Trip Reports

Summary:

Cast: David & Bonnie (both 41), and Erika (6), from Columbus OH.
Tickets: WDW Travel
Stage: Caribbean Beach, for the first time
Entrance: Delta Airlines, assisted by National Car Rental
ShowTime: 4/16 - 4/24. This is our fifth trip since 1986.
Friday, 4/16

Weather was cold (40's) and rainy in Columbus today. Did some last-minute things (hair-cuts, shopping), checked in on my business (of course they'll miss me), headed to airport for 12:20pm flight. Rough take-off due to the weather, but rest of flight was fine. Erika had some ear problems on landing, but this passed quickly. Arrival at MCO on time, National Car Rental was fast, friendly & very convenient. Used a coupon from my WDW travel packet for a free day, bought the tank of gas in advance, totaled around $240 for nine days for intermediate (Alero), including all taxes. Missed a turn on 417, so went to next exit (and an extra toll) & made it to CBR OK. Trip was booked & paid for in December, as part of our 20th wedding anniversary. Check-in was routine, picked up LOS passes, took about 20 mins. In room by 4:15pm. Temp was 83 at time. Spent the afternoon/evening swimming & walking by the lake. Had dinner at the Captain's Tavern, a very good prime rib. Did a little shopping, but too pooped to go anywhere that evening. In bed by 10:30pm.

Saturday, 4/17

Up at 8:30am (we only had wake-up service twice during stay- this is a vacation!)- weather was turning yucky. Rainy, temp in upper 50's, and quite breezy. Thank goodness we had some pants/long-sleeve shirts from cold, rainy Columbus to wear today. We decided to go to World Showcase & shop today. Had breakfast at food court- a very good western omelet for me. Made it to Epcot front entrance by 11:30. Raining much harder now & getting colder, no crowds. Decided to walk onto Spaceship Earth- Erika was a little scared. Promised her it wasn't scary, and she said she'd try it. She liked a few of the scenes very much, and said she'd ride it again if we really wanted. Gotta' love a kid like that.

Walked to the Showcase & took the launch to Morocco- maybe 20 people on board, and driver said his last load was 6, and first load was empty. Rain was pouring by now & windy. Orlando set a one-day record for rainfall in April today- 0.88 inches. The cold wind was the worst part. We shopped Morocco, France & GB for 2 hours, then walked into lunch (no PS) at 1pm. Had a great (warm) lunch, and an absolutely beautiful belly dancer for entertainment. She tried to get Erika up with her, but she got shy real quick. We lingered over an hour, then went outside again- still pouring. Decided to head back to CBR to change (we were dripping by then), then go to Downtown Disney & get warmer attire (while taking advantage of American Express's 15% discount there).

Back to CBR around 4pm to launder soaked clothes & dress more sensibly. Over to MK by 6pm- rain had stopped, but it was around 52 degrees by then. Although Erika has been here twice before, she was 5 months and 3 years the last times, so doesn't remember much. We took the ferry over for her- very excited to see the castle getting closer. Missed PS at Crystal Palace- simply forgot about it. Ate across from Pirates of the Caribbean at El Pirata Y el Perico - Spanish for "It ain't great, but it's OK". Had a decent taco salad and warm coffee (!). Shopped a bit, then staked out rocking chairs on the porch in Frontierland for the Spectromagic parade- the only running during our stay, so a "must". Crowds had grown since the rain stopped, but were nowhere what I'm used to here. The parade was wonderful, as always, especially through Erika's eyes. Her favorite Disney character, Peter Pan, actually walked over & shook her hand (aided by my wife tackling him around the ankles when he almost walked by). Erika has told people that Peter is "my brother", and that he lives in our house, so you can imagine her awe at this moment. Lucky for this Peter that my wife was satisfied with just the handshake.

Wandered around to Main Street after the parade to watch the fireworks- Erika thought Tinkerbell flying from the castle was awesome. She wanted to go look for her after she landed. Shopped for about 45mins to let crowds thin, then back to CBR. Grabbed a snack, watched some kids (and a few adults) swim in 50 degree weather, then to bed by 11:30pm.

Sunday, 4/18

It dawned clear & very cool (48 at airport) at 8:30am. No one wanted breakfast, so we headed over to Animal Kingdom by 10:00am- packed! We were parked 5 rows from the back of the Giraffe lot, a bad sign this early. The couple of CM's I asked said it was one of the busiest days in more than a week. Probably had to do with a lot of folks being stranded inside yesterday. The entrance area was literally a wall of people, barely moving.

