Trip Reports

Who: Myself, Mom, Dad, Andrew (brother), Donna (my SO/girlfriend)

When: October 1st - 7th (WDW)

Background: About a year ago my mom, a habitual sweepstakes-enterer, found out that she had won a all-expense-paid trip for four to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As a family, we had gone down to WDW in 1983, just after EPCOT opened, and I had gone again in 1988 for my high school senior trip. My folks had gone again in 1996, for the 25th anniversary; my SO Donna had been to Disneyland in California many times, but never to WDW. About a week after our vacation in Orlando ended, I flew to California to visit Donna, and we went to Disneyland for a day; I'll send that writeup separately.

In WDW, we spent approximately a day and a half each at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios, and about two days at EPCOT, with a sprinkling of other places along the way.

All-Star Movies Resort

We stayed at the ASM resort, in Fantasia 5. I was pretty happy overall with our experience; the room was facing the pool area, but we never had any noise leak into the room at night. We bought the refillable mugs for about $9 each, which turned out to be a good bargain for how long we stayed down. The rooms were decent-sized for two people, about the size of a Days Inn-type room. The pool at the resort was a nice diversion from park-trekking. The Disney bus system, which we utilized, was generally efficient, and I really appreciated not having to drive on evenings where we stayed for the fireworks or parades, when the traffic jams afterwards could rival any major city's. My mom noted that the All-Star resorts are now being served by the same buses; when she was down a year ago, the ASM had it's own separate buses. Not anymore.

Check-in and check-out was generally straightforward, and the Cast Members at guest services were very helpful with questions. I guess my only real complaint was that the postcards I mailed from the resort, with 1st-class postage, took over two weeks to arrive at their destinations, though I'm not sure how much that is Disney's responsibility. In all, I would definitely consider staying here again, as long as I wasn't planning on packing the people in to the modest-sized rooms. BTW, if you're staying at ASM, check out the area behind Fantasia 5; there's an stand of trees and wild foliage in the middle of the resort which shows what the area looked like before Disney developed it.

Magic Kingdom (WDW)

I was a little more daring on this trip than I had been in '88 or '83. I went on Splash Mountain for the first time, which can be best described as a nice ride punctuated by a moment of sheer terror. I liked it 8). Big Thunder Mountain has won a place as my #1 favorite roller-coaster; not so violent as to frazzle you (which see: Space Mountain, Disneyland), but tons of fun. The Haunted Mansion was even better than I remember; anyone know how to get the "demon faces" wallpaper for a room? 8) Pirates of the Caribbean was also solidly terrific. The "Timekeeper" film in Tomorrowland was rather good, the 360 degree film presentation was used better than I've seen at other amusement parks. The new Winnie the Pooh ride was fun, though they need to install ceiling fans above the waiting queues, as the air was becoming a bit (ahem) stale in there. "It's a Small World" - well, we didn't have to wait in line, which was good, but - AUGGHH, can't get that SONG out of my HEAD! 8)

We ate at the Liberty Tree Tavern, and I enjoyed the colonial- type atmosphere there a lot. We managed to watch part of the Main Street Electrical Parade, but not after some uncomfortably claustrophobic times trying to work our way through the crowds (we finally gave up and picked up the railroad at Mickey's Toontown & rode it to Main Street). I managed to get my picture taken with Eeyore, to my girlfriend's delight. For some reason she thinks I'm the human version of Eeyore. 8)

Overall, a pretty happy experience. Tomorrowland is much improved from when I saw it in '88, when it was becoming pretty redundant with EPCOT around.

EPCOT (WDW)

EPCOT is definitely my favorite Disney resort, partly because of the futuristic theming, and partly because my first Disney experience was of EPCOT when everything there was fresh and new. Hey, I'm biased, I admit it. I agree with what one poster said, though, that as I'm getting older I'm appreciating World Showcase more, while still keeping my love of Future World.

Future World: The Land and The Living Seas were solid as ever, though I think they've changed the loading patterns for getting into Living Seas since '88. It was noticeable enough for it to make an impression, anyway. Horizons was closed, no surprise there. The crowds for Test Track were massive all day long, a ride I'll have to wait another few years to try. I deliberately skipped "Ellen's Energy Adventure", as I'm not a big fan, and from the reviews I've read, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the presentation level anyway. The new "Journey into your Imagination" had apparently opened a few days before we visited; I'm happy to see Figment is still around, but Eric Idle was strictly OK as the host, nothing better. I now wish I had bought more Figment stuff when I was there, as no other place in EPCOT or elsewhere seems to carry any Figment merchandise. Oh, the "jumping fountains" which were a highlight of EPCOT for me in '83 are still there, up the ramp next to JIYI. Unfortunately, they need to be recalibrated soon, as a couple were missing their targets occasionally & flooding the nearby vegetation.

