Our Trip of a Lifetime - The report! About This Page:

[Cruella]

Day 7 - Wednesday, Nov. 1st

Today was another early rising (groan) and a quick breakfast at Gasparilla's, once again using our wonderful mugs for drinks, and then it was off to MGM studios. I had tried to book the Dinner and a show package for Fantasmic, but, alas, there were no openings. We also had 5:00 PM reservations for the Brown Derby, but we realized that if we were going to see Fantasmic, we would have to give up on having dinner there, so I canceled our reservation as soon as we got there. What a shame! I did so want to see what that restaurant was like! But seeing Fantasmic was much more important to us, so Brown Derby will just have to wait for our next trip!

We also decided to rent a wheelchair for Andrew today at the park. He has shin splints and his legs had been bothering him for the past couple of days, so we decided he needed a little help with getting around. I also felt better walking around when I pushed him, since I had something to lean on when we were in line!

Our first attraction at the Studios was The Great Movie Ride. This was one of the few things that Andrew remembered from his first trip. He had gone on it with me 3 or 4 times, while Tim, David, my brother and sister did some of the more thrilling rides. David was also looking forward to this and so was Marilynn. We had a wonderful CM on this ride! We were in the front row right behind the driver because of Marilynn and Andrew being wheelchairs, and she took every opportunity to give us the inside scoop on some of the movies that they showcase. For example, did you know that before they settled on Johnny Weissmuller for Tarzan, they had actually considered another actor for the role? None other than Clark Gable! I found this to be very funny, since he wouldn't have needed vines to get around; he could have flapped his ears and flown like Dumbo! The gangster that we got also paid quite a bit of attention to Andrew and myself, telling us that he would be happy to shoot us since we were so vocal! It was a lot of fun and we decided when we left that we would visit again and request the cowboy side.

Our next stop was Star Tours and we were surprised to see that the wait was long enough that we would be better off getting a FastPass. This done, we headed over to the Studios Backlot Tour, stopping at the Singing In The Rain umbrella. David was quite upset when the water started, saying he didn't know we were gonna get wet! We saw the special effects sea battle, starring two members of the tour that were really good, and then went on the ride to Catastrophe Canyon, which was a big hit with the boys. They liked seeing the various vehicles that were in the 'graveyard' as well, since they recognized some of them from their favorite movies!

We then went back to use our FastPasses on Star Tours. The boys are big fans of the Star Wars series of films and this ride made them feel as if they were in the movie! We had to spend a little time in the gift shop afterwards, of course, and Tim and I wondered when they had replaced Darth Vader with the Energizer Bunny! I had noticed the posters on the wall as we left the attraction, too. No doubt about who sponsors this ride!

Backstage Pass was next, and we learned all about how they used a mixture of real animals and audio-animatronics to achieve the special effects in '101 Dalmatians'. We also got to see the back of the set for Sheena (big deal - I could have lived without seeing the back of the flats!) and the two sound stages that they had opened up in preparation for the new 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' game that they are starting next Spring. I found the info on this to be very interesting. The audience in the set will be the audience help, but the tour group will be the 'phone a friend' help. The contestant will get to ask a tour member for help on his answer. Seems to be a bit of a logistics problem to me (how do they know a tour will be going thru just when the contestant asks for 'phone a friend'?) but I'm sure everything will work out in the end. I also happened to know that the next day, Thursday, they would be holding open auditions for the future 'Regis Philbins' who be the emcees for the show. Oh, if only I had the guts to audition! Surely, if Regis can do, I can do it! J

Then it was on to the best part of the tour, for me! We got to see the sets of Cruella's home in 101 Dalmatians and several of Glenn Close's costumes. It amuses me how she was able to turn Cruella into a fashion plate, as opposed to the tacky representation in the original animated version. Those costumes were gorgeous! Having recently seen the new movie, I noticed that she became even more chic in that!

Now it was time for our 12:20 PS at Sci Fi Diner, so we went to check in there and were lucky enough to get a car to sit in (well, the boys were impressed, but I think Marilynn was a little less than thrilled!). We loved those trailers and we had a great lunch of burgers, fries and those delicious shakes that they do so well there!

After lunch, we did the Muppets 3D attraction, where I was disappointed not to be able to stop inside the door to check under the mat for the key. But I did point out the Net Full of Jello to everyone and we all enjoyed this presentation. The boys especially liked the interactive theatre and the cannon blast.

We next went off to the Hunchback show which was a first for all of us. This show was fantastic! It started with a preshow done by Matt the Juggler, who was great! Very funny and entertaining. Then, we saw a condensed version of the Hunchback story with some really excellent performers in the lead roles. Unfortunately, we were all so tired and full of lunch, that a few of us did start to nod off in this show, but we applauded loudly and enthusiastically at the conclusion!

We walked around New York Avenue for a while, listening to a great jazz group playing there and appreciating the effect of forced perspective that they use to make you believe that you are in the midst of all those skyscrapers. I travel to NYC twice a week for work, so it's a sight I'm very familiar with, and this view of it still impresses me.

We then decided to work our way over to Fantasmic. We knew we would have to be there early, but when we got to the theatre, we were practically the only ones there! Since we had the two wheelchairs, we were escorted down to the first row, right in the center. You couldn't have asked for better seats! I do want to warn you, though, that in this position you will definitely get wet during the parts with the water screens. By the time the fire came, we were all glad to warm up a little!

The CMs here were great, talking to us and making the time before the show started go very fast! We decided to have hot dogs and popcorn for dinner, which they sell in the theatre. They even have people circulating with these things and drinks and ice cream up until the actual show starts. One of the CMs had the Mickey Mouse hands and was getting the audience to do the wave back and forth in the theatre. Delman the Bellman was great too! He picked this poor guy to help him and then ridiculed him when he couldn't get more than one plate spinning at a time. I'm certainly glad he didn't pick me to help him. We had a guy sitting behind us that worked at WDW and was there with his parents. He was comparing WDW's Fantasmic to Disneyland's show and said he really appreciated the seats that were here in the theatre!

