Trip Reports

Summary

WHO: Gary (husband, school teacher), Bethany (daughter, 11, loves all the fast & scary rides), and Miles (son, 7, loves the fast rides but not the scary ones!) Judy (myself, self-employed bookkeeper)
When: June 16 - 28th, 1999
Where: Contemporary Resort Garden Wings (purchased AP for Gary so we could get the AP Rate here. First time ever staying here!)
How: Airplane of course! Dogsled would take too long! then Rental Car when we got at the airport. We like being in control of when we go and come at the parks.
Previous Experiences: Gary & Judy have been in 1984 (2 days), 1986 (2 weeks), took Bethany with in 1989 (1 week), and then both kids in 1995 (1 week).
ALASKA TO FLORIDA - Day 1

June 16th we were leaving at 11:15 in the evening. It was raining so hard that Mile's baseball game was cancelled that night which made it somewhat easier for us to get ready and go to the airport. All my last minute work was done and we were ready to go! Mom & Dad took us to the airport and we checked in with no problems. This was the first time we have ever used TWA and the plane was very new! The seats in front of us were totally empty so Gary moved to them and had more leg room the rest of the 6-hour flight. He was pleased to watch a movie that he had not seen yet "Analytical something".

Miles went right to sleep but Bethany and I were awake for quite a while. We dozed off and on throughout the flight. However, Miles was very squirmy then woke up and threw up in the bag. Not a lot just enough to make him feel better, he drank some water and then went back to sleep. Then about an hour later, Bethany woke up and threw up drank some water and went back to sleep. Very strange! But they both were fine afterwards - she ate and he didn't so who knows what it was.

Anyway, we landed in St. Louis just fine and went to find something for breakfast. We found a Cinnabons and Burger King and ate there. Then back to our gate to board onto the last 2.5 hours of our trip. This plane was more full but it sure seemed like exactly the same plane that we had taken from Anchorage.

We landed in Orlando about 1/2 hour late as they were having thunderstorms and had to come in from the coastline instead of the normal route. It was pouring down rain as we landed. A familiar sight by the time we finished our trip. We split up and I took the kids to get the luggage while Gary checked in at the Rental Car. We waited a while for the luggage to come and when it finally came, many other people's luggage was soaking wet. Our pieces were one of the last ones to come out but at least they were dry! We piled it onto the luggage cart and off we went to find Gary. We radioed him and he answered right away and found us. Before getting our car on the other side of the airport, we stopped at the Disney Store to check on getting Gary's 7-day pass upgraded to an Annual pass. They did it right there - Hurray and we even got the kids their autograph books right there too. So after that, we found our rental car. National has this policy where you can pick your own car in the category so Gary checked them out to see which one had the biggest luggage area that would fit all our stuff!

Then we were off! It was about 3:30 by that time - later than we had planned but still pretty good. We pulled out our quarters for the tollbooths and off we went to Disneyworld. Kept trying to see Spaceship Earth or the Tower of Terror first! Lots of building projects going on! We got there and went through the Magic Kingdom gate - told them that we were staying at Contemporary so off we went then checked in again at Contemporary gate. We left our car at the front and the keys with the valet parking then went to check in. Waited about 10 minutes then they were ready for us. Everything was okay, didn't even ask to see our Annual pass, we got just what we had requested in a room - North Garden Wings - close to the Food court. One thing that I hadn't counted on was the view - Space Mountain. Later that night, we would find that we could see the fireworks display! It was fabulous! Disney Magic! We went back to get our car to unload and they hadn't moved it yet from the front, so we easily got our keys and went around to unload. Then was the hard part - finding a parking spot! We couldn't find anything close so Gary stopped by the curb and we unloaded then he left to find a spot. The kids helped guard the luggage while I took a couple of pieces at a time up to the room. The elevator was working then so it worked out rather easily! (more on that later!)

So about 4:30 we were all checked in our rooms! YIPPEE! However, it was still raining so our original plan of going swimming just didn't work at that moment. Since we hadn't eaten since Breakfast and that was at the airport off we went to Chef Mickey's. We had 6:30 PS but they had no problem letting us come early at 5:00. That was a delightful way to spend the first evening! The food was great! The characters were fun and plentiful! We really enjoyed it!

Then we decided that we had enough energy to go and make our grocery stop! So we piled into the car and went over to Highway 192. We had not ever gone this way before - we found a Publix and piled up the snacks and pop and breakfast foods. The prices seemed fairly reasonable to us especially the pop. So then we went exploring a little but mostly just went back to our room since we were somewhat tired by then. Gary didn't sleep much at all on the airplane and the rest of us could use some sleep also.

10 o'clock came and the fireworks started! That was FABULOUS! It was so exciting to be able to be in your own room ready for bed and watching these beautiful fireworks! What an end to a wonderful day!

DAY 2 - TEST TRACK

Mickey called at 6:10 and woke me up out of a sound sleep but I jumped up ready to take on the day. The kids were not quite so perky and we didn't even mention the 4-hour time difference from Alaska. Our goal this morning was to hopefully hit Test Tract for our first ride. So we were out the door about 7 am and we drove over to Epcot to make sure that we made it on time. We got in line about 7:20 and put on our sunscreen for the morning. At 7:30 they opened the gates and off we went to Test Tract. They have all this construction going on right at the front gates to Epcot so we weren't sure exactly which way to go but just followed the crowds to Test Tract. We walked right in and could see the preboarding area by the time we stopped walking. Waited a few more minutes and got into the preshow room. Then however, when they opened the doors to the actual ride room, it was backed up so that we couldn't leave our room. The ride had stopped for some reason. So we waited about 10 minutes hoping that it would start again and yes! it did! We got to ride it and even I liked it. I was nervous since I am somewhat of a ride wimp but I enjoyed it. So we got our wish! Test Tract - first ride - first day! YIPPEE! Then off to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We were surprised with how vivid the images were! Both kids screamed at the mice and then the cat that turned into a Lion! This bothered Miles a lot! He took off his glasses after that and only watched the tamer parts. He was okay with it but didn't really like it being so real! Then we went and rode on Spaceship Earth and then off to Energy. We enjoyed this show but it was pretty long - about 45 minutes. At this point, we went off to the Wonders of Life but we only stayed for Body Wars and a few exhibits, as we didn't want to be late for our PS at the Coral Reef. We love going to the Coral Reef but we always make our reservations for the first sitting of the day so that we can usually get a front table. We had to make our request twice to get this front table but we did get it. We figured that since we were the second people checking in, it would be no problem, but we did have to ask again when we were actually being seated. But they worked it out and we were nice about it, we realize that not everyone can sit by the window. It was lots of fun though. The kids really enjoyed one fish that kept coming back to them and they nicknamed it "Check it Out!" He was very entertaining plus the food was just fine.

