Kristy Goes To Disney About This Page:

[klee]

Travelers:
Kristy (25)
Bryan (27)

We don't leave until tomorrow for Walt Disney World, but I wanted to go ahead and put a few words down. All I have to do is finish packing and I'm totally ready, but, of course, I have good news and bad news.

The bad news: I decided to do some last minute laundry so everything would be clean when I get back. By the second load, the washing machine decided to break and flood my laundry room.

The good news: My mom is going to take care of it while we're gone.

The great news: I got a call yesterday from the Disney Cruise Line telling me that they have upgraded our stateroom accomodations from a category 7 with navigator's verandah and partially obstructed view to a category 5 with verandah and no obstructions.

Overall, i'm happy. Nothing is going to ruin this trip for me. Tomorrow morning can't come soon enough. I promise I will write a full trip report as soon as I get back on October 1. Wish me luck!

[HiddenMickey]

Congrats on the upgraded cabin...!! What a nice treat. Have a super time on your trip and bring back something nice for you Mom, since she is such an angel to deal with the laundry machine. Have fun! Will look forward to your trip report...especially the cruise portion. -HiddenMickey

[klee]

Day 1: Saturday, September 22, 2001

Travelers: Kristy Lee (25) and Bryan Lee (27)

We started our trip with McDonald’s hotcakes. It was about 6:30 in the morning so there were two senior men in dining room with us. This made for a pleasant dining experience because it was nice and quiet and we could talk about what we were going to do on our trip. After my wake-up juice (coffee), I was ready to get going so we hit the highway. We left around 7:00 AM so we had a beautiful view of the sunrise as we were traveling.
We stopped for lunch at a rest area on I-75 somewhere after the Florida border at about 11:00 AM. We were starving by this time and ready for a stretch. The rest area was really nice and there weren’t too many insects to spoil our little excursion. I forgot to pack the Pringle’s chips so we had to make use of the vending machine. While we were there, I noticed they had so graciously supplied bags of miniature Reese’s cups for $1.00 a pop. Of course we had to have a bag because we’re both chocoholics. You’ll notice this more as the story continues. Anyway, we had a nice little lunch stop and were ready to press on so back in the car we go.
We arrived in Lake Buena Vista around 2:15 PM and started the search for our first-night hotel. We had directions, but they were terrible as the hotel is located in this business area full of offices and other hotels. We finally figured out which street was the right one to turn down and after winding back and forth on a long road, we finally found the Comfort Inn on Palm Parkway. We went to check into the hotel and were pleasantly surprised. The lady at the desk told us that our room wasn’t ready but she would check to see if there was another one available. Ta Da! There was one other that was ready, so she let us have it so we wouldn’t have to wait. I thought that was really sweet. We put our stuff in the room and headed out to the Hard Rock Café at Universal Studios City Walk.
The Hard Rock is my favorite place. We go there every trip we make no matter where we go. I have to say that the Hard Rock in Orlando is the greatest. It is the biggest one with the best stuff. The waiters are excellent. As a matter of fact, I have never eaten there without leaving at least a $10 tip. That’s a lot for me because I am a stickler about tips and only leave as much as I think they deserve. I usually don’t go by the 15% rule. I go by the service. Back to the meal: Bryan had a hamburger and fries as usual. He really picky and doesn’t try new stuff unless he has to. I had the New York Strip Steak with some kind of bourbon sauce. It was the best steak I have ever had. I didn’t even ask for A1 steak sauce because the sauce they cooked it in was so good. I bought a pin bag to put all of my Hard Rock pins in. I didn’t get any pins this time, but the bag came with one. I don’t know if that counts.
After our meal, we headed to Downtown Disney. I found the license plate frame that I was looking for at an outside stand there. I almost passed by it, but Bryan saw it and called me over to it. Major thanks to him for finding it. We then went to the World of Disney store to look around and came out with two bags full of stuff and a charge of $100 on my credit card. That was with the 10% discount from my Disney Club card. I vowed to slow down the rest of the trip and we headed back to the hotel for an early night’s rest so we could wake bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the first day of our Disney package.

[klee]

Day 2 – Sunday, September 23, 2001

We found the Contemporary at Disney with no problem. We drove up to the security gate and he told us to follow the blue line to check-in. I thought this was the cutest thing and all that I could think of was “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”. The blue line led us to a shelter at the front door. A porter got our bags and gave us a claim ticket and a valet ticket for the car. We walked in to the check-in desk and met the nicest guy. He looked up our reservation and checked our passports for the cruise. He gave us our Key to the World cards, a booklet explaining the dining part of our package, tickets to trade in for Cirque du Soleil, Leave a Legacy tile, and two pins, and a couple of papers about the parks and the Contemporary itself. These came in really handy. He then sent us to a guy at another desk who got our tickets for the cruise and Bahamas immigration form.

Our room wasn’t ready as we suspected since it was only 8:00 AM. We hopped a bus to Animal Kingdom. The bus came pretty quickly and we only stopped at the Fort Wilderness resort before reaching our destination. Security was in full force at the parks. I have never seen so much before. We had to stop at tables on the way in the gates and open all bags for security to check. After that we could use our cards to get in the gate and enjoy our day.

We went straight to Dinosaur and only waited about ten minutes if that. I don’t see where anything is changed except the name. The story line was exactly the same and it’s still so dark you can’t see hardly anything. I think they might have added one dinosaur in there but it’s hard to tell when you’re speeding by in almost total pitch black.

Next, we went to see It’s Tough to Be A Bug. It was only about a ten-minute wait as well. I enjoyed it more this time because I knew what to expect. I managed to avoid the bee stings this time. I think if you sit forward in your seat instead of right against the back, you’ll miss the air that shoots out.