What can I say about Fantasmic? We agreed that this is the best show at WDW with its effects and music. We sat mesmerized throughout the whole thing (even though we were sprayed upon quite a bit from the water screens, more of a constant misting) and we just sat and talked about it after the show was over when everyone else was rushing to leave. Since we were practically the last to leave, and we did stop at the merchandise stalls outside the theatre for a while, we were given an escort to Sunset Boulevard. I'm not sure if they felt we would get lost on the way out or if they just wanted to make sure that we would, at some point, actually leave!

We slowly made our way to the front of the park, stopping to shop once or twice along the way, and finally retrieved our car and got back to the GF at about 9PM. We dropped Marilynn at the room and Tim, I and the boys ventured out to DisneyQuest. This place is just great! We had no idea what to expect from this and we were thrilled from the moment we stepped into the elevator and embarked on our exploration. We began with the virtual reality games, starting with the magic carpet ride, which I loved! We were successful in thwarting Jafar and then we moved on to the Jungle Cruise. This was a little disappointing because it is very hard to control the direction of your boat and it just seems to go any which way no matter how hard you paddle! But it was still fun. Then we tried Treasure of the Incas, where you drive actual small jeeps via remote control to capture hidden treasure. You can have a member of the family standing above where the jeeps are driving to direct you on where to go, but with so much noise in this place, it's very difficult to hear them or distinguish them from the other groups. Then we did what we felt was the best VR ride there - Pirates of the Carribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold. We just loved this one! I steered the ship, while Tim and the boys fired their cannons at the surrounding pirate ships. We accumulated quite a lot of gold, but at the end of the ride you have to battle the ghost pirate to retain your gold and there, I'm afraid, we met our doom! But we were laughing so hard that it didn't matter a bit! If you only have time to try one thing here, this is the one to try!

After POC we went to the Cheesecake Factory to have some dessert and send a few e-mails to our friends at home. These are a lot of fun. They are pre-composed post cards that you fill in some blanks on and then send. The computers here were in need of some repair, but I got a few messages out while we were eating. Then we tried out Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster 3 or 4 times. The boys really liked this one, but it definitely made me dizzy since I was always being hit and spun around! Once again, we closed the place and they practically had to force us to leave! What great fun we had here!

We were back in the room by 12:40 and quickly got into bed. Tomorrow is another early day for Tim and the boys, but Marilynn and I are going to sleep in and then go for some pampering at the GF Spa!

[Cruella]

Thanks Kristen! We BOTH think we're pretty lucky!

Sorry to hear that your dog is sick, Pat! Here's some pixie dust! Also, my DS loved CBR and has asked repeatedly if we can stay there on our next trip!





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Cruella ºoº
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!"

Cruella

[Cruella]

Day 8 - Thursday, Nov. 2nd

Either I was very tired or Tim was especially quiet with the boys this morning, because I never even woke up when they got ready and then left to do EE at the MK! Marilynn and I slept in, waking at about 8:30, and then we took our time getting ready, stopping at Gasparilla's for a bite to eat on our way to the GF Spa. We were each scheduled for two treatments today, and I was really looking forward to it. I kinda had to talk Marilynn into it, but she was ready to try it, so off we went.

The Spa building is between the Main building and the Wedding Chapel. In fact, you get a great view of the Wedding Chapel from the front door of the Spa. We arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and checked in at the front desk. We were then seated in the waiting room until someone came to get us and gave us robes and slippers to put on. The way they phrased it to us, we were to wear whatever was 'most comfortable for us' under the robe. We were shown the jacuzzi, sauna and steamroom and told we could use them all day. I eyed the jacuzzi and really wanted to get in, but without my bathing suit I wouldn't have the nerve even though they told us it would be OK. They provide everything for you here! There are lockers, towels, deodorant, hair spray, Q-tips, cotton balls, the most wonderful smelling shampoo and conditioner and they even have razors if you want to shave! They also offered us a paper bathing suit for the jacuzzi, but I was afraid that it might disintegrate in the water! After changing, we took a very comfortable seat in the ladies lounge and sipped some water while waiting to be called for our appointments. Marilynn had scheduled a head, scalp and shoulder massage as her first treatment and I was getting a sinus relief treatment massage. They came for Marilynn first but I only had to wait another 5 minutes before I was called.

Brian escorted me to my treatment room, where the strains of classical music were already relaxing me. He told me to make myself comfortable on the table, under the sheet, and to ring a little bell when I was ready for him to come back. I got myself under the sheet and comfortable and then rang. He began by gently massaging the sinus pressure points on my face, starting with the area above the nasal passages between the eyes. This felt wonderful and even though I thought that I could never be comfortable getting a massage, I was in heaven. After getting to my temples and the rest of my facial area, he progressed to my hands and feet. He explained that by stimulating the blood flow in the extremities, it frees the sinus area every time you breathe. He said that this was a form of reflexology. He also held some eucalyptus under my nose periodically and told me to take deep breaths to clear the nasal passages.

By the time we were done, I was limp! Brian told me to take my time getting back into my robe and come into the hall when I was ready. When I emerged from the treatment room, he was there holding a glass of spring water for me to sip as he escorted me back to the lounge. When I entered, there was Marilynn, looking as relaxed as I've ever seen her. She said her treatment was wonderful and that she felt great! She said she was glad that I talked her into getting a treatment or two! In just a few minutes, we were both called for our second treatment of the day, called Fancy Feet. As you might imagine, this involved a foot massage, something we were both looking forward to after our days of tramping around.

We were escorted to a room that had three chairs with tubs attached at the bottom. The middle chair was already occupied and Marilynn and I were shown to the other two. The tubs were filled with swirling water, like jacuzzis for feet only, and we were told to place our feet in the tubs and let them soak. They then fiddled with the back of the chairs we were in and they suddenly began to vibrate all over, running up and down my spine. It was wonderful! TC, who was doing my massage told me to relax for a few minutes and then she would be back to start my foot massage. I was drifting off in complete contentment when the massage suddenly stopped. Within a few seconds TC was at my feet beginning the gentle kneading that made me believe that my feet might survive this vacation! Her touch was wonderful and by the time she finished I was ready to tackle the parks again. Marilynn wasn't quite as lucky as I was. Her attendant didn't seem to be quite as enthusiastic about rubbing her feet, but she still felt good when it was done.

