Trip Reports

Summary

1/7-1/12/99
Who: Al (theatre production manager) & Diane (psycho-socio rehabilitation student), married seven years, both in their low 40's. We call Woodbridge, N.J. home (ok, stop those Jersey jokes now).
Where: Five nights at the Wilderness Lodge.
Day One

Getting There

As the alarm clock sounded at 5:00 AM I was immediately reminded that anticipation had robbed me of much of my sleep. But the thought of a WDW trip quickly wiped the sleep from eyes as we prepared for our ride to Newark Airport. The minutes ticked by as we waited for the darn car service to show up. Finally, 10 minutes late (thank God I left lots of "pad time"), he shows. We pile in and much to my dismay he asks ME how to get to the airport! I direct him and off we go!

Boarding is announced for our Continental flight and we enter the brand new Boeing 777 with awe. This is the way to fly! High ceilings, big overhead luggage compartments, roomy seats and seat back screens with several movies! Way cool. But first we have to get off the ground. The Captain announces a minor problem, a 15 minute delay. It soon turns into an hour delay, but hey, we're on our way!

We land in our Orlando, quickly collect our luggage and it's off to the Dollar Rental Car counter. I had booked our car on the Net, so I was curious to see if this worked okay. No problems! I handed the clerk the confirmation and my credit card, signed a form and we were off in under 10 minutes!

The trip to the Wilderness Lodge (WL) via the Greenway was uneventful and quick. This route sure beats I-4. 25 minutes and we were being greeted by the valets at the WL!

The Wilderness Lodge

After being enthusiastically welcomed by the valets we joined the check-in line in the Lodge. The lobby of the WL is just awe inspiring! It's so big and beautiful with soaring totem poles and a fabulous fireplace, yet as large as it is, is as warm as it is. It's a place that makes you feel at home.

The front desk clerk was warm and charming and offered us a choice of a king size bed and a direct view of Bay Lake or a two queens and a view of the pool construction. We, of course jumped at the former. After issuing our IDs, we were introduced to our bell person, "Miss Jenny."

Miss Jenny gave us a tour of the lobby and pointed out where all the restaurants and services were and showed us a hidden Mickey on the Artist's Point sign. She then showed us to the elevator and went to fetch our luggage.

The room was amazing! As Miss Jenny said: "You two must know Mickey and Minnie themselves to get this view!" The room 6129, was on the sixth floor in a corner. The elevator, soda and ice were just around the corner. The view was incredible and the room included a very comfy easy chair in addition to the usual table and chairs. We quickly unpacked and headed to MGM.

Disney-MGM Studios

Starved, we headed straight to one of our favorite MGM eateries, Rosie's Red Hots. We'll we were off to a bad start. It was no longer Rosie's Red Hots. It was now "Rosie's All American Cafe," and instead of a variety of 1/4 lb. hot dogs with all kinds of interesting toppings, it was now a choice of cheeseburgers, turkey sandwiches or a salad. And to make matters worse, the line wasn't moving. Where usually at Disney counter service, you order in one line and your food appears almost instantly in the next line, here we just joined an ever growing queue in the second line. Finally our food came. We sat down to eat and lo and behold, I spotted my CM friend Sue and her husband Eric a few feet away! Sue is a former employee and long time friend of mine who, after marrying Eric, moved down to Orlando and got a position in Wardrobe. We were supposed to meet Eric later at Fantasmic, as Sue had a cast meeting she had to attend. They joined us while we gulped down the less than desirable burgers and then we split up as Diane and I did some touring and Sue and Eric ran some errands.

Our first stop was the GMR. It was a walk on and we kept to the right and got the cowboy side. I had only seen the cowboy side once before and was pleasantly surprised by some of the gimmicks, particularly when the bank catches fire! We enjoy this ride but wonder what will happen with it when their MGM rights run out in a couple of years.

A quick rest room break and on to Star Tours. There was a short wait, here about 10 minutes. We sat in about the third row of our star cruiser. I like the back row better! This is one of my favorite rides, but I can't wait for them to update it with a new movie.

We shopped our way down Sunset Blvd. (well, Diane shopped, I watched) to get into line for Fantasmic. By the time we got to the end of Sunset, they were already seating people so we found our spot in the Pochahontas section, about halfway back.

The pre-show entertainment was terrible! It started off with a pair who did bits with a ladder who were far more annoying than they were funny. This was followed by an obnoxious husband and wife bit with "Estelle and Stanley." Both of these routines were performed by "Streetmosphere" players who are funny doing improv on the street corner, but it just doesn't hold up for a stadium audience of 10,000.

Fantasmic's opening tone sounded over the PA system, the houselights went to black and Fantasmic! began. What can you say about this show? It's a melding of music, projection, live action and pyrotechnics that only Disney could dream up. However, having seen DL's Fantasmic!, WDW's is a faint imitation. Where DL's uses the water screens to set up the next section, of the story, WDW's relies on the screens to tell the story. DL has the Mark Twain and the Columbia, WDW has a the Steamboat Willy ship and Pochahontas. DL's fight scene takes place on the Columbia, sailing past you at a fast clip and is very immediate. WDW's fight scene takes place on the mountain and is quite remote, you almost have to squint to make out what's happening. That said, WDW's Fantasmic is still very good, just not nearly as good as DL's.