It was time for our 10:00 PS for Rainforest Café, so off we went. This one is half the size of the one at Downtown Disney, but it was still good. We told the waiter that we were on the Deluxe Magic plan and you would have thought we were the king and queen all of a sudden. He started telling us about all the food we could get and recommended the most expensive stuff on the menu. We started with chocolate Oreo milkshakes. This was the best shake I have ever had. I highly recommend this one. We then got the fried calamari and the cheese sticks for appetizers. I’m not exactly sure what calamari is, but I know I definitely liked it. Next, I had the pepperoni pizza and Bryan had a hamburger and fries. I had no idea that they bring out a full medium sized pizza. I ate about two and a half slices and was full. We were going to get the volcano dessert, but we were both so full we couldn’t possibly eat another bite.

We went back through security and re-entered the park for some more fun. We caught the Lion King show about five minutes before it started and still got really good seats. I loved this show. I found myself holding back tears as they sang the Circle of Life. I always cry at this part of the movie, so needless to say that the live version is even more moving and powerful. I wasn’t the only one. I could see some others wiping away tears across from me. The acrobatic monkeys were hilarious and I love Timon. He is always so funny to me.

We went by the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride and noticed the wait time was posted at 35 minutes. We decided to wait in the stand-by line and forgo the fastpass since everything else had been so quick. Boy was I wrong on this one. The wait was more like an hour. We saw fastpass people walking by us so much that I almost jumped out of line and got one. We went ahead and waited thinking it would be only a few more minutes. The wait turned out to be worth it this time. There were a lot of animals out this go around and I enjoyed seeing all of them. The story line on this ride is incredibly cheesy and lame, but the animals are worth it.

We decided to leave after this ride and get back to the hotel, as I was anxious to see our room. We arrived back at the Contemporary around 3:00 and got our room number. We were on the tenth floor with a view of the castle and tomorrowland. It was beautiful. I didn’t even request anything. I guess we got it because we checked in so early. Bell services brought up our luggage and he told about some of the amenities at the hotel. We stopped in at Fantasia on the fourth floor for our free pins. They were cute, but we decided to trade them just for the fun of the experience. I traded mine for a Muppets 3D pin and Bryan traded his for an Animal Kingdom pin. There was a pin trading booth right in the middle of the fourth floor. Next, we went down to the first floor cafeteria and bought souvenir refillable mugs for about $9 each and ice creams. I have one complaint and it’s that I couldn’t find an original Mickey bar anywhere. You know the ones with the vanilla ice cream face, chocolate ice cream eyes and mouth, and hard chocolate covering only the ears? All I could find was vanilla ice cream shaped head and ears with hard chocolate covering the entire thing. This kind of irked me because I liked the other kind and raved about them all the way to Disney World. Anyway, Bryan went ahead and got one of those and I got a goofy bar, which has caramel in it. They both were really good.

It started raining really hard around 4:00 so we stayed at the resort for the afternoon. It looked like it was clearing up around 6:00 so we went ahead and changed for Pleasure Island. We both had bought special clubbing outfits for this purpose and I was anxious to show off. I actually wore pleather! This stuff is hot and doesn’t breathe at all, but it looked cool. We caught the bus to Pleasure Island around 7:00. It started raining hard again on the way over, but it quit by the time we reached our stop. We stopped by the Cirque du Soleil tent and got our tickets for the show on Monday night at 9:00. I noticed the tickets rang up as $148. Good thing they were part of the package. We walked over to the Pleasure Island entrance and went in. There was a security guard inside the gate that asked to check my bag. I thought this was kind of funny this time since my bag was clear plastic and you could see straight through it to notice that there was only a small wallet in there. I asked him if he wanted me to open my wallet so he could check it, but he said that that wasn’t necessary. I think he though I was trying to be smart with him. I told him that he was doing a great job and thanked him for being so careful. He finally smiled.

We got in line for the Comedy Warehouse and went in for the first show. I always love this place. It is so funny because everything is improv. They always start by saying that they get ideas from our suggestions, but to please remember that we are at Disney World and there are little ears that hear what we say. He them put his hands up to his head like Mickey ears and a little stuffed Pooh poked his head out a small door at the back of the stage.

We looked in on the Adventurers Club. It looked a lot more themed than I thought it would. There was already a large group of people in there so we decided to skip it and head out to eat dinner. By the way, I also looked in on that new club that has replaced the Wildhorse Saloon. I don’t think it is going to last too long. There wasn’t anyone in there at all. I wasn’t impressed with it.

We headed to Planet Hollywood to eat dinner. They accepted our Deluxe Plan and the waitress there did the same as the waiter at Rainforest Café. I tried a smoothie, but I’m not really a smoothie kind of person and it was a little strong for my taste. It was a mixture of coconut and three other fruit juices I can’t remember. I had mini fajitas for and appetizer and Bryan had the chicken strips in a crispy sweet batter. The waitress told us that the batter was a mixture of captain crunch and corn flakes. It sounds weird, but it was the some of the best stuff I have ever tried. I then had grilled salmon, which was excellent. I informed Bryan that he couldn’t get a hamburger this time and that he had to try something else because he was missing all of the fun of the package we had. He ordered the ribeye steak and was really glad he did. He said it was the best steak he has ever had. We ended our meal with the double chocolate cake. This thing is huge and extremely rich in chocolate, so we only ate about half of it. The waitress insisted that we get another desert and take it with us because the dining plan allowed us a desert each. I ordered the peanut butter cheesecake and took it with me. I didn’t eat it until the next day, but it was very good.

We finally got back to the room some time around midnight. I called for a wake-up call for the next morning and went straight to bed.