We decided to break for a bit, and went into the Rainforest Cafe. We got a 10:30 seating for an early lunch (they started serving lunch at 10:00am). Seated in the Gorilla room, which Erika liked. She got a little nervous at the first couple of "thundershowers", but then was OK. Had a salad & sandwich- very good, & huge. After an hour or so, we left & wandered into Camp Minnie-Mickey- very packed. Several characters were out, with waits of 45mins for some. The Lion King show was mobbed, but Grandmother Willow let out just as we got there, and we went on in for the next show. Erika really liked this show, with all of the live animals & a pretty good Pocahontas<sp?>.

From here we bulled our way back to the safari ride- 2+ hours & apparently building. We shopped a few stores (got some nice hats) & decided to retreat & attack another day. Back to CBR and swam for 2 hours- got a mild burn, even with sunblock SPF15. The air was cool (mid-70's), but sun was blazing. Pool & hot tub were very nice, but you froze if you stepped out into the breeze.

Had Erika over to the Neverland Club at the Polynesian by 4:30pm (used valet parking- my normal mode at the resorts)- wife & I somewhat nervous, as this was our first time using these facilities. To make us feel worse, she was the first & only one there. The club was very nice, with Erika's favorite Peter Pan theme. Staff was friendly, and doted on her while we settled down. By the time we did the paperwork & got our pagers, Erika was all smiles & making something with one of the attendants. 26 kids were booked that evening, so we relaxed & left.

Hopped the monorail to Epcot, shopped World Showcase. Wife spent a bundle on a very large hand-made vase in China; we have a large nook over the fireplace with spotlights that she plans to stick this in. We shipped it to my office & are still waiting for it.

Just made it for our 7:10 PS at Coral Reef in Living Seas, our first time there. Restaurant was quite nice (carpet a little thread-bare in some areas), food was well prepared and presented, prices were high. Wife had a very good filet mignon (she doesn't care for most seafood & was here mainly for me). I had an excellent salmon, some very different lobster beignets as an appetizer, and we both passed on wine. While dining, we were entertained by divers going through Dive Quest. Both the diving families & the dive masters were great hams & gave us a good show. Our final consensus- a great place to experience, but probably no rush to return. In general, I liked the seafood at Cape May better for variety & atmosphere.

One unpleasant event while eating- a small child, aged 7 or 8 from his looks, had a serious tantrum two rows over from us. This was a screaming, hand slapping, table kicking fit that could easily be heard in the bathroom out in the lobby (don't ask). My wife believed the child to be mildly handicapped, and we both felt very sorry for the terribly embarrassed mom, dad & older brother. After several long minutes, the mom finally took the child outside, leaving her food largely untouched while dad & brother finished up. The dining room briefed a shameful sigh of relief. When we left about 30mins later, the mom was still outside the building with the child, who was still crying loudly. We wished there was something we could say or do, but settled for smiling understandingly as we walked by.

Went to Body Wars & rode alone, my first time. The wife & I had done the Star Tours ride before, and she felt that was as rough as she wanted to go, while we had heard Body Wars was rougher. It was, and was a great good time. I kept expecting Raquel Welch to pop up, fighting a giant white cell. Test Track was still 1 hour at 8:15pm, so I passed. We were missing Erika by now, even though she was booked through 10:30pm, so we took the monorail back to TTC & walked over to Neverland. She loved it! We were so happy, even though she bugged us every blessed day from then on to go back. We went back to CBR & sat by the pool while Erika swam. I started the notes for this trip report at this time, and updated every evening afterwards. It was still cool, jacket weather. To bed by 11:30pm.

Monday 4/19

a 7:00am wake-up to charge off to Animal Kingdom. We'd lick it this time, by golly! To park by 8:30am, much closer parking, but filling fast. Headed straight to the Safari Ride, which was already lined back onto the bridge. A friendly CM told us about 45mins from here, so we took it. Not a bad wait, since the weather was still cool (low 50's) & the sun was bright & warm. The ride was good, made better by a very energetic driver with a strong Tennessee twang. Erika really loved this ride and delighted in pointing out many different animals to us. In spite of lots of animals being out, we saw no lions at all.

Had breakfast at a pleasant fast-food sit-down joint just outside the Safari ride- good sandwiches & fruit plate. A family a few tables over alternated between letting their 3 small children play a noisy game of tag around our table, then yelling at them to "sit the hell down before I knock your teeth out". Erika told us when we left that "they weren't a very nice fambly".