At this point we took the monorail back to the hotel and Gary took the car back. We actually got to ride in the front of the monorail. What a wonderful view! But it definitely was hot in the front compartment. We didn't get a talkative driver so we just enjoyed the ride there. As soon as we got to the hotel we headed for the pool. The pool at the Contemporary was perfect for our kids. The slide was fun - not too crowded - the main pool was just the right depth for playing! We never did go over to the quiet pool during the whole stay. We relaxed there in the pool and in the room until around 3:30 and then made our way over to Animal Kingdom. We decided that we would try the "afternoon suggestions" and avoid the main crowd. On the drive there, it did start raining a lot but we were ready with our ponchos. We got a fairly close parking spot - as close as possible with Animal Kingdom - they keep the normal parking lot pretty far away from the main entrance. The rain wasn't bad at the point that we actually got into the park. This was our first ever time going there so we slowly made our way to the Tree of Life. We checked the tips board and it said a 10-minute wait for the Safari so off we went! I doubt it actually was 10 minutes unless you count the walking to get there. I like how they have these long walks to take care of the lines but it would be nice to shorten them somehow when there aren't any lines. We got on fairly quickly and enjoyed the Safari a lot. We did have a jeep about 3 cars ahead of us have to stop and wait while some animals were crossing the road so we were awfully close to the jeeps ahead of us most of the way. It would have seemed a bit more real if you couldn't see all the other vehicles in front and behind you all the time. We were hungry for supper then so stopped at Tusker House and had some chicken. We liked it but it was too spicy for the kids. They just nibbled and ate more later.

Then we made our way to the Tree of Life to see the Bug show. After this morning Miles wasn't so sure about this show but he wanted to try it once at least. It started raining on our journey down into the Tree and by the time we got to the show, it was pouring! We had just missed the show before us so had to wait the whole 8 minutes until the next but at least we were in a dry area. We sat further back in the theater so the 3-D effects might not be quite so vivid this time and it may have helped some. The kids were glad they did it but didn't want to do it again. I enjoyed it! I was the only one that got "stung" everyone else leaned forward! After everything, I had read, I wasn't sure what to expect. The doors opened and it was still pouring outside so Kali River Rapids did not seem like what we wanted now. We split up and Bethany and I went to Countdown to Extinction and Gary & Miles went to the River boats. Miles had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the boat ride. Bethany on the other hand wasn't so sure about this dinosaur ride! I enjoyed it but it wasn't something I would do over and over again. At this point, the rain had stopped and we were wishing that we could meet up again to try out Kali River and whom do we see in the path ahead of us but Gary & Miles. YIPPEE! They want to try it out too so off we go. We encountered no line at all and got on with another family. It was great! I do not like Splash Mountain drops but this drop, I could handle! So we went again without getting off! Then I got off and they went again and I filmed them from the bridge! What a wonderful ending to this time at Animal Kingdom. We all enjoyed it! We did get wet though, even with ponchos on! It was 7 o'clock then so we left. It would have been nice to have another hour in the park to just wander but it was closing so we left!

We got back to our room about 7:30 and rested an hour then thought, "Hey, let's go check out Buzz Lightyear at the Magic Kingdom!" So a new burst of energy hit us and off we went. Walked right over to the Magic Kingdom - took 10 minutes. Love staying at the Contemporary! There it was - the Magic Kingdom. People were queuing up for the 9 o'clock parade but we just wanted to check out the Buzz Lightyear ride. There was about a 20 minute wait but we said "Sure no problem!" We did enjoy it but had to go on it again to figure out the controls better. Then we decided to go on Tomorrowland Transit Authority just to look at everyone. That was very enjoyable - however, we noticed that the line to Space Mountain was quite short so then we were just itching to get off the ride and go over there. The parade was also passing by about then so by the time, we got off and went to Space Mountain quite a few people had gotten in the line. But it still wasn't that long to wait. It was Miles' first time and we weren't sure how he would like it, so he went with Dad and Bethany, the pro, went with me. I was also nervous about riding this ride. I had ridden it before a couple of times but it was just as scary as ever so that was my one time this trip ride! Miles really liked the ride though and wanted to go again. We said "Another time!" and watched the fireworks at that point. It was great seeing them there at the park - so big and impressive! Wow! That was it for us though, we were tired! We were coming back tomorrow morning for early entry. Our first day and we had gone to three different parks! We needed some sleep!

DAY 3 - MAGIC KINGDOM - BLIZZARD BEACH - FANTASMIC

Next morning, Mickey woke us up early again and we drug ourselves out of bed for early entry. We always ate some breakfast foods in our room each morning - pop tarts - cheerios - muffins etc. Gary would go fill up our mugs for us to drink with breakfast. What a wonderful walk to the Magic Kingdom - but when we got there about 7:20 there were quite a few people in line. We noticed that the left side lanes by the monorail were much smaller so off we went to that side. We actually got fairly close to the front about 10 people in front of us - that was all. We watched the chosen family enter the park and practice waving the magic wand then we all shouted out the magic words and the park was open! IT seemed like lots of people all rushing up Main Street but what a wonderful feeling - it wasn't hot yet, the morning was starting and everything was great! We headed straight for Dumbo and by the time we got there everyone had gone to all different directions. We had to wait for enough people to ride the first ride of the day. It was great! Miles got to ride all by himself for the first time! He really liked that! Oh, I must say that Bethany had no desire to ride Dumbo so we let her go by herself on Snow White and she was the first person to ride it. A castmember rode it with her and she had fun! Then off we all went to the new Pooh ride - that was fun too! We really liked the Tigger part where you feel like you are bouncing! At this point, we crisscrossed back to ride Peter Pan as I really enjoy flying through the air! Then we went back to Tomorrowland Speedway. We encountered a short wait here about 5 minutes but not bad. The kids liked it but it wasn't as cool as they remembered from 4 years ago. Then we hit Buzz Lightyear again. We went on this ride 2 times and then Miles and Gary went to Astro Orbiter and Bethany and I headed back on Buzz Lightyear another couple of times. My thumb was getting tired shooting so much. Bethany had the lead at that point for high score - about 125,000 points. Then we realized that it was about 8:40 and the rest of the park would open soon so off we went to be in the Splash Mountain line. They had the ropes across at both Frontier and Adventureland so we listened to the CM's tell us the rules about following behind them and making sure the CM got to the ride first. The morning music announcing the beginning of the day was wonderful to listen to. I regret not getting that on tape so I can listen to it over again. So at precisely 8:50 the rope was dropped and off we went en masse group following the various CM's. Of course, the Splash Mountain group was HUGE! I was the official camera man. Gary and Bethany and Miles all got in the line and walked and walked. They weren't first by any means but they were on the ride easily in 15 minutes. We purchased the picture and had it sent to the room so I didn't have to carry it around. That process took some time as you have to wait until they actually print up your picture before you can fill out the paperwork to have it sent to your room. So by then it was around 9:30 and the characters had just come out. Brer Fox and Brer Bear so we got in line and got their autographs. That was fun! Then off we went to Big Thunder Mountain. The line here said 20 minutes but actually it only took about 10 minutes but it was getting kinda hot by this time. Then we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was wonderfully cool and not much of a wait. From there, we went to the new Tiki Room. We enjoyed the new show with Iago. Bethany didn't like the fact that she had to go all the way to the end of her row. That is one show you don't want to be first in the room. We then went over to Haunted Mansion but Miles did not like that! He just is not into spooky stuff. He put his head down when we got on the ride and told me to tell him when it was over. Then off we went to Cinderella's Castle about 11:15 for lunch at 11:30. We were one of the first people escorted into the Castle. We sure enjoy eating here. It is so cool and relaxing! Bethany even ordered a child portion of prime rib. She enjoyed that having tasted it at Chef Mickey's and decided that was yummy. Gary and I both had the special dish that looked weird but tasted pretty good. The kids loved the Mickey Mouse butter statue.

