fashion as they greeted children around the Castle, which almost seemed at that moment to be Notre Dame on a shadowy Paris night, with purple and other dark-hued colors lighting its turrets, the walls and the moat around it; our 8yo daughter had some unexpected "cool" fun in Tomorrowland where they set up a stage and had a DJ spinning N'Sync, Back Street Boys, etc. -- all that Disney Radio pre-teen stuff -- and directing a hula-hoop competition; our 6yo son rode Big Thunder Mountain three times in a row, hands in the air, and was so proud; and we all rocked the boat and laughed hilarioiusly while singing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me!" on Pirates of the Caribbean -- it's a real close second to the Haunted Mansion for getting you in the spirit of things!

Impressive final note: There were several photo stops throughout the park where you could get your picture taken. They promised to send one free print to our home. I thought it'd work like school pictures--they always arrive late and are of marginal quality. Guess what? Ours beat us home from the trip and is a pretty good quality photo!

One wk @ $2,746.29 for Family of 4

We weren't on a budget, but thought it'd be interesting to see how we much we spent and on what. As I tallied up all of the scribbled numbers from daily trip notes, my husband threw out a guess of $2,500-$3,000. Wow! He was right on target. It looks like we enjoyed 2 travel days + 6 full days with the Mouse for a grand total of $2,746.29. I categorized the expenditures and then listed them in order of most to least costly:

$815.61 admission tickets (1 day left on passes from prior trip + 4-day park hoppers @ $638.12 + Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party @ $96.08 + Disney Quest @ $81.41)

$589.16 for 7 nights @ All Star Movies (base rate $74/night + taxes + housekeeping tip; good suggestion from desk clerk -- any phone call from room costs $.75, so we used the pay phones; we have previously stayed at the Contemporary, Poly, Port Orleans and off-site --never off-site again-- and thought we'd try a value resort -- it was just fine for us because we don't go back for midday naps or hang out at the hotel, just sleep -- and ASMo is new and fresh, nicely appointed, surprisingly good food court -- but, as my hubby says, it's still a "cinder block motel," and the rooms are small, so we'll probably not repeat the experience, but more out of preference than any dissatisfaction)

$577.86 Meals (exemplar day = $76.36 w/ b'fast at hotel food court + lunch and dinner in the park; most expensive meal was dinner @ Le Cellier in Canada for $82.05 -- and it was delicious!; it remains difficult to find healthy options in the parks, but you can find fruit & salads at one or more locations in each park; we didn't always have three squares a day -- often two big meals supplemented with snacks)

$330.00 RT air Houston/Orlando on Southwest (2 reward tix, 2 tix @ Internet special prices)

$169.80 Rental car HERTZ (base rate $139/wk compact, unltd. mileage -- they upgraded us 2x when we arrived at no add'l charge; rental car prices change weekly, but FYI, comparing majors using various coupons & Internet specials, HERTZ @ $139 beat out all the others, as follows: $174-National, $179-Dollar & Thrifty, $209 Alamo, $259 Budget)

$130.32 Souvenirs (We gave each kid a $25 "souvenir allowance" for the week & they hunted carefully for what they really wanted and gained an appreciation for the cost of things; with sales tax and a little more for each from various sources, total each kid was about $40; balance included 2 Christmas ornaments and a WDW Forever CD made @ Downtown Disney for $21.18)

$45.95 Park treats (drinks, ice cream, candy, glo-in-dark necklaces, coffee, fruit, wine @ Food & Wine Festival)

$38.04 Miscellaneous (pre-trip purchase of games, books and gum for plane, newspapers, toiletries, snacks, laundry @ ASMo -- a nice facility, $1 each for detergent, wash, dry)

$32.00 Parking our car @ Houston airport

$14.30 Gas for rental car

$3.25 Freeway tolls from/to Orlando airport

Crowds, FASTPASS & Single Rider Option

With our children, we have always visited from mid-Oct. to early Nov. to avoid peak crowds. This year, we were worried that the Millennium Celebration hype + Food & Wine Festival + increased attendance at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party would yield bigger-than-usual crowds and thus longer lines. We were pleasantly surprised! The only day we felt any crunch was Friday, November 5, when we were in the Magic Kingdom--I would guess all Fridays/Saturdays in Nov. will be more crowded than other days because the Main Street Electrical Parade only runs on those nights. Even so, the longest line we saw that day (all week) was for Space Mountain at its usual high time mid- to late-afternoon. The posted wait was 45 min. We used FASTPASS and came back around 5:15 p.m. The posted wait was still 45 min., but we nearly jogged all the way to the boarding queue and were in space 5 minutes later! (So why *do* people waste their time in those lines?? Go figure....) Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is very popular, also, and we waited for 30+ min. to ride (no FASTPASS offered).

