Trip Reports

Dates of Trip: October 30 - November 6, 1999

Travel Method: Plane and Rental Car

Resorts: Contemporary and Old Key West

Accommodations: Tower Room and 2 Bedroom Vacation Home

Who We Are:

Gaylene (40) - Certified Disney Nut (or certifiable depending upon whom you ask)

Colleen (36) - My Sister (Also a Certified Disney Nut)

Marita (a.k.a. Mom and Grandma)

Victor (8 ½) - Colleen’s Son

Experience:

Gaylene: Veteran - DVC Member

Colleen: Infrequent (but we’re working on eliminating the “in” in infrequent. ;o)

Marita: Infrequent

Victor: 1st Trip (Been to DL Twice)

Trip Planning:

When Bob and I came back from our WDW trip in April, I was trying to figure out how to get to WDW again this year. Bob couldn’t go, and I figured that Colleen and my Mom would have lots of excuses. Sooo, being the ultimate schemer that I am, I came up with this trip as a Mother’s Day present. The trip would be for Colleen, Mom, Victor, and me. I reserved 5 nights at OKW in a 2-bedroom unit and used my frequent flier miles for the tickets. I created a “clue” game for them to figure out what their present was.

Come Mother’s Day, everything went as planned (they couldn’t say no) hehe. After much talking and figuring we decided to move the dates a little. We would leave Seattle on Saturday, October 30, 1999 and return on Saturday, November 6, 1999. This would give us optimum touring, and we would be there for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP).

I called Member Services (MS), but could not get the 2-bedroom unit for all the nights, so I reserved a tower room at the Contemporary for 3 nights and OKW for 4 nights. As soon as WDWIG had information about MNSSHP tickets, I called CRO and ordered tickets for October 31.

Waiting…waiting… I worked up several touring options, and made priority seating (PS) arrangements as soon as the restaurants would accept them. We decided that it would be cool to eat breakfast at Cinderella’s on Halloween, and from reading up on the news groups, I wanted to get a dinner PS at the MK on Halloween around 5:45pm so that we would already be in the park when MNSSHP began. So, on exactly the 60-day mark I called CRO at 4:00am to get our Halloween PS! Yes, that was 4:00am (making it 7:00am in Florida). But it was worth it…I got exactly the PS that I wanted!!!

Taking Kids Out of School Debate

When I was figuring out this trip, I picked this specific time because Victor had early dismissal from school all week. His schedule was:

9:20 School Starts

10:30 Lunch

11:50 Dismissal

So I figured he wouldn’t miss much, and we got a total blessing from his teacher (along with math and spelling homework, and the request to keep a journal).

So as they say on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority…”Please keep all forward facing tentacles inside the vehicle”…here we go.

Saturday, October 30, 1999

Up at 3:15am because we rendezvous at Mom’s house at 4:15am. Arrive on time, only to find out that Mom can’t get the lock on her suitcase to lock/unlock. Bob cuts it off, and she replaces it with a spare. Whew!!

Leave for the airport at 4:35am and arrive at SeaTac at 5:20am. We check-in with no problems (love that Delta Medallion perks). We board at 6:10am and Victor has a hard time saying good-bye to his Daddy. We get on the plane and push back at 6:30am. Our first stop is Dallas/Ft Worth and the flight is very full.

We had the traditional airplane breakfast of rubber cheese omelet, fake sausage, frozen fruit, and croissant. YUCK!!! Fortunately I ordered Victor the kid’s meal breakfast of Fruit Loops, O.J., banana and milk. When will I learn? He definitely got the better deal. I should have ordered us special meals too!!!

The movie was Lake Placid - YUCK! We land in Dallas on time at Gate 15, and luckily our flight to MCO was at Gate 20. We re-board and take off 30 minutes late. We spent a lot of time on the runway.

Land at MCO at 4:55pm, get luggage, go to National counter (small wait), and go to garage to pick out car. We chose a Buick Century 4-door (big trunk). ;o) Get everything and everybody loaded up, start the car, and one of the back windows won’t roll down, and the “Low Tire” light is on. We jump out, check out the tires (they look ok) and decide that we will keep the car instead of unloading and reloading everything.

We hit 417 at 5:50pm pointing out the sights to Victor and explaining to watch for purple road signs. ;o)

Arrive at Contemporary at 6:20pm, valet park, and head to check-in. No problems checking in and we are in room 4222. Our room was on the 6th floor with a view of Bay Lake. I was kinda prepared for the décor of the room, but how do I describe it here? Here are our impressions:

Mom: Colorful, Eclectic, Jetson’s-like, Fun

Colleen: Unusual, Untraditional, Defies Description, Not Warm and Fuzzy, but not Cold

Me: Awesome, Fun, “How do they make it go together when everything is a different pattern and color?”