After lunch, we then took the monorail back to the room and changed for Blizzard Beach. The first day, we encountered the maid working in our room just as we were coming back to go swimming, so I had requested early maid service for the rest of the stay. It worked out wonderfully for us. Our room was ready then when we came back for our early afternoon breaks! We got our suits on and off we went to Blizzard Beach. I almost forgot our passes to get into the park in our room! We had to get a locker, just to hold the passes and the car keys and Gary's wallet. Everything else, we just kept with us - snacks and stuff! We went right to the Training Camp to find a chair for a central location. Gary stayed with Miles while Bethany and I went to Castaway Creek to cool off. We went all the way around - it was great! Miles loved the ice bergs and hanging onto the ropes. We then all climbed up the stairs to the top to ride Teamboat Springs. This ride is awesome! Scary and I screamed but it was fun! Gary brought a waterproof disposable camera so he took some crazy pictures going down! They went to try it again and wanted to go up the Ski Lift but the line was too long and it stopped running while they were deciding so they hoofed it up the stairs again. Meanwhile I sat and relaxed. Then they came back and I watched Miles while Gary and Bethany went on a few slides. I noticed the slide where several people can go down at once and thought that it looked harmless enough so I got Miles to go on it with me. We went down together but he got ahead of me, then I couldn't slow down and I hit the water right on top of him. So we both went way under! He thought it was funny but it scared me a little to be so out of control. I definitely got cooled off. This was a wonderful place for Miles to just do what he wanted to and I could see him most of the time from my lounge chair. After a while, Bethany and Gary came back. They had had lots of fun and then we were ready to go. We got a shaved ice on the way out for the kids. That was delicious and then we stopped and took some pictures by the Penguins at the front. Back to the hotel for some rest.

We had had such a nice lunch that we just hung around the hotel for a bit and ate some cheese fries for supper. Then we decided to go over to MGM that evening and check on the line for Tower of Terror. There they always have attendants telling you where to park so we followed their directions and parked kinda close to the front. We got there around 6 o'clock, I'm not sure of that time but the tips board showed 15 minute line for Tower of Terror so off we went. I watched and waved as they got went into the entrance for Tower of Terror, I turned on my radio so they could call if plans changed otherwise, I was meeting them in 30 minutes in one of the stores there. I shopped around for a while then decided to just wait on a bench for them to come out. This was very interesting just watching people! All different! The radio was something else too! Heard a whole conversation with another family and not all that I could understand. They came out of the ride about 40 minutes later and Miles hated it. We were never to speak the name Tower of Terror again. He was funny - he didn't cry or get upset - but no way was he going again on that ride. My daughter, Bethany, wasn't that thrilled with it either. We looked around the shop there with the Tower of Terror merchandise but didn't buy anything. Then we decided that the Indiana Jones show would be a good thing to go to next. So off we went to check on seating for it. There was an ice cream shop right outside the entrance and boy did it taste good. We took it in with us while we waited. We got there about 15 minutes before the show started and got wonderful seats. We must have been about 6 rows from the front pretty close to the center. One funny thing here was while we were waiting, Miles cried out "Mom, I lost my tooth!" Sure enough, stuck in his ice cream was a little tooth sticking out! I wrapped it up in a napkin - stuck it in my purse and wiped off his ice cream. He will always remember loosing that tooth at Disneyworld! We enjoyed the show immensely and then it was about 8:30. We figured that we would check on Fantasmic to see if perhaps any seats were left at that point for the 9:15 show. Yes, we were in luck. Pretty far over to the left but we got seats. Hurray! We were going to stay for Fantasmic! Bethany and I went off to find the bathrooms way back at the entrance and got some pop to drink while we waited. They did have two guys that were pretty funny doing a preshow. Miles loved watching it. They were pretty far away from us so were kinda hard to see what they were doing but we could hear them just fine. Then a singing group - 4 for a Dollar - came on and sang for about 15 minutes. They were very good - we enjoyed them. The fireworks from Epcot's Illuminations started at 9:00 and you could see and hear some of them from our seats. That must be why they start the show at 9:15 so it doesn't distract you. The show started and it was very good. We really enjoyed it immensely. I had heard so much about the villians that I had prepared Miles for it by reminding him that this was just pretend. Just a show and not reality. About halfway through the show, Miles told me that he needed to go to the bathroom. I asked him to wait but as the show progressed, I could tell that he really needed to go! So I told Gary that we would meet in the 5 & 10 store if we didn't get back before the show ended. So off we went during the villian part. I really didn't mind only seeing bits and pieces of the villians for his sake because I didn't want it to scare him but I hated missing part of the show. Anyway, we made it to the bathroom. There were so many people in that theater - we started on our trip back to our seats but it was obvious that the show was just about over. Mickey had won and all was right with the world. About the time, we started descending towards our seats; we met Gary & Bethany coming up. They had decided to try to beat the crowds and meet us at the top of the stairs. Fortunately, it worked and we were near the front of the crowds instead of at the very back. It is quite interesting going out of the theater - it seems like you are walking for miles and miles and then you come out right near where you entered in. At this point, we were pretty tired and decided to go back to our rooms. One super cool thing on the way back to our room at the Contemporary, the Magic Kingdom fireworks started and we could see them all the way driving back to our hotel. What a wonderful evening!

