Trip Reports

Dixie Landings - April 15 – April 24, 1999
10th trip to WDW
Wife Janet (44), Sons Matt (12), Dan (10) and Mark (8)
The participants

Wife Janet Pertierra (45) Financial Manager for Civil Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) – This was Janet’s and my 9th trip together to Walt Disney World. She had been there once before with her brothers and inherited the addiction when she married me. She is a great wife and mother. After all she has the big kid and our three sons.

Sons Matt (12), Dan (10) and Mark (8) The 3 Wise Guys (Greatest sons a father could have) – This was the 6th trip for Matt and Dan and the 5th for Mark. In a way it was a 10th anniversary trip for Matt and Dan. They had first gone with us in March of 1989 (Someday a Trip Report Will Come, Brian!). Matt was about to turn 2 and Dan was 7 months old. Mark first went in 1992 when he was 22 months old.

Dad – Jim Pertierra (49.6) – Supervisor for Bell Atlantic in Albany, New York. Whenever the word vacation comes up, it only means one place.

Planning the trip

As is our tradition,we usually book our next trip immediately after our last trip. This trip is quite unexpected as we usually do not go two years in a row. I am not complaining at all about doing this two years in a row, so here are some of the things we did to get ready.

It was my wife, not me!!!!!

I am 7 trip reports behind (1985, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998) as well as Disneyland 1986) so the fact that I am doing this is a tribute to all of you whose Trip Reports on Brian’s page have given me so much pleasure throughout the past 3 years.

On the last full day of our 1998 visit, Janet and I got to go to a castmember preview of the Animal Kingdom. Our three sons spent the day with their Grandmother, 2 Aunts and Uncle touring the Boardwalk etc. so Janet and I were on our own.

We left the Animal Kingdom around 2 (it was pouring) and returned to the Polynesian to change. While we were walking back to the Transportation and Ticket Center to catch the monorail to Epcot and our eventual dinner at Le Cellier, my lovely wife tossed a wicked slider worthy of Sandy Koufax in his prime. She innocently said that she wanted to come back next (1999) year.

You could have knocked me over with a shot of pixie dust. Janet likes Walt Disney World while I am obsessed with it. She said that she wanted to spend her birthday in WDW (her 45th) so why couldn’t we come back. That’s all the impetus I needed and we spent the next hour (until we met up with the rest of the crew) discussing the hows, whens and whys.

We felt that we couldn’t afford to take the boys out of school again so that the trip would have to be at the spring break. That meant that we would have to do some investigation as far as when school holidays would be in 1999.

We also knew that we would not be able to stay at the Polynesian again, as much as we would want to, and we would have to investigate other options. We did not want to NOT stay on the property and did NOT want to return to the Caribbean Beach (due to our still unwritten 1996 experience) so we decided that Dixie Landings was going to be THE place.

With all those things settled, we then agreed to NOT tell the boys. They are just like their goofy father and would start the countdown from the minute they found out. They knew that we were planning on returning in 2000 (continuing the every other year cycle) so this would be a huge surprise to them. We had no specific timetable to let them know, so we let it sit at that.

Return to Real Life

Upon returning to mainstream America, we found out that the Spring vacation would start on April 17th and the troops would be back in school on the 25th. Armed with that information, I called Walt Disney Travel, pulled out the big old gold MK Club card and booked a room for April 16th. As is our tradition, I also booked the Hoop De Doo for Janet’s birthday. We usually go to WDW in March which coincides with my Sister in Law’s or Matt’s birthdays. This time the special occasion was Janet’s. This was a first for us as it was the first time we would be going to WDW with the boys and without my Mother in Law and Sister in Law. They would have loved to come, but my Sister In Law works as a manager in payroll for Kaybee Toys and she is not allowed out of the state, let alone City during the month of April.

Janet then proceeded to investigate flights and swiftly found out that we would be better off going down the night before (tax day, 1999) as we would be rushing all over the property if we flew down on the 16th. She, rightfully, wanted to spend her birthday highly unrushed. So I called Walt Disney Travel again and added another night onto the reservation.

An aside – I have been using Walt Disney Travel for 18 years and have rarely, if ever, found them to be anything less than wonderful.

Keep on planning, baby!

Janet had booked the plane, I had the room and life just rolled on. One of the side benefits of not telling the boys anything was that real life overcame everything else and, frankly, I forgot about the trip for long stretches. As I said, I usually start counting down almost as soon as the reservations are secure, but this time the days just shot by. The only time I would remember it was when the boys would ask about going in 2000.

We had marked the calendar for December 5th as that was when we could call USAir to get our boarding passes. As it turned out, Matt and I went to a concert that night to see Dave Matthews. We had it worked out so that I would call USAir once I got him into bed (and made sure that old rabbit ears couldn’t hear me on the phone). We left the concert early. Too much smoke (we were sitting under the no smoking sign) for both of us. When we got home, Janet gave me the high sign to check in with her before I did anything. Turns out that she had called USAir to confirm that we could call that night and they told her that she could do it then. Bingo. Another hurdle passed.

It was about this time when I performed my annual ritual – the Birnbaum and Sehlinger books were both out. I have purchased Birnbaum since the first (and have them all) and also really enjoy the irreverence of the Sehlinger book. I am a Disney Park maniac and read everything that I can about the parks and their history. I also tape everything I can regarding the parks and watch them often.

Spilling the Beans

Janet and I decided that we would let the boys know about the trip on Christmas Day. Our plan was to put a copy of the flight schedule into their stockings along with some Disney Dollars. I had the honor of getting the Dollars at the Disney Store (allowing me to smooze with some old friends). We had tinkered with the idea of getting Annual Passes but we weren’t sure when we would be coming back in 2000 so we decided to go with the length of stay though Walt Disney Travel.

Christmas Day arrived and I was shocked at the lack of dancing around by my sons when they hit their stockings. My disappointment settled as the reality sunk into them. They were thrilled and the countdown began in earnest. 112 days to go!!!

One of the benefits of our going in April was that Matt’s best friend, Adam, and his family were also going to be there. It was semi-unexpected. They normally went this time every year, but were planning on going somewhere else this year. Their daughter Abbey was going to be graduating from High School soon and wanted to do something different. At the last minute (late January) they changed their plans and were also booked into Dixie Landings from the 15th through the 22nd.

Eating

Janet and I have been through many gyrations of Disney Dining. Our 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992 and 1994 trips were all done on the deluxe plan. Everything included. We decided, after returning home in 1994, that as much as we like the plan, everything you did all day revolved around where you ate and, with the boys being young, the meal times just didn’t give us much time to do anything other than eat. It seemed we were just getting done with lunch when we would be running to dinner.

We have toned back to where we were only planning to book one meal a day and then playing the others by ear.

