Trip Reports

Itinerary

July 6 arrive Orlando, Titanic, drive to Tampa, sight see Tampa, relax.
July 7 Busch Gardens 9-8:30, drive to Universal Studios
July 8-9 Universal Studios, city walk 11:30-2, 5:30-10
July 10 Port Orleans Check In, interview, sight see hotels, swim, etc.
July 11-15 Disney Parks
July 13 turn in car at Hilton, Avis by 1:00pm
July 16 back to Atlanta
Costs

Hawaii to Atlanta air $1538
Atlanta to Orlando Air $272
Universal two, 2 day escape $169.49
Port Orleans six nights $692.64
Disney two, 5 day park hopper $382
Disney Dollars for fun $300
Universal Hotel 3 nights $146.49
Tampa Hotel 1 night $ 46.92
Avis 1 week $180.05
Food $550
total $4,445
The Plan

Saturday 10th
Celebration, Floridian, Coronado, Caribbean, Disney Quest, Whispering Canyon
Hay ride FW 6:45
H2O pageant at Polynesian 9 pm, Cont. 10:05
Priority Seating (PS) California Grill 9:45pm 149 508 04
Sunday 11th
EE leave 7 am for MGM- PS Sci-Fi 11:30am 149 507 38
Epcot PS Rose crown 8 pm 149 507 45
Monday 12th
open
Tuesday 13th (car by 1 pm)
Epcot EE leave 7 am PS Marrakesh 1:00pm MKC 149 507 50
MK E ride night 11-2am, PS Cinderella 9:25pm 149 507 64
electric parade 9 and 11pm, fireworks at 10pm
Wednesday 14th
sleep in
Animal kingdom by 2 or 3 pm
7:30pm head to MGM PS Prime Time Cafe 9:30pm MKC 149 508 30
Thursday 15th
open
Report

Day 1 -- July 6 arrive Orlando, Titanic, drive to Tampa, sight see Tampa, relax.

Day 2 -- July 7th

This is our trip report for 1999. Cast includes Samantha, my wife, age late 20's (that is all she will let me say) and myself, Ron, age 31. This trip was just ours...we left my son and daughter with my in-laws in Atlanta. We were at Disney World as a family at Christmas but this trip was ours!

Ride/Show scale = 1 through 10, 1 being very dated, low in budget, or lacking that feeling of greatness; 10 being a great production, one of the best of its kind (show, roller coaster, dark ride etc.)

Up early and got to Busch Gardens by 8:20am, the 20th car in the parking lot. Gates opened at 9 am sharp, I was bummed that there was no early entry. If I ran a park, I would always open early even if only 5 minutes early, just so guests could start the day off right!! We found the park very uncrowded which was an answer to prayer. We were able to ride all the roller coasters by 10:30 am and we felt we had accomplished all we wanted by 1:30 pm. Busch Gardens was the least crowded of all the parks we visited. Over all impressions were that the roller coasters rocked but it really lacked any magic that I feel can only be found at Disney. I had been here about 20 years ago with my parents as a kid and many of the same rides were in operation. The land of Dragons would be great for kids, but the monorail was closed. A cast member said that it would soon be torn down. Fun Amusement Park!!

Gwazi- labeled the first dueling double wooden roller coaster in the U.S. It was very fun- a great ride-- scale 10 for a wooden roller coaster.
Montu- Labeled the tallest and longest inverted roller coaster in the Southeast. a great ride-- scale 10 for inverted type coasters, I liked it better than the Dueling Dragons at IOA. Rode it 3 times!
Scorpion- short loop coaster, I swear this ride was here 20 years ago, scale 2 -- in definite need of replacement
Kumba- labeled largest and fastest roller coaster in South eastern U.S. pretty good ride-- scale 7
Congo River Rapids- got wet but not soaked, pretty fun--scale 5
Python- an older coaster but fun-- scale 5
Stanley Falls Log Flume- a log ride which again I swear was here 20 years ago but of all the 3 log rides in Tampa and Orlando, this was by far the lamest, in definite need of a rehab--scale 3
Tanganyika Tidal Wave- gets You very wet- this was fun and of the 3 large tube-type rides in Tampa- Orlando, I liked it best, better than Popeye at IOA or Kali River Rapids at Animal--scale 10
At this point we stopped in at Das Festhaus for lunch, Samantha had spaghetti and lasagna plate while I wanted a corndog and chips. the entertainment was hokey, a tribute to music and dance of countries around the world. Trans-Veldt Railroad- I like trains and this was a nice ride but the chain link fence took away from the African theme they tried to create. At some points however there were no fences and animals were close enough touch from the train.