After the show we met Eric who was sporting a Fantasmic jacket, that, through the miracle of fiber optics, portrays several of the Fantasmic scenes. Very cool and VERY pricey. Eric, having been involved in the DL version of Fantasmic, was very anxious to hear our opinions. Diane (who did not see the DL version) loved it! We chatted about the show as we strolled to the park exit. We had an 8:45 PS at Whispering Canyons Cafe, and Eric was off to the bar at the Contemporary to meet Sue after her meeting.

We arrived back at the WL around 8:15 and checked in to Whispering Canyon to see if they could seat us a little early. They told us a half hour and gave us a pager, so we headed up to our room to relax and drop off our stuff. No sooner had we walked in the room when our pager started to dance around the table so we headed back down, only to find confusion at the podium. They're not ready. Wait. Yes we are ready. Hold on just a second. No, seat them first. They seat us...without menus. I fetch menus. We order our beverages (water & Diet Coke). We wait. She finally shows up with our drinks and takes our dinner order. We order the all-you-care-to-eat sampler. Our salads come right out. Our food comes out, all in a huge black skillet. We sample everything, and order seconds and then thirds. All is fine. We enjoy the raucous atmosphere and watch a waiter organize stick pony races with the kids. After a while we wonder what happened to our drink refills. The waitress finally shows. She looks at us and gets one of those "Oh, my God. I forgot their drinks and now there going to kill me" expressions across her face and runs for our drinks. By now were ready for our room, so we ask for our check. She disappears again as we're waiting to pay her. Exact change (including tip) and we're out of there. A quick trip to Roaring Forks (RF) to buy mugs and my cookies and milk and we're room-ward bound.

I can't resist sitting out on the balcony for a while as Diane does her pre-bed routine. The night is cold, but not too bad and I stare across the dark water dreaming about our first glimpse tomorrow of our favorite park: the Magic Kingdom.

Day Two

We started the day with breakfast at Roaring Forks. It was a beautiful morning, so we ate outside at the picnic tables overlooking WL's waterfall. I had an egg, ham and cheese sandwich while Diane had a pastry, both washed down by hot coffee in our refillable mugs. My sandwich was surprisingly good. I had expected it to be small, much like a fast food breakfast sandwich. Instead it was huge and was served with hash brown patties. Diane also enjoyed her pastry.

Slowly we strolled down to the boat dock, taking in the sights of the WL and drinking in the beautiful day. After a short wait (about 10 minutes) an MK launch pulled in and we were on our way to the MK! The ride was pleasant and I always get a kick out of the bridge that connects Bay Lake to the Seven Seas Lagoon. Here the water goes _over_ the bridge, and the cars go _under_ it!

Magic Kingdom

Diane wanted to hit her favorite attraction first: shopping! So we browsed the shops on Main Street. We were surprised to discover that they won't do resort delivery on chocolates. They say it's because they melt, so we sent her goodies to MK Package Pickup. She bought Chocolate Mint Cookie Gems which she looks for on every trip and considers amongst her favorites, a high honor from a Chocoholic!

After checking the tip board and seeing no major waits anywhere, we headed through the hub to Adventureland. First stop was to be the Jungle Cruise, but the wait was up to 30 minutes, so we decided to check out the new Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management first. It was a walk on. We waited about three minutes for the pre-show which, unfortunately, due to crowd noise, we were unable to enjoy. Pump up the volume! We enjoyed the new show, but I would have liked to have seen at least one or two of the old songs done in there entirety; not just the opening few bars. The new audio-animatronics move amazingly! Especially notable was the new Tiki God whose movement was frighteningly lifelike. The new sound and lighting systems also add a lot to the show.

We walked back across to the Jungle Cruise where the wait was now posted at 20 minutes and hopped in line. I really love that queue area! Especially the "radio station with it's nonstop puns! Our ride was fun, the skipper was good and it's neat to check out the detailing in this attraction.

The next stop was one of my faves: Pirates of the Caribbean. This was essentially a walk-on, we just waited for the boat ahead of us to get loaded. I really think this attraction is one of Disney's finest. It has a few mild "thrills," a great soundtrack, incredible detailing and is just plain FUN! After the ride we stopped in the gift shop where I bought a "It's a Pirates Life for Me" banner (featuring Mickey in a pirate getup with a parrot on his shoulder) to replace our faded Pooh banner. We also bought a gift for one of my friends here, but I won't say what it was in case he reads this before I give it to him. We had both of these items sent to package pickup since we had to pick up Diane's stuff anyway.

Splash Mountain was next. Another splendid example of a Disney attraction. Who else could make a log flume into a major thrill ride interspersed with wonderfully done Brer Rabbit scenes, accompanied by wonderful music? Did you ever notice that as you go by each of the AA figures you can hear their individual voice singing? However about halfway through (prior to the big drop), the worklights came on and we got stuck for a few minutes. Then, weeee! The big drop and all was well.

