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tikibird · 03-29-2003, 07:57 PM

Okay, since we're reminiscing - thought I would share this report that I actually wrote back in 2000 (was posted on Mouseplanet). This was my first time back to the World in 20 years!!!

The pics aren't that great, as the company that scanned them didn't so a very good job, but I'm too lazy to scan them over, - it's also interesting to see how our perspectives on some things have changed over the past several years.....so here goes....

Who:
Sandy (myself), age 37, last trip to WDW in 1980, first in 1978. To Orlando for Computer World's Technical Recruiting and Retention Conference and as much as WDW as she can possibly squeeze in! Slight preference to DL, where she went in April of 1999.
Craig , Sandy's son, age 19, first trip to WDW and on an airplane. Begins trip skeptical of Disney in general and whether he will enjoy the trip.
Scott , Sandy's brother, age 22, fifth trip to WDW. Last trip 1996, first 1982. Big WDW fan.
When: May 19-24, 2000

Day 1
We left the house at 6:00 a.m. for the airport. My father dropped us off at the US Airways check-in at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, which took 45 minutes. People had already boarded by the time we got to the gate, and the flight left on time at 7:45 a.m. We arrived in the Orlando airport a bit early at 9:45 a.m. Craig was impressed that the airport transport went outside, and was amazed to see a palm tree for the very first time! ("Take a picture, take a picture!') We proceeded to the Budget Rental Car check-in. I had reserved a compact car for a week at a cost of 209.99 minus a 15% discount for booking on the internet. We got a Gold Contour which was plenty big for the three of us and our luggage.

Just one wrong turn going to the hotel, which landed us at a discount souvenir shop. Craig realized at the airport that he only had one pair of boxers, as my husband had washed his others that morning and placed them in his drawer, not his suitcase. Thus began our search for underwear. The souvenir shop didn't have any, but Craig found a cool cheesy souvenir of frogs under a palm tree for $5.99 and Scott got a new carry-on (his was really worn) for $13.99.
We proceed to the Best Western Lake Buena Vista.

I am impressed from the time we drive up, knowing that I paid 89.95 for the first two nights and 79.95 for the last three. The hotel is very well landscaped. We are not yet able to check into our room, as it is 11:30 a.m., but we register and drop off our luggage and head straight to the Disney gift shop onsite to purchase E tickets for the evening. (TIP: This hotel allows guests to buy E tickets even though not an official Disney resort, but on Disney property.)

The woman in the gift shop is a bit confused, but we finally get our E Tickets and head off to find something to eat. No flames here, but McDonald's is across the road, cheap and quick. I was actually impressed with the Disney memorabilia displayed. I ordered the Crispy Chicken sandwich, which was actually not too bad. The new Dinosaur promotion is running and between the three of us, we win four food prizes. This must be why we never win anything back in Pittsburgh - all the prizes are distributed in Orlando!

We head to MGM studios after lunch. Overall, the park is not too crowded, which is surprising, as it is a Star Wars Weekend day. We walk right on to the Tower of Terror. This has great themeing, but I am a bit disappointed in the drops. I thought they would be a bit more thrilling.

We get a Fast Pass for the R-n-R and get on the Great Movie Ride. We had to wait around 10 minutes to get on this. I was really impressed with the animatronics, and the recreation of Mann's Theater.

Back to the R-n-R. We walk right on with the Fast Pass. Standby is 45 min. This ride ROCKS! What a great ride! Scott, who is a big Aerosmith fan, is overjoyed! He picks up a T-shirt in the gift shop, and I get a floaty pen.

By this time, we are parched. We find a stand that sells frozen Cokes for $2.50. Aaaahhh!
Next is Muppets. We wait around 10 minutes for this, but the preshow is fun. The show itself is delightful! Craig is disappointed that there are not more Muppet souvenirs in the gift shop.
I tell the boys I will sit out Star Tours, as I did not like this at DL, but at the last minute decide to go on. Wasn't quite as bad as I remember (I get motion sickness), but Craig was as white as a ghost and clammy when we got off! He picked up the Star Wars general pin and Darth Vader pin to resell on Ebay. I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but it was neat to see Luke Skywalker and friends posing for pictures around the ST area.

Next we walked down NY Street. Very cool! Scott took a picture of me lifting a truck!
The Backlot Tour was next. This was somewhat disappointing, but the highlight was seeing Walt's personal airplane.

By this time we are tired and cranky, but Scott talks Craig and I into going on the magic of Disney Animation Tour. We are told there will be a fourteen minute wait, and that the tour will take 40-50 minutes. I want to cry, but Scott really wants to see this. I'm really glad we stayed. This was very interesting and informative. I got to see an animator draw my favorite, Pooh, and the clips of favorite animation at the end was wonderful.

We are now in search of supplies for the room and underwear for Craig. Where can we find both? Gooding's Grocery Store in Crossroads across from the Lake Buena Vista Hotels. This place is incredibly expensive, but we get pop, juice, bananas (79 cents a pound!), underwear, and snacks.

