PassPorter Community - Message Boards and Forums - View Single Post - 1999 Weekend Adventure

**statelady01** · 03-23-2003, 10:42 PM

Weekend Adventure 1999

The Cast:

Maureen Austin (This is Me, your hard at work TR author)
Kevin Patrick Austin ( At the time of the trip, 4 years old and already a WDW veteran)
Chrissie Hackney ( My best friend in the whole world and Disney Novice)
Cody Hackney (Chrissie’s oldest son and also 4 years old- 1st Timer!)

Our report begins with me pacing on my laurels and Kevin sitting on top of his suitcase in our Tallahassee apartment on July 16, 1999. Chrissie and Cody were supposed to be picking us up by 11:00 am, however the time is now 11:15 and I am just ready to go. They arrive, we pack up, and we are off.

I wanted to give Cody a preview so we stop at the Ocala Welcome Center on I-75. We stop in- Kevin and Cody insist on lots of pictures with the big Mickey on the outside of the building. Kevin announces to every CM “ We are going to Disney World!” which makes all of us chuckle. After wandering around in the store, a potty break and confirming our reservations at All Star Movies, we venture onward.

We take the “back way” to WDW property- going on US 27 and we land at All Star Movies roughly about 3:30 pm. We pulled into the main parking lot and approached Cinema Hall which the boys were amazed by. The line for check in was nothing short of a long, winding mass of what looked like tired parents and over zealous, giddy kids. The wait to check in lasted nearly 45 minutes. Chrissie and I did an “adult swap” of sorts- one of us took the kids walking and the other waited in line, then we switched off. Finally, I reached the hallowed ground of a long desk and a friendly cast member. Check in was a breeze and we bought our passes right then as well.

We decided to take the car over to the nearest parking lot to our building and handle luggage by ourselves. Luckily, we were in the 101 Dalmatians section, virtually next door to Cinema Hall and the main common areas. We also were on the top floor and I told Kevin we were going to “live up” – his term for being on a high floor (not sure where it came from, but cute all the same) and he was delighted.

I was apprehensive as I stuck the card in the door and worried from what I heard, that I would find a shoe box for a hotel room. I was super impressed. Sure, the room was smaller than most but it was plenty big enough for the four of us and the décor was Disney theming at it’s best. The kids were full of “Oooh, look at this and Hey, what’s that” type jargon and it took us quite awhile to tear them away from the popcorn box lights on the walls. What finally did work was a promise to ride the Disney bus to Downtown Disney and some much needed FOOD!!! We unpacked pretty quickly as this was a short weekend trip.

The buses by this time (approx 5 pm) were crowded from the parks and the one we caught to Downtown Disney was equally crowded too. We passed the McDonald’s down by the All Stars and both boys made their high pitched requests to eat there. Chrissie and I both informed them that we weren’t going to eat McDonald’s while at Disney World. This is an irony of sorts, as we shall see a few paragraphs from now.

We disembarked at Downtown Disney and began our adventure here at the World of Disney. I immediately snatched up a few items for gifts for Dad at home and we took a long time in the Christmas areas. The boys spotted the Lego Areas so we parked ourselves on a bench nearby and watched them play. After a good deal of time, there we decided it was time for a much needed dinner.

We were so tired by this point and didn’t really want to do a sit down so we ended up, here’s the irony, at McDonald’s. Kevin and Cody giggled at us mercilessly when we relented. It was hot, crowded and well, McDonald’s food- the only complaint voiced was from Kevin who stated matter of factly that if this McDonald’s was at Disney World, then the chicken nuggets should be Mickey shaped. That had me chuckling the whole night!!

We left Downtown Disney about 9 pm and the bus ride back to All Star Movies seemed to take quite awhile. On the way back to the room, we stopped in at the food court and gift shops. We bought our mugs and came back to the room. The boys got their baths and fell asleep watching the Disney Channel.

Chrissie and I propped the door open with our trash can so we could hear the boys if they needed us and we stood at the balcony, people watching and talking. At about 11:30, we called it a night as it was going to be up and at em’ early in the morning for Magic Kingdom!!

Coming Up:

Day 2: Magic Kingdom, The Mickey Muffin and “This is Boring!”