Without knowing that the booking situation through Disney Dining had changed, I called 60 days in advance to start booking the meals. Janet and I usually spend a lot of time on this part and I consider it to be one things I enjoy the most in planning. Every trip I pore over the restaurant sections of the guides to see if there are any surprises or that the reviews are unchanged (for the ones we like). We always loved Alfredos (and would eat there twice each trip) but we felt that it was more expensive than we would have liked for what we got. (We both are Italian and can cook much of this for less). I love the atmosphere and find that the service is great.

We gave each of the boys their choice as to a restaurant and then booked them. Matt wanted to go back to Le Cellier; Mark to 50’s Prime Time; Dan to the Clambake at the Beach Club. Janet wanted her birthday celebration at the Hoop De Doo (Will Dad make it on stage for a 5th time?) and I booked Alfredos for me. Overpriced, but I love it.

That being done, we were ready to go.

Final thoughts before blastoff

We have been counting down the days (12 as I type this). The packing has begun and I have read Disney’s World by Roger Mosley again (another pre-trip ritual).

We went to the newly renovated Albany International Airport on a scouting tour to make sure we didn’t take a wrong step. Our friends, the Campbells, are taking us to the airport. The taxes are paid.

Let’s go.

I am going to try to bring my portable along with me (Janet objects) to document our daily maneuvers, but I have this nagging feeling that I should get the old reports done first.

Wow, A Current Trip Report

This will be a first. This is the first time that I have written a trip report that was less than 15 years old, let alone 2 weeks old.

The days leading up to April 15th

I posted my first planning report on Brian’s web site which contains many of the details regarding the pre-take off activities. However, there is always just a little more……

We paid our taxes (always a cause for celebration) by the end of March, which left us free and clear to concentrate on the trip. The boys had all started Little League practice but neither that nor school did much to distract them from the trip. We started to watch some of our old home videos to get the boys in the mood and to marvel at how much they had grown.

One of the main things on this trip was to try getting Mark on the roller coasters. Mark is pretty adventuresome, but really hangs back whenever we go near a coaster. Janet, Matt and I had him convinced to try Splash Mountain as it was not really a Coaster and he had seen Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain at least a hundred times. We hoped that Big Thunder and Space Mountain wouldn’t be too far behind.

We were leaving on April 15th on a 6 PM USAirways flight from Albany to Pittsburgh with a connecting flight to Orlando. We were supposed to land in Orlando at 10:45 PM so we figured we would not get into our room in Dixie Landings before midnight.

Sidebar, your honor

About 10 days before we took off, Janet told me that she and her sister Pat had finalized plans for our trip in 2000. Say what? Plan a trip to WDW and not consult the man with all 18 Birnbaum guides!!! The nerve. Regardless, I think I’ll go. Plans are to sail on Disney Magic March 10-13 and then spend the 13th through the 18th at the Polynesian. How great is that! 3 years in a row on site!

The Report and how I will write it

Rather than give a blow by blow on which attractions we saw and how much we spent what I want to do is to give you some idea of what each day was like. Our touring patterns are a little different than the norm. We have been there so often that we absolutely refuse to stand in a line unless we have to. We did stand in line twice for Test Track this time (and would do it again) but, whether it was the time of year or sheer luck, we didn’t stand in many lines this time. So I don’t think that anyone will learn much in trying to follow what we did. Just follow our abstract touring pattern on our first full day!

A further word of advice, one thing that I learned was that, even with almost 10 full days spent on the property, "we’ll do that later" is not a good excuse. Later really sneaks up on you.

April 15, 1999 – Getaway Day

The great day had finally arrived. Janet had taken the day off. I work nights so I took the night off rather than come home in the morning and sleep for a couple hours. Too much to be done. We had packed just about everything in the preceding days so there was little more than last minute details to catch up with. I was bringing my computer to the shop as the sound hadn’t worked consistently in over a year and I figured that there would be time to get it attended to. Dan also had to get his allergy shots and that meant that we could make a last minute trip to my cousin’s comic book store in neighboring Troy. Matt and Dan had gotten into my back issues of Bone (a great comic book by Jeff Smith with roots in Pogo and Peanuts) and I wanted to get an extra copy or two.

We picked the boys up at school at 1:30 (they get out early on Thursdays due to the Public School kids taking religious instructions). Janet, Matt and Mark headed home and Dan and I went for the shots and the comics.

Everything proceeded well. We got all the last minute things cleared up and soon our friend Sue Campbell was there to drive us to the airport. The temperature in Albany was around 50 and we had heard that it was raining in Pittsburgh, but warm in Orlando.

We got some fast food at the McDonald’s in the airport and just waited for our boarding call. Our neighbors, the Martins (Chris, Paul, Abbey and Adam) were leaving from the next gate and would board about the time we left so we kept our eyes open for them, but never saw them. They were going via Washington and would arrive about an hour after us.

We left Albany on time and soon were in rainy Pittsburgh. One of the highlights of Pittsburgh for me was discovering a candy store in the concourse that sold Mexican Hats. I love them but can never find them around home.

We left Pittsburgh about an hour late because of waiting for connecting flights to arrive and some seat shuffling in the plane.

Here’s an observation – you spend oodles of money for a flight and, if it lasts under 2 hours, the airline showers you with food. A three sixty fourth of an ounce bag of pretzels and 3 ounces of Coca-Cola. Filled me right up.

Must have worked because the extra oomph of all the stomachs growling pushed us through the envelope and we only got to Orlando a half-hour late.

The game plan was for Mark and me to get the rental car while Janet, Matt and Dan got the luggage. When we stepped off the plane the humidity pinned us for a minute. It was nearing midnight and the temperature in Orlando was still 82! After riding to the main terminal, Mark and I went down to Dollar (strategic thinking by Janet – no long rides out to Hertz for us!) and upgraded from our sedan to a Grand Caravan for an extra $8 a day. The Caravan only had 4 miles on it! We took a couple laps around the airport and found the three of them with the luggage in hand. Off we went.

It was after midnight and there was hardly any traffic en route to the property. We sailed along and were soon at Dixie Landings. The check in went very smoothly and we were soon pulling up to building 36 in

Alligator Bayou. 3652 would be our home for 10 days. There was a message flashing on the phone. Our friend Linda Campbell (now a Disney Cast member) had left us a message. We were glad to hear form her as we really were looking forward to seeing her and her husband, Mark.

We quickly unpacked (Janet was disappointed we were on the second floor) and the boys wanted to check out the pool. The four of us took a quick dip and we were sleeping by 1:30. A long, eventful day.

Day 1, Friday, April 16, 1999, Janet’s Birthday

When we first made the reservation, one of the main reasons for going at this time was to celebrate Janet’s birthday at Walt Disney World. Well, the day had finally arrived. Today was my beautiful wife’s birthday and we were following the Pertierra/Lentine tradition by celebrating tonight at the Hoop De Doo Review. I will give you some Hoop De Doo History in a few minutes.