We eat dinner at Pizzeria Uno's at Crossroads. Our waitress, Anastasia, is wonderful! I get the grilled chicken salad, which is wonderful, and costs $7.99. Craig has a spicy chicken sandwich, which he enjoys, as does Scott, with his fettuccini Alfredo.

We now head back to the hotel to settle in. I am remember the confused woman at the Disney gift shop and decide to look at my e ticket. It is not for tonight, but the 23rd! We were planning to go then, anyway, so we go back to the Disney gift shop and get the E ticket for that evening. We then head up to our room.

We are on the 11th floor, with a balcony facing the parks, as I had requested. The room is very spacious and nicely decorated. The cot and fridge I ordered are not there, but arrive within 30 minutes after I call the front desk. This room is comparable, even a bit larger, to the one I had at the Anaheim Hilton last year at $160 a night. I'm impressed.

I'm very tired at this point, so we decide to take the hotel shuttle over to the MK. We get there around 9:30 p.m. (E ticket is 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.), and get the ferry. There are only 4 other people on board beside the crew, and this is a beautiful introduction to the MK!
When we get to Main Street there are hoards of people leaving. Others are waiting for the fireworks. We get our wristbands at City Hall and head straight to Tomorrowland. First ride - Timekeeper - wait 5 min. This was cute, but I wouldn't go on it again.

Next, Alien Adventure - walk right on. This is okay, but a bit mean spirited! I also don't like having the harness around my shoulders. Buzz Lightyear is next - walk right on. Craig loves this ride, so we go on twice. I get 999,999 both times - can't imagine why, but the boys are envious! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] We wait 5 minutes for Space Mountain. This seems a bit longer than the one at DL. Craig doesn't like it , as he is very tall, and felt that he had to duck or lose his head!

We next go to Liberty Square and the HM. 5 minute wait. Craig is impressed with his first time seeing this. We walk right on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is cool at night! Last ride - Splash Mountain. Again, walk right on. This ride is great, although, I don't think the drop is quite as steep as DL? I buy our picture to remember this awesome day.

We meet up with Scott's favorite, Goofy, before we leave the park

We head back to the bus around 12:30 a.m., as we are exhausted. I see a real live mouse on the way to the bus and say "Ah, ah, ah!"
Back to the hotel and in bed at 1:55 a.m. Wonderful day!

