Conference koolit::disney

    As a Southern California resident, I have the distinct pleasure
    of being able to visit the original Disneyland in Anaheim any time
    I care to go.  Two weekends ago, I took my 19 year old nephew for
    his first-ever Disneyland visit.  It was fantastic!  Even though
    I've been to Disneyland at least 75 times, I still get a kick out
    of visiting.
    
    Almost everything was operational.  All the rides were operating,
    but the Videopolis Center was closed.  Also, the Country Bear Jamboree
    is being replaced by Critter Country (or something like that), and
    while consruction is under way, there's no Jamboree.
    
    The Michael Jackson "Capt. EO" show was out of this world!  The
    video presentation was spectacular, as was the sound system.  I'm
    not easily impressed but I certainly was by this one!
    
    The 360 degree theater was also awe inspiring, and for folks who
    don't realize what the good ol' USA is all about, I'd recommend
    it strongly.  Its some of the most fantastic photography you'll
    ever see...
    
    The super-inside-roller-coaster-ride Space Mountain seems to have
    gotten even faster (or maybe I'm just getting older?) and more
    exciting.  For roller-coaster fans, this is a must.  The old graphics
    displayed on the inner ceiling have been replaced, or at least revised
    because I didn't see things I was expecting.  The line to get on
    the ride was about 30 minutes, and for this monster, that ain't
    bad!
    
    We saw the Mouse during the afternoon parade, but got our picture
    taken with Uncle Scrooge, which is a special treat for me because
    he's my second favorite character (after Mickey, himself).
    
    All in all, an absolutely wonderful escape back to the good ol'
    days in one of the most wonderful places on earth...
    
    For those of you who haven't yet been to Disneyland or Disneyworld,
    please find the time and resources to go.  You'll never regret it.
    
    Regards,
      BW
    

    OK, now that I'm caught up on mail (only 93 messages, not 847), a quick
    trip report.  We just got back from 2 weeks at WDW, staying at Fort
    Wilderness (the BEST Disney resort, but I'll elaborate on that some
    other time).
    
    Travel:  Left on a Thursday night, drove straight through to Georgia,
    stayed there Friday night, arrived in Orlando Saturday morning.  Very
    few traffic/construction problems, compared to previous years.  This
    was our 5th trip in the last 6 years, so I guess we qualify as Disney
    "regulars".
    
    >What's new in the park?
    
    Magic Kingdom:  Mickey's Birthdayland, located behind Tomorrowland.
    Best way to get there is to take the train, now called the
    "Birthdayland Express" or something like that.   You walk through
    Mickey's house, into his backyard, and attend his surprise birthday
    party hosted by Minnie, along with Goofy, Donald, Pluto, et al.  My
    3-year-old loved it, but the older kids were bored by it, although I
    think my daughter (8) liked it but didn't want to admit it.
    
    EPCOT:  Norway is now open, including a boat ride that's pretty good,
    especially when you ride through a North Sea Storm.  Construction is in
    progress on some new attractions (listed below).
    
    Resorts:  Grand Floridian and Caribbean Beach Resort are new since last
    year.
    
    
    >What's open and what's closed?
    
    For the first time, virtually everything was open and operating.  The
    former "If you had wings" attraction at the Magic Kingdom is being
    refurb'ed into a new flight-related attraction presented by Delta - I
    think it's called DreamFlight. 
   
    
    What's coming next (in no particular order)...
    
        Disney/MGM Studios - being hyped very heavily right now.  Scheduled
        to open June 1. 
    
        EPCOT Resort - didn't see anything written on this one, but it's
        very visibly under construction off of World Showcase, with artist
        conception drawings on all the walls blocking off the construction
        area.  Looks like it will be a another large, fancy, $$$ resort.

        Wonders of Life - not sure of the name, but it's a new building in
        Future World (EPCOT) on the body.  Has some type of ride the body,
        a la "Fantastic Voyage" (novel/movie of some years ago).
    
        Typhoon Lagoon - new water park, on the road between EPCOT and
        Disney Village.  Opening this summer, I think.
    
        Pleasure Island - New entertainment theme-land, geared towards
        adults (clubs, restaurants, shows), located next to Disney Village.
        Theater complex open now, rest of it opens later this year.
    
        That's all I can think of for now, but I probably forgot something.
        Also, from the monorail ride, it looks like they've created another
        beach area between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom.
        There's enough space available for another resort there, but that's
        just speculation.  Maybe it's just a remote beach for the Floridian.

    
    >How were the crowds?

    The first week we were there was February school vacation week - need I
    say more?  The place was packed.  But, it got very cold one day, and we
    covered a lot of the Magic Kingdom that night.  The best time to cover
    the parks can be during inclement weather, since the crowds thin out.
    Still, Disney knows how to handle crowds, so I wouldn't discourage
    anyone from going during one of the busy times.  Just expect to spend
    some time waiting in lines. 
    
    
    >What went well, and what didn't?
    
    After last year's visit, I was somewhat cynical about some of the
    changes I've seen at Disney World.  This year, it wasn't so bad.  Every
    year, though, the prices get a little higher, and the employees (excuse
    me, "cast members") get a little less friendly.  However, there are
    still many good, friendly people who obviously enjoy their jobs.  From
    talking to many of them, we found out that Disney doesn't pay very
    well, at least not by New England standards, i.e., people could make
    much better money working at McDonald's around here, than working at
    WDW.  But, you can't really compare Florida's economy to Massachusetts. 
    
    In terms of what went well, let me just mention the whole way we
    planned this trip.  At work, everything is planned and organized
    (however, if you know me, please don't comment on that).  We we go on
    vacation, we like to be a little more spontaneous.  This whole trip was
    planned about 2 weeks in advance.  Yes, you can get into Disney resorts
    on short notice, if you can be a little flexible.  They accommodate so
    many people, and only ask for a minimal deposit, so there are always
    cancellations.  We called and got 5 days available at Fort Wilderness
    on the first shot.  Called later and extended it to 8.  Then they lost
    the reservation.  Got it back to 8 when we checked in.  Then 11.  Then
    "just one more day", for a total of 12.  Also got into the Hoop-Dee-Doo
    on a same day cancellation.

    Another thing that probably goes as well here as anywhere - Did
    you ever wonder how some lucky people get to ride up front in the
    monorail?  We found out the secret: just ask.  If it's empty, the
    driver will let you ride up front.  It's rarely empty, but we were
    able to get the whole family up front once, and my two oldest kids
    got up there another time.  They loved it.

    
    >Did you see the Mouse?  
    
    But of course!  It's easy now, with Mickey's Birthdayland in place.
    Last year, it was pretty difficult to get close to Mickey.  This year,
    there were lots of other birthday-related shows/events all around the
    place.  Saw lots of all the characters.
    
    
    And, last, I'll add another category...
    
  ->What were the highlights of the trip?
    
    Since we've been so many times, we're a little "Disney'd-out" by the
    parks.  However...
    
        "IllumiNations" - Laser/audio/fireworks presentation over the lake
        at EPCOT.  Unbelievable.  Incredible.  Don't miss it.  Words can't
        describe it, so just go see it.  It's been around for a few years,
        but this is the first time we've caught it.  Starts at 10 PM, a
        little tough to do with very young kids.
    
        Hoop-Dee-Doo Review - another thing we always wanted to see, but
        never got around to before.  Found out that they start a list about
        45 minutes before showtime in case there are any no-shows.  We got
        on the list, and got in, no problem.  The show was great - they
        call it something like a hand-clappin', foot-stompin' roarin' good
        time, and that's exactly what it is.  The food is nothing to write
        home about, and dinner is somewhat rushed, but the show is
        first-rate.

	And, as always, just being at Fort Wilderness.  If you've never been
	there, go.  It's a completely different vacation when you stay "on
    	the property".  But don't bother trying the last two weeks of
	February next year.  It will be full, the weather will be terrible,
	and you'll have a lousy time (besides, we might want to do another
    	last-minute trip then.)
        
    That's it for now.  Glad to see this conference created.  I'll sign
    in, and add to other topics, when I have time.  Happy vacationing
    in "the world's most popular vacation destination" (according to
    a local Orlando publication).
    
    /Don

reply to < Note 34.2 by NRADM::BROUILLET "You can listen as well as you hear" >

>        EPCOT Resort - didn't see anything written on this one, but it's
>        very visibly under construction off of World Showcase, with artist
>        conception drawings on all the walls blocking off the construction
>        area.  Looks like it will be a another large, fancy, $$$ resort.

    Don,
    
    Are you  sure  this  isn't the Swan and Dolphin hotel convention center
    now under contruction?   From what I have seen it will be between Epcot
    and World Drive (main entrance  from US 192).  Swan is schedule to open
    in '89 and the Dolphin in '90.
    
    Claude

    
     Re: .1
    
        BW,
    
         Thanks for the Disneyland info. I called there twice last
       week and was told the only attraction's closed were, Star
       Tours and Tom Sawyers Island. The two receptionists I talked
       to said nothing of the Country Bear Jamboree, or the Videopolis
       Center being closed. Was Star Tours open when you went ?
    
       George

< Note 34.3 by ATE012::CLAUDE "Claude G. Berube" >

>>        EPCOT Resort - didn't see anything written on this one, but it's
>>        very visibly under construction off of World Showcase, with artist
>>        conception drawings on all the walls blocking off the construction
>>        area.  Looks like it will be a another large, fancy, $$$ resort.
>
>    Don,
>    
>    Are you  sure  this  isn't the Swan and Dolphin hotel convention center
>    now under contruction?   From what I have seen it will be between Epcot
>    and World Drive (main entrance  from US 192).  Swan is schedule to open
>    in '89 and the Dolphin in '90.
>    
>    Claude

     If it's the area between United Kingdom and France that is blocked
     off, it's the Swan and Dolphin hotel convention center.  They are
     going to build a road under a canal and have boats that'll take
     guests from the convention center to EPCOT.

     Marilyn

    RE: Swan & Dolphin.  The description in .5 sounds about right, but
    I don't recall seeing that name mentioned.  The drawings did show
    some canals.  Must be it.

We just returned Monday, after spending 5 days in the Disney Inn.  It
    is really hard getting back to reality!  This was our second time
    there this year.  We spend December 28th - January 4th at the Grand
    Floridian.  
    
    Everything in the park was open, and it was quite busy.  I was hoping
    for smaller crowds!  The real reason we went again this year was
    because the week we spend there after Christmas was horrendous!!
    Afternoons in the Magic Kingdom were so crowded people were becoming
    nasty.  I would not suggest that time of year to anyone.  
    
    Back to THIS trip.  The Disney/MGM Studio is being advertised as
    opening in May.  They have a fifteen or twenty minute film that
    is being shown in one of the buildings on Main Street that I thought
    would explain more about the rides in the Studio.  It was a cute
    film, but I didn't feel that I learned anything about the Studio
    rides that I didn't already know.  I guess we'll just have to go
    back after the opening!!  
    
    This was the first time I had been on the ride in Norway and I was
    a little disappointed in it.  What was in the ride was really great
    but I felt that they really could use a few more points of interest.
    
    We ate in the Rose and Crown for the first time.  It was O.K. but
    all of us much preferred Alfredo's in Italy.  
    
    The one restaurant that I don't think anyone has mentioned that
    my family loves in the one in "The Land" on the top floor that
    everyone seems to pass up for the fast foods downstairs.  It revolves
    probably 1 revolution an hour, and goes into part of the ride. 
    We had breakfast there one morning and it was really nice.  The
    food was good and the atmosphere was really relaxing.
    
    The most disappointing thing about this trip was they seem to have
    a new policy of making sure there are 4 people to a seat in both
    pirates of the Carribean and Small World.  Since my daughter and
    her boyfriend went off on there own, my husband and I ending up
    sitting with other couples.  These seats are crowded with 4 adults
    and it is not very easy to see everything as well as you can with
    2 or 3 people in a seat.  On previous trips, they kept parties together
    even if it meant only 2 to a seat.
    
    All in all it was as great as ever, and if I had my choice I'd still
    be there, on the rides from 9:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M. 
    
    I've already started saving for our next trip.  You won't believe
    it, but we're going back again in early December because I have
    to see all the NEW attractions!

rep to < Note 34.7 by MAGIC1::FORTIN >
    
>    The one restaurant that I don't think anyone has mentioned that
>    my family loves in the one in "The Land" on the top floor that
>    everyone seems to pass up for the fast foods downstairs.  It revolves
>    probably 1 revolution an hour, and goes into part of the ride. 

    Oh but I  did  mention  the  Lands  Good  Turn Restaurant, as one of my
    favorite restaurants in Epcot  back in note 39.9.  Surprisingly it is a
    rather quite restaurant great place to relax,  when  you  consider  the
    noise in the main area.  I've eaten lunch there on my last 3 trips, and
    especially like the great cheese breads, salads, red snapper.  The nice
    thing about it is that a lot of people seem  to pass it up for the food
    bazaar  on  the first floor and other restaurants in Epcot, I've  never
    had  to wait more than 10 min.  for my table.   This  restaurant  along
    with France's Les Chefs Des France are my wife favorites in Epcot.
    
    Claude

    Claude,
    
    Sorry, I missed that note.  Maybe we shouldn't talk about this
    restaurant too much or the next time we're there it won't be so
    quiet!  
    

    
    Sorry the cat's OUT
    
    I have to agree, the LAND GRILLE is an excellent way to relax, esp
    for a hearty lunch. I usually make reservations via on-site hotel
    a couple days in advance. The last time I had some unusual "concoction"
    envoleped in fried dough bread and it was extremely tasty. Don't
    remember the name of it, but its part of the eating surprises when
    you try things you never heard of. At Disney, there's a lot of that.
    I vote for the cheese bread too !
    
    (should I close the cat's bag now ?)
    
    Mark
    
    

    Came back from the cold in Florida to the nice New England warmth!
    
    We were in FL. for the coldest days that they have had in 3 years,
    but still enjoyed seeing DW through the eyes of my 4 year old.
    
    We managed to enter the park very early every day.  We hit the major
    attractions early (Small world, Pirates, Bear Jam. etc.) so the
    lines were not that bad.  I am not real partial to crowds and was
    slightly amazed at how well they move the people.
    
    The first day we were there we tried to just get the feeling for
    the park.  I have been to Disneyland (several moons ago) and it
    seems to me that they are basically the same.  My 10 year old
    was somewhat impressed but the 4 year old was in awe.  We caught
    the parade and had great seat (on the curb).  When the characters
    came by and shook his hands ....well I'm sure you know what I mean.
    
    We managed to fight the crowds and lines for some of the other rides
    and shows.  Everyhting went well.
    
    We visited EPCOT on our second day and we all enjoyed that very
    much.
    
    Third day we decided to mix it up.  We went to Seaworld.  The weather
    had changed and it was finnaly warm enough where a jacket or sweatshirt
    was not required.  Great shows here and basically had a great day!
    
    Back to Dinsey and EPCOT.  The night time show at EPCOT with the
    Lasers and fireworks was GREAT.
    
    The hi-lite was going to Mickey's dressing room after one of the
    shows for his birthday.  I don't know what happened but there was
    only two other couple and us there.  My 4 year old spent about
    7 or 8 minutes with Mickey....whoever was playing that part that
    day was GREAT with children as well as the adults.  We took about
    a roll of films worth of pictures with the "mouse".  The three little
    kids there and a couple of mid (8-10 year old) decided to sing happy
    birthday to Mickey....well you could tell that the mouse was touched
    with this.  A person from the show came in and told Mickey that
    there was about 5 minutes left.  In this time the mouse wrote the
    three little kids a nice autograph and thank you for the happy birthday
    song..Real nice touch!
              
    All and all a great time had by all.  We are planning on going back
    in a year or two.  By then all the latest attractions as mentioned
    in the above notes should be opened.  Great marketing by Disney...
    you will now be forced (almost) to take at least one week (possibly)
    10 days to enjoy their attractions.....Join the Magic Kingdom Club
    for about $125.00 per person and enjoy Disney, EPCOT, MGM, the Lagoon
    and so forth for 7 days of enjoyment and fanstasy......
    
    Bob Montville

    RE: .4
    
    George,
    
    The Star Tours attraction was open but the line had to be at least
    two hours long!  My nephew really wanted to see the show but we
    couldn't see investing that much time in one thing, so we skipped
    it.  The People MOver was working, and part of the ride takes you
    thru the Star Tours show.  It seems they have full scale versions
    of the android and the robot (C3PO and R2D2) from Star Wars giving
    what seems to be a lecture. This is occurring next to a full scale
    space vehicle, also from the Star Wars movie.
    
    Tom Swayer's Island was open, and the "caves" are the neatest thing
    there!  If you're not too big (under 225 lbs., under 6' tall) take
    a few minutes to climb around inside them.  They were the absolute
    realization of every child's dream!  Secret tunnels, secret rooms,
    twisting passages to nowhere!  I loved it!
    
    Other than the few attractions I mentioned, everything was open,
    but I understand that can change from day to day.  Country Bear
    and Videoplois were definitely closed.
    
    Regards,
      BW

    
    Re: .15
        
      Thanks Bill. I'll be in Anaheim next week on vacation and plan
    to take in Disneyland near the end of the week. Hopefully I can
    beat the Easter crowd and the line won't be too long of a wait.
    
    George
      

    RE: .13
    
    <Join the Magic Kingdom club for $125.00>
    
    Why not join the Magic Kingdom Club thru DEC for nothing?????????
    
    
    Steve

rep to < Note 34.17 by RVAX::SMITH >

>                        -< Join......For Money??????? >-
>    RE: .13
>    <Join the Magic Kingdom club for $125.00>
>    
>    Why not join the Magic Kingdom Club thru DEC for nothing?????????

    Reread .13 and you see that he meant once you have joined the MKC, with
    your discounts, for about $125/person, you can get a 5 day passport for
    the MK/Epcot and Studio Tour?, and seperate  admission to River Country
    and Typhoon lagoon and have a Ball.
    
    The only MKC membership that cost $'s is the Gold Card for $45
    
    Claude

    
    Just returned from WDW.  Weather was pefect, mid-80s during the day to
    mid-70s at night.  This was warm for this time.
    
    >>> How were the crowd's?
    
    The lines were not bad, although we didn't stay in the park from noon
    to 3:00 much.  Space Mountain had the longest lines which were 45 mins,
    except at the very end of the day 9:30-10:00 P.M. when they were @5
    mins.  Thunder Mountains line were less than I expected (15-30 mins).
    NO lines used the full roped areas.
    
    >>> What went well, and what didn't?
    
    First, let me get the negatives out of the way.
    
    Our one bad experience was at the Land Grille reataurant in Epcot. 
    This is the revolving restaurant.  We were seated on the second level
    where you could see just enough of the scenery to frustrate you.  If you
    eat here make sure you sit upfront.  The service here was poor (for
    Disney standards or anyone else's).  The children's menu was limited and
    there were NO substitutions.  One of my children wanted a baked potato
    instead of wild rice and we were told this couldn't be done.  They have
    many kinds of pizza, but not plain.  This could not be arranged either.
    
    This was, however, our ONLY bad experience at Disney.
    
    Our flights home were an adventure.  The Washington D.C. area was
    shutdown due to a thunderstorm.  We were flying Piedmont to Baltimore
    and on to Worcester, MA.  Our estimated time of arrival in Worcester
    was 9:55 P.M.  After a two hour delay in Orlando, we successfully
    arrived in Baltimore to find that our Worcester flight had left.  (We
    were assured in Orlando that all connecting flights were being delayed
    and ALL CONNECTIONS WOULD BE MADE.)  We were directed to a Boston
    flight.  In Boston we waited an hour for a bus to transport the 24
    Worcester passengers.  Our actual arrival time was 1:50 A.M.
    
    On the way down, we voluntarily gave up our seats for free round trip
    tickets.  The treatment we received was far better than on the trip
    back, and our arrival time was only 3 1/2 hours later than scheduled.
                                                           
    
    Now for the positives !!!
    
    Our favorite rides were:
    
    	In the Magic Kingdom
    
    		Space Mountain
    		Thunder Mountain
    		Carousel of Progress	(although they had animation problems
    					the first time we rode)
		People Mover
    		Pirates of the Carribean
    		Tom Sawyer's Island
    		Hall of the President's
    		American Journey
    
    	In Epcot:
    
    		Illuminations !!!(night show)
    		Imagination (love that Figment!)
    		Spaceship Earth
    		Horizon's
    		Energy
    		Living Seas
    
    		The show in the American pavilion
    		the street theatre in Great Britain & Italy  (a must)
    		360 movie in Canada
    		Norway's Viking ride
                                 
    Favorite eating spots
    
    		Magic Kingdom
    
    			Polly's at Tom Sawyer's Island (sandwiches)
    			Sunkist stand next to Jungle ride (snacks)
    			Tomorrowland terrace (sandwiches)
    			Pinnochios (burgers)
    
    		Epcot
                (NOTE: after our bad experience at the Land Grille we stuck
    			to fast food here.)
    
    			Alfredo's (Italy)
    			The Land (fast food)
    			France (pastry)
    
    >>> What's new in the park? What's open and what's closed?
    
    We saw the same new attractions as Don did in 34.2.  Everything was
    open, except "If You Had Wings" which was being converted into a flight
    simulation/history ride by Delta.
    
    We did not visit Mickey's Birthland. (my sons are 8 & 10 and the one
    time we looked the train queue was longer than they wanted to wait)
    
    >>> Did you see the mouse?
    
    	Yes, but not the Dreamfinder and Figment characters.
    
    >>> Outside the park!
    
    	We had a great time at Busch Gardens.
    
    	[Four years ago we visited Sea World and had an excellent time, so
    	we opted for Busch Gardens this time.]
    
    	My wife and I visited Church Street Station which was fun.  We
    shopped for a while and therefore didn't view any of the shows that
    charged admission due to time.  Even without the shows this is a nice
    place to visit.  Somewhat like Quincy Market in Boston with less
    hustle and bustle.
    
    	The Kinder Care babysitting service was good.  Came to our room
    (Howard Johnson's, Lake Buena Vista).  $7/hr for 2 kids.
    
    	Bill Knapp's family style reataurant was excellent.  Home cooked
    food, great service!  All-you-can-eat brunch everyday $4.29. Kids
    @$2.50.  This is on International Drive near the Marriot.
    
    	The Olive Garden near Disney Hotel Plaza was excellent for Italian
    food.  Excellent food, service, and prices.
    
    	The deli and pastry shops at Goodings grocery store near here were
    also good.
    
    	Waffle House near Disney Hotel Plaza was good and inexpensive.
    

    A T T E N T I O N   D I S N E Y   V I S I T O R S   !  !  !
    
    Over the past weekend, Disneyland (Anaheim) has experienced some
    problems with the Skyway Aerial Tram.  Apparently some rowdies got
    a car swaying pretty badly and caused the auto-shutdown to kick
    in.  Riders had to be "rescued" by local firemen with "cherry pickers"
    and many were in their cars awaiting a lift down for up to four
    hours!  There were no injuries, and the problem was reportedly not
    too serious but it sure played havoc with some folks' vacation at
    the Magic Kingdom.
    
    If you're planning a trip to the original Disneyland soon, you might
    want to steer clear of the aerila tram, not because of any danger,
    but because if you get caught up there, you could waste valuable
    hours waiting to come down!
    
    Regards,
      BW
    
    

    This is a trip report for the "recent future."  We're going down to the
    L.A. area in mid-April; we'll be at Disneyland on the 13th and 14th
    (Thursday and Friday).
    
    I called Disney today and was told the hours would be:
    	9:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Thursday)
    	9:30 a.m. - midnight  (Friday)
    This was a pleasant surprise, since I thought weekday hours this
    time of year were always 10 - 6.  Last May, when we took our son
    down (allegedly) for his birthday, the hours were 10 - 6.  Anyway,
    we're not complaining.  I really enjoy the late nights there.
    
    I also asked about closed attractions.  They gave me the following
    list:
  	Space Mountain
    	Rocket Jets
    	Dumbo
    	Tiki Room
    	Mark Twain
    I think we got very lucky.  I can live without these (I'm not a
    roller coaster fan, although last year my 6 year old shamed my wife
    and I into riding Thunder Mountain Railroad, twice!).
    
    Incidentally, we got a package with Alaska Airlines including lodging
    and park admission that hardly cost more than just the airfare without
    of a package!  Of course, you pretty much have to live on the West
    Coast (I'm in Seattle).  If you haven't tried Alaska Airlines and
    get the chance, by all means do so.  They're wonderful!
    
    I'll file a report upon return.
  

    I've just returned a few hours ago from Walt Disney World: three days
    and it was great.  This time was multi-generational.  I went with my
    mother, wife, son (6 yrs), and daughter (3 yrs).
    
    Our first approach to the Magic Kingdom was unexpected.  Tuesday, two
    days after Easter: we're sorry, but the parking lots at the Magic
    Kingdom and Epcot Center are full (this was at around 12 noon, direct
    from the airport to WDW)
    
    No problem, we just headed over to Walt Disney Village which seemed to
    be full as well.  At 4 PM, we got into the Magic Kingdom and while
    crowded, we did manage to make the Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and Haunted
    Mansion before the Electric Parade.  The monorail back around Midnight
    was a bit crowded and unpleasant.  Most lines I encountered in WDW were
    orderly and courteous.
    
    The second day's achievement was the Space Mountain morning
    mini-marathon.  Yes, I was in the first 100 or so to ride that day. But
    the time we exited, the line was over an hour long, during the day it
    reached two hours in length.  A big thank you to Sehlinger and Finley, 
    authors of _The_Unofficial_Guide_to_Walt_Disney_World_ for all of their
    advice.
    
    Later in the day, we saw incredible things, like a 45 minute line for
    Snow White's Adventure which is a 2 1/2 minute ride.
    
    New for me were Mickey's Birthdayland, the DISNEY-MGM Studios Preview
    Center.  In EPCOT, Norway.   I wasn't disappointed that I missed
    Dreamflight, Wonders of Life, or the WD/MGM Studio Tour.  My next trip
    will be in two years, the kids will be a bit older and all those
    attractions will be open and so will the Universal tour.
    
    I found the Disney employees to be generally helpful and having lost
    none of their special qualities.  The employees generally enjoy talking
    to the guests who take them seriously.  I learned about some fatal
    near fatal accidents (yes, Space Mountain is by far the most dangerous)
    and how employees and costume designers work out the details of what
    the outfits look like.
    
    My son really summed up my feelings as well: it was a little rushed and
    the long lines kept us out of a few places we would have liked to have
    visited, but it was great.
                                                        

>    < Note 34.22 by CALL::SWEENEY "Who is my control?" >
>
>    I found the Disney employees to be generally helpful and having lost
>    none of their special qualities.  The employees generally enjoy talking
>    to the guests who take them seriously.  I learned about some fatal
>    near fatal accidents (yes, Space Mountain is by far the most dangerous)
>    and how employees and costume designers work out the details of what
>    the outfits look like.
    
    I'm not certain I follow that last statement -- were there fatal
    _and_ near fatal accidents or only near fatal accidents?  Would
    you care to elaborate further regarding theses accidents?
    
-Andy

    When I was down for the 15th anniversary staying in Fort Wilderness
    there was a stabbing on our "loop" (collection of campsites).  The next
    day people two loop's down didn't know anything had happened nor did
    the papers, etc.
    
    Quick and efficent detectives came in, asked questions, and left.  The
    Disney empire has a way of making sure these "incidents" don't make it
    to the general populus it would seem.
    
    George
    

    re: space mountain dangerous

    The couple of times we went, we typically rode space mountain 6-12
    times a day. The only time I saw anything dangerous was when for
    reason this older woman stood up just as the car starting moving. I
    never saw so many people move so fast. The control booth hit the
    big red button, the lights went on, and every car froze with a Disney
    employee standing next to it. The old lady had more people around
    her than the president has SS guards. Seemed safe even for the stupid. 

    mike

    Well, I too recently returned...4/1-4/6 time in Orlando...
    
    The crowds were much less than the 'Easter rush", but still busy
    at MK...though the longest line was for space mountain, and it was
    only 30 minutes at worst.  
    
    As this was my first visit, I opted for a 5 day package since I
    wanted to do everything, and not be bothered by cost at the time...
    The world plan was *almost* worth it.  I kept all my reciepts and
    came out about $60 off....so, not too bad.  BUT I rented the
    golf cart for 4 days, did epcot, and mk, and river country, and
    discovery island...ate at Empress lilly, and hoop-de-do-revue, and
    lots of Epcot places...so, be warned, your mileage may vary...
    
    As for my impressions...don't bother with magic kingdom unless you
    have kids,--- its definitely NOT an amusement park...the only rides
    worth going on are Space mt. and Thunder Railroad,and I thought neither
    were terrific...but them I'm one of those people who travel the
    globe searching for the best rollercoaster...so ...take it for
    what its worth.
    Epcot was fun, and interesting...I spent 2.5 days there.  The Land
    was the best exhibit, in my opinion....though I liked most all of
    the exhibits and countries.
    River country was also a disappointment, but I assume TYphoon Lagoon
    will more than make up any slack.  MGM studios looks like it will
    be a lot of fun too!  too bad neither were open...
    
    The only ride in the whole park not open was jungle cruise. -- at
    least thats all i noticed...
    After Disney I did Sea World---great fun!  and Cypress gardens..
    quite beautiful.  
    On the whole, a good time.  Great weather, and for the most part
    friendly folks...though not exceptionally so...if i had the time
    I would have stayed a couple more days, and played tennis, relaxed
    more, and enjoyed the sun!
    
    deb
    

    
    This may not be disney-related, but since .26 mentioned looking
    for great roller coasters, Cedar Point Amusement Park, Sandusky,
    Ohio, is opening the "absolute" largest, longest, fastest roller
    coaster in the world according to all the news articles. Due to
    open this May I think. This addition will increase the park's
    total coaster count to eight. Some of the existing coasters are
    already bigger than most found at other parks. Custom-designed.
    Cedar Point has always been notorious for jumping ahead of any
    competition in the coaster department. Probably why they will soon
    have eight of those big hummers !
    
    FYI
    
    Mark

rep to <<< Note 34.26 by NSSG::ALFORD "another fine mess...." >>>

>    As for my impressions...don't bother with magic kingdom unless you
>    have kids,--- its definitely NOT an amusement park...the only rides
>    worth going on are Space mt. and Thunder Railroad,and I thought neither
>    were terrific...but them I'm one of those people who travel the
>    globe searching for the best rollercoaster...so ...take it for
>    what its worth.
    
    Deb,
    
    The MK is considered to be a 'Themed  Amusement Park' (Disneyland being
    recognized  as  the first, also  that  is  why  the  rides  are  called
    attractions) similar to Wonderland outside of Toronto and Busch Gardens
    'The Old Country' in VA.  However  all  of Disney's amusement parks are
    not considered to be a 'Thrill A Minute' type of Amusement park of old,
    like the Six  Flag  type of parks, Kings Dominion etc.  (by the way, on
    my first trip I was a young 23 yrs at the time and had a wonderful time
    in the MK back in '77 when that was the only amusement park at WDW)

    What makes Disney unique is it  ability  to stimulate all of the senses
    (sight, smell etc.) with the majority of  thier  attractions  by giving
    each ride a theme and character, versus the  just  trying  to scare the
    HELL out of you type of ride found at other amusement parks.
    
    Granted the Disney type of ride is not for everyone, and a person going
    to any of the Current  3  Disney  location expecting to come out at the
    end of the  day, with the knees shaking, palms sweaty, stomach somewhat
    upset etc, will however in all probability be disapointed.
    
    Claude
    

re: .26, .27

For all you roller coaster freaks, you can design your own roller coaster and
get a simulated ride via workstation terminals located in one of the Communicore
buildings.  They're located at the base of the entrance to the Sperry computer
demonstration.

I too was disappointed the first time that I went to Disneyland, because I
thought it would be like amusement parks that I was used to going to.  However,
there was enough about it that I liked that I decided to go to WDW, and once was
enough to make me fall in love with it.  I think it's all based on your
expectations.

Sandusky, Ohio you say?  Sounds good ...

--Jay

    re: .28...Claude
    
    Well, I knew Disney wasn't going to be a 'thrill' park...I had been
    warned...and in fact skipped Disney in LA altogether when I was 
    in Calif. once...
    but, I did expect to be 'entertained' ,,,and wasn't ... not by
    MK at any rate.  Tho, as I said, I did enjoy Epcot.  If I should 
    ever go back, I will only do those things which are of the
    most interest...epcot, mgm, and maybe typhoon lagoon, and whatever
    is around at that time.  
    Enough from me...this is a 'disney-aholics' file, and that
    leaves me out..so...
    Everyone enjoy!  There is something for everyone!  (and I
    absolutely LOVE my Mickey watch!)
    
    deb
    

    Claude, you shouldn't be so hard on Deb, she's only giving her
    impression.  
    Deb, you really shouldn't advise people to skip the magic kingdom,
    everyone's taste varies.  I'm 39 [ohmygosh, I'm admitting it!],
    and I love the magic kingdom.  we spend 2 days there each visit.
    I like it over Epcot which I view as a big commercial for exxon,att&t,
    etc.
    each to their own!
    ed
    

rep to <<< Note 34.31 by WORDS::BADGER "Follow the Sun Stream" >>>

>    Claude, you shouldn't be so hard on Deb, she's only giving her
>    impression.  
>    Deb, you really shouldn't advise people to skip the magic kingdom,
>    everyone's taste varies.  

    Ed, I  wasn't trying to be hard on Deb, just pointing out the fact that
    the MK and  the  other  Disney  parks  were  considered  to  be 'Themed
    Amusement Parks' versus the 'Thrill A Minute' variety, thereby creating
    there own brand of amusement park.  Because of this, the various Disney
    parks don't always apeal to everyone and  I even acknowledge that.(I've
    met my share of people who don't like  WDW  because  of the no thrill a
    minute atmosphere)
    
    Deb, if it appeared I was coming on hard on you, I apologize.
    
    If  this  discussion  cause someone else to review their plans for  the
    first  trip  to  WDW or any of the other parks, and go  down  with  the
    appropriate  frame  of mind on what to expect, and they come out liking
    the parks so much the better.

>    I'm 39  [ohmygosh,  I'm  admitting it!], and I love the magic kingdom.
>    we spend 2  days there each visit.  I like it over Epcot which I view
>    as a big commercial for exxon,att&t,
    
    Hi Granddad, I'm 35 now, although  I  look  more  like 40 from the bald
    head, must be from working in SIG  (system  Introduction Group) here in
    Salem for the last 5 years products ;^)
    
    Claude

    re: .31
    
    Sorry if I seemed to advise folks to skip MK...not my intention,
    just expressing my opinion of its 'attractions'...
    I think there is something for most everyone there...and lots
    of folks love going very often, nothing wrong with that.  
    (lots of folks love going to cape cod too...and I don't so...)
    Any way.... I would recommend it as an adventure to anyone who
    had never been, and offer my suggestions for best/worst, only
    as that...suggestions!   It is interesting to visit from
    many perspectives!
    
    deb
    

      It's been about a week now since I've returned, but I finally
    found some time to enter my trip report. This was my first time
    at Disneyland, and it was quite enjoyable. For lack of time I
    was only able to stay for one day, but I was able to hit the
    attractions I liked most.
    
      Got to the park pretty early, around 9:00 am and got parked.
    Before the entrance to the MK there were lot's of old cars from
    the 50's lined up outside under awnings. This was part of the 
    Disney Blast To The Past Theme that I elated to in another note.
    It took about 10 minutes to get my tickets and get in. My first
    big disappointment was a sign at the ticket window saying, "Splash
    Mountain", "Closed Today"!!!! I was really worked up to experience
    this attraction and now it looks like I'll have to wait for someone
    else to tell me about it. What I don't understand is how they can
    say it is closed, when it never actually opened ?
    
      Got inside the park and took a strool down on Mainstreet USA.
    On Mainstreet there were 50's cars filled with numerous items
    of the 50's. One car had yo-yo's while another had frisbee's.
    The object was to guess how may of an item was in the car. The
    person who guesses closest to the amount of the item in the car,
    wins that car. Cast members are dressed in 50's attire and
    characters also adorn the same. 
    
      Well, I got to experience Star Tours and I'd have to say it
    was worth the 70 minute wait in the queue line. I only went
    once because 60 minutes was about the shortest wait there was.
    The combination of the cabin/shuttle movement with the film
    at the front of the cabin made for a very realistic thrill ride.
    The cabin actually doesn't move that much, but you do need a seat-
    belt to stay in your seat.
    
      I was now able to compare the Pirates at Disneyland vs WDW. It
    is different and better at Disneyland. Would you also believe I
    didn't get the Dole Whip or a Monte Cristo !!!!! Shame on me..
    There were quite a few attractions I skipped because I've been
    through them before and I wanted to kind of wander around. Went
    on Big Thunder Mountain for the first time at night and it was
    great. 
    
      No fireworks or Mainstreet Electrical Parade yet. It's to early
    in the season. This is OK though because I'll be heading to WDW
    in * 57 * days !!!!!!!!!!!
    
    George   

    We spent two days at Disneyland a week ago (Thursday & Friday). It's a
    good time of year to go--almost as empty as DECUS night on Thursday,
    although fairly crowded on Friday.  We found out only when we got there
    that California has staggered spring breaks, so some kids were actually
    on break.  Lines were not too bad for most attractions, although
    consistently bad on the Fantasy Land "mini-rides." 
    
    I actually got my (60+ year old) parents on Star Tours.  They liked
    it pretty well, though my mom shut her eyes a couple of times.
    
    I had my first night ride on the Jungle Cruise.  What a fantastic
    effect!  The only lights are on the boat and it's an eerie feeling.
    They also have the capability of turning out all the lights at
    strategic moments!
        
    Another first--rode on the front of the boat on Pirates.  The man
    sitting next to me sounded brave enough when he asked me what it was
    like being in the front.  I assured him I hadn't done it either.  Quite
    a thrill (and wet) going down the waterfall.  He probably didn't even
    realize that he grabbed my knee on the way down. 
    
    I, too, enjoyed the Blast from the Past theme.  They had it last
    year in May also, but this time seemed better.  I won't soon forget
    Goofy, Donald, Minnie, et al dancing to "Who Put the Bop in the
    Bop-She-Bop-She-Bop?"  I'm also glad they took out the ridiculous
    Blast theme sound track from the Submarine ride.  The original,
    corny as it may be, is better.
    
    I was impressed with the difference a good performer can make. 
    They guy playing "Hawkeye" on the sailing ship Columbia and the
    night operator of the jungle cruise did a great job (first time
    I'd actually laughed at ANYTHING on the latter).
    
    Paul Revere and the Raiders performed Friday, but we missed both
    shows.  Oh well.  My six-year-old son treated my wife to a wild
    ride on the Matterhorn (she said never again, he said let's go again!).
    
    Splash Mountain was closed (still).  The train ride around the park
    did afford a brief glimpse at the inside of Splash Mt.
    
    Friday night we held out until midnight.  Even my daughter, who usually
    would stay up as late as we let her, conked out on the Storybook
    Canal Boat Ride.  A wonderfully special end to a great trip.

Well, Ive just returned after spending 13 days at WDW (bummer!!! ;^>).  It just
keeps getting better.

I could tell it would be a good trip when I rented my car.  National was out of
Pontiac Sunbirds so I had to take a Buick Regal, at $81 a week (special rate of
$89.99, less a 10% AAA discount).

Then, when I went to get annual passports for my kids (wife's and mine were
still in effect), I found out that WDW was offering special introductory rates
on new annual passports that included the MGM studios, and they would buy back
any unused time on current annual passports.  So of course we jumped at it, even
though we would be leaving 2 days before it opened (more on this later).

We had a wonderful time, the weather was great, and we wore ourselves and our
kids out during that first week (vacation week).  Both parks were open till 10
and there is a special magic about the Magic Kingdom at night.  Also, the crowds
were very large, so early in the morning was the best time to get on the rides.
We usually went to River Country after noon for some R&R.

Everything was open in both parks (at least everything that we were interested
in), except DREAMFLIGHT in the MK (the old "If You Had Wings" ride) which was
not yet completed, and THE WONDERS OF LIFE in EPCOT Center which also wasn't yet
completed.

We did have one eventful day, that changed our vacation around.  On Saturday,
April 22, we went in the morning to EPCOT, then had a wonderful lunch at Mexico.
We decided that we should go to the MK to see the birthday parade, since we were
never there at 3 pm.  We arrived at 2:50 and found a seat on the curb, in the
shade, in front of Town Hall.  This was very strange, since we expected to be in
the back of a 3-deep crowd.  After watching the parade, we decided to go for a
tour of Discovery Island.  But the boat was leaving just as we walked up, so we
decided to go back to the hotel to swim in the pool (Quality Inn on 192).  We
had parked at the Grand Floridian so we took the boat over (quicker than the
monorail) and THEN WE SAW IT!!!!!!!!!!!  A sign in the lobby announcing that the
MGM studios would be open for a preview by resort guests from April 22-27.  Now
we knew why the MK was not very crowded.

We immediately drove over, trying to figure out how we could get in.  We figured
if we could not talk our way in with our annual passports, we would see about
renting a campsite for one night.  But we had no trouble at all.  You can't
believe how excited I was when I went through the gates.  We ended up going 4
times altogether, without having to pay anything extra, and saw the whole park
at our leisure.  We even saw Michael Eisner there one day, talked to him for a
short while, and got his autograph.  The park is everything that it is cracked
up to be, and more.  The atmosphere is incredible.  The only problem we had was
that we were disappointed when we realized we had seen everything.  All the
attractions were so good that we wanted more.  I'll discuss more about the park
in the MGM studio topic (topic 4).

The only downside of our trip (besides coming home) was coming within 31 seconds
of seeing the shuttle launch and then missing it.  We had a nice spot on the
beach a few miles north of Cape Canaveral and were counting down.

I want to go back!!!!!

--Jay

First of all let me thank various people who gave me valuable hints about how
to get the best out of WDW and Orlando in general. It certainly helped a lot.

This trip report reflects my impressions on our first (and probably only) trip
to Orlando and WDW. We arrived at our hotel (Comfort Inn, Lake Buena Vista) on 
the evening of April 26th. 

Thursday morning and we're at EPCOT. Had some problem exchanging my Studio 
Commemorative Vouchers for 4-day passports as the clerk hedn't seen any before
but eventually we got fixed up. I took the advice I'd picked up from this notes 
file and skipped Spaceship Earth. Instead we went straight to 'Journey into 
Imagination'. There was no line so we were straight onto the ride. We all 
loved this one (that is Me, My Wife, 10 yr old son and 8 yr old daughter) and
then went to see Captain EO. Again we only had to wait for the next show (15
mins). This film is terrific (we're all Michael Jackson fans anyway) but the 3D
effect is staggering. 

After that we took the boat to Italy. I was slightly disappointed with Italy 
and Germany. Maybe I didn't really know what to expect but just to see 
reproduction architecture with souvenir shops and restaurants was a slight let
down. However I guess that's partly due to the fact that I've seen a lot of the
real thing in Europe anyway.(The more exotic pavilions,Japan, China, Mexico etc 
were completely fresh to me so were the more impressive because of it). Whatever
else though you can't fault the realisations and the cleanliness.

We had lunch at the Liberty Inn then went to see the 'American Adventure'. We 
were all very impressed with the Audio-Animatronics, my son couldn't believe
that they weren't actors. I did find the patriotism a little bit over done but 
then I'm an Englishman so my feelings are slightly different 8^). BTW we 
enjoyed the choir who were performing before the main show very much.

Next - China. The 360 film there was superb. One of the EPCOT highlights 
definately.

By now we were all exhausted (it was 93% that day) so we went back to the 
hotel for a break. When we returned after dinner we went straight into 
'Spaceship Earth', no waiting , enjoyed it very much.

Mexico - Our favourite country showcase. The atmosphere is great, I don't know
why but we just loved it.

Norway - This was our longest wait, 30 mins for Maelstrom which is also the
shortest ride in EPCOT. Its quite exciting, being the nearest thing to a thrill
ride but it must be less than 4 minutes long. There then follows a film which
is quite good.

