Trip Reports

The Great Grandmother of All Trip Reports

Conventions

Before we even get started I’d like to point out some conventions (acronyms) I’ll be using throughout this report. For the longtime Disneyholics these will seem trivial but for you first-timers to one of these novellas please take time to look them over.

When I say…
I am talking about…

WDW
Walt Disney World

TMK
The Magic Kingdom

EC
Epcot Center

MGM
Disney/MGM Studios

DAK
Disney’s Animal Kingdom

CRO
Walt Disney World’s Central Reservation Office

CS
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

GF
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Hotel

CBR
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Hotel

Poly
Disney’s Polynesian Resort Hotel

ELP
Electrical Light Parade

CM
Cast Member

FITS
Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at The Magic Kingdom

AE
Alien Encounter

VOTLMM
Voyage of The Little Mermaid

TGMR
The Great Movie Ride

B&TB
Beauty and the Beast

TZTOT
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

RNRC
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

SPLM
Splash Mountain

SPM
Space Mountain

BTMRR
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

AA
American Adventure

VOL
Voices of Liberty

Aps
Annual Passports

MKC
Magic Kingdom Club

TTC
Ticket and Transportation Center

SE
Spaceship Earth

PoC
Pirates of the Caribbean

RFC
Rainforest Café

COP
Carrousel of Progress

TTA
Tomorrowland Transit Authority

TL
TomorrowLand

FL
FantasyLand

AL
AdventureLand

FRL
FrontierLand

VOL
Voices of Liberty


I apologize for any I’ve missed.

Dedication

I thought long and hard about whom I should dedicate this trip report to and then it came to me. Although we all try to keep tabs on what’s going on at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, we would all fall far short if it wasn’t for the countless hours put in by our dedicated Disney Webmasters. I’m sure my audience knows of who I speak of and agree with me that without their sites many of us would not be privy to information that we use in our trip planning.

So here’s a Mickey thanks to all of you and I hereby dedicate this labor of love, The Official Great Grandmother of All Trip Reports to all the Disney Webmasters.

Oh yeah, before going any further I would like to say that I am assuming my audience is made up of…

...Walt Disney World veterans who just can’t get enough of WDW and are vicariously reliving my trip along with me…

…People who are interested in getting some trip information before planning or going to WDW in the near future…

…Friends, relatives, and colleagues who may or may not particularly be WDW fans but just like to read along hoping for a chuckle or two…I hope I don’t fail you…

…Walt Disney World employees who I hope will at least take some stock in what I have to say good or bad. I am all for helping them keep WDW a fun place to always visit…but they need to listen to those of us who are willing to give our honest opinion of how things are down there. It’s tough to please all the guests but if enough guests feel strongly about certain areas there must be some merit to those thoughts.

Okay audience…here we go.

Flashback - The ¾ Family Trip

For those of you who have read the 1997 Grandmother of All Trip Reports you may remember that my daughter Holly did not go with us on that trip. With that in mind let me set the stage….

April 1999…the setting…a small restaurant in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. My wife and I had made the 2-½ hour trip to Vermont to visit Holly who was one month from her college graduation. We had gone up to bring back some of her things. You know…like a few hundred pairs of shoes, five dozen sweaters (Vermont Winters are so cold that the bears wear overcoats) ten thousand CDs, and other assorted staples for a college coed.

We had come to this restaurant because we planned on taking the family out for lunch after graduation. We had a tough time finding a restaurant because the state of Vermont is stuck in the 60’s and everything is closed on Sundays except for restaurants…and they don’t open for business until 4 P.M. I think this law has something to do with the untimely death of an aging Indian squaw, who met her destiny one night while picking blueberries past her curfew…during a Full Moon…in a leap year,

Ha but there was one restaurant, The Lincoln Inn, which opened earlier in the day. Surely this is a renegade establishment who will someday rot in Hel…erh…Heck…(after all this IS a Disney trip report).

Holly’s Statement

Okay so we’re trying out this restaurant and after we order my wife went to “powder her nose.” Holly and I started to chat and I told her that her brother Mike and I were planning on going to WDW in late summer because we felt we needed it after a tough winter. She looked at me and said, “You know…I’ll never say no again,” referring to the ’97 trip in which she had decided to stay home and work during the summer.

When Holly made that statement the wheels in my head started turning. I immediately conjured up a plan to turn this trip into more than I had originally planned. Could I pull it off and make it the family vacation I had wanted the ’97 trip to be? I told Holly that we would have to figure out a way for us to somehow convince her mother to buy into it. When I had planned the trip in March Carol had suggested that just Mike and I go and that she would stay home. I assumed that Carol was thinking that Holly would have either secured a job by then and not be able to take a vacation or that Holly would be in the midst of a job search and not want to take the time off to visit Mickey and friends. But it was clear that Holly wanted to go.

Now let’s fast-forward this timeline. It is now early June. A few weeks after graduation we had a family powwow and the plans changed a bit. Carol, once realizing that Holly had an interest in going, was now thinking like me…a family vacation.

Mike and Holly had both decided that two weeks would be too much for them to be away. Mike did not want to miss more than a week of work and Holly was intent on finding a job in television (Communications Major).

We all decided that Holly and Mike would spend one week in Orlando and then fly home. Carol and I would spend the entire two weeks in Orlando. That plan seemed to work well with everyone.

I had originally booked the All-Star Sports Resort back in March when I thought it was just Mike and I venturing to Florida. I had to call and make some adjustments to the reservation.

’99 Trip Tip #1 - Watch those dates

For those not aware, when you make WDW resort reservations be aware that if your reservation crosses over from one period to another that your room rate remains as it was for the first night. For instance, if you book one week in Mid-August and your room rate starts at $100/night and the fifth night of your stay happens to be the beginning of “Value Season” you will still be charged the $100/night instead of the $85/night because that’s the way they do business. By the same token when moving from Value Season to Regular Season if you start with the Value Season rate you will end with the Value Season rate. How do you get by the original scenario? Easy, make two reservations so that the second reservation begins on the first day of Value Season.

Mike Scopa: Discount Hound

When I called the Central Reservation Office (hereafter referred to as the CRO) I told them of the change I needed to make. Remember that after the first two adults in the room anyone over the age of 18 carries a surcharge per night with that surcharge amount depending upon the type resort you are staying at. During the conversation I worked in the questions EVERYONE needs to ask when talking with the CRO: “Could you please tell me if there are any Magic Kingdom Club or Annual Passholder specials during the time period I had originally booked?”

Walt must have been smiling on me that day as although there were no rooms available at the Caribbean Beach Resort Hotel (CBR), which is our favorite WDW resort, there were some rooms available at Coronado Springs (CS) for the price of $104 per night. Now if we do the math we realize that if we don’t use the AP special the price is $134/night plus $30/night surcharge ($15/person/night) plus tax…we’re talking approximately $180/night (for the first seven days. The last seven would have gone for $148/night)…instead the nightly charge including tax came to about $116. Hmmm, $116/night for four people at the most recently opened WDW resort? What would Walt have thought?

One of my goals for this trip was to make use of every discount edge I had and try to save as much off the “standard” cost as possible. This was a big step towards that goal as, pay attention, the savings realized just by using the AP special on the room, came to just under $700.

It pays to ask.

Without hesitation I moved us from the All-Stars Resort to Coronado Springs…by the way, the cost at the All-Stars resort would have been close to $100 MORE than CS. For those not familiar with the WDW resorts this may not seem like a big deal but we are talking about a “Moderate” resort (CS) versus an “Economy” resort (AS). Again…it pays to ask.

I also booked the Polynesian Luau (which I later canceled) and Cirque du Solei (which you’ll find I was glad I didn’t cancel).

Okay, the stage was set. The room was booked. I secured the rental car through the MKC/National Car Rental. Since I had waited for final plans before booking I knew I would have to jump through some hoops to get a decent deal. I had to book a full-size…something I would not have done if it were just Mike and I going. Using the MKC card I saved about $100. The airfare was booked via the Internet on a Southwest Airlines special…$188 RT Direct. If I had booked it a month or two earlier the cost would have been $154 but again I had to wait for the family to make their final plans. It pays to plan early so do so whenever possible.

All that was left was the waiting.

This was a different type of territory for me. On average my WDW plans are usually in place an average of 12-14 months in advance. It was quite an education but now I know how to quickly put a trip together if I have to…although I strongly recommend at least a six-month buffer. I admit though…waiting a month or so is a lot more tolerable than waiting a year or two.

For the record a few weeks before the trip Holly got a job as a television producer with the stipulation that she be allowed to take a week off in August to vacation with her family. The station really wanted Holly so they told her “Whatever it takes…”

Everything had fallen into place.

Tuesday, August 3, 1999 - Good Bye New Hampshire…Hello Orlando

I was up around 5 A.M. Do you really think I slept at all? Our flight was scheduled to take off at 8:30.

Apologies to Ponce DeLeon

I took a shower and did the dreaded deed of coloring my hair. To all the guys out there sporting gray hair…be aware that sometime during your lifetime your wives and daughters may ask you to color your hair “…to take the gray away and look good for the vacation pictures.” This is fine and dandy but I want all of you to say along with me…“I will not let them choose the hair color!”

I should have gone with the light/medium brown instead of the dark brown. When I had emerged from the shower I was shocked to see a mane of dark, almost black hair. My hair wasn’t that dark when Doc Molliver gave me my first spanking and uttered that world famous saying, “Mrs. Scopa, it’s a boy.”

Now I know you’re saying to yourself, “Mike, give me a break. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Oh yeah?

All I could think of was…”Elvis is in the building.” Hmmm, maybe I can shave my head and then find a gray wig somewhere. Well there was nothing to do except hope that somewhere along the line I’d see something like a million Brazilian tour groups to turn my hair back to a salt and pepper look.

We packed the van and drove to the Manchester Airport. I dropped off everyone and parked the van in the long-term parking lot. Hey a bus to take me back to the terminal…cool. I headed for the gate. As with most Southwest Airlines Internet specials you board the plane 30 passengers at a time. Carol and the kids were already in line. We got our boarding passes and sat down to wait for the boarding call. This was the very first time we were to fly as a family. In other years Carol and the kids have visited relatives in Phoenix but I hadn’t gone. The kids were pretty excited that this time we were flying and not driving down to Florida. I know my friend Julie O’Brien will be proud of me when I tell her we were among the first 30 to board the plane.

We landed in Orlando some three hours later. It was the first time I had landed at Orlando’s International Airport. Oh I had flown to Orlando in the past…the last time was 1976. However, back then it was called McCoy Jetport and I think there were only two gates. My how times have changed.

Saving Time

Now the fun began. While Carol, Mike, and Holly concentrated on getting the luggage I sped down to the National Car rental desk…and found NO ONE IN LINE. I mean not just for National but for all the car rental companies. In less than five minutes I was heading to baggage claim. I found everyone and Mike and

I headed for the National parking lot. Mike and I picked up the car (thank God I rented a full-size…barely fit the luggage in the trunk) and we were off.