We were again escorted back to the lounge where we showered, shampooed, dressed and made our way back to the front desk. Here we paused for a minute to leave tips for the people that had given us such pleasure (in little envelopes provided for this purpose and on which you write the attendant's name) and then, vowing to visit this place again before we left, I strolled and Marilynn rode back to the main building of the hotel. I'm telling you, no matter where you are staying on Disney property, do yourself a favor and arrange to spend some time at this Spa. You will not regret it!

Back at the main building, Marilynn and I checked out the shop Summer Lace and made mental notes on the Christmas decorations we would like to get before we left and have shipped home. We also loved looking at the Victorian items and were surprised to see the bedding from the hotel rooms on sale here. I was tempted to buy the pillow with the words to 'When You Wish Upon A Star' on it, but I restrained myself since the color didn't go with my room at home. We also found out that we could have other items that we had bought during our stay at WDW shipped home with whatever we bought here, a fact we didn't take enough advantage of as you'll see later. By now it was 12:15 and we started over to the marina to pick up Andrew. Tim was supposed to have dropped Andrew off at the marina at 10:15 for the pirate cruise and he was supposed to be back between 12:15 and 12:30. At least that's what we thought! I had arranged to pick him up since Tim said he may take David back to MK after dropping Andrew off.

When we got to the marina, however, the captain told us that the Pirate Cruise had returned at 12:00 Noon and that each child had been picked up by a parent. We went back to the room where we found Tim and the boys. They gave us the whole story of what they did this day.

They arrived early at MK and spent a lot of their time in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland before getting Andrew back to the GF marina at 10:15 AM, as we had been told to do. Unfortunately, the cruise left at 10:00AM. Since we had been told the wrong time, not only did they send Andrew to meet the cruise in a speedboat, but they didn't charge us for the cruise! I'm so glad that Andrew didn't miss this. In his words, the cruise was 'totally awesome' and he had the best time traveling around the Seven Seas Lagoon and stopping at each resort beach to hunt for treasure. He came back with a bag full of treasure and his pirate garb (a patch and head kerchief) very excited with his morning! While he was looting, Tim and David went back to MK and spent some time at Tom Sawyer's Island.

We decided that we all needed lunch and we decided to break up. Marilynn and the boys ate at Gasparilla's while Tim and I went to have a quiet lunch at the GF Café. This was one of the nicest meals we had on the trip. It was quiet, we had a great server and the food, including that famous Lobster Shepherd's Pie that Tim posted on the boards, was wonderful! After lunch we had planned to go back over to Epcot, but everyone was in relax mode, so we thought it would be better to rent some mouse boats and spend some time around the GF pool. Unfortunately, this meant that we would miss our PS at Mickey's Ice Cream Social, but we canceled those and rested instead.

First we got the mouse boats. Andrew rode with me, which didn't make him happy, and Tim and David got their own boats. It was fun tooling around the Seven Seas Lagoon and we went over to WL, the Polynesian and the Contemporary, but I found the boat uncomfortable, maybe because there were 2 of us in there and it was a tad crowded. We spent the better part of the afternoon at the pool after the boats, returning to the room at about 4PM to get ready for the Polynesian Luau.

We arrived at the Polynesian Luau a few minutes late, but we didn't miss anything. We sat down to our noodles and drinks and watched the show. David refused to go up when they asked if anyone was celebrating their birthday, but I made Tim go up with me for the anniversaries. We were up there with about 7 other couples and all of the rest of them were newlyweds! We were the only ones who had been married for a while and our 17 years brought a cheer from the crowd! We participated in the hula lesson (Well, Goofy and I participated - the rest of them just sat there!) and when they left the stage and brought out dinner, we thought it was over! We weren't really impressed and the only good thing about it that we could see was that we would get out earlier than we thought for E-Ride night! But, then, after dinner and dessert, the real show started. Well, we were impressed with that - especially that fire guy! He was great! So we didn't get out in time for the start of E-Ride night, but we did get to see a great show! The food wasn't great but we managed to eat enough to fill us and we enjoyed the whole atmosphere.

Once again, Marilynn opted to return to the hotel for the evening and Tim and the boys and I headed out to the MK for our special night! We got a wheelchair for Andrew again and traded our tickets for the wrist bands. We loved being able to go on the rides multiple times, but there was a bit of a crowd, as there had been all week, and we didn't exactly walk right on the rides. Once again, David and I spent a lot of time on Buzz while Tim and Andrew went on Space Mtn. They tried to convince me that Space Mtn was no worse than BTMRR, but I wasn't falling for that one! We also did Time Traveler and then headed to Haunted Mansion where, in spite of the wheelchair, we waited on line so the boys could see the stretch room and the hanging body. The CM at the end did let us go around twice, though, without getting off. I don't think I'll ever see everything on this ride! I saw the gatekeeper's knees knocking this time.

We wound up our night with Splash Mtn. I have to tell you that I really don't like this ride! Every little dip has me convinced that it's the big one, so by the time we got to the big drop, I was exhausted! It always hits me this way! Anyway, when we got to the end, the CM asked us if we wanted to go around again. I said no thank you! And David did too, but Tim and Andrew hung on for the second go around while we waited and looked at the hysterical photos. When we saw the photo that had been taken of us on the first go around, we laughed so hard! David was so far down in his seat that you couldn't even tell that he was in the log! We stopped in the gift shop to get something for my sister, who's a huge Brer Rabbit fan. I have a WDW charm bracelet on which I have representations of the family's favorite characters. I've been able to get Cruella, Mickey, Grumpy, Goofy, Tinkerbell, Pluto and Pooh, but no Brer Rabbit. If anyone out there knows where I can get one, I'd sure be glad to find it! Just e-mail me.

Since E-Ride night was now officially over, we headed to Main Street. We stopped at the Bakery to get a bite to eat and once again we were some of the last people to leave the park! We seemed to make a habit of this! We did get to hear the goodnight kiss and we were fascinated by the fact that they were filming something at the castle (they seemed to be filming everywhere this week - wonder if it's the 2001 commercials? One morning I walked out on our balcony when the sun was just coming up and was surprised to see them filming below us in one of the GF suites!) and it was all lit up and changing colors, with the sparkles going non-stop, long after we left.

