Trip Reports

Characters:
Kim- me, mid 30s, trip planner and report author, veteran
Bill-my husband, early 40s, veteran
Dates of Trip: November 3-9, 1999
Travel Method: personal car, rental car and plane
Lodging: On and off-site
Econo Lodge, Winchester, VA
Motel 8, St. Augustine, FL
Wilderness Lodge, WDW
Knights Inn, Kissimmee, FL
How This Trip Came about:

This trip was an extra treat and not my usual annual trip (with planning a year in advance) to WDW. It came about because my husband volunteered to drive his 'snowbird' mother's car to her Florida winter home. She has used a transport service in the past but chose not to do so this time. In my planning the road trip from upstate NY to southern FL, I felt that I couldn't justify driving all that way and going right past WDW without a stop for a visit. Besides we had Annual Passes we bought last winter. My husband agreed and I began to plan a short visit to WDW!

Planning:

Since this trip was planned relatively at the spur of the moment and also not budgeted for, my goal was to keep costs low yet have a good time. We own timeshare weeks and stay at these resorts when we visit WDW for our annual trips. Staying at our timeshares doesn't present an opportunity to stay at a WDW resort. Since this was a short visit and I really wanted to do an E-ticket night, I thought we might stay on site this time and, hopefully, be able to take advantage of an E-ticket night. My dream has been to stay at Wilderness Lodge; unfortunately, I have a hard time justifying spending that kind of money on lodging. I bit the bullet, so to speak, and I called CRO in late August hoping to get a Magic Kingdom Club or Annual Passport discount on rooms at WL. My second choices were Dixie Landings or the All Stars. The only thing available was ASM, so I made a reservation for three nights (Saturday - Monday, November 6-8) with no discounts available for $74 night. The CM at CRO told me I had to wait until the end of October before I could learn the E-ticket nights for November. I crossed my fingers that one would fall on one of those nights. In the meantime, I also made a reservation at one of the cheapest places I could find in the main gate west area on Route 192 in Kissimmee at the Knights Inn (7475 Route 192) for $33.95 a night including free continental breakfast. The cheapest place, Comfort Inn Main gate (7571 Route 192) at $29.75 night got some bad comments from previous guests on Brian Bennett's site so I didn't book it. I figured that if there was not an E-ticket night during our stay, we would save money by staying off site. I chose the main gate west area due to its convenient location to the WDW's main gate entrance and the availability of reasonably priced lodging. Our airline tickets for our flight home (Albany, NY) were purchased for $103 each (one way, direct/non-stop) after keeping a close eye on the Metrojet/USAirways web site. I thought this was an excellent buy and grabbed them immediately. Unfortunately, they later went down to $75 (which I snagged for our February 2000 trip), but I still think I got a great price. The cheapest rental car I could find for four days with pick-up from West Palm Beach and return at MCO was $109 from Alamo. At this point, I waited to find out the E-ticket nights.

As I've already mentioned, this trip would not be my usual commando trip because we have done most everything we want to do at least once in our last six trips. Therefore, my personal goals were to not eat anywhere we'd eaten in the past, only do shows we hadn't seen, take in all the new things since we were there eight months ago and just enjoy being there. Besides, we are going again for a week this February!

In the middle of October, I learned from Deb Wills' site that the E-ticket nights would be the night before and the night after (Friday and Tuesday) my WDW reservation. I needed to decide whether to either not do E-ticket or to adjust my reservation in order to participate. I really wanted to do E-ticket so I called CRO and could get WL for Friday night with no discount for either standard view at $180 or woodland view for $199. I went for it and chose the woodland view and cancelled the ASM reservation and transferred my deposit for ASM to the WL reservation. I kept the Knights Inn reservation and decided to stay there for the three nights (Saturday - Monday). This plan would result in the least amount of adjustments to the original plan (delivering mom's car before she arrived, motel, rental car and air reservations) and would save money over staying at WDW the whole time but meant that we would, of course, stay in Orlando Friday night and therefore, not drive all the way to WPB and stay there. Instead, we would drive to WPB after checking out of WL (hopefully after a late checkout) on Saturday then turn right around and drive back to Orlando.