For those who haven’t flown to Orlando lately (many people still drive to WDW) take my advice and use the Greenway toll road. For $2.00 you will be able to drive from Orlando International Airport to the Walt Disney World property in about 30 minutes. Funny…it took less time to drive from the airport to the Disney property than when I returned…(sigh).

We drove to Coronado Springs. Hey, where did all these trees come from? They had really spruced up the place since July 1997. We had driven past the resort back in ’97 before the resort opened.

Holly and Carol stayed in the car while Mike and I went in to register. The room was not ready but we were able to get our resort IDs. For the size of the resort I would have thought there would be more windows at the Service Desk. Once we registered I immediately went over to Guest Relations and purchased Mike’s

7-Day Park Hopper (used my MKC card). I asked if per chance I could activate the APs at the resort. I had an idea as to what the answer was but you never know. It never hurts to try. The answer was No.

I did convince the Cast Member “Dawn” to sell me E-Tickets for that night.

’99 Trip Tip #2 - The E-Ticket Express: Part I

The E-Ticket Express is offered on special nights in The Magic Kingdom (TMK). To purchase an E-Ticket Express pass you must be a resort guest with a multi-day pass. When you purchase the E-Ticket it will look like your resort ID. You trade this ticket for a wristband at TMK. You can do this between City Hall and the firehouse or Splash Mountain or Space Mountain. Only 5,000 tickets are sold… at least that’s the impression I got from some of the CMs. Most of them said it’s about 5,000 but noone said it was exactly 5,000.

We drove off to the Marketplace. Hmmm, when I pulled in not only did I find a parking space without driving around 60 times but I found plenty of parking spaces…a far cry from 1997. We walked right into the Rainforest Café and sat down to lunch. The time was about 2:05. I mention the time because I want the audience out there to take note as to when it’s a good time to go to certain restaurants.

I won’t go into what we ordered but I would say that Mike likes the Jamaica Me Crazy Pork Chops. I could not use my AP discount there because I had left the vouchers in the car…not sure if I would have gotten the discount with the voucher anyway. The RFC can be expensive…our bill was well over $100 so plan accordingly when visiting the RFC.

After lunch we checked out the RFC gift shop…tons of stuff were reduced…I purchased a polo shirt for not $40…not $30…not even $20 but for $14.

Welcome to Coronado Springs

We drove back to CS and we had our resort IDs coded. Our room was in the Ranchos section of CS.

CS has the following main areas:

El Centro - Front Desk/Guest Services, Main Lobby, Gifts/Sundries, Arcade, Bus Stop, Marina

Pepper Market - Lounge, Food Court, Convenience Store

Maya Grill - Full Service Restaurant

Convention Center - The last thing I want to see while on vacation.

Casitas - Largest of the three guest areas…about 1500 rooms (also closest to the Health Club and Salon)

Health Club and Salon - Mike was sure to find this place ASAP.

Dig Site - Pool, Nature Trail Bar and Grill, Arcade, Playground, Volleyball Court

Ranchos - Second largest of the three guest areas…about 1100 rooms

Cabanas - Smallest of the three guest areas…about 680 rooms

Our room was 7671 at the Ranchos. We (or should I say Mike and I) unloaded the car and put all our stuff in the room and we were off to TMK.

I parked at the Poly and took the monorail to the park. It started to sprinkle a bit. We went to Guest Services and I showed the CM at the window Holly’s AP Voucher I had renewed in ’95 and the two I renewed in ’98 for Carol and myself. The CM informed me that I did not have to upgrade the vouchers. I thought that with the addition of the fourth theme park (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) that I’d have to upgrade the APs. I was pleasantly surprised. The best deal was Holly’s as I had renewed her AP at the price of $194…imagine having an AP at that price. If she were to stay the two weeks and entered a park every day the cost would be just over $13 a day. I was pretty happy…the savings were adding up.

It really started to pour. I led everyone under the train station to the left and through City Hall. We saw several CMs at a table between the City Hall and the Firehouse…hey when did the Firehouse sprout Dalmatians? Check it out. Anyway there were NO LINES at the table. There were more CMs than Scopa family members at the table. We got our green wristbands for the night. Again I asked how many E-Tickets were usually available and I was told 5,000 so let’s stick with that number…but they seemed to think that only 3,200 or so were sold on this day.

It was still raining so we ducked into the Emporium...hmmm the Millennium merchandise was already out on the display cases and clothing racks. On to Casey’s Corner to quench our thirst. We went over to TomorrowLand because Holly wanted to do the Carrousel of Progress. Surprise Surprise. The COP operating hours for the summer were 11 to 5. Hmmm, file that one away. It was well past 5 P.M.

Mike and Holly decided to do Astro Orbiter. “No thanks!” I said. After they came off the Astro Orbiter we all did the TTA (TomorrowLand Transit Authority…originally known as the Wedway People Mover), one of Carol’s favorite attractions. She likes it because it’s never really crowded; it’s not a big time thrill ride, takes you around TL, and cools you off.

It wasn’t until we rode the TTA that I noticed Cinderella Castle changing colors. Dusk was approaching and the lights were on…cool. I think it was those colors which drew us to the castle…we were trying not to do the E-ticket rides…why waste time doing those now…let’s do the attractions that are open until 11.

We cut through the castle and I checked out the banks of lights at the base of the moats...looks like a big time investment to me…I liked the effect…white…blue…purple.

We walked right onto The Lion King Adventure. Hmmm, it has never been as good as the first week it opened back in 1994. To this day I still maintain that there were twice as many performers doing the show as now. The “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” number back then was packed with animals…not anymore. As we entered the attraction I started thinking to myself….”Hmmm…parking spaces at the marketplace…walked into RFC…no line to get E-Ticket wristbands...walked onto three attractions…”

We left the show and cut through Liberty Square. The CMs weren’t sure if Pirates or Haunted Mansion would be on the E-Ticket menu tonight so we did the HM…walked right on…hmmm.

’97 Trip Tip #3 - Don’t Go Left Here

I’m sure many people have heard the “go to the left” advice. Well, when it comes to the Haunted Mansion stick to the right because the outside area curves to the right ...takes longer to get to the doors if you are on the left. Also, stand near the painting of the woman with the umbrella…you’ll thank me later.

When we left the Haunted Mansion we noticed the Electrical Light Parade had started. We got on the riverboat and watched the Parade from the top of the boat...pretty cool. I noticed the Peter Pan float and look…the seven dwarfs mine car float…yep…it’s the Disneyland version

Boy time was flying by. I reminded everyone that if they were hungry that we would be smart to get something to eat not much later than 10 P.M. as the restaurants would start closing shop. We had a light meal (salad and sandwich) in the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon and saw a great show. This show involved four guys who were pretty talented musicians and great comedians and entertainers. If possible schedule a meal around show time. The show lasted about 30 minutes.

We couldn’t hold back. We went to the Pirates of the Caribbean. If it’s an E-ticket attraction; we’ll do it later also. I’m expecting about a 20-minute wait…wrong. No line…still haven’t seen a line. Did you know that the audioanimatronic figure holding the key at the end of the ride was modeled after a longtime custodian at Disneyland?

Let’s see…what time is it? Hmm, almost 11 P.M. As Rafiki would say, “It is time!”

We headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BMTRR) and as we approached the entrance we noticed a crowd and a few CMs “holding court.” The guests were upset because the CMs had “closed” the attraction. I heard one of the CMs say something like, “Well it’s 11 P.M. and…”

I didn’t hesitate and walked by him with my arm raised so he could see my wristband.

”Okay”, he said.

Mike and Holly followed me. As we made our way up to the loading area we could hear him trying to explain to the (non E-Ticket) guests why we were allowed on the attraction.

It was pretty strange, almost Surreal, to walk through the queue area with noone else around. Mike kept on saying, “This is nuts!” and Holly kept saying “Oh my God!” We got right on.

Methinks that BTMRR needs some adjustment. I always thought of it as a smooth semi-roller coaster ride. It seemed a bit rough tonight. Don’t know why. As we left the attraction we were still lauding the E-Ticket.

We then headed for Splash Mountain…Carol again said she’d sit this one out. Again there were NO LINES. Hold up that wrist. The CM at SPM was really into this E-Ticket stuff as he was handing out high fives as we went by him. Y’know that queue well behind the mountain? No use for that. Right up the stairs.

We had a log all to ourselves. Man did we get wet. I forgot about that area after the big drop. After you come off the big drop and head around to the left side the water canyons soak you, and then you stall next to this waterfall. When we came off we got the picture…grrr, I thought I was looking right at the camera.

We have to go again. This time Carol went with us and we all got wet. Carol was hoping to prove to everyone back home that she was brave enough to go on SPLM but the photo had Mike’s arms up which covered her face…and I was not looking at the camera…we didn’t buy that photo.

’99 Trip Tip #4 - Conquering Fear at WDW

This is sort of a different type of tip. For those of you reading who are still not sure if you want to try Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Twilight Zone of Terror (TZTOT), or even the Rock n’ Roller Coaster please listen to my theory. In many cases it’s either the fear of heights or motion that prevents people from trying these attractions. If you think your fear is one of heights then I suggest trying Splash Mountain and TZTOT at night. I’ve done them in the day and at night and the experience is different at night. By different I mean that the sense of height is not the same. SM and RNR because are basically in the dark. BTMRR is not a roller coaster ride…give it a try...at night. If you can’t see how high up you are then you may just be able to enjoy these attractions. Motion sickness is another thing. Be like Mike (me) and stay far away from those deadly TeaCups.

After a few rides on SPLM we headed over to TomorrowLand. Holly and Mike went on Space Mountain.

SM just doesn’t do it for me anymore so I sat this one out with Carol. When Holly and Mike came out of the attraction they commented that the attraction was just so-so. They used to love this attraction. Hmmm…I wondered if they’d ever ride it again. We headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

I think the Imagineers hit the jackpot with this attraction. Buzz greets you just before you enter to do battle with the Evil emperor Zurg. When you enter this attraction you may ask yourself, “Gee, I wonder if Disney had to pay Viewmaster for…” In this attraction two people ride these space cadet vehicles. The bar across the front has two laser guns. The objective is to aim for the “Z” targets that you come across during the ride…there’s plenty so no excuse to not score a zillion points. The middle of the bar contains a joystick that you can use to spin the car clockwise or counter clockwise. You need to constantly reposition your car so you can score points. Some of the targets move and you are also rewarded by more than just points when hitting some of them.

I don’t remember how many points I scored but I do know that Carol scored a ton…999,999. At one point in the attraction you will be going through a tunnel. For you BabyBoomers who remember “If You Had Wings” this is the tunnel where you felt you were skiing downhill. When you get to this area of the attraction spin your vehicle. As you approach the end of the tunnel you will get the sensation that you are spinning uphill…pretty neat.

Since Holly had never seen Alien Encounter (AE) and since it was on the E-Ticket menu for this evening Mike and I escorted her to this attraction. We prepared her for the attraction. I was reminded by the CMs there not to video tape. There’s not much to videotape so I don’t know why the warning.