[klee]

Day 3 – Monday, September 24, 2001

The phone rang at 7:30 as I requested, but there was no Mickey. It was just silence. That’s kind of eerie to wake to total darkness and dead silence. Who cares when you’re at Disney World! I was ready to go.
We hopped the monorail to TTC and transferred to the Epcot monorail. Translation: we got off the monorail at TTC, walked down a long path, walked up another long path, and got on the other monorail to Epcot. We went through security so they could check our bags and entered the admission gate to the park.

First stop was the Garden Grill restaurant for our 9:30 PS. We arrived at 9:15 actually, but they seated us immediately. This was my favorite character breakfast. If you’re looking for one, this is it. You sit at booths that are on a circle platform with two tiers. This means there is a bottom floor and a top floor. All of the booths are facing outward so you never see any of the other people. This was the part I liked the best because it was more private and you don’t feel like others are watching you. These were also the most comfortable seats we sat in the whole time. Most of the restaurants have hard wood seats, but these were nice and cushioned. The waitress brought us a skillet full of eggs, potatoes, and sausage. There was also a basket of biscuits and cinnamon rolls. We ate plenty and I was starting to wonder if I would see the characters. I was ready from the first minute. I had sat my autograph book and sharpie pen at the corner of the table so they could see it and my camera was turned on and ready to snap. I was on my second cup of coffee when they started coming and then it was one right after the other. First, there was Mickey. I wasn’t even expecting him, but I got his autograph and a picture with him. Next was Chip. This one was the most fun. He made a motion with his hands for Bryan and me to kiss. At first, I shook my head no, but he insisted. We kissed really quickly and Chip clapped his hands and jumped up and down. Then he gave me his autograph and I got a picture. I also got a picture with Dale and Pluto. Pluto was funny because he rests the autograph book on his nose and only draws pictures.

We then went to trade our ticket for the Leave a Legacy tile. We had to fill out a form with our names, addresses, and a few survey questions. She then took our picture together and told us that we would receive a certificate in the mail. By the way, it was with our mail we received as soon as we got home. Boy, that was quick. It looks really cute. The address given is West 4-A-2-10-2. If you go by and want to, take a look and see what you think.

We rode Spaceship Earth first because it is tradition for me to ride it first. We walked right on it with no problem. I love this ride! It hasn’t changed in a long time, but it’s a classic and never gets old.

Bryan asked if we could skip Universe of Energy this time. I didn’t mind since it is really my mom’s favorite and I only ever ride it because she wants to. Since she wasn’t with us this trip, I decided it would be okay to skip it. I don’t think Bryan likes Ellen Degeneres and that’s why he didn’t want to ride it. I personally don’t see what’s so great about her either. She’s not funny in my personal opinion. On to better things.

Next came Body Wars. I never miss this ride because of the babe that drives the craft. I can’t remember his name, but he was in the movie “Buried Alive”. I know he’s old enough to be my father, but he is still gorgeous. Of course, Bryan doesn’t know this is the real reason why I ride this so much. He thinks I just really like the ride.
We had to see Cranium Command. This is so dated that it screams ‘80s, but it reminds me of my school years. I remember the big hair, jean jackets, and allstars shoes. I still think this show is really funny and has some great stars in the cast.

We ran through the Living Seas and skipped the beginning presentation. I am so glad that they give you this option. I sat through it years ago and it is incredibly boring. I love all the exhibits they have. My favorite is the manatees. They are a lot of fun to watch especially when they eat.
We headed to the Coral Reef for our 1:30 PS. This is the fanciest restaurant we ate in. I loved the atmosphere, but the restaurant was much smaller than I thought it would be from the pictures I have seen in advertisements. I had the shrimp cocktail and leg of duck. Bryan had the scallops and grilled chicken. We didn’t have desert this time because we were full. Our waiter was nice, but not as nice as the others we have encountered. He had a wonderful accent though. I think it was French.

We went through the Imagination ride because I thought I would give it another try. Sometimes I like things better the second time around. Not this one! I still hate it. I miss the song. It was cute and catchy. I can’t find it anywhere with the words. There are instrumental versions on those “make your own CD” things after the ride, but not with the words. We did get one of those crystal cubes made with our pictures etched on it. It was $100, but it is the neatest thing I have ever seen.

Next came the World Showcase. We kind of breezed through this part. We rode the rides in Mexico and Norway. We always buy a couple of chocolate bars in Norway. They have the best chocolate. It is really lite and creamy. We shopped in China and I got this little red dog looking thing. I’m not sure what it is, but I liked the look of it.

We had a 5:00 PS at Teppanyaki in Japan. This was excellent. You sit at a table with other people around a grilling surface. The chef does different little tricks with the cooking utensils. The food was great. We both had chicken. I thought our chef looked just like Jackie Chan. We met a couple at the same table as us that were on their honeymoon. They said they were from New Jersey and that he used to be stationed at Fort Benning, which is right next to Columbus where we live. I feel another song coming on: “It’s a Small World”.

I decided to ride Spaceship Earth again before we left the park. After all, you can’t beat a classic. We got back to the room a little after 6 PM. We refilled our mugs, and rested in the room for a while.

We went to the bus stop at 7:30 so we would have plenty of time to get to the Cirque du Soleil show by 8:30 when the doors open. We met a couple that said they had been waiting for the Downtown Disney bus for 45 minutes and it had not showed yet. One of the Cast Members from the hotel was checking on it. He was not happy with the answers they gave him. A bus finally showed at 8:00 and it took them a long time to help a lady in a wheelchair on the bus. We made it to the West Side stop of Downtown Disney right at 8:30. I was a little worried there for a minute.

Cirque du Soleil was wonderful. It was very artistic and I highly recommend it. However, if you’re looking for a bright and cheery show, you’re in the wrong place. It was kind of nightmarish and dark. I love horror movies and this was right up my alley. The time flew right by and it was over before I knew it. The only thing I didn’t like was that it seemed too busy in the background. There were so many things going on at one time, I felt like I was always missing something.