The Trip:

Days 1 - 3: Travel (November 3 -5, Wednesday night thru Friday morning)

Departure time arrives on Wednesday, November 3, at 5 p.m. My mother-in-law picks us up ('98 Ford Taurus) at our house, we stop for dinner, drop her off at her house and are on our way. We stop for gas once ($13) in Carlisle, PA, drive a total of six hours (400 miles) and stay at an Econo Lodge ($50 AAA rate) in Winchester, VA. The next morning we eat breakfast at Denny's and head out driving all day. We listened to one of three audio books I borrowed from the library, stopped for gas ($14) in Rocky Mt., NC and stop again in Waltersboro,SC for dinner at a Cracker Barrel and also filled the gas tank ($11). We continue on through GA and we hit Jacksonville, FL much sooner than anticipated-YEAH. We drove another hour to St. Augustine for a total of 12 driving hours and 775 miles today. We stayed at a Motel 8 ($40 AAA rate). I was very excited that we got this far so quickly because that means we will be in Orlando in under two hours and have a good share of the day there, perhaps even checking in and getting our room early. We have breakfast at a Waffle House (BAD place--very VERY dirty, food blah, toothless servers!, smoky), get gas ($10) and head for Orlando. It takes us just under two hours and is only 130 miles. We stop at the Belz mall on International Drive and visit the Character Warehouse and Premier stores. Got some deals and headed to WDW!!!

Day 3: Arrive at WDW (November 3, Friday afternoon)

We entered the WL driveway and came upon a security gate with a guard who gave us our parking permit after we told him we were checking in. The security gate was new to us. In the past, when we've driven to WL for dinner we just drive in and self park. Checked in at WL about 1:00 p.m. with no problem. Bought our E-tickets and got a room 6086 on the north side which is not the construction side and arranged for late check-out (1 p.m.). My FAX to the room controller didn't seem to help, but CM Cindy was able to assign us to what I had requested anyway (king bed, woodland view on north side). It wasn't ready yet; but they guaranteed it between 3-4 p.m. so we sat at the pool bar and had drinks and popcorn. Our room was ready at 2:30 p.m. We moved our bags in and headed right back out to take the 3:15 p.m. WL tour of the smokehouse. We met our ranger guide Darlene in the lobby and she gave an excellent tour. We enjoyed sampling chef Chris' ribs at the smokehouse and chef Matt's salmon in Artist Point. Along the tour Darlene pointed out hidden Mickeys and spoke a little about the theming and architecture of the resort. The tour is complimentary, doesn't require a reservation and is about an hour long. You just meet the ranger guide by the sign in the lobby that says, "Tours begin here." Back at our room we freshened up and dressed for evening temperatures.

I will give a description and my thoughts on the room here. It was on the sixth floor right off the lobby and very nicely decorated. We chose WL because we like the theming in the lobby and on the grounds and so it goes that we also enjoyed the room decoration. The furniture is mission oak and included a bench, two chairs with a table, a separate chair, two end tables with lamps, a floor lamp and the bed. The lamps were wrought iron, the prints on the walls were of wildlife and the wallpaper in the dressing/bath area was cowboys and Indians. There was, of course, a phone, alarm clock, blow dryer and ice bucket with glasses. No iron and ironing board in the closet. I don't recall the exact pattern of the drapes (see, I was in such an uncommando mode, I didn't even take notes!) but they matched the bed spread, of course; but the under curtains (or sheers) were lace making for a very nice effect. The view was of woodlands and you could also see the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and the WL smokehouse area, which is a backstage area.. All in all I was very pleased with the room; however, I felt it was small for the price. Two weeks before we were visiting Las Vegas and stayed at the Flamingo Hilton (comparable with WL, I think) and the room was twice the size and as nicely appointed (with a different theme, of course). I thought all the nooks and crannies on the different levels of the WL lobby area were charming. They allowed you to sit and read/relax by a fireplace. The balconies both inside and outside allowed for relaxing while overlooking the courtyard/pool/Bay Lake. Back to touring.