The new Innoventions was also newly opened; for a trade fair show, it was fairly interesting. I missed the email kiosks, unfortunately; my mom found it separately, though. The Coca-Cola Refreshment Center next to Innoventions West (looks like a giant igloo) is definitely worth a visit; it's very cool /cold inside, and at the end you can sample some soft drinks from other countries. The 'Smart Watermelon' and 'Kidney Lime', from China and Israel, respectively, were quite good, but watch out for 'Beverly' from Italy; it was by far the most vile soda I've ever tasted. Be ready with something to wash out the taste if you try it.

Donna and I were able to walk on to Spaceship Earth without a line later in the afternoon. It was fun, though not as gripping as I remembered it. Perhaps I'm just getting a little older. I miss the Communicores in SE. As for the Obelisks of Death, officially titled "Leave a Legacy"...well, EPCOT is now secure from suicide truck bomb attacks, but the blocks just don't fit the aesthetics of the place. I liked the "2000" sign on the side of SE, but only as a temporary thing.

World Showcase: I did a fair amount of research prior to going down this time, so knew some of the treasures to try here. We ate lunch at the Le Cellier restaurant at Canada, and I fell in love with the cheddar cheese soup (enough to go back for seconds the second day). Beavertails!! Yum! We also did lunch at the restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco, and the mint tea and beef brewat rolls were outstanding. We also tried a French pastry loaded with chocolate in Boulangerie Patisserie, and I managed to get a package of Jelly Babies in England.

I was very happy that all the walking was burning off the calories. 8)

The "O! Canada!" 360 degree movie was better than I expected. The Millennium Village was obviously just a temporary exhibit, as it seemed somewhat disjointed in terms of how each nation's exhibit meshed with others. The American Adventure was pretty good, especially compared with some of the older animatronics in MK. Maelstrom in Norway was more thrilling than I'd remembered; lots of small surprises. El Rio del Tiempo in Mexico: eh. My description of it is "some leftovers from 'it's a small world' mixed in with some projection TVs." Good if you want to get off your feet for a little while, but don't get your expectations up high. I still love the volcano scene inside Mexico.

Also have to give kudos to EPCOT; in '83 and I think '88, the boats in the lagoon were little small skiffs, which have been replaced by larger boats. It's a world of difference.

Illuminations 2000 / Tapestry of Nations: All I can say is, WOW!!! I understand from some guidebooks that some recent Illuminations haven't been exactly outstanding, but this was nothing if not singularly excellent. I saw the ToN from across the lagoon my first night, then near the second night. I was glad I took the opportunity to see it close up. It was truly a pageantry, and I was couldn't help but sing along with the main chorus of ToN as I followed it's tail-end back to our position for Illuminations. I was especially struck by one parader/puppeteer, who had one large marionette which held a smaller marionette, both of which the parader could manipulate. If you follow the parade "king" to the end, you can watch each parader make his figure 'bow' to the king as they march by. Neat.

Illuminations was knock-out spectacular. It had rained on-and-off the first night, and the "dragon" flame-thrower was used; on the second (clear) night, the flame-thrower wasn't used, but many more lasers were on. The coordination between the music, fireworks, and lighting was just perfect both nights. It was the first time I'd felt what IMHO the millennium should be about, not worrying, but a celebration of all humanity has achieved. I'm so, so glad I didn't skip this. I bought the music CD for the celebration while there, and it's one of my treasured souvenirs.

All in all, despite the slight disappointment of Horizons being shut down, a magical experience. EPCOT remains my favorite Disney place. I can't wait to visit again.

Animal Kingdom (WDW)

In fairness, I should preface this by noting that I didn't see AK under optimal conditions. The first time was after spending most of the morning and afternoon at MK, so I was pretty beat even before arriving. The second day, a tropical depression was hovering over the area, so much of the day was spent in ponchos (which actually turned out to be a positive for the Kali Water Rapids).

OK, having said that, my impression of Animal Kingdom was that the place hasn't fully reached it's potential, yet. There's a dearth of thrill rides compared even to EPCOT. The Kilimanjaro Safari ride was interesting in terms of seeing the animals close up, but the whole "Poachers are baaad! Bad, bad, bad!" storyline was pretty cheesy & should be ditched. The "Bug" ride inside the Tree of Life was pretty good in terms of audience interaction with the ride. The Kali Water Rapids was fun, I was for better or worse on the side of the raft which didn't get soaked when I went on it. The Asia jungle trek was a pleasant diversion, but not a don't-miss thing. I liked the pock-marked, "mud that is not mud" effect for the walkways in the Asia part.