Victor: Liked it…especially the talking elevators and the monorail

So, we get our luggage, get settled and head to MK for dinner. One of the good things about the Contemporary is that it is the 1st monorail stop, so going to the MK you get to tour the other hotels and TTC, but when you are tired and want to get back to your room, you are the 1st stop!!!

We arrive at MK at 7:30pm and make our way through the early MSEP crowds to the Plaza Pavilion for dinner. Mom and Colleen had the chicken salad, Victor and I had the pizza and breadsticks. Food was good. As we were eating we could watch the MSEP go down Main Street.

After dinner we headed to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz with a 20-minute wait. I don’t remember our scores, but none of them were very high. We then went on TTA. Headed towards Fantasyland, and stopped to watch the fireworks (very beautiful even without the music).

Colleen, Victor, and I rode Tomorrowland Speedway with a 15-minute wait (Mom watched from the stands). Now our original plan was to watch the 10:30pm MSEP, but we had all been up long hours, and Victor was being such a good guy, we didn’t want to spoil our day by staying out too late and have Victor (or one of us) have a meltdown. So Victor says: “Let’s go back to camp.” We’re like “Dude, that one heck of a fancy ‘camp’ we’re staying at!” LOL We headed back to the Contemporary ~9:40pm and watched the 10:00pm Electrical Water Parade from our balcony! That was so cool being able to sit on our balcony and watch the parade. What a luxury. After the parade we went swimming (the pool was on the cool side). The lifeguards were off duty, so the slide was closed, so “doing the slide” became a priority for Victor. It is interesting that the pool at the Contemporary is open 24 hours a day, but the pools at OKW close at 10:00pm. Just one of those things that make you go “hmmm”. After swimming we went back to the room for pop and snacks, caught up on our journals, set our clocks back one hour, and lights out at midnight.

Note to First Day: Victor has been an unbelievable traveler!!! On the long plane ride he colored, read books, and played with his Game Boy. Victor also brought his big Scooby Doo pillow on the plane. Victor was so cute…he propped Scooby on his suitcase as he pulled it through the airport. ;o) Then when we get to Florida Scooby says…”I’m gonna get a suntan.” Waay too cute!!! (Well, I AM his aunt, I think he’s pretty cute anyway.)

Sunday, October 31, 1999 (Halloween)

First shift (Mom) is up at 6:30am, then the rest of the troops follow. I went to the food court for coffee, juice, and cereal. We eat in the room and head to the monorail at 8:55am. (Not bad for our first “get up”)

Arrived at MK at 9:15am, and bought Victor an autograph book at a cart on Main Street. We wander down Main Street noticing the fall decorations at Town Square, on the street lamps, and on the buildings. Lots of the kids are in costume this morning (Victor wanted to wait until the party tonight). We walk though the castle and there is Cinderella’s Coach!! It was beautiful with lots of pumpkins around it. We check-in at Cinderella’s Royal Table at 9:35am, and went in to see Jasmine and the Fairy Godmother in the lobby. Victor got both of their autographs and pictures.

We were seated at 9:50am at table 15…right at the window! We ordered the traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, fruit, muffins, bacon, and a killer stuffed french toast thing. It was like a cross between a donut and an elephant ear. YUMMY!! While we were eating we met Snow White, Princess Aurora (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty), Alice, and Cinderella. Toward the end of the meal Jasmine and the Fairy Godmother came upstairs to say hi to everyone.

Pixie Dust Alert

Jasmine comes over to our table, calls Victor by name, and wishes him a great day. Sigh…

Pixie Dust Off

After breakfast we waddle through Fantasyland. Rode Snow White ~5 minute wait, Pooh ride ~20 minute wait. Very cute. We then walked towards Peter Pan, but the line was too long. We wanted to ride the Skyway, but Victor wasn’t too sure about it, so we went onto the Haunted Mansion (HM). We had no wait and walked right on. The CM at the entrance to the HM was great. She was an older lady, and was totally in character. The CMs really add something to the HM when they are so straight-faced and somber. After HM we rode the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island. We explored the island, it was hot out with a “sometimes” breeze. We stopped at Aunt Polly’s for something to drink, and the birds were stealing the mayo packages from the counter. We joked that they must be having a picnic later. ;o) It was real cute until they started a bombing mission, right on Colleen!! Luckily only a little mayo got on her shirt! We walked towards the boat landing and there was a BIG bird/crane-looking animal on the roof. A couple of CMs were fishing from the island, and while we were watching the lady actually caught a fish in the Rivers of America!! They used the fish to try to get the big bird off the roof. Didn’t stick around to see if they were successful.

We rode the train to Mickey's Toon Town Fair. We went through Mickey and Minnie's house then rode Goofy's Barnstormer. The Barnstormer is short, but fun. Victor had a love/hate relationship with the ride. He liked it, but wasn't thrilled with it. We then took the train to Main Street, shopped a little, then went to City Hall for a brochure for the party tonight.

