The Adult Trip - January 2002 About This Page:

[Cruella]

The Cast:
*Me, Cruella (aka Joanne), age 48, my twelfth trip to the 'Magic'
*WildForWD (aka Tim, my DH), age 42, his eleventh trip
*Frank, my brother, who has been to WDW before (several years ago) but not with us!
*JoAnn, Frank's wife, who has also been to WDW (several years ago) but not with us!

The Dates:
Friday, January 11th thru Saturday, January 19th

The Resort:
The Sheraton Vistana (offsite)

The Planning:

We had planned to take the kids and my mother to WDW for the first two weeks of December. It had been a difficult year for us between the death of my father, my mother's resulting depression and finally, my being caught in the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.

Suddenly, everything was so hard to do. Tim and I decided that we needed some time just for us when the New Year started. We picked the week of the 12th to the 19th because my sister Joyce was off school and could come and stay with the boys and my Mom. Then my brother Frank and my SIL, JoAnn came for a visit during the Fall and we were talking about the trip. Before we knew it, we had asked them if they wanted to come and they said yes. So I contacted RCI and exchanged one week of our Time Share for the Sheraton Vistana for that week. And then I forgot all about the trip in the rush of Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas decorating before we left on the first trip. Consequently, I didn't even get our plane tickets until around Christmas but got a great deal, $119 per person for us from LaGuardia to Orlando. Frank and JoAnn's tickets were a bit more, but they were traveling from Boston (they live in Maine) and I was able to get arrival times that were within one hour of each other, so I was happy. We ended up leaving a day early, so I called the Vistana to arrange a room for the first night and request that it be the same room we would be staying in for the next week. I didn't do any planning for the trip until the week before, except to ask Frank and JoAnn where they would like to eat. They mentioned a few restaurants and also said they would like to go to the House of Blues Gospel Brunch. This was something Tim and I weren't interested in, so we planned to sleep late on Sunday and let Frank and JoAnn go alone. The week before I made our PS and a loose plan that would give us some time in each park, allow us a day at Typhoon Lagoon if the weather was nice and leave time at the end of the week to catch anything we had missed.

The Trip:

Friday, January 11th

Having completed our packing the night before we were up at 5:30AM to shower before we got the kids up for school. We spent a little quality time with each of them before driving them to their respective buses. Andrew was a little upset that we would be leaving him for the week, but we explained that Dad and I had to have some time alone together to keep our relationship strong. We made sure he had our cell phone numbers and warned him and his brother to be good this weekend. Last week my sister had informed us that she wouldn't be there until Monday afternoon and we were a little wary of leaving them alone with my mother for the weekend, but all worked out just fine.

After sending the kids off, we spent some time writing out the cards Tim had gotten them - one for each day we would be gone - and then said goodbye to my mother and Mushu, our Bichon Frise, and gave my mother the cards to hand out each day. By then the limo was at the door and we were ready to go! We had a great limo driver and were at the airport early. I stayed with the luggage while Tim went to find a porter. We feel that it's worth the few bucks just to get to the front of the lines, especially these days. In no time at all we were in the airport and through the security check. We then headed to Burger King for breakfast. After we finished eating and people watching (always fun!) we started off to find our gate and surprise, surprise, we were the first gate! That has never happened to me before! I usually count on the long walk to the gate to tire me out so I'll sleep on the plane, but I figured getting up at 5:30AM would help me out there.

The plane was fully loaded and left right on time at 12:05. The flight was unexceptional except for the fact that they announced there were several NYC police and firefighters on board that had been part of the rescue team at ground zero. One of the policemen was sitting next to me and we talked a little about that day. At the end of the flight he gave me a NYC Police Department patch just because I survived. It was a great way to start our trip.

We arrived early in Orlando so we took some time to walk through the Disney Store there in the airport to get our first taste of the Disney Magic. We had told Frank and JoAnn that we would pick up the car while we were waiting for them, but on the flight we decided it would be better to wait until they arrived, so after getting our bags we just sat by their baggage carousel to wait for them.