Janet is a notoriously early riser while we are on vacation. She loves to check out the weather and always feels handicapped with the cable system in WDW, as she can’t watch the Weather Channel. I drifted into consciousness around 7 and my wife had the full lowdown on the day’s climate. Clouds/Sun/low 80’s.

First interesting discovery of the day was that we had no soap. Well, let me rephrase that in the form of a question, Alex. What room had no bars of soap? There is a combination soap/shampoo dispenser in the bathtub. My wife says that this makes shaving rather difficult. I couldn’t get much out of it while I showered either so this might be the first call of the day.

We walked over to the Cotton Mill for breakfast. The place was mobbed! Big time. Janet had been looking forward to those Disney cinnamon buns since we left last year so she headed over to the baked goods. I got a breakfast pizza that I split with Dan and Matt. Pretty good. Janet, on the other hand, didn’t think that the cinnamon buns measured up to the ones at the bakery on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. We got our mugs, which now made it an official vacation.

On the way back Matt discovered the fishing hole. My oldest has become quite a fisherman over the past year and is drawn to a rod and bait like metal to a magnet. Both Dan and Mark have also been bit by the fishing bug so all three of them staked out a bamboo pole and some worms to spend a half-hour fishing. Janet and I relaxed with our coffee just watching our 3 precious boys enjoy themselves.

We had no concrete plans for the day, but Matt was anxious to see his buddy Adam and check out their room. He called Adam up and wanted to run over to their room. Janet and I decided to take a drive around the property just to acclimate ourselves so we dropped Matt off in the Building 26 parking lot and told him that we would pick him up in an hour.

We took a spin around the myriad of Disney roads while Mark and Dan provided commentary. The more we drove around the more obvious it became that Dixie Landings was a very central location.

We came back to the parking lot and there was no Matt. Janet went to the room to see if he had headed there while I waited in the parking lot. Janet came back with Adam, but no Matt. Eventually we all hooked up with each other.

At this point, still with no plan, the boys said that they wanted to go to the ESPN Club for lunch. I think that Mark wanted to check out the televisions in the bathroom. We drove over to the Beach Club and took the boat to the Boardwalk. Lunch was fine. The boys ate their lunch in spurts as they were on the video games in the arcade. This gave Janet and me some quiet time, which was enjoyable.

Janet wanted to go over to Epcot so we walked over and entered through the International Gateway. The Gateway is one of my favorite places on the entire property. I think the location with England to the left and France to the right is just gorgeous. The International Flower Festival was in (I am sorry to say this) full bloom. We usually go to the Magic Kingdom first in each of our vacations, so this was something new for us.

Epcot has evolved over the 16 ½ years into such a wonderful place to be. I remember that when we first went there in 1983, we found the place to be very cold. Now it is full of surprise and, my opinion only, the most beautiful of all the parks.

Since we were in the neighborhood, Janet wanted to see Impression du France. Unfortunately we missed it by a few minutes. We walked counter clockwise through the World Showcase to visit the American Adventure. There was a nice little addition to the lobby area with a feast of Disney Memorabilia.

We then decided to go back to Dixie Landings and go swimming at the quiet pool in our "quad". Rather than rush around to see "stuff" we figured we had the benefit of time and could relax in having to rush around the property.

When we got back to the room we found that our maid, Sylvia, had made her first visit and arranged the beanie babies (much to Mark’s delight) AND had left plenty of soap (much to Janet’s delight)! Janet called our friend Linda Campbell to set up our meeting tomorrow in the Magic Kingdom.

While Janet and the boys hit the pool, I went to refill the mugs and to change some dinner reservations. We had given each of the boys their pick of a restaurant to go to but, for some reason, did not honor Dan’s original choice of O’hana. I went to guest services and switched the Mama Melrose reservation to O’hana, which made both Dan and Matt pretty happy.

It was time to start making our way to Pioneer Hall for the Hoop de Doo. We drove to the Contemporary to take the boat over. After parking the car, the bus to Fort Wilderness pulled up as we were walking toward the Contemporary lobby, so we decided to take the bus. After all, I AM TDC Ralph Kramden. Turned out to be our only bus ride of the entire trip.

While we were there Janet found her birthday present. It was a beautiful blanket with the Pooh characters on it that she was going to put on the couch. We decided to pick it up later in the trip.

We checked in at Pioneer Hall and waited for the doors to open.

A little Hoop De Doo History…………….

This would be our 9th visit to the Hoop De Doo Review. I will wait to catch up with my old trip reports to give you the details, but let me summarize some personal experiences.

In 1989 and 1992 I was lucky enough to play Davy’s Guardian Angel in the final pageant. Lot’s of fun dancing around with the tutu on! In 1994 and 1998 the lovely, red haired Dolly Drew picked me out of the men in the audience to sing Toot Toot in mid show, followed by a kiss and the end. I realize that the lucky man is seated at a certain table and (because we usually make reservations 2 years in advance) we usually are right up front.

(An aside)

In hopes that I would be called up again in 1992, I came armed with the video camera ready to turn over to my brother in law to preserve the moment. When picked, he shot the entire show UNTIL I came out on stage. (Bummer)

Back to 1999

We were escorted to our table right in the front, stage left, not at the Toot Toot table. Oh well.

The food was as good as always. I miss the nachos, but the salad remains one of my Disney faves. I don’t know what they do differently with the salad here (other than serve it in those stone pots) but it is wonderful. All of us usually fight to have more and Dan does not even like lettuce.

The Pioneer Hall players checked in and it looked like this was an entirely new cast from last year. The boys were slightly disappointed as they loved the 6 Bitz from 1994 and 1996 (same guy and we have his autograph), but that soon wore off as they got immersed into the show that they were now attending for the 6th time. Same show, same lines, same laughs. I love it!

Janet got recognized on her 45th birthday and, shockingly, there was another woman, born in Massachusetts celebrating her 45th birthday upstairs. This was the first time that Janet got to be the center of attention. We usually are in Florida during her Sister Pat’s birthday on St. Patrick’s Day. (As we will be next year).

The Pioneer Hall Players took the stage back over and we headed towards Toot Toot Time. I got ready to see who would be the lucky guy to be the center of Dolly’s attention.

It was me.

She looked me right in the eye from the stage and I handed the video camera to Matt. Needless to say I was surprised and thrilled. This Dolly was a real good sport and did everything she could to embarrass me and she did, with me laughing all the way. I got to talk with her later in the show and thanked her for making my vacation.

All too soon the show ended and we headed for the dock to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. Holy Sehlinger, we had no concrete touring plans as we were hitting it on early opening tomorrow, but we wanted to see the parade and Fantasy in the Sky on this beautiful evening.

We went into the Magic Kingdom for the first time and Mark and I drooled walking past the popcorn cart in front of City Hall. The lines looked like they were long on the major rides so we headed over to Buzz Lightyear and the Timekeeper. The Timekeeper had just gone in so we decided to try Buzz. What a gas! Addictive as all get out. To Infinity and Beyond. Whatever score you get, you have to run right back in to try beating it. It is amazing that this building that used to house Dreamflight and If You Had Wings (and used to be a walk in) now has lines weaving through to do battle with the Emperor. Love this ride.