We didn't need to use FASTPASS for any other rides because the wait times were so short, and we found that the stated wait times were frequently exaggerated. Example: At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, the Tower of Terror had a stated wait time of 25 min., but the actual wait was less than 15 min., and this was Halloween morning and an early entry day for resort guests! Similarly, we exited TOT and went right into Rock 'n Roller Coaster, which posted a 20 min. wait, but we were in line outside only 5 minutes before we reached a steady and brisk walk through the pre-show to the ride. We did TOT again on Wednesday, another early entry day for MGM, this time at 5:35 p.m. -- the posted wait was 15 min. and that was accurate! At AK on Tuesday, around noon, the posted wait for Kali River Rapids was 25 min., but we were in our raft in under 10 min. and the kids got right back in line and rode again = 20 minutes total time to ride twice. Later that afternoon, we rode CTX three times with barely a wait! All in all, we encountered no real difficulty with crowds.

Finally, a word about Test Track: You've gotta take advantage of Single Rider Option! Test Track had a 45 min. wait most of the times we went by, regardless of day or hour. However, they offer a really neat option -- agree to go as a single rider, and you'll be in your test car zooming down that track in roughly 10 min. The cars carry 6 people, so they pull folks from the single rider line to fill out cars made up of the usual parties of 2, 3 and 4 ... often, they pull two at a time from the single rider line, so chances are good you will get to ride with someone in your party. But is it really that important to be *together* on a ride where you're gripping the safety bar, looking straight ahead all wide-eyed and alternately grinning and grimacing like a fool?

Our Favorite Things/Lamest Things

We hadn't been to WDW since Oct. 1997, so there were a lot of new things for us to discover, along with old favorites. Here's our ratings by park of our favorite things and the "lamest" things:

Magic Kingdom:

8yo girl - # 1 Space Mountain, # 2 Haunted Mansion, # 3 the "new" Tiki Room. LAMEST: Carousel of Progress (see Dad's #1 favorite!)

6yo boy - #1 Space Mountain, # 2 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, # 3 Pirates of the Caribbean. LAMEST: Swiss Family Treehouse

Dad - # 1 Carousel of Progress (you can groan, we tease him! it's sentimental -- he grew up in NYC & saw the original at the World's Fair in 1964 -- and this might have been his last viewing if it goes to attraction heaven to join Mr. Toad's Wild Ride), # 2 Main Street USA, # 3 Pirates of the Caribbean. LAMEST: Peter Pan's Flight

Mom - # 1 Big Thunder Mountain, #2 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, # 3 Haunted Mansion. LAMEST: Swiss Family Treehouse

MGM:

8yo girl - #1 Tower of Terror, # 2 Tower of Terror, # 3 Fantasmic. LAMEST: nothing

6yo boy - #1 Fantasmic, #2 Indiana Jones Stunt Show, #3 nothing. LAMEST: Star Tours

Dad - #1 Indiana Jones Stunt Show, #2 Muppets 3D, #3 Beauty and the Beast show. LAMEST: Star Tours

Mom - #1 Rock 'n Roller Coaster, #2 Hunchback show, #3 Tower of Terror. LAMEST: Star Tours

Epcot:

8yo girl - #1 Test Track, #2 Spaceship Earth, #3 China 360 movie. LAMEST: Mexico (we've been to the real thing so much, she didn't think the mock-up did it justice)

6yo boy - #1 Test Track, #2 the monorail, #3 tie: Millenium Village/the Living Seas/Honey I Shrunk. LAMEST: Innoventions West

Dad - #1 Test Track, #2 The World Showcase, #3 Honey I Shrunk. LAMEST: Journey Into Your Imagination

Mom - #1 The World Showcase, # 2 The Voices of Liberty acappella singers at USA, #3 the dancing fountain. LAMEST: tie: Journey Into Your Imagination and IBM's "Networked Living" demo in Innoventions West

AK:

8yo girl - #1 Countdown to Extinction, #2 The Boneyard playground (parents, it's a chorus: we traveled thousands of miles & paid thousands of dollars for the kids to dig in a sandbox?!), # 3 Kali River Rapids. LAMEST: Kilimanjaro Safari (compared to another she took w/ g'parents where animals were closer to the jeep -- geez, hard to impress the kids of today!)