We took the boat to MK and exchanged our E-tickets for wristbands at the area next the City Hall. People were four and five deep around the parade route in the Town Square and down Main Street for the Main Street Electric Parade so we headed for the train station. I dropped a quarter in the old player piano thingy upstairs at the station and Bill watched an old time movie thingy. Both things we hadn't done before or even noticed were there. The train arrived and we were off to Frontierland. We found a spot right at the rope by the turkey leg cart and waited about 20 minutes for the parade. We would have bought a turkey leg but they were sold out. The lady next to me was eating one the whole time we waited for the parade. It looked good and tender and I really wanted one but it didn't come to be. I hadn't seen the MSEP since I was about 9 in Disneyland and enjoyed it very much. After the parade ended, still being hungry, we moved to the Hub/Main Street area to watch Fantasy in the Sky. Bill got on line for hot dogs at Casey's and I waited outside. The line took so long he missed most of the fireworks. We sat down and ate while people exited the park. I sang to Bill, "We get to staaaay! You all have to goooo!" After we ate, we headed out to the E-ticket rides: BTMR, SM, HM, BL, SM, and AO. Astro Oriber was a first for us because we never wanted to wait in the line in the past. We still had to wait but only about 5 minutes. We rode in separate cars and I thought it went around very fast. I normally take over the counter medication for motion sickness but forgot tonight, although, I didn't have any problems. There were more people in the park than I expected after reading trip reports of people feeling spooked by being all alone in the park. While we were on line for a turkey leg (finally) in Tomorrowland, the lady in line ahead of us said they did E-ticket on Tuesday night and while they were in TL they didn't see another sole. She admitted it gave her a very odd feeling. I guess that was just the difference between a Tuesday and a Friday night. The turkey leg turned out to be disappointing, very tough and not too tasty. I think we just got a bad one because the lady waiting for the parade had one that looked wonderful. I'll try it again. We ended the night by walking through the Emporium. They were locking the doors but we slipped in before the CM locked up. I knew that the boat to WL wouldn't be running after E-ticket so we headed for the busses but there wasn't a WL bus. A CM told us we had to monorail to the TTC and then take the Boone bus and WL would be the first stop. This is what we did. My second time on the Disney bus system and the bus was an older one and not a big deal. Back to the WL and to bed. I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep due to my excitement of being there but I fell right away.

Day 4 (November 6, Saturday)

The next morning Bill went down to get some coffee for him and juice for me at Roaring Forks. He was gone longer than I expected and when he returned he said that it was mobbed. At one point I went to the door and looked out for him and was amazed at how loud that lobby area is. We were told on our WL tour the day before that along with the building of the WL villas and a quiet pool that Roaring Forks would be expanded too. Bill says that it's a good thing. I had arranged for a Mickey wake up call for a time when I knew we would already be up so we could sleep in but still experience the call. I was tickled when I heard Mickey. I don't think it is voice activated because I didn't say anything when I pick up the phone. We met CM ranger Darlene, again, in the lobby for the 9:00 a.m. WL building tour. We walked all around the lobby area, Territory Lounge, Artist Point and outside in the courtyard area. She explained the architecture and theming more in depth than the previous day's tour and included the plants and water ways outside. She also talked about the process of building the resort and pointed out more hidden Mickey's. After the tour we rented bikes and followed the bike/jogging path over to Fort Wilderness. I really enjoyed doing this and wished we had more time to ride around the campground before we had to be back to WL for check-out. We ate lunch at the Trail's End buffet at FW and rode back to WL just in time for our 1 p.m. check out.

We hit the road again at 1:30 p.m. for West Palm Beach to drop off Mom's car. We left WDW via the Osceola Parkway which connected to the Florida Turnpike and started our second audio book. I think that having the Osceola Parkway connect to the Turnpike is wonderful and makes it very convenient since you bypass Route 192 altogether. We arrived in WPB in under three hours driving 170 miles (turnpike toll $12), got gas ($16), picked up our rental car at Alamo near the airport (cost was reduced to $77 Since we picked the car up later than planned when I made the reservation) and dropped mom's car off at her house. She would be arriving by plane in a couple of hours. We took right off on the FL turnpike (another $12 toll), again, for Orlando listing to the second half of the audio book. By the time we got to Orlando it was only about 7 p.m. and MK was open until 11 p.m. but I was TOO tired to do it. We checked in at the Knights Inn, unloaded the car and went to a TGI Friday's just a little further west on Route 192 then back to our room and to bed. Let me say that the KI is a far cry from WL! I really missed the WL but could justify staying at KI because we were going to be out touring WDW and not at our room for the next three days.