We hopped on the monorail ~1:30pm to head back to the room to swim/relax. When we got back to the hotel housekeeping was still cleaning, so we hung around by the elevators until she was done. She arranged Victor's animals on the bed, but nothing as spectacular as what other people have described. Victor, Colleen, and I changed and went for a swim. Victor and Colleen went down the slide several times (I even went down three times). Mom watched us from the balcony. The lifeguards had pumpkins full of candy at their stands, so we go to Trick or Treat them!!

Back to the room to shower/rest. I went to the Food/Fun Center for a snack of hot dog and chicken strips. Colleen and Victor nap, Mom read, and I caught up on my journal. Everybody up ~4:30pm, time to get ready for the Halloween party. Leave Contemporary around 5:00pm for the MK. We entered the MK about 5:20pm using our regular park passes. We stopped at City Hall and exchanged our tickets for wristbands. Between the park closing and the party starting, only Fantasyland was open.

It was amazing how much work had been done at the MK while we were gone. There were big balloons in the sky, picture-ops set up in several places, pumpkins in the windows on Main Street, and big luminaries in Town Square. There were lots of adults and kids in costume, and there was a real festive feeling in the air.

We checked in at the Crystal Palace at 5:35pm, and we were seated at 5:50pm. The food was awful. Actually awful doesn't begin to describe the slop they were serving. The food was poor to so-so, was not hot, the only saving grace was the desserts. We definitely were paying for the character interaction, not the food. However, our server was excellent. We never had an empty glass, and he signed Victor's autograph book in Arabic (he was from Morocco). The character interaction was wonderful. Since we were there for the last seating, the characters made 3 to 4 passes at all the tables. Even Pooh visited the tables, so we did not have to wait in line for him.

"Ah, how cute" Alert

Victor's favorite character is Eeyore (and he brought his stuffed Eeyore with him to dinner). I got the cutest pictures of Eeyore and Tigger holding Victor's Eeyore.

Left the restaurant at just about 7:00pm and headed to Adventureland. We came upon the first Trick or Treat station right inside Adventureland. They had lots of candy that they were giving away and good stuff too (chocolate). PotC was a walk-on, then Colleen and I went on BTMRR. Grandma and Victor people-watched. We stopped in Frontierland and had our picture taken at the "free picture" stop. Actually, the picture turned out really good.

Then we Trick and Treated ourselves to Fantasyland. We rode Peter Pan and Small World with no wait. Then to Buzz with a 15-minute wait. Again, our scores were low. Victor played a game where you throw a ball and knock things down. He won a pumpkin necklace and a yo-yo. We Trick and Treated some more, then watched the fireworks at 9:15. Unbelievable!!! Tinkerbell did not start off the fireworks, but halfway through an evil witch flew down from the castle! Then for the grand finale, they had fireworks going off all around the park. Absolutely cool. This was the first time any of us had been to the MK for a special event.

After the fireworks we watched the "Every Days a Holiday" show in front of the castle. It was a cute show. We then went on Buzz again, but Victor was sad because he didn't get any points. Do those lasers really work, or is it a simulation? Hmmm.

We then made our way to Frontierland for the parade. Before the parade started the Headless Horseman rode down the parade route. It was scary, and very real looking. The horse was black, and he had his ears back, and his eyes had that "scared horse" look. He was going so fast that sparks flew from his hooves. (I'm not kidding).

The Halloween parade was very cute. The characters were all in costume, and the villains were well represented. The Haunted Mansion float was very cool.

Pixie Dust Alert

Here we are watching the parade in Frontierland, and here comes Jasmine down the parade route. She sees Victor, and walks right up to him, CALLS HIM BY NAME, and asks if he is having fun. She kisses her finger, then places her finger on his nose. We about died!!! I cannot believe that she recognized him from this morning. Not only was it many, many hours later, but it was dark, and we were all wearing totally different clothes. Sigh. I told Victor that Aladdin better watch out...that Jasmine really liked him. ;o)

Pixie Dust Off

After the parade we headed back to the Contemporary. Main Street looked really neat with the orange lights, and the pumpkins in the windows. Arrived back at Contemporary at ~11:00pm, called home, pre-ordered room service for breakfast tomorrow, then lights out ~12:00am.

Monday, November 1

Again, Mom is the first one up around 7:00am, then the rest of the troops follow. Room service arrives at 9:30am. We had pancakes, fruit, and ham. We shopped on the 4th floor of the Contemporary (trying to decide between the train and the monorail), and then went to the game room where Victor beat me in 2 games of air hockey! That kid is good. ;o)

We left the Contemporary and drove to Downtown Disney (DTD). We visited the Lego Store so Victor could spend some of his money, and Team Mickey to look for gifts for the guys we left at home. ;o) We left DTD for tea at the Grand Floridian (GF) about ~1:45pm. Victor was not thrilled about going to tea, but we were taking him to the ESPN club for dinner and Monday Night Football, so he could handle a little tea.