All at once we all felt tired and decided that we had all week for the fireworks. Rather than fight the crowds, we exited the park (after promising Dan to ride the train all around the line) and found the van in the Contemporary Lot. While walking to the van, Fantasy in the Sky started and we had a beautiful view from the lot.

We drove back to Dixie Landings and settled down for a long Spring’s nap.

Happy birthday, Janet!

Day 2, Saturday, April 17, 1999, A Day in the rain

Early Entry Day at the Magic Kingdom. We had done the EE twice last year and Matt, Dan and I got the max out of Space Mountain before the real opening of the Park. We figured that everyone in the World would do the same, but it would be worth it just so Janet could get to the bakery and we could get on Space Mountain. Also, this was the day that Mark would ride a mountain. He said he would do Splash and I was hoping he would then thunder down Big Thunder.

The skies were unfriendly, my friends, as Florida was about to get some needed rain. We parked at the Contemporary and backtracked to take the monorail in. Admittedly the long way, but we were early anyway.

Janet, who is the most considerate wife in the world, went to the bakery for those cinnamon rolls and some coffee. Mark protected her as Matt, Dan and myself walked briskly past the Plaza, rook a hard right and, after acquiring the target in our sights, went straightaway to Space Mountain. No lines, no waiting, all fun!

Janet and I ate while the boys did the Grand Prix. Just in time too as the lines were building.

Peter Pan had NO line, so we all took advantage of that. I love Peter Pan. It was the very first movie I ever saw (back in 1953) and the magic has never left. When I was a kid, I had a 78 RPM record with the soundtrack (yellow record too!) that I would play over and over. "What Makes the Red Man Red?"

It was about 8:40 as we moved towards the rope separating Fantasyland from Liberty Square. Janet and Mark wanted to ride It’s A Small World, so we decided to wait at the rope for them. I had a nice chat with a family from Boston who had spent yesterday at Blizzard Beach. Last year they dropped the ropes at all the staging areas at the same time. This year they dropped the Fantasyland rope 3 minutes before the Hub rope went down so all the lines merged heading straight towards Splash Mountain. Janet and Mark had not emerged from It’s A Small World, so we waited for them. After 5 minutes we started to get the itch, so we slid around the Riverboat and strolled towards Splash Mountain. Janet and Mark came busting around the corner a few seconds later so we all made our way to Splash.

The line wasn’t too bad and they were not routing people through the ropes. Soon we were inside. Mark was getting a little nervous, so we tried taking his mind off the ride. One of the things that I saw, that I remembered to write down was the saying on one of the signs in the corridor. "You Can’t Run Away From Trouble. Ain’t Nowhere that Far!" Isn’t that the truth.

As we got into the loading area, the rain started to pick up and I was worried that they would stop the line. But, it being Splash, no way!!! Mark wanted to sit with Janet, so Dan and I sat behind them. I had also forgotten that absolutely contagious song "How Do You Do?" (I think) with that chorus – "Gotta Keep Movin’Along!" I sang it all week. I had forgotten about the drop and a half just before the Laughing Place. Wow, nothing but grins on this ride!

When you get to the crest of Splash Mountain and look down for the first time, is it possible not to laugh, grin and scream at the same time? I think not.

We didn’t buy the picture because someone’s hand had blocked out Janet’s face. We didn’t know whether it would be the only time we would all ride together, but we couldn’t get a picture without Janet, so we passed.

We went over to Big Thunder and Mark decided to pass despite all our pleading. Janet stayed with him and the Three Doofus’ made their way to the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness.

Adventureland beckoned and it started to really pour when we got to the Jungle Cruise. Buckets. We also noticed that were not many people in the Magic Kingdom. They were all in yellow though.

Rather than recap everything, we managed to do everything (but the Aliens, Tiki Birds and Treehouse) in the Magic Kingdom by 3 PM. (I miss the Walt Disney Story. Just an aside.) We met up with Linda Campbell and she spent the afternoon walking and talking with us. It looks like Linda and Mark are going to try joining us on the cruise next year.

We tried talking her into joining us at the Crystal Palace for dinner, but she felt guilty about leaving Mark alone, so we said goodbye to her for another year.

Crystal Palace was great. The characters were very accessible and the food was great. I took my time and took small portions in order to try everything. The pork was tremendous. We passed again on the fireworks and parade and decided it had been a long enough day. Early Edition sounded pretty good so we headed back, did the mugs, and watched Gary save Chicago. A busy day, but one that just flew by.

Day 3 Sunday April 18, 1999, It’s A Beautiful Day, Today

We had brunch at Chef Mickeys at 9 AM. It was typically wonderful. Nice table, nice waitress. One observation – Whoever they recruit to play the Goofys throughout the parks, they do such a great job. The Goof is the one character that can afford to improvise a little, and they do it well. One other observation – Is there a de-emphasising of Donald? In the entire week I think we saw Donald twice.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Low 80’s, no humidity, not a cloud in the sky.

We were going to the Animal Kingdom.

So was everyone else.

One thing about the Animal Kingdom, with the narrow passageways, this place always appears to be cramped. In spite of the fact that it is huge, it is cramped. We walked around and decided to enter the Tree of Life and see Its Tough To Be A Bug. We really liked it. Matt and I really yucked it up. The effects were really good. The Muppets 3D is still our favorite, but this is a close second.

We walked around a little more and decided to get out of town. The lines were long, you couldn’t walk in a straight line anywhere, so we made a beeline out of there.

We decided to visit the Muddy River swimming area for the afternoon. We had plenty of time until our dinner with the Martins at the Cape May Café. The pool was crowded but not overly so. On such a gorgeous day I guess a lot of people were at Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and River Country rather than at the hotel pools. We managed to get a lot of sun and also catch up on some reading. I was reading "The Map" by Paul Williams. Williams, along with Robert Christgau, is my favorite rock and roll writer. We are relatively the same age with much the same tastes. The book was about his rediscovery of Rock and Roll in 1984 and was very interesting reading.

I went over to Guest Services to purchase E Tickets for Dan, Matt and me for Tuesday night. The Martins were going and we thought that we would blitz the park together.

Our plan was to arrive at Epcot well before our 5 PM reservation in order to do some exploration and to check out the line at the Test Track. Matt wanted to do some things at Innoventions so we set a meet time with him and the rest of us went to Spaceship Earth.

The ride broke down twice early on in the first sequence but was fine. I do miss Walter Cronkite and especially miss Tomorrow’s Child. Thank heavens for CDs!!!!

Janet wanted to do some shopping so Mark, Dan and myself went over to Ice Station Cool. I hadn’t tested the wares (and hadn’t seen any warnings) so the taste of Beverly was a shock. Shocked me so bad that I forgot the name. The Japanese vegetable drink was surprisingly good though.