Skyway to Akbar Adventure Tours- a great simulator ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride-scale 8
We had to ride Montu twice before we left. I loved Montu and I considered it the best rollercoaster I had ridden until the Hulk at IOA I don't mention lines here to much because, there weren't any really. The longest wait was for Tanganyika Tidal Wave. Even Montu had no wait at mid-day!

From Busch we headed to Orlando and checked into our hotel, readied ourselves for IOA tomorrow. Samantha needed a little more of a nap than I did so I headed out to International Drive. I visited some gift shops and bought Matt, my son a shark Florida shirt and my daughter Hailey a "if You think I'm cute, You should see my daddy!" T-shirt. I figured with all the World's greatest, longest best signs and labels around Florida, I could claim to be the best looking man in the world....and in small letters from Hawaii in Florida today. I think I included this on Day 1 but McDonald's sign on International drive says, World's Largest McDonald's and in small letters it says in Orlando. From here I still had 45 minutes until Samantha wanted me back to go out so I checked out a cool looking castle on International drive called Skull Kingdom. This is a haunted house which You can see from Universal Blvd. It was great and had all the great killers, Freddy, Michael Myers and the Scream guy. ACtors really get into it, if You have time go check it out. It only takes about 30 minutes and costs $10 but well worth it.

Samantha and I headed to Downtown Disney for dinner. I couldn't wait until the 10th of July to get my Disney fix. We went to Rainforest cafe but it was packed, so we ate at Wolfgang Pucks. If You have never eaten there, You must check it out. We shared a shrimp pap thai and chocolate cake with chocolate and rasberry sauce, as we say in Hawaii, "broke da mouth"--tastes great!! Finally i ended the night with a cigar from Sossa's and then slept.

Tomorrow IoA

Day 3 July 8th

Arrived at IOA by 8:20am, already had tickets in hand. the Escape ticket allows unlimited entry into both parks per day, but we didn't go to Universal today. It is quite a trek to the gate from the parking lot but moving walkways, four I think get You there without wasting Your legs. Gates opened at 8:30 am sharp, I was bummed that there was no early entry as they roped You off by the Hulk coaster. Early in the day the park was very uncrowded which was an answer to prayer. We were able to ride most of the majors by noon Over all impressions are that this park is a great new park. Every ride is done well and the shows are very good as well. Without sounding blasphemous I must say that the competition to Disney is good for us because it raises the bar every year for our enjoyment. It lacked the magic found at Disney, but I must say that they gave a great try. Most queue's are air-conditioned and themed. Great Theme Park with great amusement qualities.

Hulk Coaster- Best Ride in Orlando in my opinion and best rollercoaster I have ever ridden!!! Not to be missed! We were one of the first in line and got the first car going out, second seat. Later we rode the front seat and it was even better. It feels as if You are shot out of a cannon and the ride is much longer that it looks from the outside, much of the coaster is out back where You can't see it. It was very fun- a great ride-- scale 10 for any roller coaster.
Dr. Doom- I must admit that I was scared to ride this one. It shoots You straight up 200 feet and You fall faster than gravity. I promised Samantha that I would ride it otherwise I would of wimped out. The take off is the worse part, breath is taken away. The fall wasn't that bad, I was able to talk during both drops. The worse part is waiting. You can't see the ride while in queue and once You are in Your seat all these sounds of Dr. Doom really create a suspense, the waiting is the worst part. Scale 10--very scary and I am a thrill junky
Spiderman- 20 minute wait but later in the day when we checked at least 4 times, it was over an hour. Ride it first thing in the morning or expect a wait. Not to be missed!!!! 2nd best ride in Orlando!! It is a moving ride kind of like Count Down to Extinction but you wear 3D glasses and there are screens throughout the ride which gives You a 3D virtual feeling. Labeled a millennium ride....I agree very innovative and exciting, worth any wait!! Scale--10.
Jurrasic park- You don't get too wet for this one and it was the only wet ride we would do early for that reason. It is a boat ride like jungle cruise that goes wrong and You end up in the raptors pen. The final fall is intense and fun- great ride-- scale 8
Dueling Dragons- a metal inverted coaster with loops. The left side of the coaster is better than the right we found, I don't remember the colors. The dueling is fun as You just miss the other coaster 3 or 4 times. You have to be in the front car to get that "just missed them" feeling as the back cars You can't really see to well. We rode it twice in the day and twice at night. Ride this one in the day and in the night. The time we got the front car, the cars weren't timed properly so we didn't even see the other car. Wait times were short all day!! At night not wait at all but the queue which is spectacular is a long walk, 5 minutes to get to the cars with not line!! I liked Montu at Busch better but it was still a fun ride --scale 8
Cat in the Hat- Pooh on steroids. this ride is what they should of done with pooh. Still a kids ride but fun-- scale 8-- worth it even for adults
Poseidon- half hour wait but I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Not to be missed. One of the best shows I have seen especially because it is indoors --scale 10
AT this point we hit all the major non-wet rides by 11:30. I warn You if You go here, that if You wimp out and arrive late it will definitely give a case of the lines!! Arrive early!!!

