Trip Reports

March 10th-15th 1999

Day 1/Wednesday Night

This is my 1st trip report. I have enjoyed so many that I decided to post one myself.

I planned a quick trip to WDW based upon a super low airfare (Newark NJ to MCO) from (my least favorite airline) Continental. We flew for $147 for Paul (Hubby) & Myself and our two big boys plus around $80 for our 1 year old. In order to get the fare, we left at 6:30 at night and returned on the 8:55 pm flight. Well, being the vacation disaster family that we are, we missed plane #1 by 5 minutes (new boarding policy) and were very lucky that we were able to hop on the next plane. We arrived before midnight, picked up an Alamo rental car with ease and made it to Dixie Landings by 1:30 am. We were put in Alligator Bayou building #17. It was, to paraphrase Paul, "a hump" to the room. We carried our three boys, asleep and heavy!, into our room. I was impressed with the room, Paul was disappointed. (He loves the Boardwalk). I again reminded him that DxL is a moderate hotel. He was disappointed in the bathroom size & layout most of all. (It was difficult to bathe the kids in the bathtub, it was a tight squeeze.) We settled in and went to sleep.

Day 2/Thursday

We woke up refreshed. Well, our boys woke up refreshed, we adults were pretty tired. After hearing all about how beautiful DxL is, I could not get out the door fast enough to explore. It is truly one of the most beautifully landscaped properties at WDW. The theming is incredible. My middle son, Tommy, accompanied me to the Food court as I was in desperate need of a hot cup of coffee. Thanks to the advice of all you wonderful RADP'ers, I decided to buy a DxL mug. I wound up buying a second mug for my older son and can honestly say that it is the biggest bargain at WDW. My boys thought that unlimited slurpees in their own mugs was the greatest thing in the world. We walked around the main building at DxL and both Tommy and I were very impressed. We rushed back to the room to get PJ(my oldest boy), the baby and Paul to have breakfast at the food court. The food was great, the prices reasonable and the selection well varied. Paul and I agreed that the idea of a food court makes so much sense when traveling with little ones. We had planned a day at AK with priority seating at the Rainforest Café at AK. Animal Kingdom was crowded when we arrived but not uncomfortably so. We were shocked at how lush and beautiful the foliage and landscaping is at AK. The Tree of Life was our 1st destination. The carvings around the tree were so much fun to enjoy with my kids, they grew more excited with each animal carving they recognized. We enjoyed the "Its Tough to be a Bug" show very much. After that, we headed to Kilamanjaro Safaris. It was a very short wait and we hopped on. I don't know if it was because of the absolutely perfect weather or time of day but all of the animals were out and we were able to see them all up close. My older son,PJ, asked all about poaching and was really into the "plot" of the ride. We then moved on to the BoneYard in DinoLand. The boys loved every minute. Paul was able to change our seating at the Rainforest Café to an earlier time so we headed over there. I have to say, I was prepared for rotten food but was pleasantly surprised. Paul had some sort of orange margarita that he thought was great. We then left AK for DxL. The boys were begging to go swimming at DxL so we changed into our suits and headed for Ol' Man Island. It is quite an impressive pool! After the big lunch at the Rainforest Café, we decided to skip dinner and grab a late snack at the food court at Port Orleans. We walked around the pool and the square. Port Orleans is definitely on my list of places to stay and the boys were begging us to come back to Doubloon Lagoon. It is, IMO, the coolest pool at WDW (close second to Stormalong Bay). By 8:30, we were all ready for bedtime…….and excited for the next day.

Day 3/Friday

We woke up early and packed everything up to move over to the Polynesian for the rest of our stay. One minor complaint is that we bought 5 day all-in-one hoppers and when we left DxL to check into the Poly we then had to carry 2 sets of cards for the remainder of the trip, one set for park admission and one set for room entry and charging. Moving over to the Poly went smoothly. You can feel the difference between a moderate and a deluxe immediately. Our room was not ready but we were given cards and our luggage was stored. We then hopped on the monorail and headed to the MK. There is is magic in hearing the whistle blow on the WDW railway from the monorail platform. My boys were very excited! Paul quickly rushed us through Main Street to Dumbo. I rode with my Son PJ who turned Dumbo into a thrill ride, he jerked us up and down so fast that I almost lost my breakfast. We then rode Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin…big hit with my boys. On to Mickey's ToonTown (which we all love) and to Goofy's Barnstormer. Off to the Judge's tent next and the obligatory visit with the Mouse…We then boarded the train and got off in ?adventureland. For a long time, I have wanted to go to Tom Sawyer's Island and both the big boys went nuts when we played around the fort. We were all tired so we headed back to the Poly. Our room was ready, we were in the Maori building on the third floor overlooking the quiet pool. It was a great location, right next to the Great Ceremonial House. The room was nicely updated and very large in comparison to DxL. Queen beds. One detail about Disney that I've never seen commented on is how comfortable their bedding is. The staff at the Poly was wonderful and very responsive to our requests. We then rested for a while before heading over to Blizzard Beach. I was asked to complete a survey when I returned home by a nice guy at the gate. He took my name and address and put the info into a palm pilot that he was holding. We headed immediately for Tikes Peak where I hung out with Tommy and the baby. It was crowded but manageable. The theming at Blizzard beach is very cool. I am sorry that I did not have more time to explore the park. We had reservations for the boys to go to the Neverland Club at the Poly so we rushed back. The baby, Paul and I then went to Artists Point at the WL for dinner. Attn RADP'ers…Thanks for suggesting this restaurant! I LOVED it! We then drove to Downtown Disney which was jammed and marveled at the Lego store and all the additions since our last trip 2 years ago. Figuring that the boys would be asleep, we returned to the Poly and went straight to the Neverland Club. Both boys were awake and angry to be leaving so soon! I don't know what magic is at the Neverland club but I do know that my boys think it is the greatest place on earth. We put them right to bed and collapsed ourselves!