6yo boy - #1 (drum roll) The Boneyard playground, #2 Kali River Rapids, # 3 Kilimanjaro Safari. LAMEST: Tarzan Rocks! show

Dad - #1 It's Tough to be a Bug, #2 CTX, #3 Kilimanjaro Safari. LAMEST: Kali River Rapids

Mom - #1 Kilimanjaro Safari, #2 Conservation Station, #3 park theming/grounds/the Tree of Life. LAMEST: petting zoo

DIsney Quest:

8yo girl - #1 Treasure of the Incas, #2 Invasion! An ET Alien Encounter, #3 Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster. LAMEST: Virtual Jungle Cruise

6yo boy - #1 Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam, #2 CyberSpace Mountain, #3 tie: Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride/Virtual Jungle Cruise. LAMEST: Treasure of the Incas

Dad - #1 CyberSpace Mountain, #2 Living Easels, #3 Ride the Comix. LAMEST: Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster

Mom - #1 Invasion! An ET Alien Encounter, #2 Animation Academy, #3 Ms. Pacman (Game Graveyard). LAMEST: Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster

BEST PARADE (choices: Mickey's Not So Scary, Epcot's Tapestry of Nations, MGM's Mulan and MK's Main Street Electrical Parade)

8yo girl - Tapestry of Nations (indescribable; it is a larger-than-life, extraordinarily creative, eclectic mix of color, music, international flavor, athletic ability and graceful movement)

6yo boy - MSEP (a classic, long)

Dad & Mom - tie: Tapestry of Nations and Mickey's Not So Scary (surprisingly huge effort to make a spectacular Halloween-themed parade that runs only a few nights a year -- the headless horseman leads off racing through the park on horseback, followed by floats and characters on foot, all orchestrated to some spooky tunes, including this year's musical tribute to the Villians, who had the greatest float...the Villains thing is "hot" right now, MGM even has a store dedicated to all the old gals and even a few nasty fellas, e.g., the evil queens and wicked witches of the Snow White and Cinderella era, Cruella, Ursula, Scar, Frollo, et al.)

BEST NIGHTTIME FIREWORKS SHOW (choices: Epcot's IllumiNations 2000, MK's Fantasy in the Sky and MGM's Fantasmic)

Everyone but Dad voted for Fantasmic (it was awesome); Dad loved IllumiNations 2000 (which was very impressive, too)

A Summary Review of Our Week Here's a summary review of our week:

#1 Family Travel Tip. Family radios! We bought a pair of Motorola 280 SLK Talkabouts in the spring in anticipation of this trip and tried them out on our summer vacation in New York City. Huge success! We experienced great reception within the parks and minimal cross-talk. In addition to enabling groups to split up, the radios are lifesavers when you get separated in a post-show stampede, when you have to make unexpected bathroom stops, etc. We didn't notice much "rude" usage -- we turned ours off while in shows and other places where they would disturb others.

# 1 Surprising Fact: We didn't get a single pin! I noticed a lot of pin action going on because I had read about it; however, my hubby and kids were clueless, and we never had a single encounter with a pin! Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of an "in-your-face" marketing effort.

Resort: All Star Movies. There were no long lines on check-in, but we arrived very late on a Sat. night. Our room request as faxed to the resort 3 days in advance had not been honored--not even close--and the first two desk clerks with whom we dealt were downright sullen, surly and unhelpful--everything a CM's not supposed to be. Polite persistence paid off. The manager on duty was kind enough to spend a lot of time finding a room for us fairly close to where we had requested, and she ended up chatting with us for almost an hour about what to do, where to go, etc. (She's getting 1 of 2 kudos letters we are sending for above-and-beyond CM service.) We ended up in a great location: Woody on the 3rd [highest] floor (no noise upstairs neighbors), end of the building (fewer neighbors to the side) and just a hop, skip and a jump from the food court/lobby, pool, laundry and parking.

I used guest services at the resort once for two inquiries, and they were efficient and pleasant. We received a good tip from the manager when we checked in -- any phone call from the room (other than within the resort) costs $.75, so use the pay phones to avoid added room charges. As previously reported on radp, the CMs who work the "0" lines on resort phones are pretty darn knowledgeable about anything and everything related to WDW and can handle many requests.

We have previously stayed at the Contemporary, Polynesian, Port Orleans and off-site --never off-site again-- and thought we'd try a value resort this time. It was just fine for us because we don't go back for midday naps or hang out at the hotel, just sleep, and ASMo is new and fresh, nicely appointed, surprisingly good food court. But, but, as my hubby says, it's still a "cinder block motel," and the rooms are small, so we'll probably not repeat the experience, but more out of preference than any dissatisfaction.