By now it was lunchtime, so walked to Liberty Square for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Diane had the chicken fingers and I had the clam chowder in a bread bowl. Both were good, but, they didn't dig out much of a bowl in my bread, so the serving size was lacking. I was still pretty full from breakfast or this would not have been enough for me. Does anyone know if this was once a full service restaurant? With it's little rooms and swinging kitchen doors, it looks like it was designed as a sit-down restaurant.

It was Diane's turn to pick an attraction so she picked: (you guessed it) shopping! We browsed through the Liberty Square shops where I bought us a Castle ornament. I spotted Brer Bear in the courtyard of the Christmas Shop and ran out to get my picture taken with him.

We continued through Liberty Square onto the Liberty Belle riverboat. The boat had just landed as we approached it, so this too, was a walk on. Being amongst the first to board we easily found a seat on the lower level, by the bow. The boat is a nice relaxing ride with lots of good photo ops.

A trip through the Haunted Mansion finished our journey through Liberty Square and we headed to Diane's next choice:" It's a Small World." This was really a walk-on. The three boats ahead of us were empty and we got a whole boat to ourselves. It was kind of romantic except for that damn-- I mean--lovely song.

Diane wanted to visit the castle gift shops, so off we went to Tinkerbell's Treasures and Sir Mickey's. I spotted some cool WDW '99 sweatshirts in Sir Mickey's and we bought a pair which we also sent ahead to package pickup.

It was my turn to pick now and I wanted to go on Space Mountain before it closed for rehab. Diane accompanied me on the line but chose the "chicken exit" when we got to the top. The wait sign said 20 minutes, but despite not moving for a few minutes, it was more like ten minutes. They had the whole spaceport queue section closed so that as soon as you got past the control tower, you headed straight for the loading platform. I was going to ask for a front seat, but before I could even ask, the CM assigned me to the front. Yea! It's really a different ride from the front seat! It was great fun! I've heard that depending upon how many trains they have running, that they either slow down or speed up this attraction (many trains, slow, to space them out). Well they must have had it cranked to full 'cause I don't ever remember this attraction being so fast! Whoooo!

A blast from the past followed, The Carrousel of Progress. I am so glad they brought the old song back. This is such a delightful way to spend 20 minutes! A CM friend of mine tells me that they're going to revamp it soon. He say's they'll be cutting out the first scene and adding a 1970s scene. I hope not.

Next we hopped on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority for a relaxing ride through Tomorrowland. It was now after 5:00 and we had a 6:00 PM PS at California Grill so we started the trek back to Main St.On the way Diane stopped at one of the carts and bought me a little MK note pad to keep my TR notes in.

Upon returning to Main. St. we browsed through some more of the shops. I spotted a cool "I'm never growing up" shirt that I knew I had to buy before the end of the trip. We then went to package pickup, fetched our goodies and started toward the Monorail Station. A few minutes later we were Contemporary bound.

The California Grill

We arrived at the CG about 15 minutes early for our PS but were seated immediately at a window seat. Our table was located just at the corner of the room with a view of both the Seven Seas lagoon (or is that Bay lake?) and the MK.

Our server was fabulous and after taking our drink orders, explained the menu to us in great detail. I had an interesting Japanese beer (whose name I forget) and Diane had a Margarita. For an appetizer I had a sushi sampler which boasted some of the most delicious sushi I've ever tasted (and believe me, I have tasted a lot!). Diane skipped an appetizer. Diane ordered the "Grilled Beef Filet with Tamarind Barbecue Glaze, Tuber Crush and Stir Fried Greens (with the sauce on the side). At first she wanted to order the "Spit Fired Chicken" sans the mustard seed broth, but our server explained the chicken is marinated in the broth. Sticking with a Japanese inspired theme, I ordered the "Tempura Bonsai Tuna and Spinach Rice Roll with Watercress and Quinoa Salad.

Shortly after I finished my sushi, it was MK fireworks time. The lights dimmed, the music was piped in and the restaurant was filled with "ooohs and ahhhs" as the fireworks burst all around us. It was truly magical.

Then out came our dinners. They were wonderful! Mine came out as a roll (hence the name) dipped lightly in tempoura batter. The tuna was rare, the spinach and herbs perfectly complimented the tuna. The salad was tasty and the presentation was beautiful. My mouth is watering as I type this. Diane's was also excellent. She is suspicious of gourmet food, and was pleasantly surprised at how much she liked the Tamarind Barbecue sauce and the tuber crush.

Midway through our meal, our server checked to see if we wanted the Triple Chocolate Chip Soufflé with Peanut Butter Ice Cream for dessert, as it took time to prepare. Diane, ever the chocolate lover, answered with a resounding "Yes!". I on the other hand, am very sensitive to caffeine and can't have anything with caffeine in the evening, including chocolate, so I ordered the Cheerier Cheesecake with Tart Meyer Lemon Glaze. Both were yummy. Diane would come back just for the Soufflé!

The room is simple but beautiful, and the views of the MK are stunning. The twinkling lights of the MK combined with the splendor of Cinderella's Castle at night made for a most magical and romantic evening. Only one downside to this lovely restaurant: the window tables are rather close together making intimate conversation inadvisable. Otherwise I highly recommend a dinner here. It's not cheap (just under $100 with tax, tip, no wine), but it is an evening you won't forget.