’99 Trip Tip # 5 - Read This before You Experience Alien Encounter

I may have mentioned this in previous trip reports but I think it’s a good reminder for those who don’t like being confined. When you enter the AE chamber and sit down…DON’T SIT DOWN. Instead crouch a little or sit on your hands until the harness stops. That way you won’t feel confined but also keep in mind that you may not get the full effect of the attraction.

Well Holly had mixed feelings about the attraction. She thought at first that it was going to be really scary and it was but not to the point that she had expected.

Carol and I wanted to make sure that Holly and Mike got the most out of this E-ticket night so we suggested that we go back to Frontierland to SPM and BTMRR. We told them we’d meet them there. Along the way as we crossed over the Tomorrowland bridge we noticed the castle changing colors. Time for a picture of the kids.

Did I forget to mention that there were some characters out and about during the E-ticket night? Donald and Daisy Duck were outside the Buzz Lightyear attraction and Chip and Dale were near the TTA.

Carol and I observed some interesting things on this night. The guests using the E-Ticket seemed to be very outgoing. A CM told us that he enjoyed working the E-ticket nights because the guests were ”different” and were really intent on having a good time, which made his job more enjoyable. These people were upbeat, party people...and Disneyholics.

Carol and I made our way slowly over to the BTMRR/SPLM area. We sat down and soaked in the atmosphere. Goofy was visiting folks near SPLM. Holly and Mike rode BTMRR and SPLM a few more times each before joining us. Wow…it was almost 2 A.M. where did those three hours go? I figured that in total we did somewhere between 12 and 15 “attraction visits” in less than three hours or one every 10 minutes or so…pretty good rate for a summer night.

One note: FantasyLand attractions closed at 11 P.M. and were not part of the E-ticket experience.

It was almost 2 A.M. and we headed back towards the Castle forecourt towards Main Street USA. As we crossed over the Frontierland Bridge I had mentioned to Carol that I had either read somewhere or heard somewhere about someone mentioning how he had hung around towards the end of the night in TMK and how he witnessed a “closing ceremony” with the castle. I couldn’t recall exactly what the ceremony was.

As I was mentioning this to Carol we were about halfway down on Main Street USA and listening to the background music…it’s the sort of music you would expect to hear in TMK. “Someday my prince will come.”

We were slowly making our way down Main Street, USA.I guess we were right near the Main Street Cinema when the music changed, and the castle begin to increase it’s color change frequency.

The music changed and we began to hear a chorus that seemed to be humming “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

We then heard a voice come over the PA system and thank us for being there…then a quote from Walt…then a good-bye from Mickey.

Then we heard a chorus from a song I have heard on the Eric Kunzell CD called “A Disney Spectacular”.

Now while all of this is happening the castle is glowing and changing colors and the trees in the castle forecourt are showing off their sparkling and twinkling lights and I’m pretty much going into overload.

The song finishes…big time volume. They finish with a big finale and then we hear Tinkerbell’s chimes and then, hmmm, well…the castle changed colors again but I don’t know how they achieved this effect. What I saw was the castle change colors from top to bottom as if several eye drops had splashed several different colors from the very highest spire and these colors dripped down the castle. Another way of describing it is to say it was like Mother Nature dropping a multicolored veil over the castle.

For anyone who has grown up with Walt Disney, Davey Crockett, Annette, Zorro, Mickey, The Mickey Mouse Club, and the other classic Disney memories you will be moved. It sounds corny but you will be moved.

Okay so after my family pulled me off the street…after that performance I was on my hands and knees bowing to the castle…I know! I know! But hey if the pictures come out those Korean tourists will have a good story to tell their friends on the other side of the world about the “crazy American who prayed to Mouse God.”

We took the monorail to the Poly…found our car and drove to CS…I got us there in 10 minutes…not bad for the first day…WDW signs are great.

It had been a long day. We pulled into CS and dragged ourselves into our room…tired…but content. I was still a bit wound up…but I fell asleep around 3 A.M. It was probably one of the most enjoyable 22-hour days of my life.

Wednesday, August 4th - Mike Scopa Sleeps in at WDW?

Sad but true…but it wasn’t too bad. We all woke up around 9:30. The plan was to sleep in and then go to Planet Hollywood for Lunch. We got there a few minutes after they had opened and walked right in. Holly had been to the Planet Hollywood in Ft. Lauderdale and didn’t like it. She seemed to like this one. Discount time. I used my AP and saved 20% on the bill.

Afterwards we took a stroll along Disney’s West Side. Are there any collectors out there? If so you want to check out Starbillia. There are all kinds of political, show business, and sports memorabilia there.

Some of the more memorable items were…

A 6’ x 6’ framed Wizard of Oz tribute that had 37 signatures on it from the stars of the movie. It can be yours for $12,500.

Cinderella sheet music signed by Walt himself…$4,995.

A baseball signed by Babe Ruth $9,995

A team Picture (with signatures) of the ’55 Dodgers...only $4,500.

You Yankee fans can get a team photo (with signatures) of the ’61 Yanks. $5,500.

Can I interest you in an autographed photo of “Superman” George Reeves for only $2,495?

The store is pretty amazing. I saw a lot of browsing going on but not much purchasing.

We then went to Virgin Music store. I was waiting for this moment as I was looking for two particular CDs. The first was a reissue of a the Beachboys “Sunflower” album and the second was a song recorded by the Neon Philharmonic in 1970…the song was “Heido-Ho Princess.” I found the latter but no luck on the former.

As we attempted to leave the store it began to pour. No sir. I was not going to let the rain stop me from doing what I wanted. We had a family POWWOW and discussed whether to visit DisneyQuest or to go to Disney/MGM Studios with the intention of staying to watch Fantasmic. We drove to MGM. Along the way I noticed the car in front of me doing strange things…I soon realized that I was following first timers. It’s kinda scary. For those of you familiar with MGM Studios try to picture a car that takes a RIGHT after passing the entrance booth.

While waiting on the tram to go to the park we kept hearing the tram guide saying, “No more boarding please, no more boarding.” But that was falling on deaf ears as people kept getting on the tram. Now I know why so many of the accidents in WDW happen regarding the trams…the guests don’t understand. Of course I wonder how much of that is a language problem.

We were in MGM a little after 2 P.M. I went over to Mama Melrose’s to book the Fantasmic dinner package.

OOPS…time for a tip.

’99 Trip Tip # 6 - The Fantasmic Dinner Package

On those days when MGM is showing Fantasmic you have the opportunity to secure some special seating by booking a dinner at either Mama Melrose or the Brown Derby. If you do so and everyone in your party orders an entrée you are given a special orange pass for special seating for a Fantasmic show.

Now this may not sound like a big deal to you but keep in mind that people start filling up that 10,000 stadium as much as two hours prior to showtime to get a good seat. By booking this dinner package you can show up around 30 minutes to showtime and get good seats. Book as early in the day as you can because the seating fills up fast. We were told only 300 seats are available for this package. I would not put much stock in that figure. I’d say it was closer to 500.

Holly and I went ahead to Mama Melrose’s to book the dinner package. We were disappointed to find out that there were only two seats left for the evening. Oh well…now we know…gee and it’s only 3:00.

MGM seemed to have more of a summer crowd size than I had seen to this point. We walked over to the Drew Carey Show. I thought it would be a long wait but we were inside in less than 15 minutes.

Just as the show started I heard this little boy behind me say “Where’s Doug?” His father told him to be quiet.

Again…”Where’s Doug???” Shhhh!

Again with feeling….”WHERE”S DOUG?????”

His father had to clue him in that this was the Drew Cary Sound Show…duh.

Well…I wish I were in Doug Live. This Drew Carey Show was lame...see for yourself and then tell me if you’d like to see the Monster Sound Show back where it belongs. I really think the folks at WDW should be more proactive in polling people for their opinion on different attractions in the parks. When we think it’s time for an attraction to be retooled we will be more than happy to give you some ideas…honest.

Bring back the Monster Sound Show…audience participation…fun…gee…I don’t think I saw EITHER ONE in this attraction.

After the Drew Cary “Sounds Dangerous” show we hoofed down to Sunset Blvd. Along the way we saw a shop that was called “Wicked Delights“ or something like that. This shop will remind you of the old time candy stores that offered you candied apples...something that Holly and Carol decided to try. I was thirsty so I took a Frozen Pineapple drink please.

We went down to check out the Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster attraction. The RNRC Plaza is entered through an archway that has a rollercoaster mounted on a track…that is, mounted upside down. This track weaves and loops and twists until it becomes part of a guitar neck…a big guitar. There was a 70-minute wait so we thought otherwise about doing it just then…plus we had just had a snack and who knows what lies inside that building.

Carol wanted to take a picture of Holly, Mike and me in front of the guitar. As she focused us in two oriental women walked between Carol and us and stood still for about 30 seconds, not realizing we were trying to take a picture. I caught their eye and said, “Hucker, da pooka sah hiya…” and pointed to my wife.

They raised their eyebrows and got out of the way. We all kind of chuckled but we’ll never know what that jibberish of mine meant to those two women. We guessed I said one of the following phrases…

“I did not have sex with that woman!”

“Look out! Incoming Brazilians!”

“No I’m not glad to see you…it’s an extra battery for my camera.”

“The Fried Dog at the Brown Derby is great this time of year!”

“I was abducted by a Pokemon Master.”

I don’t know which of these phrases I said but it got them out of the line of fire.

Smile…click.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (TZTOT) was also looking like a long wait so we headed back to Hollywood Blvd.

We settled in around the SuperGreeter Bulletin Board to take in the Mulan parade. I don’t know why but people kept cutting in front of me to cross the street just before the parade. When the parade started I noticed that under my armpit was the lens of a video camera and over my left shoulder was another camera lens…I couldn’t move.

It was at that moment that I thought of a great business someone could open in Orlando. It would be a Walt Disney World Bodyguard business called something like “Spaces ‘r Us”. Anyone who has ever gone to WDW knows that sometimes it gets so crowded that your personal space gets invaded over and over and over and over again…especially during the parades. Well why not provide a service that lets you rent the services of “Space Guards” whose sole purpose is to guarantee you your personal space for the duration of your stay?

For parades these guards will make sure that noone comes within three feet of you and will deflect any guests who even think about crossing that line. Think of the enjoyment as you watch Mulan come up Hollywood Blvd. And you have plenty of elbowroom to properly focus and snap that picture.

After the show we discussed when we would like to eat dinner. The kids said that 6:00 P.M. would be a good time so I went over to the Prime Time Café and made priority seating for 5:30.

’99 Trip Tip #7 - Priority Seating Tip

Keep in mind that when you make priority seating at any restaurant they will try to seat you at the first available accommodations for your party. You are not making reservations. That’s why they ask you to be there five minutes before your slated time…if you are there five minutes prior to your time then there’s a good chance you’ll be seated within 15 minutes of your time. I try to make priority-seating times about 20-30 minutes prior to the time I want to actually start eating. That way I get seated well before that time and actually begin my meal at the time I aimed for.

I won’t bother you with the details of our dinner except that it was very good; we’ve never had a bad meal at Prime Time. I used my Magic Kingdom Club (MKC) discount. The discounts are beginning to add up.