Day 4/Saturday

Paul loves MGM and was very excited about spending the morning there. We ate a quick breakfast in the room and drove over to MGM. It was not too crowded and we headed straight for Star Tours. Tommy and Paul hopped in line and were in the ride for no less than 45 minutes. We watched what seemed like hundreds of people exit the ride. I was wondering what had happened as there was absolutely no line when they entered so I asked the cashier at the exit shop how long the ride is, etc. He explained to to me that there are 6 simulators that cycle through, the ride being about 7 minutes (my memory is not too good….I may be off). We sat back down and finally the tow of them emerged. I asked Paul what happened and he rolled his eyes back and told me that the 1st simulator they were seated in was not working so they moved to another. About halfway through the ride, a daddy unbuckled his crying son to sit him on his lap and the whole ride shut down as the sensors that monitor seat belts automatically shuts down the ride when it detects a seatbelt is unfastened. The father apologized and subsequently excused himself from the ride and they started again. Tommy was excited because he got 1 ½ rides for the price of 1! Well, that's what took so long! Paul said the guy was really embarrassed and the other people on the ride were angry. The Muppet 3D show was next (love it) and then Doug Live (terrific!). Paul, PJ and Tommy are big Doug fans. The kids then needed to run around so we worked our way to the Honey I Shrunk playground. They played for a while and then stopped for a juice break. The Great Movie Ride was next. I've seen it before but it was Paul's (big movie buff) 1st time. He liked it a lot. We then left MGM, headed to Goodings to pick up some sandwiches for lunch and back to the Poly for a swim. The pool at the Poly left me cold but the boys liked it. After the wonderful pools at DxL and Stormalong Bay, I had expected a bit more. The beach was nice but there were some girls in the hammocks feeding the seagulls popcorn and they were hovering. One almost landed on the baby and I scooped him up and headed for the baby pool. Meanwhile, PJ was a madman on the slide at the pool. It was a pretty cool slide (but, as PJ informed me, not as cool as the Big Dipper at Disney's Hilton Head Resort!). Paul and I each had a Pina Colada from the Barefoot Bar & Baby Brian charmed the bartenders with his award-winning smile. It was getting cold and I wanted everyone to take a bath before dinner, so we headed back to our room. We had 6:45 reservations for the Luau at the Polynesian. We were seated toward the back on the floor level, The food was ok, after reading the unofficial guide and a few negative reviews on RADP, I was not expecting much. The show itself was terrific and I would recommend it. PJ & Tommy loved it although they did not eat much. They thought the fire throwing was the coolest. Disney puts on a good show, an expensive one, but high quality. We left right before the finale and bought the souvenir photo, keychain & magnet package. Tommy put the keychain on his backpack and was so happy that it was well worth the $20.