We didn't really have time to sample Dinoland. The sculptures on the "Tree of Life" were pretty neat, I got to see a number of them while in line for "It's a Bugs Life". We had an joke, though, that the large tree on the safari which is an actual African tree & looks like the "Tree of Life", except without the leaves, is the "Tree of Death." And why does Disney allow poaching in this 200-year old African nature preserve located in the middle of Florida, anyway? etc.

Overall, AK was interesting, but it's definitely a shade below EPCOT and MK in my book.

MGM Studios (WDW)

Like Animal Kingdom, MGM was a park that I first experienced after spending a good part of the day in one of the other parks (in this case, EPCOT), so my initial reactions were probably tainted by that a bit. But my overall impression was the same: a young park that needs a couple more elements to be in the same league as EPCOT or MK.

Muppetvision 3D was a lot of fun, though the pre-show show runs a bit longer than I'd have preferred. The Backstage Pass tour was interesting in spots, but I think I was just grateful to be on a ride which was mainly sitting by that point. The Great Movie Ride was pretty good, I was genuinely scared in the "Aliens" part (which could have been truly terror-inducing, with some design changes), though the Cast Members need a little more room to improvise than they have currently. Star Tours was jarring; I normally don't get nauseous, but I was feeling pretty sour by the time it was finished. Not fun. I never quite managed to make it to Tower of Terror, now I wish I had. Fantasmic! was very loud; I'd recommend earplugs. Having now seen both versions, I can say that the Disneyland version is superior; I hope this version improves over time.

We were going to eat at the ABC Commissary, but the selection was pretty limited. Instead, we wound up going to the "Toy Story" Pizza Planet; well, that was a mistake. The cashier was pretty slow & hard of hearing, and two of our pizza slices were cold when we got them. Not my best Disney eating experience.

If you're planning to do character meeting, in addition to the trailers along Mickey Avenue, try to arrive in front of the Chinese Theatre around 6:30 PM; both days I was there, there were multiple characters in the area at that time. It's enough time to do the meet & autograph (if you're doing that) with the characters, and still get to Fantasmic! in plenty of time.

Also, if you're planning to visit EPCOT the same day as MGM, for Illuminations or such, strongly consider using the water taxi. There is a changeover at Disney Boardwalk, but the ride is very nice and relaxing, the boats are air- conditioned when needed, and it leaves you off at the International Gateway of EPCOT, which is a much less crowded entry point and opens right into the World Showcase. World Showcase opens at 11 AM, though.

Other misc. places (WDW)

When we checked in, we were given passes to the Disney Wide World of Sports, so I decided to take a trip out there on Monday to see what was there & to try out the NFL Experience exhibit. It was a mistake; if you've seen one empty stadium, you've seen them all. The place was pretty empty, and the NFL Experience was open-and-closed all day because of the impeding rain clouds. Between the bus exchanges & the time to walk around what is a pretty big place, I easily wasted three hours on a forgettable experience. Unless you (a) have a specific event you are going there to see, or (b) have a child who insists on seeing this, IMHO you can safely skip this.
I visited the Disney Boardwalk for all of five minutes while waiting for a water shuttle exchange between MGM and EPCOT. The ESPN club there didn't look much more impressive than any other sports bar, and the "arcade" there was very limited in terms of games. Probably worth a walk around if you're staying at one of the nearby hotels, but otherwise can be safely skipped. Spend more time at EPCOT, rather than using it on what is basically a tourist trap.
Disney Marketplace was reasonably fun. We had dinner the night we arrived at the Wolfgang Puck Express, which was good & more filling than I expected; I had to save the double-decker P&J sandwich I bought for another day. The Lego store was a lot of fun, and I had a good time in the Christmas store. I was able to pick up a good bargain at the Art of Disney store, so there are a few there (though mostly it's original stuff running in the thousands of dollars). It's still mainly a spruced-up mall, but more entertaining than the Boardwalk.
We walked through the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts on our way to other places. The Polynesian was lovely, lots of vegetation & green, while not being too ostentatious. The GF, on the other hand, all but screamed "old South plantation." So this is where the rich people stay...8)
Whoever had the tip to bring Capri drink packs, thanks much! They're just the right size to carry around without having any sharp edges.
I flew Delta Express down from Columbus to Orlando, and had no difficulties.
Tom Gryn

tagryn@hotmail.com

Trip pictures: http://members.tripod.com/tgryn/wdw/mk.htm

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