Took Erika to Dinoland and let her play in the Boneyard for close to an hour- she thought it was great, especially since she loves dinosaurs. We could have walked on to Countdown to Extinction, but Erika too small & wife hesitant. No big deal to me, so we went back to CBR at 12:30 and swam for a while and had drinks by the pool.

Headed to Boardwalk at 2:00pm to shop & eat. Some very nice stores here, and we picked up a lot of clothing items that we didn't need. Walked into Big River Grille & Brewing Works around 3:00pm for lunch. The food was great, although the high tables are a little tough for kids & are very small. Service was not too good- the staff was having a meeting about four tables over on - I swear!- improving service. I wanted to walk over and offer a couple of tips, but my wife wouldn't let me. I would have been a good boy, honest.... Looked around some more after eating. My wife & I liked this place, and decided to stay there in the future.

Headed to the Polynesian to park for the Luau tonight, then Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Hopped the train to Toontown Fair- I love these trains. This was an early-entry day for the MK, so the park was still pretty busy. Erika met a few characters, although she was very hesitant to go to them. She finally went to Goofy, and I could have kissed the guy. He had been really active and physical with the few young boys before Erika, and must have noticed that she was pretty shy. He went to his knees, coaxed her over, and gently hugged her. She liked this well enough that she finally hugged him back- Kodak moment. Afterwards, thanks to this gentle Goof, Erika was a lot more willing to go to other characters. Damn viewfinder kept blurring on me for some reason....

Off to Fantasyland, rode the carousel (love this thing), Peter Pan's Flight (her favorite) and saw the Legend of the Lion King. Did some shopping, then left about 8:30 for the 9:30 Polynesian Luau. Stopped by car to get jackets- very cool in the evenings still. The Luau was quite a surprise for us; it's been 13 years since we saw it. Back then, the show was further down on the beach on bench-style tables, which you shared with other families. Cover was non-existent then, as I remember being very hot during the early show we attended back then. Now there's a large permanent pavilion, very comfortable, with lots of seating. This show wasn't sold out by a long shot, and our host allowed us to pick our own table (much to our surprise). We picked front row center, which made us very accessible to the performers. We found the food to be very good (none of us liked the cold appetizer, though), and I tried a tropical drink that was quite good. The show was much better than my wife & I remember from the past- much more action.

We made the mistake of raising our hands in response to a question about honeymooners or anniversaries- boom, we're on stage, all three of us, with several other families. Out of seven anniversary couples, we were 3rd-longest (20 years). Of course, we had to dance, and my wife and I aren't dancers. Oh, well, thank goodness for that drink. We were given special leys<sp?> woven of dark-green vine, very heavy & full of blooms. We wore them the rest of the evening- unfortunately. After returning to our room about 12mn, I discovered dark green satins down the whole left side of my $65 Rainforest Cafe white golf shirt. Shucks and other comments. My resourceful wife (hers didn't stain- it wouldn't dare!) took the shirt, threw it in a sink of cold water, scrubbed the stains with bar soap, and let it sit all night. Told me to wash it at the laundry in the morning. The stain still looked bad, so I didn't hold much hope. To bed by 12:30am.

Tuesday, 4/20

I was up at 7:00am in spite of the late night before. Quietly gathered laundry, including the "leyed" shirt from last night & headed to washers. Beautiful, warm morning. Put detergent on the shirt, scrubbed like hell with a toothbrush, washed- it all came out! I was so happy with my wife that I was ashamed that I'd used her toothbrush.

Finished laundry & returned to wake up everyone. Ooohhh, ugly- pretty tired from last night. A decent breakfast in the food court got us all going. Hit MGM by 11:30am. This was the least crowded park to date. Walked on TGMR & Animation Tour; had the western hold-up on the first, and a very good animator on the second. Shopped for a while, then to 2:00pm lunch at 50's Prime Time- our favorite place to eat at MGM. Had a very energetic "mom" there, who really tickled Erika. Walked out just in time to get good spots for the 3:00pm Mulan parade, which was very good. Back to CBI to swim for a while after that.

We were still draggin' from last night, so we lounged around the pool until 6:00pm. Changed and headed to 7:45pm PS at 1900 Park Fair, our first dinner there (we'd had breakfast on a previous trip). They served a very good prime rib (with fresh horseradish- my favorite) and had great salad. One of the characters that night was Peter Pan- a very good one, young boy, natural read-head & a voice that could have come from the movie. Erika acted like a teen-ager seeing the Beatles for the first time (OK, I'm a little dated). Peter spent several minutes with her, along with the beautiful Wendy, and just made Erika's evening. Forget about eating. She also got to meet Capt. Hook, Beast & Belle- she was pretty awed by the Beast, the thing was huge. Learned that Beast can't sign autographs, due to the very large paws; Belle handles this for him.