We ate at emeril's!! You have to eat here if You visit Universal. This is the best restaurant in the world... in small print that I have eaten at. We live in Hawaii where 5 of the top 10 restaurants are in the world and we loved Emeril's. We call him uncle Emeril because even my 3 year old daughter knows who he is. Our reservations were for 1:30 but they got us in at 11:30, bless there hearts. I had Mahi Mahi and Samantha had the Gulf Shrimp. We loved this restaurant...did I say that yet. Highly recommended.

Back to hotel for swim and nap! I suggest that You stay close because this makes all the difference in the world. The parking pass is good for all day and You miss all the mid-day crowd. When the on property resorts open, which look awesome, we will stay there.

Returned to IOA at 5:30 for the Sinbad show.

Sinbad- pretty good show. Not to be missed-- Scale 7.
Now it was time to get wet!!

Dudley do Right- a very well done log ride. Splash Mountain was my favorite log ride but Dudley was close. You actually drop below water level a good 10 feet, how? You will have to wait and see. A 15 minute wait and You don't get soaked but You will get wet. great ride -- scale 9.
Popeye- gets You very wet- put Your shoes in the middle compartment to keep them dry. this was fun and of the 3 large tube-type rides in Tampa- Orlando, I liked it 2nd best, better than Kali River Rapids at Animal but it was a little too short, so I like the T.Tidal wave better at Busch --scale 9
We had to ride Hulk before we left. I loved Hulk and I consider it the best rollercoaster I have ridden We had a 20 minute line here to ride front row. This was at about 9 pm. then I talked the tired Samantha into heading over to Dueling dragons for a couple of more rides. Again no wait there. The only thing I missed that I might of wanted to try was at Jurassic Park. It was a flying bird over the whole island that seemed pretty cool but the line was always 45 minutes or longer all day, so we missed it.

We will go back next Disney trip to IOA. I probably won't go back to Busch or Universal but I loved IoA and want to take the kids there.

Tomorrow is Universal

Day 4 -- Universal

Arrived at Universal at 8:30am, already had tickets in hand. the Escape ticket allows unlimited entry into both parks per day, but we didn't go to IOA today. It is quite a trek to the gate from the parking lot but moving walkways, four I think get You there without wasting Your legs. Gates opened at 8:30 am sharp, I was bummed that there was no early entry as they roped You off . Early in the day the park was very uncrowded which was an answer to prayer. We were able to ride most of the majors by 11am I had been to Universal in Hollywood a couple of years ago where the back lot tour involves many of the "rides" in Orlando, such as kong, jaws etc. Over all impressions are that I loved Universal Hollywood and think it is much better than Orlando. That could be because it was "newer" to me then. It lacks the magic found at Disney big time, but I must say I still enjoyed myself.