Back at the Lodge

We took a launch from the Contemporary back to the WL where we discovered that our maid was clever with towels and had made a swan on our bed and turned the glass I had left my toothbrush in into a nice toothbrush holder! A generous supply of Mickey soaps, hand cremes and shampoo had also been left. (for those who followed the tipping thread: yes, we had left her a tip. We put it under the little placard that welcomes you and gives you the maids name) After putting our packages away and relaxing a bit we decided to head down to Territory Lounge. I was drinking Cranberry Juice and Diane was drinking Diet Coke. After a while we decided we were hungry again and split one of their little pizzas. It was quite good and came with a nice honey-wheat crust.

Another round and we called it a night. I put in our wake up call and off to dreamland we went. We had to get up early the next day, as we had to be at Epcot Guest Relations for the "Hidden Treasures of World Showcase East and West" tour at 8:45 AM.

Day Three

Hidden Treasures of WS

We awoke to recorded music on the wake up call, not Mickey! I was disappointed, but nevertheless, we "got up and at 'em." Today was our "Hidden Treasures of World Showcase East & West" tour. A quick bite at Roaring Forks and we were off. We were driving since Epcot is a ten minute drive from WL as opposed to allowing 40 minutes for a bus. Breakfast had taken just a little too long so we had to rush. We arrived at the parking lot with about five minutes to spare, parked in row eight and rushed to check in.

Hidden Treasures of World Showcase East & West

At check in they gave us name tags (stickers that look like the CM nametags) and told us we had time to get a quick cup of coffee or whatever. I realized I was running low on film and ran to the Camera Shop. After a few more minutes, we were introduced to our guide Marty, and we were on our way.

Marty led us towards the World Showcase (WS) Lagoon and stopped to point out the gateway that had been set up just after the interactive fountains on bridge between Innoventions Plaza and Showcase Plaza. It was a beautiful snowflake design lattice portal. The gateway was made up of about 10 of these portals that you passed under. He explained to us that this was usually only set up for the holidays, but that apparently they were leaving it up longer. We later got to see it at night and lit up it's stunning (more info Day 4).

Once we reached the WS Lagoon, he stopped and had us each introduce ourselves. He told us a bit about the history of Epcot and Walt's ideas for Epcot (a futuristic city that people would actually live and work in). Marty went onto explain how Walt had wanted an International Street in DL. His idea was that if you could introduce guests to the culture of different countries in a fun and entertaining way that guests would learn something about these lands and this in turn would lead towards a better understanding of the world and world peace. This idea never came to fruition in DL, but became a part of Epcot. He also explained that originally the US Pavilion was to be built at the foot of the WS Lagoon on the Future World (FW) side. The Pavilion was to have been futuristic to match the FW architecture. But the attraction designers insisted that the attraction be based on a trip through history. Since a historical attraction housed in a futuristic building would be strange to say the least, they moved the attraction to WS and made it appear as a Colonial mansion.

From here we entered Canada. First Marty explained to us the use of forced perspective on the part that's modeled after a famous Canadian Hotel (Le Hotel du Montreal?). By making the windows and the bricks smaller as they go up, it makes it appear to much larger than it is. This technique is also used on the castle and throughout the parks. He than stared leading us towards backstage. He stopped us on a footbridge by a pond and asked us what was missing. It was the waterfall! It was turned off as WS doesn't open until 11:00 AM and it's a few minutes after 9:00. He further explained that the waterfall and other running water are used to mask the noise of backstage operations such as truck back-up signals, which (as we'd see in one moment), where just behind this wall.

Marty led us through a door marked " Cast Members Only" and we were in a parking lot. I immediately spied a major construction site right to our left and inquired about it. Marty told me (and everyone else who asked) that we'd get to that in a minute. He'd taken us back there to show us how they had real trees growing out of the fake Rockies. The Rockies are constructed out of fiberglass and a type of concrete they use for swimming pools. Set within this is structure are huge planters where the trees and bushes grow. Whenever a tree gets too big, it's "rotated" out and goes back to one of the nurseries. In addition to a main nursery, there are several smaller ones scattered about on the property.

He than pointed out a show building under going refurbishment near by and asked if anyone knew what building that was. It was Journey into Imagination! It may seem quite distant from WS the way the paths are set up, but it's literally right next door to Canada! Now it was time to talk about the construction site that had piqued all our curiosities.

All though the Imagineers are being tight lipped about it, this much is known: it's being built for the millennium celebration. The building is expected to host several countries for the period of the celebration and then become a permanent home to one country afterwards. The two countries most likely to be adding permanent pavilions are Brazil and Ukraine. It's going to be a huge building!

We visited the United Kingdom next where Marty talked about the potpourri of architecture styles represented. He pointed out the pub actually showcases two exterior styles side by side: country and city pubs. The Imagineers actually visited many (something like 200) pubs as part of their research. Now that sounds like FUN research!

The next stop was France where we once again went backstage. This time for a closer look at the Eiffel Tower. It was built to 1/10th scale and is painted the same color as the original was when it was built. This is because the entire France pavilion is set in the time period of when the Eiffel Tower was built.