We got back to the room about 10:30 and checked the packages that had been delivered that day, always a very exciting thing for the boys! We got to bed fairly early after deciding that we would cancel the Family Magic Tour the following day and devote ourselves once more to Epcot, since there was still so much that we wanted to see. More to come!

[This message has been edited by Cruella (edited 12-04-2000).]

[colesmom]

Cruella, WildForWD, David and Andrew sounds like you all enjoyed the rest of your trip tremendously!! Joanne...very jealous of the spa day! Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment, we too had such a wonderful lunch that day. I will have to say it too was one of my highlights and better meals (having the chance to sit at an adult table). You and your family are so nice and generous as said before you are always a little apprehensive about meeting strangers but after meeting the word stranger never entered our finds instead I believe I was thinking "family". Can't wait to hear how the rest of the trip was. Thanks again for taking the time out of your busy trip to meet us for lunch!!

[Cruella]

I'm glad you had as good a time as we did, colesmom! We have to see if we can hook up again sometime!

Now on with the trip that never ended...

Day 9 - Friday, November 3rd

Today we were originally scheduled to have breakfast at the Crystal Palace and then Tim, the boys and had ressies to do the Family Magic tour, but this was one day where the plans went out the window. We were up early and managed to cancel our reservations before our time arrived, but we really wanted to spend some additional time in Epcot to finish the World Showcase, spend some time in Future World and get a chance to go through the Millennium Village. We had dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon Café, which we kept since we still planned on eating there.

We skipped breakfast and headed right out to the monorail in the hopes of getting to Epcot in time for the opening ceremonies. Unfortunately, we were held up between the Contemporary Resort and the TTC and, while we still made it there by 8AM, the park was already open when we arrived. We stopped to get Andrew a wheelchair and I made a reservation at LeCellier for an early lunch and then we headed straight to Spaceship Earth. We actually found a line (gasp!) when we arrived there! Of course, with the two wheelchairs it didn't impact us too much, but I knew that this meant it would be a crowded day. The boys and Marilyn were impressed with Spaceship Earth and Tim and I enjoyed it as much as we did a month ago. I just love the scope of this attraction and the way it makes me proud to be a part of this wonderful world with such a great heritage and history. And something inside me thrills to the sight of all the stars at the top of the sphere.

After SE, Marilyn, Andrew and I waited inside the shop across the way while Tim and David went to get Fastpasses for Test Track and then we decided to get a bite to eat at the Electric Umbrella. As soon as we finished eating, we headed over to Test Track (Marilyn decided to sit this one out) and took our turn around the track. The boys really loved this ride and wanted to go on it again right away, but even the single rider line was too long, and there was so much that we wanted to see, so we moved on. We did, however, stop on the way out to let the boys climb into the cars on display and to pick up a couple of Mickey antenna balls!

Ellen's Energy Adventure was next. None of us had seen this before and it was a big all around hit. Even Marilyn enjoyed it a lot. I can remember snoozing in this attraction on previous trips except for the time that is spent with the dinos, but this time I stayed awake the entire time! This has definitely been improved by Ellen, Bill Nye and the new storyline. Jamie Lee Curtis was pretty good too!

We then headed over to Wonders of Life and rode Body Wars. Marilynn said she could have done without this, but the rest of us enjoyed it. We wanted to see the Making of Me and Cranium Command, but the timing just wasn't right and, at any rate, it was getting close to our PS time for Le Cellier, so we headed over to the World Showcase.

We arrived at Le Cellier and checked in. After a few minutes we were greeted by our server, Nancy, and led to our table. Nancy was, perhaps, the best server we had during our entire time at WDW (not including V&A's). She was a tiny bundle of energy from Montreal, and she was so anxious for us to enjoy our meal here that she attended our every need almost before we knew we wanted something! She explained every dish on the menu and helped the boys pick out meals that they would enjoy. She even provided us with menus to take home and recipes for the famous cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread. Definite snaps to Nancy!

After lunch we went to see O Canada! And, despite being drowsy from our meal, we enjoyed the film. We hadn't seen this for over 10 years so we figured it was about time we did it again. Then it was on to Britain and a quick look through the shops. Marilynn spent some time here picking out a cup and saucer for her vast collection and was very happy with her eventual choice. Then we moved on to Millennium Village.

I have read many reports of Millennium Village that were less than flattering, but I really enjoyed this. There were several activities for the whole family, like mini golf in Scotland and the soccer game in Brazil, In addition, it was quite a learning experience for the boys, talking to the CMs from the different countries. They were very willing to spend a few minutes with us telling us something about their country. Andrew really did a good job here filling out his passport with the different signatures. We also went on the Jerusalem ride and, at the end of our tour around the Village, played the World Culture Game. There are six teams and Tim and David played together as did Andrew and I. At the mid-point of the game, Tim and David were in second place and Andrew and I were in last place, but we rallied on the last few questions to win the game! Andrew was so excited that we won! Tim and David also did well, coming in third. It was a lot of fun and the hosts of the game were very good. Of course, on the way out, we had to pay a visit to the famous Millennium Village bathrooms, which were quite large! All in all, we spent about 1 ½ to 2 hours in here and considered it time well spent.

We moved on to France, where we spent some time wandering through the shops and having a glass of wine before going into Impressions de France. I really love the musical selections that were chosen for this movie and the film itself is beautiful, but we were beginning to feel our long day about now, so I can't swear that we didn't close our eyes once or twice during the film! On the way out of France we were lucky enough to see a few minutes of the Living Statues. Tim tried to get a rise out of the girl, but she didn't move until a little girl came by and then she stole her hair clip! The girl didn't even know she had taken it, she moved so fast!

Next was Morocco, one of my favorites. I love the way the paths in this country twist and turn, just like they do in the country market places, and I find it easy to get lost here. I also like the musicians, the wares, and the beautiful tiling. The art exhibit is also beautiful. I found myself promising that someday I'll find the time to take the Treasures of Morocco tour.