They arrived right on time too and we collected their bags and went to pick up the car. Then it was off to check out the Sheraton Vistana! We arrived and went to check in. I had requested a 2 bedroom villa with a king bed in one bedroom and a queen bed in the other, since this was one of the choices described in the letter I got from RCI. It turned out that they didn't have any villas like this, only villas with 2 double beds in the second bedroom. Oh well. Frank and JoAnn said they wouldn't mind the two double beds so we went for it. In return the desk clerk made sure we would stay in the same room for our whole stay and gave us one in the 'newer' section.

We headed out to find our unit, which was at the other end of the resort. The villa was beautiful. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a jacuzzi) a living room, dining room and full kitchen and a screened in porch that overlooked a beautiful pond with a fountain and 2 black swans plus several ducks swimming around. By now it was a little after 5 and we decided to head out to Downtown Disney to get Frank and JoAnn's 7 day parkhoppers ( Tim and I had PAP's that we had purchased for our December trip) and then head over to Rainforest Café for dinner.

We got the tickets with no problems and thanks to my RFC Club card we got right in to our table. Frank and JoAnn had never been to any Rainforest Café so it was a delight for them. They are very into wildlife of every kind, so I thought this would be the perfect place to take them and I wasn't disappointed. Our meal was wonderful too. I can't remember what Tim ordered but JoAnn and I had the Nile shrimp and Frank had the ribs (he ate them all!) and we all shared a Volcano for dessert. I was very tickled by the baby in the highchair at the table next to us. Every time the gorillas started to jump up and down, so did he! It was a riot.

After dinner, we took a walk through Downtown Disney to shop. JoAnn had not been able to find her shorts or summer tops, so she was looking for a few clothes. We worked our way through several stores and ended up at the World of Disney. By the time we looked around here and made some purchases, we decided we were too tired to go to the Adventurers Club, which was our original plan. Instead, we would go to the store to get some supplies and then head home to unpack and call it a day.

We were here! It was a great day and we hadn't even been to a park yet! Tomorrow was Saturday and against all the experts' advice we had decided to spend it at MK and stay through SpectroMagic and the fireworks.

Saturday, January 12th

We were up at 7 AM ready for our first day at the parks! The weather was slated to be mid 70's and partly sunny. Today would be Magic Kingdom - I know, I know, you should never go to MK on a Saturday, but it was the middle of January so we didn't expect huge crowds. We really wanted Frank and JoAnn to see SpectroMagic and the fireworks and we were scheduled for dinner at Cindy's Royal Table, so we just thought we would spend the entire day there.

We had a snack at our hotel before we left and got to MK about 9AM, a little later than I had planned. Someday I will actually get everyone out the door in time to see the park opening at a park - any park! I just want to be there in time for rope drop! Oh well, the crowds weren't too bad at the gates and we were through in short order and heading down Main Street. We decided to start the day in Tomorrowland and headed over the bridge. Our first attraction was Alien Encounter, which was a first for Frank and JoAnn. We told them to hunch their shoulders as the restraint came down so they wouldn't be uncomfortable and then waited for their reaction. We weren't disappointed! They were both tickled by the alien and the special effects and we agreed it was a good start.

Next, Frank, JoAnn and Tim went onto Space Mountain while I waited for them. I was sitting there listening to a Grandma explain to a 3 year old girl how SM wasn't a ride for either one of them and they would have more fun sitting and waiting. Now, in all my trips to WDW I have never been on Space Mountain. I have been through it on the TTA but every time I went on the line I chickened out at the last minute. In the past few years I didn't even try - I just accepted the fact that this was one ride I would never go on. But hearing this Grandma I realized that I wasn't being fair. I mean, after all, I even tried ToT once! I'll never go on it again, but at least I tried it. So shouldn't I do the same for Space? They still weren't back, so I decided to go to the ladies room and make my decision when I came back. As I exited the restroom, JoAnn was walking toward me. I told her I'd see her back with the guys and then asked them if they wanted to ride Space Mtn again. Tim looked at me like I had lost my mind but immediately said 'Yes, wanna come?' and when I replied 'I think so' he smiled and said 'Let's go!'. By now JoAnn had returned but she opted to wait out this one and the rest of us started off. I actually made it this time all the way to the rocketships, explaining to Frank that he was witnessing history. They decided that Frank would take the front and Tim would take the back leaving me the middle. And we were off! I was apprehensive, but I didn't mind it too much. The hardest part about the ride is that you can't see which way to move your body to take the curves so you end up being bounced around quite a bit. But I did it! I am so proud of myself!