The Morocco pavilion was actually built by 21 of the King's craftsmen. It's interesting to note that Moroccan craftsmen will not build anything perfectly. They will purposely leave imperfections as they believe that only Allah can create perfection. They concentrate their design skills on building interiors and not exteriors, mirroring their belief that what's on the inside (soul) is more important than what's on the outside (body).

Japanese and Chinese art and architecture are similar because many centuries ago when Chinese culture was coming of age, the Japanese Emperor sent scholars to study Chinese culture. The Japanese then adopted and adapted what the scholars learned into their own culture. One of the primary differences are that Japanese are more practical and don't use as much ornamentation as the Chinese do.

The US Pavilion uses forced perspective the opposite of the way that Canada uses it. Window elements and such are spaced to make the building appear to be a two story (plus an attic) Colonial mansion, rather than the huge (five story?) building that it is.

Marty explained the architecture in Italy, It's based on St. Mark's Square in Venice, but the campanile has been set on the wrong side of the street (Disneyfied!). He pointed out that many of the "cracks" aren't even 3-D, they're just painted on!

As we walked to Germany, we stopped to observe the model railroad. Marty told us how this was originally set up as a Christmas attraction but was so popular that it was brought back as a permanent addition. The CMs who take care of the train are constantly changing things. They move the "people" around daily and plant or harvest the fields at the appropriate time.

During our stroll through the Outpost, Marty filled us in on why it was here and other WS facts. The Outpost was supposed to be an Africa pavilion. The first building was started and then the sponsors "pulled the plug." Since the buildings were already started, they were turned into the little shops and stands we see there today. He also informed us that there is room for seven new countries to be built. All the WS pavilions occupy the same amount of square feet (could have fooled me!). They just appear to be larger or smaller depending upon their layout. For a country to be considered there must be a sponsor. The entire pavilion must be designed by Disney but can be built by either Disney or an outside contractor. No controversial countries or countries that are hostile to the US will be considered (sorry Saddam! <g>).

Next stop was China where we toured the lobby of the Temple of Heaven (half size replica) and discussed it's architecture. The use of colors is symbolic. Red means happiness, which is why it's the predominant color. Dragons ban be either dragons or emperors dependent upon how may claws they has. The detailed "painting" in the temple is really wallpaper. Another point of interest was the narrow "street" with shops that leads from the movie's exit back to the front. They designed this to be narrow so that it would be teeming with people just like a real market street in China.

In Norway, once again the architecture was explained to us, as well as a detailed explanation of the stave church. Most of these churches were destroyed in Norway after it was decreed that all churches must be large enough to accommodate three quarters of the town's population. Since the traditional stave churches were small, many were destroyed to make way for bigger churches. The few staves that remain are thought to be the oldest wooden structures standing in the world.

Mexico's temple was designed to give two appearances: in it's original state when it would have been towering over the landscape (the view as you approach it from FW) and as explorer's would have found it years later, surrounded by jungle (the view from WS). If you think that it smells kind of musty inside; you're right! They "pipe" in the smell.

The tour concluded here, about 3.5 hours after it began. Marty stayed around to answer questions or chat, but Diane and I were the only ones who took him up on it.

Conclusion:

The tour was excellent and I'd recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about WS. It was well balanced between architecture, fun facts and Disney in general. Marty was excellent. It was fun to see the pavilions uncrowded since it wasn't until we reached Norway that WS opened. Seeing backstage was neat. The illusions created by Disney magic is so good, that even after seeing the back of the Rockie's, once onstage, it's hard to believe these aren't made up of real rocks!

The cost with an Amex discount was $39.20. If you take the tour on Wednesdays, lunch is included.

Day Four

I had really hoped to get up early this morning to watch my sister Kim run through the MK on that leg of the WDW Marathon, but it just wasn't happening. I'm not an early riser to begin with, and after getting up early for the tour and getting drenched at MK, I wasn't leaving that nice warm bed. In the meantime, Diane had gotten up early and brought coffee and pastry back to the room. I showered, checked the weather forecast and we were off to TTC to catch the Monorail to Epcot, and then onto the "Family Reunion" area at the finish line of the Marathon. On the Monorail we made room for a runner who had just completed the Half Marathon. We started chatting and it turned out she worked for Imagineering out in CA. She decided to come at the last minute when one of her coworkers couldn't make it and used his number!

The weatherman had predicted it getting up into the high sixties and clouds giving way to sun. Well, he lied. It was getting cloudier. And COLDER! I had worn layers knowing that it would be chilly when we left, and that way I could strip off layers as it warmed. One tee-shirt, one long sleeve denim shirt and one sweatshirt just weren't enough. Diane, being perpetually cold, had worn THREE sweatshirts. I don't know how these runners can deal with it. Kim had told us she expected to be at the FR area between 10 and 10:30. It was now just a few minutes before 10:00. The minutes ticked by as we stood there shivering. The sky started to get lighter and we hoped for some sun and warmth. It was just a cruel hoax. It was now 11:15. Since we still hadn't seen Kim, nor my other sister (Jodi) and her husband, we figured that she came in early and had gone back to her room to pass out.