Day 5 (November 7, Sunday)

Next morning we hit the breakfast room at the KI and picked up complimentary coffee, juice and yummy cinnamon pecan rolls to go. We easily drove to Epcot and got there before 9 a.m. I didn't think very much of the Leave a Legacy monuments at the entrance as we walked through them heading for Test Track. I asked the CM how long the wait was and she said only 5-10 minutes so we went through the regular line and walked right through. There is so much to see in this queue that it would have been nice to walk through it a little slower. Bill picked out a few hidden Mickey's in the various displays as we walked by them. We really liked the ride but wouldn't want to wait a long time for it. We went right back on but the line was longer so we went through the singles line and walked right through again and did have to go in separate cars. The girls in front of us went in the same car however. The first time we rode in the front seat while the second time I rode in the back seat and felt the ride seemed much faster in the back. I think it is because the wind blows over your head in the front but hits you in the face in the back. We moved on to the Fountainview Bakery next, got more coffee, juice and goodies then sat outside by the fountain. Next, we rode the new Journey into your Imagination. Not a big deal but we did send an electronic picture post card of ourselves to my co-worker on the way out. As we were walking toward Innoventions West, a lady was getting a drink from a water fountain and we heard a voice so we went over and tried it-it was a talking fountain! It was hard to make out what was being said but I was tickled that we found it so unexpectedly. It was another first for us! We browsed through the big store in Innoventions East, I think it's called Mickey Mania and found some neat stuff I wanted to get at World of Disney with the MKC discount. Next we sat on a bench near the fountains by the bridge to World Showcase and waited for it to open while watching the little kids get soaked in the fountain.

Once WS opened we were on our way. The Food and Wine Festival was taking place which we had never experienced before and we enjoyed it very much. It was nice to have the added extras to see and taste. We enjoyed some of the herb and vegetable gardens before we headed towards the Millennium Village. We got side tracked at some of the tasting tents first though. We walked through the village participating in some of the activities and did the Jerusalem motion simulator ride/theater which was a surprise. I wasn't aware there was such a thing. It was okay and we moved on. There were a lot of people in the village which made it hard to see and do. There were, of course, a lot of shopping opportunities which gave it a marketplace type atmosphere. Next we moved around the WS to the theater outside of American Adventure for the International Storybook presentation stopping along the way for beer for Bill and my first kaki gori for me. I enjoyed the show very much. I especially enjoyed watching the children's reactions. A young girl 3-4ish was sitting in front of us and during Tigger's bouncy-bouncy-bouncy song she started bouncing slowly then faster and faster and faster! It was adorable and certainly a magic moment. After the show we moved along WS a little until we it was time to return to the theater to see the show called 'Cookin'. While we were waiting for 'Cookin', we visited Italy and saw a group dressed in 18th century costumes perform classical music on electric instruments. We also sampled a creamy, to-die-for pasta dish. We headed back to the theater and enjoyed 'Cookin' which was a show from Korea performed by four people who made music, with a little comedy added for good taste, from cooking equipment (steel bowls, wire whisks, chopping blocks and knives, etc.). It was a high-energy performance and really fun to watch especially as the food was flying. We continued our trek around the WS and finished by mid afternoon.

We decided to head back to KI for a nap but first stopped off at Animal Kingdom and do the Kali River Rapids ride. We passed on it last winter because it was too chilly out to get soaked but today seemed like a perfect day. There was no one parking cars so we drove as close to the entrance as we could get without being in the handicapped lot and as we entered the park about 4 p.m., we found tons of people were leaving. We felt like salmon swimming up stream and saw some really wet people too--hmmm. I stopped at a cart and bought a huge rice krispy bar and a juice which I munched on until we got into our raft. There was no wait for the ride, by the way. There was a large family that got into the raft before ours who had obviously done it before. They took off their sneakers and put them in a large bag and they were all dressed in either ponchos or garbage bags. They took a long time getting settled in the raft and delayed ours taking off. Once on our way it was exciting waiting for the unknown get-wet areas. A few sprays here and there but nothing big. We were traveling backwards and I said to Bill that this wasn't good because from all the reports I read that people doing so get soaked. Just then, the raft bumped the side and we swung around so we were now facing forward-Yeah. Oh no, we bumped again and we were now going backwards again and right down the ramp!! I put my head down and screamed while Bill watched a huge wave of water completely cover the two of us! Absolutely soaked us! We laughed and laughed and so did everyone else in the raft who were just a little wet. Bill had mentioned doing CTX after KRR but obviously that was out now so we headed for the car. Back to KI for a nap after hanging up our wet clothes to dry. Good thing we have a whole day for them to dry before we need to pack them up.