We finally headed back to the hotel and I requested another wake-up call for the next morning.

[klee]

Day 4 – Tuesday, September 25, 2001

The phone rang at 6:55 this morning, but still no Mickey. I’m starting to give up on ever hearing his cheerful voice. Oh well, no time to think of this now. We have a big day ahead of us.

We got to MGM at 8:30 and breezed through security. I decided to do a little shopping before the rope drop. We found a number of things to purchase, but decided to wait until we were on our way out. Finally, the rope started moving to the major attractions. This was kind of funny to me. It looked like cattle being moved to the barn. I actually think I heard someone say, “Moo.”

We walked around and got a few pictures of the scenery. I took some really good ones of the hat in front of the theatre. I don’t mind the hat so much, but I do wish they had put it somewhere else. I think the theatre is a lot nicer to look at.

We headed for our 9:30 PS at Hollywood & Vine. This was a really nice setup. Minnie is the only one who doesn’t walk around to the tables, but you can still get a picture with her. You just have to stand in line for it. I loved the outfits they put on the characters here. They looked like ‘20s movie stars and directors. Goofy was the coolest. Dale came by and put bunny ears on Bryan. I think that’s my favorite picture. Goofy signed his autograph with the book on my head. We also saw Pluto and Chip. The food was great. I love these buffets. You can get all kinds of good stuff: eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, cereal, and all kinds of pastries. Boy, these people sure can cook.

We headed to the Great Movie Ride. There was some construction inside so you couldn’t see all the exhibits going in. That was okay because we moved by them so fast; I wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway. I think they have added a couple of clips at the end of the ride since the last time I rode it: Shakespeare in Love (kissing scene) and Armageddon (where they’re walking in to get on the ship). This ride is always a classic, but it could use a new animatronics scene or something. I can almost do the lines of the driver and gangster who hijacks the vehicle. I do love this ride.

We decided to head to Millionaire. I’ve been looking forward to this one since I heard they were bringing it in. On the way, we were followed by the Captain from Atlantis. I can’t remember his name. He followed us all the way to the steps and then stopped. I turned around and waved at him at this point and off we went to Millionaire. I managed to get #7 in the top 10. Some of these people are really fast and they knew all the answers. I loved the “Regis”. He was really good.

Next came Muppets 3D. I love this show! It’s one of the best ever created. My favorite part is the little imaginary guy they create who floats around. I love when he’s bouncing on people’s heads. The whole thing is very creative and funny.

I had to see Hunchback of Notre Dame. For some reason, I have never caught this show before. We waited about 30 minutes for the show to start. This is a great show. I always enjoy a show where the actors actually sing and are not just lip-synching to a musical track. The actors were wonderful and the costumes were spectacular. This is an awesome show and I highly recommend it to anyone. I will definitely never miss this one again.

It was finally time for our 1:30 PS at Sci-Fi Drive-in. We never miss this one. We checked in at 1:10 and were seated at 1:25. I don’t think they ever change what they show here, but it makes it more fun because you know exactly what to expect. I love the cartoons and the trailers make you wonder, “What were they thinking?!” Both Bryan and me are huge fans of Mystery Science Theatre on Sci-Fi channel so this place is right up our alley. We always spend most of the time making fun of the trailers. I hope we didn’t drive the people in front of us nuts. We both had chocolate milkshakes, hamburgers, fries, and a basket of onion rings. The waitress asked us if we were on our honeymoon and we told her that have been together for two and a half years. We were asked this everywhere we went during this trip. It was quite comical after a while. I guess it’s a good thing because it means that people can tell we are still having fun. I guess you could say that the honeymoon isn’t over yet. Anyway, the waitress gave us a frisbee and a souvenir cup and told us “happy two and a half years”. I thought that was so sweet of her. She was really nice.

We decided to head to Star Tours next. Yes, we had just eaten and were stuffed, but it was right around the corner. I love this ride. The little robot that drives the craft is so cute you just want to hug him. We walked right on with no problem and rode okay. I think it was a little bumpier than usual, but we came out okay with lunch intact.

We thought we would take the Backlot Tour since we usually skip it. I had read on these boards that they had put in a Pearl Harbor scene at the beginning so I had to see it. The people who volunteered to help in this scene were hilarious. The guy on the boat deck kept hiding behind the woman with him when the planes were supposedly flying over. He picked up his broom handle and acted like it was a gun to shoot back at them. They were really good. We got to the tram and I somehow ended up on the left side this time. I got really soaked. The water came in on my side and formed a big puddle in the chair. You would have thought I was on Kali River Rapids by looking at me.

We walked back toward Millionaire and decided to get ice creams and a coke before we went in. I wasn’t sure if they would mind or not with me being so wet. Bryan got a Mickey bar. I think he really likes these things. I got a square ice cream sandwich. It was wonderful. We finally went inside Millionaire and were waiting to go in when a cast member handed me a laminated card. It gave me permission to sit in the fastest finger section. Boy, what luck! Of course, I had to separate from Bryan, but I could see him through the whole thing. These seats are the coolest! You have your own little monitor to watch and the seats swivel. I didn’t get on the board this time. I kept missing questions.

We walked down to Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster to get a picture of it. It was closed for updates so we couldn’t see much, but I got what I could. I was really disappointed that it was closed. I’ve been looking forward to this one because I have never ridden it. Maybe next time we go. I also got a great picture of the Hollywood Tower, which is right next door. I won’t touch this ride. I rode it when it first opened and that was enough for me. It only came down once then. I don’t want to go up and down more than that. Call me chicken, but that’s just me.