03-29-2003, 07:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
tikibird Community Rank: Navigator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Pittsburgh, PA , USA Posts: 6,148	Tikibird\'s May 2000 trip - Return to the World after a 20-year hiatus! Okay, since we're reminiscing - thought I would share this report that I actually wrote back in 2000 (was posted on Mouseplanet). This was my first time back to the World in 20 years!!! The pics aren't that great, as the company that scanned them didn't so a very good job, but I'm too lazy to scan them over, - it's also interesting to see how our perspectives on some things have changed over the past several years.....so here goes.... Who: Sandy (myself), age 37, last trip to WDW in 1980, first in 1978. To Orlando for Computer World's Technical Recruiting and Retention Conference and as much as WDW as she can possibly squeeze in! Slight preference to DL, where she went in April of 1999. Craig , Sandy's son, age 19, first trip to WDW and on an airplane. Begins trip skeptical of Disney in general and whether he will enjoy the trip. Scott , Sandy's brother, age 22, fifth trip to WDW. Last trip 1996, first 1982. Big WDW fan. When: May 19-24, 2000 Day 1 We left the house at 6:00 a.m. for the airport. My father dropped us off at the US Airways check-in at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, which took 45 minutes. People had already boarded by the time we got to the gate, and the flight left on time at 7:45 a.m. We arrived in the Orlando airport a bit early at 9:45 a.m. Craig was impressed that the airport transport went outside, and was amazed to see a palm tree for the very first time! ("Take a picture, take a picture!') We proceeded to the Budget Rental Car check-in. I had reserved a compact car for a week at a cost of 209.99 minus a 15% discount for booking on the internet. We got a Gold Contour which was plenty big for the three of us and our luggage. Just one wrong turn going to the hotel, which landed us at a discount souvenir shop. Craig realized at the airport that he only had one pair of boxers, as my husband had washed his others that morning and placed them in his drawer, not his suitcase. Thus began our search for underwear. The souvenir shop didn't have any, but Craig found a cool cheesy souvenir of frogs under a palm tree for $5.99 and Scott got a new carry-on (his was really worn) for $13.99. We proceed to the Best Western Lake Buena Vista. I am impressed from the time we drive up, knowing that I paid 89.95 for the first two nights and 79.95 for the last three. The hotel is very well landscaped. We are not yet able to check into our room, as it is 11:30 a.m., but we register and drop off our luggage and head straight to the Disney gift shop onsite to purchase E tickets for the evening. (TIP: This hotel allows guests to buy E tickets even though not an official Disney resort, but on Disney property.) The woman in the gift shop is a bit confused, but we finally get our E Tickets and head off to find something to eat. No flames here, but McDonald's is across the road, cheap and quick. I was actually impressed with the Disney memorabilia displayed. I ordered the Crispy Chicken sandwich, which was actually not too bad. The new Dinosaur promotion is running and between the three of us, we win four food prizes. This must be why we never win anything back in Pittsburgh - all the prizes are distributed in Orlando! We head to MGM studios after lunch. Overall, the park is not too crowded, which is surprising, as it is a Star Wars Weekend day. We walk right on to the Tower of Terror. This has great themeing, but I am a bit disappointed in the drops. I thought they would be a bit more thrilling. We get a Fast Pass for the R-n-R and get on the Great Movie Ride. We had to wait around 10 minutes to get on this. I was really impressed with the animatronics, and the recreation of Mann's Theater. Back to the R-n-R. We walk right on with the Fast Pass. Standby is 45 min. This ride ROCKS! What a great ride! Scott, who is a big Aerosmith fan, is overjoyed! He picks up a T-shirt in the gift shop, and I get a floaty pen. By this time, we are parched. We find a stand that sells frozen Cokes for $2.50. Aaaahhh! Next is Muppets. We wait around 10 minutes for this, but the preshow is fun. The show itself is delightful! Craig is disappointed that there are not more Muppet souvenirs in the gift shop. I tell the boys I will sit out Star Tours, as I did not like this at DL, but at the last minute decide to go on. Wasn't quite as bad as I remember (I get motion sickness), but Craig was as white as a ghost and clammy when we got off! He picked up the Star Wars general pin and Darth Vader pin to resell on Ebay. I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but it was neat to see Luke Skywalker and friends posing for pictures around the ST area. Next we walked down NY Street. Very cool! Scott took a picture of me lifting a truck! The Backlot Tour was next. This was somewhat disappointing, but the highlight was seeing Walt's personal airplane. By this time we are tired and cranky, but Scott talks Craig and I into going on the magic of Disney Animation Tour. We are told there will be a fourteen minute wait, and that the tour will take 40-50 minutes. I want to cry, but Scott really wants to see this. I'm really glad we stayed. This was very interesting and informative. I got to see an animator draw my favorite, Pooh, and the clips of favorite animation at the end was wonderful. We are now in search of supplies for the room and underwear for Craig. Where can we find both? Gooding's Grocery Store in Crossroads across from the Lake Buena Vista Hotels. This place is incredibly expensive, but we get pop, juice, bananas (79 cents a pound!), underwear, and snacks. We eat dinner at Pizzeria Uno's at Crossroads. Our waitress, Anastasia, is wonderful! I get the grilled chicken salad, which is wonderful, and costs $7.99. Craig has a spicy chicken sandwich, which he enjoys, as does Scott, with his fettuccini Alfredo. We now head back to the hotel to settle in. I am remember the confused woman at the Disney gift shop and decide to look at my e ticket. It is not for tonight, but the 23rd! We were planning to go then, anyway, so we go back to the Disney gift shop and get the E ticket for that evening. We then head up to our room. We are on the 11th floor, with a balcony facing the parks, as I had requested. The room is very spacious and nicely decorated. The cot and fridge I ordered are not there, but arrive within 30 minutes after I call the front desk. This room is comparable, even a bit larger, to the one I had at the Anaheim Hilton last year at $160 a night. I'm impressed. I'm very tired at this point, so we decide to take the hotel shuttle over to the MK. We get there around 9:30 p.m. (E ticket is 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.), and get the ferry. There are only 4 other people on board beside the crew, and this is a beautiful introduction to the MK! When we get to Main Street there are hoards of people leaving. Others are waiting for the fireworks. We get our wristbands at City Hall and head straight to Tomorrowland. First ride - Timekeeper - wait 5 min. This was cute, but I wouldn't go on it again. Next, Alien Adventure - walk right on. This is okay, but a bit mean spirited! I also don't like having the harness around my shoulders. Buzz Lightyear is next - walk right on. Craig loves this ride, so we go on twice. I get 999,999 both times - can't imagine why, but the boys are envious! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] We wait 5 minutes for Space Mountain. This seems a bit longer than the one at DL. Craig doesn't like it , as he is very tall, and felt that he had to duck or lose his head! We next go to Liberty Square and the HM. 5 minute wait. Craig is impressed with his first time seeing this. We walk right on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is cool at night! Last ride - Splash Mountain. Again, walk right on. This ride is great, although, I don't think the drop is quite as steep as DL? I buy our picture to remember this awesome day. We meet up with Scott's favorite, Goofy, before we leave the park We head back to the bus around 12:30 a.m., as we are exhausted. I see a real live mouse on the way to the bus and say "Ah, ah, ah!" Back to the hotel and in bed at 1:55 a.m. Wonderful day!