Does it pay to use your MKC discount? Well look at it this way. If lunch for four costs $50 you save $5. A week of lunches saves you $35. Dinner for four will cost an average of $85 so 10% savings would be $8.50. Over a week’s period that comes to another $59.50. I estimate that during that first week with Holly and Mike with us the savings via the MKC and AP discounts for meals totaled close to $100. I saved at least $50 the following week. Admission to DisneyQuest was discounted by $25. If you count the discounts I got from the car rental and the souvenirs my total savings were well over $1000. What amazed me most of all was that this 14 day trip was less expensive than the 12 day trip I had taken back in 1990. The difference? Awareness of the many discounts and of course the foresight to plan accordingly to make the most of these discounts. I point this out for those of you reading this who are planning a trip for the first time with your family and are concerned about the cost. Look for the discounts and make use of them. This means plan, plan, and plan.

After dinner we took in The Great Movie Ride (TGMR). We had about an eight-minute wait. I always look for the subtle changes in this attraction…most of them are found in the movie montage at the end of the attraction. I noticed a few added clips from some recent films.

From there we made our way over to Muppetvision-3D. The best part of this attraction is the pre-show. There are all kinds of neat things in that pre-show area…like a Muppet made to look like Jim Hensen ...jokes like the colored blocks hanging from the ceiling in netting. Those blocks are supposed to be Jell-O ...you know…it’s “a net full of Jell-O...or “Annette Funicello”...and look for the Muppet soldiers that you see in the 3-D film.

When the doors opened we held back a bit then went in after most of the crowd. We picked a row and made it about a third of the way and had to stop. The people in front of us had stopped and sat down instead of going to the end of the row. Holly, Mike, and Carol sat down. I didn’t. I put my hand on my hip and glared at the people…heck there were about twenty seats left in the row…I must have looked pretty ominous as about a dozen people got up and moved to the end of the row and we ended up towards the middle.

I took off my glasses and taped the movie with the glasses in front of my video camera lens. I didn’t get a 3-D effect…but it was in focus…sorta.

We left the Muppets and walked right onto Star Tours. I like the pre-show area and haven’t really had time to enjoy it since ’92...we’ve been fortunate enough to pick the right time to go on this attraction. It is getting a little old and there needs to be a new show. Are you listening imagineers?

We left Star Tours around dusk. As we headed towards the plaza in front of TGMR we heard this woman yelling and crying out loud …she was looking for her daughter and English was definitely not her primary language. A number of people were trying to help her, notably the Cast Members on duty. Apparently this had been going on for a while. Many people were crowding around her and I urged my family to move on as we weren’t helping the situation and thought that if I were in that situation I wouldn’t want people gawking at me either.

Just as we were near the Disney Radio building we heard that they had found her daughter and there she was…the woman collapsed…quite a scene. Imagine being in a foreign land and losing your child…pretty traumatic. A week later I noticed a woman in EPCOT who had this “leash” that was attached on one end to her shorts and on the other end to her daughter’s shorts. There was about an eight-foot length to the leash. Good idea.

Well, enough of that. Since we couldn’t do the Fantasmic package and were still recovering from our long day yesterday we headed back to CS. We wanted to check out the resort and wanted an early start in the morning for the Animal Kingdom. It was about 9 P.M.

We drove to CS and checked out the El Centro area. Panchito’s gifts and Sundries is a pretty big gift shop. It rivals many of the shops in the other resorts in size. I think that the presence of a convention center in this resort had much to do with the size of this gift shop...not to mention the prices. If you really want to purchase a nice Coronado Springs shirt with the CS logo embroidered on the breast then be prepared to dish out $46. This price is so much out of whack from the other resorts that the convention center is the only reason I see for having such an outlandish price. “Yes dear the convention was really worthwhile and I bought shirts for everyone...here you go Tommy, Susan, Billy, Katie…. Oh…sorry but I had to CLEAN OUT YOUR COLLEGE FUNDS TO BUY THESE SHIRTS!”

For the record I did not purchase a shirt at this resort.

We checked out the food court area and restaurants. There is a sit down restaurant called the Maya Grill. I can’t comment on it because we never ate there...but the fact that we didn’t eat there may be a comment all its own. There is a convenience store that also serves as a place where you can get a sandwich, a box of cookies…and all kinds of stuff...sort of like a 7-Eleven.

The Pepper Market food court process will be explained later in this trip report.

We walked over to the La Vida Health Club. It’s located in the middle of the Casitas section of CS. The resort may appeal to some people…the jury was still out with us. I think what is lacking is a footbridge that crosses over from the Dig Site to El Centro.

We went back to the room and tried to get to sleep early so we would be up relatively early to make our first visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK).

Thursday, August 5, 1999 - Disney’s Animal Kingdom

We were up early and headed out to DAK. This park is pretty close to CS. CS is listed as an Animal Kingdom resort…and now I know why.

Some initial thoughts after the first five minutes in the park…the entrance area and access areas to the general outlets to the park could have been made wider but I think in all cases regarding the construction of this theme park the animals were of the prime concern and all areas had this in mind as the park evolved.

When we first entered the park there were “creatures” watching us from rocks and the ground. I thought it was a good touch to have CMs dressed up in interesting costumes.

We walked over to make priority seating at Donald’s Prehistoric Brontosaurus Breakfast. We then checked out Countdown to Extinction (CTX). Holly, Mike, and I decided to try it but Carol decided to wait outside.

This attraction is very enjoyable but I agree with the warnings…if you really have a problem with dark areas and sudden motion then I’d pass. This attraction is a bit bumpy and will frighten small children.

The premise is that you will be going back through time to track down the dinosaurs but there’s this meteor and then there’s this T-Rex and well…things get kind of hairy...check out the picture and me in the last row of our vehicle…Holly is so frightened she is covering her face.

We left the attraction and headed over to Donald’s Breakfastosaurus (held at the Restarantosaurus Restaurant) and in five minutes we were enjoying a breakfast buffet.

This was one of my favorite meals on our trip as it wasn’t crowded and the food was very good. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy visited us at our table.

The restaurant was built to represent a structure that would have been built in the jungle or at a military site…or campsite. It’s simple and made to look that way. It’s a great place to have breakfast and the characters constantly came around to all the tables.

After breakfast we made our way to “Tarzan Rocks!” This show takes place in an outdoor theater but there is a roof and fans.

Like any show at a Disney theme park if you aren’t familiar with the movie the show was spun off from then you probably won’t enjoy the music and probably won’t understand the story, plotlines, relationships, characters, etc.

The same goes for the parades based on Disney movies.

This was the situation for Holly and Mike with Tarzan. The “Tarzan Rocks!” show was an amazing combination of singers, musicians, and athletes who sang, played, danced, rollerbladed, pedaled, and swung their way through the show. The show was comprised of all the songs from the Tarzan movie so it would have helped to have seen the movie or at least listened to the soundtrack.

Anyway, we’re talking lights, music, and singing like you would pretty much see at a rock concert. Beyond that there were performers who were blazing through the audience on rollerblades...then you have the guys on the bikes and then Tarzan and Jane swinging from vines...it’s a great show and it would be even better at night. I wonder what the animals think of the noise.

Even though it was close to the Noon hour and I knew it was not the right time to do this we went over to the Kilamanjaro Safari ride. Hmmmm...packed. But wait. Let’s try the FASTPASS.

“99 Trip Tip # 8 - Use the FASTPASS

I cannot stress enough how much time you can save using the FASTPASS. This is a great idea that helps everyone. Would you rather stand in a line for an hour or two or do something else and then come back and NOT STAND IN LINE to do an attraction?

The FASTPASS lets you make good use of your time because it will tell you when to go to a certain attraction. Thus you will not be idle…something you may not want to be in a theme park and something certainly that the WDW folks don’t want you to be in their theme parks.

Okay so how does this FASTPASS system work? It’s real simple. All you do is insert your admission ticket into one of the FASTPASS machines. Your ticket is returned to you along with a slip of paper that serves as your FAST to this attraction. The FASTPASS system is not available for all attractions just some and you get your FASTPASS at that attraction.

The FASTPASS will indicate the window for which you will be able to enter the FASTPASS entrance to the attraction. Depending upon the attraction and the time of the day you inserted your admission pass; you may get a short or long window. Our window was 30 minutes long and it was about an hour or so away.

This gave us some time to explore this new park and we did.

Remember I said that this park somehow made the day seem hotter and more humid than if we were in one of the other parks? I guess we can chalk that up to the lush tropical atmosphere. There is less Air Conditioning in this park than in the others…less buildings…more vegetation... really hot. I could sense the heat bothering Carol a bit. I bought Carol a tiny fan that had a pocket for a little atomizer. It wasn’t one of those huge fans but a small one that would fit in the purse she was bringing around to the park. This fan was a very personal fan that could cool you off using two AA batteries.

We all got some water to drink and then took off for some exploring in the shops and then in some of the interesting trails. The trails lead you to areas that are inhabited with animals and especially birds.

I noticed that in some areas if you look up you can see that you are walking in a huge screened in area so the birds can’t get out and the outside birds cannot get in.

I think it was here that we saw some gorillas and also saw a mear cat looking out for everyone. I called him “Scout.”

After an hour of exploring we went back to the Safari entrance to see just how well the FASTPASS worked. I figured that at best this FASTPASS would reduce the waiting time by about 50%. Well I was totally wrong and thoroughly amazed as we entered the FASTPASS entrance (a Cast Member DOES look at your FASTPASS to make sure it’s the right time window), and we walked by people waiting in the regular line…and we passed more people…and more people…and more people...and so on…until we got to the loading area and got right on. The FASTPASS system calculated just how many people to allow for this time window so there’d be no waiting.

If you have never been to the Animal Kingdom but have been to TMK and Splash Mountain imagine walking into a line parallel to the normal line...walking through the rocks out front and through the maze queue in the back up the stairs and eventually into your log…WITHOUT STOPPING. That’s right, when you use the FASTPASS you most likely will walk right onto the attraction. There is no waiting or at least there wasn’t for us.

There is no doubt that the FASTPASS saved us at least an hour (I’m being conservative) of waiting in line for the Safari ride and I would even say it might have saved us close to two hours.

Note that when you put your admission ticket into the FASTPASS machine and get your FASTPASS you CANNOT re-submit your admission ticket for another FASTPASS until your present FASTPASS time window expires. That’s right…it wouldn’t make sense for the system to allow you to get multiple passes from one admission ticket. Basically the database searches to see if there is an active FASTPASS that is associated with your unique admission media. If there is then you won’t get another FASTPASS.

The Safari was pretty enjoyable. Hold on tight while riding in those vehicles. We saw lions, giraffes, okapi, wildebeests, hippos, rhinos, antelopes, zebras, and a lot more animals then I thought we would see at that time of the day. I could see that there were obvious attempts to place eating stations in some shaded areas that were also in view by the vehicles.

There are some surprises along the way with this ride but I won’t spoil it for you.