We got up a few hours later and returned to Epcot to see the Tapestry of Nations Parade and Illuminations 2000 and drove as close as we could to the entrance, parked and walked in. We waited in a line at the entrance booths. It seemed everyone was entering the park for the evening activities. Then we made our way to WS stopping at the fish and chips cart in the UK for dinner. There was a huge line here, too, but we didn't have anything else to do but wait for the parade so we waited on line. Bill left the line and went into the pub and got a beer. We got our food just as the parade started to come by and we used the top of a garbage can by the fish and chips cart as our table. I realize it doesn't sound too appealing but it was the best we could do with the crowd and the parade going by. It was actually a prime spot as someone else had just finished using it as a table and we snagged it before anyone else got it. The parade was fun to watch probably because it isn't your typical parade and didn't know what to expect next. The music was nice and there was a lot of drums and drumming along with giant puppets (about 10' tall) attached to CMs. Kind of like the animals in the Broadway Lion King show or the characters in the AK parade. The CMs would work the puppets so that they would bend down and shake hands with the crowd. After the parade we walked into the Rose and Crown terrace area (not the restaurant seating area but where you can sit and have a beer) and found a spot on the wall to wait for Illuminations 2000. We always seem to watch it from the Rose and Crown. Usually we eat dinner at a waterfront table and the show starts just as we are having dessert. I liked the 2000 show better than the previous one but not as much as the version I saw in 1994. Bill thinks that the 1994 show left such a good impression on me because it was the first time I had seen it in eight years and we were sitting right on the water. That night (in 1994), I felt as if the whole show was just for us. I advise others to make a 7 - 7:30 p.m. dinner reservation at R&C and ask for outdoor/waterfront seating. This way you don't have to wait while fighting crowds to see the show and it feels like it's just for you. After the show we continued walking counter clockwise around WS. We followed the crowd out through FW to the car.

Next, we drove to Downtown Disney and parked behind World of Disney. I shopped for all the things I had seen around the parks that I wanted and found them all except for a 2000 pin with my name on it. All the Kim's were gone. They were also gone at the MK the following night but I found one at Epcot on our last day. I didn't realize my name was so popular. Anyway, our next stop was Ghirardelli's (sp?) for ice cream where we got a free candy bar for showing my AP. I expected to get 20% percent off from the information on WDWIG but this is what I was offered. Later I read the new AP holder and it does say you get a candy bar. The Home Shop has moved and I found it near the Christmas shop. I looked in the Christmas shop for a beanie I had seen in the Disney Store for Pooh dressed like a reindeer but they didn't have any. I purposely didn't buy it at the DS because I figured I could get it at WDW, wrong. Instead, I bought a round ornament (like a disk kind of round) with Steamboat Willie on in dated 2000. The box said it was the first in a series of five so now I'll have to get one every year. The shops closed at 11 p.m. and it was 10:55 p.m. and I still wanted to get some Mickeyroni and cheese in the Gourmet Shop. We ran over there and I got four boxes. I love this stuff. I saw it in the DS in Las Vegas but I didn't see it in the DS in Albany, so I stocked up until we return to WDW in February. They locked the door behind us. Back to the KI and to bed.

Day 6 (November 8, Monday)

Again, we hit the breakfast room at the KI and picked up complimentary coffee, juice and yummy cinnamon pecan rolls to go. Our destination this morning was the Disney MGM Studio. It was close to 9 a.m. as we entered the parking lot and got stuck in traffic in the lot. They had the cars from two different entrances merging together and then parking instead of each entrance parking cars in two separate lots. By the time we got moving they had made the change. We entered the park and headed toward the Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. We got a fast passes for RRC and noticed the regular line backing up because it wasn't open yet. Our fast pass return time was two hours later which was longer than I expected. We got on line for TOT and only had a 10 -15 minute wait. I love this ride! We went up and down so many times at one point we couldn't tell which way we were going and were surprised when the doors at the top opened in front of us and then we dropped again! Next we did the Bear in the Big Blue House and Doug Live Shows. We are not familiar with either of these characters and their shows but enjoyed them anyway and could follow along. We pulled the rope by the Indiana Jones show that says not to and we heard a guy down in the well-another first! Last winter when we tried this it didn't work. We shopped a bit and headed to RRC where we used our fast passes and went right to the front of the line. There were lots of confused looks from those waiting on line. After leaving the preview room I became real apprehensive about this ride but got on it and loved it. Two other people bailed out, however. I found it to be the smoothest roller coaster I have ever been on and I liked the sequence of it too. There didn't seem to be any part that was scary except the anticipation before the take off. It feels like you are flying. We rode the Manhattan Express roller coaster at the New York New York casino in Las Vegas a couple of weeks before and it is very rough and throws you around quite a bit. Bill loved RRC and before we even got off he announced that he wanted to go again. So, we got new fast passes when we came off the ride (one hour later return time) and then went to get some lunch at Rosie's. We hit Drew Cary's Sounds Dangerous show which wasn't what we expected but was a new experience. Then we headed back for our second ride on RRC. After this we left the park and returned to KI for a nap.