Andrew had forgotten to get his passport signed in Norway on Monday, so Tim took him over there to get that done and Marilynn, David and I took the Friendship Boat to the front of the showcase and met them at Mexico, which we had also missed on Monday. I love walking into the Mexico pavilion and being surprised all over again with the way they have set it up as an outdoor marketplace at night. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend here, so we didn't do El Rio del Tiempo. Instead, we made our way back to Future World. We were feeling pretty grungy, so we stopped to buy some shirts to change into before we went to dinner and then went over to Imagination to catch HISTA a big hit with Marilynn and the boys. After this, Marilynn and I slowly made our way out of Future World, while Tim took the boys over to ride Test Track one more time on the single rider line. We met in front of Spaceship Earth again and decided to take a taxi over to Whispering Canyon Café, since it was dangerously close to our PS time. It was quite a feat getting all of us plus the ECV into one cab! But in just minutes we were arriving at the Wilderness Lodge.

Now, the Wilderness Lodge is the favorite resort of both my brother and my sister. They never stop raving about it, so I expected to be bowled over by my first look at the lobby. Maybe they had built it up to the point where nothing could live up to the picture of it that they painted, or maybe the rustic style isn't my cup of tea, but both Tim and myself were a little disappointed when we entered. It reminded me just a little too much of the Bear Mountain Inn and didn't seem like anything special to either of us. Marilynn concurred, saying that the furniture looked worn and dusty. Granted, we never did get to see the pool area since it was dark outside and we had to check in for our dinner reservation, but give me the Grand Floridian any day. I would have liked to be able to see a room, but it was too late and so we headed over to the Whispering Canyon Café to check in.

After a short wait, we were shown to our table and our server, Wild Wild West, introduced himself. He was a lot of fun during dinner, giving the boys a hard time. When we got our drinks, David asked for a straw and he told him he would be happy to give him a 'sissy stick', which made David laugh a lot. Andrew got turned in for having gum, since everyone knows that gum is taboo on Disney property. Andrew got a kick out of participating in the races and the rest of us just enjoyed the great dinner and drinks. But, boy, was this place noisy! Forget about conversation if you go here. You'll just be mesmerized watching the servers making fun of the guests and the kids running around on wooden horses.

All too soon dinner was over and we were tired from our long day. We had planned to return to DisneyQuest tonight, but we also knew that we would be out late tomorrow night seeing the MSEP and the fireworks at MK, so we decided to go back to the GF and start in on our packing. We called for another taxi and, while we were waiting, explored the lobby area of the WL. We didn't see anything that changed our initial impression, but it was cool to see the spring that feeds the pool.

As soon as we got back to our room we started the monumental task of packing up. I could not believe the amount of souvenirs, clothes, presents, Christmas decorations, etc., we had accumulated up to this point! I began to worry that they wouldn't allow us to board the plane! But after setting aside clothes for the next two days and stowing away the rest of our stuff that we wouldn't need, we were grateful to climb into bed. We had planned to spend tomorrow at AK, but decided that what we really needed was some Rest and relaxation, so a sleep-in was what everyone opted for. The boys and Tim wanted to take another turn on the mouse boats and Marilynn and I were dying to spend some more time at the Spa, so we decided that we would change our plans for the last full day we had in WDW. See you tomorrow!

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Cruella ºoº
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!"

Cruella

[All Ears]

Cruella,
So glad to hear that you checked out the spa! I LOVE that place! What a heaven it is!!
All Ears

[Cruella]

Day 10 - Saturday, November 4th

Having once again changed our plans for today, We slept in a little and, after calling for Spa availability, went for our Gasparilla breakfast, mugs in hand. While chowing down, we decided that the morning should be spent in running some errands, since the first Spa availability that we could have was 3:30 in the afternoon. Marilynn said she was feeling a little tired and would spend the morning at the resort, so the rest of us headed out to Downtown Disney to use up some of our flex features on the free merchandise we were entitled to in our package. Our first stop was DisneyQuest, to get five of their backpacks. We also decided to try out the virtual POC again, but as we approached we found that David had left his pass in the room (grrr!) so I very generously gave him mine and let Tim and the boys do the ride and get the backpacks. I went to World of Disney to see if they had any jackets that we could get for Tim and the boys. When they came to meet me, I showed them what they had, but the only one who got a jacket was Andrew. After waiting on line (who said that DD is not crowded during the day?) and paying, we headed over to The Art of Disney to pick up some of those neat Millennium watches. One more stop at the Rainforest Café so Tim and David could get t-shirts and we were on our way again.

The next item on our agenda was to locate our brick. We had purchased the brick over the phone in June, just days before they stopped offering them. We were very happy that we made it under the wire and had really looked forward to seeing it, but just hadn't had a chance before now. We knew if we didn't do it now, we'd never get to see it this trip, so off we went. We pulled into the gate to the TTC and explained our mission to the CM there. He told us that we could park in the kennel parking lot for a while so we could look. We did this and, miraculously, located the brick in just a couple of minutes! I was so excited! Here was our own little piece of Disney (at least until we join the DVC) and so we had to take pictures and video of the exciting event.

Now, we were running a little late, so we had to hurry. Marilynn and I wanted to get to the Spa early, bathing suits in hand, so that we could spend some time in the jacuzzi before our appointments for the scalp, neck and shoulder massages that we had both opted for, and Tim wanted to work out how he was going to convince the marina CM to let Andrew drive his own mouse boat, even though he was underage, so we headed back to GF. After changing, we said that we would meet again at Summer Lace at about 4:30 to look at the Christmas ornaments, then split up. Marilynn and I took the walk over to Spa, were greeted at the desk and taken back to the lounge. We spent about a half hour enjoying the spa and then toweled off and waited for our massage. It was just as wonderful as it had been the other day, the music and aromatherapy working together to make me nod off before my massage was finished.

All too soon our idyllic hour at the Spa was over and we hurried out to meet Tim and the boys at Summer Lace. They had been successful in persuading the Marina CM to allow Andrew to drive his own mouse boat, so they were all in a good mood. They had had a wonderful time tooling around the Seven Seas Lagoon. Tim did tell me, however, that the marina CM mentioned to him that they had used our last flex feature in renting the boats, which according to our records was not correct, so he had stopped by the desk to get a printout of our bill so we could double check.