After coming out of the Ice Station, we all met up and started to walk towards the International Gateway. I had someone say, "Hey, aren’t you from Cohoes" and looked straight into the faces of Barbara and John Hildreth. Barb and John are fellow Boy Scout leaders from our Troop and they were staying in Fort Wilderness. We had a nice chat before going on our separate ways. Hopefully we would meet up again.

Matt and I decided to take the Friendship 6 over to the Beach Club while Janet, Dan and Mark walked. Dan was waiting at the dock for us as we landed. They won.

We had a great dinner at the Cape May. Last year it was our major discovery and, when we were planning this year’s trip, we wanted to have one big meal with the Martins. They had never been there so we thought it would be ideal. It was. I think that Adam and Matt ate every clam that they had in the buffet. Dan loved the mussels. All in all, it was a fine meal. We were all full and, if I remember correctly, no one ate much at the dessert section, although it was very tempting. I think that this meal is the absolute best value in all of Walt Disney World.

We all walked back to Epcot, pausing to take a lot of pictures.

We decided to do Test Track, regardless of the line. The wait, when we got there, was an hour and that would get us out in time to watch Illuminations. I had missed Illuminations last trip and was anxious to see it this trip. So we waited.

As we weaved our way inside the building, I saw a "hidden" Mickey in a toolbox.

The ride itself was well worth the wait. In a way it was better that we did it first at night and then later during the day. When riding a new ride, I prefer to NOT know where I am going. Certainly doing Test Track at night, you don’t know where you are going or where the ride will end. We were all laughing when the ride ended.

We saw a little of Illuminations in the distance when we exited, but also found that we had lost Matt and Dan. They had taken off for Ice Station Cool to show Adam (and probably have him try some Beverly) and got split up. Poor Mark! He is the one who worries about everyone and his eyes were wide open with worry.

We found them (or they found us) and we made our way out against the tide. Traveling out to the International Gateway from Future World after Illuminations is not for the faint of heart.

Also not for the faint of heart was the hour and a half at the laundry back at Dixie Landings. Janet stopped in periodically to make sure I was still breathing. The boys were swimming. It was surprising that I was not the only one in the laundry at midnight. Got it done and went to bed.

Day 4 Monday April 19, 1999, It’s A Beautiful Day, Today, Again

The boys took off for the Fishing Hole as soon as they woke up. They had to get in some quality hook time. We did a quick breakfast at the food court and then headed to the Boy’s choice for today – Typhoon Lagoon!!!

We had a great time. We got there as the gates were opening and quickly staked out some chairs by the inlet to the right hand side of the wave pool. It looked to be another gorgeous day and the Pertierra Boys hit the wave pool quickly. One of the nice things about being early is that you have about 20 minutes when you do not have to play human dodge ball as the breakers come in. We all rode the waves unimpeded.

Mark, Dan and I went over to the raft ride. The raft ride is much better at Blizzard Beach but this one is quick fun. We noticed that they had made the unloading area much shallower. I remember 7 years ago when Dan flipped into the water while trying to get out of the raft. Not anymore. It was about 1 inch deep.

Dan and I talked Mark into going on Cowabunga Humunga. He wasn’t too sure of himself but he followed us up to the summit. Lots of changes here from last year. They had added a third slide and covered all of them. I wasn’t too thrilled about that, but, after zooming through, it wasn’t bad. The difference is that a second before you get the wedgie, you get a blast of water up your nose. Mark was sold because we all raced up to the top to do it again. This ride never seems to be crowded anymore. I can’t figure it out.

Matt caught up with us and went with Dan on the storm slides. Mark stayed in the bleacher area with me to watch his brothers. After they both came flying into the pool, Mark was sold and went up with them to try all three. I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed seeing my three sons come crashing down with monster smiles on their faces.

I went back to relieve Janet and let her have some fun. She prefers Blizzard Beach ( I do too) but we always have fun here. She took a couple laps around on the Creek with Mark.

We had such a wonderful time. One of the highlights of the day was watching the Cast Members appear in teams to drench people with Super Soakers. No one seemed to mind. With the carefree atmosphere, the beautiful weather and the sound of Surf Music, this is a great place to be.

We had dinner reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern so we made our way back to the room to change.

Mark had finally relented and decided he would try Big Thunder. We took the Railroad over to Frontierland and went right to Big Thunder. All I can say is that he enjoyed himself. He wanted to do it again, but the line looked longer than our available time.

Dinner at the Liberty Tree was very good. We managed a lot of pictures with the characters and also enjoyed the meal. Janet and I had least eaten here in 1985 and liked the family style arrangement. I liked the beef and thought that the potatoes were excellent.

We were all tired so we decided to window shop our way out of the park. Janet suggested that we go to Beaches and Cream for dessert. It was the first time we had ever been there and would not be the last. We took our ice cream out to the tables to just relax and watch the people at the pool.

Everybody Loves Raymond and bed were all we had left. We must have been tired, because I don’t think any of us saw the ending of Raymond.

A wonderful day!

Day 5 Tuesday April 20, 1999, It’s A Beautiful Day, Today, Tonight and Tomorrow

Early Entry Day at Epcot today. We got there early but were all tired and did not take advantage of the hour.

We went on Spaceship Earth. One other observation…….. with the demise of the oranges in Horizons, the smell of the burning Rome is now my favorite. Still miss Walter!

Side story…………….

Walter Cronkite - 1992

I haven’t written the 1992 report yet, so perhaps I should tell this one now. Late in our 1992 trip (staying at the late, great Disney Inn) we had Sunday brunch at the late, great Top Of The World. After brunch (and a lot of pictures) we made our way down to the concourse level to catch the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. There weren’t many people around and the 10 of us got into the car with an older man and a 10 year old boy. I slid in next to the boy and put Dan on my lap. I looked quickly at the man and thought he looked familiar. My brother in law Frank was sitting opposite and we both recognized the man at the same time. Frank said "You’re Walter Cronkite!" Indeed it was. He was with his grandson and was heading to the Polynesian before going over to watch an exhibition baseball game with the Astros. We talked about baseball and told him we had heard him (Spaceship Earth) and seen him (Animation Tour) over the past two days. A gracious man and just as he appeared on our television screens for all the major events of my youth.

We went to the food court in the Land for breakfast. Janet gave her blessing to the cinnamon rolls.

Mark wanted to go to the Living Seas and, in spite of it not being a big favorite of mine, it was enjoyable. Perhaps the key is visiting it once every 5 years or so.

Enjoyed the Universe of Energy. I had totally forgotten the appearance of Michael Richards (one of my heroes, Cosmo Kramer) in the discovery of fire scene. Laugh out loud funny!

A first here was our visit to the Wonders Of Life Pavilion. In all our trips we had never been there. I was expecting to be jostled a lot more on Body Wars and, to be honest, was disappointed in the ride. I much prefer Star Tours. Good to see old Otter (Tim Matheson) as our pilot.