We got up and left a couple hours later and went to MK which would close at 7 p.m. and it was probably close to 5 p.m. At this point, we had an unDisney moment which I really couldn't believe happened when it happened. We parked our car at the far end of a row from the tram stop. We walked quickly toward the tram and just as we got there they announced no more boarding! I thought they were waiting for us, there was plenty of room and we were right there and it left! I was shocked and kept saying how unDisney that was. Usually they wait unless another tram is right behind them. Well, there wasn't another tram in sight so we started walking to the TTC and it was a long walk. We should have waited for the next tram. Once inside the park, I stopped at City Hall to arrange to see the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at a special viewing area with a coupon I got from the Magic Delivery program from the Insider magazine I get. Unfortunately, the viewing area was already full but the CM told me where it was and that we could try and get as close as we could to the area and watch the fireworks. The area is were the old Swan boats loaded-where the table and chairs are by the waterway between the Main Street/Hub area and Tomorrowland. We wandered through the photography exhibit next to Tony's Town Square restaurant and found Chip and Dale greeting guests. It was almost time for the Flag Lowering Ceremony so we waited for that. It was a simple ceremony with the MK security lowering and folding the flag and pigeons released. I expected the MK marching band but there was only piped in music. We were hungry and I wanted to try Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café so we got a chicken Caesar salad and a steak sandwich to share. The salad was huge just like I had read in someone's trip report and was certainly enough to share along with the sandwich. Since we hadn't done the new Pooh ride yet and that was the only other thing I wanted to do tonight, we waited on line for 30 minutes for a three minute ride. It was cute but not worth any wait. The wait gave us something to do before the fireworks, though, which where almost ready to begin by the time we exited the ride. So we took the walkway from Fantasyland past Cosmic Rays back door through the rose garden to the hub and waited on the smaller walkway on the other side of the waterway from the special viewing area. It wasn't the greatest spot but it was empty and we could see Tinkerbell's flight real well. After the show, as everyone else was exiting the park, we headed in the opposite direction to the back of the park and did BTMRR. There was no wait and when we were done it was very close to 7 p.m. so we ran around and got back in line again. We ran through the queue and got in the very last train in the last car! After the ride the CM asked if we wanted to go again. Well, of course we did and away we went slapping the hand of the CM as the train went by him. Our last ride was no hands all the way!! We had a blast riding three times in a row with no wait. We headed toward Main Street and as we were walking through the back of the park it was totally empty except for the other folks that were on our train. Main Street was a different story, however. It was still mobbed. We headed out with the mob and decided to take the ferry because the monorail line was very very long. We just missed getting on the ferry and had to wait but it wasn't too long. Once we got on, we went to the very front and sat on a bench and were one of the first people to get off. We took the tram and to the car.

We drove to the Boardwalk and self parked. We caught the last act of the Boardwalk Buskers. They are really good and I enjoy them every time I see them. I got popcorn and Bill got beer and we entered Epcot through the International Gateway. Illuminations 2000 was about to begin and we walked around WS until it started. I got another kaki gori in Japan and the show started when we were between Italy and the Outpost. We sat and watched it for a while and then began walking again. As I stated previously, we normally watch Illuminations from UK and I was surprised to see that the fireworks and the earth float are very close to the shore here compared to UK. We were moving along without a problem until we got to the entrance to the bridge to FW and started swimming upstream as we headed towards Canada etc. for the IG but we made it through okay.