Left Park Fair at 9:00pm & headed to MK & E-night. Had wristbands by 9:30pm. Hit Timekeeper, Buzz Lightyear (twice- Erika loved it), then over to Pirates of the Caribbean (Erika a little scared on this one). I rode Big Thunder railroad alone- 10 minute wait. I love this ride at night, and got the front car. Erika visited several characters (God Bless the Goof). We grabbed hotdogs at Casey's Corner on Main Street- very good spicy relish, that I would regret later. Left for GF to get car & back to CBR. In bed by 12:30am.

Wednesday, 4/21

up around 9:00am. Two late nights in a row has us tired. Snacked in our room from a huge fruit & snack basket sent by one of my business partners. Wandered over to Port Royale, decide to do a surrey bike ride. We took the two-seater, while Erika rode up front with the bell. A great morning for the ride around the lake, and it perked all of us up. Decided to go to Wilderness Lodge and walked into lunch at Whispering Canyon at noon. As I started to eat my large salad, sudden warning signals from stomach. A few more bites, signals became alarms. Had to excuse myself & hasten to the facilities. Didn't help much, and I felt very crappy. For the first time ever, I was sick at WDW. There was little doubt that the culprit was the hot dogs from Casey's last night; probably the spicy relish & onions. Stomach felt like it wanted to explode (would have felt better if it did), but couldn't, and it mostly felt that way the rest of the day.

Took boat to MK, and learned from pilot that Discovery Island was still open. Rumor was that a contract with Friskies prevented it's closure as planned, and that it was in a kind of limbo at the moment. Resolved to go there during my vacation. We went to the Hall of Presidents (one of my favorites) and the Country Bears (always liked this one, too). Caught the 3:00pm parade from Frontierland, did some light shopping, then took Erika to the Polynesian Neverland club again at 5:30pm- she was ecstatic to be there again. We were comfortable now, and hardly batted an eye at leaving her (had to chase her down to kiss her goodbye).

Headed to 7:00pm PS at Tepanyaki Dining rooms at Epcot's Japan, our first visit. Stomach was feeling moderately well, so I had hopes of enjoying dinner. Had time to do the American Experience first, one of our favorites, then over to Japan. At first bite of salad, I was in trouble. Left it alone, sat through dinner preparation- we had a fairly quiet chef, but very skilled in the technique. After 3 or 4 bites of my meal, had to quickly excuse myself... worse feeling of the day. Our table companions thought I didn't like the food, wife assured them I'd normally eat mine & theirs, too, but I had been unwell all day. They expressed their concern when I returned, which was pretty darn touching. Wife wanted me to pack the meal, but even the aroma caused me problems, so it went to waste. My wife, picky about such food, loved hers. My stomach was really bad now, so we skipped Illuminations & headed out. Took bus to Wilderness Lodge to get car, then to Poly for Erika- she had another great time and wanted to come back tomorrow, but this was our last reservation here. She said goodbye to everyone.

Back to hotel, Erika & I to bed at 10:30pm. Wife went to Port Royale for a while (she had a snack there, so as not to aggravate my condition) & to bed by 11:30pm.

Thursday, 4/22

I had a very restless night. Stomach was cramping, having hot/cold flashes, feelings of nausea. At 7:30am, I received a hasty warning, and all my troubles passed. Felt like a new man, although still cautious. Decided to skip breakfast, and made 11:30am PS at Crystal Palace for lunch. We parked at Grand Floridian and took the monorail over to MK. Got to C.P. at 11:15am, and ran up against the one & only rude CM on our trip.

C.P. had a long line at the outside window for making PS's. I walked up to a hostess by the entrance and asked where I could check in for my 11:30 PS. She gestured to the long line with no answer. I replied "I already have a PS and-" She interjected "Sir, PS or no PS, that's it". Her tone frosted me, and I slinked over to the line. I finally got to the window about 11:40am, just as staff from inside started going down the line checking folks in. We were seated by 11:50, which was OK. I must have been one of many asking the same question to the CM, which I'm sure gets old, but- dang it, the staff at WDW sets such high expectations by their wonderful service that it irks when the rare attitude pops up.