After we left the Safari ride (still talking about how great the FASTPASS was), we checked our show schedule and decided to go to the Festival of the Lion King. This was in Camp Minnie and Mickey so we had to trek our way over to the other side of the park.

We got there about 10 minutes before the previous show was letting out. When we entered the theater we were amazed at its size. It was basically a theater in the round and there were plenty of seats. Again it’s an outdoor theater so you will not be enjoying the AC. Carol made good use of her personal fan while waiting for the show to begin. Actually we all made good use of that fan.

The show started up with a bang and I immediately recognized the lead singer. A few years back he was one of the Voices of Liberty. He played the role of the CM who introduced the Voices of Liberty and served as the Chorus Director. He has the voice that many radio and TV announcers would kill to own.

“Festival of the Lion King” is a remarkable show. There are singers and acrobats and audio-animatrons and all kinds of wondrous components to the show. Of course there’s Timon and Pumba and naturally Simba. It’s a great show because since everyone who attends the show has most likely seen “The Lion King” they are comfortable and familiar with the characters and songs.

The acrobats are very talented and you must keep your eyes on everyone in between the songs, as these CMs are really active during the show. There’s a lot of energy expended during this performance. Don’t miss it, and oh by the way, before you go to this show practice making sounds like a giraffe, you never know when you may be plucked from the audience and asked to display this talent.

As we left Camp Minnie and Mickey we checked out “It’s Tough to Be a Bug.” It’s another one of those

3-D shows that each time get a little bit more realistic. Somehow we got front row seats although in this kind of an attraction it’s not much of an advantage. There are some surprises in this show that should not be disclosed to those who have yet to go...so visit our friends the bugs in the Tree of Life and you may be pleasantly surprised.

We took the train ride to Conservation Station. This is a definite must for animal lovers, especially if you have small children. It’s very much like a petting zoo and a very educational area. But if you’ve seen enough animals in other sections of the park then you may thank me for telling you to skip the train ride to Conservation Station. Another point that must be made, if anyone in your party has trouble walking then I strongly suggest you skip Conservation Station. It’s quite a hike from the train to CS and some people may find it somewhat difficult, especially the elderly.

We made our way to the front of the park. We stopped in at the Garden Gate Gifts to look at and possibly purchase the pictures that were taken of us when we first entered the park. I really didn’t like either one because of the, erh, hair.

While we were looking at the pictures Holly made a phone call to someone back home who needed to know on this day if Holly was going to move in with her. Holly called to say no as one of her friends had called her earlier in the day and Holly was going to move in with her instead.

As we left the park we took a survey…from a CM who was there for the summer on the College program…she was from NH.

We had pretty much spent all day at DAK. Since the kids were in Orlando for only seven days we had decided to do as much here as we could. We did not do the Rapids.

Some observations I had regarding DAK was that it really would make me feel a lot better if they did not allow smoking in that park. Think of the animals and the guests and the thick vegetation. This is another suggestion for any WDW people reading this. I do understand that such a policy would be hard to monitor... but if anyone can do it…

I’m beginning to notice a strange habit exhibited by the 1999 WDW guests. They all have a disease called “Doorwayitis” This is a terrible infliction which causes people to stand right in any doorway…be it to a restaurant, a shop, a rest room, an attraction…it’s been real noticeable …I never noticed this in previous trips.

This was a Brazilian Free Day…can’t say that too often down there.

So now it’s late in the afternoon and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I suggested we go to Chef Mickey’s.

Mike and I went over to the counter and put in our names while Holly and Carol relaxed. We were the first family called and, oh no, again? All families are brought over to a picture area and a family photo is taken. Gee, can I have enough pictures of me with this black mane?

Well we sat down, put in our drink orders (which means unsweetened ice tea or just water down there) and we started to eat. Chip came over to visit us and when Carol tried to take a picture of Chip between Mike and me the camera wouldn’t work. Chip was kinda funny as he was trying to help but since none of us talk fluent chipmunk he wasn’t any help.

It looked like the camera battery had finally given up. I hustled down to the gift shop and in a flash was back with a new battery. Everything was back to normal.

The next thing we know there’s a towering CM standing over the table with packets of our pictures. Yes you can get a couple of these...big ones…small ones...magnets…passports…God knows what else. I asked “The” question. No discounts. Too bad...I told her we’d think about it. When our server came back I asked him about discounts. No AP or MKC discounts, but they do give a discount on the Wine and Foods Society. What the heck is that?

If you’ve ever been in Chef Mickey’s you know from time to time that Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and the gang do a little party dancing. Now if you are a CM…especially Goofy…you are pretty tall and can see only in front of you. I think more parents should realize this and keep their small children in eyesight of the characters. I think Goofy’s knee wiped out six dozen little kids during dinner. So Jimmy how did you get this imprint of a patella on your forehead?

“Goofy”

I know it makes you look Goofy but how did you get it?”

Did I mention that in the area where you first come into Chef Mickey’s there is a little area where you may see Donald? Yep…a short Donald.

As a salad lover I usually end up eating so much salad that I never have room for all the other stuff I’d like to try at a buffet...but I love my salad. When I went up to the salad area at the Chef Mickey’s buffet this rather large person was behind me. As I’m going through the line this person stood on my right with plate in hand. Okay some lettuce…person still there…green peppers...still there…tomatoes...yep…onions…I’m getting nervous…croutons…what the heck does this person want? Finally the salad dressing and I’m outta there...I look back and this person is loading up on all the non-salad stuff…since there was noone in front of me why didn’t this person just go to the meat and potatoes area...there was definitely no interest in the salad area tonight...or any night in this person’s life…I’m no shrinking violet but could have been such a flower compared to this lady.

The picture person came back. I took the cheapest way out…Carol wanted some pictures of the four of us. I’ll just airbrush my hair so I don’t look like Elvis.

After dinner we checked out the Contemporary gift shops. Just like Coronado Springs the Contemporary has a Convention Center…. hmmmm another common denominator. Contemporary shirts are $56...much higher than other resorts.

Although we did think about going to the park right from the Contemporary we thought it best to head back to the room for a rest. We normally don’t spend eight straight hours in a park so we were pretty tired.

Mike wanted to try out the gym at the resort. We went back to CS. Mike and Holly went to the Health Club and Carol and I scouted out the pool and the laundry area. By the way, in case you’re interested it’s $40 for a family length of stay membership at La Vida Health Club.

Back at the room I did my thing…checked out what I had videotaped that day and also recharged my batteries…both for my camera and my body. I was asleep early…wanted to get an early start for EPCOT.

’99 Trip Tip #9 - Batteries, Film, Tape, etc.

You’ll find almost all the WDW books telling you to make sure you bring plenty of film to take your pictures. Well I’ll go further than that. Why take a chance and not have enough of everything? Try to get an idea of what you’ll see and how many pictures you’ll take and then bring TWICE as much film. You can do almost the same for videotape. A few weeks before your trip sit down and actually think about exactly what you’ll be doing on your trip, what you’ll be seeing, and what you’ll be taping. Estimate how much time you’ll put on tape and double that.

The most important thing is to make sure your equipment is ready and powered to go. I always purchase one or two fresh batteries for the video camera…I also number my batteries...the lower the number the stronger the battery. I always take at least two batteries and two tapes with me wherever I go in Orlando. With so many interesting things around you never know when you may find yourself taping some event you hadn’t planned to tape. Also, batteries are so fickle I always have backups. On this particular trip I had seven batteries with me…I used only six because one of them was pretty much done. Also, always have at least two batteries charged at all times. Try to get into a routine whereby you are always charging batteries...when you wake up in the morning, if you come back to the room in the middle of the day, or just before turning in at night. Don’t be caught short.

Friday, August 6, 1999 - EUC (EPCOT Under Construction)

Today we went to EPCOT. As we walked from our car to the tram to take us to the park we noticed a van with a side door wide opened. We told the CM directing traffic. I guess we could have closed the door but you never know…maybe the owner was on his way back to the vehicle.

I never got around to asking a CM about that roller coaster like track off in the distance to the left of the theme park. It wasn’t until I got home and noticed the completed Spaceship Earth that I realized I was looking at the “2000” they attached to the side of the geosphere.

We noticed a lot of construction going on in EPCOT. The front of the park was all boarded off which takes a little bit away from the excitement of entering the park. It looked like some heavy-duty work was going on. Also, there was a huge structure to the left of Spaceship Earth (SE). This structure was a platform and on SE were two or three stars. Obviously this was part of the Millennium stuff. You could not walk to the left of SE. Also, the Centorium was closed…actually it was temporarily located in the same area where that Pasta Piazza Ristorante area is...but there was far less merchandise in this temporary location. Too bad…my best bargains were always found in the Centorium…such as my $18 Disney University shirt and my $20 EPCOT/World Showcase jacket.

Hmmm, I thought Innoventions would be totally closed but part of Innoventions West was open. Not much there.

We walked over to Test Track…90 minute wait and also heard some grumbling about delays, stalls, and other stuff normally associated with the attraction over the last few years. We opted to pass on it for now.

I suggested we head over to the West Side of Future World ‘cause everyone and his brother were on this the East Side. We strolled over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience…hoping that maybe Journey into Imagination (soon to be called The Imagination Institute I guess) was open. Nope.

Carol wasn’t too sure about this attraction. The last time we did this we were really cramped into the small pre-show area. This time she asked a CM if there was any way she could see the show but also have the option of leaving at any time. The CM brought Carol to the last row of the theater right next to the exit doors. Mike went with her and Holly and I sat a few rows up from the stage. We all survived.

’99 Trip Tip #10 - When in Doubt Ask a Cast Member

This is probably the best advice anyone can get regarding a trip to Walt Disney World and it comes with Carol’s strong approval. If you are unsure about any attraction don’t hesitate to approach a Cast Member and ask if there are any options to viewing the show. The Cast Member may tell you exactly what to expect for the attraction and may also offer suggestions regarding your attending the attraction and also may help you in dealing with any potential problems you may see. They are there to help everyone and they really enjoy helping people who are quick to say thank you.

From HISTA we went over to The Land Pavilion. Living with the Land had a long line. We made priority seating at the Land Grill and then went over to Food Rocks. We sat in the first row and enjoyed the music along with the other five or six people who were there with us…honest.

We then headed back to Living with the Land and got on in about eight minutes. I always enjoy this attraction because I’m a gardener and love seeing what they do with plants. I think I’d enjoy working as a Disney botanist or horticulturist. While going through and looking at all the veggies growing I couldn’t help but think back to my tomato jungle growing back home. When I had left I had 22 million green tomatoes growing and one had showed signs of turning orange on the morning we left for Florida.

After we did Living with the Land we decided to tackle Test Track. This time the wait was 2 ¼ hours. No thanks. I think this attraction is a candidate for the FASTPASS.

Gee is Horizons open? I know it’s intact. Nope…not open. I thought with a 2 ¼ hour wait at Test Track that Horizons would be open. Oh well.

We walked into the Wonders of Life Pavilion and the kids and I did Body Wars. Now I know why I didn’t like it the first time I rode it…too bumpy...maybe if there was a new show...but it’s kinda fun to see the actors who recorded the sequences. Recognize anyone?