We headed to the 50’s Prime Time Diner for our 6:05 PS. The CM who checked us in asked if I worked for Disney. I said, “No. Why?” He said because PS is what they called it. I told him about the Passporter and the boards. We were seated shortly after this. I loved our waiter. He was exactly what I was looking for. He got onto Bryan for elbows on the table. When I pointed at Bryan to say, “Shame on you,” another waiter walked by and got onto me for pointing. We had to set the table before he would bring us anything and we had to say, “May I please…” before we ordered our food. I loved this place. It is so much fun. I had the granny’s roast and Bryan had the fried chicken. They were both excellent. I loved the gravy they used on the roast. Bryan asked for a sundae and got a lecture about not eating his greens. He did get the sundae though.

After dinner, we shopped around a bit and bought some souvenirs for our family. I bought a really cute Minnie hat that I saw and just had to have. I wore it most of the rest of the trip. We went into the gate for Fantasmic around 7:40 and still got good seats. We were in the second row to the left of the middle section. This was the greatest show I have ever seen. The special effects are magnificent! I loved how they showed pictures on the water. Getting out of the show was incredibly slow.

We finally arrived back at the resort and had a message to pick up my packages from Epcot. I decided to get them the next day as everything was already closed. I put in for another wake-up call and hoped for the best.

[klee]

Day 5 – Wednesday, September 26, 2001

The phone rang at 7:30 this morning and guess what? You guessed it: no Mickey. Am I cursed? Oh well, on to another magical day.

We hopped the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and were unpleasantly stopped for some sort of malfunction. We stopped in mid-air with nothing below us but track and hard ground. This is a little distressing, but we were moving within five minutes. They then stopped us at the Grand Floridian for something else. I was really beginning to worry since we had a 9:20 PS. We finally arrived at the Magic Kingdom and went through security. I liked this guard. She even zipped by bag back when she was finished looking through it. That was really sweet of her.

We made it to the Crystal Palace at 9:22. They seated us immediately. This is a quaint little place with wrought iron chairs. They are cut, but incredibly uncomfortable. Another grand breakfast buffet awaited us. Off we went to grab a plate or two and get our fill. Shortly after we sat back down, Piglet came by and signed my autograph book and took a picture with me. He then kissed my head. Tigger came by and sat with Bryan for a picture after mine. I was finished eating before I saw Eeyore, but I was determined not to miss him. I was happy to wait for my favorite character of all time. I got a really good picture with him and then headed to get Pooh’s autograph. He didn’t circle the tables so you had to come to him. Only when I got there, the CM informed me that this was the last family before he took a break to get a drink. Pooh drinks? I’ve only ever seen him eat honey. Oh well. We were on the way out the door at this point so I didn’t get a picture with Pooh.

We headed out to enjoy the Magic Kingdom. I had bought one of the new pins that light up and was anxious to see what it would do. I got the one with the castle on it so I figured it would work more at the MK. We rode all but two rides by 1:00. My favorite was Peter Pan’s Flight. My MK pin was most active on this one. I won’t tell exactly what it does, but it is really neat. You’ll have to get one and see for yourself.

We went to Cinderella’s Castle for our 1:30 PS. This place is great. I never realized there was even a restaurant in here until I read Passporter. We were shown to the waiting room where Cinderella was waiting on her throne. No one would take a picture with her. I sat down in an empty chair and the woman next to me said, “Oh, I’m sorry, but my husband is sitting there.” Biting my tongue and not making a comment about her being married to the invisible man, I got up and moved to another seat across the room. I was very proud of myself for this because I am usually a very sarcastic person and get easily aggravated with stupid things like that. I mean, if she wanted to save the seat for him, she should have put something in it. Anyhow, we were seated in a matter of ten minutes. The dining area is beautiful. There are huge stained glass windows to look out of. The scenery outside is just like a little village. We both had the prime rib. Bryan asked for some A1 sauce and the waiter brought it in a gravy boat. This was so cute to me. Everything was done very elegant. The china they use looks regal. When we were finished, the waiter brought a desert tray for us to look at. I liked the idea of this because you can actually see what it looks like before you order it. We both ordered the chocolate mousse. It was extremely rich, but excellent. If you have enough room after all the food, I highly recommend this desert.

We had gotten fastpasses for Space Mountain just before we went to lunch, but decided to skip it since we were so full. We went back to Peter Pan’s Flight again instead. After that, our fastpass times were up so we went back to Space Mountain and got new ones. We rode the Carousel of Progress while we waited for our fastpass times. This ride is still a classic ride, but you can’t get the song out of your head for the rest of the day. We went back to Space Mountain and used our fastpasses. I love this system. We walked past a large number of people before we came to the ride and got on. We probably waited only about 8 minutes. I never miss this ride. It is the absolute best.

We decided to go back through Haunted Mansion one more time before dinner. I have always enjoyed this ride, but I think I enjoyed it even more this time because I have read more of the inside story behind it on some of the websites. There was a little girl behind us who told her mom that she was really scared and didn’t want to go anymore. Her mom said, “Well, we’ve come this far and you can’t go back now so you’ll just have to ride it.” I thought this was kind of mean of her since I know all you have to do is ask a CM and they will direct you toward one of the many exits. I don’t know if the little girl liked it or not after she went though it, but I hope it was worth it. I know I was scared of this ride and wouldn’t go on it until I was about 13 years old. I love it now, but only because I know what to expect.

It was time for our 5:00 PS at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant so off we went. It took us a minute to actually find the check-in desk because the restaurant is hidden inside a building with another exhibit and store. We finally checked-in and were seated immediately. We had a comfy booth at this one, which was greatly appreciated by my backside. Disney has some wonderful restaurants, but the seats are dreadfully hard and uncomfortable. We both ordered the spaghetti with meatball. Let me tell you this is one giant plate of spaghetti with one giant meatball in the middle of it. It was exceptionally good, but I could swear that my spaghetti was multiplying. I ate and ate and ate, but it never seemed to go away.