Day 5/Sunday

We woke up to a storm brewing. There were weather advisories on the TV but the big storm was not due to hit for at least 3 hours so we figured we'd be as close to rope drop at MK as possible. Paul packed all our raincoats and we rode the monorail from the Poly (can't beat the convenience) and went straight to Tommorowland. Astro Orbiter had no line and it is a ride that we have never done so we hopped right in. Paul had the baby in his lap and commented that the centrifugal force nearly pulled the baby out of his arms. That's just what I did not want to hear! We went on Space Ranger spin again and then rushed over to Fantasyland . Tommy loves It's a Small World so we all piled in. Paul once got stuck on the ride in the pinkish/purplish room for 45 minutes. He said that they did not even have the decency to turn the music off! Paul's not the most enthusiastic small world rider! We went on Peter Pan's flight and then to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. PJ loved it, Tommy was scared and cried. I stayed behind for that one. The boys were begging to go back to Tom Sawyer, so I let them go and just hung out and people watched for a bit. We then ran over to the Lion King show, which was very good. As much as I wanted to poke around Main Street, we decided to call it a day at the MK. We drove to the food court at Coronado Springs for lunch at the Pepper Market. There was an Auto Parts convention going on and it was very crowded. Paul said that the conventioneers walking around with name badges on ruined the fantasy experience of Coronado Springs for him. (In his work, he attends a lot of Trade shows) We ate a very good lunch and headed out. We both remarked that we probably would not choose Coronado Springs to stay at, I'm sure there are many who would disagree with us, but our 1st impressions were not as favorable as we had expected. I will say that the theming is very nice and it is certainly a colorful resort. Paul and I really wanted the boys to see the Lego store so we drove from the Poly to Downtown Disney and walked around in the rain for a bit. We were hoping to get into Ghiradelli's for a sundae (we had them in San Francisco) but it was jammed. Maybe next trip. A stop at Goodings and then we went back to the room to dry off as PJ & Tom were excited about another night at the Neverland Club. Paul and I dropped the very happy boys off (they did not even stop to say goodbye to us) and headed over to Epcot for Priority seating at the Rose & Crown. We made it just in time, parking at the Boardwalk and walking over rather briskly. We both ordered Harps and Fish & Chips. As I was 2/3rds of the way through with my dinner (& beer), the baby vomited. The staffs all ran over and were unbelievably helpful. We apologized and they could not have been more gracious. Two thumbs up for the cast members at the Rose & Crown. Paul paid the bill, I took the baby across the way and cleaned him up and we headed to the closest shop that sold kid's clothes . We bought him a cute sweatshirt and he was happy as can be. Later we bought him a little Mickey Mouse beanie and he hugged it. Paul was anxious to try Test Track so we wandered over but the wait was 45 minutes and given the fact that It could break down at any moment (thanks to the RADP reports!), we skipped it. I told him about Ice Station Cool and he was really into it so we went over and tasted all of the sodas. Paul loved it! There was an overly enthusiastic cast member playing mixologist with the drinks, which was pretty cool. He mixed us up a mountain dew clone and a fruit punch clone. We thanked him and headed out. Illuminations was just beginning and we decided to visit the Boardwalk (where we stayed last trip). The Boardwalk is so fun! We cruised up and then walked in the back way past the loud pool. We went into the lobby and bought a tee shirt for Paul.(who has dozens and dozens of tee shirts but never enough! Same with Baseball Caps!). We both decided that our next stay will be at either the BC or YC or Boardwalk.

Day 6/Monday

I woke up early and began packing L. The weather forecast was getting a little better. After I showered and packed most of our clothes, I woke PJ and took him with me to Captain Cooks to get breakfast for the rest of the family. We wanted an early start at AK. Both Paul and I did not expect to like AK as much as we did and after our 2nd visit, we have nothing but raves for it. AK was crowded but there was no line for Kali River Rapids so Paul took the big boys on it as I wandered around Asia. We went to DinoLand for Countdown to Extinction but Tommy was too short and PJ was absolutely terrified so we did not ride. There is a shop called Chester & Hester's ?…the shop is so-so but the theming is incredible. We then saw the Wonders of Flight show and agreed that it was the best show that we have ever seen at Disney World. After poking around at the Conservation Station (they boys loved it), we headed out and decided to go to Dixie Landings for lunch. We drove over, parked easily and ate a relaxing lunch at the food court. We both love the food court at DxL. Paul took the boys to the arcade and I hung out in the lobby. There was a huge line in the lobby and I stopped to ask someone if they were with a tour. The person explained to me that they were waiting for the bus to pick them up for the cruise. That is something I'd like to do when my kids get older. Paul then wanted to go to MGM so we drove over. We entered the lot at 3pm exactly and ran in to catch the Mulan parade. Regrettably, this was the only parade that we saw during our stay. Does anyone else find 3pm an impossible time to see a parade with three tired kids? Next trip, we will have to plan differently to see more parades. The Mulan parade was wonderful! I loved the music and the dancing and I did not see Mulan when it was out in the movies. After the parade, we did the the 101 Dalmation /Mortal Combat tour. PJ was upset by the Mortal Combat stuff because he is not allowed to play the games or watch movies (combination Catholic school & strict parents when it comes to what they can & can not view or play video games) and he could not understand how Disney could produce such a series (no comment from me). The tour was OK, nothing great. We then decided to wrap up the visit with the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. We all love the show and this time were able to sit up really close. We then left for the airport. The kids were so upset and I was to…It is such a hassle on the way home! We dropped off the car, again with ease, and checked in at the airport. The flight was oversold, Brian threw up on the plane, we got to Newark and he took a tumble onto the concrete resulting in an egg on his head and nasty bruise to follow…a terrible ending to a wonderful trip! We made it home by 1:00 am and as we drove up to our house, noticed that the storm that hit while we were away knocked down some ornamental trees that line our backyard. We were pretty upset but given our vacation disaster history (another chapter!), that was not too bad. Paul and I were asleep by 3am and up by 6 to ready the boys for school.

I'm thinking about our next trip to WDW already! Thanks for reading my long report!

Karen Judge

nopuffs@aol.com

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