We then headed to get a FastPass for Buzz and spent the time waiting for our time to come up by taking a ride on TTA. Then we went back to Buzz and got in the FP line (which was very long) only to find out after a few minutes that the ride was down and we had to exit. They didn't even offer us a replacement FP ticket! Oh well.

Checking the show times, I saw that it was almost time for the new Cinderella show at the castle. I missed this on our December trip and I really wanted to see it, so I persuaded everyone to go to the bakery for a snack and then head over to the hub for the show. I really liked this show! If you have ever been with me in the parks you know that I am not shy about participating in the parades, shows or with the characters. I think that Frank and JoAnn were a little thrown by my fervor but as the week went by they started to get a kick out of it. Anyway, I had a wonderful time yelling at the top of my lungs and singing along. It was great!

Next we decided to go over to Adventureland and work our way around to Columbia Harbour House for lunch. We did Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, POC, The Country Bears, Big Thunder Mountain RailRoad and found out that Splash Mountain was closed for refurbishment. We also shopped and shopped and shopped! And then we headed to Columbia Harbour House for lunch. This is a great place for a quiet lunch and the Clam Chowder in the bread bowl is delicious. We took our stuff upstairs and were able to see bits and pieces of the Globe parade as we ate.

Our first stop after lunch was the Haunted Mansion. Tim and I were busy pointing out all the Hidden Mickeys and telling Frank and JoAnn the background to the attraction. We were actually yelling stuff back and forth on the ride. It was a lot of fun! There was a little boy in line in front of me who was talking about not being scared on the ride. I told him I was a little scared to go in but he told me not to be - ghosts weren't real. Then we saw him again after the ride and his mother told us he hid in the doom buggy the whole time!

Madame Leota's cart was open (it had been closed in December) so we stopped to buy a HM key ring for my sister, who was staying with the boys and my mother at home. Then we worked our way through Fantasyland, riding the tea cups, Snow White, Pooh, and, finally, Peter Pan before going down to the hub to get seats for SpectroMagic.

When we arrived in the hub it was a little crowded but, luckily, they were just roping off the street where the parade turns into Liberty Square, so Jo Ann and I staked out our spot at the front of the rope and Frank and Tim went back to the locker to drop off our purchases and get our camp stools. While we were waiting for them to return we talked to the Cast Members who were doing crowd control. There was a girl (name withheld) giving out '100 Years of Magic' stickers. We got some from her and then started to discuss her favorite character (Sorcerer Mickey) since it was also JoAnn's favorite and she was wearing a shirt with him on it. This girl then lifted her shirt to show us her Sorcerer Mickey tattoo, an impressive 8-10 inches long and very colorful, on her back. She had to do it on the sly since, I guess, the CM's are not supposed to have any tattoos, but what's the point in having one like that if you can't show it off!
We also met Mike (real name Mitchell, but he had a Mike name tag on) who told us that he normally plays Bear in the Big Blue House's neighbor, but was working the MK on this night. He was very funny and we spent a long time with him. He also told us that the CM's have been told that Space Mtn will be going down for a rehab in the near future and will be re-done more like the Paris Space Mtn. The guys finally came back with our stools and we were able to settle in for the parade. Mike came back over to us and we introduced him to the guys and then we asked him to show us what he does in the Bear in the Big Blue House show. He offered to teach me the Bear Cha Cha Cha, and before he could blink I was on the other side of the rope. Then he said I had to get the other three people with me to come up too. I told him that wasn't going to happen, so he said that I had to get any 3 people in the crowd to come up. I turned to the crowd and told all the kids they could come up and learn the Bear Cha Cha Cha and we were immediately surrounded by about 10 kids ready to work off some of their energy. We danced for the crowd and laughed a lot and the time for the parade came quickly.