We then went into Summer Lace to choose the Christmas decorations we were going to buy and have them shipped home. At the same time, we asked if they could ship some of the other things we had bought home, specifically those nifty gifts Tim had arranged to have waiting for us in our room when we arrived. We wanted to ship the champagne glasses from our basket and the cookie jar that he had gotten for his Mom, which we had discovered was chipped in several places and had to be replaced. Tim called the Disney Florist to get a replacement, which they were sending over to the GF, so we asked them to keep the package open until tomorrow when the replacement would arrive. The CM was great about all of this and arranged everything for us (or so we thought at the time!) and after taking some video of the lobby we returned to our room to get ready for dinner. I could hardly contain my excitement since we were dining with the Villains tonight! I was hoping with every fiber of my being that Cruella would be there!

Back at the room, I checked over the bill and, as I thought, we should still have had 5 flex features left over, which we were planning on using for tomorrow's breakfast at the Cape May Café. We got ready for dinner (for me that meant putting on my hat with all my Cruella pins on it - 7 in all) and headed over to the main building a little early so I could check with the front desk about our missing flex features. I waited my turn and then explained the problem to the CM. Her first reaction was that we should never have been given that particular printout of our account, since it's an employees only copy. She then started to look through our files, but between the waiting time and the time it was taking to check we were getting close to our PS time, so she suggested that we go to dinner and check with her when we were through. So we moved over to 1900 Park Fare to check in.

I felt such disappointment when I saw Cruella was not listed as one of the guest Villains! Andrew remarked about it and I told him that, yes, I was disappointed but I was sure we would still have a great time. With that we moved on to greet the Queen of Hearts, holding court in the lobby. We exchanged a few words, kissed her hand and mumbled 'Off with their heads' before we were shown to our table. Once we had scoped out the buffet and gotten some food it was time for our Villainous visit, Governor Ratcliffe. He was very royal and expected us to kiss his ring and tell him how wonderful he was. Boy, was he wrong! Andrew kept telling him that the gold wasn't his, it was ours! We provoked him so much he put his finger in my ear and did the same to David, and he tried to steal my wedding and engagement rings! Fortunately, we survived his visit intact and then we were faced with Prince John. Well, we told him we were some of Robin's men and although we could tell him where Robin was, we wouldn't. His response was to grab a knife off the table and threaten us with it! He also grabbed Andrew's camera and took a surprise picture of us (which turned out great!) and then he was gone, just in time for Captain Hook to sidle up to our table.

Now this is the one that Andrew and I had been waiting for! We started with a few quiet tick, tocks and got a little louder with each tick until Hook was slamming his hook into the walls. Then we switched to telling each other that we smelled a codfish and Hook responded by asking, not so politely, to leave! It was all great fun and, despite my disappointment at missing Cruella, I was so glad we had come.

Just then Andrew turned to me and asked 'Isn't that Cruella in the next room?' with a tiny smile. Well, of course, I thought he was having me on, but when he insisted he had seen her, I just had to go look. Sure enough! It was the Diva of Bad, herself! It took a few minutes for her to make her way across the room but, finally, she arrived at our table. I was so excited I actually became tongue tied (me!) but she saw all her pins and immediately exclaimed in delight to see herself so many times in one place! She posed for a picture with me and I told her how wonderful she looked. Then Andrew asked her if she ever got that coat. Her response? 'Did you see the movie? Am I wearing Dalamations? What a stupid question!' and she was off. I never even got a chance to show her my Cruella watch or the Cruella charm on my bracelet! But it was wonderful and thrilling - a dream come true! How did she know? I have no idea, but I'm convinced that she came just for me and I loved every minute of it!

As great as the night had been up 'til now, it wasn't over yet! We left 1900 Park Fare and checked back with the desk. It appears that we were right, we were stilled owed 5 flex features, but because of the inconvenience they were giving us credit for 7 flex features. OK, one more obstacle successfully negotiated!

Now it was on to the MK for fireworks and the MSEP. Even Marilynn went with us tonight and we were so excited to be going! What with Cruella's appearance and the time at the front desk, we were later than we had anticipated getting to the MK. There were not a lot of places available for seeing the fireworks (even the wheelchair spots were completely filled) so we headed over to the bridge from the hub to Tomorrowland and found a seat on a bench there. We ended up having a great view of Tinkerbell's flight but the trees were in the way of the fireworks. Oh, well, at least we met a great family from Long Island while we were waiting for the show to start and had a conversation with them. And I was so glad to be able to see Tinkerbell - I've always wished I had the courage to do that flight just once! It must be a fabulous rush!

Once the fireworks were over we quickly made our way over to the hub where, as I suspected, the wheelchair area had cleared out and we were able to snag great seats for the MSEP. Of course, we had a wait of about a half hour before the parade would start, so we settled in and made friends with the CMs doing crowd control. We were particularly impressed with this one CM, who was wearing a name tag that said Jay, but confided to us that he had forgotten his name tag that day and his real name was Mike and he was from Philadelphia. But all of the CMs were great. We mentioned that we were trying to find a stand that sells Mickey and Goofy bars so we could indulge before we left the next day and one of the CMs offered to go look for us! She was great! Unfortunately, all the stalls had closed so we didn't get our ice cream, but Jay/Mike started a jump rope game with the ropes that were closing off the pathways and, being who and what I am, I just had to join in. Imagine, playing jump rope in front of Cinderella's Castle! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I wasn't about to pass it up! We were really on a roll, too, until another CM jumped in and stopped the rope. By now it was almost time for the parade and one of the CMs started the crowd chanting 'Mickey Mouse' to get the adrenaline flowing.