Canada - Last visit of the day, just saw the film before the Illuminations 
started so didn't get a very good view of the latter. Enjoyed the film, think
China has the edge though.                                   

Day2 - Seaworld. A bit expensive I thought, $80 for the family but a very 
good day. We were sitting in the Atlantis Stadium waiting for the Water-Ski
show when Atlantis was due to be launched and we would have seen it even from
there. However we all know what didn't happen. The killer-whale show is really
something, anyway this is a Disney file so...

Day3 - Shopping and relaxing by the pool.

Day 4 - Sunday - Magic Kingdom.

By a stroke of luck we just missed a monorail and so were at the front for the
next one. I remembered a tip from this file and asked if we could ride up
front. 'No problem, just wait over there till we get everyone else on board'.
Great, what a way to get your first sight of Cinderella's Castle and Space
Mountain.

Started at AdventureLand. Long lines for the Jungle cruise so went to the 
Pirates of the Caribbean. 20 min line, very good ride.

Swiss Family Robinson Tree House - Very well done, we quite enjoyed that.

Enchanted Tiki Birds - Forget it. Sorry but this is just too old hat. I 
guess when it was first done it was probably very novel but after the more
modern technology they have elsewhere this is just not interesting (IMHO).

Jungle Cruise - We didn't get back to this until about 7:30 pm by which time
it was raining (thunderstorms) and was starting to get a bit dark. Still 
enjoyed the ride though.

Frontierland - Country Bear Jamboree - OK but not especially so.
 
15 min wait for Thunder Mountain Railroad. Loved the ride.

Haunted Mansion - We all enjoyed this one too.

Took the skyway to Tomorrowland. Son and I took on Space Mountain. Daughter
chickened out so my wife escaped too. We had a 30 min wait for this during the
parade, by time we came out the line was twice as long.

Mickey's Birthday Land next especially for my daughter. Saw the 'Suprise' party 
at Minnie's house with all the characters then queued for Mickey's Autograph
and photo's. This is a good way to see Mickey and Friends if you have younger
kids with you.

Time was getting on by then so we rapidly did Snow White,Peter Pan, It's a
Small World and 'Magic Journeys'. This is a 3D film like Captain EO, all the 
kids were trying to grab objects apparently floating just in front of them.
Then we headed over Adventureland to catch the Jungle Cruise.

We all enjoyed MK and although we didn't get to do all the rides I think we 
got the best of them. Anyway too late now.

Day 5 - Monday May 1st, MGM/Disney Studio Opening Day.

We were going to go till we saw the crowds on TV and then heard that the car
parks were full as we were driving into WDW, so EPCOT instead. Did all of the
other future world rides, Living Seas, The Land, Energy, Horizons and Motion.
Revisited Imagination, Capn EO and Spaceship Earth and saw the rest of the
countries. 'Impressions De France' was enjoyable as we could recognise some of
the locations.
 
We were very impressed with the Land but also enjoyed Horizons very
much. With the studio opening going on EPCOT was relatively quiet. We didn't
have to wait long for any tour, 10 Mins at most. Stayed to see Illuminations
again, this time from outside Mexico, much better view.

Day 6 - Wet N' Wild

Day 7 - MGM/Disney Studio . See note 4.85 for report.

Day 8,9 Relaxing,shopping,lazing by the pool etc.

Day 10 Fly home

Overall Impressions. EPCOT is brilliant. I would love to have had more time to
explore the country pavilions more fully and sample the restaurants. However
budgets dictated otherwise. MK is good fun if you have kids with you. I
wouldn't bother if just adults, a lot of the rides are just what you might get
in any amusement park, just a bit smarter and superbly layed out. MGM/Disney
Studio is well worth a visit. When the stunt show and Star Tours open it will
be a really full day, I liked the way that you get involved in what's
happening.

BUDGETS. If anyone's interested, especially UK readers this is what it cost me
for 2 weeks for a family of 4.

	Air Fares	�706
	Hotels		�389
	Car Hire	�181
	Attractions	�299
	Expenses	�570
	Insurance	� 79

	Totals	       �2224	$3715

P.S. I hope some of my views don't upset anyone, we all loved the trip, maybe
we'll get back over someday otherwise we'll have to wait till Euro-Disneyland
opens in 199?.

Richard Bell.
Wishing Florida wasn't so far away from England.

    Somebody mailed me and asked me to say what I thought of the UK
    pavilion in EPCOT. OK, like everywhere else it is purely a
    representation. I didn't go in the Crown and Anchor but had a quick
    look through the door. It looked quite authentic in terms of decor,
    you will find a lot of pubs like this in the London & Thames Valley
    area. If you ever get over to the UK HQ at Reading you'll see what
    I mean. The goods in the shops were certainly authentic but of course
    the costumes that the Cast Members wear are purely an invention.
    Regency Square is very good, there are streets like this in London
    and Bath, albeit much bigger of course, the gardens were good too,
    I especially liked the herb garden. My kids watched the Street Theatre
    and enjoyed that very much, they got the crowd involved very well.
    So that's it really, like France it gives a flavour of the country
    but you would never find any where in Great Britain that was really
    like that. (For one thing it is NEVER that hot.) B^).
    
    You'll have to come over here to see the real thing. (Let me know
    if any of you are visiting the UK any time and maybe I can help
    you out.)
    
    Richard Bell
    

    Just got back from Disney World Saturday (May 13th), I hated coming
    back.  We left Boston on the 6th at 2:00 and landed in Orlando at
    5:00.  As we were picking up our rental car we heard the temperature
    was 85 degrees and we could see lots of beautiful sunshine.  We
    rented at Superior and for the most part they were friendly and
    fast.  We were out of the airport by 5:25 or so.
    
    We checked in at the Grosvenor in the WDW Village.  The room was
    clean and comfortable but I still wished we had stayed in WDW.
    After washing up we ate at the hotel restaurant called Baskervilles,
    it was good.  We then headed to the village and Pleasure Island.
    The shopping places in Pleasure Island were opened but the clubs
    were not.  The movie theater complex was open.  This is a 10 house
    movie complex.  Despite the clubs not being opened the place was
    booming.  
    
    The next day (Sunday) we were up early and ready to use our 4 day
    pass to Disney.  We parked the car and took the boat over to the
    Magic Kingdom.                                                
                         
    We ate at the Town Square Cafe.  We were done eating at 9:00
    exactly.  We headed first to the Pirates (my favorite ride).  Then
    we finished the rest of Carribean Plaza.  Then we went to Mickey's
    Birthday Land, it is cute if you have kids, we did not but I'm glad
    we saw it at least.  The rest of the morning and early afternoon
    we covered most of the major attractions in the different parts.
    We watched the 3:00 parade which is a Mickey Birthday Theme, it
    was nice.  After the parade we headed back to the hotel for a rest
    and then went to The Grand Floridian to try to see if we could get
    dinner reservations for Flagers.  We were told it was a hour wait
    (this was at 6:30 so we said ok for 7:30).  We looked around the
    gift shops and then grabbed a drink at the beach.  Flagers is expensive
    but very, very good.  I would go back.  That night we went to WDW
    village and found one of the clubs opened (Armadillos).  At this
    point you still did not have to pay an entrance fee to Pleasure
    Island, however I believe starting this week you do.  Armadillos
    is a country and western club it was ok but I really don't care
    for C&W music.
    
    Monday we headed to EPCOT and spent the whole day there.  I loved
    the Norway ride called the Malestorm.  We ate lunch at the Rose
    and Crown in England without reservations (this was at 11:30). 
    That night we ate at Germany (we had made a 7:00 reservation that
    morning at the World Key Center).  The Biergarten was great!  The
    entertainment was good, the food was good.
    
    Tuesday we spent the whole day at MGM.  We ate at the Brown Derby that
    was great!  MGM was my favorite.  I loved everything.  I even took
    a screen test but did not purchase the tape for $25.00
    
    Wednesday we played golf at the Wee Links in Disney, it is a Par 3
    golf course.  It challenged my golf ability.  Then we rested the
    afternoon.  That night we went to the Fort Liberty Dinner Show.
    I liked it very much.  If you arrive early for the show you get
    to meet many of the performers in the show.  They walk around
    outside and are very happy to take pictures with everyone individually.
    We had a 6:30 reservation and showed up at 6:00
    
    Thursday we had breakfast with the characters at the Polynesian
    Resort.  It was good but the charcters were very rushed.  I saw
    a guy in a suit tell Minnie to hurry up and Mickey was not there.
     We finished our 4 day pass half in the Magic Kingdom and half
    in MGM.  That night we went to Rosie O'Grady's.  It was ok.
    
    Friday we went to Daytona Beach.  We liked it very much.  That night
    we ate at the new Italian restaurant in the WDW villlage, I forget
    the name but it was very good but somewhat expensive.
    
    Saturday the last day (what a bummer) we headed for Cocoa Beach
    and Cape Kennedy.  We really did not have the time to judge both
    places, we will have to try them next year.  
    
    Overall impression of everything just GREAT!  The weather was
    beautiful and sunny all the time.  I already starting saving
    for next year.
    

    It is becoming increasingly obvious that there are many Disney-holics
    who read this conference who once they get their own fix of Disney,
    forget about their fellows stuck back home.
    
    I'm talking about those of you, (and you know who you are), who
    spend weeks telling us all about your plans, asking advice, gleaning
    priceless information from our collective Disney wisdom, and after
    returning from your vacation never say another word.  That goes
    for the hundreds of you who only read this conference too.  
    
    That is like letting a kid look at all the candy in the shop window,
    and not letting them have any.  It is cruel to us addicts.  We want to
    know what is going on at our favorite place on earth.
    
    So if that's the way you want it, OK, no more Mr. Nice Guy!
    
    From now on, anyone returning from a Disney vacation is REQUIRED
    to post a trip report here.  Failure to do so will result in us
    sending some Dole-whip crazed thugs to your house and who will forcibly
    remove your mouse ears and any other Mickey souvenirs they might
    find.
    
    Please don't make us get ugly.  Post your report and you'll feel
    much better about the whole thing.
    
    Len            
    Disney Moderator
       
    P.S.  This note is only partly in jest.
                                          

    If it's  because  you  had  such  a  good  time that you are ashamed of
    yourselves thinking of  those  who  must  mind  the  store  (while your
    enjoying yourself at WDW  etc),  at least send your friendly moderators
    mail  on the trip report,  and  we'll  post  it  anonymously  for  you.
    (though I'd be tempted to include your initials ;^))
    
    Or if  it's  because  your  currently a contract or co-op and upon your
    return from your vacation  you  no  longer work at DEC you could always
    sent me mail (US SNAIL that is) at my office
    
        Claude Berube
        Digital Equipment Corporation
        9 Northeastern Blvd, NIO/N4
        Salem NH, 03079
    
    Claude_the_other_Disney_holic_moderator
    

    
     Due to a last minute medical emergency, my girlfriend and myself
    were unable to make our trip this past Saturday. We had to find
    replacements at the last minute, and my father and sister seemed
    like the perfect candidates. 
    
     I talked with my daughter this morning and she went to Typhoon
    Lagoon yesterday and said it was great. I'm sitting here wondering
    what their doing now and wish we could be there... Oh well, at least
    the reservations and tickets weren't wasted and they'll be bringing
    back about 2.5 hours of videotape for me to enjoy.
    
    George_Who_Now_Has_Experienced_Murphy's_Law

    Just returned last week...we were there from May 30th thru June 4th. 
    It was myself, the wife, and 2 kids (ages 5 and 3 1/2) - we were all
    there for the first time.
    
    I had read all of the books and this conference (thanks everyone), so I
    only think it's fair to give everyone a brief report.
    
    The most important news I can share is the crowds at MGM. The MK and
    Epcot was a piece of cake!  We went literally from one attraction to
    another, and walked right in many of them with no waiting!  Of course,
    Space Mountain always had a line, but that was the exception rather
    than the rule.
    
    Same story at Epcot - went into the park, and right on Spaceship Earth. 
    Only a slight problem getting out of Epcot after Illuminations.
    
    MGM was another story.  We got there at 9 (we were there every day at
    9 every day), and started out with no problems.  Took in the TV Studio
    and Sound Studio.  Now it's 10:30 and getting crowded.  The wife goes
    off to see the Great Movie Ride, while I wait outside with the kids.
    She did not get out until noon!  We then got in line for the Back Stage
    Tour, and waited for an hour.  The Back Stage Tour goes for just over 2
    hours, and by this time, we were hot and thirsty.  We catch something
    to eat and drink - now it's 3:30, and the lines to get into the
    Animation Studio and Indiana Jones Stunt Theatre are over an hour long
    each.
    
    There is not as much shade at MGM as compared to  the MK and Epcot, so
    the waits in line are long and HOT (it was 94 degrees when we were
    there).  The first hour of the Backstage tour is outside in a
    people-mover device, and the second hour is in AC.  If I had it to do
    over again, I would see the Backstage Tour 1st thing in the AM, when
    the wait is not as long or as hot.  Finish the Backstage Tour, the head
    for the attractions in the AC, and be prepared to wait.
    
    Since we did not go in a "busy" time, I have a feeling that the lines
    at MGM are going to be quite long this summer!
    
    That's about it.  Everything else was just great, with the exception of
    trying to leave after the Fireworks were over on Saturday night with
    everyone else.  It was chaos trying to get on either the Ferry or the
    Monorail.
    
    Can't wait to go back (in 3 or 4 years).
    
    If anyone would like more information, please feel free to send mail or
    call.
    
    
    

    


    Here is another brief trip report.  Myself, husband and 2 kids, ages 6 1/2
    and almost 5 were in Disney for 7 days during the Memorial day weekend and
    it was the first time for all of us.
    
    We went driving (which I'll never do again) leaving on the 25th of May
    and it was fun!! (my back still hurts after sitting in the car for that 
    long).  

    I would like to say that reading this conference was better help than
    reading any books.  Thanks to everyone.

    We went to Seaworld the one full day and Cypress Gardens one day and
    4 days at Disney.  4 day passport was worth every penny.  
    
    Sunday the 28th of May we were in MGM and it was crazy.  We had to wait 
    in line atleast about an hour.  Great movie ride we waited little over 
    an hour and the Back Stage Tour was more that 2 hours wait in the line 
    in 90 degree temperature with very little shade like the previous note said.

    re.-1

    >> The wife goes off to see the Great Movie Ride, while I wait outside with 
    >> the kids.

    Good you didn't take the kids in there, boy was it scary!!
    We went to the movie ride with the kids which was a big mistake.  The kids
    were scared to death when the saw the creature from 'Alien' and all the 
    stunts (shooting & fire) scenes from other movies.  I thought we were
    going to get out of there with two dead kids, they both almost had a 
    heard attack.
    Back stage tour was great.  The kids loved the Hollywood show which was
    performed in one of the outdoor stage with Mickey and all the other 
    characters.  Overall MGM was great.

    We went to EPCOT on the 29th May and there was about half-hour wait
    but the day after Memorial day when we came back for few more hours
    we were able to walk in without any wait.
    We both enjoyed EPCOT very much but the kids were bored after couple of
    rides.  I guess our kids were too little to understand.  Captain EO
    and the 360 degree movies in Canada and China were great.  Kids enjoyed
    that.  They didn't have the fireworks but they did have the Illuminations
    with fireworks which we all enjoyed.  It was nice to see the water and
    lights dance to the music so elegantly.   We had to wait near the showcase
    lagoon from 8pm in the evening to get a nice spot to view the 
    Illumination but it was worth it.
        
    We went to Magic Kingdom the day after Memorial day and the crowd was not
    that bad.  Kids enjoyed Mickey's birthday land and the birthday party.
    It was amazing to see the reaction in our children's face.  I think
    we have video taped our kids faces more than the show itself. I just
    couldn't beleive what few of these characters can do to the kids. 
    Adventure land was great for kids.  They loved the tree house and the
    jungle cruise.
    It was very hard to get the picture of the kids with the characters
    they liked, especially Mickey.  They didn't have an organized line or place 
    to take the pictures.  Goofy was the only one who was in one given spot
    all the time to take pictures.  We never saw Mickey or Donald anywhere
    except in the special shows and worst of all were the people who never 
    cared to wait in the line,they just pushed you and went ahead even if 
    there was a line.  Our kids were pretty disappointed that they didn't get 
    to take pictures with Mickey and Donald.  Well hopefully next time and
    I hope it is not like that all the time.  Disney could have organized 
    it better.

    Overall it was a great trip, we all enjoyed every bit of it.  I can't wait
    to go again, may be within next couple of years.

    Thanks for the great notesfile.  Just reading this notesfile makes me
    feel like I am back in Disney again.

    Regards,
    
    Geetha
    

Well, here's my trip report.

First of all there were 4 adults (2 couples) and 1 child (Melanie, Mine age 3). 
We decided to drive down from St. Louis straight through. We left on Friday 
afternoon and arrived at our first destination early Saturday morning. 

Our first stop in Florida was Ginnie Springs in High Springs, Florida. 
(1-800-874-8571 for information). This is a great place to swim in some crystal
clear spring water. It is located just a little south of Lake City and the water
is fantastic but maybe a little cold (72 degrees year around). We snorkeled
around and got the feeling back in our butts from the long overnight sit. It 
helped alot on removing that layer of "grung" that appears from sitting in a 
car all night. Cost to get into the park $5.00 a person. We brought our own 
masks so there were no additional costs. Visibility +300 feet, depth 3 to 20
feet, mainly shallow, just fine for snorkeling. We stopped here because Florida
is such a long state and to tell a 3 year old that we are FINALLY IN Florida 
and still have a couple of hours drive would be suicide.

Did not want to go to Disney over the weekend so we went down the gulf side
of Florida to a little town of Venice just south of Sarasota. So what's so 
special about Venice???  Petrifed Sharks Teeth!!! We spent two days walking
the beaches, playing in the sand, and finding hundreds of petrified sharks
teeth on the beach!!! This costs us nothing!!! My three year old just went 
nuts finding these things. They were everywhere!!! Most of the teeth were 
jet black and about the size of a nickel to a quarter. Some of the divers
were finding teeth that were 2 to 4 inches long!!! 

Ok, ok, Now to Disney.......

After resting for a few days and working on that base tan, we were prepared
for     D I S N E Y !!!!!!

First thing, at the ticket gate, the man actually (very politely) argued with
me on the age of my child. I told him that she was 3 and he said that he didn't
believe it (with a wink) and said that she must be 2 1/2. She got in free! Her
actual age (3 years and 3 months and a runt).

We had to choose what we wanted to see, Melanie voted for Magic Kingdom. She
won! We got there very early and decided to have breakfast the first thing!
My wife is always hungry!!! We stopped at the Crystal Palace and had a 
wonderful breakfast (there fresh fruit bowl is great). Next we headed for the
rides... Delta's new ride wasn't open yet, in TomorrowLand. 

We rode everything!!!!

New item at Disney in the way of food.  A Handwitch!!!  This thing looks like
a horn off of a bull and is made out of wheat bread which has been hollowed out
and filled with various things (tuna salad, chicken salad, etc). The selling
point is that you are suppose to be able to eat this sandwitch with only one
"HAND" thus freeing the other hand for other important things, like holding your
soda!!!  I thought it was a neat idea and it tasted good to!

The one problem we ran into was the summer heat and humidity. Temperatures in 
the day were about 95 degrees and the humidity while we were there was around
80 percent. We got sticky.  I have no idea how the Disney Characters that 
posed for pictures did their jobs. I got a quick chance to talk to Chip of 
"Chip and Dale" and it said that it was "EARNING" its money today.

A note: The "cars" in space mountain have been re-engineered since a few years
ago. From the outside they look the same, but the method of strapping the riders
in has changed. The last time we rode this ride, my wife was able to sit in my
lap and we were strapped in together. This time we each has our own seats!!!
When did they make the change?????

All in all a very nice vacation. Next time will go when it is a little cooler.

Should I give more details on the rides.... Naaaa, experience the excitement
for yourself!!!!

PS: I saw the greatest comeback during a heated arguement!!!!!
A lady was just giving her husband the third degree for about twenty minutes
about everything on this earth. During this time he was expressionless!!! 
After about 5 more minutes of this raving, he looks up at 
her and says, "HUH".
    

OK, here it is.

The Indermuehle's had a great time. I am recovering nicely.

We left Colorado Springs 4:30pm June 8 to take a few miles off the trip
up front.  Made it to Clayton, NM about 9:30.  It's a bear setting-up
a motorhome in a downpour, in the dark.

The rest of the trip down was hard, but uneventful.  Made it to Tampa
around 8:00 in the evening on Sunday, as we had decided to take in Busch
Gardens Monday.  It was hot and humid and we were disappointed with
Busch.  We had to experience it once and now know we wouldn't go back.

Monday afternoon we drove to the World.  We got there around 5:30pm
and got Pepper (the dog) checked into the Fort Wilderness Kennel and ourselves 
checked into the campgrounds.  We were located in the 600 loop.  This is not 
one of the preferred sites, but it's right next door.  FW has got to be one of 
the nicest campgrounds anywhere.  Clean, easy to get around and full of things 
to do (read "spend your money on".)  The 600 loop is the first non-preferred
loop away from Pioneer Hall (PH).

After we were all set up, we laid around until 7:30 when we hopped a brown-flag
bus that took us over to PH.  We walked around and checked out the layout.

Tuesday:
Beginning Tuesday, I started out each morning by running down to the 
kennel to take Pepper out for a run and her business.   I'm not sure she
was as glad to see me as she was to see the grass outside.  By the way, the 
kennels are very nice at FW, they are indoors and air-conditioned.  The 
animals are kept in pens similar to those in a pet store, however there is 
only one animal/cage.  Only one pet-owner is allowed to fetch the animal.
The cost was $6/24 hours.  

Because we were so pooped from all the getting it took to get us to the
World, we decided to rest up the first day by going to River Country. Laura 
had a great time as did Mom and Dad.  It was fun.  The white water tube run 
and flume rides are great and just laying around was nice.  That afternoon
we went over to Discovery Island and walked around until just before they 
closed. It was interesting and Elaine got some good pictures, though
there are a few places where you don't want to stop for long because of
falling bird glop!?! They have some of the smallest deer I have ever seen 
running around and some of the biggest turtles.
When we tried making reservations for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review three months
ago, we couldn't get them.  They were all booked up, so we went on the waiting 
list for the 5:30 show.  We were 3rd on the list and we _just_ made it in.  We 
sat at a small table just left of the stage and could see everything.  It 
would've been nice to sit right in front, but we weren't going to be choosy.  
We could've gotten much worse seats.  For three of us, we got some change
back from $90 (sigh).  They brought us so much food we couldn't begin to
eat it all but then they wouldn't let you take a doggie-bag.

Wednesday:
(Being from Colorado where summertime temperatures rarely hover around
100 degrees and 75% humidity is unheard of, the temperature was harder for us 
to take - perhaps Easterners will have an easier time of it.)

This was MGM day.  Brown-flag bus again to PH.  Blue-flag to TTC and a 
yellow and black flag to MGM.  We found out later that there were 4 different 
Yellow and black flag busses.  One of them went directly from FW to MGM and 
back. This was the one we took back to FW in the evening.  Not sure where the 
rest went.  I never saw a printed bus schedule.  You just check the signs and 
the bus drivers were friendly enough to tell you if you were on the right 
track.

Although, most of it was very interesting, I would have rather saved the money 
and gone to Typhoon Lagoon.  It was too _hot_, too new, too _hot_, too crowded, 
too _hot_, too long of lines, too _hot_, and too humid and too _hot_.  There 
was little shade for line waiting (trees are too new) and by 5:00 we were 
drained. For those who enjoy punishment though the best for Dad were "Indiana 
Jones Stunts and the TV show".  The back lot was interesting, but I could have 
survived missing it.  Elaine like the back lot best but thought the line wait 
was for the birds.  There was no place where you could go inside and just rest.
(Like EPCOTs communicore)  The layout was interesting.  For Superstar TV, our
family stayed low key so we wouldn't get chosen for a part but it was a very
good attraction.  Monster sound was pretty funny.  The great movie ride was
OK but not wonderful.

Thursday:
We decided that this would be a Magic Kingdom day. From our site we
caught a brown bus to PH, then a blue buss to TTC. This day we took the Mono 
to the MK.  There was quite a line but it went really fast.  We did Mickey's
Birthday, Fantasy and Tomorrow lands this day.  We started out with Mickey's 
Birthday land and had little problems with crowds.  Then did Tomorrow Land. 
It got pretty crowded fast.  Space Mountain goes a lot faster that I remember 
in California.  Not being a rollercoaster person, I had done Space Mt. with 
Elaine last fall during DECUS and decided it wasn't too bad.  Well, I won't do 
it in WDW again!  Almost did a job on my back.  (Our 9.5 yr old daughter
was scared silly but kept insisting it was her favorite ride.)  We left the 
park around 4:30 and took the launch back to FW.  That turned out to be a good 
way to get back and forth for us. There are launches that ran from the
Contemporary to Discovery Island to FW and back and another that goes from the 
Kingdom to Discovery Island to FW and back.  There were a couple of others 
from different docks, but since we never used them...... I think one went to 
the Grand. That was an impressive looking Hotel.

We took the launch back for the evening.  It goes direct during the evening
as Discovery Island closes at early.  We finished most of the things in 
Fantasy land and got back to the site after midnight by boat again.
We did catch the upper feet of the Electric-light Parade. Unless you pick
a spot early, there are so many people in front of you, that you cannot
see anything from the road up to about 3 or 4 feet.

Friday:
This was EPCOT day and probably one of the best days we had.  My wife liked
it the best.  Next time, we'll spend more time there.  There was an
electrical storm that started about 9:45pm and rain poured like crazy and 
even though we had umbrellas, we didn't stick around to see if the laser show 
went on as planned.  We were going to wait it out, but decided to take in 
some more attractions.  EPCOT closed at 11:00, but I think it should've 
stayed open until midnight.

Saturday:
Typhoon Lagoon. This was a Red bus from the TTC. I need not say more. 
We never really had to every wait long for a bus ride.  Aside from turning 
into a crispy critter, I thoroughly enjoyed this place. From the inner tube 
rides to the flume rides, the wave lagoon, and the Lazy river, it was all 
great.  We almost had to drag Laura from the wave lagoon. She loved it all.
Next time we'll probably spend our water days at typhoon lagoon instead of
River country.  You can rent small rafts at $1/hr (min 2 hrs) and we did,
but returned them because we found we liked it better without them.

I really did burn myself though.  Elaine and Laura somehow escaped this
fate, though they did get some.  I have already peeled once and just to 
prove how good I did, I plan on peeling again, just from this one day.

Sunday:
Magic Kingdom to finish up.  We caught everything.  Laura did NOT like
Thunder Mountain even though it is much milder than Space Mountain (which
my wife says is a cake-ride) but I think she was still shook up.  This time
we got good seats for the electrical parade and ate our dinner on the
side of the road while we waited.  We left at midnight.  


Monday:
We visited family friends who live in an Orlando suburb.  We saw Church
St. Station and next time we get to the World, we will spend a little more
time there.  The video arcade had our daughter drooling.

Tuesday:  
We left for home.  The drive back was the pits.  Besides being tired, Dad 
(me) decided it would be interesting to catch the flu around Louisiana.  Made 
the rest of the trip rather uncomfortable.  I'm just glad the motorhome had 
all the necessities.  Elaine would not have been able to drive the thing cause 
she's only 5' tall and the pedals are to far for her legs, so I had to drive 
the whole time.  The 3 1/2 day trip could have taken a week.  I'm just glad 
it waited until we were on the way home.

Next time we will fly and leave MOOORRREEE time for Disney.  We just didn't 
have enough time.  We should've had a minimum of 9 days instead of 7.  But we 
didn't know ... last time we went to WDW, EPCOT hadn't even been built yet.  

All in all, The Indermuehle's had a great time but we were glad to be home
to sleep in our own beds!

First thanks for everyone's comments and reports in this notes file - it
really helped us to have a wonderful time at Disney World. Now here is my 
payback, a fresh trip report:

First, hotel - we selected the Fairway Villa in the Disney resort area. It 
became the surprise of the trip - beautiful and economical. 8 (5 adults and
three small children (3,6,8)) stayed comfortably in the two bedroom - three
bathroom condo-like room for a fixed price of $250.00 per night. The price
was independent of the number of guests. We were secluded in a very pretty 
area with trees all around. We had few neighbors to worry about noise levels 
(giving and getting) so the kids could run a bit. The room had a large living 
room for playing, two bedrooms (a king bed in one and two doubles in the other)
and a sleeper sofa. The kitchen was stocked with dishes and appliances and
the staff was good about getting what additional items we required. There
is a shared laundry in the building and Disney provided detergents.

The room allowed drive up access - with buses departing every twenty minutes to 
EPCOT, MK, or MGM (a thirty minute drive though - the only negative). The 
villas are by the DIsney shopping village - close to outside restaurants and 
grocery stores - to keep the kitchen stocked. We slept late - cooked brakfast,
went swimming, cooked lunch, and then entered the park of the day by 2:00 PM. 
I felt like we were going against the crowd doing this - and don't worry about 
the late park entrance - we saw all and felt like we got our money worth. 
Plus the late entry meant our kids could nap prior and then be awake for the 
late night parades/light shows.

First day - MK, lines of about 30 minutes for every ride during the day. My 
older boys liked 20,000 leagues under the sea, haunted house and space 
mountain - we literally walked on the rides by staying past the fireworks 
show after 10:00 PM. The birthday party is a must - Ben our 3 year old loved 
every minute, plus plenty of photo opportunities with Mickey and other 
characters. Electric Light parade was great - fireworks average but worth 
staying - something magical about MK at night...
The Mars lander and tree house were considered the big duds.

Day 2/3 - Epcot - Visited every country and pavilion. Captain EO, Dinosaurs,
Norway ride, and the kitchen cabaret were the hits. While spaceship earth
was the disappointment.

Day 4 - split up, kids returned to MK, adults to MGM. MGM had long - long
lines. Our party either loved it or thought it to not be worth the line waiting.
It seems to depend on the individual. I echo the previosly written comments - 
reconsider taking kids. the later you go the less waiting. The great movie
ride was a 1 hour wait but a fun ride - I enjoyed the ganster / Indiana Jones
live acting and some of the animatronics were very real life (John Wayne
and the Wizard of OZ section). The stunt show was really good with the
highlight being the selection from the audience of 10 volunteers to portray the
viallage masses. The backstage tour was the overall choice for fun in our 
party - nice combination of riding / walking and the two real demos were great 
(the mid-point rest area was fun in its ROGER RABBIT motif)

It was a memorable visit. One last note the Magic Kingdom Club card saved us
over $100 in admission costs and probably another 30-40 dollars in discounts
at the Disney stores - a definate must get. Typhoon Lagoon is open now and
they showed us a preview on the DISNEY propaganda channel on the hotel 
TV - it looks great. We did not go as it is not on the passport ticket and
did not want to loose a day on this trip. Prices for typhoon lagoon was about
20 for adults and 14 for kids. Pleasure Island is open and consists of a
multi-movie area, restaurants, and a series of nightclubs - each a different
theme and targeting a different clientel. There was a disco, roller skating,
an adventure's club - all at a single cover price. It was intersting that 
we saw a full page add in the local paper advertising the island - apparently 
hoping to draw local customers.

Disney has begun a series of hotels tieing to EPCOT (much like the ring of 
hotels circling the 7 seas lagoon - leading to MK.) That is all from this
end - if anyone has a specific question just ask.

				...a Disney veteran

    I would like to say thank you to all of you for the great information
    that I got out of this conference.   We had a terrific time!
      
    
    Just got back last week - boy does it go by fast!!
  
  We left  for  Florida  on  June  8th  and  after  spending some time in 
  Greensboro NC we  arrived in Orlando on June 10th.  We checked into the 
  1776 Resort Inn on  International Drive and will never do it again.  We 
  arrived around 3 p.m.   It  was  sooo hot that we decided to change and 
  head for the pool for a  quick  dip.   We were gone approximately a 1/2 
  hour.   When we returned our brand  new  $1300.00  camcorder  had  been 
  stolen from our room.  Of course the  hotel  told  us that they weren't 
  responsible  for anything left in the room.  The  Orlando  police  came 
  down and we filled out a police report.  Unfortunately we will probably
  never see  it again and we still have to pay it off.  They told us that 
  the maid was  questioned  and  that she didn't see anything.  Of course 
  she probably  wouldn't  admit to seeing anything anyway.  It definitely 
  put a damper on the trip.  We ended up having to rent a camera that was 
  a piece of junk.  The main reason that we bought the camera was for our 
  trip to WDW.
  
  We went to Cocoa  Beach  on  Sunday.    What a great day for the beach, 
  everyday was.  It was about an 1 1/2 drive from Orlando.  
  
  On Monday we headed for  Tampa  to see Busch Gardens.  And like someone 
  said in an earlier reply we experienced it but wouldn't go back.  
  
  Tuesday we went to Kennedy Space  Center.  It was interesting.  We made 
  a mistake by taking 2 2 hour  tours in a row.  By the last hour we were 
  falling asleep on the bus.
  
  Tuesday night we went to King Henry's Feast on International Drive.  It 
  cost us $25.00 per person but it was definitely worth it.    There  was 
  lots of food and all you could drink and the entertainment was fun.
  
  Wednesday we headed for Sea  World.    Another  hot day.  We sat in the 
  splash area of the otter and  walrus  show, but we didn't get wet.  But 
  it was quite a different story when  we  went  to  see  Shamu.   We got 
  *soaked*!  It was great.
  
  Thursday - WDW!!!!
  
  We  pre-checked into the Contemporary around 10:00.   What  a  gorgeous 
  hotel!  Once we had taken care of the  car  and  the luggage, we hopped 
  the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  It took us  about 30 minutes to get 
  to the MK after making stops at the Poly and the  Floridian.    Once we 
  arrived we had to go the TTC.  We had bought the  complimentary  4  day 
  passes  that  they  were selling a few months back.  Finally it's 11:00 
  and we  are  on  Main Street U.S.A.  - what a great feeling!  We headed 
  right for Cinderella's  Castle  -  there  was a show going on.  We then 
  headed for It's a  Small  World  (my  favorite)  and  then we hoped the 
  skyride to Tommorrow Land.   We  left  the MK around 3:00 to go and get 
  the keys to our hotel room  -  it was very crowded and very hot by this 
  time.  We headed back to MK  around  5:00  and went into Adventureland.  
  Later we caught the Electric Light Parade - unbelievable!!!

  Friday - Epcot Center
  
  On Friday morning we had breakfast with the characters in the character 
  cafe at the Contemporary.  We had a  good time and I'm glad that we did 
  it otherwise we would have had to wait in  line  forever  at one of the 
  parks.    The  only bummer was that Mickey, Minnie and  Donald  do  not 
  participate in this breakfast.
  
  Epcot Center  was  great!!    We waited almost 1 hour to get on the new 
  ride - Malstrome  (sp?)  in  Norway - it was a neat ride but I wouldn't 
  wait in line that long again.
  
  And of course we  saw  the  illuminations  show.  We got there almost 3 
  hours before it started to  make  sure that we had a good seat.  And we 
  did.  It's too bad that  we  ran out of tape - the part that we did get 
  came out good.
  
  Saturday - MGM Studios
  
  We headed for the back tour first thing in the morning, and it's a good 
  thing we did because later in the afternoon people were saying it was a 
  two hour wait.  We really enjoyed this the  most.   You got to see alot 
  of the behind the scenes - it was interesting.   Castrophe  Canyon  was 
  great!   I couldn't believe how real it felt.  We ate at the 50's Prime 
  Time Cafe.   This  was  a  riot.   This is the place where you sit at a 
  table and there is a little t.v.  showing old reruns.  We went in about 
  11:00 to make reservations and  I'm  glad  that we got them right away.  
  By the time we were seated  and  ate  it  was after 12.  Not all of the 
  tables have t.v.'s.  It looked as  if  most  tables for parties of 2 or 
  more than 4 didn't have one.  This  place  was expensive - $30.00 for 3 
  hamburgers, fries and cokes - but it was fun.  Later we saw the monster 
  sound  show where they have people from the audience try  to  make  the 
  sound  effects to a scary - it's funny when they play  back  the  tape.  
  Superstar television (i think) was also good.  This is where they  have 
  people from the  audience  play  different parts like General Hospital, 
  Johnny Carson and Gilligan's Island.  
  
  Sunday - MK/MGM
  
  We headed for MGM first to see the Animation  department  -  the  lines 
  were  very long here later in the day.  Because  it  was  Sunday  there 
  weren't  too  many  people working.  Although we did see on  cartoonist 
  working  on  something.    Then  we  headed for the Indiana Jones Stunt 
  Spectacular.   This  was  very  good.    Watching  the gun fire and the 
  explosions.  Overall  we  pretty much enjoyed MGM.  All I can say is if 
  you have a few  days at WDW, hit MGM first thing in the morning and get 
  out early afternoon.  We thought it was much more crowded than Epcot or 
  the MK.
  
  After MGM we headed back to  the  MK  to  see  a few things that we had 
  missed.         

  Overall we had a great time at WDW.  We can't  wait until our next trip 
  which  will  probably  be  in  a  few  years.  Only next time  we  will 
  definitely stay longer so that we can enjoy other parts of WDW as  well 
  such as River Country and Discovery Island, etc.
  
  Monday  we  relaxed on Daytona Beach.  We had a great day, but not  too 
  nice of a night - we got *burned* - but at least we came home with some 
  color.   And the long ride home to Mass began about 5:30 a.m.  the next 
  morning......
  
  Laura
  
  Who is already looking forward to her next visit....

    
    Well here goes;
    
     June 24-25 Magic kingdom, We followed the plan in the unofficial
    guide which worked very well for us. We finished Fantasyland, Tomorrow
    land, Country bear Vacation, Big thunder mountain all before lunch.
    I liked the old Space mountain cars better, that safety bar really
    cut into my legs.
    After lunch we returned to Adventureland to do Pirates, Jungle cruise,
    Treehouse. We then floated over to Tom Swayer island let the kids
    play there for an hour or so before making our way over to the Haunted
    mansion.... oh how I love that ride!!
    We watched the 9:00 electrical parade then called it a day...back
    to fort wilderness.
    Our second day began at Dreamflight, the new Delta airlines ride,
    this ride is where the old Eastern  If you had Wings ride was. The
    ride's theme is a journey through the history of aviation. I wont
    give anything away but it is a nice ride. There was no line when
    we were there but the ride looks like it can handle a crowd.
    Over to Mickey's Birthdayland. The show at Mickey's party is very
    well done, I got some priceless video tape there. After the party
    it was off the dressing room to meet the Mouse. This is a nice touch
    they let in about 8-10 people at a time. Mickey is able to pose
    for pictures and sign autographs without being rushed, there is
    also a castmember there to take any group photos you may want.
    The kids really enjoyed this. Outside of the theatre there is a
    petting zoo and small playground that kids just go wild over.
    Magic journeys was next, I really like this one better than EO.
    All the kids in the place are reaching out to grab at things that
    seem to be in their faces, you really don't feel or see this at
    Cap't EO. 
    The rest of this day was spent on and in the water, swimming and
    zipping along in the watersprites, they really are a lot of fun.
    
    Monday- Sea World, we planned this to be a break from the Disney
    crowds but the crowds were light at Magic kingdom so Sea world was
    not much of a break.
    
    Tuesday- Typhoon Lagoon, What can I say but-WOW! that place is fun.
     we were there the same day they were filming some of the Mickey
    Mouse club members for a fourth of July special, that was fun to
    watch. The wave lagoon is fantastic, six and seven foot waves every
    90 seconds. We got on most of the slides early so we really did
    not have any long waits in line, it did look like the lines were
    moving slow later in the afternoon. Humunga Kowabunga is great,
    if your in line for this when the Miss Tilly whistle blows look
    out cause you are gonna get drenched. Ketchakiddie creek is great
    for the real little ones( you must be under four feet tall to play
    in this section) they have a few slides, some bubblers, and a tiny
    inner tube ride. There are lifeguards everywhere you look at TL,
    so even nervous parents can take heart. Castaway creek is a relaxing
    ride but watch out for waterfalls.
    Typhoon lagoon is a good days fun.
    The wife and I dumped the kids and took off to pleasure island for
    a nice dinner at Portobello's Yacht Club, good food and a great
    house sangria mix WOW!! Funny thing was all during dinner we heard
    helocopters flying overhead, we later learned the the New Kids On
    The Block were at Pleasure Island filming for the July 4th Special,
    we saw them on the way out surrounded by 5000 screaming teenage
    girls. I recommend Portobello's if you like northern italian cooking,
    it is a little expensive though.
    Wednesday- EPCOT Center We got there at opening and made a bee line
    for Imagination, no lines went on the rde three times not waits.
    Took in Imageworks and CAPTIN EO.
    I was afraid a loong line would build a Maelstrom so we went there
    right after EO, walked right in, did the ride twice. Nice ride but
    it is not worth waiting in a long line for IMHO.
    We then went over to the land and rode the boat ride, saw Kitchen
    Kabaret. Then we headed into World Showcase, American Adventure,
    still a great show, makes you want to go out and buy a flag!!
    Lunch was at Japan, this was mainly for the kids who wanted to see
    the chef cook everything up in front of them. I found this restaurant
    to be a benihanna in Disney world, food was good but not great by
    any means.
    After lunch we wandered over to France for some pastry, excellent
    cheesecake and eclairs. Stuffed we rolled through the remaining
    showcase nations. World of motion had a huge line but we got on
    it anyway since this ride seems to move people very fast, we had
    to wait 25 min, this had been our longest wait in any of the parks
    so far, not bad the wife and I thought to ourselves....little did
    we realize the MGM studios was waiting!!!
    Whlie in world of motion the daily thunderstorm eliminated some
    of the crowd, no wait for Horizons, 15 minute wait for U of energy.
    Wonders of life pavilion looks nice, one castmember told me that
    it may open in early August if everything goes well. Two fountains
    out front are operating.
    Construction walls are in place between France and the UK for canal
    contruction to the Swan and Dolphin as Well as the other Epcot Resorts.
    The dolphin is a massive complex it will dwarf just about everything
    else around. The construction is easily seen from Epcot and MGM
    studios. There are going to be atleast four resorts one being called
    The Disney Yacht Club Resort, I can't recall the name of the other
    one. 
    Last but not least Illuminations, I was disappointed here. When
    I saw the show in 87 I thought it was great but the show has been
    changed and is now mainly fireworks. It is a good show but I enjoyed
    the old show much better. They still project the map of the globe
    on spaceship earth atleast.
    Thursday- MGM Studios    The lines here are looooong. This is the
    smallest of the parks by far and it has the least amount to do
    so the lines are long. When you think about it there are only six
    attractions Backstage tour, animation tour, great movie ride, Superstar
    Television, Indiana jones Stunt show,and Monster sound show. To
    do this park right you have to choose what you want to do first.
    The line at the backstage tour is long 20 minutes after opening,
    so if this is what you want to do first get there fast. on a side
    note if it is raining don't take the backstage tour, atleast the
    riding part, the trams have a plastic tarp that comes down over
    the side to keep you dry, which it does but it also eliminates your
    view. The plastic which at one time was clear now looks like someone
    whitewashed it, it made things very difficult to see. If you waitn
    on the backstage tour until around 6:00 pm there will be a very
    short line. this is what we did. We went right for the Movie ride,
    it was fun, we went through twice I think I like the gangsters side
    better that is the left line for the gangsters right line for the
    western. Superstar television is fun but does not handle crowds
    well. Indiana Jones stunt show was very good, even if the line is
    long for this get on it, when we did the line was past the 50's
    prime time cafe and we made it in without any problem. Monster sound
    show is really fun. Food at MGM was more expensive than the other
    parks, this was something I did not like. There is no reason why
    the same food at MGM should be more expensive than it is at MK or
    Epcot. I saw star tours under construction it looks like it will
    take place inside an imperial walker, is this the same as it is
    at Disneyland?  anyway it looks like fun. There is a dock already
    at the MGM entrance for connection to the Epcot center resorts.
    Friday- Shopping village and beach whale day.
    