I enjoy Cranium Command…and that was what we did next. The sensory Funhouse is okay the first time around, but unless there are some new things it’s not that interesting.

It was almost time for lunch…no breakfast so we were pretty hungry…and unless we ate pretty soon the CMs doing the Living with the Land would have to figure out how to explain the half eaten audio-animatronic buffalo in the attraction.

The Land Grill has changed the way it operates since our last time. It operates a bit like Whispering Canyon Café. The server brings out your drinks and dishes. You are served your food on a huge platter and everyone takes what they want…the chicken and the catfish was pretty popular at our table. Want more? Okay.

Food was skillets of flank steak, catfish, barbecue chicken, corn on the cob (best I ever had), zucchini and roasted potatoes. Along with this skillet we were also given a cold veggie salad. When we asked for seconds we got a smaller skillet. Hmmm, I figure that if the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the person with the largest appetite showed up at the Land Grille that he’d be eating from a thimble when asking for the tenth skillet.

At one point the skillet turned into a pan the size of an omelet.

This was a character meal and Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey himself came by to say hello. Chip and Dale were funny as they both tried to beat Mike in arm wrestling.

Oh yes…use the MKC discount in this restaurant.

It was early afternoon and we had planned to go to the World of Disney in the Marketplace so we decided to leave EPCOT. We noticed that the Field Trip/Education place was closed.

We planned on coming back to EPCOT to watch illuminations. I had received several Certificates of Magic from the Magic Kingdom Club of which I am a Gold Card Member. One certificate in particular gave me the option of viewing either Fantasy in the Sky or Illuminations from a special viewing area.

Well I knew where this special viewing area in TMK for FITS was...it’s just below where the Plaza Restaurant is…for you old time WDW goers it’s where you would get on those Swan boats.

Instead of FITS I opted for Illuminations as I have always had a tough time finding a good spot to watch that nighttime spectacular.

We went to Guest Relations and I showed them my certificate and they recorded my name and party number and told me where to check in at around 8:30 that evening.

We left EPCOT and headed over to the Marketplace. Along the way we dropped Mike off at CS as he was itching to get in a workout.

Again amazingly there were plenty of places to park. Either attendance in Orlando was down or the amount of expansion with Universal Studios and DAK has had an impact on all areas.

Holly was on the lookout for some souvenirs for some friends and I was looking for a watch.

I was thinking of getting a watch with the castle on the background or one with Walt Disney’s moniker. We did see a special collector’s series that offered you the opportunity of having an animator handpaint a watch for you for $200…not sure I’m that crazy about getting a watch.

There were two watches that caught my eye. The first one had a Magic Kingdom look to it…sort of a castle on the face and the other was a WDW 2000 watch. I also saw a pretty nice leather jacket with some pretty neat embroidery on the back...hmmm a jacket instead of a watch? Maybe.

So over the next few days I have to decide…I won’t get a watch and the jacket …it’s one or the other.

While Carol and Holly were shopping in the WOD I went over to Studio M. I found the WDW Forever CD Kiosks. It is at these Kiosks where you can burn your own personal CD with special soundtracks taken from around the WDW resort.

I was disappointed in the choices. It looked as though the choices were far less than had been reported on the Internet earlier in the year.

The general areas were:

The Magic Kingdom

EPCOT Center

Disney/MGM Studios

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Walt Disney World Resorts

Disney Cruises

With each of these selections you then get into sub categories…for instance for the EPCOT Center you can drop into Future World and go to the Land Pavillion and get the old Kitchen Kabaret songs if you like.

For TMK and MGM you can drop down into specific sections of the park.

I’d guess there were about 60 choices some of which were partial tracks…Sorcery in the Sky had Part I and Part II. The CD I burned had Sorcery, Spectromagic, Remember the Magic Parade, Golden Dream, and some Main Street USA tracks.

Tracks I would have liked to see would have been…

“If you had wings!”

“Magic Journeys”

TMK closing schpiel

TGMR Music

EPCOT Opening music

WedWay schpiel

More background music from TMK, EC, and MGM

When you save your selections you bring your slip to a CM at the counter and they make the CD for you. The CM said that the Kiosks at TMK might have more selections…hmmm.

We left the Marketplace and went back to CS to see how Mike was doing and to rest up a bit. As I was charging the video camera batteries we turned on the TV and with school starting that day in Orlando there were back to school hotline numbers mentioned on all the channels.

Okay, so you’re a back to school hotline operator.

Someone dials 1-904-437-7526 (actual number given).

“Hello back to school hotline…how may I help you?”

“Hello BTS hotline? I’ve got a crisis. My son and daughter are having a tough time deciding which lunchbox to get for school this year. Can you help?

“That’s what we’re here for ma’am. What exactly is the problem?”

“Well they each are torn between two selections and they are fearful of being ostracized if they make the wrong selections.”

“Okay ma’am…let’s work on your daughter’s problem first. What are her two choices?”

“Well it’s come down to Brittany Spears or Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

“Well Ma’am that’s a tough one…we’ve got a problem with either one…with Spears you’ve got the breast augmentation problem and with Buffy you’ve got this Gellar obsession...in each case the children want to emulate their heroines…so if you don’t want your daughter thinking about surgery and wanting to look like Brittany Spears or Sarah Michelle Gellar we suggest going to a recently released new lunchbox…the Blair Witch Project lunchpail.”

“Now why would my daughter want that?”

“Well, like the movie it doesn’t cost a lot of money, comes with a thermos that, when you shake it, looks like the forest sequences in the movie, and contains scenes from the movie that are guaranteed to scare your daughter enough to keep her in the house after dark.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Now your son.”

“Well my son is torn among three selections…first there’s this Stone Cold Steve Austin lunch box, Steve Austin is his favorite wrestler, then there’s the Austin Powers lunchbox, and finally the Tiger Woods lunch box.”

“Hmm tough one. Well I’d remove the Austin selection…too much violence and swearing…Austin Powers could be a possibility but Myers has already made too much money…scratch that…Tiger Woods? Normally I’d let it go but that could lead to other problems...your son may start asking for Nike clothing only. Our suggestion this fall for boys is to play it safe and go with the Darth Vader “Through the Years”

lunchbox. It commemorates Darth’s rise through the ranks and makes for a great conversation piece at recess.”

“Okay…we’ll go with the Blair Witch and Darth Vader lunchbox. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for using the back to school hotline.”

We got back to EPCOT in the early evening. Mike was hungry from his workout so he grabbed something he’d been wishing two years for…one of those turkey legs. He enjoyed it but said it seemed awful fatty. As we passed by the American Adventure Pavillion I told everyone I needed to “powder my nose.”

I won’t go into the gory details but let’s say that after you turn away from doing your business you don’t usually expect to see A LITTLE GIRL IN THE MEN’S ROOM!

What is this Ally McBeal?

Some guy had brought his little girl into the men’s room with him. Okay can we assume he’s a single parent? It took about three minutes for Carol to stop laughing when I told her about this little adventure.

The Lord of the Dance show was going on in front of the AA Pavillion…didn’t look too impressive.

I told everyone I’d scout up ahead as to where we’d be watching Illuminations that evening.

I found the area that had been described to me earlier in the day at guest relations when I registered us with the certificates of magic.

The area is located across from the Italy Pavillion. If you are facing the Italian Pavilion you will notice two buildings. The one on the left has to its left a small cart that sells Italian delicacies. Opposite that refreshment stand is a special viewing area called the Isolata. It was roped off. I went up to the CM guard and asked here if this was the place and she said it was and asked for my name and she said yep its on her list and to return around 8:30.

We walked around a bit and then returned. She let us in. There was one other family in there. A family of three. We felt somewhat odd in this area because it could hold about a 100 people very easily…but there were only seven of us in there and everyone kept on coming up and asking about getting in and the guard had to explain how to get in there. I guess that gold MKC card paid off after all.

She took a picture of us with the Lagoon in the background.

Around 8:45 a group of seven people showed up at this viewing area. One person pulled out a magic certificate and his name was also on the list...for a party of two. The other five were stunned when these two people went under the rope. “What about us?” I heard from one of those left behind. “You need one of these certificates!” the man said…and smiled.“That’s not right” returned the people. I agreed. If you are part of a group you all should stay together.

In ’92 we had driven down with another family and we were getting into Orlando a day before our reservations were to start. I had called from Daytona to see if we could get the rooms a day before...we couldn’t but there was one room available...we turned it down and stayed offsite that night. It wasn’t a big deal to us.

I remember others in that seven person family called out to the couple inside the rope, “That’s not fair. You’re with us.” They didn’t look too happy.

Some guest asked me how we got in there and I told him...he looked puzzled.

To the side of us was another roped off area that looked to be set aside for some company or conference gathering. There was music and wine flowing for awhile in there and I saw guests trying to get in there too. It was obviously a special event for this company or group or whatever.

Just before Illuminations started I asked Holly and Mike what they’d like to do for the remainder of their stay. There were only three days left. After some reflection on what they wanted to do we decided to scratch Universal Studios. I think they really would have liked Islands of Adventure but it was their choice.

Illuminations started. The show appeared different from the last time I had seen it. While I was taping the show I kept hearing this small boy over my right shoulder. It sounded like he was right in my ear. His father had to keep reminding him to shut up and watch the show. I think it was the very first time this kid had ever seen fireworks.

I really like the post-Illuminations music...we walked counter clockwise towards Future World. We came across this band called “Cast in Bronze” made up of four musicians. One played the keyboard, one played the drums, one played a guitar, and the other one played a carillon. This musical instrument looked like it was a something out of a gothic novel. Imagine you are sitting at a huge pipe organ…but instead of pipes you are playing bells...and I’m not talking Salvation Army bells. I’m talking church bell size bells…Quasimoto bells.

Now imagine this…it’s around 10 P.M. and real dark...these guys are playing something out of Poltergeist…there’s fog around...it was pretty surrealistic. We were up close and the music was unbelievable…it wasn’t too crowded at EPCOT this evening.

We left EPCOT and returned to CS and went to the Pepper Market. Like I had said before it’s a different way of eating. We went into the Pepper Market and were seated. We were given these tickets which we could take to any of the stations to get things like salads or grilled dishes, pasta, veggies, soup, desserts, sandwiches, drinks...and instead of paying for them at that time we had out tickets stamped with a code that represented the item we got.

It was close to 11 P.M. and I got the feeling that most of the people working at the Pepper Market weren’t too happy about working this late hour. I wondered if they stayed open as long as they had customers. Apparently they did because we were there until 11:30.

I had a Chicken Caesar Salad...I thought about calling up Guinness and asking them if they knew what the record was for consuming the most Caesar Salads during a vacation at WDW. I think at this point I probably had already eaten six salads.

Oh yeah…you take your tickets and pay for your meal on the way out. I’m not sure if this meal was cheaper than any meal we would have had in a sit down restaurant. Did I mention the 10% gratuity they tack on your bill? For what? Because someone came around and took our trays?