We each had the Buckingham Palace and Victor had the children's tea (chocolate milk and p.b.j.). The Buckingham Palace consisted of finger sandwiches (egg salad, poached pear with Gorgonzola cheese, cucumber and watercress, curry chicken roll, and cherry/chicken mousse). Followed by a scone and a strawberry jam tart, then strawberries and cream. Victor chose the mango mousse and chocolate eclair for dessert. The service was good until the end when our server got busy. It took forever to get our strawberries.

"Victor-ism" Alert

During this trip Victor was very interested in the bills, and how much stuff cost. When he looked at the bill for tea he said, "That's a lot for not having anything." We were rolling on the floor laughing.

Mom, Colleen, and Victor stayed at the GF and explored. They rode the monorail back to the Contemporary and got to ride in the front!!! Something I have never done. They went swimming, then back to the room to wait for me.

Where was I? I went to the Boardwalk (BW) to buy more DVC points!!! I valet parked at the BW then checked out things on the BW. I bought a couple of pins at the pin station, then checked in at the DVC at 4:20pm. I met with Chris (my guide Ron Allen was on vacation). Because I live in Washington State I had to do my add-on in person. DVC is not registered to sell in Washington. I bought 100 additional OKW points with a February use year. That brings me to 470!!! It's funny that I started out with 230 and thought that would be plenty. The whole process was quick, and I was back at the Contemporary by 5:15pm. I brought cotton candy back for Victor (remember this, it will be important later). ;o)

As I arrived at the Contemporary it started to sprinkle. We got changed and left for the BW and the ESPN Club at 6:00pm. The wait to get into the ESPN Club was ~30 minutes, so Mom and I waited in line, and Colleen and Victor played games in their game room. While we were waiting in line it started to rain hard. We put on our raincoats and hung out. We got seated at 7:15pm.

Wow, what a place. Tonight was Monday Night Football, and it was loud and wild. The ESPN Club has the biggest TV screen I've ever seen, plus TVs in the bathrooms. We arrived in time for the pre-game show. The ESPN Club has on-site announcers and a control booth. The announcers played trivia games with the crowd, and they also had a drawing for an autographed picture. Chris Mortenson (an ESPN NFL Analyst) called in, and they had a question/answer show too. The game tonight was Green Bay against the Seattle Seahawks. The place was packed with Green Bay fans (we didn't tell anyone where we were from). Lots of fans had Green Bay shirts on, but one guy had green hair and his wife and daughter had cheerleader outfits on! All the Green Bay fans were confident that Green Bay would win, even though the Seahawks coach is the old Green Bay coach.

Mom and Colleen ordered the Chicken Burger, I had the Club Wrap, and Victor ate 2 child's hot dog meals. We watched the pre-show and stayed for the 1st quarter. Even though the Club was packed and people were waiting in the rain to get in, they did not rush us to leave. We had a great waiter, and he was very patient in explaining how everything worked.

When we left about 9:30pm it was pouring. Colleen and Victor put on my raincoats, and Mom and I opened up a rain poncho and shared it. We stayed sorta dry, but the puddles got our feet soaked. On our way to the Boardwalk entrance, we took a detour to check out the clown pool, and there was a little girl playing in the rain in her socks! Her parents were oblivious to what she was doing. LOL We picked up our car, and headed back to the Contemporary. We valet parked (and felt really sorry for those guys). When we got into the room, we couldn’t believe what the cotton candy had turned into! It looked like a piece of green slime. We even took a picture of it; it was so gross looking! We watched some more of the football game and relaxed. Lights out 11:45pm.

Tuesday, November 2

Monday Night Football Update: Seattle 27 Green Bay 7

I bet those Green Bay fans got quiet during the 3rd quarter last night! ;o)

We had an unbelievable storm last night. It rained so hard it sounded like we had the door open, and the lightening storm was right over the hotel. One of the thunder booms shook the windows in the hotel. When we got up, the sky was blue, and you never would have known that it had rained so hard last night.

We got up about 7:00am and Mom went to the Food and Fun Center for breakfast. I had a tummy ache, so I just had some cereal. We all went to the pool ~9:45am. It was cool outside, and the pool heater wasn't working, so the water was cool. Today they had the fountain working by the hot tub, and Victor went down the slide a couple of times. The lifeguards at the Contemporary were wonderful. Their attention was fully on their responsibilities, and they paid attention to everything that was going on in the pools. We were very impressed!

I went back to the room about 10:10am to shower and finish packing. Everyone else followed and we were ready to check out at 10:55am. Called bell services and they arrived in record time and we were packed up and in the car by 11:20am.

We drove directly to OKW and got a "Welcome Home" at the gate. We parked by Olivia's and went to check-in. We had a small wait, then checked in with no problems. I got the car and pulled it around to leave our luggage with bell services. Well...at first they didn't want to take our luggage. I explained that our room wasn't ready, and that I couldn't leave all our bags in the car until our room would be ready. Finally, they took our bags away. This is the second time I have had problems with bell services holding my bags.