DAY 4

MAGIC KINGDOM - TYPHOON LAGOON

The next morning, we tried the anti-early entry system. We went to the Magic Kingdom. We were there about 8:30 and walked down main street but they did have rope drops at all locations around the circle in front of the Castle. We just sat there and enjoyed the morning. We decided not to worry about being at the front of the crowd and just be part of the crow. At 9:00 the music came on and off the crowds went to Splash Mountain. As we entered Frontierland, a row of cast members were all lined up greeting us to the Magic Kingdom. Miles started giving a "high five" to the cast members as he went by and then each and every one of them gave him a "high five". Must have been over 20 people all in Frontierland costumes that greeted him and gave him a high five! What a fun start to the morning! He loved it! I waited again at the lookout for Splash Mountain and it was amazing how many people were there. This time we didn't buy the picture since we had it from the day before. Off we went to do Big Thunder again and it was hot by this time! We used these tiny misters that we had with us! What a blessing! We noticed then that Miles was getting a heat rash on his neck so off we went to first aid. All they could give us was some calamine lotion that started stinging a lot about 5 minutes later. He hung in there and didn't get too upset but I could tell that bothered him. We then split up and I took Miles over to Tom Sawyer Island and Bethany and Gary went shopping. We explored the cave and the barrel bridge. That cave was longer than I remembered! Miles' favorite part was the fort and shooting the bad guys! We had to leave sooner than Miles wanted to because we were meeting Gary & Bethany for lunch but I told him that we would come back again this trip!

Then off we went to have lunch at Cosmic Ray's. It was so cool in there. It is somewhat confusing there as to order different foods, you have to get in different lines - salad line - hamburgers line - chicken line. Each section is totally separate from the other. Bethany and I tried going to the Circle of Progress after lunch but it was closed at that point - They were having problems and didn't know when it would be fixed so we went back to the room rest and relax. Oh, we did make a stop on the way out and purchased Guest of Honor badges for the kids. They didn't have our names but the engraving just took a minute and they were ready! Bethany was delighted to finally get her guest of honor badge.

We went swimming that afternoon at the Contemporary pool. How relaxing! Not that crowded and the kids loved it! The slide was great! The lifeguards were stationed at the top and the bottom of the slide so they kept things under control very nicely. We found out that they did hair wraps in the afternoons, so Bethany got to thinking about having that done. But she wanted a different kind of bead at the end so she was thinking about that for a few days before she had it done. You could take your refillable mugs with us, fill them up at the food court, and then drink them at the pool. Then when you needed a refill, you could just go to the pool snack stand. It was great!

We got ready to go to Epcot about 4 o'clock. We decided to take the monorail over since we were not going to stay for Illuminations that night. The kids really enjoyed riding on the monorail. We strolled into Epcot and on the way to World Showcase we stopped to buy a passport for the kids. They looked really nice and we did end up filling them up before the trip was over. We decided to take the boat over to Morocco. We tried to ride in the back but the people in front of us beat us to it. Oh well, we rode up front then near the driver. We stopped by the Kidcot station at France and got our passport stamped and they wrote a neat note in French to each child. Then off we went to eat at France.

We had purposely made our reservation for Chefs de France on Fathers Day. This is one of Gary's favorite restaurants in the world showcase. The food was delicious! The kids enjoyed their food also. Bethany especially liked my chocolate crepe that I got for desert. Our waitress was especially friendly. She was amazed that we had come all the way from Alaska. We ran into this a couple of times on the trip. It seemed like coming from Alaska was more amazing than coming from Europe. I would have thought that it would be the opposite but people were very surprised when we said that we were from Alaska.

At this point, it was sprinkling outside so we pulled out the ponchos and made our way around the showcase. We shopped in Morocco and Japan then I wanted to see the American Adventure. Bethany absolutely did NOT want to see it so Miles went with me and we made plans to meet Gary & Bethany in Germany in about an hour. We went in and there were several characters in the lobby greeting the kids. Minnie, Mickey, Chip & Dale and I think Goofy was there also. There was a small group of people seeing the show so they let us sit anywhere we wanted to! Miles and I sat directly in the center under the Eagle. I did doze off for just a minute but I enjoyed the show immensely. Miles liked it too. We tried to get Bethany to go back later in the week but no such luck.

It was raining pretty hard about that time so we went off to find Gary and Bethany. Took us a few minutes but we found them. At that point, we went to Norway to ride that ride. The line was about 10 to 15 minutes so not bad but we got trapped inside just as the doors closed to the movie theater. I really did not like that aspect, having to wait that time until they opened the doors to the theater. Needless to say, we didn't stay for the movie, as we wanted our freedom when they finally did open those doors.

It was about 8:30 then and still sprinkling outside. We headed out towards our hotel then. It took until about 9:20 to actually get back to our room. Not the fastest way in the world but still enjoyable. We had decided not to stay for Illuminations, as we were still tired from staying up for Fantasmic the night before. Also the rain made it not as appealing.

Got into bed about when the fireworks were going off over the Magic Kingdom. What a delight!

DAY 5 - SEAWORLD

Today we were going to Seaworld. We left about 7:45. A bit later than we planned, but it didn't take as long as we thought to get there. We actually had to wait in line at Seaworld before they opened the parking lot up at 8:30. We purchased our tickets and I went to the lockers to put away the extra change of clothes while Gary took the kids to Journey to Atlantis. I checked the map and wandered over to where the Journey to Atlantis was. I knew I was in the right place but where were all the people? There were about 5 people waiting there. I waited about 10 minutes then people started coming out on the boats. Sure enough, about 10 boats later, there they were! They splashed down right in front of me and then went back up into the ride. When they came out, Bethany and Gary wanted to ride it again but Miles was content to watch with me and try to squirt other people on the ride. He hit his head on the side when they were whipping around in the ride so he wasn't that anxious to do it again. We spent $1 in quarters squirting people and did get to squirt his sister and dad so that was fun! The first dolphin show was starting in about 15 minutes so off we went to get seats to watch. It was enjoyable as ever. Then we were off to try to feed the dolphins. Well, I took them to the place where they were 4 years ago when we were there and it was now the dolphin nursery. So we then asked directions and found out that it was back past where we had been. The next dolphin feeding was 2 hours away when we were planning to watch the seals show. So we decided to try back later in the day. It was getting hot by this time and I became somewhat grumpy. We decided that perhaps we should stop and eat lunch even though it was quite early. We had to wait until 11 until one of the lunch places opened so Miles and I went off to see the sharks while Gary and Bethany shopped. We then met back at the chicken place and had lunch. It was wonderfully cool in there and the food tasted good too.