Then the parade began. It was just as wonderful as I remembered it from our trip in 1989. It was wonderful calling out hello to the different characters and having them nod or wave back, we were that close! All I can say is that it was over too soon and there we were, just sitting there reliving it in our minds while the crowd started to disperse. Knowing that this would be our last visit to the MK we stayed around and took some pictures in front of the Castle and waited to hear the Goodnight Kiss once more (Marilynn had not gotten a chance to hear it and the rest of us didn't mind hearing it one more time!) before we slowly made our way down Main Street. Then it was back to the GF, where I took Marilynn and my bathing suits down to dry them and then finished up the packing in preparation for tomorrow, our last day! We were looking forward to a great day, but, alas, the vacation poltergeists that had been so good to us so far would be out in force tomorrow!

Take heart guys - only one more day to go!

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Cruella ºoº
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!"

Cruella

[Cruella]

I apologixe for being so late in posting this last day, but, as you probably know, I've been a little busy with my father these last few weeks. Anyway, here it is, the last installment of our trip. I hope you enjoy it!

Day 11 – Sunday, November 5th

Better known as the day our trip came apart at the seams! We were up early in order to pack all our last minute things and get ready to check out. We had asked for the quick check-out, where they hang your bill on the door, but when I went to look for it, it wasn't there. So I went to call the front desk and noticed that we had a message. Well, the message was to tell us that they couldn't process payment on our debit card! We knew that there was more than enough to cover it there (we checked when we got home and there was) but you can't argue with machines that don't work, so we quickly switched to plan B. While Tim and the boys called for the luggage to be picked up and stored, I went down to the desk and used the rest of our Disney Dollars and my Amex card to pay the bill. When I got back to the room, they were still loading luggage onto the cart. It seems (::blush: we now had 23 pieces of luggage, bags and totes to lug home! And that didn't include the things we had shipped home! I think we made some kind of record or something. Anyway, this would definitely mean trouble for us later in the day, but we didn't have time to think about that - we had 8:10am PS at Cape May Café.

We headed over to the Beach Club in the car and made it in time for our PS. We checked in and waited a few minutes to be called for our table. I had made this PS with my youngest, Andrew (better known to us as Goofy) in mind, and he was very excited to be at Goofy's Breakfast Party. He had worn his Goofy hat, his Goofy watch and he had his Goofy pen ready for Goofy to sign the brim of his hat.

We were greeted at the door by Minnie, looking very fetching in her swimsuit ensemble. David told her she looked very pretty and Minnie actually blushed, which, of course, made David blush. Then we sat down and pondered the magnificent buffet that spread before us. This has got to be one of the largest breakfast spreads in WDW and the food is great! We started enjoying our breakfast and pretty soon we were joined by Chip and Dale, dressed in their surfing suits and ready for some fun. They fooled around with the boys and giggled until we were all laughing. And then the main attraction, Goofy, joined us. He was so impressed with all of Andrew's paraphernalia that he gave him a big hug and took delight in using 'his' pen to sign Andrew's hat. It was a wonderful breakfast and we enjoyed all the characters very much. I would recommend it to anyone.

After breakfast, we walked to the pier and caught the boat to the Boardwalk. We had arranged to meet Denise (denwol) on the Boardwalk at 10:15. We were a little early, so we decided to rent one of those surrey bikes and take a turn around the boardwalk while we were waiting. Those things are hard to peddle! Especially uphill! Marilynn rode along with us while we made our way back around to the pier. Tim and the boys decided to go around another time, but Marilynn wanted to look at the shops and I sat down by the pier to await the arrival of Denise. I waited about 20 minutes past our appointed time, until the boys came back and we never did see her, so we went to join Marilynn in the surrounding shops. After purchasing yet a few more items for Christmas gift giving and having them shipped home, we went back to the pier and caught the boat to MGM Studios.

As soon as we arrived, we went to Tower of Terror. The line was very long, so we opted for FastPasses and, while we were waiting for our time window, we split up. Marilynn went shopping, Tim and Andrew went to Rock N Roller Coaster and David and I went to Star Tours. There was a 45 minute wait for Star Tours, so David and I opted to go instead to Muppets 3D and I finally got a chance to check out the 'key under the mat'! I was so excited as I could now cross one more item off my list of must-see things!

After Moppets we headed back to join the others at Tower of Terror. We all entered and looked around the lobby while on line. It was great to see this wonderfully done attraction again! I just can't get over the amount of detail that has been put into this attraction! Of course, once we watched the video in the library and headed through the basement to the elevators, Marilynn, David and I peeled off and took the coward's way out. I've done this ride once when there were only two falls and even then I swore I would never do it again. I can't imagine subjecting myself to multiple falls and Marilynn and David didn't even want to try! We waited for Tim and Andrew downstairs and, when they arrived, we all went to look at their photo. Well, Andrew was very unhappy with the picture since he had covered his face and Tim, who had taped the attraction for my brother (who's afraid of heights and has never been on) had the video camera in front of his face, so they decided they wanted to go again. We headed out to Sunset Blvd. To shop one last time and told them we would meet them at the entrance. I had looked at the pictures you could have done at the Photo Studio and thought that I might like to have one done with Cruella, but it was $35 and I didn't want to spend that much, but I did check out the group photo we had done when we entered and decided to get two copies, one for Marilynn and one for us. Then we just kind of chilled and waited for Tim and Andrew. When they finally came we headed to the cart at the entrance to get our Mickey and Goofy bars. What a great way to end our last day at the parks! Just can't beat those Mickey bars! (Right, Fortissimo? J)

We headed out of the park and drove back to the Grand Floridian, saying goodbye to things as we went. It was a very sad ride. Back at GF, we started to load all our stuff into the car, but it didn't take long for us to realize that there was no way we would fit everything! We were stymied until the Mears Shuttle pulled up. We quickly arranged passage for Tim and the rest of our stuff to go on the shuttle. I planned to follow the shuttle so that we would arrive at the airport at the same time and be able to unload everything onto one porter's cart. What I didn't know was that the shuttle was going to stop at SOG before heading to the airport. I pulled in after it, but was stopped at the gate. I tried to explain to the woman on duty that I was just following the shuttle so I wouldn't lose my husband, but I could tell she wasn't buying my story. She let me through, but I had the feeling that she was n the phone to security as soon as I drove through! I pulled up to the front of the resort, over to the side, and waited for the shuttle to load and get on it's way. One of the CMs came over and asked if he could help me. I explained once again and this time, with a smile, he said OK and left. The shuttle finally started on it's way and we drove out of the resort, in it's wake, waving to the woman at the gate, who actually smiled back at us!