The boys wanted Mexican for lunch so we took them to the San Angel Inn. I wanted to get a bratwurst so I ran (not literally) over to Germany to get one to go. When I got back, Janet and the boys were into their tacos and burritos. The bratwurst was delicious. I would do that again in a minute. The day was so beautiful that the walk back and forth to Germany was even more delightful than usual.

After a return to swim at Dixie Landings, we headed back into Epcot for our dinner at Le Cellier. Tonight was E Ticket night. Mark would be staying with Janet at Epcot after dinner while Matt, Dan and Me took our first Epcot monorail ride of the vacation to the Magic Kingdom. I wanted to get there early enough to get a good spot to videotape Fantasy In The Sky. I had taped it in 1989 for the first time and had also taped it from the beach at the Polynesian in 1998. This time I had a new camera and wanted to get a good spot on top of the Train Station.

But first there was dinner. Personal Opinion………… the area from France clockwise to Canada in the World Showcase is the best at transporting you visually to the host country. I have always loved Canada and the Oh Canada! film. We made sure to see it before heading into Le Cellier.

Dinner was good and dad lucked out. The boys couldn’t finish their Cheese Soup, so guess who got seconds and thirds. Good old Dad. I love that soup.

We split up after dinner and it was hard to leave Janet and Mark, but they had their own adventures planned and could benefit from some lovely evening weather.

Matt, Dan and I took the monorail over to the Transportation and Ticket Center and lucked into the front car from there to the Magic Kingdom.

We exchanged our passes for our wristbands for E Ticket and checked out the platform at the train station. No one up there. When we were leaving last night, and were buying our popcorn on the way out, there was a character show taking place up on the platform. We went up to see if it was going on again tonight. There were ropes up so we decided to take a round trip on the WDW Railroad to pass some time. Matt surprised me as we pulled into Toontown Station. He said that he had never been there before. Toontown was not somewhere that Janet and I visited often and the only time I can remember going there was in 1992 with Dan, Mark, my Mother in Law and Sister in Law, Pat. Matt was running around the Disney Inn links with my brothers in law Frank and Chris and sister in law, Millie so he had not been there. All of our trips on the Railroad usually ended in Frontierland so he had not been to the back of the Park.

We had a nice trip around the Park and we came out on the platform and found it still pretty deserted. There was one family sitting dead center, so I pulled up a chair and sat with them. Matt and Dan decided to run up to help Buzz defend the Universe and would come back for Fantasy in the Sky.

I got into a nice conversation with the family. Turns out they were leaving tomorrow and heading back to Indiana. We compared notes from my only trip in Indiana in 1977 and found that we were both big Bobby Knight fans.

I took some sequential shots of Main Street and Cinderella’s Castle just to frame the passing of time. Matt and Dan arrived back in time for the show. Fantasy in the Sky was great. (I watched the videotape in mid-May and that turned out extremely well) After it was over, I bid my new friends from Indiana goodbye (and exchanged eMail addresses) and prepared to head up to Spaceship Earth to meet the Martins.

Strange sensation. Much like Sunday night, we were moving against the flow. Everyone was heading down Main Street to go back to their hotels or homes, while we were like salmon swimming upstream moving towards Tomorrowland. We were all grinning madly because now the park was ours!

We met the Martins and did everything as many times as we could. I was finding that I could not get the Splash Mountain song out of my mind. "Gotta Keep Moving Along". I hope that an updated CD will contain it. Paul, Adam, Matt, Dan and I got stuck up at the top of the Mountain as we were turning to head inside. We got a good dose of the song!

I would highly recommend that anyone who can, to take advantage of the E Ticket. One warning though..

The three hours passed by in about 10 minutes. What a strange wonderful sensation to be walking down a deserted Main Street at midnight. Now if I owned the buildings on Main Street I would probably make my home in Walt’s place above the Ice Cream Parlor. Great view of the castle.

The Martins gave us a lift back to our room. Theirs was the only vehicle in the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot!!!

The only way I can summarize this wonderful day is WOW.

Day 6 Wednesday April 21, 1999, We bounce around

Early Entry Day at MGM. Dan and I were going on Tower of Terror so we wanted to get their early. Matt was going with the Martins to Blizzard Beach. This was their last full day as they were flying home tomorrow.

MGM is far from Janet’s favorite place but it does have a few of her favorite attractions. She and Mark were going to Star Tours and the Great Movie Ride while Dan and I rode the elevator from inner space. It was a nice day and we could feel the humidity building up a little. We took a right on and made our way to the Hotel. We had about a 10 minute wait before we hit the boiler room. Dan and I got into the front row. I must tell you that the two times I have ridden the Tower, I was not impressed. In 1996 (first time), the first half drop got me, but the second drop was nothing. Matt and I were shocked when the doors opened and they told us the ride was over. Last year Dan, Millie, Matt and I rode it with much the same results.

Not this time!!!

5 Drops. A half, a full, two halves and another full! Whoa! I am sold. I agree with Brian that the picture is taken at the wrong place. I think that they should take it halfway down the first half drop. That drop is so unexpected that I am sure that hair is flying, mouths are open and the photo would be much better.

When we came out (armed with the picture) they line was already an hour long and the Park wasn’t officially open yet. We met up with Janet and Mark and made the swing through our favorite rides. I find the gangster/robber routine on the Great Movie Ride pretty cheesy. I suppose the first time you see it takes you by surprise, but any repeat visit just dampens the effect.

Star Tours and the Muppets 3(4)D are just great amusement rides. I tried videotaping Star Tours last year and got dizzy. Never again. The Muppet attraction is right there with Splash Mountain as my favorites in Walt Disney World. I could do it over and over.

Lunch at the Prime Time Café was fun as always. Our "sister" was much too nice to succeed. No abuse, no lectures. Just too nice. I wasn’t feeling that well so I got the bologna sandwich from the kid’s side. It was just what I needed.

We did Indy ( a Janet fave) and then headed back to Dixie Landings to relax and wait for Matt. We got some sun, some reading and some rest before heading over to the Polynesian for dinner at O’hana.

Matt checked in and became the first Pertierra to scale Summit Plummit. He loved it. One of these days!!!! Blizzard Beach got the usual thumbs up. Didn’t look like we all were going to get there this trip though.

Upon getting to the Polynesian we scouted out our room from last year. We stayed in Maori and loved it. It was so convenient to the Ceremonial House, Captain Cooks and the beach. We wanted to get all the information we could to pass along to Pat for our trip next year.

The Polynesian is our favorite hotel. We have stayed there 3 times and just love it. I could just sit anywhere on the Polynesian property and just soak in the atmosphere. There is such a pleasant fragrance in the air!

Dinner was fine. We had a delightful server, Susan from Ohio. O’hana is not for everyone. We know that we won’t come back here next year as it is not Pat’s style and we respect that. The boys love the shrimp so I know that we will return sometime with them.