The plan was to hit the attractions in this order: Back to Future, Et, Jaws, Kong, Earthquake, Twister, Hanna Barbera, T2 and Alfred Hitchcock. the reality was the following:

Back to Future- 5 minute wait, Hollywood has this simulator ride but It was very fun- a great ride but I suggest You get a front seat, the back is very jerky and You bump Your head on the back rest- scale 9 for simulator ride
ET- I must admit that I love this ride in Hollywood and Orlando. The queue is as good as the ride. Scale 9
Jaws- It is a short ride! The boat captain was a Young kid maybe high school who did a great job of playing it up. If You want to get a "close-up" of the shark...sit on the left side of the boat. Unfortunately, I was on the right. Scale--5.
Kong-fun and done well. the store at the end of the ride had a pair of boxers with King Kong showing his boxer label over his jeans. The label says, "KOng wear". The wife thought they were cute so I picked some up- fun ride, good pyro -- scale 7
Quake- short but it was still a fun ride. A little girl maybe 7 years old sitting next to us was pretty scared. The back lot tour in Hollywood had this as a side, just as good in Orlando as a stand alone--scale 7
Twister- Very cool and worth seeing. Wife loved the movie adn the simulation of a tornado was great. -- scale 9-- worth any wait
Had an éclair for a snack which stimulated our hunger so we dug out to go back to Emeril's for lunch at noon. Emeril's is the bomb, the best restaurant I have ever been to. We split a corn-crab soup which was to die for, a shrimp cake appetizer which was not on the menu, shrimp plate for lunch which is very good. For desert we had the Decadence cake which was very rich and good. WE then went up to the cigar room for an Arturo Fuente and Samantha had a Baileys. We hung out for about an hour reading magazines and having the room to ourselves. The number for reservations is 407-224-2424.

DO NOT GO TO UNIVERSAL OR IOA WITHOUT HAVING LUNCH AT EMERIL'S.

The waiter recognized my radp pin, the only one the whole trip I might add...Where were all You radp'ers???? He said that a couple, I forget their name always come in to Emeril's. He said that they are Disney fanatics, nice but kind of weird...I just laughed and said we are all weird, lol. We went back to the hotel for a nap and laundry--returned about 5 pm.

T23D- Awesome, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Not to be missed. One of the best shows I have seen especially because it is indoors --scale 10
Wild west show- Very fun, good stunts and funny I enjoyed it and it wasn't too crowded. Get a snack or a drink and enjoy this show --scale 6
Next we went to Mel's Dinner for a cheeseburger. they were surprinsingly good, ol fashioned and the fries were good too. I put a quarter in the table juke box but the selections I chose (oldies music) didn't work,bummer.

Hanaa Barbera- pretty fun simulation ride, takes in large amount of people so don't worry if there is a line --scale 6
AT this point we decided to stake our claim for the stunt water show at 9:45. We got some snacks and a table at a Hamburger place, I forget the name but it was a great place to watch the show. Right in the middle of the lake. There are three places of action-- a ship at the North end, a small marina building at the south end and a natural gas platform in the middle. We were in the middle so we could see everything. The pyro was great, I almost lost an eyebrow to the flames. The boating stunts were great as well. It simulates a cop chase of the bad guys, very entertaining and worth the wait until the park closes to watch.

Final thoughts on Universal:

The H2O stunt show is worth seeing but most of the park can be completed by noon, especially if You arrive early. I got the plan at the beginning of this trip report from a book and I suggest You use it. The early rides on the plan are slower boarding rides while the latter are shows or large attendance rides.

You have to eat at emeril's if You visit Universal. This is the best restaurant in the world. We live in Hawaii where 5 of the top 10 restaurants are in the world and we loved Emeril's. We call him uncle Emeril because even my 3 year old daughter knows who he is. Our reservations were for 1:30 but they got us in at 11:30, bless there hearts. We loved this restaurant...did I say that yet. Highly recommended.

Go Back to hotel for swim and nap! I suggest that You stay close because this makes all the difference in the world. The parking pass is good for all day and You miss all the mid-day crowd. When the on property resorts open, which look awesome, we will stay there.

Tomorrow Disney

Day 5 Port Orleans check in, Celebration, Hotels and evening enter.

Arrived at Port Orleans at 10:30am, room was ready early and I had previously requested non-smoking, building 4 by the food court or building 6 looking the river. We got room 4136 on the first floor of building 4. A great room close to food court, buses, parking lot and pool. From here I went to casting to apply with the professional recruiter. I spoke to Sandy the receptionist and submitted a resume. I would love to work in Orlando and the Disney company. I have always wanted to since I was a kid.