    Overall impression- Great trip I would like to thank everyone who
    has contributed to this conference, it is truly great. I found Disney
    transportation to be to overloaded for my taste. Fort wilderness
    buses were crowded, when going to MK i found it easier to drive
    to the Grand floridian and hop the Monorail, I drove to Epcot, MGM,
    Typhoon Lagoon, and Pleasure Island. It was easier for me, no waiting
    and no standing. Goodings at crossroads is a good choice for you
    Fort Wilderness campers who rough it like I did in those backwards
    Fleetwood trailers.
    
                                have fun everyone
    
                                       -Rob
    

    Might as well give my 2 cents, too!!
    Our reservations for WDW were June 21 to June 25th.  We stayed at
    the Polynesian... LOVED IT!!!  Had a great room, you could walk
    out a few feet to the beach and watch the Electrical Water
    Pageant.
    
    We checked into our room about 4:00 p.m., unpacked and headed
    for EPCOT.  The TTC was only a short walk from the Polynesian (I
    got that tip from this file! Although the monorail stops at the
    hotel, it would have been a longer ride).
    
    We wanted to do Spaceship Earth, but looked at the lines and thought
    they were too long (we learned the next day that was a nothing line!!)
    We did Journey into Imagination, we all LOVED that.  Captain EO
    was also terrific.  Viewed some of the exhibits in Communicure East
    or West (could have been both) Did Living Seas.  By now it was 9:00
    p.m. It had been raining a bit and we were wet PLUS we began to
    realize that we had not eaten since 8:00 a.m. Went back to the
    hotel, grabbed some hamburgers --- and went to bed!
    
    Thursday AM we went to the Tangorora (sp) Terrace.  Had the famous
    banana stuffed french toast, very good, but very filling.  Then
    it was off to Epcot, to do Spaceship Earth (we thought it was
    quite good). We then began to do the countries.  My one regret was
    that we did not see the American Adventure show.  It had just begun
    and the others did not want to wait.  We did see the "ride-show"
    in the Norway pavillion, LONG wait there... about 30-45 minutes,
    but it was fun.
    
    We missed a lot in Epcot!!  
    
    That night, we did the Hoop-De-Doo revue.  Tons of fun!!
    
    We also did the Polynesian Revue (on Friday nite) -- very pretty, nice show, but
    we all agreed the Hoop-de-doo was better.
    
    Friday we did Magic Kingdom -  Enjoyed Carousal of Progress, did
    Space Mountain -  dreamflight apparently hadn't opened yet.
    Loved the Haunted Mansion!!  Pirates of the Caribbean was also
    enjoyable.  It's a Small, Small world is adorable (but I would only
    want to see it once - my three year old nephew REALLY enjoyed this
    and the DUMBO ride!!  Big Thunder mountain we got RIGHT ON (they
    were having a three o'clock birthday parade) when we got off, the
    parade was over and the line to this ride was UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
    There are some neat little scenes that you can miss because this
    ride goes so fast.  You can see them better when you take the
    train ride around the park.  Mickey's Birthday land was wonderful
    I enjoyed this, thought it would be just for kids, but it was a
    cute show.
    
    I enjoyed the Hall of Presidents, but I missed the Country Bear
    Jamboree.
    
    Oh, we had also done the Minne's Breakfast in the Polynesian that
    morning, Minnie was there, Chip and Dale, Pluto, and Goofy.
    
    Friday nite we went back to the park, one of my daughters went
    back on Space Mountain, NO WAITING!! The 9:00 p.m. Main Street
    parade was going on.  We stayed for the 11:00 p.m. parade.
    Absolutely beautiful.  One of my favorite things.
    
    Saturday, we slept a little later and went to the 10:00 a.m.
    Character Breakfast on the Empress Lilly.  I know that I have
    read some NOT so favorable comments about this character breakfast
    BUT, I wanted to visit this section of the part, so made the
    reservations not expecting much.  It was EXCELLENT.  The food
    was GOOD, and HOT.  The characters who came were:  Mickey (and
    we had forgotten our cameras!!) Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, & 
    Pluto.  When I had made reservations, we were told that they could
    not guarantee that Mickey would be at any of the breakfasts, so
    we were really pleased to see him.
    
    Saturday afternoon we had scheduled horseback riding, but took
    so long in the Disney Village Stores we didn't plan well on
    getting the bus from there to the TTC to Fort Wilderness.  OUr
    reservations were for noon, didn't get there till 12:15 PLUS it
    was pouring rain... needless to say, we didn't go horseback riding.
    
    We went back to the hotel, dried off then went back to Magic Kingdom.
    We made an early nite of it, swimming in the pool, the kids riding
    the water sprites and watching the fireworks from the dock area
    at the hotel.
    
    Sunday AM, as we were planning to leave later that afternoon, the
    consensus was to sleep a little later, have breakfast and head
    for MGM.  NOT A WISE DECISION!!  MGM was PACKED!!  Long lines
    everywhere.  We got in line for the Great Movie Ride, was told
    it was an hour and a half -- we decided we would wait in line, in
    the HOT sun, sweltering, humid heat!!  WE only waited 1 hour! and
    a good part of that time was INSIDE the theater, which had various
    items on display, such as Dorothy's red slippers.  Then we saw
    film clips of different movies, and THEN we were in the ride!!
    Very clever... really enjoyed, probably wouldn't wait ANOTHER hour
    but very glad I saw this.  When we were done, we looked into doing
    the others, BAckstage Tour and Indiana Jones, but the lines were
    TOO long.  We had lunch, looked around some more and headed back
    for the hotel, to start our trek home!!
    
    An interesting note, my husband, who was not that enthused with
    going in the beginning, who once he arrived his favorite word
    was "unbelievable", is already willing to talk about going again!!
    
    Can't wait!!  I am not one usually given to making strong
    recommendations BUT this is one I am making for anyone contemplating
    going for the first time. STAY ON THE PROPERTY!!!!!!##########
    With the new hotels going up and the variety of price ranges it
    was wonderful not having to travel great distances to and from
    hotels outside of WDW.
    
    It was great, we arrived at the Polynesian, they took our luggage,
    they parked our car, we checked in, were taken to our room.  The
    day we were scheduled to leave, they automatically checked us out,
    slipped the bill under the door, we called, they picked up our
    luggage, took us to our car, we drove a few feet, parked it in
    another parking lot, in front of the hotel and took off for MGM.
    
    Although you have to be out of your room by 11:00 a.m. you still
    can use the hotel pool and other facilities, so it wasn't all that
    bad having to leave the room that early.
    
    I could go on and on and on... The trip was enjoyed by EVERYONE
    and was worth every dollar.
    
    Regards,
    
    Carla
    

rep to   < Note 34.51 by WMOIS::C_JALBERT >  -< my trip - >-

>>>    My one regret was
>>>    that we did not see the American Adventure show.  It had just begun
>>>    and the others did not want to wait.  

It's too bad you didn't wait.  The people waiting for the next show are
entertained by the Voices of America, a group who sing old American folk songs.
They are very, very good.  We never go in to the American Adventure without
catching this show.  In fact, on our last trip, when we ran short of time, we
had time to either see the show or listen to the singing: we opted for the
Voices of America.

--Jay

     OK, just got back from Florida. We were there from 6/28 to 7/11,
    two weeks!  It was just great.  This actually was our second trip
    this year. DEC sent me to a trade show in Orlando in March for a
    week (can you stand it) and we added a second week. The wife and
    child flew down the end of the first week. We didn't do all that
    much on the March trip so I'll concentrate on this one.

    My folks own a house near Daytona and they are up for the summer so
    we stayed there all but four nights. The other four were at WDW
    Village Resort.  Spent the first day relaxing and unpacking. Next
    day we went to the beach (Fri.) Sat was off to MK. Upgraded our
    passes at the Town Hall.  We made a mistake that we had done once
    before and that is trying to keep our 3 year old daughter there from
    9 to closing.  She fell asleep in the stroller at 1 for an hour but
    that didn't cut it. By 7:30 she was not a happy camper.  Never
    again, I swear. That night I booked 4 nights at the Village. 
    (cancellation!) Next day was off to see aged grandmother in Deland
    and pool at mothers.  Monday was New Smynra beach. Just great.
    Tuesday was off to WDW for four nights at the Village Resort. We had
    never stayed there and it was great. The only thing was the ride
    into the parks by bus was long (30 mins). But it was nice being
    close to the marketplace, EL and Pleasure Island. Didn't get into PI
    this trip, no time.  Over the next four days we did MGM, EPCOT and
    MK again. Took Thurs off to lie around the pool and sleep late.

    We got into most things we wanted to see except Dream Flight at MK.
    Every day we were there by 8:30 for breakfast so at 9 we could hit a
    few quick things before the LINES and HEAT!  I had never walked into
    the Haunted Mansion ever and did this time. Amazing. We had a first
    for WDW. Something broke while we were waiting. Thunder mountain
    crapped out about 2 minutes before we got on after waiting for 40
    mins. I was not a happy camper. 

    We did Diamond Horseshoe Review for the first time. Just great and
    free. 

    We hit EPCOT on July 4th!!! Well, yes the fireworks were fabulous
    (extended for the day) but I would never, ever go again on a major
    holiday. More than 150,000. Couldn't move. 

    MGM was very nice. I was surprised at how small it was. But it was
    new and different.  We got there at 8 and the lot was already half
    full. Get there early.  We were at the doors to the Chinese Theather
    for the Great Movie Ride by 8:45. Got in at 8:55. It's only 20 mins
    so you can get it done and get in line for Backlot early. I
    recommend doing this.  The GMR was good. Wouldn't call it excellent.
    The tour was two hours, half riding, half walking. Toon Town in
    between gives a good break. 

    The Superstar TV where the audience becomes part of the shows was
    super. I think it is one one the best things.  Indiana Jones was OK.
    My wife loved it, I gave it a 7.

    Eat at Prime Time Cafe. Just great. Old TV shows at each table. 

    Brown Derby was expensive and wait was over two hours. Forget it
    until the initial rush is over. (we had Res.)

    You can easily do MGM in a day. 

    We got to see Illuminations twice and the Elec Light Parade. Just
    amazing isn't it!  Shopped around EPCOT. Ate more than we should
    have.  

    I took my daughter to the Chip+Dale breakfast at Pioneer Hall in FWC.
    Boy, was it super seeing her face when Donald walked up and gave her a
    hug and kiss.  A very good show and the food was very good except for
    the cold eggs.  I'd go again. We then hit the petting farm outside
    which she just loved. Mom stayed back at the pool.
    
    We had never been in summer and I can't stress how HOT it was. We kept
    saying to ourselves Never Again...  
    
    Looks like the four hotel complex at EPCOT will shorten the wait for
    rooms there. My wife wants to do the Swan or Dolphin next year.
    I can't wait to go again.  We think October 90.

    How many days is that!?  Too many

    Regards, Jim                                                   

    Well, I'm back! (At least in body!!). My boss does want to see me
    NOW, 280 new mail messages and I'm still on EST (5 hours behind).
    However, the words of a girl after her first trip on Big Thunder
    Mountain Railroad summed up the whole experience for us - It was
    TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, to everybody
    who contributed advice and info which helped to make this trip so
    wonderful. 
    
    I will enter full details when I've gathered my thoughts, watched
    the 24 hrs of video and seen the 35mm shots I took, but for the
    moment' I'll concentrate on the newer attractions, to give anyone
    who is going in the near future a head start.
    
    MGM Studios. Get there early, they were letting people in 20mins
    to half an hour before the advertised opening time of 09:00. Although
    the rides didn't start till 09:00, it gives you time to get oriented,
    see some of the detail and get in the lines ready for an early start.
    We hit the Great Movie Ride first (Right side for the Westerns),
    out by 09:20 and straight to the Backlot Tour. 15 min line at this
    time, all under cover. This was good, because MGM is like EPCOT,
    lots of concrete, and not much shade or greenery between the buildings.
    It hit 97 degrees that day, and seemed like 110. Backlot Tour is
    excellent, especially Catastrophe Canyon. First hour riding, then
    take a break and play around in a Toon Town area (Great Fun for
    Roger Rabbit fans. Oh! PPPPPPlease let me go back soon!) Then through
    the walking part of the tour, follow Roger Rabbit's big pink
    footprints. He must have been moving some to go that high up the
    walls round one of the bends! Finish the tour then join the line
    for Animation. This line was consistently long through the day,
    and although interesting, showed us nothing which has not been on
    countless television articles. IMHO this could be missed, but the
    cels and cartoons from the Gallery adjoining make good and different
    souvenirs. On to the Monster Sound Show. Great fun again! We gave
    the Television Show a miss, because we hadn't heard of any of the
    stars, and don't see any of the series, but we were told by many
    Americans that it was a must for them. (We will do that next trip,
    along with Star Wars, which looks as though it's based round a Strider
    and an Ewok village.) On to Indiana Jones Stunt Theatre. Amazing
    presentation, well worth the wait. The show is every hour on the
    hour, they let you into the air conditioned auditorium 15 mins before,
    but the lines start to build at about quarter after the hour on
    a slab of exposed concrete. We and many other people did not realise
    that the auditorium holds about 2000, and you can see well from
    practically anywhere, so we stood for 25 mins in the blazing sun
    in a line about 10 wide and growing longer all the time. This was
    the most uncomfortable wait of the whole holiday, totally exposed
    with a temperature of 97 and not a cloud in the sky. They opened
    the barrier, the auditorium swallowed the entire line with plenty
    to spare, and people who turned up just before the show were walking
    in and still getting good seats, although up at the back. Unless
    you need a front row seat for video, or to stand a chance of being
    picked as an extra for the show, I would recommend arriving 10-15
    mins before the start, and you will probably get straight in. After
    the show, we did the shops and had frozen chocolate coated bananas
    (Watch your teeth on these babies!). If you get an early start,
    you can do this park in 1 day, if you have the stamina. Our kids
    were pretty bushed with the heat, which is why we decided to miss
    the TV show. If you start late, you will hit enormous lines for
    everything. This park is popular not because it is good (Although
    it is!), but because it is new, and gets everyone, first timers
    and the ones who have done MK and EPCOT to death. We spoke to several
    groups who had a late start, arriving 10:00 to 10:30, and they hit
    lines of 1 to 1.5 hours for the Great Movie and Backlot Tours. We
    were also advised that it does not slacken off in the late afternoon
    and evening, so even if they are still admitting people, (And again,
    there were days when we heard that they had shut the gates by 11:30),
    you don't win by going later.
    
    Typhoon Lagoon. Another Disney Masterpiece! If you take each element,
    then there are bigger, better, faster waves, slides and shutes
    elsewhere, but when it is packaged with Disney detail and organisation,
    then it's a winner. Get there early if you want an umbrella and
    table as a base camp. We got in at 09:00 and they were all taken
    by 09:30. (Note for FW campers, there is a bus from Pioneer Hall
    to Market Plaza, Pleasure Island and then Typhoon Lagoon). Again,
    because it is new, it is very popular, and fills up quickly. At
    09:00, the Lazy River Ride (A river/canal which flows continuously
    clockwise around the park, and is full of "inner-tubes" on which
    you ride, and hop off at landing stages at various points leaving
    your tube to float on) was empty, at 10:30 it was full, and you
    had to wait for a couple of minutes for someone to get off and free
    a tube. The Wave Pool is great, 4-5 foot waves guaranteed every
    90 seconds (The pumps to move that much water so frequently must
    be enormous!), and the waves spread out into two shallow bays at
    either side of the main pool, so even the kiddies get a 6 inch mush
    to ride on. You can either bodysurf, or rent an inflated raft to
    surf on. By Lunchtime, if you catch a wave, you end up riding over
    bodies and rafts rather than water, but that is all part of the
    fun, and no-one seems to get hurt. Ketchakiddee Creek is the kiddy
    area, and it was the high point for our 5 year old. Not just little
    shutes, slides and fountains, but a mini rapids with mini-tubes.
    Her counting is not that great, but we went to the park twice on
    the strength of this area, and she reckoned that she rode the rapids
    112 times over the two days. Like all other features of the park,
    safety is foremost, there were three lifeguards on this ride alone,
    plus two more in the kiddy area. The Wave Pool had 6 guards seated
    along the sides, three ankle deep in the shallows watching for
    injuries, and frequently one floating around the 6 ft mark on his/her
    life preserver. This safety aspect causes lines to build on the
    rides, because they won't let the next riders go until they are
    sure that the first people are clear. This is obviously necessary
    on Homunga Kowabunga because of the speed, but a bit OTT on the
    others, where a collision between two tubes setting off a few second
    apart would be unlikely, and even if it did happen, as I've seen
    in other water parks, its not dangerous and all part of the fun.
    Unfortunately some negatives from my 10 year old, who voted for
    another day at River Country rather than Typhoon Lagoon. There is
    nowhere to actually swim!! The Wave Pool is full of bodies and rafts,
    Shark Reef is snorkel only, and the Lazy River is tubes only, until
    the afternoon, when they will allow people to use rafts or wade
    and swim (Its about 3 feet deep), but by then its jammed with tubes.
    He also had problems with the Wave Pool. Be aware, the bottom is
    smooth until the shallows, where it is deliberately roughened to
    give grip, but if you are dragged in by the white water mush, with
    or without a raft there is so much power that you will get some
    severe cuts and grazes to knees, feet and legs. These were irritations
    rather than major grouses, but his main problem was with the rafts
    and the Wave Pool. These rafts cost 5 dollars to rent, plus 1 dollar
    deposit refundable on return of the raft AND reciept. This is quite
    steep, and caused a great many teenagers to try and get one by other
    means. One way was to approach a party who looked as though they
    were about to leave, and buy the raft for 1 or 2 dollars including
    reciept, but unfortunately many were opting for catching a loose
    one in the shallows and claiming it as their own. This was very
    common, and caused much grief amongst the youngsters. I came loose
    from the raft on a couple of occasions, and when I surfaced, I had
    to move fast to claim it before these vultures swooped. I'm not
    even sure if it was my original raft that I claimed, but it was
    loose and in the right area!! In my son's case, he lost his, and
    when he surfaced, there were no loose ones left, and on one occasion,
    even though he rode right in, when he started to wade back, two
    teenagers started to pressure him, was it his?, where was his receipt?,
    when did he get it? and would probably have taken it if a lifeguard
    hadn't intervened. If you lose a raft, you can get a replacement
    at the Rental Station on production of your receipt if they have
    any left, but it's quite a drag, and I saw several upset youngsters
    over this issue. One of the guys at the Rental station told me that
    they issue as many replacements as normal rentals, and it was getting
    so bad that they were considering big numbers on the rafts, and
    numbered tags for each owner, but until then, there are a lot of
    people riding for free, and a lot of upset people, mainly kids and
    pre-teens, who are being ripped off. Sorry if this has become an
    emotional dump, but it was the only time I saw a weakness in the
    usually flawless Disney Organisation. It quite upset my youngster
    for a while, but was nothing that a firmer grip, and an explanation
    of the replacement system didn't fix, and he was enthiusiastic about
    the second visit after we arranged some time at the normal FW pools
    to allow him his fix of distance swimming. Don't be put off, Typhoon
    Lagoon is great, being aware of these details will just prevent
    anything that might detract from a marvellous day out.
    
    I promise that I will enter a more detailed report when I recover,
    but in the mean time, if you need any info or detail that I might
    have, please ask through Notes or Mail and I will do my best to
    help.
    
    Thanks once again for all your help, I realise now how naive some
    of my questions were, and how difficult it was for you to give me
    answers not having understood the size and scope of WDW. I am totally
    sold, we will be back, we will never stay off property, and second
    the vote for Fort Wilderness as the best campground in the world.
    
    Mike_who_is_looking_for_a_job_in_Orlando!!
                         

    Body back in England for three and a half days, but head still with
    Mickey. I really cannot get it together enough to enter an hour
    by hour description covering two weeks in WDW (even if you had the
    disk space!), so I will just enter any points of interest for future
    travellers.
    
    Flew out for one week outside Disney, staying at the Sonesta Village
    Hotel. Flight delayed by 5 hours, which was actually better, because
    we arrived at 21:00, the airport was empty, the Alamo shuttle bus
    was waiting, and Alamo was empty. Nobody warned me about the humidity,
    we were air-conditioned from getting off the plane, through Customs,
    monorail to baggage collection, right until stepping out of the
    airport buildings. When I stepped out to load luggage onto the bus,
    it was so warm and humid that I thought that a steam pipe had burst
    close by, it was some time before I realised that this was normal!!
    
    10 min ride to Alamo, no lines, reservation OK. The girl who was
    processing our details went into oversell on CDW, obviously expecting
    resistance from us foreigners who don't know of this catch. She
    was so amazed when I paid up with (Relatively) good grace that she
    didn't push the upgrade speil. I did take an upgrade, because the Nova
    which was the grade of car included with our package wouldn't have taken
    our luggage, let alone the people.  I got a Pontiac Grand Am for
    another 5 dollars per day, and it suited us fine.
    
    Alamo supplied an excellent map to the apartment, and the girl
    traced out the route in pen for us, and even offered to change some
    dollars to coins for the Toll Booths. We already had our quarters
    in preparation, but it was a nice touch. Drove to the Hotel without
    undue problems, battling more with the air-conditioner controls
    than LHD, Automatic Gears and throwing change in the basket.
    
    Checked in, went straight to bed (11pm EST, 4am BST and we'd been
    awake for 24 hours!). Woke up, unpacked, had a look round. Sonesta
    Village Hotel is a very nice collection of apartments (bedroom,
    lounge, kitchenette, two shower/bathrooms) around a central admin
    building with restaurant, bar, pool, shop etc. It's on Turkey Lake
    Road parallel to the I4. They were advertised as full kitchens, but 
    in reality, you couldn't cook evening meals or anything complicated, 
    you were limited to frying bacon and eggs, and keeping the milk cold 
    for breakfast. Went to the local Goodings and stocked up, had some
    lunch then spent the afternoon at Gatorland Zoo.
    
    Over the rest of the first week we did Sea World, KSC, Florida
    Mall, Boardwalk and Baseball and Busch Gardens. Although not really
    part of this conference, they are worth mentioning because they
    set my expectations. Sea World and KSC were especially impressive
    for their professionalism, friendliness and ability to move large
    bodies of people without fuss. The mime who was doing the pre-show
    warmup at SW Sea Lion Show was worth a full show in his own right!!
    Our thoughts were that if Disney was as good as this, we were in
    for a good time.
    
    Fri 30th June, packed and checked out of Sonesta, drove down to
    Fort Wilderness Reception Outpost and started check-in process at
    about 11:30. Bearing in mind our thoughts from the last para,
    everything went up a gear. We were in Disney, nothing was too much
    trouble. The guy processing our entry blinked a couple of times
    and then told us he would need to get his supervisor. Oh S**T!!
    I thought, a reservation foul-up, nowhere to sleep for the next
    two weeks!! Not a chance!! Supervisor returns, very apologetic,
    "We have your confirmed reservation for the next 14 days, no problem,
    but I really cannot let you check in until 3pm, we need to clean
    and restock the trailers, and then inspect them, there is no way
    round that. The best we can do is put your luggage in store and
    then move it to your trailer for you, so that you can move in directly
    at 3pm." Wow, no problem, we already knew about the 3pm check-in,
    all we wanted was the Resort ID's so that we could use the transport
    and get our Annual Passport photos taken. This really brought home
    to me what you have all been talking about with Disney's care and
    attention to detail.
    
    Went to Trails End at Pioneer Hall for lunch, went to the TTC for
    Annual Passports, and with these treasures safely tucked away, returned
    to FW to check into the trailer. Collected car from FW Parking Lot
    (We didn't bother to put luggage in store etc., just left it in
    the trunk. The offer was enough to give us a warm glow.), and drove
    to our loop. 2648 Moccasin Trail, two minutes walk to the Swimmin'
    Pool, and with a squirrel on the steps to greet us! A real kitchen,
    plenty of space, and Oh! the setting, no pictures do it justice.
    Unpack, make a cup of (British) tea and a snack, and then to Goodings
    at the Crossroads, stopping at WDW Village Marketplace for a quick
    look around. Buy provisions for the two weeks, and then back to
    the trailer. 
    
    Now a bit of a downer, returning the Alamo hire car. I didn't fancy
    driving back to the airport to return it, so I'd already arranged
    to return it to the Alamo Desk at the Econolodge on the 192, and
    was promised a ride back to FW. Eventually got to the Econolodge
    at 9.30 pm  (What an eyesore the 192 is, its a neon jungle IMHO)
    The Alamo desk closed at 4.30 pm, fill in paperwork, and post it
    in the box, and then worry about getting back. The Reception staff
    were the pits. I know it wasn't their problem, but they were
    representing their organisation (and also America) to a foreign
    visitor, and they were as unhelpful as Disney Castmembers are helpful.
    They didn't know any taxi or limo numbers, couldn't direct me to
    a phone, and didn't even seem to want me spoiling the looks of their
    sleazy reception. As I staggered outside slightly shattered, the
    guy who had been sweeping up and emptying ashtrays, followed me
    out, took me to the Staff restroom, found a taxi number and phoned
    for me. He was a Brazilian who was working towards US Citizenship.
    If I had my way, I'd give it to him right now, and take it off the
    girls on Reception.
    
    Anyway, I was soon back in the warmth of the Disney Security Blanket,
    and all was well again. From then on, it was all plain sailing,
    every reservation, Hoop-de-Doo, Chip 'n' Dale's Country Morning
    Jamboree, Polynesian Brunch etc. all confirmed. Visited all the
    parks using advice from these notes, and minimum lines were
    encountered. Where we ignored the advice, we suffered, like thinking
    of doing Journey into Imagination and Captain EO in the middle of
    the day. 1 hr lines, Think Again Kiddies!! The only time the 'Start
    Early' policy didn't work was Space Mountain. We were near the front
    of the pack at 8.45am waiting for the off, but when 9am arrived,
    everybody moved as a solid block into Tomorrowland, and directly
    to Space Mountain, pushing, running, jumping, kicking and gouging.
    I had my 9 year old with me, and we progressively lost position,
    until when we got to the entrance, the line was already at half
    an hour, and this was at 9.02am. This was nothing compared to the
    lines later (1-1.5 hours), but the Space Mountain customers seemed to
    be a different breed, more aggressive and competitive than at other
    rides.
    
    We did everything with little queueing, never more than half an
    hour and frequently much less, especially if you keep your eyes
    open, and take a ride when it has a short line, even if it wasn't
    on your plan for that time. The Dumbo Ride and Peter Pan in 
    Fantasyland always seemed to have a line around the 45 mins to 1
    hour mark, which was too much for my 5 year old (especially Peter
    Pan which I thought was uninspiring and dull), but we got them both
    with a 10 min line as we were walking through on our way somewhere
    else.
    
    To wrap up the dream holiday, two final points. We were talking
    to the taxi driver on our way to the airport, and he told us that
    everybody he has driven who stayed at FW and the Caribbean Resort
    felt that their surroundings were fantastic, with room to breath,
    but many people from the Polynesian and the Contemporary had felt
    confined and claustrophobic even outside in the grounds. We agreed,
    we could have spent the whole two weeks in FW, without visiting
    Disney, and still been happy.
    
    Warning for foreign visitors. Don't run your dollars down too much,
    if you want fast food at the airport. They don't take plastic no
    matter how much you're buying!! The full service restaurant upstairs
    does take plastic, and was very good, but only if you have time. 
    
    I might add a Part Three to this report if I remember any more major
    info, but will probably just contribute to other's questions, to
    keep me in the Disney Mood.
    
    Thanks Everyone!!
    
    Mike B.

    Last week, my wife, my (now) six (then five) year old son, and
    I returned from a six week vacation trip to the US, of which we
    spent three weeks in Florida, of which we spent ten days in the Orlando
    area, of which we spent five days in The World (got it;-)?).
    
    Thanks to everybody contributing to this conference (and thanks
    to the Birnbaum guide), we really enjoyed just about everything.
    
    We arrived in Florida on June 7th and spent the first ten days in
    Sanibel at the Gulf of Mexico.  What a beautiful place to spend
    a vacation.
    
    On June 17th we headed for Orlando.  We stayed in a small motel on
    US192.  Nothing fancy, but it served the purpose of having a place
    to sleep at.  It only cost us $39 a night (without having any advance
    reservations).  After having to shell out some $3000 bucks just
    to get there we just can't afford a better place to stay at;-(.
    
    Since we had reservations for the character breakfast at the Polynesian
    for the next morning (Sun Jun 18th) at 7:30, we wanted to purchase
    our 5-day-passes the day we arrived.  A call to WDW made us aware,
    that the only places to buy the passes for the Magic Kingdom club
    prices were the MGM and Epcot ticket booths and the Transportation
    and Ticket Center.  After the (not very friendly) person at the
    other end of the phone line assured us, that we'd get the $3 parking
    reimbursed, if we'd leave the property within 30 minutes, we decided
    to head for the TTC and get our passes.
    
    We arrived at the Magic Kingdom toll plaza around 4pm and told the
    cast member (I'm speaking Disney almost fluently ;-)) at the gate that
    we just wanted to get to the TTC to buy passes.  What a nice surprise
    for a start at Disney:  He gave us a complimentary parking ticket
    without any time limit.
    
    While in the TTC area, after we bought the passes, we walked over
    to the Polynesian to look around and make sure we'd know where to
    find the character breakfast the next morning.
    
    The character breakfast was just great.  It was the best and largest
    breakfast buffet I've ever seen.  And the characters were great
    too.  They all took their time so everybody could take all the pictures
    desired.  Since it was father's day Minnie gave special attention
    to all the fathers.
    
    Since my son couldn't see Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck in the room he
    got very upset.  Finally he decided to ask one of the waitresses.
    After she told him, that Mickey Mouse couldn't come, because he had to
    be at his birthday party in the MK, and that Donald Duck rather went
    golfing that day, he was satisfied.
    
    After breakfast we took the monorail to the MK.  We started out
    at the Haunted Mansion (no line this early), then did most of the
    attractions in Fantasyland, and then Tomorrowland in the afternoon.
    To me it seemed the Birnbaum book was true in saying Sunday is the
    best day, the lines weren't too bad at all.  I don't think we ever
    waited for more than 15 minutes at any attraction (other than space
    mountain).
    
    Around 7:30 we headed for Main Street to secure a good seat for
    the Electrical Parade (my absolute favorite!!!).  While waiting
    I noticed something which I ABSOLUTELY learned to hate:  They keep
    bringing out all this crap for kids to buy, at a time, when everybody
    is tired:  The kids are too tired to listen to your arguments against
    buying that stuff ("It'll be broken in no time",etc) and you're
    too tired to keep resisting to your children's "Oh please, I want
    this balloon .... and that glooming necklace".  Anyway, after 30 minutes
    I gave in.  Cost me four bucks.
    
    After the parade we stayed to watch the fireworks above the castle.
    They were OUTRAGEOUS.
    
    The next day we went to the MGM studio.  First we went on the backlot
    tour.  Then my wife and I took turns to go to the Great Movie ride,
    while the other stayed with our son (who would have gotten too scared
    on the ride) watching the live show.  I have to admit that both
    me and my wife weren't too impressed with both the backlot tour and the
    great movie ride.  Since our son didn't like the whole theme park
    and started to get cranky, we decided to leave the rest of MGM alone
    and switched to Epcot around 4pm.
    
    At Epcot 'my son decided' to go to his favorite attraction first,
    which happened to be Journey Into Imagination.  We spent quite a
    while there, before we headed for World Showcase.  We sat down at
    the Mexican cafeteria for a snack (and a few frozen margueritas).
    Since we had found a nice table right next to the Lagoon, we decided
    to stay (close to the marguerita fountain ;-)) and wait for Illuminations
    at 10pm.  We all were VERY impressed by that show.
    
    The next day was a total Epcot day.  Started out in World Showcase
    in the morning.  Starting at the Mexican pavillion we worked our
    way clockwise around the Lagoon until we hit Marocco.  The wait
    at the Mexican and Norway ride was almost zero, just as Birnbaum
    says it would be early in the mornings. 
    
    From Marocco we went back to the German pavillion for Lunch.  The food
    was great (just as good as home), but the entertainment was lousy.  I
    wonder, where they got that band.
    
    In the afternoon we enjoyed most of the Future World attractions
    before we headed back to the marguerita place (see above ;-)) to
    secure a good spot again for the Illuminations show.  This time
    we only were able to get a backrow table, so we left after a few
    margueritas (and a snack; great churros, they have) to look for
    a good spot.  We found a nice place right in front of the German
    pavillion.  From there we even had a better view of the Illuminations
    show than we had the night before from the Mexican cafeteria.
    
    After three days constantly on the go we decided to take a day off
    on Wednesday.  We did our laundry, some shopping, and spent the
    rest of the day at the motel swimming pool.  Since my son had just
    learned swimming before this trip, he had a great time there as
    well.
    
    The next day (Thursday) was SeaWorld day.  We really enjoyed the penguin
    encounter, which was under construction the last time we were there
    (1987).
                          
    On Friday we drove into Orlando for a little bit of sightseeing
    at Church Street Station, etc.  Nothing really exciting there.
    
    So we headed back to Epcot on Saturday.  First thing to do was making
    lunch reservations for the Land Grille room.  Then we started the day
    at the French pavillion finishing World Showcase in the morning. 
    Since that day was a bit rainy, there were hardly any crowds.  But
    we had to pay for it by getting wet a few times.  Lunch at the Land
    Grille room was outstanding.  I had their daily special, which was
    the fish they raise at the Land (don't recall the name).  It was
    THE best fish I've ever had in my life.
    
    In the afternoon we went to the rest of the attractions we hadn't
    seen yet in Future World.  Then in the evening we took the monorail
    to the Polynesian to see the Electric Water Pageant at 9pm.  After having
    seen the Main Street Electrical Parade, however, this was a waste
    of time.  To get over our disappointment we decided to head for
    the Magic Kingdom to watch the 10pm fireworks again.
    
    Sunday morning we spent at the motel swimming pool again and in
    the afternoon we decided to go to River Country.  Being used to
    the huge public swimming pools here in Germany, we all were kind
    of disappointed.  For what they charged us for a one day ticket
    I could have bought a season ticket for a similar thing (maybe not
    as fancy, but at least the same size) over here.  AND THE DRESSING
    ROOMS AND SHOWERS WOULD HAVE BEEN CLEANER.
    
    Here comes Monday, June 26.  On our transatlantic flight we noticed
    an article in the June issue of the DELTA inflight magazine about
    the new DELTA attraction at the Magic Kingdom slated to open on June 26,
    DELTA's 60th birthday.  Since we had planned on leaving Florida
    on June 27 for Colorado (to spent the rest of our vacation in the
    Rocky Mountains) we considered it a must to catch the DELTA attraction
    before leaving.  So we headed for the Magic Kingdom first thing
    in the morning and then directly for the DELTA attraction.  When
    we got there, they still had it roped off for the opening ceremony.
    
    When asked, a cast member told me the opening would be at 11am.
    Since it was only 9:15, I headed for the Grand Prize Raceway with my son
    (I hate it as much as my son loves it).  Since my wife didn't want to
    go, she waited for us at the food place right in front of the DELTA ride.   
    
    Since the line was quite long already, my son and I didn't get back
    to the DELTA ride before 10:15.  What a shock:  They had the opening
    ceremony at 10am, not 11am.  But then my wife told me, I didn't
    miss too much.  Just a short speech of some Disney and DELTA big
    shots (not even Michael Eisner himself).  Then the big shots (plus some
    characters) went on the new ride and then, at 10:10 it was open
    for the public.  How about that, I flew all the way over from Germany
    just to see Michael Eisner open the DELTA ride, and then I miss
    it, because a cast member is wrong by one hour and Michael Eisner
    doesn't even show up ;-).  At least we were among the first 20 guests
    to go on the new ride.  It was really nice, they've done a good
    job.
    
    The rest of the day until 3:30 we spent in Adventureland and
    Frontierland.  Then we went back to Epcot (our favorite theme park,
    even my son likes Epcot more than MK) to go on our most favorite
    rides a second time.
    
    Tuesday morning we headed for Tampa to catch our flight to Denver,
    CO, where we spent another the rest of our vacation, not quite as
    exciting as WDW, but very relaxing.
    
                                               
    Thanks again to everybody, who helped getting the most out of our
    trip by contributing to this conference.
    
    
    Vinzenz Esser
    Munich, Germany
    (53 days, until the Munich Oktoberfest starts)
    

What a wonderful trip, but I doubt I'll ever go in the summer again.
I returned July 5.  Sorry this is so late but I've been extremely
busy at work.

It rained every day except one.  Sometimes it was just a sprinkle 
and others it rained all evening.  One advantage of raining all evening
is that the parks clear out and lines become short.

The studio is great but very crowded.  The animation tour runs until
closing but after 7 p.m. the animators have gone home.  It'll be nice
to go back when the crowds aren't so bad.

Dreamflight is open.  (I wasn't very impressed.)

I spent the evening of the Fourth of July in the Magic Kingdom.
(Unfortunately, my nephew became ill during the last few days of
vacation so our plans were curtailed.)  The park was packed.  We
spent three hours on the curb waiting for the electric parade to start.
Afterwards, I took the exit behind Main Street.  Not much to see there.

The previous day I had seen alot.  When my nephew got ill on Monday,
I stopped at the front desk and inquired about first aid.  Someone
took us to first aid in the Magic Kingdom.  We went thru the back roads
and saw the floats for the Electric Parade half lit. (It was close to
the second running of the parade.)  My niece even saw Minnie carrying
her head.

I found out that besides the Dolphin & Swan resorts which are being
built by EPCOT and the Yacht & Beach resorts which are being build
by the studio there are plans (unannounced so subject to change)
to build a luxury hotel that will make the prices at the Grand Floridian
look cheap.

Also HBJ is having financial difficulties.  Their parks are up for sale.
The Disney folks and Anaheiser/Busch are both interested in purchasing
Sea World.

We stayed at the Polynesian Resort for 3 nights, Caribbean Beach Resort
for 8 nights, and Grand Floridian for 3 nights.  The Grand Floridian
was wonderful.  Service was great even for the cheap rooms.  The people
at the front desk took me to the walk-in clinic in Lake Buena Vista.
When I go back, I'll probably stay at the Caribbean but sure wish I had
the money to go on the Grand Plan.

It was an enlightening experience going with kids.  I was amazed at
how much they slowed me down.  At least there weren't any problems
getting them to sleep at night.

Hopefully, I'll find time to publish more later.

    RE: .57
    
    I am going in April (just got back from June 18-June 28 (its a small
    world after all..:-)), I am also playing Musical Disney Hotels going
    from Grand Floridian Honeymoon Suite to Caribbean Beach Delux View.
    Anyway, does Disney handle moving your bags and everything when moving
    from one on-property resort to another?
    
    George
    

 
  First of all, I'd like to apologize to all of you who were waiting
for my trip report.  To those of you who were patient, I thank you and
SCIT dept. thanks you.  To those of you who were violent about waiting
so long, well, all I can say is that I enjoyed the Dole-Whip, even though
my landlord and neighbors didn't appreciate it on the side of the building...

  My girlfriend and I went down on Mem. day weekend.  We left from Worcester,
Mass about 10am in my car.  I'm putting in my route down because I know many
of you are interested in different routes.  I went Mass Pike, I-84, Wilbur
Cross Trnp., Tappan Zee Bridge, Garden State Parkway.  At the intersection of
the Parkway and the Turnpike, we decided that we might be able to make the 
ferry at Cape May, NJ and that it might be a pleasant change, although slightly
longer time/mile wise.  So, we went to the end of the Parkway, Cape May/Lewis,
Del. ferry to the Chesipeke (sp) Bay Bridge/Tunnel.  We had a pizza and watched
the sun set into the harbor from the man-made island/gift shop/restaurant on the
bridge.  Took 58 to I-95, (took a nap at a rest area in Georgia from 4am to 6),
to I-4 to Fort Wilderness.

  We arrived at the check-in station at 1:00 pm. Friday (we left, Thurs).  It 
took us 1 hour to get through our line.  I was peeved.  They told me that the 
reason it took so long was that there was a group all together and that they 
all had different sites and wanted the same one.  This mess-up only effected 
our line, not any of the others and I asked him why he didn't just ask us to
go to a different line or ask the others to move over (I was only two cars from
the check-in booth and this group was all around me in line).  He looked at me
as if I was stupid.  I didn't loose my temper.  Was actually kinda nice about it
all because I could remember what it was like.

  We stayed at Jack Rabbit Run (don't remember the loop #).  It was crowded and 
the comfort station was filthy and in disrepair.  I figured that since it was
right up front, it was one of the older ones, but felt that that was no reason
for it to have been in such bad shape.  I had stayed in FW before, not that 
loop, however, and found it to have been much better than this one.

  The bus transportation was all right, but Guests were constantly complaining
about it.  If I have to wait for a city bus, any city, on an average of 30 
min. to 1 hr., then I certainly don't mind waiting 20 min. for a WDW bus.

  Overall impression of it all - Disappointing

  Only two Cast Members gave me the kind of service I expect from my fellow
CM's.  Our waiter in the Land restaurant and our waitress in Le Chefs De 
France.

  Many Cast Members were actually acting in a manner which, had they acted
that way when I had worked, there would have been a vacumn where they had 
been standing because they were on the way to the unemployment line.

  Impression of Studio - OK, but I expected more.  I think this was because
I've been looking forward to visiting it since 86.  My girlfriend liked it 
the most out of all that we did, so it couldn't have been that bad...

  Impression of Pleasure Island - Thankfully, I loved it.  It was the only
thing we did that made the trip worthwhile.  Granted it isn't quite like 
the Disney you've come to expect, but it is as it was planned...A themed
area developed to give guests something to do during the Non-extended Park
hours, on property. (and, of course, to take away from the persons who plan
on going to Church Street Station (Rosie O'Grady's) by copying their success)
Interesting part about this is that my girlfriend doesn't drink, so those of you
who feel that you can't have a good time here because you don't drink, or your
kids have a good time here, don't worry.  In fact, it may be a good idea to 
allow your teenagers to spend the evening here, while you enjoy a quiet,
romantic dinner on the Empress Lilly, so you won't have to worry about them. 

  Anyway more specific 'gripes' I will address in the 'Troubles' entry, when
I can.  I think you can now understand why I have been reluctant to enter this
note.  I was quite disturbed by the whole trip.

  Oh, and anticipating your comments which will probably suggest that my trip
was spoiled by my being tired from the journey down, I have done exactly the 
same thing in past trips and enjoyed myself.

  Ah, well...
  Rich

    Rich, glad to see that I'm not the only one to have experienced
    the dirty bathrooms in FW.  No excuss for that.
    #ed
    

    We just returned from a six night stay at WDW for a family of four
    first timers, we stayed at the contempary, did not rent a car, and
    stayed on Disney property for the entire time. This note file has
    helped a great deal with the preperations, and our trip.
    
    We all agreed that Epcot was the highlight, although Magic Kingdom
    was excellent, we did visit MGM, and Typhoon Lagoon.
    
    I was surprised how much there was to do, and how little we got
    or wanted to sit around at the pool and chill out. I was impressed
    with the cleanness of the property, and the quality of the cast
    members, not a discouraging word was heard.
    
    The crowds were tough, especially at typhoon and MGM. Today they
    will announce a plan to deal with the crowds at MGM, in fact on
    FRiday at the Dedication of Raiders, MGM was turning away cars
    due to the crowds. The crowds at Typhoon was so bad each ride
    was 45-60 minute wait, in the heat, not worth the wait for any ride,
    the only relief was the wave pool, which was also very crowded.
    Beware of the family raft ride (4-5 people in a ringed tube)
    a 1 hour wait for a ride that was only 1-2 minutes long.
    
    Magic Kingdom was excellent, we are all ride people, and I felt
    Space Mountain, and Runaway train were fun,and worth the wait
    (only 30 minutes at the most).
    