I just love the parades! I love to say hi to all the characters and I love it when they look for me and wave. It is one of the most thrilling things for me at WDW. I know that the people around me think I am insane, but I don't care. I really am just a kid at heart!

After the parade, we picked up our stools and headed for the rose garden where we got seats on the stone wall right under Tink's wire. We took turns taking restroom breaks and then conversed with the huge family seated next to us. We were comparing notes on the different timeshare exchanges we had used in the past few years. Once again the time passed pretty quickly and we were watching the castle for the first sign of Tink's appearance. Then a very strange thing happened. Tink came out and got on the wire but the music didn't come up! They played the Main Street Music throughout the entire fireworks show. It really took some of the magic out of it for me because it is cued to the musical selections so perfectly and I love to sing along as I watch. But Tink was still amazing and it was great to be right under her when she flew by. I swear she waved right at me! J

Then it was time for dinner at Cindy's Royal Table, so, as most of the crowd was making their way out of the park, we made our way to the castle. Dinner was great! It was relaxed and delicious and everything we could have hoped for to end a very eventful day. Our waitress was wonderful. When she saw JoAnn leaning over to pick up the sparkling mickey's on the floor, she brought each of us a bag of them to take home. We closed out the restaurant and then were escorted down an empty Main Street, probably my favorite part of eating dinner at the castle. When we got to the Railroad station, however, we were startled to find that our locker had been emptied!
Boy, when they say they empty the lockers at closing time, believe them! We saw a CM out on the street and asked her what we should do. She didn't know but radioed her supervisor and then told us to go to Town Hall. We did and they had all our stuff in a big plastic bag, including our $2 return deposit! So we gathered our stuff and set off for the monorail (we had taken the ferry in that morning knowing it wouldn't be running this late) and then headed for home, satisfied that we had had a great day at the MK!

I spent some time before bed writing in my PassPorter and then sending an e-mail to Andrew, my youngest. He had been calling us all day to tell us how much he missed us and that he had sent us an e-mail, so we wanted to answer him right away. Then it was off to bed and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! See you tomorrow! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[Heidi]

Great first installment Joanne! Looking forward to more!!! Keep [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[maggy_1]

Joanne, keep [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img] and it was very great to read [img]graemlins/read.gif[/img]

thanks for SM I think I try it this summer [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]

Chantal °o° [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[Disney Fan]

Great start to your trip report! Keep it coming. Those of us that don't have a trip for a few months (or years) live through these things. Don't keep us in suspense for too long!

[Fortissimo]

Great report!

I have to admit you made my eyes tear up when you talked about the policeman on the plane with you.

[Swazie]

I can't ever get my family into participating with the cast and parades. I think I would rather go with you!

DH and I are planning a trip with just the two of us (I think I'm going to miss the kids too much) and I am looking forward to the rest of your trip!

[Wondcat]

Wonderful first installment, isn't it great without the kids?

[sammycat699]

Great trip report. Can't wait for the next installment. Congrats on doing Space Mountain! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Mr.Grumpy]

Awesome beginning - can't wait to hear the rest. If you don't finish it sometime this week...I guess you'll have to tell us over dinner on Saturday. Are we still on?

[LLaffinPlace]

Allow me to add my congratulations on riding Space Mountain. When I was at the Magic Kingdom recently, SM was down for maintenance for part of our stay. BUT, the TTA still went through AND they had the lights on! Woohoo! We stayed on and rode twice just to scope out the inside of SM and the twists and turns of the ride. Upon reflection, I think it's best not to be able to see where you're going! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]

Thanks for the trip report--keep it coming!

[Cruella]

I'm so glad to see so many of you are as proud of me as I am of myself for conquering my fear! Thanks!

On with the trip...

Sunday, January 13th

While Frank and JoAnn were up at 8:00 this morning, Tim and I got to sleep in and boy did it feel good! Frank & JoAnn were going to the House of Blues Gospel Brunch. They said it was good singing but the food wasn’t so hot. (In the days to come JoAnn would perhaps have a chance to regret that meal over and over, but I’m getting ahead of myself).