Next we headed to Celebration. I love how this place is set up with the homes radiating out from downtown all within walking distance. I love how each house has a front porch which facilitates community socializing. I smoked my first Cuban cigar here today. We were driving around when I saw an elderly gentleman smoking a cigar on his porch of his apartment. I told Samantha that we should stop and chat with him. She wimped out and thought I was weird but I assured her that this place was set up for such things even though we were tourists. Sure enough, he was the nicest man. I found out he was a retired Navy seal from World War II and Korea. He said the seals weren't called seals during his tour but UDT, Underwater Demolition Team. We talked for about 15 minutes and then Samantha and I decided to walk around town and get an ice cream from the town parlor. It was homemade and I had strawberry, Sam had chocolate. Next we went to the welcome center to get some info on buying a home. There are four house sizes and townhomes/apartments. WE watched a video and loved how the town was set up: the whole town is linked on the internet so You can email Your neighbors or get the kids homework assignment from the school. They are actually affordable by Hawaii standards but the taxes and maintance fees are a real load to the monthly: $200,000 base price, 30 year, 5% down, 8% rate, Loan payment: $1,416 property tax $255 municipal tax, $102 association fee, $48 homeowners insurance, $67, estimated total $1,888. They said taxes and fees came out to about 2% annually.

I like the town as it reminded me of my small town that I grew up in the midwest. WE lived 2 blocks form mainstreet and every home had a porch. I knew my neighbors well. That is missing today!! The place was too perfect and we joke that we were in a Twilight Zone or X-files episode where everyone is so nice, but once You enter You wouldn't be allowed to leave. Or like the movie the Firm, the realitor says, "the community doesn't forbid spouse working and the community encourages children because it promotes stability."

Next we went back to the pool at PO for a swim and to call my friend who is on a culinary internship. We agreed to stop by later.

We left for Fort Wilderness to catch the hayride at 7:00pm. It looked like rain was imminent but never did, thank God. The wagon had no hay which we heard from everyone who passed by. It was a 45 minute tour through the camp ground and some of the woods. It was fun and I suggest You try it out.

At about 8:30 we left for the Polynesian to watch the Water Pageant. We stopped by the Kona Cafe where my friend is working. Kona cafe is a cool place with giant milk chocolate sculptures worth seeing. HIs name is Andy Garrett stop in and see him, tell him that I said he would give You a free desert, which of course he can't but it would be funny.

I suggest that all of You check out the H20 pageant it is quite a sight. I still remember it from 82 when I stayed at the Polynesian last time. We each got our own hammock and off in the distance was a spectacular lighting show. We hit the monorail and headed for California Grill for a 9:45 P.S.. We got there at 9:30 but didn't get seated until 10:20. We watched the fireworks from the bar which was actually a pretty good seat. I had a salad and Sam had eggrolls. We weren't really hungry but decided to have the BBQ Beef based on how the waitress described it. We split it and it was fantastic. After we headed out to the outdoor lookout/walkway. We headed toward the end where we saw to lovers embraced. We were like "how cute", but when we got there we saw that it was two women. Sam was grossed out so we headed back in. Oh well, a potential romantic moment trashed!!

We headed back to Polynesian to get our car and went home to sleep.

Tomorrow MGM & Epcot

Day 6 July 11th

Arrived at MGM at 7:20am, already had tickets in hand. Gates were already open and the ropes dropped inside the park at 7:30 am sharp. There is a shop on the right as You face the rope that has all kinds of gifts. We looked around for a few minutes while waiting for the ropes to drop. this is a good place to hang out because people are waiting 40-50 feet deep waiting for the ropes to drop. By waiting in the shop there is a place just to the right of the ropes that is covered by a rain awning which hides You from the crowd. There is no rope so when the rope drops for the crowd, we were right there ready to move closest to ToT. the Cm's won't let You run because they walk slowly making all the crowd stay behind them. Everyone is heading to ToT, so this little jump start in the shop will save You 200 people getting in before You at ToT. Early in the day the park was very uncrowded and I know there are different theories about EE days but I support them. The first three hours make the park very accessible as You will see below.