After that we made our daily visit to the Magic Kingdom to satisfy the new king of the Disney Thrill Rides, Mark Pertierra. Our Splash Mountain picture was a really nice one. Then we went moving along over the Big Thunder for a nice spin in the dark.

Janet did some shopping, we bought some popcorn and headed out.

How boring. Another great day!

Day 7 Thursday April 22, 1999, River Country, Mark does the Mountains

The day started early for Dan and Matt today. The two anglers took advantage of their flex feature to go on a fishing expedition leaving from the Wilderness Lodge. I drove them over to the Lodge and parked, by accident, in the Cast Members lot. I hated to run through the lobby because I love the Lodge, but we were late. I got the boys to the dock and then drove back to Dixie Landings to get Janet and Mark. Our plan was for them to go over to Fort Wilderness until River Country opened and then they would stake out a spot for the family.

It was a beautiful day and you could feel the humidity starting to crawl in. Janet figured that this would be the best time to pick up her birthday present in Fort Wilderness. I walked Janet and Mark down to the launch and they took off for Fort Wilderness. I then used the time to sit in the wonderful lobby to read the paper until Matt and Dan were due back from emptying Bay Lake of fish. Unfortunately the news was not good as the paper was filled with the horrible news from Littleton, Colorado. I went back down to the dock and sat on the beach waiting for my sons. I suddenly needed to hug them.

Their boat docked and Dan reported that they had a great time. They had caught tons of fish using hot dogs as bait. They wanted to go back out, but they were going to have to wait for 2000.

The three of us caught the boat over to Fort Wilderness and made the short hike to River Country. I know that it is now nothing more than the Old Swimming Hole and is dwarfed by Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, but I still love River Country. We have a lot of pleasant memories associated with it and we always look forward to spending a few hours there.

Lots of subtle changes in River Country. They had many more Cast Members and Characters running around doing contests and parades. The floating docks in the middle of the main pool had been replaced by Disney "rocks". Whoop and Holler had been changed to eliminate the logjams as you come around the first turn. It was still a fun place to be.

I was so relaxed that I actually took a nap. That is a rarity for me as I can never fall asleep at the beach. Well at least I never could!

We went back to the room to eat a small dinner at the food court. Before we walked over to get a pizza, I called our friend Brian Toth. A little explanation here. Every year since 1986, Janet, my Mother In Law, my Sister in Law Patti and I have gone to the Surfcomber in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod. We have gone on the same week and stayed in the same room every year even as, one by one, the boys arrived. In the early 90’s, we struck up a friendship with the Surfcomber’s maintenance man, Brian Toth. Brian was as big a Disney Maniac as myself and the parks dominated our conversations.

Brian told us in August of 1996 that he was putting his house up for sale and that he and his wife were going to move to Florida so that he could pursue working for Disney. He made the move the next Spring and we lost touch with each other. When we checked into the Surfcomber in August of 1998, the owner told me that Brian had been in touch and was doing very well. She gave me his mailing address and I figured I would drop him a note before we went down.

I wrote him in early March, but never heard anything. Then, on Monday, there was a message on the Disney Voice Mail from Brian. We were to meet in Epcot on Friday afternoon.

The pizza was okay. Nothing special, but it hit the spot. After filling up the mugs, we headed back to the room before we made our daily run to the Magic Kingdom. On the way back to the room Janet and I spotted our friends, the Daleys, from home walking towards their room across the courtyard from ours. We knew that they were going to be checking in for a few days but had no idea where they were to be staying. The Martins had left that morning and the Daleys checked in. Symmetry.

Mark, the Mountain Climber, wanted to do the mountains again.

We headed right for Splash Mountain. This was the 5th time I had been on Splash this trip and (I have said this before several pages back) there is no better ride in all of Walt Disney World. I know that everytime we make the plunge and head back into the Briar Patch, the Riverboat scene always brings back memories of America Sings from Disneyland (another favorite of mine).

It was about this time that the three boys started regretting the fact that we only had 2 days left. I kept reminding them that we were lucky that we still had two days left to enjoy ourselves. We had a lot of fun ahead of us.

We went to the Country Bears and managed to sit right in front of Big Al. A friend of mine, long retired from the Phone Company, Jim Bowers and I used to play bridge at lunch everyday during the early 80’s. He was also a Big Al fan. We used to entertain ourselves and drive everyone else nuts by singing Blood on the Saddle while dealing. All we had to do is sing, "There was……………. and people would run from the bridge table. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself. Matt sat with me and sang along. Another fan!!!

On Saturday Janet had spotted a sweatshirt in the shop outside of the Hall of Presidents that she wanted to buy for her mother. I told her to wait for later in the week. The sweater had the American Flag embroidered on it and was perfect for my Mother in Law. She had crusaded long and strong for the Flag Amendment and this would be a nice gift.

We had been back every day since and could not find it in her size. I was feeling very guilty. We still had two more shots at it.

We hit Timekeeper on the way out, got our mandatory Mark/Dad popcorn and went back to Dixie Landings to settle down for a long Spring’s nap.

Another great day in Walt Disney World.

Day 8 Friday April 23, 1999, The Marketplace, Disney Quest, Epcot

We slept in this morning. There was no rush to do anything actually. During breakfast we decided to head over to the Marketplace to cash in the remaining flex features. We had our trip shopping to do so it was a good time to get our picture taken with Mickey. We had done it last year and wanted to make it a tradition. As we left our quad to get the van, I noticed that the Disney Maintenance people were actually buffing the sidewalks with a buffing machine.

We were relatively early, shopping wise, so we got a pretty good parking spot.

Our first move was to get the picture taken. No lines, no waiting. Last year we had gone at night and it was mobbed. We were ushered right in to meet (quoting Robin Williams) THE Corporate Symbol. The picture turned out great and we thanked Mickey promising to see him again in March.

Next move was to the World Of Disney for shopping. I had a few things that I absolutely wanted to get and picked them all up using the Magic Kingdom Club discount. I purchased the updated Explorer, the WDW Screen Saver and another addition to my Disney library – Designing Disney’s Theme Parks. I only hope that I can get to this one before the end of the year. I still have the Imagineering book to read. I am about a third of the way through "Vinyl Leaves" which is a fascinating look at Walt Disney World. I know that Park fanatics can never get enough to read about the Park itself. I also got a 1999 shirt (again another bow to coming back next year) to start another tradition. Janet got some shopping done and was still unsuccessful in locating the sweatshirt for Ma.

Matt, Dan and I went over to Disney Quest to cash in the last two flex features. We made plans to meet Janet at the McDonalds back at the Marketplace.

We decided to walk over to DQ and it was an enjoyable walk. I had not been over to this portion of the Marketplace and it was nice to see some new stuff. It amazes me how much this entire area has developed in so short a time. As we were walking over, I pointed out that, in 1983, in order to get to the Empress Lily, you had to walk through woods. Those woods are now Pleasure Island. The boys had a hard time visualizing that.