We then shopped around until the seal show at 12:15. Gary had gotten us excellent seats right up front. We enjoyed watching the mime but he seemed meaner than the last time we saw him. The show was a new one with a pirate theme to it. At this point, we stopped in to see the sharks again then went over to get seats for the Shamu show. Bethany and I sat near the top of the splash zone while Miles and Gary sat right down near the front. Bethany had wanted to take pictures with her camera so she was sitting out of the really wet zone. This was a new show again that took us up to Alaska with their pictures of the whales. At the end when they were really warning people about getting wet, Bethany secured her camera with me and charged down to the front to get wet with her brother. They had such fun getting soaked! What a sight! Plus it was so hot at that point, I'm sure it felt great!

We then let the kids play in the Shamu Happy Harbor playground for a while. Miles and I went to the Water Ski Show while Gary & Bethany went shopping again. Miles got a kick out of the "Competition" between the two teams both in acrobatics and ski stunts. We cheered for the Pepsi team and just at the last minute, we came out the winners! Hurray for our team!

It was about 4:30 at that point and we were tired. We picked up our stuff from the lockers and decided to head out for dinner. We stopped and got our second day for free passes first to come back for the night show. We wanted to eat someplace along International drive. We were looking for a Subway but settled for a Sizzlers first. They closed all the Sizzlers in Alaska so it was fun eating there again. Also, we were looking for a drug store to get a few supplies at. Gary had developed a cold sore in his mouth that was driving him crazy and Bethany had gotten some blisters that needed some extra padding. This street was quite amazing. It had upside down buildings on it and crooked ones and ones with giant toys in front! Quite a sight to see. By that time, we realized we were pretty close to the Beltz Outlet Mall so we had to stop and do some shopping. These malls are so huge it is hard to figure out where exactly you want to go. But after a few stops for directions, we found our way to the Disney outlet stores and spent a few dollars there. It was well worth going there!

We got back to the hotel about 8 o'clock and promptly changed to go swimming. What a relaxing way to end the day! I had to make a few phone calls regarding payroll that evening to my sister who was wonderful enough to be doing it for me while I was gone. That all went well so we got to sleep around 10:30ish that night!



DAY 6 - KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

This was a new adventure for us - going over to Kennedy Space Center. We started out about 8:00 and it did take us a bit longer to get there than we planned. But we made it about 9:45. It was an enjoyable drive getting there. We enjoy seeing the scenery around there - it is so different than in Alaska. We promptly signed up for the bus tours and the Imax theater shows. We went in and got right on a bus that was leaving for a tour. You have 3 stops that you get off and on the buses and you stay as long as you like at each one. The first one had an outside tower type thing that you could see all around the Space Center. It also had LOTS and LOTS of mosquitoes! We didn't stay too long once we had discovered them or rather they discovered us!

The next stop was very interesting! It had two films about the Apollo space missions. Also, it had a actual size space shuttle inside to walk under and observe. It was quite impressive. We ate lunch there at the Lunar Lunch Pad. A Space Camp group surrounded us while we were sitting there. Then we had one more stop and walked through an actual model of the modules they use at Space Stations like Mears. On the way back to the main Visitor Center we realized that we were going to get there either just in time or just too late to see the main IMAX show that we wanted to see.

So we rushed off the bus and walked briskly over to the IMAX theater but alas, they were exactly on time thus we were too late to see that showing. We had to wait 40 minutes to see the next showing. So we went shopping which we wanted to do anyway. They had a very nice store there with lots of stuff to spend your money on. We went back plenty early for the next showing and got our 3-D glasses for the IMAX movie - Living in Space. It was pretty good - Miles didn't always like the 3-D effects. Too real for him! Then we had a decision to make - whether to try to see the other IMAX show or just to skip it! We went outside and looked in the shuttlecraft on display and took pictures and all. Boy it was hot! I was glad to get back inside. We decided to try seeing the movie since we hated to miss it. We got in at the top but still pretty good seats. It was pretty detailed about how they live on the space stations now and all. I learned a lot from that film and the bus tour. It makes the space program so much more real to me now.

At this point, it was about 3 o'clock and we were tired. So off we headed back to Orlando. During this trip the skies darkened, lightening flashed and the rain poured! Boy did the rain pour! I have never ever seen it pour down so heavy! About 10 minutes of horrible pounding rain! Gary kept his eyes on the lights of the car in front of us and kept going! It was awful!

We made it back to International Drive around 5 o'clock and stopped for supper at an IHOP. It was still raining but nothing like it had been 10 minutes earlier. We then went back to Seaworld with our second day pass.

First, we went to the dolphin feeding but we had missed the last one of the day already! We did get to see the underwater viewing of the dolphins that we didn't know existed before. That is pretty amazing. We then went to check the line for Journey to Atlantis but it was posted 30 minutes so we just checked out the gift shop. Back inside it is an amazing aquarium, which we had totally missed the day before! You can see fish under your feet through the glass. Really weird! We then purchased a few things and Bethany checked the line again. This time - it was only 15 minutes so she wanted to go in it! She was the only one so we sat and waited for her to do it. It felt weird having my 11 year old off in a line all by herself but she is growing up and we were waiting right there where she came out. We waited and waited and even got right up by a squirt gun so we could get her when she rode by. About 25 minutes went by and I was getting concerned when I noticed the boats were coming out with no riders on them! About 10 boats came out this way and then here comes Bethany walking over to us. They had closed the ride down just as she was one boat from getting on. They said because of weather they were closing the ride. We couldn't figure this out since the weather looked no different to us then the hour before. But they have to be cautious so she was quite disappointed!

We then walked over to the Wild Arctic - thinking we would do this and then get a good seat for the evening Shamu show. We noticed that there was a rope across the entrance to the Shamu stadium so we asked the attendant what was going on. Seems that a whale was in labor and they were canceling the evening show so people wouldn't be around while the baby whale was born. This was the main reason we had come back so we were quite disappointed but we understood that things like this happen. So we went to the Wild Arctic show and then when back to the hotel. The kids were dying to swim again but the pool was closed because of the weather so we just went to bed!

DAY 7 - DISNEYQUEST

The kids slept in this day until about 8:00. Gary got up early to go to Magic Kingdom and take pictures but I had goofed and it was early entry to MGM not Magic Kingdom today. I actually got up around 7 and did a few loads of laundry first thing. This worked great for me since no one was in the laundry room at that time. But I don't know that that is the most relaxing way to start your day out. We had conflicting reports of when Disneyquest opened. One place said 10 am, the hotel information told us 9 am and Disneyquest recording told us 10:30. So we weren't sure when exactly to be there - turns out that it was 10:30 so we could have slept in more but we did get to explore Legoland early and wander around some in the morning around Downtown Disney. It was super hot that morning so we didn't get too ambitious in our wandering around.