The plan was to hit the attractions in this order: ToT, Rock N Roll if open, Movie Ride, Star Wars, Back Stage tour. I might add at this point that we were at MGM in December so we weren't in dire need of hitting all the attractions, only our favorites and new ones.

Tower of Terror- Rode it twice with a 5 minute wait, Samantha loves this ride, her favorite of any park. I like it but free fall drops always scared the ....out of me. I did enjoy this ride however and know it is my fourth favorite ride in Orlando. Great Queue!!! The characters did not seem to be as into their roles this time. The are suppose to act Adam's Family-ish, kind of morbid-esk. They didn't seem to be acting the role this time. Sam got the back middle with the seatbelt but the seatbelt was broken, so she was kind of upset. Great ride-worth any wait under 45 minutes -- scale 10.
Rock and Roller coaster- I love Aerosmith, so this ride could of been a dud and I would of liked it....thankfully it was a great ride. We rode it twice with waits under 10 minutes. I don't think most people knew it was open for EE or even to the public for that matter. My friend told me that soft opening meant that it was open off and on throughout the day. We went back a couple of nights later and foudna 60-75 minute wait...no thanks! I heard You pull 5 g's on the first loop. The take off is similar to the Hulk coaster at IOA, a shot gun start, o - 65 in 2 seconds. OUr second ride played Sweet Emotion, one of my favorite songs. the CM said each car has a different song. We rode the front row both times. My personal opinion is that after the first loop the ride is kind of disappointing, a brighter Space Mountain. Don't get me wrong, I love Space Mountain and wouldn't miss it on any Disney trip, but I was expecting a millenium roller coaster with computer created loops and corkscrews. Over all I did like the ride and would scale -- 8.
Great Movie Ride- I love this ride. They changed the characters from a cowboy to a gangster since December which we appreciated. There was a 10 minute wait which was ok so we could watch the movie clips. Scale--8.
Muppet 3D- fun and done very well. In 96 this show was called 4D wasn't it? They had lemon pie smells and a few other small things. a Great show -- scale 7
We had SCi Fi drive in P.S. for 12:30 but decided to eat at 11am instead because we missed breakfast. I have seen poor ratings of this restaurant on radp and I have to disagree with them. I thought the atmosphere was fun and the food was good. I had a cheeseburger and shake, Samantha had a the club sandwhich and shake. We took half the club back to the hotel which I ate later. We both agreed that the club sandwhich was awesome!!!!!! Get a front seat of a car in the middle of the theatre, best view!!

Back to hotel and nap

We got to Boardwalkd at 5 pm. I love boardwalk and when I made reservations we were offered a special for $154 for a room. I kind of wish we would of taken it. It is such a special atmosphere. I always have to buy an ESPN souvy each trip too. We went to W.S. which we both love. OUr plan was to see some of the show at the differ pavilions that we skipped with the kids in the past. We played it up pretending that we were in each country. In the past we just browsed each country and bought candy because the kids were with us.

Canada- O Canada is a great movie that shows the beauty of this country. We love the feeling this place creates. Even though it is in the Florida sun, we felt cool. We couldn't figure out how this could be but it is true, the place has a cooler feeling than the other pavilions. Waiting 15 minutes for the next show we met a family from Scotland. They were very nice but hard to understand. Who knew English could be hard to understand--scale 7
France- Very nice and worth seeing. We checked out the perfumery based on radp suggestions. Next we got a frozen capuccino and a peach tart found a table and got into French living. Ahead of me in line were a couple of Young women who spoke french. They seemed like high school French teachers, why I say that I am not sure other than they looked caucasion-American, wore the same t-shirts and the french didn't seem authentic. It reminded me of my Spanish teacher in highschool, I laughed to myself. Impressions de France was also done very well-- scale 7--
Italy- Smaller pavillion, no rides or shows. WE took a sat at the left of the fountain and listened to the electric orchestra playing. I made a wish with a penny in the fountain that we could return soon, oops I hope that doesn't kill the wish. --scale 5, needs something
Germany- Awesome, I loved this pavilion but it needs something, as how or ride. Peaked in to the restaurant and will probably eat there next time. Bought my brother a beer stine from Bavaria, the beer drinking capital of Germany. He loved it --scale 6
China- Wonders of china was great, outside kids performed stunts and funny antics. I enjoyed it and it wasn't too crowded. I spoke to the host and found out Mandarin is the official language even though there are over 500 dialects and languages in China. My landlord is Chinese and so I made sure I learned hello which is Nihau, pronounced "knee-how" --scale 6
Norway- Maelstrom had a 10 minute wait. If You will notice on the mural while standing in line, there is a ship with 3 or 4 red and white stripes, the middle red stripe if You follow it down to the ship, there is a viking with Mickey ears on. Funny!! The ride is short but fun. We wanted to see the show that followed it because we always skipped it in the past. The cm said we would miss illuminations but we had seen it many times so they played the movie just for us. We were the only ones in there. --scale 7
Next we hustled back against the crowd to United Kingdom because I wanted a cigar. We got there and it was closed, they close most shops at 9pm. I was bummed but found out later that the shop doesn't sell cigars anymore. All parks quit selling tabacco products!! bummer.