Oh, well, life's too short. The food was good, Erika visited several characters, then we moved on to Enchanted Tiki Birds, a first for us. We never visited the old show (just never appealed to us), and now it's been changed. We really enjoyed this one, though. Shopped for a while, then back to CBR to swim. Stomach was just fine, but I still treated it carefully. Tried to rebook Tepanyaki, but it was full the next two evenings- nuts. Took PS's for Nine Dragons in Epcot's China for dinner. Went to the Beach Club around 4pm, shopped, had drinks, then headed over to Epcot through International Gateway. Shopped France, then boated to the front of World Showcase. Davy Jones (The Monkees) was singing over at American Adventure & still sounded good; had a huge, loud crowd, too.

Went to Universe of Energy, really enjoyed the new show with Ellen & Bill Nye. Wife hated the old show, loved this one. Education can be fun. Strolled around toward China, catching several street shows in-between. First time visit to Nine Dragons, a very good restaurant. Took off the kid gloves & ordered Kang Bao chicken, spicy. Good stuff. Headed back around Showcase to Canada, shopping & watching performers as we went. Stomach was top-notch after very spicy dinner- I was cured. Staked out Illuminations spot at the top the stairs leading into Canada- our favorite spot. Enjoyed some good company & drinks until the show- enjoyed it as much as ever. Sat around talking to other folks for 30 - 40mins afterwards to allow Showcase to clear, then wandered back out to the Beach Club & back to CBR. Stayed at pool & swam for a while (evenings were very warm now), to bed by 11:30pm.

Friday, 4/23

I just noticed I left off something from last night. One of the Epcot boat pilots was telling his passengers about the new country going in, between Canada & Great Britain. This was the first I'd heard of this, and I was pretty surprised. The CM said that the identity was being kept closely secret by WDW. Anyone else aware of this?.. or have I been asleep at the computer & missed this announcement?

Anyhow, up around 9:00am & a little draggy. Would have thought it impossible, but we're actually a little tired of WDW! Our longest trip previously was five days, and we kept very busy back then storming every last little thing the parks had to offer. I believe that our future trips will include some off-Disney time, such as Sea World, Universal and Busch Gardens, none of which we've seen as yet.

We had 10:40am PS's at Spoodles on Boardwalk for breakfast. Showed up at 10:20 & were seated right away- not busy at all. The Mediterranean flavor of the breakfast was different, and good. There was a breakfast pizza that was fantastic. Service was good, but impersonal.

Finished up & headed to Animal Kingdom- there by 12Noon. Headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey for Lion King. No characters were out on the trails- very hot & humid this morning, so their time was probably very limited. Got good seats at Lion King, which was a good show- Erika enjoyed a lot. The fire juggler reminded me of the Poly Luau (wonder if it was the same guy?). The show costumes were very well done. Debated touring some more of A.K. (crowds weren't too bad), decided it was too hot, headed back to CBR for pool fun by 2:00pm.

Made it to MGM by 4:00pm, again not crowded. Did a little shopping, stopped by the ABC Sound Show. This always sounded boring to us in the past, but we were in the mood today. Then the CM started describing the show as very dark & often, very loud. Erika started looking scared & we decided to pass. Walked over to Indiana Jones just as it was seating. Erika actually remembered this show from 3 years ago (she was 3) and wanted to see it again. We still enjoy this one, even though today's stunt guy wasn't the best actor that we'd seen. The fake "volunteer" is getting a little old, as well, hardly drawing a laugh during our show.

Headed to 5:50 PS at Brown Derby after show, seated at 5:30pm. Heard a lot of grumbling from guests being turned away from the Derby- it was booked solid tonight. One guy told the host "I don't see why Disney has all these restaurants when you can't ever get in the damn things!" I suppose the PS system can be confusing to new visitors at WDW, but you'd think "call ahead" would be pretty well understood for any nice restaurant. Our dinner was pretty good (great Cobb Salad, as you'd expect), but nothing inspirational. This was our most expensive meal to date- $90 w/tip. There were no performers in the house tonight; I've noticed that lunch seems to get wandering performers more often than dinner does.

We headed over to the Fantasmic amphitheater about 6:45pm, just to get an idea where we were going for later. People were already pouring into the place. We looked at each other, shrugged, and went on in. Never dreamed we'd wait almost two hours for a show. If we hadn't, good seats would have been gone. Front center sections were already full at 6:45; we sat just right of center in front section, very good seats. We once again met friendly people to talk to, and the time really flew. A Mexican family wanted to adopt Erika, settled for exchanging addresses to send pictures to each other- lovely people. By 7:30pm (Disney's recommended seating time), only far left & right side seats were left. We saw why when the show began- it was by far the best show of any type that we had seen on this visit. The effects were inspired & creative, and Erika loved it.