The Parks. [See our separate TR entitled "Our Favorite Things/Lamest Things" for ratings of specific rides, parades and fireworks shows; another TR called "Crowds, FASTPASS & Single Rider Option" shares the logistical details.]

Animal Kingdom. This was our first time to visit Animal Kingdom, and the bad press on opening had lowered our expectations. Wow, were we surprised--we loved it! We were there from opening to close, 8p-6p, and still didn't quite do it all. The animals were enjoying the cooler fall mornings/evenings and moving around a lot. The folks who work with the animals seemed genuinely fond of their charges, and no one could stump them when it came to questions. The theming and grounds are well-done, and the Tree of Life is a marvel all by itself. We couldn't figure out Dinoland, U.S.A., until it clicked with my husband -- the mix of dinosaurs and tacky 50s/60s outdoor furniture, roadside signs and other "junkyard jewels" is a tongue-in-cheek imitation of those kitschy "See the Dinosaurs!" attractions you come upon while driving through the boonies of AnyState, U.S.A. We liked CTX a lot--it's similar to Test Track, but with dinos hot on your trail!

Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom always looks comfortable and inviting when decked out for fall and Halloween. Of the newer attractions, we had the most fun with Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and we thought The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management was delightful. Of course, the classic Main Street Electrical Parade is fabulous (and long).

Epcot. Obviously, Epcot is a happening place right now. The most incredible, tingle-down-your-spine daytime view in all of WDW at the moment, IMHO, is Spaceship Earth adorned with a big red "2000" backlit by fireworks sparked from a star-tipped wand in Mickey's hand. What a welcome! Too bad it was marred by the "leave a photo legacy" gimmick. Walking through rows of polished granite slabs with itty-bitty faces bronzed on them to get from the gate to Spaceship Earth makes you feel like you're having a surreal graveyard experience. I realize a lot of y'all are on the slabs and like them a lot -- thank goodness we're all different, that's what makes the world go 'round!

We love the World Showcase, and for visitors with children, the current "Kid Stops" (open 1p-8p) are a big hit. The kids get to sit at a picnic table with other kids and make a mask, adding some decorative feature--feathers, a ribbon, stickers, etc.--from each country they visit. The Tapestry of Nations parade and IllumiNations 2000 are absolutely spectacular, each for different reasons. The parade is indescribable. It is a larger-than-life, extraordinarily creative, eclectic mix of color, music, international flavor, athletic ability and graceful movement. It makes you feel giddy. IllumiNations 2000, by contrast, is slick, purposeful, inspiring and an exciting technical achievement. It makes you feel proud, both to be a citizen of the world and to be an American--thanks, GE, for this powerful show!

We were disappointed with Millennium Village. One-half of it is just a huge marketplace of overpriced, typical tourist souvenirs from the representative countries. The countries' exhibits make up the other half of the tent. Some of the exhibits/shows/games are very well done and worth the effort; the balance are mediocre.

We didn't do any Food & Wine Festival events, but the booths made the World Showcase more festive than usual. I sampled a very small glass of wine for $2.00, and it was of surprisingly poor quality. We enjoyed a scrumptious meal at Le Cellier in Canada--it was our best dining experience of the trip--and our usual, flavorful cup of French onion soup in France.

In Future World, we discovered a new favorite and a couple of really lame attractions. Test Track is fun! Actually, it's not too thrilling except for the 30 seconds when you go from 0 to 65 mph on a banked stretch of racetrack suspended outdoors overlooking the park. The many opportunities in Innoventions East and West to send photo and video e-mail are great fun, as is a game of "Toon Tag," and the house of the future was cool. But Journey Into Your Imagination goes in the really, really lame category. What was Kodak thinking? Similarly, I don't understand how IBM can characterize its Innoventions West exhibit as a look at the future of the Internet. About a dozen people gather around a circular table and are told to stand legs spread apart, feet planted in painted feet markers, and lean forward to grip joy sticks equipped with only a button or two, which simulate connection to the WWW by allowing you to click and choose between two "web sites." The "web pages" are displayed on a piece of glass that is propped up in front of your station at the circle like a music stand. I don't get it--we're going to move from surfing in the comfort of our home offices, beds, hey, even LaZ Boys, to a some public group experience? We got "the simples" laughing about it and had to run over to Ice Station Cool for an impromptu snowball fight.