In front of the Disneyquest entrance, there were 3 CM's handing out maps and info about Disneyquest. They liked the kids' Guest of Honor badges! They wanted to know where we got them and we said the Magic Kingdom. One said, "Oh, where's that?" Then we all started laughing! He meant where in the Magic Kingdom but it came out like he didn't know where the Magic Kingdom was. How silly!

They didn't open the ticket admission place until 10:30 so by the time Gary got our tickets other people had already gotten in the building. We saw a couple of big groups of kids go in and thought "Oh no! It's going to be swamped!" But afterwards I hardly saw those kids again. It is a pretty big place!

First we went to the Buzz Lightyear Bumper Cars, that was okay but not as cool as we had imagined. It was hard driving over those balls to pick them up and then try to hit someone with them. Then we went down to the Magic Carpet Ride - that was also a weird experience. You put these helmet type things on your head and then sit in a "motorcycle like chair". The attendant came by and checked on us and then my screen went blank. Only it stayed blank for longer than I thought it should. So I asked Gary if he was seeing anything and he said yes he was. So I took off my helmet and summoned the attendant. He hadn't got mine hooked up right so I waited until the next group started their session and went in a different chair. It was pretty interesting but hard to figure out how to steer and go places. I think if I would have gone on it again I could have gotten much better at it. Then we went off to the jungle cruise. This turned out better than we hoped. It was wild watching other people on their cruises on you are standing in line. Then when you get in you really feel like you are on a raft. We followed Gary's directions on which way to row!

Off to the Virtual Roller Coaster. This would turn out to be the highlight of the whole place for us! The really cool part was that I could go and watch through the TV Screen while the kids were riding on the roller coasters that they have designed. Miles was not timid at all in creating his roller coasters. Before the day was over, they must have created 3 or 4 rollercoasters each. The CM's were starting to recognize Miles and Bethany because of their nametags and all. They were very friendly! The roller coasters were rated with the fright factor of 0 - 5 at the end. You could make it less scary but not more scary once it was rated. Well, the kids were making 3 & 4 rating rides. I heard a couple of teenagers boasting about making a 5 rating one. At the end of the day, I ended up one time creating a ride to go on and it was rated 0. It not just flat either - it was lots of fun for me - I got Miles to go on it with me! He is so kind to his mother! It was quite an experience being belted into the "coffee can". I was glad I did it!

We ate lunch at the Cheesecake factory at the top! It was kinda confusing at first but then we figured out where things were and each got something different of course. We did go ahead and get each kid a $10 card with 24 credits for games. They had fun playing all those games. They did come out with some toys for prizes that they thought were cool. Also, we did go on the Jungle Cruise again - I almost fell over in the boat it was tipped so much! We did have a giant piece of Chocolate chip cheesecake. Delicious while sending a postcard message on the internet to Mom and Dad.

We probably left there around 3:30 in the afternoon. We walked back to the World of Disney to shop. This place is HUGE! I lost my family in it for at least 10 minutes. I was walking through it just looking for them and finally they found me! So we used our Magic Kingdom discount there and then went to the little shop that prints names on coffee cups and got a Peter Pan one for my sister that was doing my payroll for me while I was gone! I waited about 10 minutes for them to finish it while Gary took the kids over to McDonalds for supper.

Then we went back to the hotel to do some much needed swimming! But first, Gary had the idea of checking out the boat rental. He had always wanted to do something like that but we never had taken the time. So we took out this wonderful boat and went all over the Discovery Bay. It was fabulous! The weather was great just starting to cool off - it was so enjoyable! We went right past the Magic Kingdom - the Grand Floridian - the Polynesian, then went around Discovery Island. What a delight! I took lots of pictures!

We then went swimming and relaxing that evening. It did start to rain again later so we were sure glad that we did it when we did.



DAY 8 - MAGIC KINGDOM

We went again to Early Entry - I just love walking in with the people and we are the first ones in the park! It's great! Today Gary took the kids to Space Mountain first while I went to Peter Pan and Pooh all by myself. We then met and went through Buzz Lightyear a few times, did the Tea Cups and Mickey's Land. We rode on the Barnstormer and looked through Minnie's House. We then left the park to go to Typhoon Lagoon. That was our main focus for today.

We arrived at Typhoon Lagoon and had to search and search to find an empty chair to put our stuff on. That was a bad sign and we were hot so we decided to get into the creek and cool off! That was so crowded! What a difference from Blizzard Beach. It was fun but not near as nice when it is packed with people! We got out at Shark Cove, as that was the one main thing Gary wanted to do. The line wasn't bad so Bethany and him went and got their snorkels. Gary had done this four years ago and really liked it but it was Bethany's first time of course and she was nervous. Miles and I went and looked through the portholes at the first while they were getting all their gear. Then we went and watched them get their instructions and start off in the water. Bethany had to stop right away and adjust her gear. She was getting water inside and it was bothering her. They got that fixed and then took off again floating. She enjoyed it but didn't want to go again. Gary wanted to do it again as he was so concerned about how she was doing, that he didn't get to see much the first time. So off we went around the park again. We went clear around the park in the creek and got out at the wave pool. I hadn't ever been in the big wave pool before and didn't realize how fun it was just being in the shallow water and not even in really deep. We played there quite a while then realized we should catch up with Gary, as he would be worrying about us. We found him sunning himself, eating all the chips! At this point, people had left and we noticed quite a few chairs available over by the wave pool. So we packed up our stuff and moved it over there. The kids weren't interested in going on the slides at that point. It was plenty hot for us so being in the water all the time felt really good.

We had said ahead of time that we would try to get back to the parks in time to watch the Mulan parade so we had to leave by 3 to go back and change to get to the park by 4:30. Well, the kids were having so much fun that we didn't get gone until around 3:20. So we hustled ourselves back to the room and changed and then back to the park.

This time they made us park way in the back! Yucko! We were already short of time and now they made us park so far away. However, it worked out as a tram was just waiting there for us and we jumped on and rode all the way to the front. Faster than it would have been if we parked closer. We got through the gates and the streets were lined with people waiting for the parade as it was about 4:20. I had thought the parade started at the Star Tours end so I thought we had some time to find a spot to see it! It was pretty crowded! We crossed the street and went about 1/2 block when we spotted a wonderful spot to stand. It only had people sitting on the curb with no one standing behind them. So we quickly planted ourselves there and felt extremely lucky! Across the street, it was easily 4 or 5 deep but it was in the shade and we were in the sun - perhaps that was the reason. Whatever - we were happy! Then within minutes, here comes the parade! It started in the front and we didn't have to wait much at all! We enjoyed it but I have to say that it would not have been worth a 1/2 hour wait in the sun! As it was - we had a great time! Then we were off to check out the Sci Fi Restaurant. Originally, I had not made reservations for this as the reviews were so bad here on the boards, but when we changed our park plans, I called that morning to see if I could get a reservation and we did. So off we went, however, there were crowds of people sitting around it. We checked it and were early as I had thought we would be waiting much longer for the parade. Anyway, we did have to wait about 20 minutes but we did get in! Bethany really enjoyed it - ate everything on her plate, which is unusual for her. My food was also very delicious - the club sandwich. The atmosphere was certainly different! The kids really had fun, I thought that it was too loud for my tastes. Too hard to have a conversation - but definitely had atmosphere!