When Frank and JoAnn returned from HOB, we were ready and raring to go after our restful sleep. We all headed out to Epcot to spend the afternoon at the World Showcase. We wanted to show Frank & JoAnn as much of WDW as we could, so we decided to park at Boardwalk and take the boat over to Epcot. We loved looking around the Boardwalk. I was surprised to see that the resort was still decorated for Christmas, but delighted none the less. After checking out the Boardwalk we headed out on the boat and were at Epcot in minutes. Those boats are such a nice way to travel!

Today was sunny, cool and windy. We started our world journey in France, where we browsed the shops and got some glasses of wine. Then we sat outside at one of the café tables and tried to look like Parisiens. The wine was excellent and put us all in a glowing mood for the rest of the day. When we were just finishing up the wine, we were approached by a CM, an older guy, who came up to the table and told us it didn’t belong in that spot. He then asked us if we would move it about 3 feet to the right. I began to think we were on Candid Camera but we duly got up and moved the table and chairs for him. He thanked us very nicely and we moved on out of the café area. I really think that our PassPorter pins made him think we were CMs!

As we passed out of France on our way to Morrocco we could see that the Living Statue was performing, but we couldn’t get near enough to see her. It looked like the crowd was having a good time, though.

In Morocco we walked through the twisted paths looking at all of the merchandise available. I just love the atmosphere in Morocco. It makes me feel like I’m in the middle of the Arabian Nights! I always want to buy the stuff I see, but then I ask myself when I would use it and the answer is always---not often enough! So I pass on by. This time, however, I found a miniature magic lamp that I just couldn’t leave there. I am rubbing it as I write this, but still no Genie! We were also able to pick up some Egyptian artwork for Andrew’s teachers (he’s our 11 yo) since he had been studying this in the Fall. We also got an eyeful of the belly dancer there which made my brother very happy (Tim too, I suspect).

The it was on to Japan where we took a peaceful walk thru the garden. We visited the museum and saw a mixed exhibit of Japanese royal wear and Japanese baseball (quite a combination!). Then we browsed the department store and exited in time to hear some of the Japanese drummers performance. They were great! Tim enjoyed it so much that he looked for a CD of their performance, but wasn’t able to find one.

Next, of course, was the American Adventure, and while Frank & JoAnn were not too keen on seeing the show (Tim and I didn’t mind since we had just seen it in December) we kind of strong-armed them into seeing the Voices of Liberty with us. I just love this group! Being a singer myself, I truly admire their ability to harmonize and stay right on key a cappella. I have always said that if I became a CM, my dream job would be to be a Voice of Liberty.

It was while we were standing outside the American Adventure that a woman, mistaking us for CMs (those PassPorter pins again!), asked us where the nearest bathroom was. After checking my PassPorter map I gave her directions. She responded by telling me she would like to trade a pin with me. I explained that I was not a CM and that the pins I had on were all ones I wanted to keep, but there was a CM about 10 feet from us ready to trade with her. Hee hee!

Italy came next followed closely by Germany. In both countries we browsed thru the shops and I got a pretzel in Germany (love those pretzels!) but we did not dally since our mission was to make around the world in this one afternoon. So, very soon we were making our way to China, where the rest of the group stopped to have a snack (I was satisfied with my pretzel) and we again browsed the shops. Tim had to get his dragon – he gets a new one in China everytime we go to the World. As we left China, we caught a performance of the acrobats. These kids are amazing! I am more impressed with them every time I see them.

We got to Norway and checked out the church first. Then we went for a ride on Maelstrom (Frank and JoAnn liked it) and we showed them the giant Troll in the shop. By this time we were thinking it would be good to stake out our spot for Tapestry of Dreams, so we considered ourselves lucky when we came across an empty bench on the lagoon side of the walkway, perfect for viewing and participating in the parade. Unfortunately, a CM came over to tell us that the bench would be used in the parade and we couldn’t sit there. Oh well, not to worry, we whipped out our camp stools and positioned ourselves to the right of the bench. This spot was perfect! We then went to the bakery for a little sweet and then followed that up with a trip to Mexico for some margaritas. Oh heaven!