We decided to ride Winnie the Pooh one last time. I was looking for the scene where Mr. Toad hands the deed to Pooh and had missed it the first time. I finally found it, but it’s different than what I thought. There’s a picture hanging on the wall on the left side of Owl’s house that is falling in. Mr. Toad is handing the deed to Owl in the picture. No wonder I had missed it. It wasn’t anything like what I was looking for in the first place. I still think it’s a nice little touch for all of us Disney fanatics out there.

We headed back to the hotel early so we could pack and get ready to leave the next day. I made one last request for a wake-up call. We refilled our mugs and packed our luggage. I hated to go, but the best was yet to come: the cruise!

[klee]

Day 6 – Thursday, September 27, 2001

The phone rang at 6 AM. I finally heard Mickey! He spoke and laughed his Mickey laugh and I jumped out of bed. Bryan must have thought I was crazy. I had been waiting for this all week. It was just what I needed to get me going for the voyage ahead. There was an express checkout form under the door. Everything looked in order so we got dressed and headed downstairs for our breakfast with Mickey himself.

Our PS was for 7:30 at Chef Mickey’s. I have heard great things about this place and I can only add to them. They took our picture and I decided to buy one. It looked really great. This is another great breakfast buffet. The characters were the usual Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Pluto. Minnie came by the table twice and kissed Bryan on the head. I teased him about this endlessly the entire day. Breakfast was great, but it was time to go.

We called bell services to get our bags. He got our valet ticket and had them bring the car around while we headed downstairs. We tipped both the bellman and the valet driver and were on our way by 9:30.

Port Canaveral was easy to find and the directions were great. We arrived about 11:00 and drove into the check-in area. They checked our ID’s and got our luggage. We then drove across the street to park. They take the parking fee at this time and show you where to park at. We walked back across the street where they checked our ID’s once again and pointed us toward the entrance to the building. The terminal looks just like the pictures in the brochure. The waiting area is upstairs. There is a nice sized model of the ship for you to look at while you wait and there are televisions everywhere showing cartoons. Donald Duck and Minnie came out during this time for the kids to get pictures.

We boarded the boat at 12:15. They announce you when you enter and take a picture. I didn’t care much for the picture. It was absolutely uncreative. I have been on day trips where they take your picture behind a wheel like the steering wheel of the boat. This one was taken beside a poster on an easel. I didn’t care for it so I didn’t waste my money on this one. We were led to Parrot Cay for a lunch buffet. They assigned us seats to sit at. We left our carry-ons and went to the buffet. There was some pretty strange stuff on there, but I managed to find enough to eat. When we got back to the table, we met another couple. They were really nice and I had hoped we would get to sit together the rest of the trip. We didn’t, but that was okay because we met some other nice people.

Our room was available around 1:30 so we headed up to the seventh deck to check it out. The room was larger than I thought it would be. We had a king sized bed, a couch, a table, and a small television. The verandah was really nice. We had an excellent view of things. We decided to explore the ship since our luggage had not arrived yet. We went to make reservations for Palo for our last night of the cruise and then went by Guest Services to purchase excursion tickets for Nassau and Castaway Cay. There are so many things on the ship to do that you can’t do everything. It was hard deciding what to do and still get in a little rest and relaxation, but we managed to do it somehow. Our luggage arrived gradually. We unpacked as it arrived.

They had a drill around 4:30 that was mandatory for everyone to attend. We had to put on these big and bulky life vests and find our prospective areas. They check off your name and make you stand in small lines. This was over quickly but not quick enough for most of us. Those life vests are incredibly uncomfortable.

The boat left dock at 5:00. We took the camcorder around the boat for a grand tour so our parents could see it. It really was a beautiful boat. Before we knew it, it was time for the first theatrical production of the night. We caught the 6:30 showing of Hercules the Muse-ical. This is a good show. It was mostly funny. Some of the jokes were a little lame, but it was cute. I thought the guy playing the older Hercules looked like and Osmond. He had the same facial features. Overall, I gave the show a thumbs up.

We returned to our stateroom and changed for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Triton’s at 8:30. Triton’s was nice and ritzy. The food was a little strange for us. We’re more plain food type of people. The food on this menu was all fancied up with strange add-ons. The deserts were good though. We had a waiter and a waitress. One handled the drinks and the other handled the food. They were both very nice as were all of the CM’s we encountered on the ship.

We didn’t get out of Triton’s until almost 10:30. We headed back to our stateroom and got ready for bed. I took a few notes, looked over the Navigator—the guide given each night of the cruise that tells you what is happening the next day, and went to bed.

[tikibird]

Kristy - great report so far!

Thanks for the tip on Mr. Toad in Winnie the Pooh - I knew it was in the owl's house scene, but no clue where! I will check it out in December!

Looking forward to more on the cruise!

[klee]

Day 7 – Friday, September 28, 2001

We woke up today early so we could see the boat pull into dock at Nassau. I got some great pictures of the houses around the docks and some of the other boats. We stood out on our balcony the whole time it was pulling in.

We had bought an excursion to Atlantis. It didn’t start until 11:00 so we watched a movie on the television until time to go. We had ordered a continental breakfast for our room and it arrived promptly at 8:00 as we requested. This was really great! I don’t like having to wake up and get dressed quickly so you can get to a buffet for breakfast. This was convenient and the food was really good. We had croissants, danishes, donuts, orange juice, and coffee. An announcement came over the public speakers that they were canceling the Atlantis Beach Day excursion due to the rain. It was raining just enough at this time to spoil the beach. We had signed up for the guided tour of the Atlantis aquarium so we had nothing to worry about.