We loaded back up and went to National Car Rental over by the MK. I had somebody look at the tire, and added air. We then went to I-Drive and had lunch at Burger King. Then we went to the Character Warehouse to look for bargains. I found a couple of really cute cosmetic bags, and a baby gift. Colleen and Mom bought a couple of shirts. We then went to Stamp Cabana. Colleen and I shopped while Mom and Victor played football on the sidewalk.

By now it was ~3:00, and I called to see if our room was ready. It was not, and the CM asked if I was at OKW. I explained where I was, and she said "Oh. I have another 2-bedroom available, but then you would have to have your cards re-coded." So I told her that we would go to the grocery store, then call back to get our room number. Which leads me to my BIG question...

Why is your room location such a secret? I tried to get it when we checked in, but the CM would not tell me. They know what room they will put us in, because our cards are coded at check-in. This is highly frustrating, and would solve a lot of the parking problems around Olivia's if we could park by our rooms.

So we head to Goodings and pick up the elements of vacation food, check back with OKW and our room is ready! Wow, what a surprise. We are in room #3231. We have a great view of the golf course and a water pond with lots of ducks.

Everything looked in order, except there was a rip in the couch, we only had 2 juice glasses, and we did not have a toaster. I called housekeeping and they sent a toaster right over. We unpacked, had a snack and headed over to EPCOT around 6:15pm. We decided to drive to save time. We got a parking place pretty close to the front and walked on into EPCOT. Our first impression is the Mickey hand on Spaceship Earth is really cool, but the Leave a Legacy walls are depressing and scary. It reminds me of a cemetery! And the pictures are not really pictures but black, blurry, and very small. Definitely not worth what they are charging. And where do the walls go after the millennium celebration is over?

Anyway, while we were going through the turnstiles a lady asked a CM what the "wristbands" were for...come to find out NSYNC was taping their stuff for the Christmas Parade that evening in front of the fountain!!!

So anyway, we head to Spaceship Earth and walk right on. Victor liked it, and was fascinated by the fact that we actually went all the way to the top of the "giant ball". We then made our way towards World Showcase (WS) and took a detour by the NSYNC concert. I put Victor on my shoulders so he could get a better look. He says he could see them, and even tried to take a few pictures. We'll see how they turn out.

We rode Maelstrom in Norway, checked out the Legos and Viking hats, then walked to Japan for dinner. We were seated with 2 couples that were traveling together, and they were very entertaining. I had the steak and shrimp, Mom and Colleen had the steak and chicken, and Victor had the children's chicken. Our waitress was O.K., she didn’t fix Victor's chopsticks, and I finally asked the buss-person to fix them. Victor really enjoyed using his chopsticks once they worked for him.

After dinner we stepped outside and watched Illuminations from the steps of the Japan Pavilion. Illuminations was very cool, with great synchronization of the music and fireworks. After Illuminations we finished walking around WS, then headed back to OKW and arrived ~10:00pm.

Watched TV, soaked our feet in the big tub, and lights out at 11:30pm.

Wednesday, November 3

Mom was the first one up at 5:30am, then we all followed. We have so much room compared to the Contemporary, that we used the walkie-talkies between the bedrooms last night. It was fun talking to Victor, and he likes to use them. We had breakfast in the room of cereal and fruit, and we were out the door at 7:50am. Not bad considering we had to get 3 adults and an 8-year old showered, dressed, fed, and organized. ;o)

We drove to AK and arrived at 8:05am. We parked in the Unicorn section and took the tram to the park. It was a little chilly today, a perfect day for the AK. We checked out the animals at the Oasis, then headed to Africa to the Safari. I noticed that they had put up new signs outside all of the "theme areas" to help people figure out where they are. We got on the safari with a 10-minute wait. We had a great driver, and lots of animals were out. We saw both lions, tons of elephants, and lots of the other animals.

After the Safari we walked down the Pangani Trail, seeing the gorillas and several hippo's backsides. We then went on ITTBAB (Victor did great), then over to Camp Mickey Minnie (CMM). We got our picture taken with Mickey and Minnie in their cool safari outfits, then we saw the Lion King Show. We were in the Warthog Section. This show is sooo cool. By now it is ~11:30am, and we are getting hungry. We head back to Africa and decide that we want to ride the Safari again. So we get Fast Passes for 12:05pm - 1:05pm and head to Tusker House for lunch. Mom and I had the beef stew, and Colleen and Victor had the fried chicken. By the time we finished lunch, it was our "Fast Pass" time. The Fast Pass line was a little long because the Safari had been stopped for awhile because there were some animals on the road that wouldn't move. Once the Safari got rolling, we go on with a 5-minute wait. We saw more giraffes than this morning, and the crocodiles were all out sunning themselves.