After that we went on Muppet Vision and Star Tours. We sure enjoy both of those. They are great! Miles and I then went off to Doug Live while Bethany and Gary went shopping. We met them at the Backlot Tours about 8:30. I was afraid we might be there too late but they were still going. It was getting dark so the outside part of the tour was kinda hard to see everything. The catastrophe canyon was just as goon as ever! It was pretty late by then about 9:00. It was awfully deserted in those back lot streets. We slowly walked back and then out to the tram. Worked out great!

DAY 9 - Friday June 25 - EPCOT

We did early entry just to go on Test Tract again! That was the only way we would do it again. We got there about 7:20 and got in line. Bethany however, went to a turnstile that had no one lined up at it. She figured that it would open and people started lining up behind her. Sure enough, an attendant came to it so we discreetly all moved over to her line with her. The CM was great and told her that she should go to the left instead of to the right to get to Test Tract quicker. With all the construction right there, you have to go immediately to the left or the right and the right is where all the entrance turnstiles are located. So that morning Bethany was the second one in the park. He actually let her and this other boy past the gate if they would wait until he gave the okay. So off we all went to Test Tract! We just walked right in along with all the other people and had a car all to ourselves! It was great! We purchased the picture this time even though the bar was right through Miles' face. I wish we would have put him in the back but we didn't realize that the bar would be in the way of the picture. We weren't going back either to ride it again not with the line now! Then we went over to the land and they all went on the Living with the Land ride just for me. I love that ride. Then we sat through Food Rocks and had a snack there in the food court. Then we went through the Living Seas exhibit. That ride is always way too short! But it is fun to watch all those fish. WE tried to find the same fish that we had seen the week before when we ate lunch but we couldn't be sure that we saw the same one.

At this point, we went to Innoventions to check out the exhibits there but it was much too Arcade like for us. It costs extra to do most of the games and we weren't into doing Nintendo stuff there. But we did find the Picture postcard exhibit and sent both Grandparents a picture of us! That was fun! I would definitely do that again! It was really enjoyable seeing it after we got home!

Then we split up again and I took both Bethany and Miles to the Wonders of Life exhibits. It was extremely crowded that morning though because Energy was temporarily closed. So we saw the Cranium Command Show that was hilarious and we played with some of the exhibits but that was about all. We then went off to meet Gary in Mexico. Originally we had planned on eating lunch there but the kids did not think they would like the food at all so we split up again and Gary ate there while I took the kids across the lagoon to Germany. We ate a pretzel there in Germany and then ice cream in Africa later. What a nutrious lunch but it tasted great! We met in China at 12:00 where characters were supposed to be appearing. A couple of characters from Mulan came out and we got their autographs so that was fun for the kids!

At that point, we headed on back to swim at the pool. Bethany got her hair wrap that afternoon which was a priority item for her! The pool there was so wonderful! We stayed until about 4:00 when we left to go check out the Beach Club. We didn't know if they would let us park or there or not but it was no problem. We walked around it and checked out Stormalong Bay. We may stay here next time for part of the time if we can get any discounted rates. It looked pretty nice. Though I have to admit I really was spoiled this trip with staying at the Contemporary! Anyway, we thought that we would take the ferry over to Epcot. This turned out to be a slow way to get there and it was super hot that afternoon. But we did make it there finally and we walked over to Morocco for our 5:30 reservation.

This was where Gary really wanted to eat for something different! It was very good and enjoyable. Our food was delicious and the kids even liked theirs. Bethany did order an appetizer instead of from the kid's menu. She ate her food but it was just okay for her. During our dinner we kept hearing loud bangs from outside. We first thought that it was thunder but then decided it was too loud for thunder must be from a show of some kind. But we did find out that is was thunder and lightening! It had rained while we were relaxing inside eating our dinner. When we emerged, it was sprinkling but not too bad. We were on a mission to get all our Kidcot stamps for the kid's passports. We had to search where they were doing them as they had all moved inside when the rains had come earlier. But we found them and they wrote something to each child usually in their language and then they spoke it out loud in both their language and English. Pretty neat. Well, we made it to Mexico and then it started pouring down rain again! We waited there for a bit and made sure our ponchos were secure and then kept going around. We hadn't hit the Canada, Great Britain side yet. It was around 8 o'clock then and Gary spotted a fairly good bench for watching the Illuminations from. So he camped out on it with his poncho and we went on to get the rest of our Kidcot stuff. We relieved him around 8:30 and he took a break got a Beavers Tail from Canada and came back. People were lining up then waiting for Illuminations. The rain kept coming not bad but not great either. We had heard earlier that day that they would do the show even if it was raining so we were determined to sit it out!



We did and it was very enjoyable! I do wonder if the rain made a difference with some of the effects though but it was still pretty great. We then took the back exit out and walked back to Beach Club where we were parked. This was a great way to exit after the show!

DAY 10 - Sat June 26 - MAGIC KINGDOM - ANIMAL KINGDOM

Early entry again at Magic Kingdom, this time Miles and I went to Dumbo first and then Pooh while Bethany and Gary went on Space Mountain. We then hit Buzz Lightyear again - I had the high score now with about 195,000, which no one ended up beating me at. I did get better at aiming as we went a long but I still had a long way to go to have it figured out! Today, when they went off to Splash Mountain for the opening, I went shopping and then went to the Pastry shop and sat on Mainstreet watching the people stream in while munching on my apple strudel. It seemed crazy to just sit there and watch them but it was fun! My mistake was in not buying stuff for them too at the time because when they finished Splash Mountain they of course wanted something to eat and then the line was huge! OH well, we were just relaxing at that point. We went off to the hotel then to go to Blizzard Beach. It was pretty hot by the time we got there! I sure like the set up there though! We got some great seats in the Training camp next to a statue of The Alligator and off we went. We did Teamboat Springs again and went around the Castaway Creek. Gary then took the kids to the wave pool but Bethany got her knee scraped there pretty badly so he took her to first aid and they bandaged her up. Then her pop got spilled and she was having not so great a time at that moment. But it got better and she ate lunch and went back to the wave pool. I like the one at Typhoon Lagoon better but I like the park here at Blizzard Beach the best. We then let Miles and Bethany play there at the training camp until we decided to leave.