    The Contempary was fun, and a high quality place to stay, although
    a little high priced $200 per day. I wish I could have spent
    more time at Epcot, I did not get to do each country.
    
    Once again thanks to all who contribute to this file, without
    it I would have been lost.

                
    Well I've just returned from a WONDERFUL two weeks in Florida.  One
    Week at the Disney Inn in Disney World and one week with my parents.
    It was great.  We arrived after a 4 hour flight delay in Orlando on
    Wednesday August 23 at 8:30 pm.  Went to my parents in Ocala for two
    nights.  Friday we visited the Space Center and spent Friday night
    in Coco Beach.  Saturday we got up bright and early and arrived at
    the Disney Inn at 9:30 to start a week of fun and relaxing.  We checked
    in but our room wasn't ready so the receptionist gave us all our
    tickets, etc and off we went to the Magic Kingdom.  It was very very
    crowded.  Got on the new Dreamflight (I wasn't impressed), WEDway
    people mover (my son's favorite), Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the
    Caribbean.  We then went back to the hotel to get in our room and swim,
    it was in the mid 90's.  We had dinner that night in the Disney Inn,
    which is if you eat off the menu wonderful, we had the buffet which was
    just ok.
    
    Sunday we decided to do MGM, if your staying in one of the hotels we
    were allowed to go in MGM at 7AM.  We arrived at MGM at 7:15 and went
    straight for the backstage tour.  The tram was half empty and we
    really got to see everything in about 2 1/2 hours (leisurely).  After
    we got out of there we got reservations for lunch in the Prime Time
    Cafe.  We walked around the shops, etc until lunch.  It was very very
    hot 96 degrees and there is no shade.  SO we sat in the lounge of the
    Prime Time Cafe for about 45 minutes until they called our name.  (Be
    very careful if you have a common last name like mine since there were
    three other CAmpbells there at the same time, and they crossed our name
    off thinking we had been seated already). Lunch was very
    good, the waiters are really funny,  they make you go to the bathrooms
    to wash your hands, you have a TV (black and white) right at your table
    its great!  We left after lunch and went back to the hotel to swim
    because it was so hot.  We went back around 6:00 and walked right into
    the Great Movie ride (got on the gangster side) I loved it.  We came
    out of there, walked into Monster Sound Show which was really neat too.
    Now its about 8:15 and the last Raiders Stunt show is at 8:30 so we
    walk right into that.  It is fabulous, DON'T miss this, it is probably
    close to the best thing in MGM.  I won't tell you what it entails
    because that's half the fun of going.
    Monday we went to EPCOT and walked in and out of everything in the
    front half of EPCOT, there we no lines for anything.  We ate lunch
    outside in Mexico (it was ok).  Dinner we had made reservations for
    the German Biergarden, (you can make dinner reservations anyplace from
    the guest services desk of your hotel up to three days in advance). 
    The was very good, the show was so-so.  I saw a better german show at
    Busch Gardens in Virginia.  The funny part was we sat at a table with a
    family from a town my husband grew up in, in New Jersey and the man
    worked with my husbands sister.  We ended up sitting around talking for
    1 1/2 hours.
    Tuesday we took a breather from the parks and ate a nice big breakfast 
    at the Polynesian and took out a float boat which was a lot of fun.
    Then we came back and went in the Poly pool.  That night we ate at
    the contempory character cafe.  It was an Italian buffet, the food was
    good.  The characters were wonderful.  The white rabbit sat with my son
    for a good 1/2 hour.  It was a lot of fun.
    Wednesday my parents came up so we decided to do EPCOT as we had
    reservations for lunch in the Land Grill. The food and atmosphere was
    everything everyone here in the notes file said.  My parents especially
    liked it, being away from the crowds for a while.  We had dinner that
    night at the Hoop de doo which is still a fantastic place.
    Thursday we went back to do MGM again, this time we saw the Movie Ride
    Western side (thanks for the tips on which lane to be in for what
    show).  Then we went and had lunch at Narcossee at the Grand Floridan
    was was wonderful.  With that vacation package you get four lunches or
    dinners, we took one of the lunches here, we had everything.  My
    husband had the special which was a $40.00 lobster.  He had shrimp
    cocktail $9.00, I had a cajun soup, salad, bread basket is great,
    filled with all different types of breads, cheese bread, etc., then
    I had a spiced boneless chicken with cheese on it.  It was great.  My
    son had just a burger but was happy.  We all had desert, I had
    cheesecake with strawberries, my son had fresh strawberries with
    whipped cream, and my husband had key lime pie.  The bill was $100.56
    and we just handed them a coupon it was great.  That night we went to
    the lasershow at Epcot, it was great.  Friday we sadly checked out
    and went to spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon.  It was empty, we had
    to lines, no waits.  We did everything, stayed until 5:00, as we were
    leaving they announced they were temporarily closing becuase it was
    starting to thunder.  
    That night it was back to Ocala and stayed and vegged out at moms.
    Relaxed, went to the Gulf and swam. All in all it was a great vacation
    and I'm getting withdrawals writing this trip report.
    
    Now I have to wait at least two more years to go back, my husband is
    kind of Disney'd  out.
    
    
    

    	I have been back for a while but I haven't had time to enter
    my report.  Well here it goes.  We started our trip in Talahasee
    Florida August 27th where we rented a national rental car and drove to
    Orlando.	It took about six hours at 65 mph and was a nice ride.
    Along the way we saw the billboards advertising Disney Infomation on
    the radio, I think the station was 107.9 FM so we tuned in and recieved some
    helpfull infomation such as putting on sun screen to prevent burning       
    and the weather forcast in the area.  We arrived at the car care
    center at Disney at about 4:00pm, dropped the car off without a
    problem, and boarded a national shuttle to the Grand Floridian.
    	Seeing the hotel in pictures did not display the beauty of 
    this hotel.  If one has time, take a minute to see it up close it
    is lovely and the only hotel where I would stay.  After a speedy
    check in, we were taken by a little cart to the Boca Chica, our
    building.  The room was gracious, tastefull, and had a teriffic
    view of the Magic Kingdom from the deck provided and also  a
    personal bar that you could buy drinks from and they would charge
    your room account.
    	After we settled down we went right to Epcot and arrived at  
    about 5:00.  We then went to the Living Seas and found it 
    interesting and educational.  If you are not onto sea life 	
    than this is'nt for you but the good thing is that you can spend
    as much time as you want there,  we spent about an hour.  We then
    made reservations at the Coral Reef for 9:45 so we could have 
    as much time as we could before the park closed.  We then went to
    The Land and took the Listen to the Land boat ride, Symbiosis movie,
    and The Kichen Kabaret (a must see).  From there we went to The
    Journey into the Imagination and rode the Journey into the Imagination
    ride.  This ride is one of the better ones in Epcot and is worthwile.
    	We then went back to the Living Seas and ate dinner.  The dinner
    was very good at the Coral Reef, they gave you large portions and my
    wife and I could hardly finish, the prices were moderate to expensive but no
    more expensive than restaurants in the Boston area.  
    	The next day we went back to Epcot to take in the rest of the
    park.  We first made reservations at the Teppanyaki dining room in         
    Japan for 8:00 at the reservations center behind Spaceship Earth, we
    then went back ot the Journey into the Imagination and
    caught Captian Eo, from there we to the World of Motion, attended
    the ride and spent some time at the transcenter.  From there we
    went to Horizons, then the Universe of Energy and Spaceship 
    Earth.  The lines were short if any at all and all the attractions
    I felt were worth seeing.  That took us most of the morning so we
    now had the rest of the day to enjoy the pavilions.  We started
    by eating lunch at the Rose & Crown	Pub.  The pints of beer were
    very good and cold, just what I needed on a hot day.  The food was
    also good, I had the lancaster pie and my wife had fish and chips.
    For desert we shared some triffle which was huge but good.
    We then did the rest of the pavilions and then had dinner.  The
    dinner and the portions we recieved were great, I feel this is one
    of the better values at Epcot.  After dinner we then staked out
    a spot for Illuminations, which was breathtaking by the way, then
    we went home.
    	The third day of our five day honeymoon we went to the Magic
    Kingdom went directly to the Pirates of the Carribean, Big Thunder
    Mountian, Country Bear, Haunted Mansion, and the Hall of Presidents.
    We then had lunch early to avoid the crowds at the Town Square Cafe,
    Of corse we had the Monte Cristo and were they good.  After lunch
    we went to Space Mountian, for those of you with a weak stomach don't
    try this.  This day we did not encounter any long lines at the major
    attracions,  My sister had gone down a week earlier and said it
    was mobbed. After the United Airlines Ride and the Carousel of Progress
    we went back to Main St. to watch the parade, take in the shops,
    then head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest.For dinner we went to
    the show Broadway at the Top which was fun and entertaining, the food
    was very good and the view was wonderfull.
    	The fourth day we went back to the Magic Kingdom and took a ride
    on the Jungle Cruise, and the Pirates again, 20,000 Leauges Under
    the Sea, rode The train, and called it a day.  We then went back
    to the hotel for a swim and then a trip to the Disney Village.
    For dinner we ate at Victoria and Albert's, I don't have time to
    discribe the dinner but it was very very good.
    	Day five was MGM/Disney day.  There we went on the Great Movie
    Ride, the Wicked Witch of the West looks soooooooo real. Then we
    did everything else there was to do, as well as eat in the Prime
    Time Cafe, what a treat!  That night we went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo
    Review, go hungry, I couldn't stop singing that damn song.
    The next day we had to go home, hopefullyto return in a couple of
    years.    I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                
    
              John
    
    
    
    5:00pm 	

    
    I went to WDW on 9/12-9/15. The trip was excellent. Here is some info:
    
    We had tickets on DELTA for $203.00 per person (it was one of those
    specials that they run around the end of August). We stayed in the
    Carribean Beach resort. This is a beautiful complex. In fact last year
    for our honeymoon we stayed at the Disney Inn and that was not as nice
    as this place. The motel is separated into different areas (Aruba,
    Jamaica,...). There is a bus stop at each area (buses run very
    frequently to take you anywhere). Each area has a pool, and the main
    building has a beautiful pool. There were no lines anywhere. We got
    right on to every ride and attraction. We ate in France and loved it.
    Two other suggestions for eating are: The 50's Prime Time Cafe in MGM.
    We had lunch here one day. It was great. The atmosphere really put you
    back into the 50's kitchen. Also I would reccommend the Fireworks
    Factory on Pleasure Island. Excellent BBQ food. As far as Pleasure
    Island goes, I thought the best club was the Adventurers Club. I won't
    give anything away here. Hope to go again soon after Star Tours and the
    Wonders of Life Pavillion opens. I heard that the next country that
    they are going to add to the World Showcase is Switzerland , with the
    mattahorn ride.
    
    eric

Well Mark aka genral::himes,

We're still waiting.

    I can't believe it's over already! All that planning and anticipation.
    Seven days is not enough.
    
    The trip went great. A good time was had by all. We arrived at the
    Contemporary on 10-1-89 at around 5:30pm, had dinner at the character
    buffet and then went browsing till it was time for the electric
    water pagent. The character buffeteria was set up temporarily in
    the walkway between the shops while they remodeled the old area.
    It seems that they are doing away with the Peublo room to enlarge
    the buffet. Both my kids really enjoyed characters at meal times,
    we ate breakfast there almost every day.
    
    We spent the first two days running ourselves ragged at MK. My wife
    and I still enjoy strolling Main Street. Mickeys Birthdayland was
    terrific for the kids. To be able to spend a few precious seconds
    alone with Mickey is priceless. Space Mountain is closed fro
    renovations, I heard someone say it would be closed for a month.
    This didn't bother me as I am not a roller coaster person. I did
    do Thunder Mountain with my son and that was almost a little more
    than I can handle.
    
    Wednesday was MGM. All we got to do here was The Great Movie Ride,and
    the Backstage Tour. Both were excellent. We arrived early but the
    crowds were unbeleivable. We got in line for the stunt show around
    noon with the sun blazing down, no shade, and temps. in the 90's.
    After about fifteen minutes of not moving our son looked up at us
    and asked if we could please leave and go swimming. All agreed.
    
    Thursday and friday we spent at EPCOT. Had the best meals of the
    trip here. Lunches were done at the Land Grille and Coral Reef.
    Dinners were at San Angel in Mexico and Alfredos in Italy. The San
    Angel was the only disapointment,all the other meals were excellent.
    We really enjoyed Epcot alot this time around. When we were there
    three years ago our son was too young and really held us back. The
    ride in Norway is great, a must see, very short but a must see.
    We were disappointed that the Wonders of Life was not open yet.
    Saw Illuminations for the first time also, great show, if you go
    make sure you don't stand to close to the speakers. My ears are
    still ringing.
    
    Saturday it was back to MK. Can't get enough. Went back to all our
    personal favorite attractions. Watched the parade for the third
    time, my daughter loved it. And just took our time strolling around.
    
    Sunday it was back to reality. Bummer!
    
    We really enjoy staying at the Contemporary. It was our second time
    there. We like the idea of having the conveneince of everything
    under one roof. 
    
    I almost forgot. We also did the Hoop De Do for the first time.
    This was probably the best time we had. A definate MUST SEE.
    
    Well thats all for now. My wife says we can go again in two years.
    I don't think I can wait that long.
    
    John_723_days??????
    

    We just can't believe that we're back to reality.  We just had
    our honeymoon in WDW.  I agree with the previous note.  7 days
    is not enough.
    
    Got to the Hilton in WDW Village on Monday (10/9) pm.  Spent the
    rest of the day exploring the hotel and the village - neat place! 
    We also wandered over to Pleasure Island and explored a little bit
    there.
    
    Tuesday we went to Epcot.  Did the entire thing in one day.  
    Learned our lesson - do it in 2 if you can.  It's true - every
    person comes out tired.  Lots and lots of people but we did the
    countries first then went and did Spaceship Earth, etc.  Lines moved
    fairly quickly.  I loved it.  It was both my husband's and my first
    time to WDW/Epcot.  Definitely worth the trip back.
    
    Wednesday we went to MGM.  Big disappointment as far as I was
    concerned.  Too many people, not enough space.  Incredible lines
    that did not move for hours.  We stood in line for an hour and a 
    half for the stunt show and it never moved.  We did get on the 
    Great Movie Ride (enjoyable) and did the Backstage Tour (again,
    enjoyable).  Saw Superstar (?) TV - not bad.  Nell Carter was the star
    for that day/week.
    
    Thursday we went to SeaWorld.  We both had a ball.  Sea Lion and Otter
    show was a riot.  Food was excellent there - though can't remember the
    name of the restaurant we ate at.
    
    Friday/Saturday we did Magic Kingdom.  What a fantastic place.  Did
    just about everything.  Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion
    were great.  Friday we went to the Character Breakfast at the
    Polynesian.  Dan had more fun watching the characters than eating his
    breakfast.  Only stayed 1/2 day on Saturday as it was about 95 degrees
    out and very humid.  Went back to the hotel and stayed in the pool till
    about 9:00 that night.
    
    Unfortunately, we came home Sunday.  We will definitely be going back. 
    It was the most enjoyable vacation I have ever taken - not to mention
    the most tiring, but we both loved it.
    
    Kris

    Hi guys!  We went Oct 5-12th and its been 7 years since we had been
    there so alot changed/added! 
    - Hotel: Grand Floridian! We had a lovely room looking at the lagoon,
    fresh flowers everywhere-even our room. A room bar filled with snacks
    and drinks. The lobby featured a pianist every night who was excellent,
    after a day of go-go-go we would sit in one of the plush couches and
    just listen and have drinks! The people there were very friendly. It
    had 5 restaurants-but we did NOT try the gourmet one which was 75$ per
    person no matter what and only a choice between 2 entrees. A little
    stuffy! The meals were very good in the other 4.
    - EPcot; we had a 4 day pass so we did 2 in EPcot..  EPCOT is just 
    as wonderful and more, we enjoy the Future world stuff better than 
    the Countries. The new Norway was very good and they have a ride called 
    "Maelstrom" .. very good. The New (to me) GE attraction was 
    wonderful--very upscale.  THe one thing I noticed this year was the use 
    of computerized special effects. More "TRON-line" grids to explore. 
    Captian EO was EOWza! Excellent!! The crowds were big - but not enough
    to discourage you. The new Seas adventure was 'ok' -- the aquarium
    wasnt as big as the Boston one and I heard that it was.
    - Magic Kingdom-- still a favorite but Space Mnt was closed. We have a
    12-year old so we didnt bother with Mickey's birthdayland. We loved
    Thundermountain. Very crowded- and hot-- 85-90!
    - MGM - we arrived early and it just filled up. Like earlier replies, I
    was disappointed mostly because it was too crowded to enjoy. Nell
    Carter must live close-by. We only went on the movie-tour; Very good!
    Then we had to leave because the lines were too long. Every adult in
    florida must buy a 1-day ticket and go there.
    - Typhoon lagoon - see my reply in note 5.
    Summary: Absolutely a wonderful time, the hotel was great. If I went
    again Ide recommend just 1 change tho; dont get a plan where you have
    no rental car because we didnt like standing in line for the bus. If
    you think about it, its not a hardship but if you add on that you have
    to stand in line for EVERYTHING then it gets to you. Also, you are
    confined to eating in the hotel restaurants which can add up to big
    bucks. If you get a car, you can drive around and maybe even go to
    Pizza Hut if you feel like it! ha ha.
    

    Hi everyone!!  I'm back from my trip Oct 12-21.  Had a wonderful time
    and the weather was excellent, high 80's to 90's except for Friday the
    20th, it was 46 degrees in the morning and the high was 56.  
    I stayed at the WDW Hilton in the village.  This to me is the perfect
    location, you have the shuttle buses if you want to MK, EPCOT, MGM  walk 
    across the street to WDW Village shopping and Pleasure Island.
    
    I purchased a 4-Day pass.  Spent 1 full day in EPCOT, 1 1/2 days MGM,
    and the rest of the time between MK and EPCOT.  The reason for all the
    time at MGM, (which could very easily be covered in 1 day) was because
    of the hour or more wait in lines.  I always liked going in Oct and
    Nov because it was the slow season.  I think everyone thought the same.
    Its been 3 years since last down here, so there were a few new things
    to see.
    
    EPCOT:  The Living Seas in Future World, Norway in World Showcase, and
    Captain EO 3-d movie were the attractions I never saw.  Enjoyed Norway
    alot, the ride, on a Viking Ship simulates a plunge into a storm on the
    North Sea.  Really good.  The shops were super expensive with the
    beautiful wool sweaters etc.  I finally did get to see Illuminations
    light show.  It was Breathtaking!!  Just a note in Future World
    "Wonders of Life" opens next week.   (was opened until 9:00 when
    Illuminations started).  Ate dinner at the Bisto Restaurant, not
    impressed.
    
    Magic Kingdom:  (opened until 7:00) The highlight was Mickey's 
    Birthdayland.  This was real cute.  Did most of the rides in the MK 
    except for Space Mountain, which was being refurbished.  Very disappointed.
    After 3 times to MK I finally saw the Bear Jamboree, its always closed
    for some reason or another.  Loved it.  
    
    MGM:  (Opened until 7:00)  The lines were unbelievable but I guess they
    were worth the wait.  This something totally different from the other
    two parks.  The Park has a 50's Hollywood theme.  The Great Movie ride
    at the Chinese theater.  This is a journey through the classic movie
    days.  My favorite was the Wizard of Oz Characters and the witch.  Ate
    breakfast at the Cafeteria of the Stars.  Very Good.  Had lunch at the
    50's Prime Time Cafe, all tables had TV's on them showing old TV
    programs, very different.  The Backstage studio tour takes a good three
    hours, between the lines and the tour itself.  We saw the filming live
    of the new Mickey Mouse Club show, the Street where the Golden Girls
    live, Catastrophe Canyon, is the highlight of this tour.  This
    simulates explosions and rushing waters caused from earthquakes, very
    impressive and so real.  We also saw the minature battleships the use
    to film movies, movies are very deceiving after seeing all this.  We
    also toured sound stages and shooting stages.  The animation tour was
    real interesting, we saw the cartoonists who were developing the new
    Roger Rabbit movie.  Excellent tour.  The Super Star Television was
    great, they have members of the crowd take part in scenes frow old
    television programs.  Its amazing what they can do with films.  The
    Monster Sound Show was my favorite, only because I was part of the
    show.  My friend and I were picked along with two other people to add
    sounds into a movie.  The movie was the Haunted House with Chevy Chase
    and Martin Short.  I controlled the rain, thunder, door knocking,
    crashing chandelier, door slamming etc. after we add our sounds, they
    play back the movie and its funny how it turns out.  The last section
    was the Indiana Jones stunt show.  This was very good and the effects
    were so real.  You get to see a real movie set.  Don't miss.
    
    Pleasure Island:  First I had dinner at the Fishermans Deck Restaurant
    on board the Empress Lily.  Excellent dinner.  Bought a 4-night club pass.
    You could purchase 1-6 club passes.  I went to the XFFR Rocking
    Rollerdome.  There was dancing (Rock and roll music) and on another
    floor roller skating.  I didn't care for this place.  Next on to
    Mannequins, this was an incredible club.  The lights and special
    effects were great.  The music was disco and had a rotating dance
    floor.  Some of the mannequins were real!!  Next over to the
    Adventurers Club, my favorite.  Props on the walls, all kinds of weird
    people and characters roaming around perform sort of a show while your
    at this bar.  I was on a bar stool and the next thing you know my chin
    was on the bar, the stool, very slowly went down.  At schedule times
    you go into the Library for a show.  At this point we were about just
    crashing and we made one more stop at the Baton Rouge Lounge just to
    unwind and listen to real nice jazz music.  This place closed after
    1:00am.
    
    I also had breakfast with the characters on the Empres Lily.  This was
    fun, and the breakfast wasn't too bad either.  I finally did get to go
    to the Hoop-Dee-Doo.  Great time.
    
    I also got in three days of golfing up in Wildwood and a trip to
    Melbourne Beach for a day.  Looking forward to my next trip, probably
    in a year or two.  
    
    Bye for now,
    
    Carol
      
    

    
    OK! OK! Guilt has plagued me long enough! I'm finally typing in my
    trip report! I hope all you other non-replying Disney-holics will take
    note and follow the example! ;-)
    
    My mother And I went done to WDW for 8 days from Wednesday, August 23
    to WEdnesday August 30. After a year of saving it was wonderful to
    finally get there! We had an early flight on Wednesday. We got into
    Orlando about noon, but we didn't make it to our hotel until 2:30. We
    stayed at the Carribean Beach Resort wich is better than any of the
    other hotels, in my opinion. When we got to the hotel, we were hot,
    tired, and dirty so after a short nap and a snack at Old Port Royale,
    we bought our passports and made meal reservations at the Custom House.
    we then headed over to the WDW VIllage for dinner and shopping. We ate
    at the Village restaurant which was fairly good. We had a wonderful
    view of the water from our table. After dinner we window shopped until
    about 9:30 then we  headed back to the hotel.
    
    The next morning Mom and I both woke up awfully early(4:00 am) because
    neither of us could sleep because we were so excited. At about 5:00 we
    turned on the morning news and actually got started. While Mom was in
    the shower I headed over to Old Port to get some coffee and cinnamon
    buns for breakfast. (We stayed in Aruba with a Lake View, there was a
    bridge right outside to Olp Port it wasd generally quicker to walk than
    take a bus) When I left the hotel room it was still dark, I only saw 1
    other guest on the bridge. Coming back I was concentrating on not
    scalding myself with the (very full) coffee, but I did notice the sun
    was just rising and reflecting pinks and oranges in the water. The
    feeling I had then was in describable, the beauty, the excitement,
    everything!
    
    Later that morning, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We were there
    when it opened. We were on the first ferry over the lake. We were also
    one of the very first through the Magic Kingdom gates. There is nothing
    like standing at the end of Main Street, facing the Castle with no one
    else yet in view. It was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! Anyway once the rest of the
    park opened, we raced over to Space Mountin, then 20,000 Leagues. I
    thought the ride was a good concept, BUT NOT BELIEVABLE at 9:30 in the
    morning. After that we went over to Peter Pan's Flight (one of my
    favorite rides) then on to the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the
    Carribean. We ate some Dole whip about 11:00 cause we were hot & tired
    after not ssleeping much the night before. We waited for the Diamond
    Horseshoe which was a good show. We had seats right up front Mom got
    picked on quite abit . They had Mom and I help mop the floor when they
    were cleaning up for "Miss Lilly". She also got sprayed with a water
    pistol, and several other gags.
    
    After tyhe show we were wiped out so we dicided to go back to the hotel
    for a nap. We got sidetracked to getting some characters autographs.
    Then it was almost 2:30 so we decided to wait for the parade (which was
    awsome!) Well, one thin led to another and we didn't get back to our
    hotel until almost 5:00. After a dip in the pool, we went back to The
    MK. We did all of Tommorrland that evening. We got done just in time
    for the 10:00 fireworks, after them, we headed over to Main Street for
    the ELectric Parade. I LOVED IT!!! I have decreed that getting to see
    the Electric Parade is worth fighting the crowds. Since the parks were
    opened till Midnight we got a few more rides in on Space Mountin, we
    walked right onto the ride (twice!). After that it was time to head
    back to the Hotel, it took about 45 minutes, but we didn't mind since
    we were bothe incredibly hyper! We finally got to bed about 2:00 am. A
    22 hour day is very long day! 
    
    The next day we were up early to do Epcot. We toured about 1/2 of
    future world before lunch. We ate at the Land Grille which absolutely
    wonderful! After lunch we went back to the hotel for some rest. That
    evening we finished future world. We never had to wait in line for
    anything most of the time we never saw any other guests on the rides.
    That night we saw IllumiNations, which was impressive. We caught the
    first bus back to the hotel. There is nothing like the feeling of
    leading 40,000 stampedeing people to the waiting buses.
    
    Since the Studios were open at 7:00 to resort guests we were ther when
    it opened. We did the Great Movie Ride and ate breakfast at the
    cafeteria there the crowds were starting to get thick so we shopped for
    a little while then went over to EPCOT to do the countries. We had
    lunch reservations at San Angel Inn which was a dissappointment. My
    favorite World Showcase attraction was Maelstrom. It had the longest
    wait in EPCOT, but it was only 10 minutes. The countries never quite
    held my interest, maybe it was the fact I was exhausted most of the
    day. We agreed to leave but after a snack in the France pavilion we
    changed our mind. We went over to EPCOT to do Fan{_tasyland, but We too
    tired to really enjoy the exhibits. We ate at the Plaza restaurant
    which was extremely good. When we got done, it was about 8:30, but we
    decided not to wait for the Electric Parade ;-(
    
    Sunday morninr we went to the Studios to do the Backstage tour. I t was
    very interesting. We went to the Poly for Mass and lunch. We decided
    the lines at the Studio would be too long to fight so we went to the
    Village for awhile. We got back to the Studios about 3:00. WE did the
    Superstar Television. Again, my Mom got picked on. She was asked to do
    the I Love Lucy Skit. It is ironic that she always got picked on since
    she is very shy. I'm the one who has the reputation of being a ham and
    loving to be onstage. We fifnished the Studios about 6:00 (believe it
    or not, the lines were never out of control).
    
    We went back over to Epcot for "dinner" (WE made an agreement that we 
    would only eat what we wanted to when we wated to(hang the diet)). WE
    had some drop-dead for cheesecake for dinner that day. After that we
    staked out a spot for Illuminations. It was even better yhan the last
    time we saw it.
    
    The nextmorning we had brownies for breakfast. (No, they were NOT
    disgusting, THEY WERE DELICIOUS) We went to Typhoon Lagoon for the day
    it was absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!! Later that afternoon we finally got
    around to going to the big hotel pool, instead of the village pool. It
    was absolutely wonderful. We walked around the the lake promenade. It
    was longer than we thought, but it was still very nice. I don't
    remember what we did that evening, Oh well....
    
    Tuesday, or last full day, we spent the entire day in the MK. It was
    one of the best days of my life, Everything was perfect, even the
    weather. It was sunny and only abou 85 for a high. We bought some fast
    film to photograph the Electric Parade. I t was absolutely beautiful. I
    said it before, I'll say it again, the Electric Parade is
    wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    BOO HOO!!!!!!! this was the day we went back to reality. We ate
    breakfast with the charactrs at the Poly, it was absolutely awesome.
    All the characters we missed during the rest of our vacation were there
    to give out autographs etc. WE had a 3:00 flight home, but it was
    delayed (what a surprise) for almost two hours. I didn't want to leave
    WDW, but once we were in the airport, I was ready to either magically
    beam home, or better yet to Main Street USA. Oh well. Another vacation
    to put in the scrap book
    
    Oh, the crowning glory, I had about 5 full minutes(uncontested) with
    Mickey Mouse In EPCOT. I was estatic.I just couldn't believe no one
    else was dying to see the Mouse. THis brings me to the only bad point,
    Parents of young kids are very polite to other parents and there kids,
    when Trying to get the characters attention, But they are generally
    rude to someone like me (I look about 18) . When I am having a
    character sign something or something similar, Parents will push ther
    elittle kids to the characters and have them pull on them until they
    acknowledge them. THis leaves me ignored. While everyone else would get
    30 seconds or so with the characters, I would get maybe 5. I guess
    parents think that the tall person in jeans is ther because the parents
    forced them there. ITS NOT THE CASE! I AM THERE BECAUSE I SAVED AND I
    WANTED TO BE  THERE!!!!!! Other than that it was a perfectly lovely
    vacation.
     
    SEE     YOU     ALL     IN        MOUSEDOM!!!!!!11
    

    Ok, Its the day after, and here's the report.
    
    Attendance was about 10K people.  Not too many.  most attractions
    had no lines.  Star Tours did.  30-45 minutes a wait.  I went 4
    times.  Still my favorite ride of either park.  Wishing someone
    would  have gone on star tours then body wars for a comparision.
    
    My second favorite ride, Pirates of the carr.. was closed!  boo.
    I don't believe that some of the people complained about the lines.
    1st timers, no doubt.
    
    I found my least favorite place to eat in wthe world [earth]-
    Tommorow land plaza.  double UUUGG!
    
    Its funney touring it at night.  Especially if you have the WDW
    majic kingdom in mind, and you try navigating that way.
    
    Oh ya, splash mountain.  It was there.  I'm NOT the type that rides
    that type of attraction.  People seemed to get really wet.  but
    happy.
    
    It is definately not as fun to go with out a family.  it can be
    the lonelyest place on earth.
    with that, I sign off until this February when everyone goes to
    WDW.
    
    regards,
    
    ed
    

			     TRIP REPORT - 15th to 21st October
                             ===========

                                                               
Better late than never I suppose.....
    
Just(?) got back from a three week trip to Florida.  Thought I'd better 
file this before I forget too many details.  We had one week at 
Orlando and two weeks at Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast.  They 
were both great hotels, but I think next time (!) we would try to stay 
at a WDW Resort hotel where you are much nearer the centre of things.  

We bought a 4 day passport, which I think is a minimum now MGM Studios 
is open if you want to see the majority of things in Magic Kingdom and 
EPCOT.  We did one day each at M.K., EPCOT and MGM, and divided the 4th 
day between M.K. and EPCOT.  We arrived on a Saturday, and decided we 
should start with a leisurely day rather than hard foot-slogging.  So 
on Sunday we went to Sea World which was really impressive and also 
relaxing at the same time.

We started in earnest on Monday with Magic Kingdom.  This seems to be 
a good day to go as it was very quiet.  We got there shortly after 
9.00 a.m., and walked straight onto the rides in Tomorrowland.  It was 
there that we had our only disappointment.  This was a catastrophe in 
the eyes of our 10 year old son, as Space Mountain was closed.  He had 
come all that way to be able to tell his friends at school that he had 
ridden Space Mountain.  The worst part was that we found out it opened 
again the week after we left the Orlando area - but we didn't dare tell
him that!

He compensated by riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice.  We also 
enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Captain Nemo and 
Haunted Mansion.  Tom Sawyers Island was fun, the sandwich bar was a 
good quiet place for lunch as not everybody walks past it.  We didn't 
bother with the areas for younger children such as Mickey's 
Birthdayland, Singing Dolls or Enchanted Tiki Birds.

I must say in passing that I've never seen so many miserable children 
in my life.  For a place that is meant to entertain and amuse them, it 
certainly had a strange effect on some of them.  For any British 
people contemplating travelling all that way with under-fives, I would 
say forget it for a couple of years.  There is just too much for them 
to take in, and they end up either getting ratty or sleeping through 
it all.  Just a passing thought!

We saw the Birthday Parade at 3.00 p.m. which was really good.  The 
characters are wonderful, and the dancers so enthusiastic.


We left not long after that as we felt we just couldn't take in any 
more, although it doesn't close until 7.00 p.m.  We went to catch the 
ferry back as the monorail lines were very long, only to be told that 
they were not running and we were directed to a coach.  No-one would 
say why they weren't running, but we discovered on the car radio the 
next morning that a woman had been killed when her small boat was in 
collision with a ferry.

On Tuesday we went to EPCOT.  We headed straight for Imagination and 
Captain EO on our son's strict instructions.  We were all very 
impressed by the effects.  We then went into the Imagination ride 
where my wife fell in love with Figment!

We headed over to World at Motion which we enjoyed, and then decided 
to lunch at the Odyssey restaurant.  We seemed to time everything just 
right that day.  We had just sat down at our table when Mickey and all 
his friends came round shaking hands and posing for photographs.

We then toured the Countries.  We especially enjoyed Mexico, which 
seemed to have an authentic atmosphere - (not that I've ever been to 
Mexico!).

The Maelstrom ride in Norway was very good.  We also thought China was 
excellent.  They had interesting gifts and the girls dancing with 
ribbons and doing their paper folding were especially interesting.

The man in Japan who models dragons in wax was very funny, although he 
didn't speak a word.  

We saw all the Countries that day and left the rest of the Pavilions 
for our next visit later in the week.

Wednesday we had a more leisurely day and went to Boardwalk and 
Baseball.  (The log flame was great - went down it six times).  It was 
really quiet there.

Thursday we went to Wet 'n Wild, and it was really hot.

Friday we started off by driving the car to EPCOT and then taking the 
monorail to M.K.  We spent the morning and early afternoon re-doing 
our favourite rides and doing any we missed last time, and taking a 
closer look at the Main Street shops.  It was a lot busier today and 
the lines were a lot longer.  We returned to EPCOT and saw the rest of 
the Future World Pavilions.  Our son enjoyed the computers in 
Communicore East and West.  We enjoyed all the 'worlds' and came out 
of Horizons just in time to get a good place at Mexico for the 
fireworks at 9.00 p.m.  (Thanks for that tip from these notes - we 
wouldn't have known otherwise).  The lights and fireworks were 
incredible - I've never seen anything half as good as these before.  
It wasn't too bad getting out afterwards as the crowds kept moving, 
but I'm very glad we had the car there and didn't have to catch the 
monorail.


On Saturday we used the last day on our pass and visited MGM Studios, 
the newest of the theme parks.  We didn't quite know what to expect 
since we hadn't read much about it on these files as it's so new, but 
we can say it's a very good day out and a lot of fun.

We were there quite early, and there was no waiting in the morning.  
It was a lot busier later on though.  We walked straight on to 'The 
Great Movie Ride' which was excellent and a good start to our day.  
Next we took the first part of the 'Backstage Lot' tour which is on a 
vehicle.  Catastrophe Canyon was fantastic - I will say no more!  We 
saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular which was incredible.  The 
effects were still amazing even after they had explained them.  
Luckily, I didn't get picked as a 'volunteer'.

After lunch we took the 2nd part of the Backstage tour which is 
indoors and walking through the various production processes and sound 
studios.

We had to queue for a long time in the hot sun for the Animation 
Studio tour, but it was worth it.

The whole process of producing a cartoon character was made 
interesting and it was great fun to be able to see the actual artists 
at work through the glass.

Some current costs:
					 $
	4 day passport			97
	    "   "      (age 3-9)        77
	Seaworld			24.40
	B'walk/B'ball			19
	Busch Gardens			19.95
	Cypress Gardens			16.95
	Wet n Wild			14.95
	Water Mania			11

We left about 4.00 p.m. and headed off for the Gulf Coast for a much 
needed and well earned bask in the sun.

The whole of Walt Disney World far exceeded my expectations, even 
though I thought I knew what to expect from reading these notes files.

Thankyou to everyone who has contributed, it really helped - and keep 
them coming in, as I'm saving up for our next trip and I'll want to 
know what's new.


   

       

No doubt about it - DisneyWorld is the better people trap built by a mouse.

My wife and I spent 6 nights at the Disney Inn.  Delightful!  Quiet, clean,
plenty of room - a non-smoking room on the 1st floor next to the larger
of the two pools (the rectangular one good for laps, not the Mickey-shaped
pool good for people-watching).  When we arrived we asked the bellman what
the pool hours were.  He said "How loud do you swim?"  Everyone did everything
to be friendly and to help us have a good time.  Anytime someone didn't 
smile or go the extra mile, it was a rare event.  

Overall impressions: Incredibly clean everywhere.  Noisy almost everywhere
except the Disney Inn and Fort Wilderness.  Huge fun.  Altogether we spent
about 4 days in Epcot, half a day at Magic Kingdom, half a day at MGM,
half a day at Fort Wilderness, and half a day just exploring. At the end
we spent half a day at Cypress Gardens, which is worth just that.
Plenty of people around, but by following the hints of this notesfile and
Birnbaum, we never waited more than a couple of minutes for anything, and
usually walked right in. Prices - 50% higher for goods and meals than
in the real world (Colorado), as much as double for alcoholic beverages.  
But with the other benefits, who cares!

Efficient transportation.  The green flag bus arrived at the Disney Inn
every 0-15 minutes as advertised.  Plenty of buses at the TTC to go anywhere
you wanted.  Extra buses put on at the right times (for example, special
buses to MGM Studios came by Disney Inn in the morning, special buses
to Pleasure Island came by Disney Inn in the evening, at the finish of
the Hoop-de-Doo Review and after the Illuminations at EPCOT extra buses 
showed up to return us to the TTC).  The monorail was good, but tended to 
stop a lot.  The launches were the best way to get to/from Magic Kingdom.  
The rule of thumb became 30 minutes to get anywhere from the Disney Inn once 
you got on the bus.  Often less, but a safe rule.

Wonders of Life was special, because it felt so new.  There is a difference
between brand-new and old-but-well-maintained.  Good mix of rides (glad I
didn't eat just  before I went on Body Wars), multi-media presentations 
(Cranium Command), and hands-on stuff (peddle like mad for 5 minutes and
use up 4 calories).

Other Future World favorites were the Harvest Tour in The Land, Seabase Alpha, 
Horizons (choose the ending), and the behind-the-scenes UNISYS computer
center (had to smile when I saw two techs and a logic analyzer with a rats
nest of probes on one of the machines - that was shortly after the 
Westinghouse Carousel of Progress stalled and repeated the same scene three
times before moving again - at one point the PA system announced "stay
in your seats, we'll start moving again shortly" and the audio-animatronic
character on the stage said "I'll believe that when I see it" - everyone
howled with laughter.)

World Showcase favorites were France (the 180-degree movie Impressions de 
France was our favorite movie of all, because of the music), China 
(360-degree film), the Maelstrom ride at Norway, and Canada (360-degree film).
Mexico was a big disappointment - I think they blew a big opportunity by
having fluff instead of substance.

Cast members at the French and German pavilions very graciously spent time
talking with us in their languages and seemed to be having fun too.

Hoop-de-doo was fun.  Broadway at the Top was good entertainment but poor
food and service - we wouldn't do it again.  Food everywhere else was good;
basic ingredients were very high quality, including some from The Land
(according to our tour guide) and preparation ranged from
OK to excellent.  Our favorite was lunch at the Chefs de France.
Lunch at the Canadian Le Cellier 'buffeteria' was good, as was dinner
with the belly dancer at Morrocco's Marrakesh.  A good strategy if you
don't have children with you is to 'go European' - i.e. make a late
lunch the main meal of the day - less crowd and noise and less expense.
Breakfasts at the Garden Gallery of the Disney Inn were very nice.
They have apple-stuffed French Toast, a large fresh-made cinnamon bread 
complimentary to each table, a basic menu and a buffet with all the basics 
plus a couple of special things.  Surprisingly good food at the Grand
Floridian Cafe if you don't mind the din.

Thanks to everyone whose tips enhanced our trip.  

A few final notes/observations: Like almost everything
else at WDW, the Disney Inn is wearing out.  While we were there, the
big pool was closed for repairs for a couple of days and one elevator was
closed for a few days. Despite constant PM, a time will come when entire
parts of WDW have to be torn down and replaced - I hope Disney is financially
ready to do it earlier rather than later.

Before we went, we thought of this as a do-it-once kind of thing, because 
there are so many places to go in this world, but now we'd like to go back.
It's a great place to R&R.

Bob

                  Trip Report - November 11th thru 18th
    
    11/11:  Flew into Orlando early evening, got rental from Alamo,
            found the Hotel on International, unpacked the kids, and
            went to bed.
    
    11/12:  Got up at 6:00 am to get family ready.  Had breakfast at
            the hotel (ugh!).  Got to WDW at aproximately 8:45am. Plan
            to spend entire day at MK, we did, left park at closing
            at 7:00pm.  Did everything in fantasy land, everything in
            tomorrow land, but space mt.. Did everything in Liberty
            sq., and some stuff in Frontier land.  Did about 50% of
            Adventure land (the tree house was closed for repairs).
            Note: while in the "tiki hut" "bird" show people kept on
            getting up and leaving..... very rude.
            Note: Walked over to "Pirates of the Carribien" (sp) ride.
            walked down the ramp and onto a boat... no wait!!!!
            Saw the afternoon parade.. was great as usual.
            Toured Main St. USA and then left.
            Note: Only saw 1 character all day....
      
            Had supper at Perkins... kids wanted choco-chip pancakes!!
    
    11/13:  Went to my parents for the day.  Aprox. 90 miles south of
            Orlando.  Just off Rt27 in Sebring
    
    11/14:  Again up at 6:00am.  Had breakfast at Perkins.  Off to MGM.
            In park by 9:00am.  Went straight to the "Great movie ride"
            (per suggestions in this note conf.) only had a 6-8 minute
            wait.  Saw the "gangsters".  It was great!!!  Went to the
            studio tour next, 15 minute wait, another great ride..
            Then explored the area did some souvineer buying.  Had some
            horrible hot dogs.  At around 1:00pm went over to Epcot.
            Did the right side of park, land, sea, shere, imagination,
            did energy, and then watched "illuminations".  Left park
            afterwards.
    
    11/15:  Up at 6:00am again, went back to MK..  Saw what we missed
            the first day and did repeats of everthing the kids really
            liked (ie. Mr toads wild ride) 
            Note: Fantasy land had no wait at all after 4:30pm.
            Left at closing..... went to "Bennigans" for supper. (excellent
            restuarant) 
            Drove around International Dr. to what was new...... I still
            remember, as a kid, when nothing was on this road.
            Back to the hotel... Hotel securtiy stopping everyone checking
            to see if you were staying.  A rash of armed robberys had
            happened earlyer that night on International Dr. Our hotel
            was one of them.(no one hurt)
                                         
    11/16:  Up at 7:00 (we get to rest) Off to "Gatorland zoo" on
            Orangeblossom Dr. Spent until noon there.  Wife wanted to
            go to the "Florida Mall"  we spent a few hours there and
            then went WDW shopping village.  Did some heavy shopping,
            my MKC and Visa card were smoking after my wife got done
            there.  My son and I bumped into Tony Larussa, manager of
            World Champion Oakland A's, in one of the shops.  He was
            was with wife and girls.  Corey, my son, got his autograph,
            Larussa was very polite and charming.
    