After our safari we stopped and had ice cream and watched the world go by. Our next stop was Dinoland. On our way I stopped to pick up our picture with Mickey and Minnie. Mom, Colleen, and Victor continued onto Dinoland while I got the picture. After paying for the picture I had a "brain cramp". I realized that I didn't have my camera. I didn't remember giving it to my Mom, so I assumed that I lost it. I retraced my steps, and no one had turned it in. Unfortunately we did not have the walkie-talkies today, so I couldn't "call" Mom and find out if she had my camera. So after resigning myself to losing my camera, I went to the Dinoland Dig Site to find everyone. I found Colleen and Mom...she had my camera!!! Whew, I was not looking forward to explaining this to Bob when I got home. We watched Victor "dig", then decided to head out ~3:30pm.

We buy popcorn and cotton candy and snack our way out of the park. We head back to OKW, Colleen and Victor nap, and Mom and I do laundry and work on our schedule for the next few days. Unfortunately we have arrived at that crucial time in our trip...so much to do, and not enough days to do it in. ;o( I changed a couple of PS around, and we have our marching plan set.

We planned on having frozen pizza and salad for dinner, but the pizza we bought looked very strange. Like it had been thawed out, then refrozen. So I buzzed over to the General Store and picked up a new pizza, some coffee, and a DVC Members pin. Got back to the room, had dinner, and headed out to EPCOT ~7:00pm.

Test Track had a 40-minute wait, so we waited. Victor decided that he really didn't want to go, so I waited with him in the kid-swap area. The ride broke down while Mom and Colleen were on it, and then it took me 20 minutes to get back on. Overall, not a good experience.

We saw Cranium Command, then headed back to OKW just ahead of the Illuminations crowd. We stop in at the General Store, buy snacks, then head back to the room. Relax and lights out 11:00pm.

Thursday, November 4

Mom up first (again) then we have breakfast of muffins, cereal, and fruit in the room. We are out and driving to MGM at 8:50am. We arrive at MGM at 9:00 and park in the Western section of the parking lot. We hop the tram and head straight for the gates. We go to Great Movie Ride with a 5-minute wait. We get Western side. Mom says she has never been on the GMR before. I cannot believe that she did not see this the last time we were there. Especially since she is such a movie buff. Anyway, we all enjoy the GMR, then head to the Animation Tour. Victor really enjoyed this; he is always interested in how things work.

Next is the Backstage Tour. On our way we stop to get pictures/autographs with Buzz, Woody, and a Green Army Man. The Green Army Man looked through Victor’s autograph book and was really excited that Victor had gotten Cinderella’s signature. So much so, that he signed on the back of her page. ;o) The Backstage Tour is pretty much the same, except they have already started putting up the lights on residential street. Someday I will be here to see them…they look unbelievable. George of the Jungle's Tree House was replaced by a nativity scene (don't know if its permanent, or just for the holidays). We survive Catastrophe Canyon and return safely to New York Street.

It was now time for lunch, and we had promised Victor that we would eat at Pizza Planet (PP). On our way to PP we got the Queen of Hearts, and Mr. Smee's autographs. I really played it up with the Queen, calling her “Your Majesty” and curtsying over her hand. Anyway, at PP we all had the pizza/salad combo. After lunch we spent about 1-½ hours playing in the arcade. We collected ~400 tickets and I became the "Queen of the Claw". I have played the claw games a few times, but have never won anything. Well, today would change all that. I won 10 stuffed animals and only spent $15!. I ended giving a couple away to kids who didn't win any, and gave a few to Victor. Colleen took my picture in front of the machine (just like they do when you win big in a casino. ;o)

After lunch and games we went through the Christmas shop next to PP and I bought a couple of ornaments and Christmas Cards. Then it was off to the Muppets (Victor loved it), and then to the Hunchback show. We got there as Matt was halfway through his show, but we got good seats on the right side of the theater and 2 rows back from the end of the runway. The show was excellent as usual. Chopin’s and Quasi's voices were unbelievable. How does Disney recruit such talent?

So now it is 3:30pm and time to decide what will be our final adventure. Victor wants to see the Doug show, and Colleen and I want to do the Rock & Roller Coaster. So Mom says she will take Victor to Doug, and Colleen and I will do RRC. We head towards the Great Movie Ride and run into Doug and Patti. Victor gets their autographs and poses for a picture. Then we run into the Mulan parade. We make our way through the parade crowds, and take Mom and Victor to the theater where Doug is shown. We arrange a meeting time of 5:00pm in front of the tip board. We make sure that we have the walkie-talkies and we're off.

The RRC only had a 15-minute wait, so we got lucky. What can I say about this ride? The pre-show is interesting. How do they "project" Aerosmith, and how did they get Aerosmith to agree to do this? Amazing. The "launch" took our breath away. We were laughing and screaming at the same time. Now we know why the record company is called “G-Force Records”. I managed to keep my eyes open through most of it, so I got to see the road signs and the Hollywood sign. When we exited, we bought the picture because of the expressions on our faces!! Definitely worth remembering.