We head towards the Monorail station and who do we see by the fence? Kim, Jodi, Paul (Jodi's husband), Jenn (a former roommate and close friend of Kim & Jodi) and some other folks I didn't know! Yea! We hadn't missed her! After greetings and hugs and congratulations, we were on the monorail and they were headed back to their rooms. At the TTC we switched for a bus to AK. It was still COLD, damp, dark and cloudy.

AK doesn't look right when cold, dark and cloudy. You always picture the locales portrayed here as hot, blue skies, and a sun that won't quit. Well this was the complete opposite. We raced through the Oasis towards the stores where Diane could buy another sweatshirt. She found one and I bought it for her along with WDW gloves. I saw some possibilities, but I was holding out for a jacket since I needed one anyway.

By know we hungry in addition to cold so we hurried over to Tusker House for lunch and warm beverages. Now this was an oasis! The restaurant is nicely themed, has a great menu, reasonable (for WDW) prices and offers an MKC discount. Diane ordered the fried chicken platter which came with real smashed potatoes and string beans. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with Swiss cheese and ham which was served with potato wedges. Both were very good. In fact, I'd say it was amongst the best theme park food I've ever eaten! I drank hot chocolate while Diane went for coffee.

Energized, our next stop was the Kilimanjaro Safaris. It was literally a walk on. There's miles of queue area that one must traverse first. This ride is fabulous! Even though it was just after noon, one of the worst times to go, we saw tons of animals! The way this ride is designed, so that you can't see the moats and such that separate you from the critters deserves an award! Our guide was from South Africa and her accent really added something to the safari. I can see where the "poacher" story line is going to get old fast. Come on! We just want to watch the animals!

Next we headed for CtX, stopping to admire the Tree of Life along the way. Of course the shops along the way called out to Diane and we stopped there as well. I found a pair of Rhino earrings (I collect rhinos, it's a long story...) that I had been looking for. CtX was also a walk on. It's a good ride, but I like Indy at DL much better. I think mostly because I like Indy much better than dinosaurs. I also didn't like all the lights flashing in your face, which make it hard to appreciate the themeing. More shopping, I found a jacket I liked and some gifts for my crew. As we headed out of the store what should finally peek out of the sky? Yes, the sun! And it warmed up appreciably. March of the ARTimals was also under way when we stepped out. Now this is cool! Highly styled animals and insects all "playing" music!

We were supposed to meet my CM friend and her husband at the Tree soon, so we walked towards it and almost walked right into Sue and Eric! Sue was getting over being sick, so we sat and relaxed for a while and caught up on news. They hadn't been on KjS, so we headed back to Africa. This time (about 3:30), even more animals were out! Instead of a lion, we saw lionesses and lions (two each, I think). There were herds of elephants, and gazelles and "tommies!" The only thing we didn't really see:-( were the rhinos! This guide told better jokes, but lacked the sense of excitement that the first guide was able to portray. An enthusiastic CM urged us to go on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (PFET) as it would close soon. We were glad we did! These critters were all out, too! We saw several of the gorillas playing and the hippo pond was neat. It was very interesting to be able to see them both above and underwater.

Sue was still weak and tired easily, so after picking up a few more goodies (like the jacket I had seen earlier), we left the park for dinner. Eric and I being big sushi fans, they took us to a local Japanese restaurant called Kobe. They feature an early bird $1.00 a piece sushi special. The dollar sushi menu is limited, but quite good. The girls both got "kitchen food" while Eric and I pigged out. The food was quite good and the place is only a short drive from WDW. Sue needed rest so Eric dropped us back at WL.

It was still relatively early, so we decided to go back to Epcot. This time we drove. The drive into the parking area was eerie as I've never seen it before with no lot attendants. I drove down to the front and found a space in row 7.

Our first stop was Spaceship Earth. Still love that ride! I find new details every time I go on. Next was Mexico for the boat ride (and of course Diane had to shop<g>). Diane wanted to pick up some things in Italy, and then we planned on buying dessert in France and watching Illuminations. It takes so long to walk around WS that by the time we got to France we had to hurray in order to grab a pastry and get back to the lagoon in time. We weren't worried about finding a space. The place was deserted! I got a peach torte and Diane got something with chocolate. She also got a Cafe au Lait and I had my usual bottled water (well not quite usual, it was imported from France!). We grabbed a piece of wall right next to the lagoon that served as table and a romantic dessert for two! I still like the old Illuminations better. This one doesn't do much for me. I noticed that from many of the countries, the "ball" and the fountains just aren't visible anymore. They need to either add more so everyone can see them or scrap them altogether. If I didn't know to look for them I would have never seen them. We slowly meandered out towards Canada. It wasn't near as cold now as it was at noon, and I was comfy in my new AK jacket as was Diane in her new AK sweatshirt. Epcot was so empty! We walked down the rose garden path by JiI and were the only ones on it. We watched the lights on the arch way (described in an earlier TR) and Spaceship Earth. It was a beautiful night and full of Disney magic. Hand in hand we strolled back to the car. There was no traffic so we made it back to WL in no time.