MGM Studios. We're MGM Studios fans. Tower of Terror's new (to us) drop sequencing was a big hit with our 8yo daughter, who was so proud of her ride that she *had* to spend some of her souvenir budget on an "I Survived the TOT" tee-shirt. My husband, on the other hand, was queasy after the multi-drops. However, he and I went directly from TOT to the Rock 'n Roller Coaster and had a blast! Hands down, that is the best roller coaster ride we've ever been on. It is such a smooooooth ride that the loop-de-loops, corkscrews and hairpin turns don't seem scary, just exhilirating! (Later, riding the beloved classic but oh-so-jerky Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain made me appreciate Rock 'n Roller even more -- I thought my head would be snapped off my poor old neck!) We liked Doug Live! a lot, and my husband and 8yo daughter checked out Drew Carey in the new Sound Studio show and gave it a thumbs up.

Of all the new "permanent" things anywhere in WDW, nothing beats Fantasmic! It's an outdoor, night time laser, fireworks, music and dramatic show in a water/ice/mountain setting featuring Mickey in his Fantasia role as Sorcerer's Apprentice and a lot of other Disney characters, not just limited to Fantasia (although the dancing hippos in pink tutus made it!). There is a loosely woven plot that ties all of the scenes together, something along the lines of good vs. evil. It's wonderful! Heed the advice about early arrival--everyone else does, and the place is SRO well before show time. Fortunately, the pre-show comedian was so entertaining, and the hawked snacks were so tempting, the wait time, even on metal bleachers, flew. With a priority dinner seating at the Brown Derby or Mama Melrose's, you can get a complimentary pass to be seated in a "reserved" area of the amphitheater, which was the two sections on the far right end of the U-shaped bleachers surrounding a center stage. It would save a bit of time and hassle, although the seats are not as good as you might get if you just show up at the recommended time. Important note: The audience is misted throughout the show, and the first 20 or so rows get more than misty. With the cooler temps, a warm outfit is a must. My usually hot husband (yes, he's hot!) in a short-sleeved polo was unusually cold and damp throughout the show, which spoiled his experience.

Disney Quest & Downtown Disney. Because we bought 4-day park hoppers, Disney Quest was an additional admission for us, although @ 20% off using AMEX. (If you buy the 5+day passes that get you into anything, you're set. Be aware that the AMEX "White Glove Treatment" benefits that are actually extended by participating businesses may vary from what is published in the materials you are given by WDW.) We were unsure about devoting a precious day to playing games in a window-less box and whether we'd get our money's worth, but the kids loved the place and even Mom and Dad agreed it was a pretty good value after spending 6-1/2 hours trying out some of the latest hi-tech games you've ever seen, together with some oldies but goodies like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. We broke up our day with a much-needed 3-1/2 hour "intermission" for lunch and shopping in Downtown Disney--you definitely suffer sensory overload and sun deprivation after being in there for any length of time. You can play all games for the price of admission, except for the "ticket spitters" at the midways on levels 4 & 5, which require "tokens" that can be purchased in $5 increments and are stored on a plastic swipe card that you insert into each game machine. The only other game at DQ that gives tickets is the Treasure of the Incas.

It's hard to review the games, as everyone's likes/dislikes are so different and often dependent on performance. I'll just leave it at this: a standout for creativity and realism is CyberSpace Mountain. You go to a computer station and design the ultimate roller coaster. The digital file is stored on a plastic swipe card, which you give to the attendant at the entrance to your ride. That's right--you and a friend, or two people of your choice, are put in a small, dark room and strapped into molded thrill ride seats. Your programmed ride sequence is visually displayed on a screen ahead, with appropriate music and sound effects, of course, and the simulator moves and jerks the riders around in synch with the various turns and climbs the designer programmed. Incredibly, it feels so real! My 6yo son was too short to ride his own creation, but this was his second favorite game at DQ--there was a lot of joy and mischief that went into his design of a special ride for Mom and Dad that was rated 4 on a scale of 1 (calm) to 5 (hold on for dear life)!

Strolling in Downtown Disney is always a treat. LegoLand has become such an extensive playground for creative fun that our kids built away happily for more than an hour. I made my WDW Forever CD for $21.18 in 20 min. from start to finish. At the end of our eating/shopping tour, we took the boat back over to DQ for more hours of gaming!

Closing Note: Lazin' Around at Disney's Boardwalk On our travel-home day, we checked out by the required 11 a.m. and didn't have to leave for the airport til 2 p.m. For once, we'd finished our shopping and had no real desire to do Downtown Disney again. So we decided to check out Disney's Boardwalk. WDW did a great job evoking Atlantic City in its heyday, and we had fun exploring the resort and boardwalk stores, eateries and recreation. My husband jokes--I'm afraid he might be serious--that his favorite part of the trip was those last few hours spent lazily enjoying the Boardwalk.

That's all, folks! If anyone has any questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Diana Ball

diana@ball.net

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