    11/17:  Up at 6:00am after a quick breakfast off to MGM again, to
            do everything we didn't the first day. And to do the "Great
            Movie ride" again.  At 2:00 off to Epcot for the rest of
            the day. Went thru the world showcase.  Mailstrom was great.
            Did, motion pavillion, and then went to wonders of life.
            Was it packed.  Body wars was great but not as ruff as I
            had thought it would be.  They wouldn't let my wife (pregnant)
            or my son (2.5 yrs) on.  The film on babys was ok but the
            wait for it was long.  Crainuim Command was good, it scared
            my 2.5 year old, he cried (was to loud).
            Note: The C.C. theater was half filled while the film on
            babys always had a loooong wait.  One cast member told us
            that they realize that and are planning on adding a new
            theater to this pavillion.  The hands on exhibits were great
            but you had to wait to get one.
    
    11/18:  Our last day up a 6:00am, got donuts for b-fast.  Packed
            car, and checked out of hotel by 9:00.  Off to "Sea World"
            Did most everthing there, left at around 4:30pm.  Ate at
            "Bennigans", waitress a real airhead.  Returned rental and
            off to aiport.  We have a late flight, departs for Boston
            at 9:45pm.  Got on plane..... an announcment, a delay, it
            appears that our 1st officer, while checking the plane out,
            fell, thru an open hatch, out of the plane and hurt himself.
            Parmedics to the scene, He's to hurt to fly, slight concussion,
            dislocated shoulder.  They found a sub for him and we were
            off at apx 11:30pm.  2 hours and 1 minute later we landed
            Boston.  Got rental to go home, in bed by 4:35am. EXHUASTED!!
    
           Next time we go on my terms, not my wifes. It'll be for at
           least 10 days and we'll stay inside the park.
    
    

		        Trip Report for Nov 8th thru 19th

Returned from a wonderful  vacation at  Walt  Disney  World on November 19th.
Needless to say, we enjoyed the vacation very much.  The we included my wife,
our 12 year old daughter Sarah, our 10 year old son Michael, and myself. 

This may be a  long, boring report to many  people, but  may give others some
helpful little hints and some prices.  Not  knowing when we will be returning
to Disney, this  report is intended to help ME remember the enjoyable time we
had. 

Yes, we did take the kids out of school for 6 and 1/2 days.  We took them out
of school 2 years ago and may do it  sometime in the  future?  The kids  were
told when we made the  reservations a year ago that they had better work hard 
at school up to  vacation and that they would have to work  harder to make up 
the work they missed over the  Thanksgiving holiday  weekend (which they did, 
with some  additional prompting).   We have not been  given much grief by the 
schools, I don't think the kids will be penalized.  The early November period
has been a  great time to go to Disney.   The crowds have not been too large,
nor have the  lines been too  long.   Four and 1/2 years ago we went in March 
and  encountered long lines and bigger  crowds.  We can't imagine how crowded 
it gets in  "peak"  season.  Also, the 2 times we have been in  November, the
weather has been warm and there has been very little rain; maybe we have been
lucky. 

We flew out of Manchester, N.H. on Wednesday, November 8th.  Our kids went to
school for 1/2 day and were picked up at 12:00  noon  enroute to the  airport 
for  our  1:15  departure.  We  flew  United,  with a  change  of  planes  at
Washington/Dulles airport.  We had 40 minutes to catch the connecting flight.
We were concerned that this may not be enough time for our luggage to keep up
with us,  but  everything  worked out  fine.   We  came in one  gate and  the
connecting flight was  departing from the next gate.  The second flight was a
bit turbulent.  Half way through serving dinner, the pilot requested that the
flight  attendants be seated and put on their  seat  belts.  The  chicken for 
supper was hard to eat and keep down!  The flight arrived in Orlando at  7:22
PM. 

After  retrieving our luggage, we went to the HERTZ rental counter to get our
car.  I  had made the  reservation 2 weeks  earlier,  but  had  not been sent 
anything  confirming the  rates I had been  quoted.  A  FORD  ESCORT had been
reserved at  $103 per week and  $24 per additional day.  No compact cars were
available,  so we were  upgraded to a  TEMPO  BUT the  rate  they  had on the 
reservation was  $115 per week.  This wasn't too much of a difference for the
larger car (I was quoted $148 for the TEMPO when the original reservation was
made).   We were  very  pleased  with the  trunk  space in the  TEMPO and the
roominess  inside  of  it.  When we  make  another  car  reservation, we will
request something in writing stating the price agreement. 

SO,  at 8:15 we were on our way  out of the  airport.  There  were 2- 50 cent
tolls on the BEELINE expressway between the airport and I-4.  There were also
some neat 3-D  billboards advertising  Universal  studios.  The ones I recall
were one with  King Kong, one with the  Ghostbusters, and one with  ET (which
even had his finger lit up).

Our  original plan was to  drive down, due to flight costs, thus our original
reservation at the  Caribbean  Beach  Resort was from  Thursday,  Nov 9th, to
Sunday,  Nov 19th.  When we found some  $200 fairs on  United in  early Sept,
with the  requirement that one of the flight days be a Tuesday or  Wednesday,
we  extended our trip  one day to include the  required Wed.  We didn't  mind
having a few extra days at Disney.  

One  checks into the  Caribbean  beach at the  Custom House.  As mentioned in
earlier notes, the cards you get to indicate you are a resort guest allow you 
access to  any of  the  internal  transportation  (buses,  ferry,  monorails, 
launches)  and the  ability to charge many things to your room bill (meals in
EPCOT, meals at  Caribbean beach food court,  Disney passports,  boat rentals
...).  We did not  want to  use the  cards for  charging, so the  young  lady 
checking us in stamped the cards TRANSPORTATION ONLY. 

Our first night was in a "lagoon" view room, which in our case overlooked the
pool in the Barbados cluster of rooms.   We were in our room by 9:30 and  out
by 7 AM.   Next  time I have to stay in a room for only one  evening,  I will
stay off Disney for that night and check in early the day of my  reservation.
The Custom house is open  24 hours, and when I was  cashing  travelers checks
at  7AM there were  always people  checking in,  getting their transportation
cards and using the bus system/resort facilities for a full day in Disney.  I
will enter a note with more  specifics on the  Caribbean beach  resort in the
note on that subject.   The kids went for a quick swim and we all took a walk
along the promenade around the lagoon over to the food court, Old Port Royale,
for a snack.  The prices were high, with a large coffee being over $1. 

One thing that may be of interest to some people may be the hours of operation
of Disney/MGM.   While waiting to  check-in at the  Custom House, we looked at
the hours of  operation for the  theme parks and  noticed that  Disney/MGM was 
open from  8-8.  When we got to our  room, we  turned on the TV  channel  that 
gives the parks  operating hours and it said  MGM was open 9-8, which confused 
us.   A quick call to the  information number at the Custom House and we found 
out that for Disney resort quests MGM was open at 8 from Nov 5th thru the 11th
(and Nov 19th thru 25th).

Thursday, Nov 9th, we were out of our room by 7AM, with our luggage packed in
the car.  We opted for  express  check-out, where any  charges (phone use for
us) are pre-approved to be  charged to a credit card.   Simply leave the keys 
on the table when leaving. 

We  boarded a bus at the bus stop for  Barbados and were off to  MGM.  MGM is
very  near to  the  Caribbean  resort.  At 8,  MGM  opened and it was  almost 
deserted.  We took in the  Great  Movie  ride (western side) and  were on the
Backstage  Tour at 8:40,  before the crowds  arrived.   Both were  great, but 
some of the effect at  Catastrophe Canyon was lost due to the water pumps not
working.  We found the  walking part of the  tour  interesting and were  very
surprised to find it raining when we exited the tour.  The Animation building
was our planned next stop and we  encountered our longest  line of the  visit
there,  all of  35  minutes.  The  rain  had  stopped  when we  finished  the
Animation tour and we did not get rained on for the rest of the vacation  (it
only rained in the middle of one other night).  By now the lines to the Great
Movie ride and  Backstage Tour were HUGE.  We were told the wait at the Great 
Movie ride was over 3 hours by the late afternoon!

We had lunch at the Soundstage Restaurant and were somewhat amazed/shocked at
the costs there.  We  considered the  costs at all the fast food stops in the
theme parks to be on the high side.  We had expected the EPCOT restaurants to
be fairly high, but not the fast food places.

After lunch, we went to the  Indiana  Jones stunt show, which was cut in half 
due to either the weather, having rained earlier, or by problems with the set.
Be prepared to take all the  pictures you  want there,  I didn't need a flash
either.  The Sound Works had a very long line, so we skipped it and went into
Superstar  Television,  no line, for an  enjoyable  show.  The  park  was now
getting  crowded, so we had a snack,  browsed in some of the shops and took a 
shuttle bus over to EPCOT. 

At  2:30 we walked into EPCOT and walked right into Spaceship Earth, no line.
Next  was the  ENERGY  pavilion,  again no  line.  Then we  walked  into  the
Wonders of Life  pavilion for the first time.  Having heard so much about the
Body  Wars ride, we were  determined to take it, no matter how long the wait.
We waited 20 minutes for our first ride on it.  It was  worth the wait.  Next
was Cranium  Command.  We were way up back when the  preshow  started and the
kids  couldn't see it.  It was  cute and  gives you  background as to  what a
cranium  commando is by use of an  animated show.   We  all  enjoyed  Cranium 
Command and saw it  many more  times.  The line for the  Making of Me  always
appeared both  long and somewhat  unorganized that we never made it in during
the entire vacation.

Before dinner, we were able to do the Horizon and Motion  pavilions, again no
lines!!!   Dinner was at the  food court in the  Land  Pavilion.  My wife and
daughter had enjoyed  excellent chef  salads there 2 years ago, but were very
disappointed  with  them  this  time.  After  dinner, we took in the  Kitchen
Cabaret and Symbiosis movie, again with no lines.  We were spoiled and didn't
want to wait the 20  minutes in the line for the boat ride.  It was now about
8 PM and it had  been a  long day so we  opted not to  stay  around  for  the
Illuminations show. 

We caught the  shuttle to the  Caribbean Beach  resort and checked in for the
last 10 nights of our stay, this time in a non-smoking, 2nd floor room with a
"garden" view, also in  Barbados.  The "view" turned out to be 1/2 garden and
1/2 parking lot.  Having sampled the prices at Port Royale, while the rest of
the family took a swim, I went and got some groceries.

The Cross Roads  shopping  center is very  convenient.  There is a  Gooding's
grocery  store  there  which  is  open,  I think,  24  hours.  I  purchased a
styrophoam  cooler and many  breakfast/snack  items.  There are  two  ways to
reach the  shopping  center from the  Caribbean Beach.  One way is to  take a
right out of the resort.  Follow the signs to I-4 north.  Take the Lake Buena
Vista/route 535 exit off of I-4 and the Cross Roads center is off to the left,
I think you go under the highway to get to it.  The other way is to again take
a right out of the resort.  Continue on the the road and you will pass Typhoon
Lagoon, Pleasure Island, and come to Walt Disney World Shopping Village.  Near
the end of the shopping village, you will come to a  direction signal with the
right turn  labeled Village  Resorts.  Turn right at this light.  Go by all of
the village  resorts and you will  eventually get to another light on rte 535.
Go straight  across and you are in the  Cross  Roads  shopping  center.  It is 
about 4 miles for  each of the  routes.  Besides the grocery store,  there are
many places to eat here,  including McDonalds,  Burger King, Taco Bell, Jungle
Jims, TGI Fridays, and some small shops. 

Having  returned with the  groceries,  I now had to find the ice machine.  It
turns out that there are ice machines in each building, I think on each floor,
and they can be found under the tall tower of each group of buildings.

Friday was  planned to be  either a day at  Typhoon  Lagoon or at  Sea World,
depending on the weather.  How do you find out the weather without a  weather
channel on the TV?  Well, on checking in you are given a  little guide in the
form of a  little  passport that has  important numbers on the  inside of the
last or next to last  page of it.  One of the  numbers is for a 2 day weather
forecast. 

The  forecast was so-so for  Friday, so we opted for Sea World which was open
from 9-9.  Being the first one up on  Friday, I took a walk over to  Old Port
Royale for  coffee and learned that from 6:30 to 7 am, the only food  counter
open was the pastry one.  All the other counters opened at 7.  By the  time I
purchased my 2 cups, you just get the  beverage cups at the counters and then
go to the  beverage court near the  tables for the  drinks, it was 7:10, a 25
minute wait, longer than the waits for most  rides the day before.   But they
did have good, large Cinnamon buns, $1.75 pre-tax, and fruit filled (apple or
cherry)  Cinnamon  buns,  $1.85  pre-tax.  YES,  tax.  The tax is 6%, with an
additional 4% resort tax on the rooms.

We  arrived early at  Sea  World and  were in the  ticket  line at 8:30.  The
ticket booths didn't open until around 8:55, which was very irritating. There
was one line that only took cash, no charges, no checks, no travelers checks,
just cash.  That line moved  quickly, but it  took us 15 minutes to  purchase
our tickets.  Finally inside, we got our schedule of daily events.  We looked
over the  schedule and  noticed that  there were some  major  shows  which we
wanted to make sure we saw,  but they were only shown 3 times daily, morning,
late afternoon and evening.  Once we  determined the order we  wanted to take
in the shows, there is adequate time  between the major shows to get from one
major   show  to  the  next  major  show,  we  were  able  to  view  all  the
shows/attractions by 4 PM.  The Sea Lion/Otter/Walrus show, the Walrus of OZ,
was great and our  favorite.  The  penguin  encounter  was  new and  had many
different  penguins.  Of  course we saw the Shamu show, the ski show, and the
shark  encounter.  There are also  three  petting/feeding areas where you can
feed/pat some  dolphins  (if they come close enough for you to reach them and
you can feed them only at  certain times), feed some sea lions and seals, and
feed some sting rays.  The food is 3 small fish for $1.50. 

We ate at the  McDonalds near the  Cross  Roads center on the way back to the
resort. We also stopped at the Village shopping center to do some shopping at
the Disney  Store there, had to use that  10% discount with the MKC card. Our
son discovered the video game room at Old Port Royale this evening. From then
on he was up  bright and early  most  mornings, ready to go with whomever was
getting the morning coffee.  He could get in 4-6 games, with his money, while
we got coffee.

On Friday, we also made our  reservations for  Saturday's lunch in Mexico and
supper in Germany in EPCOT.  That is another benefit of staying in an on-site
resort, you  can make  reservations,  if they  aren't  booked, upto 2 days in
advance for meals in the EPCOT restaurants. 

Saturday was another  early day, up by 6 and at the  bus stop by 7:15 to take
advantage of the early (8) opening of MGM again.  Having been disappointed at
not  having the  full  effect of  Catastrophe  Canyon and  seeing the  entire
Indiana Jones show, we  wanted to do those  again.  So at 8 we were among the
first 10  people into the  park and were the  first ones to get to the  Great
Movie ride, every one else had headed to the Backstage tour.  We wanted to do
the  left line,  but it  was not  open.  We got  seats up  front and  did the
western side again.  We noticed so many more  details the second time through
the ride.  Next, it was on to the Backstage tour.   We did not want to do the
walking portion of the tour so asked if it was possible to only do the riding
part of the tour.  We were told yes,  get on the tram for  now and stay on it
when you come to the walking portion. We stayed on the tram at the end of the
riding portion and the guide asked us if we were returning on the tram and if
so please go back to the last car.  When we  returned to the loading area she
told us how to get out through a pathway.  Catastrophe  Canyon was much, much
better with the  water  flowing  down it.  We were  even able to  make the 10
o'clock Indiana Jones stunt show.  Remember to pick up a  weekly  schedule of
events/shows at each theme park,  particularly for  MGM.  The  times  for the
shows  do  change.  On  Thursday, the  first  shows were 10:30 and 12:00.  On
Saturday (of the "next" week"), the first shows were 10:00 and 11:00.

Next it was over to EPCOT for lunch. Before lunch we had time to do Body Wars
one more time, 15 minute wait.  Lunch in Mexico was nice, even though, due to
the  lighting, it is hard to see  what you are  eating.  There are  childrens
menus  available for  children under  11.  After  lunch we  did  many  of the
countries in the  World Showcase.  The Maelstrom ride in Norway was neat. The
movie in China was enchanting.  The American Adventure was uplifting. Captain
EO was  enjoyable.  We had great seats in  Germany for a good supper and what 
we thought was a good show.  Back to the Future  World pavilions after supper
for the boat ride in the Land, ride in Horizons and the Wonders of Life.  Too
long a line at  Body  Wars, but none for  Cranium  Command.  Did  some of the
hands-on exhibits.  We had planned to again take in  Illuminations,  but at 8
we were  getting tired.  We had  already had  12 hours on the go on our third
straight theme park day.  I have not mentioned yet that the  weather was very
warm, in the high 70's, mid 80's most of the days.  On the way out  there was
no line at  Spaceship Earth, we couldn't turn that down, so we did  Spaceship
Earth again. 

Sunday we met my wife's brother and his family at the Magic Kingdom.  We were
on the first monorail, 8:20 from the TTC to MK.  The park  opened at 8:30 and
the first thing we did inside the park was to go to the Hospitality House, on
the right, and make a reservation for the 12:15 Diamond Horseshoe Review show.
Next it was off to the Plaza Restaurant to wait for the 9 o'clock opening and
the dash over to Space Mountain. The distance is a lot shorted from the Plaza
than the hub.  We were among the  first 20 people onto space  mountain.  This
was the first ride on it for myself and 2  children. It was fun, I enjoyed it
and I'm not a big roller coaster fan.  Next was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,
no line.  We worked our way through  Fantasyland, riding Peter Pan's  flight,
Its a Small World.  Next was  Haunted  Mansion,  Big Thunder  Railroad,  Tiki
Birds, and Pirates of the Caribbean before lunch at Diamond Horseshoe.

There were 3 cold sandwiches to choose from, all in the $5 range, with drinks
being an  extra  $1.1.  The  show was fast  moving and  involved  some of the
audience.  My  brother-in-law was picked on some,  which I found entertaining
until I was chosen to be Old McDonald in their on-stage skit.  The skit moved
so quickly that there was  barely time to  hear what I was to do next  before
the action started.  It was fun.

After  lunch, we did the  Country  Bears and  Hall of  Presidents  before the
parade.  The kids didn't want to view the  parade at 3, so we did the  Jungle
Cruise.  Before leaving for  EPCOT, we walked over to Space  Mountain,  about
3:45.  Surprise the wait was NO WAIT.  We  convinced my  wife to go on  Space
Mountain this time, but once was enough for her.  After 3  straight  rides on
SM, we did Dreamflight and Mission to Mars before heading off to EPCOT. I was
disappointed with Dreamflight.  I don't know what my  expectations  were/are,
but they were not met. 

At  EPCOT,  we  walked right into  Spaceship  Earth.  Did Cranium Command and
waited for 30 minutes to do  Body  Wars.  Supper in  Odyssey  Restaurant. Did
Horizons  and  Energy  before   finding  a  spot  near  Norway  to  view  the
Illuminations show.  IT WAS GREAT! The only disappointment was that they have
not incorporated either Morocco or Norway into the show.

Monday we  welcomed the  opportunity to  sleep late.  It  was off to  Typhoon
Lagoon for the day.  Its hours were 10-5 and the  weather was in the low 80s.
While  cashing our daily  travelers check, we  purchased our tickets to TL at
Guest Relations in the Custom  House.  We  drove over to TL, as we planned to
eat supper at Burger King that evening.  For more on TL, see note 5.37.

Tuesday was an off  site  day.  We took a  nice  drive up to  Daytona in  the
morning and took a  drive and walk on the  beach.  The afternoon was spent at
NASA.  We took the bus  tour, which turned out to be parts of both bus tours,
the  old of the  air  base and the new of the  space  center.   Some  of  the
buildings on the new  tour were  closed as they were  preparing for a shuttle
launch.  We also  viewed the  IMAX  show.  Supper was at  TGI  Fridays at the
Cross Roads.  We all enjoyed the meal.

Wednesday was a real lazy day spent mostly at the Caribbean Beach Resort.  We
swam in the  main swimming  pool and rented some boats.  They have 3 types of
paddle boats.  We  rented 1 that looks like a big 3  wheel bicycle and 1 that
says it has a  glass bottom.  We didn't see anything out of the glass bottom!
The fee was $5 per  half hour.  Later the kids  shared a ride on a Toobie, an
inflated tube with a motor on the back. These rented for $9 per half hour. We
We  wanted  to  have  supper  in  the, I  think,  Terrace  Cafeteria  in  the
Contemporary,  because we had  enjoyed the meal  there 2 years  ago.  But  we
couldn't find it.  The signs near the elevators said it was on the 4th floor.
We found out it had been replaced by a character dinner buffet,  which we did
for dinner.  We  found the  food very good and an  excellent  selection.  The
price was, and this is a  ballpark figure, $17 for adult and $9 for children.
Our  10 year old was  considered a  child here.  Regular  beverages and  many
delightful desserts were included in the price.  We saw Chip and Dale, Pluto,
Goofy.

Thursday  the  kids  took  their  behind the  scenes  courses.  Sarah took the
Entertainment one.  It started at 10:30 and ended at 5:05.  They were taken to
the Indiana Jones stunt show and taken backstage after the show.  The crew and
cast was too busy to talk to the kids, they were having many problems with the
Mayan  Temple  stage, it wouldn't  separate and the  trap doors were sticking!
They talked a bit to the  director of the  show.  The  group had  lunch at the
Diamond Horse Shoe  Review and were able to talk to the actors backstage after
the show.  They  were  given a  tour of some of the  tunnels  under the  Magic
Kingdom.  Michael took the Nature course.  It lasted from 9 to 3:40.  The only
things he  mentioned  about it  were  that he  saw  5  gators in the  wild,  3
backstage at Discovery Island,  they saw a Bald Eagle soaring above them, they
encountered  some  people  illegally  fishing who  wouldn't  leave  until  the
security  people  arrived.  Also, he  liked the  spareribs he had for lunch at
Pioneer Hall. 

Friday it was  back to MK in the  morning,  with 2  wake me up  rides on Space 
Mountain first thing.  We next did the  Grand  Prix  Raceway, the Tea cups, Mr
Toads Ride ride, Haunted Mansion, Tom Sawyers Island, the Carousel of Progress,
lunch in the  castle (whose  price  also seems to have gone up  considerably), 
the  3-d show, which was shown in the  Imagination  pavilion in EPCOT prior to
Captain EO. Next we took the train over to Mickey's  Birthday land and saw the 
Birthday party show.  Before going to EPCOT, we repeated much of Tomorrowland,
including 2 more rides on Space Mountain with, you guessed it, no lines!!!

At  around 3 it was off to  EPCOT.  We spent over an hour in the  Living Seas,
the kids  wanted to do all of the  hands-on  exhibits.  Next was the  ride and
hands-on in the Imagination Pavilion.  Back to  Wonders of Life for a  ride on
Body Wars and to see Cranium Command again.  I forget where we had supper? But
we  finished the day with a ride through  Horizons, our sons favorite, and one
through Spaceship Earth on the way out.

For  Saturday, the last day at the  theme parks, we broke up into 2 groups and
planned to meet at  Japan in  EPCOT for  lunch.  The  group I  was in did  Big
Thunder  Mountain,  Pirates of the  Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Swiss Family
Tree  House (which had been  closed all week until this day).  Before  heading
over to EPCOT, we still had time to do 20,000 leagues and the Grand Prix again.
We were able to ride up in the  front of the  Monorail  from the  TTC  over to
EPCOT.  Enroute  over to  Japan for  lunch, we had to do  Horizons  again, yes
Michael was with us, and were  able to do the  Maelstrom boat ride in  Norway.
The  lunch in  Japan was very enjoyable, and I thought reasonably priced.  The
dinner  charges are almost double the lunch charges at Japan.  The chef  cooks
your meal on the  grill that you are  seated  around.  After  lunch we saw the
movie in  France for the first time in our 3 visits to  Disneyworld and had to
try some pastries at the Cafe in France, each of which is in the $3 range.  On
to  Canada for the 360 movie  O'Canada.  Back to  Imagination for the ride and
Captain EO again. Then some last minute shopping before supper in Mexico.   We
We wanted to eat in  Italy, but could not get a  reservation there.  Some more
shopping prior to  camping out  between Canada and the  United Kingdom to view
the Illuminations show.

Back to the Caribbean beach to pack and prepare to go home.  

Sunday it was off to the  airport for our  return  flights.  From  Orlando  to
Washington/Dulles we were in row 3, just behind first class. It was nice to be
the first to get our snacks and drinks.  From Washington to Manchester we were
in the last 2 rows of  seats and could  smell what we thought was exhaust from
the engines.  It was overcast and late in the afternoon so we didn't have much
of a view. We did leave Washington 30 minutes late due to a malfunction in the
captains headset, he couldn't communicate with the tower.

To summarize - it was a great family vacation 

    
     Just got back last night from 5 1/2 days at WDW. I went down to
    Florida for the CSO Executive Seminar and when it ended on Thursday
    my husband and 2 1/2 year old daughter joined me.
    
    We checked into the CBR in the early afternoon. They put us into
    the the Barbados section. After checking in we made reservations
    to Italy for that night and went over to EPCOT. We walked in EPCOT
    and Mickey, Minnie and Pluto were greeting guest. My daughter loved
    it. The place was empty. We went directly on to Spaceship Earth.
    We also went to Horizons, Kitchen Caberet in the land and Body Wars
    and Cranin Command in the Wonders of Life. They asked us to read
    the disclaimer for Body Wars before going on it but took my daughter
    anyway. She loved it. Didn't catch the movie since we had to get
    to dinner. 
    
    The food in Italy was not good. I'm used to good Italian food in
    the NY area and this was not great. We then did half of the World
    Showcase - Mexico, Norway, and China. Then saw some of Illumations.
    But it decided to catch the full view another night since we did
    not have a good vantage point.
    
    Next day went to Magic Kingdom. We did Mickey's Birthday Land first
    since you could bring a rental stroller on the Railroad and then
    came back to rent one after. Great Show. My daughter loved it.
    Then did the left side - Adventure Land, Frontier Land, Liberty
    Square. They changed the country Bear Jamboree to a Christmas Show.
    It was wonderful.
    
    Then back to room to get ready for Hoop-de-do. I have seen this
    now four times and I still love it.
    
    Next day the studio. Got in and made lunch reservations for Prime
    Time Cafe. Then did left side. Monster Sound Show, Supersatr TV,
    Indiana Jones and Great Movie ride. The only line was about 10 minuates
    at Great Movie ride. My favorite was great movie ride. My daughter
    loved the Wizard of OZ scene with the witch.
    
    Then lunch. Bets by for the money. I had the Pot Roast on the waiters
    recommendation. It was great big portion for about 8 dollars.
    
    Then we did the backstage tour and then animation building. I didn't
    think the riding part of the tour was that good. I've been to Universal
    thought that was better. The walk through part was very educational.
    
    I liked animation because of Robin Williams. I like how they turned
    him into a cartoon. The movie in the last room was good since then
    made a collection of Disney Classics.
    
    Then went back to the hotel to eat and rest. We ate that night in
    Port Ryale at the CBR.
    
    Next day we went Minnie Breakfast at the Polynesian Resort. Food
    was good and my daughter enjoyed herself. Next to Magic Kingdom
    and did Tomorrowland. The we left so my husband could go watch the
    Giant game on the big screen at Port Royale. After the disappointing
    football game went to EPCOT for dinner at Japan. 
    
    Just looked at the clock and I have to go. Sorry I'll finish this
    tomorrow.
     
    
    
    
    

    Next day we decided to finish Epcot. Started with the Living Seas,
    then the Land, and then Imagination. We walked back over to the
    other side to catch the Movie in the Wonders of Life builfing but
    the line was 30 minutes and my husband did not want to wait. Then
    we walked to the World Showcase and made lunch reservations in the
    Rose and Crown Pub and did the rest of the Showcase. I made sure
    to stop in France to pick up an eclair in the pastrie shop. I
    remembered from previous visit how good they were. On the way back
    to the Pub my daughter fell asleep. Of course once they called our
    name she woke up and was real cranky so we couldn't. This was her
    only tantrum of the trip. Not bad for a two year old. Once she calmed
    down we went and got a quick bite to eat. Then went back to the
    CBR since we got a babysitter for the evening.
    
    The babysitter came to the room on time and my husband and I went
    to Pleasure Island and the Village for the evening. We fist went
    to ZFR because between 5-7 Pm is happy hour. If you by one drink
    there between those hours all bars are free of cover charge. Then
    we went shopping. It was packed. It was employee shopping day. All
    employees were getting 35% off and they were everywhere. After shopping
    we decided to hit each bar to see what it was like. My favorite
    was the Comedy club. It definitely is a nice addition for adults.
    
    Got back to the room at about 11 since the next day was check-out
    time. Woke up packed and call the bellman to take bags into storage.
    We took the bus back to Magic Kingdom to do Fantasy Land. No lines
    except for Dumbo ride. My husband had to wait on line for 25 minutes.
    
    We went back and did Country Bear Jamboree since my daughter liked
    it best and caught a show at the Fantasy Faire and got our seat
    for the parade. We sat right near the bridge where the parade turns
    into Liberty Square. Great Place to video, no one can get in
    front of you since they have it blocked off. The float of Davy Crockett
    was funny because it stalled and couldn't turn onto the bridge.
    All of a sudden Disney people from all directions came out and push
    it and got it going again. 
    
    After the parade we headed out. In the first building that has the
    Wlat Disney Story. Harry Holt, one of the original animators was
    there giving autographs. Then said our last good-bye to the Magic
    Kingdom and took our bus back to the CBR to get our bags and
    transportation to the airport.
    
    My feet still hurt but it was worth it. Now I need to get back to
    work. Hope you enjoy the trip report.
    
    

    
    First of all, I sincerely apologize for not getting a report in
    sooner.  However, as you can see, I had to work a late shift in
    order to get one in.  Late, but here it is....
    
    As usual, it was wonderful!  The trip began out of Boston on American
    Airlines.  After a change in Nashville, we were in Orlando around
    12:30 in the afternoon.  After spending a little bit of extra time
    looking for our Hertz minivan (a Ford Aerostar which was parked
    in the wrong spot, and our keychain had the wrong license number
    marked on it), we were off.
    
    We stayed at the Disney Village this time in a Club Suite.  Normally,
    my husband and I insist on staying in a "monorail hotel", but we were
    travelling with his mom, her husband, and her sister (hubby's aunt).
    We were all trying to save money this time, so we went with the
    Club Suite.  It was actually pretty nice.  There was a living room
    with a balcony and kitchen area and a separate bedroom with two
    queen beds.  The kitchen came with a mini coffee maker (coffee pro-
    vided by Disney - both regular and decaf), laundry detergent and
    softener with a free washer/dryer located somewhere on the first 
    floor in each group of suites, coffee cups, sugar, creamer, and
    stirrers.  After taking a couple of minutes to get settled and to
    change into shorts, we headed out to the Magic Kingdom.  Hubby and
    I had been in January, but his mom hadn't been there in about 10
    years, and her husband and sister had never been before at all.
    We spent a lot of time on Main Street; it's kind of neat to go with
    someone who's never gone before and "rediscover" some of the things
    you tend to overlook if you've been there a few times already. 
    Then we were over to Tomorrowland:  GE Carousel, People Mover, and
    the new Delta Flight ride.  Then we went over to Fantasyland:  Peter
    Pan's Flight, and It's a Small World (my mother-in-law's favorite).
    At this point we stopped and got a snack.  Then we went to the Haunted
    Mansion.  When we were getting in the cars to go through the ride,
    the guy who was walking in place telling everyone to watch their
    step went behind our car (unbeknownst to us) and reached a hand
    around on the right side of the car (where I was sitting) and said,
    "Gooooood Eeeeevening!"  I was screaming and my husband was laughing
    hysterically!  When we came out, my husband ran up ahead and hid
    behind a doorway.  When my poor m-i-l came out, hubby grabbed her
    ankle from his hiding spot which sent her 100 feet into the air
    screaming.  Everyone behind us got a good laugh out of that, though.
    From here, hubby and I went to Thunder Mountain while the rest of
    them went to the Presidents Theater.  We went on TM twice because
    there was absolutely no line at all.  When we met back up with the
    rest of the folks, we decided it was time for dinner.  We went to
    Darryl's for dinner - it's on Int'l Drive and is FANTASTIC.  My
    husband's name is Darryl, so we can never go to Orlando without
    hitting it at least once.  The food is excellent and the atmosphere
    is super!  We've been there five times now and have yet to eat in
    the same room (they're all a different theme) or yet to tire of
    the place.
    
    The next day (Tuesday, Nov. 7) we hit MGM.  We chose to drive to
    the parks after reading here that they took so long to get from
    place to place.  We thought it'd be easier to do it ourselves. 
    MGM was fun.  My husband's a police officer so he was thrilled to
    walk in and see an old cruiser parked along the sidewalk as you
    first enter.  Then my m-i-l was approached by some woman compli-
    menting her on her last costume designs.  Ma was quite flabergasted
    and just said, "Glad you like them."  Then the woman told her they'd
    have to get together and do tea sometime.  Ma said, "Absolutely."
    She got quite a kick out of that.  We went on the Backstage Tour
    first.  There was no line for the Animation Tour and we should have
    taken advantage of that but didn't.  I was surprised that they al-
    lowed picture taking on this - especially when you could see right
    into the costume design department and all.  We took advantage of
    it, though, and filmed most of it.  It was interesting seeing the
    outsides of the homes and then going around back and seeing nothing
    but the frames.  It really opens your eyes when you see a movie
    again after that!  It's amazing what they can fake and how.  The
    walk-through part was interesting, but I think if you see it once
    you don't really want to go back too often.  After that, we kept
    walking over to the Indiana Jones stunt show, but the line was ex-
    tremely long!  So we then went to the Great Movie Ride.  Then we
    went to the TV production show.  Only hubby and I went on that,
    though.  The others decided to skip it.  Because you stood on an
    angled floor during the pre-show (where they pick the actors who'll
    appear in the TV productions), they thought you'd have to stand
    through the whole thing.  We kept telling them otherwise, but I
    think they just wanted a break.  Inside, it was fun watching them
    impose the people into normal TV footage.  Some of the "actors" were
    quite good!  By this time, it was around noon.  We decided to take the
    plunge and stay in line for the Stunt Show.  It was worth it!  I
    was picked as an extra!!!  It was great!  Darryl taped most of it,
    and when we looked it over later, I realized how much of the show
    I'd missed because I was always trying to follow our leader to make
    sure I did what I was supposed to.  Talk about good viewing, though!!
    The one part my husband missed was after Marion "escapes" unharmed 
    from the exploding jeep.  The director came over and pulled me out of
    the group saying I was going to be doing that scene next!  Of course,
    it was only a joke, but I wish I could've seen my face at that moment
    (sheer terror).  That was great!!  After the show, we went to the 
    Brown Derby and had Cobb Salad.  Excellent!!!  From there, we went 
    back to the Animation Tour and, sadly, waited in line!!  We'll have 
    to go back to see this again, because the crowd was so large that we 
    couldn't keep up with the tour.  It's an animated tour with Robin 
    Williams which bounces from monitor to monitor as you go through the 
    building.  However, if the crowd doesn't move right along because 
    they're watching all the artists - as was the case here - then you 
    don't really keep up with the storyline.  We tried to hang out and 
    wait for the monitors to start again, but it was going to be a while.
    So we just kept walking and watching the artists.  It was amazing!  
    We missed the Monster Sound area, too.  The lines were really long 
    at MGM in comparison with the rest of WDW.  In both Epcot and MK, we 
    didn't wait any longer than 5-10 minutes for anything.  But in MGM, 
    we waited at least 15 minutes for everything.  For Indiana Jones, we
    waited 45 minutes; it doesn't go anywhere, so you just get in line 
    and stand for the duration of the show that's already in there.  I 
    was surprised to find when we were shopping at the end of the day 
    that not everything in MGM can be found in the Village shopping area.
    We decided to wait on a couple of items to get the 10% MKC discount 
    at the Village and were disappointed to find out that they weren't 
    sold there.  We were going to try to get back to MGM to get the items, 
    but never made it.  If you're a movie buff, the store as you first 
    walk into MGM on your left is wonderful!  You can buy items that belonged
    to actors/actresses, posters, photos, etc.  I wanted to buy a shirt
    signed by Tom Cruise and worn by him in a movie, but hubby wouldn't
    let me spend $350.00!  He just doesn't understand!  But I did get
    my picture taken on TC's block outside the Chinese Theater....
    Somehow it's not the same.
    
    Third day at Disney (Wednesday, Nov. 8)!  Here we went to Epcot.
    We decided (big mistake) to hit Body Wars before doing anything
    else so we could avoid the lines.  Well, only hubby and I braved
    it.  I did not enjoy it at all.  I thought I'd really be taken on
    a ride through the body.  You were, but it really could've been
    a fantasy ride, so to speak, from any made-up planet.  I didn't
    ever really feel like I was inside the body.  To us, it seemed
    like it was a ride just meant to throw you around and give you the
    sensation of movement.  I must say, it did that very well.  Not
    one person (!!) in our group enjoyed it.  Three people got out of
    the capsule and immediately sat on the floor to get over their
    dizzy spells.  People were laughing in the beginning when you 
    "took off" and started banging around.  By the end of the trip no
    one was laughing.  Maybe we just had a collectively bad group, but
    I know you won't get me or hubby back on it - and I enjoy bumpy,
    thrill rides.  We didn't get into the Making of Me movie because
    of the lines.  Instead we all went into the Cranium Commando show.
    That was really well done!  It was quite calming after the Body
    Wars.  We played with some of the hands-on things, but decided we
    had a long way to go to get through the rest of Epcot.  The funny
    part was that this was the only day that it decided to rain, and
    it was pouring!  So everyone was buying the little plastic hooded
    capes like crazy.  As soon as we got ours figured out and put on,
    the rain ended!  Doesn't it figure.  It was a beautiful day after
    that.  This day we just did the first part of the Figure-8.  We
    saw just about everything.  Ma and her husband loved Captain EO;
    Aunt Carol didn't.  Everyone loved the Living Seas.  They especially
    loved the dolphins swimming around together.  The ride through The
    Land is always interesting - except for our guide.  She was quoting
    her speech by heart rather than getting into it.  She kept looking
    all around, picking her nails, brushing back her hair, playing with 
    her jacket.  It kind of ruined the ride.  But, one of these days, 
    I'd like to set up a private tour through those gardens.  They were
    giving one to a family when we were riding through.  
    
    The fourth and (boo hoo) last day, we went through the countries
    at Epcot.  It was the first time for all of us on the Maelstrom
    in Norway.  That was a fun ride.  In Morocco, another woman and
    I got picked on to dance with the guys playing the instruments.
    How embarrassing, but it was fun!  As we were going past the United
    Kingdom, a bus came out from hiding with the characters on it. 
    They were headed to do a show across from Canada.  My m-i-l and
    I followed along behind it dancing and singing along with the char-
    acters and just plain acting like fools.  Let's just say, there's
    no place like Walt Disney World!!!  And it's a good thing my husband
    still loves me!  We ate dinner in Germany this night.  Even though
    we'd made reservations, we still had to wait another 20 minutes
    before we were seated.  Then we were seated all the way over to
    one side.  We loved the food and enjoyed the atmosphere, but it
    wasn't a great view of the show.  All in all, though, it was still
    a lot of fun.  Then we watched Illuminations.  We all went home
    that night feeling really good about Disney and wanting to plan
    another trip.

    Our vacation began on 10/28 and ended on 11/7.  Basically, we got
    word sometime in the middle of September that my husband would be
    losing his job.  We reacted as any NORMAL family would... made
    quick plans to escape to WDW.  Our original plans were to drive
    as far as we could on Saturday 10/28, get a hotel room if needed,
    continue driving on Sunday, get to the Poly around 6:00PM, stay
    there for four nights, stay at the Contemporary for two nights and
    drive home the following Saturday and Sunday.
    
    Here's what really happened:
    
    Left Derry, NH on Sat. 10/28 and drove until about 11:00PM.  Took a
    nap at a rest area and then continued on.  We got to WDW at about
    2:00PM on Sun 10/29.  (I'll post more details of the driving in note
    48 when I get a chance.)  We were pretty tired at this point so we
    opted to bath, eat dinner and explore the Poly.
    
    10/30 - After eating at the character breakfast at the Poly, we
        headed into the Magic Kingdom.  We were able to go on a couple
        of Fantasyland rides before lines formed.  (Lines were under
        5 minutes for most rides before 11:00AM.)  The rest of our
        time at the Magic Kingdom was spent checking out a bunch of
        the attractions.  In between rides we were able to watch the
        characters performing in front of the castle and the afternoon
        parade.  We left the park at 4:30 and headed back to the hotel
        to get some rest.
    
        We spent the evening at Epcot.  We checked out the new Wonders
        of Life pavilion (this was opening day) but didn't do any of
        the major attractions due to the lines.  We then went on a
        couple of Future World attractions before watching Illuminations.
    
    10/31 - After eating breakfast we headed to Epcot.  Our goal was to
        beat the lines at Body Wars.  We got there around 10:00AM and
        had about a 15 minute wait - it was well worth it!  We then
        checked out a few more Future World attractions before eation
        ate lunch at the outdoor restaurant in Mexico.  We left Epcot
        around 1:00PM so Nicole could take a nap.
    
        We spent the late afternoon and evening at the Magic Kingdom.
        We did the rest of the Fantasyland attractions except for
        Dumbo.  We left around 6:30PM to beat the 7:00PM closing rush.
    
    11/1 - We ate breakfast and then headed for MGM (got there around
        10:00AM).  We did the Great Movie Ride first and then the
        backstage tour.  There was no wait for either attraction.  Well,
        that's not quite true, there was about a 10 minute line waiting
        for the walking portion of the backstage tour.  After completing
        the tour, the lines had built up for the other attractions so we
        left the park at about 3:00PM.
    
        We spent the evening at Epcot to finish off the Future World
        attractions.  Well, that's what we planned.  We weren't able
        to see "The Making of Me".  On the good side, we did get to
        try most of the hands on exhibits at the Wonders of Life.  We
        attended the last showing of Cranium Command so weren't able
        to see Illuminations this night.
    
    11/2 - We checked out of the Poly and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
        Nicole and I finally rode on Dumbo and then headed for Mickey's
        Birthdayland.  After that, we went on all our favorite rides -
        the pirates, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain (dad only,
        Nicole and I went on the rockets), Dreamflight, Thunder Mountain
        (dad once, me twice) and Nicole's favorite... It's a Small World
        aka "the dancing dollies" (twice).  We left the park around
        5:30PM to check in to the Contemporary.
    
    11/3 - We went to MGM in the morning.  We tried the Monster Sound
        Show, ate at the Prime Time Cafe and went on the Animation Tour.
        We left at 1:30PM.  By this time we had decided to extend our
        trip by a couple of days.  I spent the next couple of hours on
        the phone trying to get a reservation on the property.  We ended
        up getting a reservation out in Kissimmee.
    
        We spent the evening in Epcot.  We finally got to see "The Making
        of Me".  We spent most of our time walking through the World
        Showcase and shopping.
    
    11/4 - We had used up our five day passports.  After checking out the
        prices, we determined that it would be best to upgrade to annual
        passports.  After getting our pictures taken, we headed to MGM
        (got there around 11:00AM).  We saw the Indiana Jones show and
        the other part of The Great Movie Ride.  We left around 3:00PM
        so we could check in to our new hotel.
    
        We again spent the evening in Epcot.  We walked around the
        World Showcase and shopped again.  Nicole and dad went to see
        Figment again and we all went to see the Living Seas before
        watching Illuminations.
    
    11/5 - We spent most of our time at the Magic Kingdom checking out
        some of the attractions we had missed and going on some of our
        favorites again.  After completing our Magic Kingdom shopping
        we headed back to Epcot to finish our shopping there.  Nicole
        took us to see her two favorites, Figment and the veggie fruit
        fruits, again.
    
    11/6 - We left Florida and drove back to NH without making any
        major stops.  We got back around 9:30AM.

Thank you all for your wonderful help, both online, and by mail and phone.