Yawn…boy we were tired but we wanted to get up early because tomorrow we were determined get into MGM before the crowds because we were gonna do the dynamic duo of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Saturday, August 7, 1999 - Who Da Man?

We all woke up early and we were out the door early to head for MGM. I noticed that I had a little discomfort in the ol’ tummy and the head but I figured it was due to a late dinner and fatigue…I’d never be a doctor.

The news had mentioned that last night a 28-year-old woman had died while at Pleasure Island. There was no explanation as to the cause of death. Mike and I guessed alcohol poisoning.

We walked into MGM...made Fantasmic Dinner Package arrangements at the greeting board for 6:20 that evening and went down Sunset Blvd until we got to the rope. It was about 8:30 A.M. so we had a half-hour wait…harrrr, just enough time for me to catch the eye of a Cast Member and reel him in for some questions.

“Morning.”

“Morning sir. How are you today.”

“I’m fine thanks. Could I ask you how many drops you’re featuring at the Hollywood Hotel?”

He was dressed as a bellhop.

“The current “profile” calls for five drops,” said Rafael, my new CM buddy.

“I told Mike and Holly...their reactions were totally different...Mike said “Awesome!” and Holly said, “Omigod!”

I asked Rafael as to how the crowds have been this summer. He noted that at MGM Studios the crowds seem to be less than he’s noticed in the past few summers.

He rationalized that the resort’s relatively recent additions…Disney’s West Side...Disney Quest…Disney’s Animal Kingdom…Disney’s Wide World of Sports…plus the addition of the Atlantis section of Sea World plus the Universal Studios Isles of Adventure has helped to thin out the crowds.

I then asked him if this summer has produced the usual number of tourists from Brazil. A smile came to his face and he said it’s been quite light this year but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why.

We then talked about the FASTPASS and I told him how pleasantly surprised we were as to how well it worked. He said that there are current discussions regarding the FASTPASS for TZTOT and if they can work out the details that we may eventually see it at the Hollywood Tower.

About five minutes before 9 A.M. one of the Cast Members got on top of some pedestal to address the crowd. He told the crowd that after the opening announcement over the P.A. system is complete that they and the CMs will WALK down Sunset Blvd. No running will be allowed. Those who run will NOT get there first he promised.

I think that some trampling had occurred sometime in the past and that they didn’t want any small children getting hurt.

The announcement came and we walked down Sunset Blvd. towards the dynamic duo. The majority of the crowd...like 75% decided to go to TZTOT. We headed for the RNRC.

Now I’m not a roller coaster kind of guy but this attraction intrigued me a bit so what the heck…I went in with Holly and Mike while Carol remained on steady ground.

RNRC has a FASTPASS but there was no need for it on this day at this time. When you enter the attraction you are immediately introduced to the theming involving recording sessions and all that jazz. It’s almost like you are touring a recording studio. There are plenty of warnings…telling us if we have back problems…or motion problems…if we are afraid of the dark…being confined…pregnant…all that stuff…that we shouldn’t be in line for this attraction. Nothing was said on any of those signs about my stomach still feeling yucky since I woke up…nor did I see the word “headache” on these warning signs.

The line was moving…we were soon in a room where on one side was Arrowsmith doing their thing at a recording studio. Soon their manager comes in and says it’s time to go. Of course they don’t want to leave their fans behind so they talk their manager into getting some large and fast limos to follow them.

We then enter what I call the OMGNW area.

This is the loading area where the limo-coasters begin their journey. What we saw when we first arrived in this loading area was obviously a test of courage. The limos would come in and the guests would get in, pull down their harnesses, get into position…and amidst screeching tires DISAPPEAR. Yep…don’t blink.

Everyone looks at that LED overhead…5…4…3…2…1...0...and unless you are a bald eagle with the fleetest of irises you will not see the limo start...erh…take off…erh LAUNCH.

At this point I realized this was the OMGNW area because I heard many people say “Oh My God No Way!’ and decided NOT to do the ride. I’m thinking, “It’s only 105 seconds…but it’s a roller coaster…I don’t like roller coasters….” I decided to damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead...you’ll find out one of my reasons for doing the attraction.

Okay, here comes our “limo.” Holly sat next to me and Mike sat behind us. Okay, harness fits…a little tough to hold onto the handles…the limo is made for people around 5’ 9”...tall people will find it a little

uncomfortable but EVERYONE will love the soft thick cushion in the seat.

Our limo got into place…5…and I said to Holly “are you ready?” …4…She took a gulp. I looked just above…3…our heads and saw the number countdown…2 We appeared to be tilted up a bit and I felt the vehicle sort of back up a bit…I felt like a rock in David’s slingshot with designs on Goliath’s forehead...1…and then…OH MY GODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were launched…I mean LAUNCHED…I immediately learned why the vehicle had a thick cushioned as we were shoved back into the rear of the car…and immediately we were in the dark...now I’m pretty sure we immediately did a loop or two and we were upside down some of the time but I have no idea as to when my head was where it started or if my feet were skywalking. We flew through signs that read something like “Madison Square Garden” or Hartford Civic Center” or anywhere else where Arrowsmith would perform. Hmm I can read the signs so we must be right side up...then again ...are the signs right side up or upside down like us?

This is the most amazing attraction on the Disney property. It lasts only 105 seconds…I won’t tell you about the entire 105 seconds…don’t want to spoil it for you excitement thrill seekers. You may not remember most of the ride…but I guarantee that you will remember the launch…and if you listen real hard…as you take off you’ll hear people calling for their Creator. Oh yeah…for the record…length is 3000 feet…total ride time…105 seconds…launch speed…0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds…acceleration g-force…1.4…vertical g-force generated…5.0 (the space shuttle launch is less than 4)…audio…on board…inversions...nope I’m not saying...I guess you’ll have to count ‘em yourself. Oh yes your picture is taken upon launch. We did not purchase ours…instead we took a close up with the video camera.

As in all Disney attractions recently designed, this one finishes up into a souvenir area where you can purchase your photograph or buy any of a zillion Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster souvenirs or Aerosmith merchandise. I wonder if Aerosmith was Disney’s first choice on this attraction.

We went outside and behold I had déjà vu from some five years earlier when leaving the TZTOT after riding it for the first time on opening day.

There were many people milling around in the plaza deciding whether or not to attempt the attraction. They would look at the building then turn back and look overhead at the track with the upside down limo. I

could hear them thinking out loud and wondering if it would be a could idea to take the kids on it. You could see the young fathers itching to try it but their young wives not too sure if the four-year-old would survive.

Holly and Mike went back for a second ride but I sat this one out and stood outside with Carol. I tried to explain to her how the attraction was setup inside but it got next to impossible to describe the launch in a way that not only made sense but also got across the feeling that I experienced.

One thing for sure…I’m glad I wore contacts because I’m not sure if any pair of glasses would survive. Remember that the RNRC is a FASTPASS attraction…make use of that.

Holly and Mike came out and Mike and I strolled over to the TZTOT. Holly is not keen on this attraction so she and Carol hung around Sunset Blvd. while Mike and I visited the old Hollywood Hotel.

As we walked through the garden I noticed that spritzers were installed to cool off the guests…good touch. It was in this attraction that I had a second spotting of a Brazilian tour group. There were about 20 of them but were relatively well behaved.

As we weaved our way to the elevators I kept wondering how I would handle five drops…two were pretty wild but FIVE?????

When we got to the elevator I noticed another change. It looked as though the rear middle seat was gone…no seat belt anymore in the last row…guess if there’s no lap bar then there’s no seat. I’m surprised that they hadn’t eliminated this seat a lot earlier.

This young British family was waiting next to us and I sensed this was all new to them. I asked them if this was their first trip to MGM and they said yes. They had two children with them…both about 10 years old…certainly no older.

They asked me how long ago this attraction had opened. I told them 1994 and they both looked puzzled.

The father said, “The boy in the bellhop uniform told me this hotel opened in 1917.”

The mother then said when they asked him to tell them about the “ride” he returned, “Ride?!?!? What ride is that Ma’am?”

I thought it best to prepare them for what was to come so without providing spoilers I briefly told them what to expect but I assured them that they would be okay.

We got into the elevator and did the usual stops and yes we went…

DOWN…

…UP…

…DOWN…

…UP…

DOWN…

…UP…

…DOWN…

…UP…

DOWN…

Now if you’ve ever dropped 130 feet in 2 seconds you pretty much know what you’re body is probably thinking. It’s probably saying, “Erhhh...do you know what you are doing to me? Will you please STO…”

But before your body can finish telling you to stop it’s over.

Not this time.

Not only is your body screaming at you to stop…you aren’t paying attention because by the third drop you’ve lost your ability to think…all you can do is close your eyes, scream, and pray that you can maintain control over all bodily functions.

If you’re my son then all you do is laugh during the whole time.

I did notice that regardless of whether it’s one, two, or five drops you still feel the same as you leave the elevator. One question that still lingers in my mind is whether or not first timers get a bigger thrill out of the five-drop “profile” than the repeat riders who have experienced the single and double drop profiles.

While Mike, Holly, and I were on the RNRC Carol had made priority seating at Hollywood and Vine. We had decided that we would have a late lunch. After TZTOT Mike and I decided we would seek out some Streetmosphere while Carol and Holly shopped.

While sitting on a bench along Hollywood Blvd. We were approached by a middle aged CM who was taking a survey. This was no Streetmosphere person. She asked us if this was our last day at WDW. I guess we gave her the wrong answer because she lowered her notebook and just asked general questions about our stay and politely moved on.

Carol and Holly returned from shopping and we went over to H&V. We were a bit early but they had plenty of tables. As we walked in we saw Goofy dressed up in a Zoot suit (ask your grandparents) and he was jitterbugging with Minnie while Chip and Dale looked on…boy can that Goofy cut a rug.

While we were eating we noticed a CM we had met at Prime Time nine years ago. Her name was Annie and she was originally from Dover, New Hampshire. We waved to her and she came over and we talked about the first time we had met. She was now married and had three children and her family was looking forward to moving back to New England. It was pretty neat to visit with CMs who remember you.

Our waiter, Tom, was very friendly. He asked us where we were from and when we told him NH he got all excited. In two weeks he was talking his family to New Hampshire for a big time vacation and it was actually a family reunion.

He said, “yeah we’re gonna stay near some Japanese Lake.”

Japanese lake?

“Yeah…Wonponsagosa…..”

“Lake Winnipesaukee?”

“Yeah that’s it!”

Well Tom sat down and talked with us for about 15 minutes…forget the other tables. We gave him all kinds of information for his trip and he was forever grateful.

Of course during our breakfast we got visits from Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, and Minnie.

We told Chip where we were from and asked him if he’d like to come home with us. We told him we had plenty of trees.

He asked for something to write on and we gave him the back of my notebook. He grabbed a crayon and wrote…

“Got Nutz?”

We nodded and he then wrote down “Yum!”

I have to give that Cast Member credit…he/she stayed in character the whole time.

An interesting thing happened while we were there. I noticed that after I had made my initial trip up at the breakfast buffet that the restaurant was changing over to the luncheon buffet. So in effect we had brunch.