Since our wait for RRC was so short, we decided to try Tower of Terror (ToT). The wait was only 15 minutes, so we decided to go for it. We got into the middle section, and there was a family of 2 adults and 2 kids that had never ridden behind us. The kids were younger (like 7 and 4). They did great and actually liked it. I was so proud and amazed, that I gave their dad two of the stuffed animals that I had won at PP. They deserved at least that for attempting ToT.

We headed towards our meeting spot at 4:55pm, and Mom comes on the walkie-talkie, they are headed towards the meeting spot also. We meet up, and do some shopping on Hollywood Blvd. We found a store that was selling the ceramic beads that you can make into necklaces and key chains. I bought several to make key chains for my friends. We head back to the car, and arrive back at OKW ~5:55pm.

Victor wants to go swimming, so he and I quickly changed into our suits, and we go to the Turtle Pond pool for a quick swim. Mom and Colleen watched while we swam and played. Got back to the room at 6:30pm, and cleaned up and headed to the Contemporary at 7:05pm.

We valet parked and checked in at Chef Mickey's at 7:25pm. We got our picture taken in front of the big plate, then waited for our table. We got seated at 7:40pm over by the back of the buffet. We got autographs and pictures with Mickey, Donald, Chip, Dale, and Goofy. Goofy was really acting "goofy". He was running around the restaurant (which in no easy feat with feet the size of his). The food was very good, and the selection was excellent. We would definitely recommend Chef Mickey's for dinner. The CM taking the pictures in front of the plate was having problems with her camera, so we didn't get a picture to buy. We were disappointed because we didn't have many pictures of all 4 of us on the trip. Oh well.

After dinner we made one last stop at the arcade. The arcade at the Contemporary had better prizes than the arcade at PP. We played some games, then headed back to OKW ~10:00pm. We phoned home, then soaked in the big tub. Wow, did that hot water feel good. ;o) Lights out ~11:20pm.

Friday, November 5

Everybody up for our last full day. :o( The time just flew. It’s always the same thing…We started off our vacation thinking that we have ALL this time ahead of us, then it gets down to the last couple of days, and there are so many things that we didn’t have time to do. Guess we'll have to come back. ;o)

We had breakfast in the room then loaded up in the car and headed to the TTC. We parked in the Pluto area and rode the tram to the TTC. We took the ferry to the MK. It was a nice ride, and we arrived at the MK at 9:30am. We headed down Main Street, and noticed that the Christmas decorations were already up inside the shops. We went to Adventureland and climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse. The rehab looked really nice and I took a really cool picture of the castle from the Treehouse.

Next it was on to PotC. We survived our pillage and plunder, then split up. Colleen and I went on Splash Mountain with a 20-minute wait, and Mom and Victor rode the train around the park. Colleen and I got really, really wet on Splash. We had water dripping off our heads, and even our underwear was wet. ;o)

When we got off Splash we met up with Mom and Victor outside the store at the base of Splash. Victor had been looking for an old-fashioned Eeyore, and we finally found one at this store. I happily bought it for him, and he was excited to introduce new Eeyore to his old Eeyore and Scooby. It was time to head towards Main Street and our lunch reservations at Tony's Town Square.

We shopped our way towards Tony's and checked in at 12:10pm. I asked to sit outside when I checked us in. We were seated in 5-minutes, and got to sit outside! This restaurant has good atmosphere inside, but outside the atmosphere is unbelievable. Our server was Dwight, and he was really nice. I had the spaghetti, Colleen and Mom and the Chicken/Pasta, and Victor had the Cheese Pizza. We enjoyed our lunch, watched the crowds go by, and listened to the great music on Main Street.

After lunch we noticed Pluto outside without a line. So we got our picture taken with him, and his autograph. I love how he puts the autograph book on his nose. Then we went to the Candy Palace and the Bakery for snacks. We had cookies and a huge rice-krispie treat.

We then needed to have a meeting to decide what our plan would be for the rest of the day. We wanted to see the MSEP, but we also wanted to swim. We decided to ride Buzz one last time then head out to swim. For some reason, this trip on Buzz was my most successful ever!!! I had 310,000 points!!! After Buzz we headed back to the TTC via Monorail. We got back to the car about 3:40pm and headed to the Beach Club.

We parked at the Beach Club and headed towards Stormalong Bay. I had our DVC id. but no one asked for it. We changed into our suits and hit the pool. It was strange to be in a pool with a sand bottom. We floated around in the whirlpool and then Colleen and Victor went down the slide a few times. I am not thrilled with slides, let alone ones that go through a tube, so I got the camera and took pictures of them coming down the slide. After a few trips down the slide, Colleen and Victor rented tubes and floated around the river. I didn't have a tube, so I just body floated. It was really fun. I headed back to the lounge chairs, and Mom went and watched Colleen and Victor in the river.