We met at Barrels of Laughs (nightclub on the ship) for our excursion to Atlantis. They gave everyone blue stickers with the beast from Beauty and the Beast on it. We were led to the gangway on first deck forward to exit the boat. We had to show our ID’s and Key to the World cards. They swipe your Key card when you get off the boat and get back on the boat. That way they know who is missing from the ship. Anyway, we were led to a ferry down the dock. They took our tickets and gave us little colored ones for the return trip. The ferry took us on a tour of the area. They showed us some expensive homes. One of them belongs to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. They gave out complimentary fruit punch and sold Bahama Mama rum punch. I loved to hear the host announce it. I love their accents. We were finally dropped off at the ferry terminal where they led us to the hotel where the aquarium was. We were split up into smaller groups of about 25 and led into the hotel. We walked past some really expensive stores. They even had a Cartier store. Then our guide led us through the huge casino and finally to the aquarium. It was a big place. The fish were neat to look at. I’ve never seen some the size of these. There was a manta ray that was about 20 feet in diameter. Bryan couldn’t get over it. I had to practically drag him away to continue the tour.

After the tour, we walked back to the ferry terminal to go back to the ship. The sun was out by now and it had gotten really hot. The ferry back was a lot faster and only took about 10 minutes. We were going to catch the lunch buffet, but they quit serving at 2:00. We arrived back at the ship at 2:05. Hakuna Matata! There were plenty of places by the pools to get food from. We went to Pinocchio’s Pizzeria by the family pool and got some pepperoni pizza. We also refilled our mugs we bought when we embarked. These were $15 each, but they were well worth it. We refilled them at least four times each day we were on the boat. We sat down at one of the tables by the pool to enjoy our meal. There was a nice breeze and the view was good. The Disney Wonder is surrounded by Plexiglas everywhere you look, but I guess it helps make sure the children don’t fall of the boat. The pizza was so good; we went back and got another slice each. After we finished, we decided to go to Scoops and get a couple of chocolate ice cream cones. I love it when you can just order something and not have to worry about paying for every little thing. The ice creams were good, but the cones were kind of bland. They don’t use sugar cones like we normally get at Baskin Robins.

We went back to our stateroom and changed into shorts. We were both wearing long jeans because it had been a little chilly that morning. The nice weather warranted a change. Bryan took a nap and I went roaming the ship by myself. I refilled my mug again and went back to the stateroom because all the shops were closed due to some agreement the Disney Wonder has with Nassau not to open the shops while in port.

The theatre presentation this night was Voyage of the Ghost Ship. We decided to skip this one and see the Princess Diaries in the Buena Vista Theatre instead. I loved this movie. It was pretty funny and I think I made a good choice. It’s good to see Julia Andrews in a movie again.

We went back to our stateroom and changed clothes for dinner. Tonight we ate Animator’s Palate. This was one big night of disappointment. It all started when they seated us and we noticed the people at the table were not the same ones we ate with the previous night. You’re supposed to eat with the same people and the same waiters follow you to each restaurant. The waiter introduced himself and asked if we missed dinner the previous night. I told him, “No. We seem to have been seated at the wrong table.” He checked his list of people and verified that we were supposed to be at his table. Apparently the one who seated us the first night had put us at the wrong table. This was a bit aggravating to me because we were expecting to sit with the people we met the previous night. Not to mention that I really liked the waiter and waitress we had better than the two waiters we were actually assigned to. I also thought it wasn’t fair to the first team who had spent their time and energy serving us before. This now meant that I was going to have to find some way to split the tip for two different wait teams. Tips are given at the end of the cruise. The next thing was that I thought the room colorized gradually. However, what they do is color three or four pictures and then turn them back to black and white. They then change some of the pictures and do it over again. When the meal is over, the whole room colorizes and the waiters come back out with color vests. I was expecting much more from this restaurant. The food was good, but not great. Of course, everything on the menu was still a little strange to us. No ordinary entrees were given. It all had some elaborate fixing or sauce. The deserts were excellent as usual. Disney knows its chocolate deserts. This wait team was incredibly slow so we didn’t get out of there until at least 10:30.

We headed back to the room and changed for bed. Next came the day I had been waiting for—Castaway Cay.

[klee]

Day 8 – Saturday, September 29, 2001

We woke up extra early so we could get a head start. Our continental breakfast came at 7:30 just as we had ordered. I was dressed and ready by the time it came and anxious to get out to Castaway Cay. There was only one problem: rain, rain, rain!

The ship pulled into port while we ate. They started letting people off the boat around 8:30. I decided that I didn’t care if it was raining. I was going anyway. Besides, we were going to get wet in the ocean to begin with so why be a stickler about getting wet on land. We bought a getaway package for the island that included a one-hour bike rental, snorkel equipment for the entire day, and a float for the entire day.

We exited the boat on first deck aft. We were handed towels as we left. The rain wasn’t too bad, but it was enough to keep some people from going. We walked to the bike rentals and were informed that all excursions had been cancelled and we would be refunded the purchase price; however, we could go ahead and ride them for free if we still wanted to. We hopped on the bikes and off we went. It started to rain harder, but we pressed on until we got to the end of the bike trail. We decided to return them and come back to Serenity Bay—the adult’s only part of the island.

We hopped a tram back to Serenity Bay and found a chair under an umbrella to put our stuff on so it wouldn’t get too soaked. The water was so clear. It was beautiful! I’ve never been able to see what I was walking on in the ocean. This was a dream come true for me. I usually don’t like the ocean because I can’t see what my feet are touching. This was absolute heaven. There were only three or four other couples on the beach with us. It was nice to know that we weren’t the only crazy ones. I had a waterproof disposable camera and took a few pictures with it. I don’t know how they’ll come out since it was overcast and the camera is for sunlight. Hopefully they’ll be okay.