Unfortunately I was so involved in my discussions with the Cast Members in there that I forgot to use my MKC discount...oh well...there’s six dollars I did not save.

After our brunch we decided we had put off doing laundry long enough so we went back to the CS to do the laundry and give the pool a shot. Meanwhile I was noticing the queasiness in my stomach was growing ever so strongly.

When we got back to the room I took something to ease my stomach and also help reduce the wicked headache I had. Man I was pretty sick…wasn’t sure if I’d even want to leave the room. I flopped on the bed...and woke up about four hours later to find out that Carol, Mike, and Holly had not only done a few loads of laundry but also had spent time at the pool. I felt somewhat better but there was this lingering “blahh” that just didn’t want to go away. I pulled myself together…didn’t want to miss Fantasmic…and we left to return to MGM.

We stopped in the First Aid office to get Holly a Band-Aid. She had a blister on her foot and needed a Band-Aid. While in the First Aid office we overhead the nurse call for an ambulance to take a 72-year-old woman to the hospital. Apparently the woman had broken her wrist. No details were given on how this accident happened.

We started making our way to Mama Melrose’s. We were still a bit early so we stopped off at Pizza Planet to play. We played a few games and I noticed that there were four WDW Forever CD Kiosk stations in the Pizza Planet arcade...looks like they were out for repair.

We went to Mama Melrose and had a pretty good meal. The deal with the Fantasmic package requires that everyone in the party order an entrée…no problem here.

Remember that kid “Ralphie” in that 50’s genre movie “a Christmas Story?” Well I think he was sitting next to me in Mama Melrose...in the next table. I wouldn’t have noticed him if he hadn’t spilled his drink and almost splatter me…TWICE!!!! Watch it kid…you’ll shoot yer eye out!!! I’m telling ya…he was Ralphie...blonde hair…glasses.

After our dinner we walked down to Sunset Blvd. Dinner had actually settled my stomach a bit and my headache was somewhat subdued. We did not have dessert at MM’s because Holly and Carol wanted to check out the desserts at Wicked Delights (I think that was the name) down at Sunset Blvd. As we made our way towards that shop the rain was making it a bit of a challenge to keep dry. I was hoping that this bit of unsettled weather would quickly pass, as I feared that it would threaten the 9:15 Fantasmic show.

When you do the Fantasmic dinner Package you receive from your restaurant server some orange Fantasmic Dinner Package vouchers. You are to take these vouchers down to the front of MGM near Oscar’s Filling Station. When we got there we handed our vouchers to a CM and she led us in through a side gate and we walked up to the stadium. She told me that the stadium holds about nine thousand guests and they do whatever they can to run every show unless the weather really makes it dangerous for the performers to put on the show.

The walk up to the stadium was pretty long but it wasn’t crowded. There were some other guests who also had booked the package and we all trekked our way up to the stadium. When we got to the stadium entrance we were amazed at how many people were already there. The time was about 8:45 and the stadium had to be about 75% packed. We showed our orange vouchers to a CM and she directed us to the right.

The Fantasmic package seating is to the right of the Fantasmic stage.

TIP #12 - Finding Good Seats for Fantasmic

We were lucky in that we knew about the Fantasmic dinner package; otherwise I don’t think we would have had good viewing seats. If you do not get the package and still want good seats you should try to get to the stadium about an hour before the show and sit either to the right or the left of the “stage”. If you sit in the middle you will not be able to see one of the water screens that play a large part in the show. I should say that if you sit in the middle you will see the right portion of the left screen and the left portion of the right screen. If you can...sit on the right.

Since it had been raining and was still sprinkling everything was wet. Since it was a humid and rainy August night we figured we were wet and couldn’t do anything about it.

“Shall I get us some ponchos?” I asked Carol.

She didn’t think it was necessary since we were wet already and we all agreed that those things could make you hot too. Five minutes later the slight sprinkles picked up a bit. The stage manager told us that they were watching the weather very carefully, and that they will do everything possible to put the show on tonight. The rain was picking up some more so Mike and I went to get ponchos. We walked up the stairs, made our way to a very popular CM selling ponchos and just as I was about to pull out my wallet the rain stopped. I waited for five minutes...no rain...ahhhh who needs ponchos. We returned to our seats.

About fifteen minutes prior to showtime, a CM who is probably a Streetmosphere person entertains the audience. I recognized the voice. She went on for about 14 minutes until showtime and then the lights dimmed…including the Swan and Dolphin lights to the rear left of the “stage.”

The “stage” is a body of water with a huge mountain in the middle of the water. The stadium is a half moon surrounding the “stage.”

It’s a bit difficult to describe Fantasmic. The show is based on good and evil and focuses on the Disney villains who want to take Mickey’s imagination away from him. During the course of the show the audience is treated to a collage of images from famous Disney classic films to live performances from about a hundred or so performers. There are fireworks and lasers and great music throughout the whole show.

There is a haunting melody at times and you will find yourself humming it after the show.

The highlight of the show involves Mickey confronting a famous Disney villain. I have purposely left out some details because not only do I not want to spoil the show for anyone who will be seeing it but also because there are some parts of the show in which words do not do it justice…just make sure you have a camera (video or still) to capture what you see.

The 20 minutes or so that this show ran turned out to be one of the highlights of this trip. I think every trip to WDW has it’s own personality and this trip so far had two shining stars to it…the TMK closing and Fantasmic.

This day was quite long and so after Fantasmic we made our way down the ramp near TZTOT and strolled along Sunset Blvd. We stopped in a few shops and I started to go downhill. The headache and the nausea started to build…not enough to stop me in my tracks but enough to slow me down.

We got the tram bound for the parking lot. In the seat in front of us was a young mother, I would say in her early twenties, who had a very small child with her. The child was no more than two years old. The mother had to handle the child, several bags, and a very cumbersome stroller. There was no father to be seen. I felt sad for this young woman. Where was her husband? Luckily someone helped her take her stroller off the tram so she could safely help her small daughter off the tram. To this day I wonder why she was there by herself.

I barely had enough energy to drive back to CS. Luckily MGM is the closest park to CS.

I did not have a good night. My head and my stomach were dancing all night…and I did not want to tango.

August 8, 1999 - The Not Ready for Test Track Trip to EPCOT Day

I slept very little and woke up feeling only slightly better than the night before but…hey I’m in WDW with my family…nothing…not even the suspected food poisoning I may have gotten from some bad salad dressing at Pepper Market (hint hint) would stop me.

We took off for EPCOT. When we got to Test Track the wait was about 90 minutes. I was not feeling too well and thought it best for Holly and Mike to go on without me. They didn’t want to but I encouraged them to get in line, and, when the opportunity came, to go into the singles line.

Carol and I sat underneath a tree and waited for Holly and Mike. We had not eaten breakfast and I felt that if I had a little something I might feel better. I went over to the Fountain View Expresso and Bakery and picked up two fat free blueberry muffins and two boxes of apple juice. Boy it took me a long time to eat that muffin. I had very little energy.

While we were waiting for the kids to return we saw a mother with a tether cord attached to her waist and the other end of the cord attached to her daughter’s waist. I guess the eight feet of cord was the allowable distance for the child to wander from her mother.

While trying to somehow will this yuck feeling from myself, a bird from high above displayed great aim and crowned me (actually my shirt) as a newly designated bird restroom. When I was young I always favored the color green...not today. I went to a nearby restroom to try and remove the “gift” from above. As I was washing it out of my shirt I was wondering, “Okay…so where’s the good luck that’s now supposed to come my way?”

I continued to experience waves of nausea and decided to stand over near one of the spritzing stations. That helped a little bit. I went over to the spritzer to try and get some of that spray onto my face. Goofy pulled up and went to the fountain area and started taking pictures with all the guests…the only problem is that if you wanted to take a picture with Goofy over there you had to be willing to get wet. Goofy had his bathing suit on and the water would come up from the ground like a geyser and soak the guests. It was fun to see young children more than willing to get wet and have their picture taken with Goofy but the teens and the adults weren’t so brave.

Soon Holly and Mike returned from Test Track.They had been gone an hour and weren’t really that impressed with the attraction. I figured I’d have a chance to check it out sometime over the second week.

Holly and Mike were hungry so we went over to the Electric Umbrella. Carol and I did not eat anything.

We headed towards World Showcase. I was determined not to let this nausea keep us from enjoying ourselves but it was a struggle. Several times I had to sit down and rest a bit…and usually it’s me leading the pack.

Carol and Holly said they would meet Mike and I at American Adventure. Mike wanted to do some shopping at China. Boy was he in for a surprise. When we got to China we found out that the Chinese shop was closed for refurbishing. That is Mike’s favorite EPCOT shop. So not only was the Centorium closed but also this China shop…okay, my reputation is at stake here…ahem. I mean the Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store was closed for refurbishing. I began to curse the Millennium. Did I mention that the men’s room in the China pavilion did not have running water? Jeesh, what would Walt think of this?

Mike and I met Carol and Holly at the American Adventure. They had just watched a special character show “Disney’s International Songbook” at the American Gardens Theater.

Mike wanted to do a little shopping and Carol, Holly, and I went into AA. It wasn’t too crowded and I was holding my own. The A/C helped my cause. We sat down close to the stage…third row I guess. I wanted to see this show close up.

I’ve always liked the American Adventure and always found a lump in my throat at the very end of the “Golden Dream” song, especially when the curtains are pulled back and the whole auditorium is filled with music.

But those times in the past paled in comparison when towards the end we were reminded of a little boy who saluted his father’s casket some 36 years ago. It was very difficult to watch that segment of the film. This little boy had been reunited with his father about a week or so before we had left for Florida. There was not a dry eye in the house.

I tried to tape “Golden Dream” but couldn’t maneuver my camera to the right angle…no videotaping in there and I wanted to be discreet. I have the audio but the video is more like that of a black cat at midnight during a power failure.

As we were leaving the theater I did the best job I could to pull myself together…still thinking of that little boy.

We met Mike outside and we headed back counter clockwise. I was thinking of a tasty treat at the Outpost. Next to the famous Dole Whip nothing beats the heat and a dry throat than a strawberry slush from the Outpost between China and Germany. We all enjoyed cooling off.

We wanted to rest a bit before we headed down to Disney West Side and Cirque Du Soleil so we headed back to the room to freshen up.

I was kind of excited about Cirque Du Soleil. I had heard a lot about it but was told that it was very hard to describe and that I wouldn’t understand this until I actually got to see a performance.

From the outside The Cirque Du Soleil Theater looks like a very unusual circus tent. We had tickets for the 5:30 show and we were there just in time for the doors to open. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our seats were pretty good…about halfway up the center area.

Okay here’s my attempt at describing Cirque Du Soleil.

The stage is part of the show. The audience sits in a half moon theater. For the most part the audience is looking down at the stage area…but there is a promenade section that is almost level with the stage.

Before the show begins we are entertained by some clowns…silent clowns that make us laugh with their antics as they carry several packages around the theater along with some funny interaction with the audience. Their work reminded me of the mime at Sea World.

Just prior to the show there is a troupe of performers who mak