We went to Disneyland on Thanksgiving Day.  Evan was 20 months old, and
was accompanied by his parents, his godparents, and his grandmother.
We got there about 9:30 AM.  We immediately split up with his godparents
and myself going to Splash Mountain while the others did kid things.  :-)
It was fun, but not half as fun as Star Tours, which I consider to be
the best ride in the place!  I did it twice, and the second time Shellie
even rode on it, and she's afraid of heights!  (so rollarcoaster type rides
are usually out for her!)

Evan had an absolute blast!  He rode the People Mover, Casey Jr Train, 
the Carousel, StorybookLand (boat ride), the skyride (whatever it is called),
the train that goes around the outside of the park (twice, I think!),
the Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer's Island, Small World, and
possibly others that I can't remember (or don't know about).  We still had
other rides that we could have taken him on, but we ran out of time.

He was such a trooper!  He was supposed to get a nap midday, as Shellie was
going to put him in our rented van, drive until he fell asleep and then read
until he awoke.  "The best laid plans of mice and ..."  She couldn't find the
van.  We didn't have a meeting set up for 3 hours, so she had a tired boy to
herself, but they managed.  Despite his lack of sleep, once we were all
together again, Evan was only cranky when he got impatient for them to finish
dinner so he could do more rides (that's when he and I did the Jungle Cruise). 
Evan was also a little unclear on what lines were for.  He would see the EXIT
opening, and kept pulling me over to it to go in.  He looked at me like I
was an idiot for not seeing that we could just go right ahead and get on!  :-)
We were lucky, though.  The lines weren't bad except for eating!  One helpful
hint: many of the eateries have two lines - the one everyone else is in and
the inside line.  While the godparents and I were in line for Mexican food,
Shellie and Evan went inside the courtyard to get a table.  Our line was HUGE.
Shellie came back and told us about the other line.  The cashiers said that
often almost NO ONE is in that line because they don't know it exists.  It still
took us a LONG time to get food, but we only had about 30 people in front of us,
not over 200 as the other line seemed to have.

We rented a stroller, but didn't use it much except to load with packages and 
coats.  It came in handy for that!  Evan wanted to run everywhere!  It was
a chore keeping him from being stepped on or run over, but we kept him on a 
leash/harness and he made it through the day in one piece.

By the end of the day he just pooped out.  Shellie and I had gone on Star Tours
and when we met up with the rest he was conked out in the stroller, dead to the
world as the Electric Parade was going by just 10 feet from him. We all ate
Carnation sundaes and talked and laughed, even did a little shopping before
leaving around 10 PM that night.  Got him a mylar balloon before we left, which
was great.  Evan is not allowed to have regular balloons because he
occasionally bites them, but the mylar will not pop in his face for him to
inhale, and it can be refilled. 

Have a great trip, everyone!

           Carol

    
 OK, OK ... I've been back from the World for a month. Time to put all the 
 DECtrash back in the Inbox (it can wait until after Christmas now) and get 
 this trip report done!
 
       DISNEYWOLD			November 9-17
 
 Departed Logan with the wife and 2 kids (Doug 5/Jennifer 3) for 8 glorious 
 days @WDW. 
 
 Our First Mistake:
 
 Failed to think about ordering special Kid's Meals for the rugrats! The meal 
 we were served was some kind of rubber chicken, and my little darlings were 
 both QUITE upset that the kids across the aisle from them had CHEESEBURGERS. 
 My daughter got quite indignant and went into asking "Daddy how come I can't 
 have a cheeseburger?" about 18 million times. Not getting a satisfactory 
 answer, she did what any sane 3 year old would do, she pouted and refused 
 to eat the chicken.
 
 Went to pick up the rental car ...

 Our Second Mistake:
 
 Rented a car from Alamo on a "Plan" from the travel agent. The Alamo place 
 is a litte out of the way in comparison to other agencies, but that's a
 minor "nit". The car which was "included" in our package was this little
 box, about 4' x 8' with four tiny seats in it. I suspect it must have had 
 an engine somewhere, though I'm not certain where it would have fit. 
 One thing was for sure ... there was NO WAY the four of 
 us and all our luggage was going to go anyplace in this box.
 
 Dad, who from the beginning thought we should rent from AVIS utilizing the 
 DEC plan, shells out an additional $180 for a larger car with appropriate 
 insurance, taxes, fees, etc. etc.  Although he is not happy with this, when 
 the wife says, "how much?" and "are you sure this is worth it?" he exclaims 
 with great conviction, "screw it ... we're on vacation!" (I usually don't 
 get into vacation mode that quickly, so I'm quite proud of this 
 accomplishment! Must be the Disney Magic.)
  
 Arrived at our condominium (At Vistana - See DISNEY Note #147.2 for a report 
 on Vistana) at about 3pm. Had enough daylight to scout out the place a bit, 
 and make a quick trip to the grocery store on the Vistana property to get 
 necessities for breakfast. Mom and the kids hit the pool while I did the 
 shopping.
 
 Day 1
 
 We got up early on Saturday, and spent our first day at Sea World. Although 
 walking around and looking into the various fish tanks got pretty old for 
 the kids, they loved the shows. Especially the dolphin show and, of course 
 Shamu the killer whale was a BIG hit. If you've never been to one of these 
 shows before, don't fight for a ring-side seat ... trust me! When the family 
 kept trying to get a seat down front, I used the same verbiage, "No, you 
 don't want to sit down there ... trust me". My wife was grateful when we 
 left because we were all still wearing dry clothes.
 
 << Yes, Mr. Moderator, I agree ... Enough on Sea World ... this IS a Disney    
 Conference. >>
 
 The kids only lasted until about 2:00, at which time they were getting a 
 little whiny and wanted to "get outa here". We left and went to WDW to pick 
 up our tickets for all of the character breakfasts that we had signed up 
 for and went to dinner rather early at some nondescript restaurant. Dropped 
 Mom and the kids off at the condo and went grocery shopping at Goodings. 
 
 For those who stay in the vicinity of Vistana, there is a Crossroads Plaza 
 which we found to be extremely useful. Goodings is a complete 24-hour 
 grocery store. In the same plaza there is a:
 
       post office
       liquor store
       Disney clothing store (same prices as the park)
       TGI Friday's (eatery)
       Jungle Jims (eatery)
       Rax (eatery)
       McDonald's
       Burger King
       Red Lobster (eatery)
       and within Goodings a 1 hour film processing service that does a 
          good job
 
 
 Day 2 
 
 We went to "The World" and started our day at Frontier Village's Pioneer 
 Hall, site of our first character breakfast ... The "Melvin the Moose 
 Breakfast", also starring Chip 'n' Dale, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.
 
 The breakfast was very good ... served family style, so you could have as 
 much of anything that you wanted. The show was very entertaining, the 
 characters mingled with the audience, and my wife and I both agreed it was 
 worth every penny. Kids loved it!
 
 We then toured Fantasyland, and did most of the rides, even a couple that 
 said that the special effects could be a little too "intense for children 
 under the age of 'n'." My 5 year old dug his fingers into my arm with much 
 greater frequency than my 3 year old did. Overall nothing was all THAT 
 scary. Douglas (5) loved the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" ride. I have to 
 admit it was pretty good. Disney's special effects people have arranged it 
 so that you feel like you must be at LEAST 800 feet underwater when in fact 
 you never leave the surface. The longest line we waited in all day was about 
 20 minutes. 
 
 Left the park at about 4:00 when the kids started to drag a little, went to 
 dinner, crashed, and burned.
 
 Day 3
 
 Spent by the pool. This was in our grand plan. We had 4 days of tickets, and 
 planned to alternate days between going to WDW and just "hangin' out", thus 
 giving mom and dad SOME rest and relaxation ... turned out to be a GOOD 
 idea.
 
 Day 4
 
 Back to WDW, starting with another character breakfast at the Empress Lily. 
 It was Jennifer's birthday, and we told her that she was going to have 
 breakfast with Mickey and a bunch of other kids for her birthday. She was 
 QUITE excited. It was another winner. Food was great, the characters were 
 superb, and we really got the royal treatment when our Maitre'd found out it 
 was Jen's birthday. He called her up to the front of the room, put a 
 birthday hat on her, pulled everyone else out of the audience that had a 
 recent or upcoming birthday, and then went into "standup comic mode" He 
 started putting hats on everyone and cracking all kinds of jokes. He was 
 REALLY good.
 
 Anyway, the audience sang happy birthday, Mickey was on hand, and my 
 daughter is convinced that the whole thing was done just for her. (Part of 
 the Disney magic).
 
 We spent the remainder of Day 4 touring the area around Liberty Square and 
 Frontierland. Went to the Haunted Castle, (which my son really did NOT 
 like), toured Tom Sawyer's Island, stopped for lunch and let dad ride on 
 Thunder Mountain (alone ... nobody else would come) and made it a point to 
 be on the main street of Frontierland in time for the parade at 3:00. 
 
 I wanted to videotape the parade, and found an ideal spot, which I think 
 other noters have referenced already. There's a restaurant in front of 
 Thunder Mountain (Pecos Bill's or something like that) where there is a 
 break in the ropes that they put up for the parade. There's also a small 
 roped in area that they Disney folks reserve for people in wheelchairs. I 
 wasn't aware of the fact that this was what it was for when I stood there 
 and waited for the parade to start. 
 
 From this point, you are on a corner and the parade marches down the street 
 right in front of you, so you can see it coming at you and can get some 
 great pictures. I also noticed that the characters go looking for kids in 
 wheelchairs and pay them a lot of special attention as they're marching down 
 the street. It was really touching to see some of the reactions they got 
 from these kids.
 
 Then we rode the train to Mickey's Birthdayland (informing Jennifer that she 
 was having ANOTHER party with Mickey ... what ECSTASY ... "Hoooray!!"). The 
 event at Mickey's Birthdayland was really good, and we waited in line to 
 visit Mickey in his dressing room. (Wait time - 20-25 minutes). This is well 
 worth it if you want to get a couple of photographs of your kids with 
 Mickey. They let about 10-15 people into his dressing room at once, and you 
 get to take turns posing with Mickey. Then they clear the dressing room and 
 bring in the next group. 
 
 Caught a 6:00 pm show in front of Cinderella's castle. It was good. I 
 couldn't believe the kids were still hangin' in there, but they were. They 
 lasted until the show was over and the park started to close.
 
 Day 5 
 
 By the pool
 
 Day 6
 
 By the pool because tomorrow it's supposed to rain and we'd rather be at 
 Disneyworld when it's raining than by the pool. (My wife's logic and 
 decision process. She turned out to be right [as usual] since this day was a 
 beauty for poolin' it and it didn't rain the next day after all ... well 
 HARDLY at all).
 
 Day 7
 
 Our Third Mistake:
 
 We brought sweatshirts and sweatpants for the kids "just in case" but didn't 
 think of ourselves. Dad had on shorts and a shirt and just about froze late 
 in the day. If we had brought some extra clothes we would have enjoyed it 
 more.
 
 Epcot Center day. We did just about all of the attractions in one day, and 
 even got to some of the countries. The kids didn't seem too bored with it 
 all either which was a concern. They liked the Living Sea, the Kraft 
 Pavilion (on the Earth), the AT&T Man and his Universe, and just about 
 everything they saw and did. 
 
 My daughter and I waited in line for about 45-50 minutes to take the Body 
 Wars ride. She kept asking "when we gonna ride on something wicked fast, 
 Daddy?" I guess the trains, carousel and tea cups were too tame for her. I 
 reluctantly agreed to let her go on this ride because there were signs all 
 over the place about how it might not be appropriate for anyone under 2, 
 pregnant women, and people with bad backs and weak hearts.
 
 I didn't think the ride was worth it, and in fact thought it stunk! It is 
 billed as a "high speed, jolting ride through the human body". I got no 
 sensation of speed at all, and it was fairly obvious to me that you were 
 basically in something similar to a flight simulator that didn't go 
 anyplace. It certainly did jolt you around a lot ... almost to the point of 
 being obnoxious. Jennifer seemed a little afraid, but I think it was from 
 being bumped around so much and not from any sensation of "speed". I 
 wouldn't ride on it again, even if there was no wait. It wasn't "thrilling" 
 or even "fun" in my opinion.
 
 The 3-dimensional Captain EO show was absolutely captivating ... a tad 
 scary for the 3 year old, but my son is still dancing around the house like 
 Michael Jackson every chance he gets. It obviously made an impression. I 
 think Jennifer found it scary because it was loud, not because it was all 
 that frightful.

 Our Fourth Mistake:

 Went to a character Luau for dinner at the Polynesian. We were quite
 disappointed because the event was billed as something like ... Minnie's
 Polynesian Feast" or something like that. When we made the reservation, my 
 wife asked if it was a Luau, because she really didn't want to go to one.
 We were told it wasn't a luau. It was. The food was OK but not great. The
 show was OK but not great. But in comparison to what we spent for character
 breakfasts, we thought that in terms of "value for the dollar" this was
 a rip off. Other people have written that this was one of the highlights
 of their trip, and I sense I'm in the minority by expressing some level
 of disenchantment. In any event, we didn't like Minnie's party.
 
 Day 8
 
 MGM Studios day. We had real concerns about dragging the kids through MGM 
 because they were so young, but it turns out there were a few points that 
 they absolutely loved, and still talk about. My son was amazed by the studio 
 tour that takes you through the outdoor special effects (shells of houses 
 and fake buildings) and, of course, the MGM equivalent of Catastrophe Canyon 
 (falling water, fires, and the like).
 
 Equally as impressive to them were some of the things they did in the sound 
 effects show (forget what they call it) and some of the other studio 
 portions of the tour that show how they put movies together and what it 
 takes to build a sound track, etc. Although I'm sure most of it was over 
 their heads, they didn't complain too much. (Actually my 3 year old 
 complained every time we went to enter a new building  ... "Daddy, I don't 
 wanna go in here ... I don't wanna see another show ... I wanna get ouda 
 here.") This complaining stopped the instant the show started, and almost 
 without fail at the conclusion of each show she exclaimed "that was fun 
 Daddy ... I liked that!") Next building ... "Daddy, I don't wanna go in 
 there ..." etc.
 
 Left MGM at about 4:00 and went back to Epcot. Walked around the various 
 countries (which we had missed the previous day). We didn't enjoy it all 
 that much because the kids were wiped out and a getting hungry, but they 
 weren't impossible, so we just put up with a little whining here and there.
 
 Ate dinner at "Les Chef's du Paris" in the French pavilion. It was very good. 
 Did a little more walking around, and left the park just as people were 
 starting to position themselves for the 9:00 pm fireworks display. Timed it 
 perfectly. We were in our car in the parking lot when the fireworks finale
 went off. Although it probably wasn't anywhere near as good as it would have 
 been around the water, there was no way I wanted to be in that crowd with 
 two wiped out ankle-biters. It must take an hour to get out of there when 
 its crowded after the fireworks display.
 
 It was a great week to be at WDW. Low crowds, good weather, and comfortable 
 temperatures. Maybe we lucked out, but I'd pick the same week all over 
 again. I'd also return to Vistana. My wife has her eye on the Grand 
 Floridian for our next WDW escape. If it was just the two of us, I'd agree, 
 but with little kids, I think we should go the condo route. We'll argue 
 about it a little here and there, and the one who gets off their duff first 
 and actually books the trip wins the argument.
 
 
 
 
    
    
    

    Back in work for the first time since 12th Dec, massive 
    post-holiday and post-Disney depression, and all I get out of the 
    network is "Unable to access Disney". I need a fix!! Oh Well, I 
    just had to wade through the 120+ mail messages about work while a 
    batch job sampled once per minute until we made contact and sanity 
    was restored.
    
    I am still in a dream, so don't expect logical, day-by-day detail 
    of our movements, I will just note down the high (and low) points, 
    and fill in later.
    
    Arrived about 4 hours late (21:00) due to industrial action at 
    Manchester Airport. Fast shuttle service from Orlando Int'l to 
    Lindo's. (No pressure to upgrade?) Arrived at our apartments just 
    after 22:00. We were staying at the Quality Suites on I192 near 
    the Arabian Nights. 2 miles to Disney, 2 queen beds + roll-out in 
    lounge, reasonable kitchen (fridge, dishwasher, microwave, hob, 
    but no oven), pool, jacuzzi, bar, kiddie's play area, good 
    restaurant with take-out service, food and gift shop. Pretty good 
    considering the entire 14 day package including flights, car 
    rental and accomodation cost significantly less than the scheduled 
    airfare.
    
    The first week was incredible, weather good, and attendance very 
    light. As I said in my postcard, the longest wait was in Wonders 
    of Life, waiting for enough people to make the Body Wars simulator 
    worth starting. We planned to do the parks to death the first 
    week, and then take it easy and sunbath as Christmas approached 
    and the parks filled up. We got the first bit right anyway!
    
    I agree with previous comments about Body Wars, it seems planned 
    to shake and jolt you about to compensate for the poor quality of 
    the speed and movement simulation. In contrast, Star Tours 
    (Official Opening 13th Jan 1990, but had soft opening 18th Dec 
    1989, and stayed open all the time we were there!) was impressive. 
    They are identical design and construction of simulator even down 
    to doors and seats, but you really got a sensation of movement, 
    dropping, banking and turning, acceleration into Hyperspace. It 
    is all down to the film and the sublety of the simulator 
    programming. (Hint - The whole floor area in both rides moves, 
    pivoted about the centre of the floor, so extremes of motion are 
    felt at the corner seats, best for Star Tours, worst for Body 
    Wars) My 6 yr old daughter (With me following not too 
    unwillingly!) did both rides 8 or 9 times during the week, and she 
    declared that Star Tours was better than Thunder Mountain, and 
    Body Wars not as good. 
    
    To finish the Wonders of Life, (I warned you not to expect any 
    logical order!) Cranium Command is well worth seeing several 
    times, it is so detailed and amusing. The Making of Me should be 
    treated with caution for any children who don't yet know about the 
    Birds and the Bees, it prompted too many uncomfortable questions 
    from my 6 and 10yr olds! The Anacomical Players are quite funny, 
    and got home several good messages on fitness and health. The 
    'hands-on' stuff is good, demonstrating interesting facts on some 
    of the senses.
    
    I've just had warning that our cluster is going down, so I'll 
    continue tomorrow, but just to demonstrate how few people there 
    were in the parks (or maybe we look like born suckers!) out of our 
    two families, we were all accosted by talent scouts in MGM, I was 
    interviewed by Johnny Carson, my kids rode the bee in the 'Honey I 
    shrunk the Kids' scene in the Backstage Tour, my daughter had GERO 
    declaring undying love for 10 minutes til his batteries ran down, 
    the other dad in the group was an extra in Indiana Jones, the 
    other Mum was the voice in the Monster Sound Show, and we had 
    Roger Rabbit fooling with the kids for 5 minutes because nobody 
    else wanted his autograph!
    
    More tomorrow,
    
    Happy New Decade!
    Mike B.

    Trip Report Part II.
    
    Post-Disney depression even deeper today!
    
    As I mentioned yesterday, Star Tours had a soft opening while we 
    were there. We arrived early at MGM, and got on the Great Movie 
    Ride at about 9:15. It promptly broke down, and after 5 mins of 
    headshaking by the Wise Men of the service team (Can you tell that 
    I am in Field Service too?) we were asked to get off, and as 
    compensation, the cast member mentioned that Star Tours was open 
    and were we interested? He was talking to empty space, as the 
    entire audience charged across the lot. Star Tours is sited to the 
    left of the Monster Sound Studio, just past the Restrooms. We 
    literally ran through the doors, up the ramps, and onto the ride, 
    and did this three times before we slowed down enough to take in 
    the other details. Outside the ride there is a mock-up of an Ewok 
    village and the entrance is through the legs of a Strider/ATAT. 
    The waiting area/pre-show is a series of ramps, which have 
    interesting and humorous displays covering other Star Tours 
    destinations, announcements just like a normal airport, signs to 
    Baggage and Droid Reclaim areas, R2D2 and C3PO repairing a 
    shuttle, and other Repair Bays with Audio-Animatronic Droids 
    carrying on conversations with the audience. Watch out for the 
    Mousedroids scurrying around. All this seems to be on about a 10 
    min cycle, so you shouldn't get bored waiting in line. Eventually 
    you will be ready to board your Starspeeder 3000 for a trip to the 
    Moon of Endor. There is a safety film as you are waiting to board, 
    which stresses the importance of the seatbelts, and gets over the 
    No Flash Photography message in an amusing way. I'll keep the ride 
    details secret, except that during our several rides, I collected 
    a poncho, two commemorative cups and a camera lens cap, which 
    broke loose and ended up under my seat! Exit is through a Star 
    Tours/Wars shop with the usual T's, Sweats and Jackets, cups, 
    books, tapes etc. Outside, we got Chewbacca the Wookie's 
    autograph, and photo's of a couple of Ewoks who didn't seem able 
    to write. It's a great ride, far more realistic than Body Wars. 
    How does it compare with the Star Tours in Disneyland?
    
    To explain the title of the note/s, the first week was great, and 
    we did the parks to death, but as attendance built up, and we were 
    intending to relax and take in the rays, what happened! The 
    temperatures dropped to record lows, oranges deep frozen on the 
    trees, and all the beautiful plants and shrubs around the parks 
    died. The Disney gardeners were wrapping trees and larger shrubs 
    in bandage and sacking, but there was nothing they could do for 
    the acres of smaller shrubs and flowers. It was terrible, all the 
    Poinsettias with their magnificent red leaves just dissolved 
    overnight into blobs of purple gunge. We weren't affected too 
    much, we just put on extra layers, and did the parks some more, 
    instead of sunbathing. It was weird, because the sun was shining, 
    the skies were clear but the air temperature was around freezing.
    I was standing on Main Street on Boxing Day with my face getting 
    sunburnt and my rear getting frostbite. To cheer us up, as we left 
    the MK on the last day, they had completely replanted the Mickey 
    Face display outside the station, and everything looked good 
    again.
    
    Some of the rides seemed to suffer from the weather, Thunder 
    Mountain was closed for a large part of Boxing Day due to loss of 
    traction from ice on the rails. The Indiana Jones Stunt Show was 
    changed from summer, the burning aircraft fight was cut out, 
    because the petrol spreads uncontrollably on wet concrete, and ice 
    causes real hazards to the delicate choreography of the fights. 
    In The Rolling Ball scene which they substituted, the ball failed 
    to appear twice (and we went the second time just to see that 
    scene!)
    
    I need to do some work now, so I'll just throw in some odd items 
    and fill in details in the relevant topics later.
    
    We saw The Little Mermaid twice, and Saint Nick delivered the 
    book, tape, posters and Flounder and Sebastian stuffed toys on 
    Christmas Day. I think it is the best animation I've seen for a 
    long time, and the only thing that didn't quite fit was Ariel's 
    voice, which seemed too mature for the character (IMHO). Go see 
    it, all ages will enjoy it, and the Mum's in our party used plenty 
    of tissues in the weepy bits, it was that realistic and 
    believable.
    
    There is some construction going on to the right of the MK 
    entrance, and we were told that it was to be a bus depot for 
    Resort guests, so that they can go direct from their accomodation 
    to the MK, cutting out the TTC. (About time too, since you can get 
    a bus to every other park or attraction without the TTC 
    bottleneck.)
    
    We verified that Resort Guests can upgrade their 5 day passes to 6 
    or 7 days, however, these extensions must be used within 7 days, 
    they cannot be carried over for future visits.
    
    A last link, a few days after we got back, there was a program 
    showing the opening of Wonders of Life. The star guests were the 
    Walton sextuplets, six girls born to a local (to us) family after 
    fertility drug treatment. The program showed the parks through 
    their eyes, culminating in the opening of WoL with them, Mickey 
    and Minnie, Mike Eisner and other famous puppets. The link is that 
    their uncles, three brothers, work for DEC here in Warrington. Its 
    a small world after all!
    
    Thats All For Now, Folks. I've got to earn some pennies to speed 
    up the next visit!
    
    Mike in Warrington UK.

    OK.  You can stop all the mail.  At long last, here is my trip report.  
    I know it's a little late, but I hope you will find it worth the wait.  
    
    My favorite thing in this conference is the trip reports.  I enjoy 
    traveling to Disney World or Disneyland vicariously through the words 
    you write.  The more details, the better. You can also tell a little 
    about what people are like from their reports by what subjects they 
    concentrate on.  I, for example, spent a lot of time describing the 
    food.
    
    My report is rather long, so I've divided it up into eight notes to 
    make it easier to read.  If you are not interested in a minute by 
    minute description of my trip, you may want to skip it.  The rest of 
    you I'm sure will print it out and study it. :-}
    
    The Players:  The Goldberg family consists of myself, my wife Linda, 
    and our three sons, Harry age 4, his twin brother Noah, and Adam age 1.
    
    
    Day -2, Tuesday, 14-November-1989.
    
    We flew out of Boston for West Palm Beach.  My parents live about 25 
    miles south in Delray Beach.  The plan was to leave Adam with them and 
    drive the approximately 200 miles to Disney World on Thursday the 16th, 
    returning to Delray on the 21st where were to spend the Thanksgiving 
    holiday.
    
    The flight was rather uneventful.  The boys were all pretty well 
    behaved, but were ready for the flight to be over about an hour before 
    we landed.  The well-timed introduction of a new toy, (a Ghostbusters 
    glow in the dark Colorforms Set), kept their attention for the 
    remainder of the flight.
    
    We landed at Palm Beach International around 7:00 p.m., and went 
    directly to my parents' where the boys all went right to bed.  The only 
    glitches were at Avis, where they looked at me as if I was from another 
    planet when I asked for the free preferred customer upgrade my travel 
    agent had arranged.  They also gave me bad directions to get out of the 
    airport, causing me to be lost for about 10 minutes.  Good thing I had 
    unlimited mileage.
    
    
    Day -1, Wednesday, 15-November-1989
    
    Harry and Noah got up early to pick oranges off the tree and make 
    orange juice for breakfast with Grandpa.  We all took a swim in the 
    pool and then spent the rest of the day shopping for last minute 
    supplies we needed for the big trip.
    
    After supper we broke the news to the boys that we were leaving for WDW 
    that night rather than the next morning.  Noah very seriously stated 
    that he thought, "That's a great idea."  They brought their pillows and 
    slept the whole way in the car.  It was much better than traveling at 
    "crabby time."
    
    It took about 2� hours on the Florida Turnpike from Delray to 
    Kissimmee.  The ride is dark and boring, but since the speed limit is 
    65 almost the whole way, you can comfortably do around 70.  Adding 
    another 15-20 minutes at each end, the whole drive took just over three 
    hours.
    
    We arrived at the Hawaiian Village Inn on Rt. 192 before 11:00.  It's 
    your basic dumpy motel, but it's cheap.  I was glad we weren't going to 
    be staying there for the whole week.
    
    
    

    Day 1, Thursday, 16-November-1989.
    
    We left the Hawaiian Village about 9:00 for Disney World.  Our trailer 
    at Fort Wilderness was ready, and were able to check in before 10:00 
    a.m.  This was a pleasant surprise, since check-in time isn't until 
    3:00 p.m.
    
    The Vacation Kingdom Holiday package we bought included a five-day 
    passport, two dinners, four breakfasts or lunches, and a Fun 'n Sun 
    coupon for each person.  At the front desk they handed me this large 
    wad of stuff, and of course our resort IDs, trailer keys, and Fort 
    Wilderness information packet.
    
    Now fully documented we found our way to 2658 Moccasin Trail.  The 
    trailer loops are all located off Fleetwood Pass in the southwest 
    corner of the campground.  This is fairly far from Pioneer Hall and the 
    beach, but the bus transportation within the campground is good.
    
    The Wilderness Swimmin' Pool and laundry is located in this area as 
    well. The 2500, 2600, and 2700 loops are closest.
    
    The trailers are very comfortable.  They have a fully equipped kitchen 
    with stove, microwave, full size refrigerator and dishwasher.  Also 
    pots, pans, and dishes and stuff for six people.
    
    The living room is good size, and has a pull down bed.  There is a full 
    bathroom.  In the back of the trailer is the bedroom with a double bed 
    and a set of bunk beds.  There is also a small vanity sink in the 
    bedroom.
    
    Having the trailer turned out to be great with the kids.  We were able 
    to have most of our breakfasts in.  As a matter of fact, I think the 
    kids only had dinner out two nights.  The fridge came in handy for 
    storage of the case of apple juice boxes we brought along too.
    
    It was also nice to be able to put the kids to bed in another room, and 
    still be able to stay up and watch TV or whatever and not disturb them.  
    We also took advantage of the extra space to entertain (see the 
    description of the "First Official Disney Notes Walt Disney World 
    Cookout or Something Get Together" below).
    
    Since we were near the end of the 2600 loop it was just a short walk to 
    the bus stop.  From there we took the Brown Flag bus to the settlement 
    transportation circle, the Blue Flag bus to the TTC, and finally the 
    monorail to Epcot.  Total time about 35 minutes one way, including 
    waiting and transfers.  Epcot is one of the few places at WDW that 
    requires two connections to get to from Fort Wilderness.
    
    Once inside Epcot, Harry and Noah each drained the first of many apple 
    juice boxes in about four seconds.  It is a good idea to bring at least 
    some snacks along for the kids.  Prices are kind of high in the parks 
    and it is sometimes hard to find anything besides soda.  The rules say 
    you can't bring in food, but unless they see you walking in with a 
    cooler, they don't seem to enforce this too strictly.
    
    Since we had planned to stay mainly in Future World that day, we 
    thought we wouldn't need a stroller.  We learned later that night what 
    a mistake that was.  At $4.00 per day it can add up, but we found that 
    we were able to move much faster pushing the kids rather than dragging 
    them.
    
    We stopped at Earth Station to pick up entertainment schedules and name 
    tags for the boys.  These were a good idea too, since we were worried 
    about them wandering off.  They have a place for the child's name, the 
    name of the adult they are with, and where you are staying.  You just 
    have to ask for them at Earth Station in Epcot, or City Hall in the 
    Magic Kingdom.
    
    Then they started the refrain, "We want to see the characters!"
    
    We made it to Mexico instead, and walked right on El Rio del Tiempo: 
    The River of Time.  We were the only ones on the boat.  The boys LOVED 
    this ride.  It turned out to be their favorite thing in Epcot.  To me 
    it is just It's a Small World with a Spanish accent, although I do like 
    the very beginning where you float by the volcano.
    
    And why is it, (I feel like Andy Rooney), that while almost all the 
    cast members we had met that day spoke with Hispanic accents, the woman 
    running the boat ride in Mexico sounded like she came from Iowa?
    
    It was getting to be lunch time, so Linda and I grabbed some Mexican 
    fast food from the Cantina de San Angel outside Mexico, and brought it 
    over to the Odyssey Restaurant where we got hot dogs for the boys.  The 
    Mexican food was disappointing.  At the Odyssey they have all kinds of 
    neat stuff you can put on top of your hot dog.  Of course our four-
    year-olds were only interested in a little ketchup.
    
    We had timed things just right, because it was just noon as we were 
    exiting the serving line.  At that moment the lights began to flash, 
    the music began, and the curtain went up on Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, 
    Goofy, and Pluto.  Harry and Noah froze in their tracks, their eyes as 
    big as Mickey's ears.  They were transfixed.
    
    We did manage to get to our table without spilling anything.  The song 
    and dance routine continued on the stage for a few minutes, and then 
    the characters descended to visit with the crowd.
    
    I had my fix of characters for the day, but as the song says, "Not so 
    little boys."  I don't think they yet understood that there is more to 
    WDW than seeing the characters.  None the less, after we finished 
    eating we headed over to World Showcase Plaza for the 1:00 character 
    greeting there.
    
    The show on the Plaza is called "Character Carnivale."  The characters 
    arrive on a double decker bus, dressed for Mardi Gras.  They do a 
    little song and dance then spread out for photos, hugs, and autographs.  
    There are organized lines to see the Mice, but it's a free-for-all to 
    meet the others.  The boys managed to collect quite a few autographs.
    
    Linda noticed that the Disney Traders shop here had the 1990 Birnbaum 
    guide book.  More about that later.
    
    Next we headed over to Norway where we only waited about five minutes 
    to ride the Maelstrom.  We all thought that one was great.  It is a 
    little "splashier" than Mexico, and I think more fun.  We didn't get a 
    chance to visit the shops in Norway, (or anywhere in World Showcase for 
    that matter), but they looked interesting.  We did, however, take the 
    time to sample some $1.85 pastries at the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe.  They 
    were quite good.
    
    It was now about 2:30, and the kids were starting to get a little 
    crabby.  We decided to head back through Future World, catch one more 
    pavilion, and then go back to Fort Wilderness for a rest before dinner.
    
    I picked the Wonders of Life.  I wanted to see it since it was new, and 
    was able to convince the boys that we would see Goofy there.
    
    We arrived shortly before the start of a showing of the Anacomical 
    Players, and sat in the front row.  It was a cute high energy somewhat 
    corny series of skits, each with a health message hidden inside.
    
    Next we watched Goofy About Health.  This is another clever show 
    consisting of clips of many old Goofy cartoons shown on several screens 
    across the stage.  I liked, but the kids were disappointed that Goofy 
    did not appear in person.
    
    After that, we saw Cranium Command.  It is the story of a day in the 
    life of a 12 year old boy, as seen from inside his head.  Linda and I 
    loved this one.  Harry and Noah liked it too, but since they haven't 
    been 12 yet, some of the humor was above them.  There are several cute 
    characters, including many from the cast of Saturday Night Live, and 
    plenty of flashing lights, loud noises, and audioanimatronics.  
    
    I have been told by some other parents that their small children have 
    been frightened by some of the sudden loud parts, but my guys ate it 
    up.
    
    We messed around the Sensory Playground for a while, but the kids 
    weren't really patient enough to wait their turn to try the exhibits.
    
    Finally, we rode Body Wars.  There was no wait, and we walked right on.  
    In fact, the only line in the Wonders of Life was for "The Making of 
    Me" movie.  
    
    It looks as if Body Wars is set up for crowds, as the queue area seems 
    huge.  The ride is a "must see"...once.  I'm not one for roller 
    coasters, and though I didn't get sick or anything, I was glad it was 
    only about four minutes long.  The boys didn't look like they were 
    having much fun during the ride, but afterward said they liked it.
    
    I wasn't too impressed by the film effects.  Perhaps I was too busy 
    worrying about holding on to my lunch to watch the screen much.  It was 
    sort of like watching a movie on a ship in a rough sea.  I didn't 
    really feel like we were moving through a human body, just getting 
    tossed around in our seats.  
    
    In all fairness, they do have a cast member warning people the ride is, 
    "Like a roller coaster."  I spoke to some people who actually thought 
    it was going to be a roller coaster, and were disappointed that is was 
    ONLY a simulator.  Some people just don't appreciate technology.
    
    Our friends the Rogols, (Lisa, John, and Jamie, age 6) were staying at 
    the Polynesian. Before leaving home we had arranged to meet them for 
    dinner at one of the World Showcase restaurants.  Since they arrived at 
    WDW a day or two before us they were to make the reservations, and 
    leave a message for us when we checked in at FW.  There was no message 
    for us at the front desk that morning, so we went over to Earth Station 
    to see if there was a message there.
    
    Harry and Noah were fascinated by the World Key terminals.  We talked 
    to Heather, who appeared to be doing her nails while we spoke.  Though 
    there was no message for us in her system, she did find the reservation 
    for seven people at 6:30 in Germany under the Rogols' name.
    
    By now, it was time to head back to Fort Wilderness for a rest before 
    dinner.  On the bus on the way to FW a couple of women started talking 
    to the boys, asking the usual questions, "What are your names?  Are you 
    twins?  Where are you from?", etc.  Being rather tired and in an ornery 
    mood Harry and Noah decided to answer, "We're not telling."
    
    [You may have come to the conclusion by this point that my kids are the 
    kind of unruly, fresh, misbehaved, spoiled brats that you always seem 
    to run into at shopping malls these days.  I prefer to think of them as 
    active, intelligent, curious, strong minded individuals.  Qualities 
    that will serve them well as adults.  It is just hard on us parents, 
    who at times would rather have obedient little robots.]
    
    Anyway, our new friends decided to try a different approach.  They 
    said, "If we tell you where we come from, will you tell us where you're 
    from?"  
    
    The guys bought it, "OK, where do you live?"
    
    "Framingham, Massachusetts," came the reply.
    
    "That's where we live too!"
    
    The women still thought the boys were fooling.  Finally we came to the 
    rescue by confirming some common landmarks, and restored their 
    credibility. We ran into these folks several more times in the next 
    couple of days and continued to get a laugh over the incident on the 
    bus.
    
    I guess it's a small World after all. [Groan here]
    
    After a (very) short rest, we drove back to Epcot.  We were lucky to 
    get a space close to the entrance, near the handicapped lot, so we 
    didn't have to wait for the tram.  We hustled through Future World, and 
    just caught the boat to Germany.
    
    We made it by about 6:35.  The Rogols were already waiting for us, and 
    we were seated quickly.  They had also checked with World Key to see if 
    we had left a message for them.  They were very surprised when Heather 
    told them, "No, there is no message for you, but yes the Goldbergs know 
    about the dinner reservations."  All without even checking in her 
    computer!  Now that's service, or at least coincidence.
    
    Dinner was good.  Since this was one of our "coupon" meals, we went all 
    out.  I started with a shrimp cocktail, followed by an excellent sweet 
    & sour beef soup, and a veal entree which was served with red cabbage 
    and dumplings.  I don't remember what I had for desert, but since I was 
    stuffed, I know I didn't finish it.
    
    The boys each had a quarter-chicken served with a potato pancake and 
    apple sauce from the children's menu.  I thought it was very reasonable 
    at $4.95.
    
    There was an oompah band and dancers costumed in leder-hausen and 
    dirndl dresses that performed during dinner.  It was interesting, and 
    kept the kids' attention.  Mostly.
    
    It was a little after 8:00 when we got done eating.  I really wanted to 
    see IllumiNations, and wasn't sure we would have another chance this 
    trip.  It was rather cool, so the Rogols decided to pack it in for the 
    evening.  (Later we found out that instead they found a great place to 
    watch IllumiNations.  We should have stuck with them.)  We went to the 
    American Adventure where we caught the last show of the night.
    
    The last time we were at Epcot, in 1987, I had fallen asleep during the 
    American Adventure, and missed a big chunk in the middle.  This time, I 
    managed to make it all the way through, but the boys didn't.  We 
    expected they would crash, but we also expected we would be able to 
    wake them when it was over.  No way.
    
    We did enjoy the show, however.  This is another "don't miss" at Epcot.  
    It was over a few minutes before the 9:00 start time for IllumiNations.  
    We peeked into the American Gardens Theater, but it didn't look like 
    you could see to well from the seats there.  Instead we walked along 
    the lagoon towards Japan, and found a spot on the rail.  As I've stated 
    elsewhere this was not an ideal viewing location.  However, since I was 
    carrying Noah, and Linda was carrying Harry we were not much in the 
    mood to seek out a better place to stand.
    
    What we were able to see of the show was superb.  It is a combination 
    of lasers, fountains, neon, colored lights, fireworks and music that 
    takes place on the lagoon and all around World Showcase.  It is very 
    hard to describe in words.  I was amazed that the boys slept through 
    almost the whole thing, including the fireworks.  I was even more 
    amazed that I was able to hold Noah for that long.
    
    After IllumiNations we managed to get standing room on one of the boats 
    back to World Showcase Plaza.  It would have been a long walk carrying 
    a pair of 42+ pound kids.  Someone on the boat finally took pity on us 
    and stood so we could plant the boys on a seat.  We had to wait a while 
    on the boat before it left the dock while they checked the lagoon for 
    unexploded fireworks.
    
    I was glad we drove, since the prospect of lugging those two through 
    the crowds on the monorail and two buses was daunting.  Once in the car 
    we decided to make a quick trip to Goodings at the Crossroads of Lake 
    Buena Vista to pick up some groceries for the morning.  I ran in while 
    everyone else slept in the car.
    
    Goodings is a very nice 24-hour supermarket.  They have an in-store 
    bakery, service deli, and a good selection of prepared foods.  If you 
    have a car, this is a much better choice for shopping than the rather 
    limited selection and high prices that Disney provides at Fort 
    Wilderness and the Disney Village Marketplace.
    
    We managed to find the back road to Fort Wilderness (Vista Blvd.), even 
    though we thought we were lost.  This road takes you by some of the 
    backstage areas of WDW including Vista Communications, WDW 
    Entertainment, and some large warehouses.  It is a convent short cut 
    from the WDW Village area (Village Marketplace, Pleasure Island, Hotel 
    Plaza), to the main part of the World.  As long as you have a resort ID 
    you can ignore the threatening signs and pass through the guard 
    station.
    
    When we got back to the trailer there was a plastic bag hanging from 
    the doorknob.  It was the message from the Rogols.  Better late than 
    never.
    
    
    

    Day 2, Friday, 17-November-1989.
    
    The next morning we were all up early for the 8 o'clock Chip & Dale 
    Country Morning Jamboree at Pioneer Hall.  This was formerly called The 
    Melvin the Moose Breakfast Show.
    
    This is a great show.  Since we had reserved early we had an excellent 
    table.  Once you are seated, the characters roam around greeting the 
    kids.  Pluto, Donald, and of course Chip & Dale were there the day we 
    were.  Chip & Dale are my kids favorite characters, and we got to see a 
    lot of them that week.
    
    The breakfast consists of all-you-can-eat chocolate chip muffins, eggs 
    "all scrambled up", bacon, country hash browns, biscuits and sausage 
    gravy, and orange juice, along with coffee, tea, milk, or chocolate 
    milk.  Naturally, the boys only ate about half a muffin each, and 
    several glasses of orange juice.  We decided at that point, that for 
    out kids anyway, characters and meals don't mix.  There is just too 
    much excitement to get much food in.  Perhaps when they are a little 
    older.
    
    I feel compelled to stop here and rave about the muffins.  Next to the 
    banana-stuffed French toast at the Poly, this has to be the best 
    breakfast food in the World.
    
    After a short while, the show starts.  It features a cast of two, plus 
    Chip and Dale, and Melvin the Moose.  You will remember Melvin as the 
    Moose head at Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland.  This is just 
    right for breakfast time.  I don't think I could put up with a huge 
    production at that hour of the morning.  Between the singing and 
    dancing they show cartoons.  For the finale, they pass out kazoos to 
    the entire crowd and have a mass hum-along.
    
    I highly recommend the C&DCMJ.  It can be reserved in advance through 
    the CRO or MKC Travel Center, but my understanding is that it is almost 
    never full.
    
    After a short walk to the marina, and about a 10-15 minute wait for the 
    Green Pennant launch we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom.  
    
    This time I was smart enough to get a stroller.  At the MK and at Epcot 
    they are rather sturdy affairs.  By folding the back down flat, one 
    child was able to sit in the normal front position, and the second one 
    kneel on the back facing forward, or sit facing backward.  Except for 
    the expected amount of hitting and shoving, this arrangement worked 
    fine.
    
    Don't forget to bring along something to make it easy to identify your 
    stroller among the thousands of other identical strollers in the park.  
    A piece of colored ribbon or yarn tied around the handle works well, as 
    does a sweat shirt or jacket in the basket.  The rental fee is $5.00 
    per day, and you get back a Disney Dollar when you return the rental 
    receipt.  Save your receipt if you plan on returning the same day, or 
    going to one of the other parks, as you can get another stroller.  You 
    can also get another if yours "disappears" by showing your receipt.
    
    The strollers at the Studio are the fold-up umbrella type, and can only 
    accomodate one small child.  This is so they can be folded up and 
    brought on the tour tram, I suppose.  I don't think an older child 
    would be too comfortable.
    
    Once inside the gate, we of course had to stop to say hello to Chip and 
    Dale again.  While the boys were busy with that, I slipped into The 
    Walt Disney Story to collect the free Roger Rabbit poster promised by a 
    MKC brochure I received in the mail last spring.
    