We dried off, changed, and head back to OKW. We got back ~6:00pm, cleaned up, and fixed nachos for dinner. After dinner, we headed over to DTD, and boy was it crowded. I had to be like a shark to get a parking place, but I finally snagged one!!! We shopped at the Lego store and The World of Disney (WOD). We used the walkie-talkies at WoD. It was crowded with a capital C. Having the walkie-talkies allowed us to go our separate ways, but still stay in touch. I used my American Express Card to get a 15% discount at the WOD (this beats the 10% from MKC).

Got back to OKW ~10:30pm, started to pack and clean up, then lights out ~11:30pm.

Saturday, November 6

Everybody up, ready, packing, and ready for breakfast. We decided to go to Olivia's. We didn't have a PS, but got in with a 10-minute wait. Colleen and I had the 3-egg omelet, Mom had the 2-egg breakfast, and Victor had the kid’s waffles. Our server was good, but the noise level in Olivia's was high. It seemed like we had to shout to hold a conversation. After breakfast we explored a little then headed back to our room to finish packing and tidy up the room. We called bell services at 10:50am and they were there within 10 minutes. They took all the big bags away, and we were checked out and in the car by 11:05am.

We headed off to Winter/Summerland for golf. I had a 20% off coupon from the MKC promotion that they were running. We decided to do the "Winter” side. It was warm out today, and there is not a lot of shade, but the course is a lot of fun. The theming of this golf course is cute, and it is an inexpensive way to spend a couple of hours. There is this one hole with a snowman that squirts water. When we turned in our clubs, the CM asked if any of us had gotten a hole-in-one on hole #17. Mom had, so she won a free pop! We couldn't believe it...something free.

After golf we headed back to DTD "to pick up a few things". We had a snack at the Gourmet Pantry, and soaked up the atmosphere of DTD. Our time was winding down, and while we looked forward to going home we didn't want to leave either. We had two more stops before picking up our luggage and that was Target and the gas station. So, we headed to the Target on Hwy. 192. We picked up some snacks for the plane, and I bought Victor a game for his Game Boy. He chose a football game (of course). We stopped to get gas, then headed back to OKW for our luggage.

There is nothing sadder than pulling up at OKW to pick up your luggage when all the other people are checking in. ;o( We got our luggage with no problem, crammed everything in the car (no small feat), and headed to the airport via 417. We arrived at MCO at 4:45pm, returned the car, and told them about the problems (window and low tire indicator). We picked up our stuff and rode the longest escalators in the world to the check-in area. We checked in at the first class line and headed to our gate. We boarded the plane at 5:20pm and had an uneventful flight to Dallas. We hung out in Dallas for 1 hour, then boarded the plane for the last leg of our journey. Unfortunately, all the food on both flights was the same (pita sandwich, fruit, and cookie), so we were ready for real food.

We got into Seattle 20 minutes early, and Bob was there to meet us. We got our bags, stopped at Taco Bell for something to eat, then headed home. Another great trip comes to an end.

Other Thoughts

We didn't ride any busses throughout the whole trip. The only time that driving was not a positive experience was going to the MK from OKW. It took a long time, but was the easiest way to do it since we were going swimming after the park.

Since this was my first trip to WDW with a child, the “slide at the pool” issue has taken on a whole different perspective. The slides at the Contemporary and at the Beach Club were VERY popular with Victor.

We loved the convenience and atmosphere of the Contemporary. But on the other hand, the quiet and room of OKW cannot be beat.

MNSSHP - We would absolutely do it again. We couldn’t believe how many adults were in costume. The Trick or Treat stations were plentiful (giving away lots of goodies), and the special parade and fireworks were unforgettable. I wonder what the Christmas Party is like? Hmmm…maybe I should schedule another trip…

Favorite Meal - Atmosphere

Mom: Cinderella's Royal Table

Colleen: Tony's Town Square - Eating Outside on Main Street

Victor: Chef Mickey's

Gaylene : Tony's Town Square - Eating Outside on Main Street

Favorite Meal - Food

Mom: A Tie Between Tony's and Japan

Colleen: Japan

Victor: Chef Mickey's

Gaylene: Japan

Least Favorite Meal - Food

Everybody: Crystal Palace

Victor: Tea (Grand Floridian) - For Obvious Reasons

Favorite Ride - New To You

Mom: Great Movie Ride and Pooh

Colleen: Rock & Roller Coaster

Victor: Barn Stormer and Pooh

Gaylene: Rock & Roller Coaster

Favorite Ride - Old To You

Mom: Peter Pan and Backstage Tour

Colleen: Splash

Victor: Monorail

Gaylene: Splash

Well, that does it for this trip. If anyone has questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Footnote: I have now booked 8 nights at OKW arriving on April 7. This trip will be just Bob and me. Yeah. Only 120 days and counting!!!

Gaylene Gray

ggray5@aol.com

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