We checked in at Disney Quest and took the cool elevator up to 3. Matt and Dan were both disappointed that the Art School wasn’t open yet, so we went over to Cyber Space Mountain. When I stepped up to the terminal, I had visions of the terminal in Communicore where you could design a coaster and ride it.

Bill Nye guided me through it. Dan was on my right and Matt on my left designing their own coasters. Admittedly it was a leap forward from the Epcot exhibit with all the loops and jumps. When I finished, I watched as the character rode my creation. I thought that was it. Little did I know. I was directed up to the next level and told to empty my pockets. They locked them up and brought me into the simulator, locked me in and then the fun began! WOW!!!! What a ride. This was the coolest thing in the world. I had this big, goofy grin plastered all over my face.

When the ride ended Matt and I got done at the same time. We were standing in the hall just as Dan was being brought into his coaster. That’s when we got another show. Neither one of us realized that there had been a camera pointed at us while we rode. We stood there just watching Dan ride his. Dan had this big, goofy grin plastered all over his face. Like Father, like son. We asked the Cast Member if they had ever considered selling the video from the ride. He said that they had suggested it, but it had been vetoed by the powers that be.

I decided to ride with Matt on his next creation while Dan worked on his own. Matt put together a really good one as he had us flying through the air with the greatest of ease.

I left them on their own for an hour and went exploring DQ. When we reconnected, both Dan and Matt were deep into drawing. We had to leave to meet Janet and Mark, so we decided to walk back through the shop area and Pleasure Island. I really like it over there. One of these days we will get to visit Pleasure Island at night.

During lunch Matt and Dan asked if they could go back to Disney Quest for another visit. Janet, Mark and I dropped them off and headed back to Dixie Landings for a couple hours. We left Matt and Dan on their own and set up a meet time before we were to go to Epcot.

It was starting to get hot so we spent some time in the pool. Mark showed me all his latest dives and we just relaxed. We had dinner reservations at Alfredos at 5 and were going to meet Brian at 3 at Ice Station Cool. I was hoping that Brian would join us for dinner, but we were all psyched to ride Test Track again.

We swung over to the Marketplace to pick up Matt and Dan. They were waiting for us and both had a lot of interesting tales. I know where they are going to be spending a day next year!!!!! As now was becoming our custom, we parked at the Beach Club and took a leisurely walk through the International Gateway. Soon we were at Ice Station and there was Brian! He looked great.

He said that he couldn’t stay for dinner, but would love to ride Test Track with us. Needless to say, the hour wait for Test Track just flew. Brian was now working part time for Disney and full time for the Government over at Shades of Green. His wife was in medical services at Celebration and his oldest son was a life guard at Dixie Landings. As I said, the time just flew. Soon we were getting into our test vehicle.

Riding Test Track in the day was an entirely different trip. During the night trip you had no idea where you were relative to the rest of the building, so it was an eye opener when you got out on the straightaways outside the pavilion. I can see where this ride will be popular for a long time. While I miss the old GM pavilion, this is a lot of fun. We bought the picture.

Another aside………

I got sad everytime I walked past Horizons. What a waste. It doesn’t look like there is anything going on so why don’t they just open it up and let us ride until they figure out what they are going to do.

Brian walked with us over to Italy. We said goodbye and he left my Sister in Law a message on the videotape. We promised to keep in touch and to meet up next year.

Dinner at Alfredos was excellent. We have eaten there more than any other restaurant on the WDW property. I admit it is overpriced, but I found that this year’s dinner was the best we have had there in a couple trips. We all finished our meals without missing a beat. Mark and I both substituted fettucini for spaghetti. I find the waiters here to always be very helpful and prompt. You rarely have to wait long for anything.

After dinner we walked over to China to catch the movie.

We all mutually decided NOT to stay for Illuminations. This would be the last shot at seeing it this trip (and I had not seen it since our 1996 trip), but we were tired and figured that there would always be another trip to see it.

Janet thought it would be best to hit Beaches and Cream for a quick dessert and then head back to the room to pack. The thought of packing didn’t really appeal to either of us, but it is a necessary evil. Janet said that this is her least favorite part of the trip. Can’t say I disagree.

I tried to get through Homicide, but couldn’t.

Another great day in Walt Disney World.

Day 9 Saturday April 24, 1999, Magic Kingdom, One Last Swim, Airport, Home

I had a restless night. I just couldn’t fall asleep. Janet tossed and turned also, but the boys slept well.

Janet and I got up early and loaded the van. It was not a painful as I thought it was going to be. Check out went smoothly and we were soon on our way to the Polynesian to catch the monorail into the Magic Kingdom.

The boys took off for Space Mountain while Janet went to get some cinnamon rolls. This was first, Mark on Space Mountain. Matt and Dan did their best to let him know what he was in for and soon we were hurtling though the Mountain. I was sitting behind Mark and couldn’t judge his reactions, but he loved it. Three sons – three coaster guys!!!! Janet loves Space Mountain but can’t ride it regularly as it jars her neck and nothing should harm my beautiful wife.

We all met up to do battle on the side of Buzz Lightyear one last time before heading over to Fantasyland for the rope drop.

The Frontierland Mountains were our target. The final picture, this trip, from Splash Mountain was priceless.

Janet took another shot at the sweatshirt but to no avail. We had a nice lunch at the Columbia Harbour House and then went over to Tomorrowland to do the Timekeeper.

That left our last walk down Main Street for popcorn and the monorail to the Polynesian. It is always a bittersweet walk towards the Train Station. I love Main Street. The subtle things like the smells from the shops and the background music are wonderful. Being a big fan of the Music Man, most of the sounds were very familiar. We hit the popcorn stand by the Train Station. While in line I realized that we never made it to anything in the Tony’s Town Square complex this trip. Oh well. Wait til next year!

We went back to Dixie Landings for a last swim before leaving for the airport. The temperatures were well into the 90’s, but there weren’t many people at the quiet pool. Inevitably though the time came to leave and we made our way to the ever-expanding Orlando Airport.

Mark and I returned the van and met up with Janet, Matt and Dan at the security check. Can anyone explain to me how the same airport that holds such excitement when you land is so depressing when you are leaving?

The flight home was uneventful. It was in the high 30’s when we landed which, for Albany, was pretty warm.

Another great last day in Walt Disney World.

So, in conclusion

We had a great vacation. It went by like the proverbial blip on the radar screen, but we had a wonderful time. The weather was gorgeous, the lines weren’t that bad and we did pretty much everything we wanted at our own pace. I don’t think that we ever felt rushed and had no complaints.

I was worried that visiting Walt Disney World annually might lessen our enjoyment and appreciation of the entire experience. We all agreed that we still loved the place as much, if not more, than always and we certainly are looking forward to our cruise and stay at the Polynesian next year

Anyhow, thanks for listening!

Any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to eMail me!

Jim Pertierra

JPertierra@aol.com

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