I realized it was almost time for the Electric Water Pageant and dragged my tired feet to the beach to watch. I hadn't seen this since I was 18! Very cool, but the sound system is awful. Back to the room where the maid had now made us a heart out of towels! Very sweet! I sat on the balcony enjoying the night air while Diane got ready for bed. I returned my sister's call, made some plans with them for the next day and was soon fast asleep.

Day Five

We started off the day with a highlight of the trip for Diane: breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe. We arrived there by taking the launch to the MK and there taking the Resort Monorail to the Grand Floridian. Our connections were fast and soon we were awaiting our table. It's neat that they have free out-of-town newspapers to read, so we got to catch up on the NY Times. The food and the service were very good, but pricey. Best coffee I had in WDW! The waiter ran our charge through for the wrong bill (a MUCH higher one), so it was almost even more expensive!

With our batteries charged, we headed back to the Monorail platform. Our plans were to visit MK briefly, pick up some sweatshirts we has seen for our nieces, and then over to Epcot for lunch with my sisters et al.

A train had just pulled out as we emerged on the platform. As we waited for the next one, which seemed to be taking forever, we started chatting with the CM. He explained to us that the delay was due to new pilot trainee testing. They had a new pilot on an empty train and were "hiding" our train to see if the new driver would obey the alerts and stop properly. Trainees must pass everything on the test. They get to try three times. If they don't make by their third time, they are sent to another WDW division. Out train finally arrived and the CM offered us the cab! But Diane misunderstood and started walking to the rear of the train. Bummer!

At MK we headed straight through the castle to buy the sweatshirts at Sir Mickey's. One problem: they were shooting some sort of video in the back of the store, right where our sweatshirts were! I inquired of one of the CMs if they had them elsewhere, but she was able to snag them for us between takes. I also purchased a nice Mickey pen for my office.

Diane wanted to try a churro, so we strolled through Fantasyland into Frontierland. She bought her churro and we headed for the Frontierland Train Station. A train was waiting for us and we enjoyed a nice relaxing ride back to Main Street. We exited and took the Monorail to TTC where we transferred to the Epcot line.

At Epcot we headed straight for the Rose and Crown, where we meeting my sisters Kim and Jodi, Jodi's husband Paul, and their friend Jenn. As our table wasn't ready, we gathered around the bar, where Paul (who's a native Brit), bought us a round. He introduced us to "Shandies," which are half beer and half lemonade. We were finally seated about 15 minutes past our PS (first time whole trip!). The food was good, but a bit bland. I'm not sure I would bother eating here again, but I surely love the bar!

After lunch, Diane decided to go back to WL to rest her bad knee in the Jacuzzi, while the rest of us decided to drink our way around the world (or until it was time to leave for my evening plans). Our first stop was France where we all shared various wines. Next was Japan where Kirin was the drink of choice (I sat that one out). From there we skipped America (no Bud for us!) and journeyed to Italy where wine was once again the choice (I had an Italian bottled water). While we were in Italy we caught a performance of "Rondo Veneziano." This sparked a debate as to whether the instrument that one of the women was playing was an oboe or a clarinet. It turned out that we were all half right: it was a clarinet with an oboe mouthpiece! This group is fun. I deal with classical musicians all the time and I have never seen classical musicians have as much fun playing as this bunch does! Next stop was Germany for a Becks, but time was running short, so I had to say good bye. But first, we flagged a passing CM to take a group shot of us in Germany.

It was weird, but fun for me to be walking solo in the park. I've almost always traveled with large groups of people (coming from a family of seven children), so there was always someone you were walking with. This was a strange sense of freedom and it brought me right into the bakery in Norway. I bought a treat and bottle of water and headed for the monorail. I asked for the front cab and got it. Yea! The driver was bit a strange. He was having fun playing with the audio, hitting repeat so phrases were heard over and over again, and playing the audio from the resort loop. I don't know if the whole train heard this or just us. My luck was holding and I walked right onto a Boone bus and was whisked to the WL.

We grabbed a quick dinner at Roaring Forks and at 7:00 PM met Sue and Eric for a trip to the Character Warehouse (CW) and Character Premier. There are some real bargains to be had and some stuff that you have to wonder why they would have ever ordered. CW had better merchandise but was extremely crowded and hot. Here we found $30 sweatshirts for $7.99. We also checked out the Disney Holiday Outlet which had some great buys, but I'm not one to buy stuff for Christmas a year in advance. Diane and Eric also checked out the Planet Hollywood Outlet, but both were disappointed.

Next we returned to WL to visit the bar. Nobody felt like drinking, so we all ordered soft drinks and snacks. The menu is real limited, mostly desserts from Artist's Point, pizza, and nachos. I chose the nachos while everyone else went for dessert. Everything was yummy. Around 11:00 we said good-bye and made plans for tomorrow. We went back to our room and started a most unpleasant task-- packing! When that was complete I sat on the balcony and watched the water until the unseasonably cold night brought me in. I never want a Disney trip to end, but this one I REALLY didn't want to end. It was just the right combination. The WL was wonderful! When the valets greeted you at nigh with "welcome home," it just felt SO right. And we had balanced it right so we had enough time for ourselves as well as my sisters and Sue and Eric. After I played out all the fantasy scenarios about staying an extra day in my mind, I crawled into bed. Good-night WL. See you next time!