While we were waiting for the parade, we had a conversation with Bert, a CM who works the World Showcase making sure that there is no trash in the walkway. Bert was a great CM, very proud of the job he does and happy to stop and pass the time of day with any of the guests. If fact, he told us that conversing with the guests was a big part of his job and one that gets him noticed. He, in fact, has won an award for his talents at making the guests feel comfortable – the CM of the year award, a great honor and one that is very hard to get when you realize how many CMs are competing for it. We loved our chat with Bert. We were talking about where we lived and worked when I told him that I had been in the WTC on 9/11. Bert was so moved by my story that he actually gave me one of his trading pins! I felt so honored because, as you pin traders know, each CM starts their job shift with 12 pins and is expected to return with 12 pins. I was so honored. It was definitely a magical moment.

About 5 minutes before the parade started, I dashed across to the kidcot station in Norway and grabbed some ‘wish’ forms, handed them out to everyone and told them to fill them out and put them in the dream catchers that would pass by. The parade, as always, was inspirational and magnificent. JoAnn and I both got hugged by one of the puppets and there was a magical moment when a little girl went up to one of the puppets with the wings and disappeared into the wings as she was hugged. I know that it happened on the spur of the moment, but it was so perfect it almost looked choreographed. This show was yet another surprise for Frank and JoAnn and I wanted to tell them that more was coming, but restrained myself.

When the parade ended the other three headed to Mexico while I took a restroom break. When we met up inside we did El Rio Del Tiempo and actually enjoyed it! I know it’s an old ride but there’s something uplifting about the ceiling of fireworks, especially this year with the Magical Moments pins. It’s great when you realize you’re lighting up!

After Mexico, we headed across to the UK, Tim and I stopping along the way to call the kids and see how they were doing. We had received about 4 voicemails from Andrew, so we thought we should check in, make sure they were getting to bed early for school tomorrow and also make sure they hadn’t killed each other! They were fine, except for Andrew missing us so much. We told them we would call them before they left for school the next day and said goodnight.

We stopped in Canada to take a quick look around and then headed to the UK where we were lucky enough to get a front row table in the area next to the Rose & Crown, perfect viewing for Illuminations. The wind had really picked up by now and the temperature had dropped, so I was glad that I had purchased a hat and gloves earlier in the day. Before long, however, Tim stole my hat and JoAnn asked for my gloves, so Frank and I relied on a single malt scotch from the pub for our warmth! We then went over to Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chips and got dinner. Boy, were those fish & chips good! Absolutely delicious! So when Illuminations started we were full and satisfied and ready to give our complete attention to the spectacle. Frank and JoAnn had never seen this and Tim and I pointed out the globe when it started it’s journey to the middle of the lagoon. I still marvel at the precise timing of the fireworks and the music in this show. What an experience! Frank and JoAnn agreed, declaring it the best thing of the day.

After Illuminations there was nothing for us to do but make our way back to the International Gateway, stopping at the gift shop of course, and board the boat for Boardwalk. Then of course, we had to stop in the shops on the Boardwalk for a little while before we finally headed back to the car and our condo. It had been an astounding day! It was the first time I actually made it all the way around the World in one day and I was very proud of us all.

Back at the condo we rehashed the day, talking about our favorite things. Then it was time to write it up in the PassPorter and get to bed. We had promised to call the boys before school and that meant dialing by 6:25. Yikes! Isn't this supposed to be vacation? See you tomorrow!
[img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[ 02-24-2002, 11:11 PM: Message edited by: Cruella ]

[Cruella]

Monday, January 14th

Well, we actually got up at 6:25 and called the kids…and then went back to sleep until 7:30! I could tell that they really appreciated the call and it sent them off in a good mood for the day, so I’m really glad we did it.

Today was our day at MGM and it was pouring outside, something that continued for most of the day. This was a first for me. I’ve never been in this kind of rain through a day of touring the parks and, boy, was it an experience.