We went to ESPN club to buy some boxers and souvies. They had cigars so I bought some Macanudo minatures and talked Sam into smoking one. That did not go over well. Oh well, I will enjoy the simple pleasures by myself.

Final thoughts on W.S. Epcot:

Talk to the people of the different countries. We found they were very willing to answer questions and did not seem put out by the questions that I am sure they are asked a million times a day. See the shows, they are interesting. Find a special place to relax in each pavilion, make that place Yours. taking Your time instead of pushing through the place will add much enjoyment. Late afternoon seemed like a good time to visit the shows while if You want no wait on The rides get there at 11 am, Maelstrom first! I wish that Disney would add pavilions and countries to W.S. And, to the existing countries add a ride to each one. They are sitting on a gold mine here. A seperate park could be made of W.S. with great new rides and such. If I were Michael, I would look into a W.S. park somewhere else in the country. It would be a great draw in the midwest?

Tomorrow Epcot again!!!

Day 7, July 12

Arrived at Disney Quest at 12:00am. We decided to sleep in and I might add at this point that we were at Disney in December so we weren't in dire need of hitting all the attractions, only our favorites and new ones. We had never been to DisneyQuest before so I was excited.

Cyber space Mountain- 5 minute wait, You start out by planning each foot of Your ride on this coaster. We chose the space course, but there is a volcano and an ice mountain, I think. We took it to the limit, going inverted 6 times. We called it the Atomic Banshee. If You have the guts ask the cm for this ride because they store them on computer. You get in a virtual "circle", there are two seats and a rollercoaster type brace comes down over You. You can flip sideways and of course to loops. I highly suggest You check this one out very fun -- scale 10.
Aladdins Magic Carpet Ride- YOU are joined with a few other people and try to get to a certain point before time runs out. The seat is like a motorcycle seat and You wear a helmet that connects to the virtual reality glasses. You feel like Your in the movie Matrix and about to be labatomized, lol. Over all I did like the ride and would scale -- 7.
Buzz Lightyears Astroblaster- I like this ride. You get in a "covered" golf cart in an arena. You try to run over small balls that Your car sucks up into the vehicle. You place the balls in a "shooter" and aim them at other cars. One person drives and the other shoots. Good fun but I wish they had a way to keep score to gain a winner. Scale--6.
Pinball- You are given a number and You stand on a Tron like disk. You lean to make the ball on the large screen go left, right, back or forward. You gain points by hitting the numbered lights. I won this out of 20 or so players, ahoooogah!!!!-- scale 7
Ride the comix- YOU are joined with a few other people and try to get kill comic book villains. You stand up and have virtual glasses on, like Aladdin. In Your hands You have a lightsaber that extends on the screen of Your glasses when You push two buttons. It took me a villian to figure out how to extend the dumb lightsaber but I won anyway. At one part You team up with another player and fight against the bad guys. Very star war-esk -- scale 7.
Invasion Alien Encounter- I loved this simulation ride. You get in a pod with four seats radiating out from a circle. I volunteered to be the pilot while the other guys were gunners. If You have a bad pilot You will lose this battle. The object is to try and pick up as many soldiers from a battle with aliens while killing as many aliens as the group can. Very fun and not to be missed-- Scale--9.
Virtual Jungle Cruise- You and up to 4 people get into a rubber raft with a screen in front of You. A large pocket of air inflates and the raft becomes "buoyant". You have a paddle with wheels at the end and if You paddle on the left side You go right and paddle on the right You go left. Paddling moves the raft down the simulated river. Goal is to find Your way to freedom with in the allotted amount of time. I rode by myself so I got nailed by monsters and lava.-- scale 7
Hercules- You and up to 4 people choose a character form the movie. You enter a small room with a screen in front of You and a joystick. The simulation is broken into two parts, one try to collect as many arrows as You can to use later (2nd part)to fight the bad guys. It was fun-- scale 7
There are tons of video games like soccer, football, skateboarding where You participate. For example, You kick a soccer ball against a virtual goal keeper. I liked the Video Game Graveyard where they have the golden oldies like Space Invaders, Galatica, PacMan, Frogger, BurgerWorld and Centipede.