Day 7 (November 9, Tuesday)

The next morning we began packing and Bill hit the breakfast room and brought coffee, juice and yummy cinnamon pecan rolls back to the room. After we packed the car, we left KI around 9:45. Drove to the Belz Mall to hit the Character Warehouse and Premier stores again. We went to Character Warehouse first and I bought a top that hadn't been there on our Friday visit. Bill told me that he had heard some of the CMs saying that the Premier store wasn't open yet. I asked a CM before we left the Warehouse and headed over to Premier and he told me it was open. When we reached Character Premier, it was not only closed but GONE. There was a sign saying that it had moved to another location in the building, I think, aisle three. So we walked down there and it was lit and full of merchandise with CMs milling about. It appeared that the finishing touches on some of the wiring wasn't complete so it wasn't open. We talked to one of the men working on it and he said that the work remaining was quite involved and that the store probably wouldn't open until the next day. Too bad, but I was glad we had visited on Friday or I would have been really bummed. We left and drove to Epcot to participate in one of the complimentary wine talks and tastings. We found that one would be starting at 1 p.m. and we had an hours wait so we had lunch at Norway's Akershus. We broke my little rule/goal of not repeating things this trip since we have eaten here twice before. We really enjoy the food and atmosphere and it's reasonably priced for a sit down restaurant. We were given a 10% discount for our MKC card. Last February we were given 20% off for our APs but this wasn't available anymore. We finished with enough time to catch the wine tasting. A Canadian Ice Wine was featured and tasted very good--sweet. It is made from grapes grown in Canada which are picked after they have been frozen on the vine for a certain period of time and then hand picked. The small amount of juices from these grapes makes the quantity of wine produced small and therefore expensive. We would have bought a bottle or two but it was $40 for a half bottle! Next we wandered around until 4 p.m. when we left for the airport. We left WDW via the Osceola Parkway then picked up the Greenway (again, very convenient-pay the tolls and skip I-4 and the Beeline!) and returned the car to Alamo near the airport. We were shuttled to the airport and intended to check our bags at the curb with the sky caps since we had electronic tickets. The sky cap thought that our flight had been cancelled and we would be put on a Delta flight instead. Oh no, I thought to myself. We followed him inside while he spoke to a USAirways ticket agent. As it turned out, there was no problem, our bags were checked and we were sent to the gate to get our boarding passes. The flight home was uneventful and we landed a little early because we left early. My mom met us and drove us home. All well at home. Another wonderful WDW experience and only about 11 weeks until our next one-life is great!

Summary...thoughts, opinions, etc:

Driving from NYS to WDW - This was the first time I planned a trip to WDW traveling by car. I found some other trip reports helpful while trying to determine distance and allotment of time and money. I hope this report has been helpful to someone else who is planning a road trip to WDW soon. Here's the breakdown: $50 gas, $100 motels, $50 food, 1,305 miles from near Albany, NY to Orlando. We followed the route recommended by AAA which was quite simple: I-88 West from our house to Binghamton, NY, then I-81 South to Winchester, VA, Route 66 East to Route 17 East to I-95 South near Fredericksburg, VA, Route 295 around Richmond, VA then back to I-95 South all the way to Daytona, FL then I-4 West to Orlando, FL. The audio books helped the time pass by. I would use them again on long road trips and recommend them to others.
WDW VS Off World - This was the first time we stayed on WDW property and it was only for one night in order to be able to participate in E-ticket night. With our timeshares, our chances of having an opportunity to stay on WDW property won't be too often. So, it was a special occasion for us and it really felt special too. I tried to make it more special and get the most out of our brief stay by spending our time at the resort instead of mainly at a park. We sat at the pool bar and relaxed, took both WL tours, got a Mickey wake up call, rented bikes and just generally soaked it all in. However, I still can't justify spending over $200 a night for lodging. We did it this time for the reasons above and spent a lot of time enjoying what the resort had to offer. I think that once that first night experience wears off and most of my time is spent touring the parks, the hotel will just become a place to sleep and then it's not worth the money charged. Just my humble opinion.
Main gate west location -
Advantages: Economy in lodging and restaurants; very short commute to WDW main gate, actually closer to some WDW parks than some of the resorts on WDW property
Drawback: Current construction on Route 192--work finally done near main gate/Route 192 entrance but now working further west, caused no delays however, roadway just ripped up and lots of barriers, appear to be widening or making additional lanes.
Naps - Taking naps during vacations is fairly new to us. We began taking them during our last WDW trip (see trip report February 1999). We didn't take one everyday but did a few times and found them refreshing, however, it was hard leaving the park to do so. In order to enjoy the night life during our recent trip to Las Vegas we took naps and it worked wonders. I am learning that they are not so bad and really extend your endurance. I was just so commando before that I couldn't see wasting precious time napping but now admit it's a good practice to follow.
Non-commando VS Commando - As mentioned above, I have been a commando in the past. I felt I had to tour that way in order to see and do all the great stuff WDW has to offer. You know...make the most of our time and money. Now, after six trips, we have finally experienced all that we want to at least once. So, all we have to do is keep up with the new stuff and, of course, repeat our favorites. How do I feel about each style? Non-commando touring is much more pleasant, but if I hadn't commando toured in the past we would have never enjoyed as much as we did. What would I advise others? Do what you feel you have to do. I guess I am still on the fence with this one. I know I couldn't have not commandoed those first trips-it's just the way I am. But, now I feel I can relax our touring.
Driving on Osceola to FL Turnpike and Greenway - Who ever thought of connecting the Osceola Parkway to WDW is a genius. I advise anyone to take advantage of this route whenever possible. It allows you to avoid Route 192 when heading to the Turnpike and I-4 and the Beeline when heading for the airport.
Magic Delivery Program - I mentioned this earlier in regard to the special viewing area for Fantasy in the Sky. It is a program offered through a Disney magazine I get called Insider. It comes twice a year, I think, and is just a big advertisement for new WDW stuff. Since I keep up-to-date on WDW stuff from WDWIG and rec.arts.Disney.parks, I usually know all this stuff by the time the magazine arrives. I don't know how I was chosen to receive it, it just started coming to me. Anyway, I sent in the coupon from my latest Insider to receive a Magic Delivery package. These packages include a magnet, WDW map, passport and discount coupons for either dining or tours. The passport is something you take to the parks and have stamped at guest relations. You need at least three stamps in order to send the passport back to Disney (an address in Maryland, I think) and they, in turn, send you special, one-of-a-kind, can't get anywhere else pins. Not a big deal for me but if you collect pins I guess it's exciting. The pins (set of 2) I got last year were dated 1999 and have Tinkerbell on them. The coupons I have received the first any only other time I received the MD package were more useful than the ones I got this time. Some people report getting coupons for the MK Backstage Magic tour for free, but I wasn't so lucky. I thought the coupons I got this time were a total rip off. I got 25% off admission to Disney Quest which I don't desire to visit. I got 10% off dining at certain park restaurants which was no big deal because you can take advantage of this discount with the MKC card. The third coupon was for viewing the Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks or Illuminations 2000 from a special viewing area. This was not a big deal because I did the Illuminations area last winter and we didn't even need to. It was so cold that night that no one was in the park and it was at the UK where we watch it from all the time. Plus, there are plenty of great spots to view Fantasy in the Sky without a special viewing area and the special viewing area was someplace anyone could watch from. So I was disappointed with the MD package this time. I noticed that the coupon to send in to receive this package was not included in the last Insider issue I received so I guess Disney is not sponsoring it anymore. Too bad, I was hoping maybe one time I would get a coupon for the backstage tour for free.
Final thoughts and opinions:

I still find it simply amazing that each time we visit WDW there is so much new stuff to enjoy to make our trip different from than previous ones. I guess that's the Disney magic working. This one was no exception. We pretty much stuck with our goal to not repeat a lot. We ate at mostly fast food restaurants, instead of our usual--sit down restaurants, and found many options and the food to be better than most fast food eateries in the real world. All of them were places we hadn't eaten at in six previous visits! Our last visit was only eight months ago, yet, we filled our days with many new sights, attractions and activities. We are looking forward to our visits in February 2000 with our moms, March 2001 with our neighbors and their two children and a new, not yet arranged trip in December 2001. We have wanted to visit during the Christmas holiday in order to see the decorations and take in all the special activities for a long time. So, I thought of getting APs in March 2001 and then visiting in December, too, in order to make the most of them and satisfy our want to visit during the holidays. I ran it by Bill and he's all for it!

Kim Marie Howe

howekm@cobleskill.edu

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