[ 03-28-2003, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: statelady01 ]

03-23-2003, 10:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
statelady01 PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Explorer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Davenport, Florida- 10 miles from WDW! Posts: 10,278	1999 Weekend Adventure - Final Day Added! Weekend Adventure 1999 The Cast: Maureen Austin (This is Me, your hard at work TR author) Kevin Patrick Austin ( At the time of the trip, 4 years old and already a WDW veteran) Chrissie Hackney ( My best friend in the whole world and Disney Novice) Cody Hackney (Chrissie’s oldest son and also 4 years old- 1st Timer!) Our report begins with me pacing on my laurels and Kevin sitting on top of his suitcase in our Tallahassee apartment on July 16, 1999. Chrissie and Cody were supposed to be picking us up by 11:00 am, however the time is now 11:15 and I am just ready to go. They arrive, we pack up, and we are off. I wanted to give Cody a preview so we stop at the Ocala Welcome Center on I-75. We stop in- Kevin and Cody insist on lots of pictures with the big Mickey on the outside of the building. Kevin announces to every CM “ We are going to Disney World!” which makes all of us chuckle. After wandering around in the store, a potty break and confirming our reservations at All Star Movies, we venture onward. We take the “back way” to WDW property- going on US 27 and we land at All Star Movies roughly about 3:30 pm. We pulled into the main parking lot and approached Cinema Hall which the boys were amazed by. The line for check in was nothing short of a long, winding mass of what looked like tired parents and over zealous, giddy kids. The wait to check in lasted nearly 45 minutes. Chrissie and I did an “adult swap” of sorts- one of us took the kids walking and the other waited in line, then we switched off. Finally, I reached the hallowed ground of a long desk and a friendly cast member. Check in was a breeze and we bought our passes right then as well. We decided to take the car over to the nearest parking lot to our building and handle luggage by ourselves. Luckily, we were in the 101 Dalmatians section, virtually next door to Cinema Hall and the main common areas. We also were on the top floor and I told Kevin we were going to “live up” – his term for being on a high floor (not sure where it came from, but cute all the same) and he was delighted. I was apprehensive as I stuck the card in the door and worried from what I heard, that I would find a shoe box for a hotel room. I was super impressed. Sure, the room was smaller than most but it was plenty big enough for the four of us and the décor was Disney theming at it’s best. The kids were full of “Oooh, look at this and Hey, what’s that” type jargon and it took us quite awhile to tear them away from the popcorn box lights on the walls. What finally did work was a promise to ride the Disney bus to Downtown Disney and some much needed FOOD!!! We unpacked pretty quickly as this was a short weekend trip. The buses by this time (approx 5 pm) were crowded from the parks and the one we caught to Downtown Disney was equally crowded too. We passed the McDonald’s down by the All Stars and both boys made their high pitched requests to eat there. Chrissie and I both informed them that we weren’t going to eat McDonald’s while at Disney World. This is an irony of sorts, as we shall see a few paragraphs from now. We disembarked at Downtown Disney and began our adventure here at the World of Disney. I immediately snatched up a few items for gifts for Dad at home and we took a long time in the Christmas areas. The boys spotted the Lego Areas so we parked ourselves on a bench nearby and watched them play. After a good deal of time, there we decided it was time for a much needed dinner. We were so tired by this point and didn’t really want to do a sit down so we ended up, here’s the irony, at McDonald’s. Kevin and Cody giggled at us mercilessly when we relented. It was hot, crowded and well, McDonald’s food- the only complaint voiced was from Kevin who stated matter of factly that if this McDonald’s was at Disney World, then the chicken nuggets should be Mickey shaped. That had me chuckling the whole night!! We left Downtown Disney about 9 pm and the bus ride back to All Star Movies seemed to take quite awhile. On the way back to the room, we stopped in at the food court and gift shops. We bought our mugs and came back to the room. The boys got their baths and fell asleep watching the Disney Channel. Chrissie and I propped the door open with our trash can so we could hear the boys if they needed us and we stood at the balcony, people watching and talking. At about 11:30, we called it a night as it was going to be up and at em’ early in the morning for Magic Kingdom!! Coming Up: Day 2: Magic Kingdom, The Mickey Muffin and “This is Boring!” [ 03-28-2003, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: statelady01 ]