They are all free. I guess they did away with the purchasing of points for the one purchase price gives unlimited play. You could stay here as long as wish and leave and come back during the day but we only stayed 2 hours which was enough time to see most of the big attractions. the cm said Mondays are a good day to visit year round. Surprisingly empty.

Final Opinions on Disney quest: Very fun and worth the $25. They take MKC for a $5 discount! Disney can use Disney Quest at every major city and make a killing. buy Disney stock now because this is going to be the amusement park of the future!!!

Back to hotel for laundry and nap

We left the hotel around 3:30 to take the car back to Avis at the Hilton. We decided to turn in the car for the final three days of our stay because I didn't feel like driving to the airport on Friday. Instead, I wanted to try Tiffany Town Car which we did and were thrilled! AT the Hilton we had to wait 30 minutes for a bus to Epcot, that really stunk.

If You have the option of using a car to get around take it!!! At PO most busses stop once or twice at DxL, only one stopped at all 4 stops. Getting around to other resorts a car is a must. I found that we saved a lot of time even getting to the parks using our car. I just don't like bus transportation because I am impatient and want the bus there waiting when I arrive. Overall though the bus transportation is very efficient. We never had to wait more than 15 minutes. but I would still rather have my own car!!!

We got to Epcot at 5 pm. Our plan was to see some of the Future World and WS, then meet our friend at 8:45 at San Miguel Inn for Dinner

Spaceship earth- No wait. Mornings You can expect an hour to an hour in a half wait for this ride. Being right at the front by the gates make it most people's first ride. I love this ride and wouldn't miss it on any visit to the World. It is one of those special attractions that scream Disney to me-- scale 9
Honey I Shrunk the Audience- Wait only for the next show. Again in the morning You will wait for this show. It is not to be missed-- scale 10
Test Track- When we visited in December this ride was cm only. I was bummed to miss it so when we returned it was high on my list to visit. WE took radp advice and went to the singles line. The ride broke down twice while we were in line so the wait was 45 minutes, about 25 of that was down time. I am sorry to say that I was disappointed with this ride. Very short and short on thrills. -- scale 5
Universe of Energy- In 96 our first visit to Epcot, this was my favorite ride of all time!! The theatre becoming a ride was a great innovative idea. I still love this ride and wouldn't miss it but after riding it numerous times, I wish there was a way to skip the Jeopardy game with Ellen. In 96 she was still in the closet but this time I couldn't resist making comments like "I bet Ellen was attracted to Jamey Curtis", lol-- scale 10 still for old time sakes
Ice station Cool- What a great place!! In Atlanta You pay $15 per adult to visit the Coke tasting station. Free soft drinks. I bet FW takes a hit on soft drink sales since this place came around. I predict this will be a short lived attraction. I took the Spencers' advice and watched people drink Beverly. IT was hilarious. VegiBeta from Japan was my favorite!--scale 10
From here we went to WS. In Canada we got my wife and daughter matching leather wrist bands. Then we went to United Kingdom again because we love the atmosphere. Then we got a vegi roll from Japan. finally we made it to Mexico where we met Andy for dinner. We had a great time stuffing ourselves. This is a great restaurant and I highly recommend it if You love Mexican food.

Tomorrow Epcot and Magic Kingdom E-Ride Night, July 13th!!!

that is all I have...

Ron Clark

jrclarkjr3@aol.com

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