    Once we were all together again, we headed down Main St., directly to 
    Fantasyland.  There we rode Peter Pan's Flight and It's a Small World.  
    Peter Pan turned out to be the boy's favorite ride in the Magic 
    Kingdom.  We all liked It's a Small World too, but this has to be taken 
    in small doses.  Otherwise, like too much candy, it makes your teeth 
    hurt.
    
    Next, we waited for about 20 minutes to ride Dumbo, the Flying 
    Elephant.  If you can manage to talk your kids out of this one, do so.  
    It is a very short, slow loading ride, and there is ALWAYS a line.  
    Rides just like it can be found at any amusement park.  Spend your time 
    doing something else, and save this one for Canobie Lake.
    
    At any rate, the kids enjoyed it.  I stood off to the side and shot 
    video.
    
    After Dumbo, we went to see Magic Journeys.  Linda and I liked this 3D 
    film, although it could have been about five minutes shorter.  I 
    thought the effects were better than Captain EO.  Noah seemed to like 
    it too, but Harry seemed to be the only one in the theater that wasn't 
    reaching out to grab things floating past.  Maybe he wasn't getting the 
    3D effect.  By the end, they had both fallen asleep.
    
    In the pre-show area for this film they show a 3D cartoon.  Since we 
    were near the rear, and the entire crowd is standing, it was impossible 
    for the kids to see the screen.  In fact they were a little frightened 
    being in a dark room standing among the legs of a big crowd.
    
    Next, we walked the back way into Mickey's Birthdayland.  (The main way 
    is by train, but you can't bring strollers on the train.)  We took a 
    few snapshots and some video along the streets of Duckburg.  I was 
    doing a slow pan of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs topiary just as 
    "Hi-Ho" started playing over the PA system.  The timing was perfect.
    
    We managed to slip into Mickey's Hollywood Theatre just before the 
    birthday show ended in the tent.  This way we only waited about five 
    minutes before being admitted to Mickey's dressing room.  People who 
    arrived just after we did had a 20-30 minute wait.
    
    We took some more photos and video of Harry and Noah with the Main 
    Mouse.  It was now close to 1:00.  We decided to leave the park for a 
    late lunch, then go back to the trailer for a rest, and return to the 
    MK around supper time.
    
    We had a somewhat grouchy {stroll, drag, carry} back to the gate, where 
    we took the Gold Pennant launch over to the Grand Floridian.  At your 
    suggestion we chose Narcoosee's for lunch.  You were right.  This 
    turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip.
    
    Narcoosee's is a quite pleasant restaurant located on the edge of Seven 
    Seas Lagoon, next to the launch landing.  Most of the tables are next 
    to the windows overlooking the water.  It is very uncrowded at lunch 
    time, although I understand it hops at night.
    
    The boys each had a hot dog, which they didn't eat much of either.  It 
    was served with fresh hot potato chips, which they devoured.  For 
    desert they each had a bowl of fresh strawberries. 
    
    (Please don't get the impression that I'm obsessed with how much my 
    kids eat.  It's just that at home they are chow hounds.  Their idea of 
    a snack before supper is half a loaf of bread.  It is most unusual for 
    them not to inhale almost anything placed in front of them.)
    
    Linda had a tempura appetizer, which she thought was OK, and seafood 
    brochette that disappointed her.  Her meal was redeemed, however, by an 
    incredible chocolate pecan pie for desert.
    
    I started with an OK lobster cocktail, followed by an excellent grilled 
    salmon filet that was a special that day.  For desert I enjoyed a piece 
    of key lime pie.
    
    Also of note is the bread basket served before the meal.  It contains 
    several types of freshly baked bread including a sourdough cheese bread 
    that is out of this world.  Also in the basket was a ramekin of some 
    kind of fishy tasting p�t�.  I didn't find out until our second visit 
    to Narcoosee's what it was.  Keep reading.
    
    The total tab was $92 before the tip.  We again used our breakfast/-
    lunch coupons, so I figure we got a good deal.
    
    After lunch we dragged the boys to the monorail station, screaming, "I 
    want to see characters" the whole way.  This should have been the theme 
    song of our trip.
    
    The Grand Floridian looks like a very nice property.  Unfortunately, we 
    didn't get much chance to explore.
    
    We got to ride in the nose of Monorail Lime on the ride all the way 
    around the lagoon from the GF to the TTC.  I videotaped the whole 
    thing.
    
    We made it back to our trailer about 3:00 and we all crashed.  With 
    some difficulty I woke the boys about 4:30.  We got as far as the boat 
    dock where we had just missed one launch to the MK.  The next boat to 
    arrive was on its last run and headed for dry dock.  By now it was 
    after 5:00 and the MK was closing at 7:00, so we turned around and 
    decided to head for Epcot Center instead.
    
    We didn't make it as far as Pioneer Hall before Harry and Noah grouched 
    out.  We ended up back at the trailer, where the guys picked at some 
    pasta I cooked up, and then sacked out to watch Cinderella on the 
    Disney Channel.  Linda and I were still too full from lunch to eat.
    
    While the rest of the family vegged, I drove over to the Disney Village 
    Marketplace to do some personal souvenir shopping, and to seek out a 
    particular design Mickey necktie that my sister had bought on her trip 
    to WDW in September.  They are a paisley design, with Mickey peeking 
    out of the paisleys.  I never did find the ties in stock anywhere in 
    the World.  
    
    While at the Village, I noticed that most of the stores were still 
    displaying the 1989 Birnbaum guide.  One counter in Mickey's Character 
    Shop, however, had the 1990 edition.  Of course I took the opportunity 
    to purchase it using the 10% MKC discount.
    
    I picked up a sub from the Great American Sandwich Shop to take back to 
    the trailer.  It wasn't so great.  Everyone was asleep when I returned, 
    so I worked on my notes for this report.
    
    
    

    Day 3, Saturday, 18-November-1989.
    
    Today was the day for what after months of watching the Disney Channel 
    Harry and Noah call, "TheDisneyMGMStudiosThemeParkInOrlandoFlorida" 
    (all one word).  
    
    We were up early, had a quick breakfast in our trailer, and took the 
    Yellow and Black Flag bus from FW to the Studio.  After a good night's 
    sleep, the kids were in a much better mood.
    
    The posted opening time for the studio was 9:00, early opening for 
    resort guests was to start the following day.  However, when we arrived 
    at 8:30 we were admitted, and everything was open.
    
    The Studio theme park is very small compared to the MK and Epcot.  The 
    whole length of Hollywood Boulevard is not much longer as the distance 
    from the Epcot gate to Spaceship Earth.  Early morning is definitely 
    the time to visit the studio, lines that can reach an hour or more 
    after lunch are nonexistent in the morning.
    
    Our first stop was at the 50's Prime Time Cafe to make lunch 
    reservations.  (We skipped the stroller that day without any problem.) 
    Resort guests can make reservations up to two days in advance by 
    calling Dining Around the World, (828-4000), but I had blown it by 
    calling too late the night before.  Anyway, we had no problem obtaining 
    a reservation.
    
    From there we raced to the Chinese Theater and walked right on the 
    Great Movie Ride.  The film clips they were showing in the queue area 
    looked neat, but we couldn't stop to view them.  
    
    The ride itself was great.  We took the left (gangsters) side.  I 
    particularly liked the Wizard of Oz scene, but was disappointed in the 
    Alien part, I had hoped it would be scarier.  The Busby Berkeley scene 
    at the beginning was uninspired, it looked like a bunch of blow-up 
    dolls on a revolving birthday cake.  The boys thought the ride was 
    pretty good too, even though they hadn't seen any of the movies 
    depicted.
    
    Next we hustled over to the Backstage Tour.  After an obligatory stop 
    to greet some characters right inside the gate, we boarded the next 
    tram for the first part of the tour.  [Hint: If you don't want to get 
    wet at Catastrophe Canyon, sit on the right side of the tram].
    
    I really enjoyed the tour.  Catastrophe Canyon is fun.  You can really 
    feel the heat from the fire.  Some of the other sets are interesting 
    too.  Harry and Noah's favorite was the wagon used on Dumbo's Circus on 
    the Disney Channel.  I liked the New York Street.  It looks very 
    authentic, except it's too clean.  They must have to import litter to 
    dirty it up when they are going to shoot a picture.
    
    At the end of the tram ride they drop you off at Backstage Plaza.  
    There is a fun shop here called The Loony Bin that specializes in Roger 
    Rabbit stuff and other gags.  They also have a bunch of packing crates 
    that when opened emit all kinds of weird sounds.  
    
    This was also the only place in the World I ran into MY favorite Disney 
    character, Jessica Rabbit.  Even though it was only a cardboard cut 
    out, I had my picture taken with her anyway.
    
    We took the opportunity to stop for a snack, (more apple juice), and to 
    walk around the end of New York Street, and Toon Town.  Note that you 
    can enter and exit the Backstage Plaza area on foot if you want to skip 
    the walking part of the tour, or if you want to come back and do the 
    walking part only.  The entrance (I think) is near the Monster Sound 
    Show.
    
    Finally, we got in line for part two of the tour, the walking portion.  
    We had to wait about 10 minutes.  My favorite part was the short Bette 
    Midler film they show called "The Lottery Ticket".  afterwards they 
    show you how they made it, and the actual sets and props that were 
    used.
    
    The final section of the tour takes you through the three sound stages, 
    and the post production areas.  We got to see the set where they will 
    be taping Wheel of Fortune beginning in January, and the Mickey Mouse 
    Club set.  (The boys liked the MMC part, even though they weren't 
    taping until that afternoon.)
    
    The last stop is the Walt Disney Theater where they show you trailers 
    from upcoming Disney features.  In our case it was "The Little 
    Mermaid."  The film had opened the night before, and was being plugged 
    pretty heavily everywhere at Disney World.  In the film that introduces 
    the clips you get to see what Mickey Mouse uses for a timepiece, a 
    Michael Eisner watch!
    
    Some hints for the walking tour:  Try to keep up with the tour guide.  
    They are on a tight schedule so as not to back things up, and they 
    MOVE.  This makes it tough for little kids, and in many spots it is 
    hard for them to see anything but a lot of grown-up legs.  I think the 
    boys would have gotten a lot more out of the tour if we could have 
    taken the time to explain what was going on.
    
    Overall, we really liked the Backstage Tour.  Opinions I've heard from 
    other folks seem to be mixed, they either loved it or hated it.  It is 
    fairly technical, so if you are not interested in how movies are 
    actually made, you should probably skip it.  In fact the whole Studio 
    Theme Park is dedicated to the movies.  If you are not a movie fan, you 
    most likely won't care for the studio, try the Magic Kingdom or Epcot 
    Center instead.
    
    We got done with the tour just in time for our 11:30 lunch reservation.  
    When we got there, we found a crowd at the door trying to book tables.  
    I was glad we had booked in advance.
    
    The 50's Prime Time Cafe is a gas!  The place is decorated to look just 
    like a kitchen from the 50's.  On or nearby each table is a TV showing 
    clips about food from old shows.  The TV's, by the way, all bear the 
    Disney brand.
    
    Linda pointed out some decorations she thought were anachronistic, but 
    I confirmed I had seen some just like them in my aunt's house in 1961.  
    My dear wife, who collects the stuff, also pointed out that the 
    Fiesta Ware that they serve on is reproduction rather than original.  
    Picky, picky, picky.
    
    The food, however, was first rate.  Linda and I had Mother's Pot Roast, 
    served with real mashed potatoes and green beans.  It was excellent, 
    and we were stuffed.  It was a bargain at $8.00.  The boys each ordered 
    a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the marshmallow.  They took 
    about two bites between them, another $5.50 down the drain.  They did 
    help Linda finish her pot roast, however.
    
    The menu also features a selection of salads, meat loaf, and chicken 
    pot pie.  For kids there are also old favorites like macaroni and 
    cheese.
    
    After lunch we saw the show at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Theater.  
    The line here looked enormous.  Since the theater seats over 2000, 
    however, the entire crowd usually makes it in once they drop the rope.  
    We were fairly high up in the stands, and off to one side.  Not the 
    best seats, but we still had a clear view.
    
    This was a fun show too.  I could have done with a little less shtick 
    as they chose volunteers from the audience, but I suppose that's to 
    generate some feeling of involvement from the crowd.  (And also to kill 
    time as they change the sets around.)
    
    Don't forget to bring your cameras and camcorders to this one.  We only 
    had our camera that day.  I've decided you can't both video tape and 
    experience what is going on at the same time.  You have to pick one.  
    That day I opted to have a good time, and rely on my memory.  Next 
    time, I'll hire a camera crew to follow me around :-)
    
    When the show was over, we stopped for a snack at Dinosaur Gertie's Ice 
    Cream of Extinction.  The boys had Mouseketeer Bars, another big hit. 
    (See note 24.53.)  Linda hated the frozen chocolate covered banana and 
    threw out half of it.  I had a lemonade bar, and found it too sour. 
    (The PINK lemonade bars at the MK are much better.)
    
    Next, we went to see SuperStar Television.  We arrived in the pre-show 
    area just before they opened the doors, so we missed when they picked 
    the "stars".  I really liked this show too.  It was fast paced, 
    technically impressive, and very funny, especially for (American) TV 
    fans.  Harry thought is was funny too, Noah couldn't sit still.
    
    We had reservations for the 5:00 Hoop-Dee-Doo show, so we thought we 
    had better start back for Fort Wilderness.  On the way back down 
    Hollywood Boulevard, we stopped to watch the end of the show on the 
    stage.  All the seats were taken, but we were able to stand by the 
    fence inside the bakery, Starring Rolls, and see almost everything.
    
    We poked into some of the shops along the boulevard. There is all kinds 
    of glitzy clothing here that I didn't see anywhere else in the World.  
    I was still looking for the ties.  Harry and Noah spotted some Chip & 
    Dale Rescue Rangers fanny packs they liked.  We told them we would take 
    them to Mickey's Character Shop in the Village and they could buy them 
    with the Disney Dollars they had saved.
    
    By now, the lines for all the attractions were very long.  The Great 
    Movie Ride queue was out of the building, through the courtyard and 
    into the plaza in front.  We didn't have time to do the Monster Sound 
    Show or the Animation Tour.  I guess we'll have to catch them on our 
    next trip.
    
    The ideal amount of time to see the studio is two mornings.  Get in 
    early, see stuff while the lines are short, have lunch, then head out 
    to one of the other parks.  Finish what you didn't see another morning.
    
    It was a relatively calm ride back to our trailer.  We had time for 
    some juice and cookies before heading back to Pioneer Hall for the 
    Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.
    
    The Hoop was first-class as always.  We had a table in the center of 
    the floor, right next to where they sing the "love" scene.  The actor 
    who plays the romantic lead, (I forget the character's name), spent 
    several minutes talking to us at our table.  It turned out he was from 
    Andover, Mass.
    
    He asked all the normal questions like what characters we had seen, had 
    we seen Mickey, etc.  Eventually, Noah told him angrily that we hadn't 
    seen Daddy's favorite character yet, Jessica.  He calmly explained that 
    she wasn't at WDW because she was away making a movie.  I wish I'd 
    thought of that.  It certainly satisfied Noah.
    
    After the show, we went back to the trailer to pick up the car and 
    drove to the Disney Village Marketplace.  The boys each bought a C&D 
    fanny pack.  Harry also got a Goofy hat, and Noah got a Figment hat on 
    my recommendation, since we hadn't even seen Figment yet.  The family 
    couldn't decide what stuffed character to get to bring home to Adam.  
    (Remember Adam?)
    
    Fanny packs, (also called hip packs or belly pouches), seemed to be the 
    "in" item at Disney World.  Many many women and some men seemed to be 
    wearing them for touring during the day.  They are a good idea, they 
    allow you to carry what you need, but keep your hands free, and are not 
    as cumbersome as a back pack.  Linda was so inspired by the idea that 
    before we left Florida she found a company that imports them and 
    ordered several dozen to sell through her business.
    
    Other information I picked up that day:
    
    That day was Mickey's 61st birthday.  They left a souvenir poster in 
    our trailer.  Nice touch.
    
    The Swan Hotel was to open that Monday.  It will be run by Westin.  The 
    Dolphin is to be run by Sheraton.
    
    International Gateway is almost complete in Epcot Center between France 
    and the UK.  It apparently is a new entrance plaza connecting with the 
    Epcot resorts and the Studio by water.  It should be open this winter.
    
    A new bus terminal is being built between the Contemporary and the 
    Magic Kingdom.  It is due to open in May 1990.
    
    The Dixie Something-or-other Hotel is being built near Typhoon Lagoon.  
    It will be "low priced", like the Caribbean Beach Resort.
    
    Fort Wilderness has nightly hay rides, ($4.00 adult, $3.00 children), 
    and stage coach rides ($?.??).
    
    
    

    Day 4, Sunday, 19-November-1989.
    
    Sunday is supposed to be a slow day at the Magic Kingdom.  Not this 
    Sunday.  The Thanksgiving crowds were already beginning to build, and 
    the MK was noticeably busier when we arrived by launch from Fort 
    Wilderness.
    
    Linda and I decided that this day was going to be more directed than 
    before.  We were both a little frustrated, as it seemed we spent more 
    time arguing with the kids about what we were going to do next than 
    doing it.  We worked out a system of taking turns picking what to do, 
    and giving the boys a limited set of choices when it was their turn.
    
    After we got in and got a stroller, (and a quick visit with Dale near 
    the entrance -- we had to show him the new fanny packs), we headed 
    forthwith to Adventureland.  
    
    Once there we walked right onto Pirates of the Caribbean, then we had 
    to wait about 20 minutes for the Jungle Cruise.  These are both Disney 
    classics.  I tried to video tape the Jungle Cruise but had a tough time 
    catching the good bits, and as a result didn't get to see much of it 
    either.  As I said before: if you want to tape your trip, do everything 
    twice, once to see it, and the once to tape it.
    
    It was Linda's turn to pick next.  She chose the Tiki Birds (Tropical 
    Serenade).  I admit it, she and I actually like this show.  It's kind 
    of tacky, and hopelessly corny, and the technology is strictly 1963, 
    but we like it anyway.  
    
    At first we were turned away because the pre-show area for the next 
    show was full, but then they called us back when some people left.  
    Once the show started the boys quickly decided that Mom and Dad had 
    lost all sense of good taste.  They HATED it!  I had to take them 
    outside because they wouldn't keep quiet.  Linda got to see the rest of 
    the show herself.
    
    Since blood sugar seemed to be running a bit low at this point, we 
    thought it would be a good time for lunch.  We headed over to the 
    Colombia Harbor House in Liberty Square.  Again, our timing was 
    perfect.  There were only one or two people in line in front of me, but 
    by the time I made it to our table the line was almost to the door.
    
    Linda and I had Monte Cristo sandwiches.  They were good, but not as 
    good as I remember from the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland.  In 
    California they are served with current jelly rather than honey.  
    We also finally found something the boys would eat!  They split a fresh 
    fruit plate.  It was well worth it.
    
    It was my turn to pick the next attraction, and I selected the Haunted 
    Mansion.  I made sure to take a picture of "Brother Claude's" tombstone 
    in the yard near the entrance, in honor of our esteemed moderator.  
    
    Harry and Noah liked this ride, (it's my favorite in the MK), but they 
    did sit VERY close to us.  Especially at the end where you share your 
    car with a ghost.  Other parents of small children have told me that 
    their kids were frightened, but often more of what they thought they 
    might see, than what they actually saw.
    
    Linda wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we started back 
    toward Frontierland.  On the way we stopped to see the Country Bear 
    Jamboree.  They were still playing the Country Bear Vacation Hoe-down.  
    They switch to the Christmas show right after Thanksgiving.  We had to 
    wait through two shows before we got in because I had to step out of 
    line to take Noah to the bathroom.  I think I saw every Men's room in 
    Disney World.
    
    The guys didn't think much of the Country Bears, (with the exception of 
    Melvin the Moose), and took the opportunity to grab a power nap.  We 
    grown-ups of course loved it.
    
    Next we continued our pilgrimage to the mountain.  When we got within 
    sight, though, the line looked very long.  Linda was ready, but by then 
    the boys had had it with lines.  Instead, we decided to take the train 
    from Frontierland station to Mickey's Birthdayland to go to the party 
    which we missed on Friday.
    
    The birthday party is a VERY clever show.  The kids really get into it.  
    You enter through Mickey's house, and see his bedroom, living room, and 
    kitchen.  Next you enter a tent where there are some pre-show cartoons 
    playing on a large screen.  Monitors around the room display the 
    cartoons or Mickey's 60th birthday logo.  If you watch closely, the 
    Mickey on the logo winks every once in a while.  Fortunately, we didn't 
    have to spend too much time here.
    
    From the pre-show area you move into another tent which is a large 
    theater.  The set on stage is Minnie's kitchen.  [Hint: Most of the 
    seats have good views of the stage, even for kids.  If you want to 
    videotape the show, you should stand behind the last row.  If you don't 
    have a tripod or other support, try leaning against the technicians' 
    booth in the rear.]
    
    The show consists of Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip & Dale, Pluto, and 
    Minnie's next door neighbor preparing a surprise party for the 
    Mickster.  They mix up a cake with some crazy ingredients and stuff it 
    in the oven.  After the requisite singing and dancing and carrying-on 
    the oven explodes and a finished cake emerges.  The smoke that 
    accompanies the explosion and envelops the audience is even chocolate 
    scented.  I was impressed.
    
    After the show, you are invited into yet another tent for the party.  
    The characters sing and dance some more atop a giant birthday cake.  
    Since you stand during this part of the show, the kids have a tough 
    time seeing what's going on.  If you can't get up near the front, I 
    recommend you skip it.  At least stand near the exit, so you can beat 
    the crowd to Mickey's dressing room (see below).
    
    At the end of this part, they shoot a bunch of confetti and glitter 
    over the crowd.  The kids all scramble to pick it up.  At least they 
    don't have to clean the floor between each performance.  Another 
    interesting feature in this tent, are life size posters from many 
    animated Disney movies.  You can step into them and take photos.
    
    After the party you can go visit Mickey in his dressing room.  They 
    allow 10-15 people in at a time for hugs, autographs, and photos.  You 
    enter through the theater entrance immediately on your right as you 
    exit the party tent.  Since we had seen Mickey on Friday, we passed on 
    another visit.
    
    [Hint: Try to visit Mickey just before the party ends, since most folks 
    go right from the party to the theater.  Either skip the last tent, (if 
    you can talk the kids out of it), or try to be the first ones out.  
    Even better, just time your visit about 20 minutes after the time 
    another party starts.  The weekly entertainment schedule lists the show 
    times.]
    
    The rest of Mickey's Birthdayland consists of a little petting zoo and 
    a small playground.  We didn't take the time to visit either.
    
    From MBL we exited though Fantasyland and walked to Tomorrowland.  (We 
    had left the stroller at the Frontierland train station, since they 
    can't be brought on the train.)  The boys wanted to go on "the cars," 
    (the Grand Prix Raceway), but we told them that they were too short to 
    be able to drive, and the line was too long anyway.  I don't think they 
    bought it.
    
    In Tomorrowland we rode Dreamflight.  This didn't seem to be a very 
    busy ride, even though there were four "boarding gates".  The cast 
    member at the entrance was keeping busy by sweeping up a little.  The 
    attraction was OK, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.
    
    After a quick break for another round of Mouseketeer Bars, we rode the 
    WEDway PeopleMover.  Again there was no line.  Even if the rest of the 
    family was bored, I liked it.
    
    It was now about 3:30 and the crowd was streaming in from the hub area 
    after the parade.  (Perhaps that could explain the light crowds in 
    Tomorrowland.  There wasn't even much of a line inside Space Mountain.)
    
    As the "First Official Disney Notes Walt Disney World Cookout or 
    Something Get Together"  was scheduled for 5:00, we headed for the 
    gate.  We made it back to the trailer by about 4:15.  The boys vegged 
    out in front of the TV.  I lit the grill, then buzzed down to Goodings 
    for supplies.  I returned about 5:10 and shortly after the Rogols 
    arrived, followed by Bev Hurrell and from the DEC office in Leeds, 
    England and her family.
    
    We all had a great time eating and chatting and discussing another 
    culture.  (How do you explain what a Twinkie is?)  After all that, we 
    headed to the Meadow Recreation area of Fort Wilderness for the 7:00 
    campfire program.
    
    We stayed for the sing-along, more hugs with the omnipresent chipmunks 
    and for the cartoon.  Everyone decided to pack it in, though, before 
    the feature started.  (That night it was Lady and the Tramp.)
    
    Once we got the boys to bed, and I worked on this report for a while, I 
    took the bus to the beach to check out the 9:45 showing of the 
    Electrical Water Pageant.  It was interesting, but not worth going too 
    far out of the way to see.
    
    The pageant consists of two chains of boats with grids of lights 
    mounted on them.  These are towed into place and some typical Disney 
    arranged classical music begins.  It sounds like a cross between the 
    Baroque Hoe-down theme of the Main St. Electrical Parade, and the theme 
    to the Frugal Gourmet.  
    
    Each grid is then lit in turn.  There is a sea serpent, some dolphins, 
    King Neptune, etc.  The animation is pretty rudimentary by Disney 
    standards.  (Remember the Citgo sign in Kenmore Sq.?)
    
    The finale is a flag waving, rah-rah, John Philips Sousa, semi-
    spectacular.  Sometimes it seems that every WDW show ends with one of 
    these.  It gives me the feeling that The Walt Disney Company believes 
    they own the copyright on American values.  I wonder how this 
    conspicuous display of national chauvinism makes the thousands of 
    foreign visitors to WDW feel.
    
    Anyway, after the pageant, I ambled back toward Pioneer Hall, visiting 
    the Settlement Trading Post on the way.  They stock FW and other Disney 
    Souvenirs.  They also have a selection of convenience store items, at 
    convenience store prices.  There was some frozen meat and pre-wrapped 
    produce.  If you need supplies and have access to a car, a trip to the 
    gourmet shop in the Village, (still expensive, but at least they have 
    fresh meat), or better yet to Goodings is recommended.
    
    I also checked out some of the other stuff in Pioneer Hall.  Crockett's 
    Tavern is a full service restaurant, and the Trail's End Buffet is a 
    cafeteria-type establishment.  The is also a game room located here.  
    A large porch with rocking chairs surrounds this end or Pioneer Hall.  
    I don't know if they let you drink out there, but it looks like a great 
    place to sit and watch the world go by.
    
    Starting at 9:30 every night the Trail's End serves make your own 
    pizza.  I was ready for a snack, so I picked up a pie to bring back to 
    the trailer.  The Brown Flag bus was rather crowded with people 
    returning from Epcot and the second show of the Hoop-Dee-Doo, and the 
    aroma emanating from my cargo earned me some hungry stares.
    
    Linda had gone to bed by the time I got back, so I was forced to have 
    my snack by myself.  :-)
    
    
    

    Day 5, Monday, 20-November-1989.
    
    Our package included five-day passports, and we were going to be at 
    Disney World for six days, so this was supposed to have been our rest 
    day.  Fortunately, through a combination of good luck, good timing, and 
    good connections, we ended up with four complimentary one-day tickets.  
    since we had the extra day's admission, we decided to spend the morning 
    at Epcot, and if it was warm enough spend some time in the afternoon at 
    River Country.
    
    For breakfast we went to the Poly to have the famous banana-stuffed 
    French toast.  When we got there, however, the buffet looked so good, 
    we decided to do that instead.  The buffet included the usual bacon, 
    eggs, pastry, etc., plus freshly made waffles and toppings, and an 
    incredible selection of fresh fruit.  The waffles were imprinted with 
    Mickey on one side and the WDW logo on the other.
    
    The boys had Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes and fruit from the buffet.  
    They were happy with both.  We never did get our French toast.
    
    We got kind of a late start to Epcot, but we did get to ride in the 
    nose of the monorail again.  The pilot told us that they had been 
    debugging the new monorail trains at night.  In his words they were, 
    "Roach motels."  The have received three of them so far.  All the work 
    of enlarging the stations and raising the platforms was completed long 
    ago, but I guess it will be some time before the new trains are put 
    into service.
    
    The train in front of ours had some kind of problem, and had to be 
    checked out during its stop at the Epcot Center station.  We ended up 
    stopped on the beam just in front of Journey into Imagination.  We 
    noticed there was no line outside that pavilion.  After about a 10 
    minute wait, and an interesting chat with the driver, we arrived at the 
    station.
    
    We decided to skip the stroller again today since we planned on staying 
    mostly in Future World.  You would think we would have learned by now.
    
    It was almost 10:00 and the park was starting to get crowded with 
    Thanksgiving week guests.  There was about a 30 minute wait at 
    Spaceship Earth, so we headed instead for Journey into Imagination 
    where we knew there was no line.
    
    This is one of my favorites in Epcot.  Linda really likes the Stepping 
    Tones, upstairs in the Image Works.  Harry and Noah liked the computer 
    graphics terminals, but otherwise weren't too impressed.  We skipped 
    Captain EO.  I can't stand Michael Jackson, having him dance in my lap 
    doesn't make me like him any better.  
    
    Outside, we did have a short visit with Dreamfinder and Figment.  
    Dreamfinder teased Noah for wearing a Snoopy shirt, but said the 
    Figment hat and C & D pack made up for it.
    
    By now we had realized the error of our ways in not renting a stroller.  
    So while Linda headed off to Canada, the boys and I headed back to the 
    stroller shop near the entrance.  This time when I rented the stroller 
    the cast member who was renting them saw me loading both kids on and 
    said, "You can have the one around the corner if you want."  I'm not 
    sure what it was doing there, but it didn't have a tag on it, and they 
    weren't returning to stock.
    
    Well, it wasn't easy, but by having the guys hold on to the side of 
    each other's stroller I was able to push them side by side all the way 
    across Future World and World Showcase Plaza to Canada.  I got a lot of 
    funny looks, but it worked.
    
    Linda met us on the Promenade outside the pavilion.  She had just 
    missed the start of one movie, so we all waited for the start of the 
    next show.  The 360� circle-vision film was spectacular.  Since there 
    are no seats in the theater, the kids couldn't see very well, even 
    though the screens are high up on the walls.  Harry and Noah were 
    pretty bored by the whole thing, but Linda and I enjoyed it.
    
    Fast food seemed to be the best idea for lunch at this point.  My vote 
    was for Japan or China, but we weren't sure we would find something the 
    kids would eat.  Instead we went to the Farmers' Market in the Land.
    
    It was rather crowded, but we found a table near the fountain.  Linda 
    had a nice looking chef's salad, I had a barbecue beef sandwich, and 
    the boys had another fruit plate.
    
    After lunch we caught the Kitchen Kaberet.  This is another of my Epcot 
    favorites.  I don't think the kids were impressed.  One of them fell 
    asleep.  The line was long at the Land boat ride, so we skipped it for 
    now.
    
    Since it had warmed up a little, and the kids seemed to need a break, 
    we thought we would spend the rest of the afternoon at River Country.  
    On the way to the park exit we noticed there was no line at Spaceship 
    Earth.  We rode that and then headed toward the gate.
    
    As we passed back under Spaceship Earth and into the Entrance Plaza, a 
    stiff cool breeze met us in the face.  Maybe River Country wasn't such 
    a great idea after all, so we turned around and headed this time for 
    the east side of Future World.  On the way we ran into Goofy and 
    Minnie.  Of course we had to stop for a couple more hugs and 
    photographs.
    
    I thought the boys would like to see the dinosaurs, but from a distance 
    it looked crowded at The Universe of Energy, so we opted for The World 
    of Motion.  I told the boys that after one more ride it would be "Epcot 
    favorite day".   They were having none of it.  By then they had lost 
    it.  No way were they going into World of Motion.
    
    I invented "favorite day" on the fly our first day at WDW.  It was a 
    response to the continuous clamor to do what ever we just did over 
    again.  I explained that our last day at WDW everyone would be able to 
    select their favorite things to do over again.  It worked well, and 
    reduced tantrums over what to do next to a minimum.  If you have 
    insistent members of your family you might want to establish a favorite 
    day too.
    
    BTW, Noah had to go to the bathroom so I took him into the Transcenter.  
    Here I found the only dirty rest room I saw at Disney World, and I saw 
    most of them.
    
    Anyway, we gave up on World of Motion, and decided to start favorite 
    day early.  First on the boys' favorite list for Epcot, (especially 
    Harry's), was Mexico.  I'm not sure why he liked this ride so much.  
    Maybe it's because it was the first attraction we did on the trip.
    
    There was only a 1-2 minute wait.  This time we didn't get a boat to 
    ourselves, but we did get the front seat of a (the?) boat that is built 
    to accommodate wheel chairs.
    
    Note: WDW is VERY accessible to people in wheelchairs or with other 
    handicaps.  There were very few things that couldn't be accessed, and 
    fewer still if one is able to get out of the chair and into the "ride 
    vehicle".
    
    By now, as you can probably can tell the boys were getting tired and 
    grumpy and wild and needed a break.  We got them their daily ration of 
    Mouseketeer Bars, found a table overlooking the lagoon at the Cantina 
    de San Angel, and Mom and Dad had a margarita.  After we had been there 
    a short time, three guys came out and started playing the marimba.  
    Very pleasant.
    
    We spent about a half hour, and refreshed, headed back to The Land to 
    ride the Listen to the Land Boat ride.  It was about a 15-20 minute 
    wait, but Linda and I really wanted to see this one, since last time 
    we were at WDW the rain was pounding so hard on the greenhouse roof 
    that we couldn't even hear the guide's spiel.
    
    The boys weren't too impressed with this attraction either.  Noah fell 
    asleep as soon as the boat left the dock.  As his head hit Linda's lap 
    his Figment hat fell into the water.  She made a quick grab, and 
    rescued it from certain doom.
    
    I enjoyed the ride, as did Linda.  I was trying to videotape the stuff 
    in the greenhouses, but since we were sitting near the rear of the boat 
    I had a hard time.  Next time I will ask to sit in the front row.
    
    By now, it was time to call it a day.  The boys had had it, and Linda 
    and I were meeting the Rogols for dinner at Pleasure Island.
    
    We made it back to the trailer by 5:45, got Harry and Noah into their 
    PJ's, and heated up the rest of my pizza from the previous night for 
    their supper.  All this before the baby sitter arrived at 6:00.  
    
    Having the kitchen was a real convenience.  It was wonderful to be able 
    to feed the kids without having to drag them to a restaurant when they 
    were tired and grouchy.
    
    As noted elsewhere in this conference, the in-room baby sitting is 
    provided by Kindercare.  The charge for two children is $7/hour.  There 
    is a three hour minimum, plus a half-hour charge for travel time.
    
    We made it to the Portobello Yacht Club on Pleasure Island just about 
    6:35.  The Rogols were waiting for us along with John's sister and her 
    roommate.
    
    The meal was superb!  We started with an appetizer pizza.  It had a 
    very thin cracker-like crust, and was topped with sun dried tomatoes, 
    fresh basil, and cheese.  It kind of reminded me of the pizzas I make 
    out of matzo at Passover, only better.
    
    With the basket of fresh Italian bread they serve a head of garlic 
    which has been cut open and roasted.  You scoop out the softened garlic 
    cloves and then spread them on you bread and butter. Delicious.
    
    For an entree I had spagettini topped with clams, mussels, shrimp, and 
    scallops in a light tomato sauce.  Linda had shrimp scampi.  The rest 
    of the group had other variations of seafood and pasta dishes.  
    Everyone reported that their meals were excellent.
    
    We accompanied the meal with a pitcher of the house sangria.  It was 
    somewhat expensive at $17, but very good.  Much better than the 
    Kool-aid they call sangria at Pioneer Hall.  The total tab for six was 
    $174.  I've paid a lot more for meals I didn't enjoy half as much.
    
    After dinner everyone else had to split, so Linda and I cashed in the 
    Fun 'n Sun coupons that came in our package for Pleasure Island all six  
    club passes.  You can buy admission to one, three, or all six clubs.  
    They were also still running Zappy Hour at XZFR's, where if you buy a 
    drink between 5-7 they give you an all six club pass.  Since we had the 
    coupons, we used those instead.
    
    We're not big night club people, but we were interested in the Comedy 
    Warehouse and the descriptions of the Adventurers Club fascinated me.  
    Linda also wanted to look at the shops.  I hoped we would have time to 
    check out the Baton Rouge Lounge on the Empress Lily too.
    
    The Comedy Warehouse has several shows per night at set times, and the 
    next wasn't going to start for an hour or more.  We poked around some 
    of the stores, and then went into the Adventurers Club.
    
    I had read several descriptions of this place in Disney brochures, in 
    the Birnbaum guide, and in this conference.  I still didn't quite 
    understand what it was all about.  This was a most unusual and fun 
    experience.  I'll try to describe it the best I can.  I rate it right 
    up there with Murder-to-Go weekends, but that's another notes file.
    
    The club is supposed to have been Merriweather Adam Pleasure's private 
    club, where he stored all the treasures he collected in his travels 
    around the world.  (They say his wife wouldn't let them in the house.)  
    It has the look of a private club too, with overstuffed arm chairs and 
    banquettes, a library, bar, potted plants, and lots of little alcoves 
    to explore.  The place turned out to be anything but stuffy, however.
    
    We entered the Club on the upper level.  We asked the seemingly normal 
    Disney cast member who admitted us what went on here and when.  He gave 
    us a vague "Just look around and enjoy yourself" kind of answer.
    
    The mezzanine overlooks the main salon below.  Everywhere you look, on 
    both floors, all the walls and every horizontal surface are covered 
    with photographs, knickknacks, memorabilia, and just plain junk.  They 
    must have bought out every yard sale, flea market, and antique shop for 
    miles around.  Next to each item is a typewritten tag explaining how 
    Mr. Pleasure happened to acquire the item.  These are a riot.
    
    As we made our way downstairs we were met by the butler.  He inquired 
    if we were enjoying ourselves, and we asked what was going on this 
    evening.  He said there will be some activities later on in the 
    Library, but if we sort of hung around, one never knows what might 
    happen.  I love this stuff!
    
    On the lower level of the club is the Main Salon. There are chairs and 
    couches to sit on, and a bar over to one side.  The walls and shelves 
    are covered with more of Pleasure's stuff.  Off the Main Salon there 
    are some other smaller rooms.  The walls of one are completely covered 
    with masks.  As you might expect, some of the masks look back at you.
    
    We soon became aware that some of the people in the Main Saloon we not 
    other Disney guests, but for lack of a better term, "barmosphere" 
    characters.  There was the club curator, who would tell outrageous 
    stories when asked about any of the items on display.  There was the 
    club secretary, a rather prim woman, who that night was acting club 
    president.  
    
    There was also the aforementioned butler, and a French maid who made a 
    point of bending over to dust things all around the room.  There were 
    also a few other disheveled club members who looked as if they had 
    working on their drinks since well before the cocktail hour.  All of 
    these folks wandered, or in some cases lurched, to and fro telling all 
    kinds of strange stories to each other and to the guests.
    
    Every once in a while someone would announce it was time for this or 
    that, or the Pleasure Island Philharmonic, (actually a funky little 
    marching band that performed around the island), would march in.  At 
    that point everyone, both cast and guests, would troop into the Library 
    to take part in the goings on.
    
    The Library was a large room off the Main Salon which was set up with 
    long tables and stools.  At one end of the room is a stage with the 
    strangest looking organ off to one side.  On the stage the Philharmonic 
    would perform, or one or another character would tell a story, or teach 
    the Club song, or Club salute, or otherwise carry on.
    
    I'm sure this all is not to everyone's taste, but we really had a 
    great time at the Adventurers Club.
    
    After spending a little while at the Adventurers Club, we went over to 
    the Comedy Warehouse to queue up for the 10:20 show.  It turned out 
    that it wasn't full, but by getting there early we did get front row 
    seats.  
    
    While we were waiting for the doors to open, a Disney type came out and 
    started setting up ropes for a line.  Obviously, this guy had not been 
    to Crowd Control 101 at Disney University.  No matter what he did he 
    couldn't quite seem to get the right length ropes in the right places.  
    Finally, he just waited until the line formed, and set up the ropes 
    around it.  I don't know if this was part of the show, but given how 
    well crowd control works everywhere at WDW, it was quite funny to 
    watch.
    
    The show started with a stand up comic who was fairly good, and then 
    was followed by the comic revue, "Forbidden Disney".  It was extremely 
    funny.  It is a take-off on the Disney World experience.  I recommend 
    you see this show on the last night of your visit.  By then you will 
    really be able to relate to it.
    
    They begin the show with a musical number, "Super Contentious, Friendly 
    Disney World Employee," to the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialido-
    cious."  They go on to explain what the dolls in It's a Small World 
    really do when no one is watching, and other backstage secrets.  
    Tinkerbell also stops by to sing about how hard it is to be a fairy in 
    the '90s.
    
    After the Comedy Warehouse we stopped back into the Adventurers Club 
    for a while. (Can you tell we liked that one?)  Before going back to 
    Fort Wilderness I even went next door to Avigator's Supply and bought 
    an Adventurers Club cap.
    
    
    

    Day 6, Tuesday, 21-November-1989.
    
    This was our last day at Walt Disney World, favorite day.  Since we 
    were planning to drive back to my parents' after supper, and we would 
    be checking out and have no place to rest in the afternoon, we decided 
    to have a leisurely morning and go to the Magic Kingdom after lunch.
    
    We got up, had breakfast, and packed all our stuff in the car.  At 
    least we thought we packed all our stuff in the car.  Then, we drove 
    around Fort Wilderness to check out the parts we hadn't seen from the 
    window of the bus.  
    
    I wish we had had more time to spend on some of the activities in the 
    campground.  There is so much to do. I would have liked to rent a canoe 
    and explore the canals, or take the kids to the petting zoo, or rent a 
    water sprite on the lake, or just sat around on the porch at Pioneer 
    Hall.  You can also rent bikes and electric carts. There are 
    playgrounds, swimming pools, and of course River Country.  I guess you 
    can't do it all in six days.
    
    Finally, we checked out and drove over to the Grand Floridian for lunch 
    at what we all agreed was our favorite restaurant, Narcoosee's.  (We 
    still had one set of coupons left.)  
    
    While we were collecting the things we would need for the day from the 
    trunk of the car, we realized that we had left our sweat shirts in the 
    trailer. ("I thought you took them", "No, I thought you took them"...)  
    I called Fort Wilderness lost and found from the restaurant, and 
    arranged to pick up them up at the front desk on our way out of WDW.  
    Lost and found is just another of those little things that Disney seems 
    to pay attention to.
    
    The meal was a good as the first.  The boys had hot dogs again, and 
    Linda and I had fish.  We all had the same deserts we had the first 
    time.  While we were there we noticed they were serving some very large 
    lobsters to people at other tables.  These were neither listed on the 
    menu, nor mentioned during the recitation of the daily specials.  I 
    wasn't interested in coming all the way to Florida to eat Maine 
    lobster, but if you are you should ask about it.  Especially if you are 
    on a package that includes meals.
    
    This time I managed to be at the table when the waiter brought the 
    bread, butter and ALLIGATOR p�t�.  It was good.  It was nicely 
    seasoned, and tasted mildly fishy.
    
    From the GF we took the Gold Pennant launch to the Magic Kingdom.  This 
    day we took our time moseying down Main St., visiting some of the shops 
    along the way.  The boys were in kind of a difficult mood.  I think 
    they were burnt out.  Noah even thought it would be fun to run off by 
    himself.  I chased him twice around the loop created by the bridges in 
    front of the Crystal Palace.  This put me in kind of a foul mood too.
    
    We gave the guys some juice, and then decided to split up.  Linda took 
    Harry and Noah to Fantasyland where they rode Peter Pan's flight, and I 
    headed to the Hub to stake out a position for the parade.
    
    I don't remember if it was mentioned in the Parade Viewing note, but 
    John Rogol suggested that a good place to watch the parade is on the 
    hub roadway, just where the parade turns right toward Liberty Square.  
    In this spot you can watch the floats coming toward you with no one in 
    your way, and then see their sides as they turn to cross the bridge.
    
    I was one of the early arrivals at about 2:00 and was able to plant 
    myself on the curb at the corner.  A short while later, they put up the 
    rope across the road around the hub, and I was able to slide out into 
    the street a little way.  It turned out to be a great spot.  I was able 
    to video tape the entire parade, and got some great shots.
    