Of course, I had forgotten that the shuttle just drives through every toll, while we, of course, had to stop and pay, so it was a tense ride, trying to keep up with Tim. It's also amazing how many of those shuttles are on the road! We really had to pay attention to keep our shuttle in sight and, miracle of miracles, we actually arrived at the airport at about the same time. Then we found out that the shuttle pulls into a restricted area! After some quick explaining to the guard, we were issued a ticket that was good for 10 minutes entry into the area and we drove in trying to locate our shuttle. This was quite a task, since all the vehicles in this area were Mears Shuttles! But we finally found Tim (all we had to do was look for the largest pile of luggage) and unloaded our stuff. Tim already had a porter, so everyone went to the airport with him, while I surrendered our 10 minute ticket and drove around to return the car. We agreed to meet up at the first food place after the monorail ride to the terminal.


Since we hadn't had time to gas up the car, I expected that returning the car would be difficult, but it was very easy! I just drove up to the end of the return line and this lady came up and punched some numbers into her portable computer and told me I could go. I told her that I hadn't filled the gas tank, but she didn't seem to care and told me again that I could go. So I did. I made my way to the terminal and looked around for the rest of the gang but didn't see them anywhere. It turns out they were taking turns in the restrooms and I missed David who was sitting with the luggage, but we finally found one another. We grabbed something to eat and checked in for the flight. It seems like we hadn't even caught our breath when we were being called for the flight. We didn't even had time to finish our food, so we took it with us. I did arrange for a wheelchair to meet at us the other end before we boarded so Marilynn wouldn't have to walk.

The flight was pretty uneventful except that we didn't wear our earplanes on the way back and when they started to descend, David and I have excruciating pain in our ears. It was like someone was stabbing us in the head repeatedly! David recovered once we had landed, but the pain in my ears stayed with me for a few days after. No matter how uncomfortable they are, you can be sure I'll be wearing my earplanes from now on for every flight!

The flight was once again on time and Tim got a porter to load our luggage while I called the motel to come and pick us up and take us back to our car. It took them a while to arrive and when they did we noticed that they had a regular minivan rather than the mini-bus they had used when they brought us to the airport. We knew right away that, even if we were the only people they were picking up, there was no way our luggage was going to fit in this vehicle. Once again, we changed our plans on the fly and Tim, Marilynn and David went on the minivan to get the car while Andrew and I stayed with the luggage outside the airport and waited for them. I wanted Andrew to go with the rest of them, since it was so cold and we were used to the warm weather, but Andrew got so upset that I let him stay with me. I did tell him to go inside the airport where it was warm, but I was nervous with him being alone and he was crying since he wasn't with me, so I told him to come back out and we huddled together to keep warm. Well, minutes passed and no one came back for us. Then a half hour had gone by and soon it was closing in on an hour.

Fortunately, there were two security guards outside who kept us company and made me feel a little safer about waiting in the dark and cold, but I was worried about what could be keeping Tim. The motel was only 5 minutes away - 10 minutes at the most - so he should have been back long before. Andrew finally went back inside because we were turning into popsicles, and then Tim returned. Apparently, one of the doors had been left ajar and the interior light had drained the battery. He had to get a jump-start to start the car and then let it run for a while. He didn't want to turn the motor off, so we quickly dumped everything in the car, squeezed all of in around the luggage and started off for our 1 ½ hour ride home. I spent most of the ride blasting hot air on myself to thaw out!

We finally made it home, woke everyone up and brought most of the stuff inside, where we were greeted by my sister. We opened the luggage to root for the presents we had brought her and gave her a very short synopsis of our trip. Then it was time to hit the sack. We were all exhausted, but thrilled to see that my sister had taped messages to the Disney beanie dolls we had left at home welcoming us back and asking us to visit Mickey and the gang again soon! What a nice thing to do! The last thing I did before falling into a deep sleep was take the last picture of our trip - a picture of our destroyed living room with clothes strewn all over the place together with the many souvenirs of a trip that we will remember forever!

Well, that's it, the tale of our Trip of a Lifetime! If you made this far, you must truly be a Disney fan of the first order! Thanks for sharing our memories! We haven't planned another trip yet, but I'm sure we will not be able to resist Mickey's call for long, Til then, we will try to live the magic every day in every way!


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Cruella ºoº
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!"

Cruella

[All Ears]

Cruella,
I really enjoyed your report. 23 bags!! WOW! That is AMAZING!!!!
I am so glad you all had a great trip -- despite the little "road bumps" at the end. The important thing was you remained positive & got through those "bumps" much better as a result of that positive, calm attitude. I commend you!
I am also glad to hear your father is doing a bit better. We will all keep thinking of you & sending pixie dust daily.
Take care, and thanks for sharing your memories with us.
All Ears

[Fortissimo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cruella:

When they finally came we headed to the cart at the entrance to get our Mickey and Goofy bars. What a great way to end our last day at the parks! Just can't beat those Mickey bars! (Right, Fortissimo? J)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nope, ya can't beat those Mickey Bars! I have the pleasure of having 5 of the neatest brothers (one 8th grader, one 7th grader, and the triplets are in 6th grade ) in my classes who happened to be leaving for WDW tomorrow. Their assignments are to eat at least one Mickey Bar for me and write a detailed report about their snack. I even sent them off with money.

Thank you, Cruella and Wild, for sharing your trip with us. It made me laugh as well as brought tears to my eyes at times.

[WildForWD]

Here are a few pictures to show just HOW MUCH fun we had getting home!!
Our Goofy with luggage!

A cold Cruella!

Home at last!

[Aerobics]

WOW!

Your living room looks eerily similar to the way ours did after we got back from WDW!

I'm so glad that you were finally able to finish your report! I enjoyed reading all of it (of course, I had to re-read a couple parts to refresh my oh-so-rusty memory, but it was totally worth it!).

I look forward to writing a possible collaborative trip report this December! Fingers crossed!!!

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Somebody call IX-I-I!!!

Wilderness Lodge/All Star Music--September 2000