Day Six

The sun was shining, the weather forecast was good. So why were we sad? It was our last day at WDW! But, hey we still had some fun left before our flight. So we packed, had our last breakfast at Roaring Forks, called bell services to hold our bags and called Sue and Eric. Eric answered and informed me that Sue (part time CM at MGM, HoND) had been called in to work, but that he would meet us and we could say good bye to Sue during her lunch break.

We hopped the launch to MK to search for princesses and get photos and autographs for my nieces (as per their request). Our eyes had been open to photo ops the whole trip, but we hadn't run into nary a princess. We stopped in City Hall and were informed that we could find Snow White along with the dwarves on one of the cul de sacs off Main St. in about a half hour. Having some time to kill we decided to check out the Kodak Expo in what used to be the Walt Disney Story. In here we found they do "green screen" images in which they insert you into a scene. They had one with the princesses, so I decided to give it a try after inquiring as to how long it took. I was assured a "few minutes," however, it took a long time for them to "clean up" the photo before it could be printed. The photo came out great, but it was now past the Snow White greeting time! I ran to the greeting area, but just as I got there they announced she was leaving. Disappointed we ran to the castle hoping to catch Cinderella. No luck. We found Peter Pan and Wendy outside the castle. Diane took my picture with them. Tried for Ariel in her Grotto, but the line was too long. We needed to leave and meet Eric at MGM so we started towards the exit. Diane stopped in a few shops along the way. We walked onto a waiting monorail and headed for the TTC to catch a bus to MGM. Our luck was good and we walked right onto a bus.

There was just enough time for us to catch a ride on ToT. The sign listed a 15 minute wait, but it was literally a walk on. I tried to mentally compare the Library to the drawing I saw at the "Designing the Disney Theme Parks" exhibition. It was very close. We had a very short (2 minutes?) wait before boarding our elevator. We had the best bell hop ever. This guy was totally in character. He did a great spiel using an character voice and rolling his eyes! It really added a lot to the ride. (I tried to remember his name but failed.) We were seated in the last row. It seemed more intense from this position.

On to NYC Street to meet Eric. We found him right away. He told us that Kermit was out, so walked over to visit him and, of course, take a picture with him. We then joined the line for HoND and grabbed a first row seat (yes, I'd rather sit in the middle, but Diane wanted the front). Matt the Juggler did the pre-show and kept us in stitches as usual. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and waited for Sue to get off duty (well, lunch break) so we could all grab a bite.

Sue chose the ABC Commissary for lunch. It had a rather unusual menu featuring grilled cheese and quesadillas. Sue and Diane had the grilled cheese and I had the quesadilla. We all enjoyed our entrees. For dessert we split two slices of key lime pie between the four of us. Much to our (pleasant) surprise, it was cheesecake key lime pie! It was yummy and I wish I could have a slice right now!

It was now time to say good bye and start back to WL to fetch our rental car and luggage. Eric offered to drive us, so we said good bye to Sue and started back to the gate. The Mulan parade was running and we watched the end of it as we walked. At WL we said good bye to Eric and turned in our luggage and valet tags. While we wee waiting, I asked for directions back to the airport via the Greenway. Rather than just telling us, the valet highlighted a map for us! Now this is service!

The trip back to the airport was uneventful. Check-in at Dollar Rent-A-Car was a little slow only in that there was only one person doing it. It still took well less than five minutes. A skycap picked up our luggage and escorted us to airline check in. Does anyone know why skycaps at MCO can't check your luggage like they do at Newark and other airports? We were way early. That's one thing I have to get my timing down on. I always over estimate how long the trip from WDW to MCO is and get there way early.

At the check in counter they informed us it was snowing at home and our flight could be delayed. But everything was normal and we took off and landed on time.

Conclusion

The trip was one of our best. Staying at WL added a whole another dimension to the trip. With it's wonderful themeing, convenient location and warm and helpful staff, returning "home" to WL was always part of the magic. I've stayed at DxL and CBR and there I always just felt like I was just returning to my room. At WL, I felt like I was coming back to someplace special. IMHO, the extra money for WL is money well spent.

Our most outstanding meal was definitely California Grill. The food, service and view were incomparable. Diane is a fussy eater who prefers plain food to gourmet, yet she loved her meal as much as I did (and I'm an adventurous eater). Priority seating worked great! The only wait we had was a short one at Rose & Crown. All other tables were ready when we arrived.

We were glad we had the rental car. Although we preferred to use Disney transportation when we could, it was far faster to drive to MGM and Epcot. I recommend taking the Greenway rather than I4 from the airport. It costs more, but it's a fast, EASY, direct route and you skip the gaudy sprawl of International Drive/I4 corridor.

Taking a relaxed pace was wonderful. Although we missed attractions I would have liked to visit, not feeling rushed was more than worth the sacrifice. It seems the more you visit, the more you grasp the depth of the place. Even if you visit often, there's just so much to do, to see, to try and to eat and drink.

All and all it was a fantastic trip and I can't wait to return. Comments are welcome. Thanks for reading my TR.

Alan D. Schaefer

adschaefer@home.com

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