    I enjoyed watching the cast members prepare for the parade.  They do a 
    good job of keeping the guests behind the ropes, and hardly seemed to 
    lose patience when asking the same person to move for the third time, 
    or when the guest professed not to speak English.
    
    The rest of the family made it back about 15 minutes before the start 
    of the parade, and joined me at the front of what was now a five-deep 
    crowd.  They had a fairly substantial wait at Peter Pan.  This is one 
    of the attractions where they can affect the capacity by actually 
    making the ride go faster.  Linda said that that day it was sailing.
    
    The theme for the parade is now "Disney Character Hit Parade."  The 
    music is versions of lots of Disney songs, keyed to each float.  As 
    usual all the characters are represented, with the addition of a float 
    hyping The Little Mermaid that came along before the actual start of 
    the parade.
    
    After the parade was over, Linda and the boys made a bee-line for It's 
    a Small World, while I went to retrieve the stroller that she had 
    parked around the corner somewhere.  
    
    I caught up to them as they were riding Cinderella's Golden Carrousel.  
    They said there was no line when they got there, so they decided to 
    ride it while they had the chance.  This is a beautiful ride.  The 
    secret is that if there is a long line you don't have to ride it to 
    appreciate it.  You can just stand and watch the magnificent 
    craftsmanship pass in front of you.  I stood there and videotaped as 
    much as I could as the three of them rode.
    
    Next, we re-rode It's a Small World with only a five minute wait using 
    the left line trick.  Then we headed to Mickey's Birthdayland.
    
    This time I stood at the back of the tent and taped the party.  Harry 
    and Noah didn't seem to notice that Minnie's neighbor was a different 
    person than last time.  When the party was over, the boys had their 
    last Mouseketeer Bars of the trip from the cart outside Mickey's house.
    
    I picked the next favorite, The Haunted Mansion.  Harry wasn't keen on 
    doing it again, so he waited outside with Linda while Noah and I went 
    in.  Noah was a little apprehensive too, but I think he liked the idea 
    of doing something alone with Dad.
    
    We took advantage of one more opportunity to greet the characters in 
    front of the castle at 5:00.  I don't know if it was because of the 
    size of the crowd or another reason, but it seemed a lot more 
    disorganized  than any of the other character greetings we had been to.  
    With Linda's help, the boys fought their way in for a few more 
    autographs, while I shot some great video of the castle at dusk.
    
    Linda still wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  As we walked 
    up the hill toward the attraction we were surprised to find there was 
    no line.  When we got there we found out why, the ride was temporarily 
    closed and they didn't know when it was going to reopen.  We overheard 
    someone say that a car had gotten stuck on the tracks.  Linda was very 
    disappointed.
    
    It was now dark and cooling off fast.  We didn't have our sweat shirts, 
    and we were all a little hungry.  I had promised to take the boys to 
    McDonalds for supper, and they made sure to remind me of the promise at 
    frequent intervals.  I suggested we might try the Adventureland 
    Veranda, but they pointed out that only McD's was giving out Rescue 
    Ranger toys.
    
    For some reason the walk back to the gate seemed to take a long time, 
    as did the monorail ride to the Grand Floridian.  We were all 
    exhausted, but that special kind of exhausted that you feel at the end 
    of a Disney vacation. We were tired and fulfilled and anxious to do it 
    again, all at the same time.
    
    We had to stop for gas at the Car Care Center.  I was surprised to find 
    it was only a few cents more expensive than gas stations outside the 
    park.  I was beginning to get used to Disney prices.  To get back to 
    Fort Wilderness we had to go down the exit road past the toll booth, 
    then make a U-turn and re-enter.  Everything seemed to be going in slow 
    motion now.
    
    Our sweat shirts were waiting for us at Wilderness Lodge, neatly folded 
    in a plastic bag with Linda's purse.  She didn't even realize she had 
    left it behind.  It's a good thing we had missed the shirts.
    
    We made it to McDonalds at the Crossroads of Lake Buena Vista where the 
    guys barely kept their eyes open long enough to eat their Happy Meals.
    
    We still had one more stop to make before leaving the World.  Linda had 
    to do some more souvenir shopping.  Everyone else had had their turn, 
    and now it was hers.  I parked the car at the Disney Village 
    Marketplace, and Harry, Noah, and I slept while she shopped.
    
    It was late and I got lost trying to find the entrance to the Florida 
    Turnpike, so it was after 10:30 by the time we were on the road.  We 
    made it back to my parents' at about 1:30 a.m.  They gave us a hard 
    time about being so late, but that's what parents are for.
    
    
    

    Final Thoughts and Suggestons.
    
    I am even more convinced now that planning is the key to any Walt 
    Disney World vacation.  (Sorry Ed Badger).  You need to at least rough 
    out what you want to do each day.  There is so much stuff at WDW, you 
    can easily be within feet of something great and not realize it.  You 
    also want to make sure you do the things YOU want to do, there is great 
    diversity as well, and not everything appeals to everyone.
    
    The Birnbaum guide book and this conference are two great sources of 
    information.  The Unofficial Guide is helpful if you are going at a 
    busy time of year.  It reads more like Eisenhower's D-day attack plan 
    than a tourist's guide to the beaches of Northern France.  It doesn't 
    have any of the magic or soul of Birnbaum.  It does, however, give 
    ratings of each attraction based on guest age.  It also doesn't say 
    much about anything outside the theme parks, or much about shopping or 
    dining.
    
    Once you've laid out your plan, be flexible.  Crowds, weather, fatigue, 
    and other events can alter your plans.  Let them.  At least you can 
    make intelligent decisions about whether to stop and watch an impromptu 
    street performance in Epcot, or press on to the next pavilion for 
    example.
    
    Plan more time than you think you'll need.  The distances at WDW can be 
    vast.  I have yet to see a map of the place that is drawn to scale.  I 
    think sometimes they want the place to seem bigger than it is, and 
    sometimes smaller.  Allow at least 30-45 minutes to get from place to 
    place by WDW transportation.
    
    If you are traveling with kids, plan even more time.  It helps to know 
    their capabilities, interests, and tolerances.  Monitor how they are 
    holding up from time to time.  It is easy for kids, (adults too), to 
    suffer from sensory overload.  Take a break and come back later.
    
    Our kids didn't have a problem with being scared on any of the rides.  
    We reminded them that almost everything was make-believe, and that 
    Mommy and Daddy would be with them the whole time.  They asked for 
    reassurance every so often, but they did OK.  It did get kind of 
    confusing when we were looking at a live parrot outside Mexico.  They 
    wanted to know if it was real or pretend.
    
    Every kid is different, however.  Don't necessarily listen to the 
    advice or other parents.  Go with your own instincts and knowledge 
    about your children.
    
    Plan some rest and relaxation time.  A day or two by the pool can do a 
    lot to recharge the batteries.
    
    If you can afford it, stay in Disney World.  The convenience and 
    atmosphere can't be matched anywhere else.
    
    Finally, start saving your pennies.  WDW is expensive, no more than 
    many other resorts, but still it is not hard to spend a lot there.  It 
    just feels so good doing it.
    
    I also want to add one more word of thanks to all of you who have 
    contributed to this conference.  It made our trip unforgettable.	   
    

    Pheww...a lot of reading,but thanks for the well written trip report.
    I'm also blessed with two children and therefore making plans to
    fly off to the U.S. and WDW. But I have a flight over the big pond
    from Europe to cross first and THAT is a big drain in the O'll wallet.
    It'll take a few years though,to save up for the trip and stay because
    everything is twice as expensive there,cuz our rates are by the "guilder"
    (dutch currency)but at WDW the rates are by the dollar and that alone is
    for us 2 times the "guilder".
    
    Anyway,your report was imaginative,as if I tangled along enjoying
    WD too.
    
    (^; Jan.

    Rep to <<< Note 34.88 by INDMKT::GOLDBERG "Len, Back From the World" >>>

>    It was my turn to pick the next attraction, and I selected the Haunted 
>    Mansion.  I made sure to take a picture of "Brother Claude's" tombstone 
>    in the yard near the entrance, in honor of our esteemed moderator.  
    
    Ah yes ,
                                 ____________
                                /            \
                               /              \
                              |   AT PEACEFUL  |
                              |    REST LIES   |
                              |     BROTHER    |
                              |     CLAUDE     |
                              |  PLANTED HERE  |
                              |  BENEATH THIS  |
                              |       SOD      |
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Len,
    
    Great report!
    
    Mike

    Len, phew!, I finally got through all your trip report.
    Good, but I saw it more random on visits to attractions
    than planned (sorry).
    I only make reservations on days off.  I find if I'm toruing 
    the world, having to make it somewhere at a particular time
    detracts from whats going on.

    

>   Good, but I saw it more random on visits to attractions
>   than planned (sorry).

    I can understand why you think that, but I did a lot of planning
    anyway, the picks were hardly random.

    Perhaps a better word is preparation.  I had a good idea before I left
    which attractions my family would enjoy, and which they wouldn't.  I
    also knew the times of scheduled events, so we could decide, for
    example, whether to watch the parade or do something else.  Otherwise
    we might have wanted to see it but discovered that we had missed it.

    I also had planned out which parks I wanted to do which days.  We did
    Epcot first because we thought we would have a hard time getting the
    boys out of the MK once they saw that.  I also figured they would be
    more interested in Future World than World Showcase, so we limited our
    time in the latter.  We did the Studio on the day we were going to an
    early dinner show because I knew we would have to leave in the
    afternoon because of the crowds.

    You do have to stay flexible.  You may find that the weather or crowds
    cause you to change your plans.  I was disappointed that we never got
    to River Country, but it just wasn't warm enough.  We also found that
    small children go a lot slower than we had planned, so there were many
    things we wanted to do this trip that we had to skip.  Since we had
    prepared and knew what to expect we could drop things from the bottom
    of our priority list, rather than miss a highlight.

    I do agree with you about the serendipity of Disney World.  If you take
    the time and keep your eyes open there are all kinds of surprises at
    every turn.  That doesn't say don't plan, rather, plan extra time for
    the unexpected and stay flexible. 

    Len,
    
    
    I just finished reading your trip report this weekend.  I really
    enjoyed it, and wanted to thank you for explicit day to day trip.
    I really find reading the trip reports one of the most interesting
    topics in this conference.
    
    625 days and counting....... (sooner if I can convinced my husband
      that two years is two long to wait to go back.....)
    

    See note 183.* for trip reports from 1990 Disney vacations.

    This topic is write locked.

    Well, my trip to Disney World was back in October, and I thought that I 
    would finally put in a note.  It's been some time, so I hope I get all
    of  the details straight.  I know that everything mentioned here
    happened on the trip, I just might have some of the dates for
    different activities wrong.  This report is very, very lengthy...you
    might want to print it out before trying to read it.
    
    
    Friday, 13-Oct-1989
    
    I was supposed to stay with a friend, but found out 3 days before
    departure  that he backed out so I had to scramble to find a hotel. 
    After much  searching, I finally got a room at the Rodeway Inn Eastgate
    on 192 in  Kissimmee for $25/night for 9 nights less than 24 hours
    before flight time.


    Saturday, 14-Oct-1989

    I flew Eastern because they had the cheapest fair (strike and all). 
    Boston to Atlanta was OK; Atlanta to Orlando was delayed, they
    switched planes from a 10 seat across to an 8 seat across so everyone
    had to check in again.  Arrived late (about 10pm).
 
    See details of the Rent-a-car fiasco in note 38.46


    Sunday, 15-Oct-1989

    After I got my car, I decided to visit my former roommate from Hawaii
    who was now living in Orlando.  After visiting with him, Michael, his 
    girlfriend, Patti, and myself went out to eat at TGI Fridays in
    Crossroads and then onto Pleasure Island.  We each bought the 3 club
    ticket. 

    The first club was the Comedy Club.  I thought the club was great. 
    There  was no warmup, just the Forbidden Disney show.  I loved it,
    especially the  opening number (ref. 180.9 for some of the words).  

    The next club was the Adventurer's Club.  This is my favorite club.  I
    spent  a lot of time looking at the different objects, pictures, and
    captions.   When I make it big and can build a house of my own design,
    I want a room  styled like this club.  We saw both the Liar's Contest
    and the Rinkie's  Radio Show skits in the Library.  This night, the
    lady playing the ditzzy  French maid was the best.

    We checked out the various stores and food places before going to 
    Mannequin's as our last club.  I was very impressed with the lighting
    and  sound system.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a dance partner--Patti
    didn't  want to go in.  Inside, I ran into a friend of a friend,
    Arthur.  He had  transferred from the Jungle Cruise.  We talked for a
    short time, talking  about the mutual friend, Heidi.  We also talked
    about the Forbidden Disney  show.  Apparently there has been much
    contention about the show and how to  treat it.  There are those who
    wanted to treat the guests as morons as you  get some real bozos in the
    parks, and then there are those who wanted to  treat them as the great
    gods who pay their salary.  The compromise was the  kind hearted,
    gentle meaning buffoons that is current portrayed.

    My "prize" for the evening was a gift of a PI mug that was given to me
    by a  person who heard that I wanted one to bring home as a momento.


    Monday, 16-Oct-1989

    Today I got up early and met Chuck, Eileen, and Chris (a co-worker with
    his wife and 3yr old) at EPCOT Center in front of the Mexican
    pavilion.  From there we went and did Mexico, Norway, China, America,
    and France.  Lunch was spent at the Coral Reef Restaurant in the Living
    Seas.  I had a blast playing tour guide pointing out various items of
    interest to them.

    My friend Ralph was one of the seating hosts.  I asked for a good seat
    and said there were no bad seats.  Once seated, his statement proved
    true.  I thought the food was good, but was way overpriced for the
    serving size.  To make you feel like you received your money's worth,
    they should use smaller  plates.  There was so much extra room on the
    plate that you wondered if they forgot some of the food. 

    One interesting note was the butter.  It was shaped like a small statue
    of Mickey. When Chuck and myself started to cut up the butter for our
    bread, Chris started to wail!  He thought we were actually killing the
    real Mickey with our butter knives.  Too funny... 

    After Lunch, Chuck and Family went back to the Polynesian to allow
    Chris to  have a nap.  I went over to the Disney/MGM Studios to get my
    bearings for  the next day.  I arrived about 3:30.  As I headed up
    Hollywood Blvd, I was passed by a little parade (and I do mean
    little).  In the antique car was Bob Denver of Gilligan's Island fame. 
    Boy, does he look old!

    My camera was giving me problems so I stopped by the camera shop.  It 
    appeared as if the batteries were dead.  I had replaced the batteries,
    but the camera still didn't work.  Jose was the worker who looked at
    the problem. The battery terminals had corroded slightly so he cleaned
    them.  After that, no problem...now on with the activities.

    The first item on the Agenda was the Backstage Tour.  On the way to the 
    Tour, I passed the Great Movie ride and it had a huge line outside of
    the building.  The sign said that it was about an hour wait.  Once I
    arrived at  the Backstage Tour, I literally walked right on to a tram. 
    No wait!  I found the tour very interesting in its own right.  I
    wasn't able to compare it to Universal since I had never been to
    California.  As we passed the bungalows, Josh Ackerman, one of the new
    Mouseketeers, was getting out the the car with his Mom.  This turned
    out to be the second "celebrity" I saw while I was there.

    I sat up in the front car and had a chance to talk to David, the
    spieler  about his Disney experience.  I mentioned someone that I knew
    from EPCOT and  he said that she was working in MGM as a trainer for,
    (can you guess) the  BST.  When he ride was over, I left a message for
    Connie letting her know  that I was in the area and wanted to get
    together if possible.

    Something that did upset me greatly was the use of monitors.  I think
    it is  a great idea, but it was a spinoff of an idea that I had
    submitted to them  back in 1986 through the Employees forum called "I
    Have an Idea".  I suggested putting monitors in the Harvest Theater
    Pre-show area to try to keep the attention of the guest who were
    waiting 18 minutes between shows.  I never received an official
    acknowledgment from Disney when I formally suggested the idea.  I think
    I know why they didn't respond.

    The Great Movie Ride followed the BST.  It was now about 4 and the line
    was  completely inside the building such that you entered through the
    front  doors.  I waited less than 10 minutes before boarding a tram.  I
    was in the  last seat of the last tram car, therefore I saw the
    Gangster interaction  scene.

    I then rushed back to EPCOT Center to meet Chuck et all.  I joined them
    and  we went through The Journey into Imagination Ride, Captain EO, and
    the image  works.  Chris did get frightened in Captain EO in the scene 
    where you first  meet the Evil Ruler and she extends her clawed hands
    out towards you.



    Tuesday, 17-Oct-1989

    Today is MGM Day and I'm excited.  I drove to the Polynesian and met
    Chuck  and family.  Luckily, Chuck had given me a Polynesian Resort
    Guest ID.  While  we were there, the Oldsmobile Golf Classic was being
    played and Disney was  keeping a sharp eye on the parking situations. 
    I had to flash the ID to get  past the Polynesian Parking booth.  We
    then proceeded to have a buffet style breakfast in the Tangorra
    Terrace.  We finished up, headed to the TTC and took the Black
    Flag/Yellow Stripped bus to the Park.  Arrival time was slightly before
    park opening. 

    As we waited to get into the park, I started to talk to the ticket
    hostess.   I asked about numbers and capacity.  She said that they
    thought the crowds  would let up during the fall, but that it was just
    as busy as the summer  months had been.  As for numbers, Disney was not
    letting the ticket people  know.  They probably didn't want to scare
    anyone away.  The hostess was informed by another cast member that the
    Great Movie Ride was not available.

    A few minutes later we were allowed in.  The stroller rental was the
    first  stop proceeded immediately by a rush movement to get to the
    Backstage Tour.   At the BST, we were immediately boarded and went
    through.  We exited the  Walt Disney Theater about 10:30.

    The Disney Animation Department was the next stop.  We walked right in
    and  started through the tour.  I thought it was great!  Many of the
    animators  were painting cells with Roger Rabbit on them.

    From the Animation department we went over to the Prime Time Cafe for
    Lunch.  It thought the themeing was fun!  I never lived in the 50's and
    barely  remember the 60's but it was neat seeing all of the different
    TV's, nick  nacks, pictures, tiling, and the salt and pepper shakers. 
    I had the Chicken  Pot Pie and boy, was I in for a surprise.  I
    couldn't believe how big the  pieces of meat and vegetables were.

    The next attraction on the list was SuperStar TV.  We arrived in the 
    Pre-show/Selection area as they were choosing people and then we
    proceeded  right into the theater.  The show was enjoyable.  It's too
    bad that those  people who are "acting" can't buy video tapes of the
    show.  I'm sure that  would bring in the bucks.  I was told by another
    Disney friend of mine that  the reason they can't do this has to do
    with royalties and copyrights.
    
    One of the longest waits of the day was for the next show, the Monster
    Sound  show.  We waited for one complete showing.  What's that about 12
    minutes or  so.  I thought the show was OK.  The people they chose were
    awful!  They  didn't even make the show funny.

    At this point we had 2 attractions left, so we chose Indiana Jones. 
    The  line was huge, but I asked.  The stadium holds 2000+ people so
    there was no  fear of not getting in.  We waited for about 10 minutes
    before being let in.  I thought the show was great, and particularly
    neat when the stage  "pulled apart."

    This left us with one last attraction, The Great Movie Ride.  It was
    about  3:30 and the line was all over the place.  I suggested that we
    go somewhere  and eat, or shop, or something to kill about an hour to
    make the wait in a  line somewhat bearable.  Chuck and Eileen said that
    they wanted to get it  over with, the 3 year old was getting cranky. 
    We ended up waiting in line  about 45 minutes.  Because of the line, we
    had a chance to look at the Ruby Slippers and props from Alien which I
    had whipped past the day before.  We  sat in the forward tram which had
    the interaction scene with the cowboys.

    The group of us returned to the Poly and I left them.

    That night, I went back to Pleasure Island and got the Zappy hour
    special.   I spent most of the night taking in the various scenes and
    watched what went  on behind the scenes.  I also spent several hours
    roller skating.  I skate  couples dance and some figures and when I
    first stepped on the floor, I  almost killed myself.  The floor was
    incredibly slippery.  I made a comment  the girl in the skate room and
    she said that people had complained before.   Apparently the problem
    comes from Disney traditions: keep it clean and  shiny!  The cleaning
    crew actually waxed the wooden floor on a regular  basis.  Before I
    left that night, I did put in a formal complaint about the  floor.  If
    it took me 30 minutes to adjust to the floor, and I skate  regularly,
    what about the poor soul who had never been?

    One nice part to the night was a quiz that I won.  During the night at 
    ZXFR's, the DJ would ask Disney trivia questions.  Some of the prizes
    were  Mugs, T-shirts, Bumper stickers and the like.  The question that
    I got  correct was "What was the name of the dog in Peter Pan?"  For
    answering  correctly with "Nana", I received a Pleasure Island street
    sign which is  hanging in my cubicle.


    Wednesday, 18-Oct-1989

    Today is going to be an exciting day.  I'm playing tour guide for my
    friend  Michael.  But this would be an extra special tour since I'll be
    showing him  some of the "internals" of Disney.  While discussing the
    possibility of  viewing the backstage areas, I told him that he had to
    be Disney approved  meaning he had to look the part.  Earlier in the
    week he went out and got  the hair off of his ears and collar and we
    were all set to go.

    After picking him up, we proceeded to the Disney property using the 
    back roads.  We came in from the Village and headed up the back way to
    Fort  Wilderness.  Unfortunately, I made a wrong turn and started to
    head onto a  road filled with what looked like warehouses.  It wasn't
    the warehouses that  interested me, but what was parked next to one of
    them.  Several of the  small and one of the large dragon boats from the
    Skylidescope show of the  1985-1987 EPCOT Center variety were sitting
    there.

    We got back on the right road and then proceeded past Fort Wilderness
    to the  TTC area, towards the Contemporary parking lot and then past
    the sign that  said "Employee Vehicles Only" into the backstage area. 
    I then headed  towards The Center Building.

    As we traveled, I pointed out the back of Space Mountain, and then the
    "round house" where the monorails and steam locomotives are stored.  I
    pointed out the North Services area where they have the various
    wood/metal/material working shops, food distribution, and Laundry. 
    Sitting in that area is a mock up model of the Spaceship Earth ride
    that had been running to help determine some mechanical
    wear/tear/stress.  I finally parked the car in the lot of The Center
    building showing Michael other points of interest like the Central
    Reservations Office (CRO), Dry Dock, Employee gas station, cast member
    parking, Kinder Care and Property Control. 

    Inside The Center Building, I went up to Cast Communications to pick up
    some  different literature about attractions and discounts.  I also
    picked up a  recent copy of "The Eyes and Ears", the company paper for
    the Florida  property.  I was hoping to get copies of Disneyland's
    local paper, but they  were out.  

    Inside of the building, they have original concept drawings, models,
    and  cels from different movies, attractions, shows, etc.  In the main
    lobby,  they had a display showing the art of window displays.  Both
    Michael and I  thought it was very interesting to see the work that
    goes into the window  displays.

    We piled back into the car and we left The Center parking lot and
    proceeded  back towards the Magic Kingdom back entrance but turned to
    head out towards  the Grand Floridian.  Along the way I pointed out the
    shooting location for  the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks, and another
    back entrance where they have  the production services buildings for
    the Magic Kingdom.  We drove through  the Grand Floridian parking lot
    past the front of the Polynesian and back to  the Contemporary where we
    parked.

    We walked over to the MK and entered the park.  From there we took the
    train  ride around the park and pointed out the various backstage
    areas.  Once back  on Main Street, we cut through a backstage area on
    Main Street East.  We saw  them unloading the tree that would become
    the Christmas tree that adorns  Town Square.  When we emerged we were
    in Tomorrowland next to the exit for  Dream Flight.  Since the ride was
    new, we got in the 2 second line.

    I thought the concept was rather ho hum, but the some of the effects
    were  neat.  I particularly liked the shadow effect of a rotating jet
    blade.  The  artwork throughout the ride is great.  The one scene that
    sticks out in my  mind in the scene from Paris where you are looking
    out over the roof tops.

    We went on Space Mountain and then proceeded to back towards Main
    Street when  we ducked down below into the infamous tunnels of the
    Magic Kingdom.  As we  walked along, I pointed out various work rooms,
    break areas and other items  of special interest.  For those of you who
    don't know, the tunnel system is like a circle sitting on a base with a
    line cutting the circle and an extra  line on one side.  Kinda like
    this:

                    Cast Members enter here
                       |->
                          | | Fantasyland
                       ----------
                      /      |   \
                     /       |    \
     Frontierland   /LS      |     |  Tomorrowland
            --------|        |     |
      Adventureland \        |     /
                     \       |    /
                      ------------
                        |      |  Main Street
                        --------
                        |      |
                        --------\
                                 \

    We walked from Tomorrowland towards Fantasyland.  In the Fantasyland
    area, I  showed Michael the locker rooms, wardrobe, cash control, the
    zoo crew area  and the Fantasyland Cafeteria.  The Cafe was down for
    rehab, but I showed Michael the pictures along the wall which showed
    various parts of the park  during construction.  Scenes include the
    castle having spires raised on  cranes, the Haunted Mansion main frame
    being put up, room compartments being installed into the Contemporary,
    Nautilus submarines being hauled in on flat  beds, and other such
    similar scenes.

    We came back up in Liberty Square, went through the Haunted Mansion,
    before  going back down into the tunnels.  I showed Michael some more
    of the tunnels  in the Adventureland/Frontierland areas and then we
    headed back to Main  Street.  There I showed him some more office
    areas, and the break room. We  then popped up into the park and took
    the monorail over to the Contemporary.  Once we were safely strapped
    into our seatbelts, we drove over to EPCOT  Center where we would spend
    the rest of the day.

    Going into the EPCOT Center parking lot, I beared to the right and
    parked in  the Handicapped/Bus parking area.  (shorter walk you know.) 
    One of the  first things Michael wanted to do was to visit Sea Base
    Alpha in the Living  Seas (presented by United Technologies)  Neither
    he nor I wanted to go  through the movie so we went in through the Cast
    Member door and ended up  directly where we wanted to go.

    The next stop was The Land.  I wanted to show Michael some of the
    little  "touches" that adorn the various attractions.  I pointed out
    the subtle  innuendo in the Kitchen Kabaret.  The Harvest Theater
    Pre-show area was good  for a few laughs along with the show itself.  I
    also ran into a few co-  workers from when I was there.  It was good to
    see them.

    We exited the pavilion through the back door and caught the cast member 
    bus.  We got off at the American Adventure and we went back into the
    on-stage  areas.  I was very very surprised to see the changes in the
    back stage area.   The road had to be depressed so that a bus could fit
    under a water bridge  that would connect the EPCOT Center lagoon with
    the new Swam/Dolphin/Beach Club/Yacht resorts. 

    Once back in the park, we headed over to Norway and did the Maelstrom
    before  going in the back to hop on the bus to get to the Wonders of
    Life  pavilion.  The pavilion was open to Cast members to go in and
    give the  operations folks a dry run before opening to the public. 
    Unfortunately, the  person at the back door asked for IDs.  I produced
    mine, but because Michael  didn't have one, the guy wouldn't let
    Michael into the pavilion.  The BS  job didn't work so Michael said
    that he would go over to EPCOT Outreach and  I would meet him there in
    an hour.

    While I was in the pavilion, I rode Body Wars, but Cranium Command was 
    down.  The anatomical players were done for the day and the Making of
    Me was  not ready yet.  Most of the hands on stuff was fun to play
    with, especially  the room that makes you look like a giant or midget. 
    My fear while I was in  there was that I would run into a supervisor or
    manager who knew me and they  might ask questions.  Luckily I didn't.

    At the appointed time, I met Michael at EPCOT Outreach and we visited 
    Imagination, Canada, UK, American Adventure, Italy, and back to Norway.
    The street theaters in both the UK and Italy are the best outdoor 
    entertainment going.  In Norway, Michael clued me in on the small
    exhibit  they have on Viking history.  It is inside the replica of the
    church at the  very front of the pavilion.  I am fascinated looking at
    the different  artifacts and this exhibit was no different.  

    I did find that Disney has a problem with the exhibit though.  The door
    is very large and very heavy. The door knob is in the middle of the
    door.  Numerous times while we were inside people tried the door but
    because of the weight and the leverage problem created by the handle
    location, they couldn't open it so they left. One lady with a cane had
    a particularly difficult time but she made it in. I told her that she
    should make a guest compliment/complaint at Earth Station.  She said
    she would. 

    I told Michael that there were several more such museum exhibits,
    including  one in China so we went over there and looked at the clocks.

    By this time it was now almost 9 and dinner from earlier (eaten
    backstage of  course...it's cheaper) was gone.  The stomach was
    rumbling for more.  We  went back to Norway for beer and deserts.  We
    ate outside and watched people  until 9:40ish when we left to get a
    spot for Illuminations.

    A clear spot up against the fence was found between Norway and China so
    we  staked our claim there.  Just as the show began, some foreign tour
    guests showed up and kept worming their way through the crowd up
    towards Michael  and myself.  One of the ladies was wearing a large
    brimmed hat that got into  the way of the view for many people.  A few
    people in the back were  grumbling and then I asked the lady to remove
    it.  She was indignant about  doing it.  I told her that people who had
    been waiting here longer than here  couldn't see through her hat.  With
    this she removed it and we all enjoyed  the rest of the show.

    By the time we left the park, I dropped off Michael, and I got back to
    my  hotel, it was 1 in the morning.  


    Thursday, 19-Oct-1989

    Today, I sleep late.  With all the rush rush, I need a break.  Today,
    is an  odd ball day with tasks to do.  First task of the day, head over
    to the  Disney Casting office with Resume in hand.  Disney interviews
    on the spot  for general park help and takes resumes for more skilled
    people and then  gets back to them.  I was not prepared to deal with
    what happened in the office. 

    The Casting Office is over in the Walt Disney World Village so I drove
    over  there. It's the funny building next to the Sun Bank Building. 
    The style is  like an Arabian castle.  I'm wearing sneakers, white
    socks, shorts, and a white polo shirt. The receptionist asks me to fill
    out a company application.  I did so and then I gave both the
    application and a copy of my resume to her.  She instructed me to have
    a seat. 

    During the wait I watched Lady and the Tramp which they had showing on 
    monitors in the waiting area.  I also ran into a couple of other people
    from  the same college program that I was on.  We talked for a few
    minutes before I was asked to go into the viewing room where a film was
    shown with "Bob".  Bob was a typical Disney Cast Member that gave the
    general guidelines for employment with Disney including PATA: Pay,
    Appearance, Transportation, and Attendance. 

    My seat in the waiting room hadn't a chance to warm up yet when I met
    with  the interviewer.  I was not expecting this at all. Doug
    introduced himself  and we went to his office.  He looked over my
    application and resume and was  shocked when we got to one part.  He
    asked me why I expected more than  $10/hour.  I said that I attended a
    vocational high school for Data  Processing, have a BS in computers,
    have many years experience with  computers and many years with Digital. 
    (During his into he mentioned that he  is originally from Winchester,
    MA so he is familiar with Digital).  I  continued with currently I am
    taking courses that will work towards an MBA  and that I am applying
    for a position higher than an operator who that are  giving $9.60 for a
    starting salary according to a hand out from the front  lobby;  With
    all of this experience and skill, I should be able to command  more
    than $10/hr.  He agreed, but said that he would say that they could 
    only offer me $9.60.

    He was looking through my resume when he said why hadn't I put down
    Disney  on the resume yet I said on the application that I had worked
    for the  company before.  I said that working attractions has nothing
    to do with the position for which I had applied.  He said that you
    should always put down prior experience with a company if you are
    applying to that company again. We then talked about who I knew in the
    company rather than what I knew about  computers.

    He said that he would contact the computer person and maybe do the
    interview  then.  I said if at all possible, I would prefer to have it
    after lunch so  that I could return to my hotel and change into
    suitable business clothing.   Doug said that he would try and left the
    room after giving me an old copy of  "The Eyes and Ears" to read.  When
    he returned he said that the computer  person wasn't available for an
    interview, but that my paperwork would be  forwarded on to her and that
    I should call back in the morning.  I said  Thank you and left.

    As an aside, the issue of the Eyes and Ears had an article about the
    Indiana  Jones Stunt Spectacular.  They were doing casting and opening
    it up to the  general cast member population.  If you had some
    dance/gymnastics skills and  fit some general physical characteristics,
    then you might be able to be a  regular part of the show.  They had
    also announced dates for auditions that  would be happening around the
    country.

    For lunch I went over to the Cast Member Cafeteria at the Village and
    had a  nice roast beef lunch before trekking back to the Magic Kingdom.

    Before going into the park, I stopped in the Contemporary to call a few 
    friends.  One of the people that I met on the College program who moved
    to  Florida, married a Disney Cast Member, and is working in the Disney 
    accounting department and I had a long chat during work hours.  We
    decided  that the next day we would get together at the Olive Garden
    near Crossroads  for lunch.

    I stayed in the Kingdom for a short time doing Big Thunder/Country 
    Bear/Pirates before going over to MGM.

    In MGM, I went back to the BST looking for Connie.  I lucked out, she
    was in  entry area sweeping up.  We chatted and she said that I could
    come with her. She was training some people and she left them in the
    cafeteria to memorize some of the 30 pages for the BST.  Connie
    introduced me to several people and we were all talking Disney and
    training and memorization "Good afternoon Ladies, gentlemen, and
    children of all ages..."  It was a fun way to spend 20 minutes.

    After Connie and her trainees left, I talked to a lady whose name I
    forget.   We talked about Disney pay and Universal Studios.  She said
    that Universal  employees had been on Disney property soliciting Disney
    Cast Members to go  to work for Universal.  She also said that they
    approached her and offered  her a higher position and more money.  She
    said that she was considering  their offer since she was unhappy with
    the money the mouse the paying.  She  then had to leave since her lunch
    break was over.

    The celebrity of the week was Dina Merrill and today was her day to
    play in  the cement.  Today is the hand print ceremony for Dina. 
    Unfortunately, she's an older star and I'm clueless as to who she is. 
    Some of he pictures that I took of her are some of my best with clarity
    and composition. 

    Something that I missed previously in MGM was the Sound Works.  You
    pass  through this area as you leave the Monster Sound Show.  I played
    around in  there for about 1/2 an hour.  The part I liked best in this
    hands on area  was the 3-D Sound booth.  I was amazed at the quality of
    the sound that was  played.  Isn't digital technology wonderful?

    When I left MGM, I got the car and went back to the hotel changed up
    before  proceeding back to Pleasure Island.  When I returned to the
    hotel, I noticed  that the 2 beers that I had left in the room were
    gone.  Nothing else  missing, just the beers.  Dinner was the free
    munchies at ZXFRs during the Zappy Hour.  After eating, I skated for a
    few hours.  It's funny to see how you can impress people just doing
    some basic footwork and dance steps.  I didn't even do them well. 

    While waiting in line for the Comedy Warehouse, I talked to the
    bartender  for a while.  He was from the Burlington, MA area
    originally.  During the  course of the conversation I asked if he had
    any good drinks and he  introduced me to something that I thought was
    pretty good.  It is called a  Sweet Tart.  It has Midori, Gin,
    Sweet/Sour, and a Sprite filler.  Kinda  like the Matsu from Japan, but
    without the pineapple juice.

    While sucking up the Sweet Tart, some people in line joined the
    conversation.  It was here that I started asking people about an escort
    service.  There was some interest shown.  If I had asked people earlier
    in the week, I probably could have paid for my vacation while I was on
    vacation.  And, I would have killed 2 birds with one stone.  For this
    particular show, I was one of the first people into the theater so I
    grabbed the table immediately to stage left.  I got to take the
    Peterson's picture for them and ham it up a bit!! 

    In the show there is one lady who has a squeeky voice.  Some of the
    roles  that she performs in the show are Fluffy and Tinkerbell.  I
    spoke to her afterwards about the show.  I told her that I enjoyed the
    show, but as a former cast member, I wondered about some of the
    terminology that they used. She said that they used incorrect terms
    because people don't know that the workers are called Cast Members,
    etc.  We only talked for a few minutes before she had to go.

    The last stop for the night was the Adventures Club.  Just watching the 
    characters interact with the crowd keeps me amused.  I also wondered if
    such  a bar could be established and successful in the Boston area.  I
    jotted down  a few mental notes before returning to the hotel.


    Friday, 20-Oct-1989

    Today was a late starting day (9pm).  I got up, had a snack, and then
    called  the Casting office and spoke to Doug.  He started off by saying
    that they  didn't have any DIGITAL computers in Florida, that they were
    all in  California.  He asked if I would like my resume forwarded out
    there.  "No,"  I answered, "I'm not interested in moving out there. 
    Besides, I know that  you have Digital machinery down there"  We then
    haggled for a few minutes  about invoices and billing that I had seen
    showing that some Digital  machinery was in use on the Florida
    property.  

    Doug continued the conversation dealing with my experience.  He said
    that  because I didn't have any UNISYS experience that they could offer
    me a  position, but as an assistant computer operator for $6-7/hour. 
    But, there  was no guarantee for promotion or pay raise.  I said that
    under those  conditions, I would have to turn them down.

    Once the phone call was over, I finished getting dressed and headed
    over to the Disney Village.  But before I left the hotel, I stopped at
    the front  desk and reported the missing beer.  I shopped for about an
    hour or so when I headed over to the Olive Garden to meet with
    Danielle.  We had a great time. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay that
    long.  She's in the accounting department and they were in the year end
    process so she had to get back to the office.  Danielle did tell me
    that her husband was trying to transfer from Transportation to being a
    maintenance person in the backstage areas but the union was some really
    strange rules.  As a result John was having a problem trying to
    transfer. 

    Danielle departed for work and I headed towards Kissimmee to talk to a
    real  estate broker to try to find out some information about the area. 
    The broker  was trying to have me look at a development out in the St.
    Cloud area.  I'm  not interested in buying in the boonies of Florida. 
    I did discover that a 3  bed room, 2 bath house goes for $30-80,000
    depending on fix up conditions.  Gee, with my current salary in
    Florida, I could afford that! 

    Next stop, shopping on International Drive.  I couldn't go home empty
    handed  otherwise my name would have been mud with lots of people. 
    During the  latter part of the week I had been trying to make contact
    with one of the  College Program staff.  Contact was finally made from
    a pay phone in the Belz  Factory outlet at 4pm on a Friday afternoon. 
    The secretary was funny.  When  I asked her to take a message and said
    that I was sorry we missed each  other, and that I would try again next
    time I was on vacation, the secretary  was able to get Leslie on the
    phone.

    Leslie and I talked for about 10 minutes before she had to go for
    another  phone call.  I told her what transpired during the job
    interview and the  call back. Leslie gave me her home number and her
    EPCOT Center and MGM office numbers and said that the next time I come
    down, contact her and she'll put me in direct contact with the computer
    department. 

    The rest of the afternoon were spent touring around Orlando and 
    Kissimmee.  One area that I checked out was the new Universal Studios
    area.   You can't see much of the studios for any detail from the road.

    That night I went to the Polynesian to hang around.  I did some window 
    shopping at the different stores.  My swim stuff was in the car so I
    figured  why not.  I changed and used the pool with the slide.  Did a
    few dives into  the deep end.  No flips, of course.  The waterfall had
    a very soothing  effect when you stood under it just right.  The water
    hitting my shoulders  was like a nice massage.  I stayed for a few
    hours before returning to my  hotel.


    Saturday, 21-Oct-1990

    Today is another EPCOT Center day with Chuck and Family.  Nothing
    really  notable was done.  After a busy day we went back to the
    Polynesian and had  sundaes.  Boy, were they big and very caloric. 

    This night at the Kingdom was a special event called "Expose after
    Dark."   The had a number of performers  throughout the park with the
    headliners  performing in front of the castle being Expose.  I debated
    on whether or not  to pay the 20 bucks to get in.  I decided not to.

    Instead of going to the Kingdom, I took night pictures from the
    Polynesian  and on top of the Contemporary.  From the top of the
    Contemporary I was able  to see the Electric Water Pageant 3 times. 
    From both the Poly and  Contemporary I could hear Expose performing. 
    Everytime I hear "When I  looked at Him" on the radio, my mind
    automatically remembers that night with  hearing the sounds wafting
    over the Seven Seas Lagoon, seeing the lighting on the castle change
    from reds to blues, feeling the dew laden grass as I knelt to adjust
    the camera, and the cool night breezes that caused me to zip  my
    jacket.

    A tip for the night picture taking.  My camera is a Nikon N200 that is 
    almost auto everything.  The camera has an aperture setting that once I
    set  the aperture, it determines the length of exposure.  Using this
    feature I  got some nice shots but some were better than others.  All
    of the pictures  came out, but some were grainier/fuzzier than others. 
    After thinking back,  I used with f2.2 or f22 with all else being equal
    (film manufacturer, speed,  number of exposures, etc).  The f2.2 were
    the ones that came out fuzzy.  The  f22 shots were very clear.  So if
    your camera will figure out the light  exposure for you and you can
    control the aperture setting, using the  highest numbered f-stop that
    you have will produce clearer/sharper pictures.

    When I left, I drove down the North-South Road which is the main access
    road  to the property from 192 and I4.  I stopped along the side of the
    road and  took a couple of shots of the Earful Tower.


    Sunday, 22-Oct-1990

    Last full day.  Bummer.  Today is Typhoon Lagoon Day.  The park opened
    about  10 and closed at 5 if I remember correctly.  You can see Note
    5.36 about my  overall impression there.  On the way out of the park, I
    bought a polo shirt that had a Typhoon Lagoon logo embroidered on the
    left chest.  It is one of my favorite shirt now, it is so soft and
    comfortable.   I also managed to  get a slight sunburn.  

    One difference that I noticed between the large number of European
    visitors  and the Americans is the use of bikini type swim suits. A
    large number of European guests were wearing the skimpy suit no matter
    what their weight.  Most overweight Americans would think several times
    before putting on a  bikini style suit.  This just goes to show some of
    the differences between  us and our cousins from across the big pond.

    Last night at Pleasure Island and Zappy Hour.  This time I brought my
    fully auto everything camera.  I didn't take too many pictures though. 
    Someone left an empty PI mug around in the bathroom.  This one and the
    one from the  first night at PI now make a nice set.

    Mannequins was the main hangout tonight.  I spent a considerable amount
    of  time just people watching and looking at the technical set up of
    the place.   I'm surprised that someone didn't get hurt on the dance
    floor.  Many times  the people dancing close to the end placed on foot
    on the stationary floor  while the main floor kept revolving.  I guess
    they had too many in them so  they managed to keep their awkward sense
    of balance and didn't fall.

    The night wasn't a long night.  I had to get back to the hotel and pack 
    everything for a late morning departure.



    Monday, 23-Oct-1990

    Nothing eventful to report here other than checkout and the rent-a-car 
    agency.  When I checked out the girl behind the counter said that they 
    couldn't find out what happened to the beer from my room.  She
    apologized  for the inconvenience.  Later when I closely checked the
    bill, I noticed that  they missed charging me for a day.  Whether that
    was related to the missing  beer, I'm not sure.

    The rent-a-car return problems can be found in note 38.46.

    When I returned home, I really needed at least 2 more days to recover
    from  everything that I did.

    It had been 18 months since my last visit to the Florida Property.  A 
    considerable amount of change had occurred.  Some for the good, some
    for the  worse.  The good being the new attractions, pavilions, and
    parks had  opened.  The bad were items that an ordinary guest wouldn't
    have noticed to  readily.  Some of you have noticed that the cast
    members aren't as friendly  as they used to be.  I have noticed that
    the parks aren't as clean as they  used to be.  I was very upset about
    what happened during the job interview,  but I guess the old saying
    holds true, it's not what you know, but who you  know.

    I loved playing tour guide for both Chuck, Eileen, and Chris and
    Michael.   It's a way for me to show off what I know, and for them to
    get around  quicker and get more information about the parks