We went back to the hotel and then changed to go to Animal Kingdom. Again, we got there about 4 o'clock but today the lines were long. The tip board showed the Kali River Rapids at about 45 minutes and of course that was one they definitely wanted to do again. So since it was so hot, we decided to just stop and eat a bite for supper in the air conditioning. Then Bethany and Gary went to get autographs at Camp Minnie Mickey while Miles and I tried to get into the Lion King show at the last minute. We made it. I had wanted to go but not enough to wait in a huge line. So this worked perfect. 5 minutes until show time and we walked right in. Got a pretty decent seat in the giraffe section. We really enjoyed this show! What a delight!

Then we met Bethany and Gary and went over to Dinoland. He took Miles off to dig in the Boneyard while Bethany and I went on Countdown to Extinction again. She didn't like it last week but was determined to try it again. WE did have a longer line this time and had to wait about 10 or 15 minutes. I enjoyed it more this time knowing what to expect and so did she. We didn't buy the picture since it was just the two of us but the back row was hilarious! They were several teenage girls that were obviously together and they were ducking down in the seat when the picture was taken!

We met up with Miles and Gary again and went off to Kali River Rapids. This was the highlight of the park! WE rode again with another family that was riding it for the second time. Once again, we hit it at the end of the day when they let us ride for 3 times in a row without getting off. What fun! By now it was 7 o'clock and the park was closing down. We were looking everywhere for something to drink or eat but nothing was open. Finally we hit an ice cream stand that was still open. Yippee! Tasted wonderful! Bethany had had her picture taken earlier by some Disney photographer but the place to see it was jammed with people so we said forget it and went to our car. At this point, it started to rain and it rained a lot!

We had been wanting to go see the parade that night but the rain kept coming and we decided that it had probably been called off! So we just stayed in our hotel and went to sleep.

DAY 11 - MGM - Last day

Early Entry for MGM - Bethany wanted to try Tower of Terror again so she went with Gary over there while Miles and I went to Star Tours. We then met up at the Great Movie Ride and got to sit right behind the driver. Then we went to Muppetvision and at that point we split up again. Miles wanted to see Doug Live again so I took him. Was fine the first time but second time was too much for me. We then met up at Hollywood and Vine for Brunch about 10:30. This was delicious and a lot of fun. The characters were all dressed up and the food was delicious.

Then Bethany and I went on a bus to Epcot while Miles and Gary went over to Downtown Disney and went shopping. We wanted to send some more internet postcards since I had my sister's address now and perhaps see the 3D Show again. We did the postcards but the HISTA line was too long for us! We didn't want to sit through a couple of preshows just to get in again. So off we went to get some autographs for her. We went all the way to Morocco and got Jafar then since it was so hot we went to Japan and got some shaved ice, which was delicious! We then got the two mice in France, which was fun! and in Great Britain we got Tigger and Pooh. Then we were tired and went back on the monorail to go swimming.

This afternoon was the first time, I had seen the pool at the Contemporary pretty crowded. It was hard to find a chair and it was hot! I had to keep going back in the pool just to stay cool. But the highlight was that Goofy, Tigger, and Max came by to swim in the pool. They actually swam in the pool, went down the slide and played in the water fountains there. Miles followed them around and Bethany enjoyed it too. Of course, that was the day I did not bring my camera with me to the pool. But what fun! About 5 we decided to grab a bite to eat at the food court and then head off to Magic Kingdom for our last evening.

The weather had other plans, 5:30 it started pouring and stayed raining the whole night long! Since this was our last night there Bethany and I went out anyway about 7 o'clock. We brought our radio with us so we could let Gary and Miles know where to meet us when it stopped raining! We went to Tomorrowland and everything was closed! Buzz was down, Space Mountain was down and even Alien Encounter was down. Tomorrowland Transit Authority had a line! I couldn't believe it. But it was out of the rain so we went on it. We went through Space Mountain with the lights on! I took pictures but only I know what they are. So then we went off to find something to go on while we waited for the rain to stop and the parade to start. We went on Small world. This ride was so slow that I thought we would never get off it. It didn't help that I remembered that I was supposed to radio Gary about that time to let him know what was happening. I tried inside the ride but got nothing! We go out and it was about 8:30 then and did get in contact with Gary. It was still raining but not hard. We talked to a CM who said that it was still on at that point so we picked a spot a sat there. At 9:00 they announced a delay in the parade. We wondered what that meant but at 9:15 it started up! YIPPEE! It was wonderful! But I felt so guilty because Gary and Miles weren't here watching it! I even offered to go get Miles and take him back for the 11:00 parade but he was already asleep by the time the first parade was over. So Bethany and I went one last time on Buzz - it was going again - watched the fireworks from inside the park and went back to our hotel!

Then I stayed up packing for about an hour so we could have a more relaxing morning the next day.

DAY 12 - HOME

We woke up and finished packing. We took the monorail over to the Polynesian and had breakfast there at the Kona Café. I had the Tonga Toast. Delicious. We then went back to the hotel and I took the kids for one last swim! How weird to be out there at 10:00 in the morning. There was only 1 other child in the pool at that time. They had the whole place to themselves. It was comfortable weather too!

Gary loaded up the car while we were out swimming. We had express checkout so we just left about 11 o'clock. We went to the airport - checked in. Gary left us off at the ticket counter - we checked in while he returned the car. He even made it up to us before we left the ticket counter so he could show his ID and check in also. We then had a couple of hours in the airport before our plane left. The food court was so packed! We had to really search just to find a table for four! So we split up and one of us saved the table while the other went shopping there. The Warner Brothers store was probably the most interesting since we hadn't gone to Universal so we didn't see any of that stuff.

The Disney Store was pretty normal merchandise.

We got an announcement at the gate that St. Louis was having thunderstorms so we might be delayed there. But we boarded and left on time. They said that St. Louis had cleared up and we made it through there just fine! The first plane from Orlando to St. Louis was so old and worn. What a difference from the brand new plane that we had flown down in. The Flight back from St. Louis to Anchorage though ended up having two movies on it so that was cool. I, however, slept through parts of both of them so it didn't help much for me. I sure enjoyed the snacks from TWA on the way down better than the meal on TWA on the way back. Oh well, they landed on time and our baggage made it there both ways! Nothing was broken! We were happy. What a wonderful trip!

It's just so far away that it was 9:30 Alaska time when we arrived but 1:30 am Orlando time.

What a wonderful trip! We were tired when we got home but sure have wonderful memories of that trip. We developed all 17 rolls of film - haven't organized them yet but sure enjoy looking at them. I would love to go back - just let me earn the money and figure when it works and we will go back!

Judy Veater

veater@iolalaska.net

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

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