We hopped a tram back around 11:00. They had started serving lunch early at Cookie’s BBQ. It was a good thing because we were starving by this point. We both got hot dogs and picked up what we thought were grilled chicken strips. Boy, were we wrong. Bryan tried his first. He said that it tasted a little funny and didn’t think it was cooked totally. I tried mine and realized it was salmon. What is it with these people and salmon? There was salmon on every menu we saw. Was there a deal on salmon this month? Anyway, I liked salmon so I ate mine. We also had some cookies they were passing around. Those were really good too.

We decided to go back to the ship because it was kind of cold with all the rain. As we were leaving Cookie’s BBQ, a CM stopped us and asked us to please go back under the shelter because it was lightning and they didn’t want anyone to get hurt. We were stuck under the shelter for almost an hour. The rain increased and the wind was blowing the trees practically backwards. It was looking like a hurricane or something. They kept the music going and brought around more drinks and cookies for everyone while we waited. Everyone started moving more into the middle of the shelter because the wind was blowing the rain in. It finally quit lightening and they advised that everyone return to the ship.

Boarding was a lot smoother. They only made us swipe our Key cards and didn’t make us show ID. We were handed fresh warm and dry towels and they took the wet ones. I was really happy to be back on the ship where I could get warm. To make up for not being able to enjoy the island, Disney added an extra show and many activities.

We changed into warmer clothes and hung up our wet clothes in the bathroom to dry. We both took showers to get all the sand off. I was tired so I decided to take a nap. While I was asleep, Bryan walked over to one of the snack bars and bought me a couple of candy bars and a rose that lights up. I went crazy over one of these last year at Epcot and he bought that one for me. He said that he liked this one better because it actually had Walt Disney World written on the handle so we knew where it came from.

We changed into our formal wear for Palo’s and headed to the 6:30 theatre presentation of Disney Dreams. This was the best show. It had most of the characters from Disney movies and key songs from the major shows. The actors were really good. Peter Pan had the act down. He even did the same facial expressions. Close to the end was a procession of cast members in African outfits singing “The Circle of Life”. Again, I had to hold back the tears. I don’t why this song always get to me.

We arrived at Palo at 7:45. They seated us at a waiting area inside the restaurant. We were seated at our table after about 5 minutes. I loved our table. It was for two and right next to the window. It was nice to be able to eat together with no one else at the same table. You don’t feel like you have to make conversation. I had a calamari appetizer, which was excellent. For my entrée, I had the bass on a bed of lobster. I can’t remember what Bryan ordered and I forgot to write it down. We both ordered the chocolate soufflé for desert. The waitress told us about it early in the meal and said that it took about 15 to 20 minutes to prepare it so we immediately ordered one. It comes with vanilla bean ice cream on the side. The waitress takes a spoon and dips a hole in the middle of the soufflé. She then pours chocolate sauce and vanilla sauce into the hole. She then brought us a plate with a creamy kind of stuff that I can’t remember the name of. It reminded me of cool whip. Cut strawberries and blackberries surrounded it. She said that it was to cut the sweetness of the soufflé. This was the best desert I had the entire trip. I highly recommend Palo. The food was great. The atmosphere was wonderful. We were out of there in an hour and 15 minutes.

We went back to the stateroom and packed. Our luggage had to be outside the stateroom by 11 PM. I filled out the customs form and made a few final notes. It was time for bed. We had to travel home the next day and I didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel.

[klee]

Day 9 – Sunday, September 30, 2001

The morning came far too early. The boat rocked all night due to the storm outside. The television said that the waves were 8-15 feet high. The ship creaked and moved all night long and I found it difficult to sleep from the noise. We got ready and put what was left in our day bags.

We had breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. They had assigned seating at Parrot Cay, but we wouldn’t have been able to have breakfast until 8:00 and we wanted to get on our way. Breakfast was nice. It was the usual stuff except for one thing. You guessed it: salmon. I have never seen salmon for breakfast. I stuck with the danishes and cereal.

We were allowed to disembark at 8:00. We selected a porter and went to get our luggage. He got our customs form and handed it to the lady at customs. He walked us across the street to our car and put it all in for us. Bryan tipped him and off we went.

We decided to take I-95 up the coast and stop in Daytona on the way home. We toured Daytona USA and got some really great pictures. I love this place. We drove up to Jacksonville and had lunch at the Cracker Barrel. This is a family favorite of ours. I decided to have a second breakfast here for lunch. I can’t help myself. I love their pancakes. We headed west on I-10 and then back up I-75 for our normal route home.

Final thoughts:
I would love to take another cruise with Disney. Next time, I would like to take the seven-day cruise and have more time to enjoy all the amenities. I recommend the refillable mugs. They come in really handy and make great souvenirs. All the cast members we encountered were very friendly and made our trip quite enjoyable. I can’t wait to get back! The Deluxe Magic package add-on was well worth it. Our meals added up to $641.15. We were a little under the package price, but the convenience made it feasible.

[klee]

It's amazing, but I didn't gain anything. In fact, I weighed 130 pounds when I left for Florida and weighed 127 pounds when I got back home. I have no idea how I did it because I felt like we pigged out the entire time. Of course, we probably walked a marathon while we were there. We also ran up and down the stairs on the ship instead of taking the elevator because it was always full. I guess I will have to move to Florida and become a character at Disney World so I can stay thin.

[curtis_lake]

Great trip report. Enjoyed reading but it but wondered HOW MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU GAIN???? I can't believe all that eating you two did. When we go I hate to spend all our time at sit down restaurants for every meal and usually only select ONE large meal a day!! I'd be afraid to get the Deluxe package because I would have to try and get all my monies worth out of it.