Afterwards, we shopped until 9:45 to let the crowds clear, then headed out. Finally gave in to wife & went to the McDonald's over by the All Stars (she collects McD's toys). Pretty neat for a McD's, and the sandwiches were fresh. Back to room to pack- early out tomorrow for Cinderella's feast at MK & home later in the day. To bed by 12mn.

Saturday, 4/24

Our last day. Wakeup call at 6:30am- whose idea was this? Bah, humbug. Mixed feelings about leaving- sad to be going, happy to be going. Go figure. Got together easily (thanks to last nights packing) and left. Drove over to Port Royale, took a last walk around the area. Wife gave away some pool toys we had bought for Erika to children already in pool this early. Took a few trys, since most of them were leaving today, too. Checked out, no surprises. Over to Grand Floridian for valet, monorail to MK by 8:00am. Got to ride in the front cab, a first for all of us. Have our co-pilot passes in the photo album.

Enjoyed a lovely morning on Main Street, had a picture taken by the castle. Had 9:00am PS for breakfast in the castle, seated at 8:45am. The breakfast was ho-hum, brightened up by a really good server- wish I could have taken this guy with me to all of the restaurants as a personal server. He was like a big kid who also knew how to take care of people. Characters were as expected (Sleeping Beauty was a little long in the tooth for her role, and had a smile that never touched her eyes). Peter Pan was there, and Erika was awed for the third time. He was older as well, but still pretty good. A guest a few tables over got him to crow, and it was good. All in all, glad we finally ate in the castle (first time), but no hurry to go back.

Left and rode Dumbo (1st time in 13 yrs, 1st ever for Erika)- what a classic. Rode Peter Pan again- probably Erika's favorite. Also hit Small World, Tea Cups- no more than 10min wait on anything. Went to Tomorrowland and Carousel of Progress (my wife's favorite), thought about Space Mtn.- it was pretty busy already. Rode the Wedway (forget the new name) just for old times sake.

Shopped our way across MK to Frontierland and a 12:45pm PS at Liberty Tree. Had a very good order of crab cakes with a corn relish for appetizer, followed by a grilled chicken salad. Salad too large to finish, and quite good. Left and walked to front of Main Street; wife went off to shop alone, Erika and I took boat to Discovery Island. The staff there told us that island is officially closed, but was still operating until further notice. Only a few guests were there, along with a couple of CM's. The staff had their good-bye party April 8th, then were told they'd still be there for a while- those that were left. Erika & I took a short walk to look at monkeys, gators/crocs and the Galapagos Tortoises- she got to touch one, while it looked at her from one eye. Collected a couple of souvenirs, including pressed pennies, then back to MK. I'm still going to miss that place.

Rejoined wife, we all turned and said good-bye to MK, then back to the GF for our car and over to Downtown Disney. Wife & I wished that we had booked an earlier flight, but nothing to be done for it now. Shopped for friends and business partners back home- collected quite a pile of stuff. Let Erika play in Lego Land for a while as we sat & drank cold drinks (very hot today, and we missed our pool). Finally left for airport at 5:30pm for an uneventful trip. Rental car check-in very easy- I enjoyed National this trip. Sky Cap at the check-in was a godsend, since we had a good pile of stuff. Checked in at desk- pretty busy, took 30mins or so. Ate in food court (Nathans hot dogs- love those things), flight left 10 mins late at 8:40pm, touchdown Columbus at 10:50pm. Left 87 degrees in Orlando for 52 degrees here- we're home!

Final notes: Definitely our best trip ever. In retrospect, we should have planned off-site activities at least one of our two last days. Next time, probably add a day to our trip and work in Universal & Sea World. WDW cast couldn't have been better, and our no-plan touring style worked very well for us (as it did 3 years ago). Several tips from this newsgroup added immensely to our enjoyment, and we are all indebted to all of you. I hope that at least one tip or adventure of ours helps at least one of you in an upcoming trip, or that it at least makes you smile a little.

David Mize

dmize@tcr.com

Pickerington, Ohio

__________________
You just read a trip report that was originally published in our MousePlanet Trip Reports column.

Reader-submitted trip reports have always been an extremely popular feature here at MousePlanet. In order to improve the search functionality and shorten the time from when you submit a trip report and the report gets published, you can now post your trip reports directly to our Trip Report forums. The forums are moderated, but reports should become available for reading very quickly.