Nevertheless, we started our day (well the other 3 started their day) with a ride on ToT while I waited looking for their picture. They all enjoyed it, especially Frank. Then it was over to RnR and we all went on this. And this time I remembered to keep my head back against the rest when we shot off down the highway. I felt better about the ride, but it’s still not something I can do more than once a trip.

Of course, I left my umbrella on the ride and had to go back and wait for the limo we rode in to come back to the exit so they could look for it. JoAnn waited with me and the guys went back to ride ToT again. And while JoAnn and I browsed around, they then did RnR again!

After all these thrills, we headed to Starring Rolls for some breakfast, but before we got there we stopped in the Villain Store, where Tim showed me a picture of Cruella. It was great and he talked me into getting it framed. We sent it to the front for pickup and it spent the rest of our vacation on our dining room table at the condo, making me smile every time I saw it. What a guy my DH is!

We finally got to Starring Rolls and got our food. Even with the rain, there were still birds there ready to snatch up any leftovers. We were lucky and got a table under the overhang, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

The funniest thing today was Frank’s rain poncho. As those of you who have been in a park on a rainy day know, whenever you go into an attraction you have to take your poncho off before you sit down. It’s a pain, but only courteous to the people who will sit there after you. Well, every time Frank took off his poncho, it ripped a little more. I was surprised he had anything left to it by the end of the day!

Anyway, after breakfast we rode the Great Movie Ride. We got the gangster side this time and I was glad because we had seen the cowboy side the last few times we rode. I was surprised, though, that the last few times we had ridden this the cowboy was actually a cowgirl and this was also the case on the gangster side. I guess no males want to do this ride.

It was fun as always and I loved seeing my favorite part – the witch from the Wizard of Oz. I would swear they actually have Margaret Hamilton there every time, she’s so lifelike. I also love the film clips in the beginning and at the end. Because everyone was trying to get in out of the rain, we actually had a chance to see all the film clips in the beginning while we were waiting to ride. That’s another first for me!

When we finished this we only had a short time before we had a ressie at the Brown Derby, so we headed over to Animation to browse at the exhibit. As we approached, however, we saw a crowd gathered in front of the building and, lo and behold, there was Andy Mation, chattering away about Disney lore and constructing a beautiful Goofy out of balloons! This was another first! We had heard of Andy Mation but never had the chance to see him, and it is definitely worth seeing him. He is so quick and witty and his tales of Disney animation history are so interesting! We got so caught up we didn’t realize that our ressie time had come and gone! We apologized to him for leaving and thanked him for one of the most memorable parts of our trip before we headed around the corner to check in for lunch.

What can I say about lunch at the Brown Derby? It was easily one of the best meals we had during our trip. Great ambience, delicious food, good wine and fabulous desserts. Only one thing disappointed me and that was that there were no characters in the dining room. I had read about the stars and starlets that populate the room, the gossip columnists and producers, and I was looking forward to seeing some of their skits. But it was, after all, January, the dining room wasn’t very crowded and I suppose that they didn’t think it worthwhile. I didn’t miss it too much though, because the meal was so great!

We came out of lunch just as the parade was passing by and we stopped to watch. It wasn’t raining when we came out, but it very soon began to pour again. The characters in the parade had umbrellas, just in case that happened. As I was yelling hellos to them I was tickled to see that Aladdin was stealing the umbrella away from Jasmine!

When the parade was over we headed in the pouring rain over to Star Tours, stopping along the way to pull the rope at Indiana Jones so Frank and JoAnn could hear the the people underground. I always think that’s such a hoot!

After Star Tours it was Sounds Dangerous (another first for me) and then the Muppets, where I again held up the line to show Frank and JoAnn the ‘key under the mat’. We also called the boys, who were now home from school, to say hello and find out how they were doing. Then we headed toward New York St. and heard that Hunchback had just started, so Frank and JoAnn went into the show and Tim and I took a restroom break. Tim headed back to the theatre and I stopped to get a coke and followed him, but I just stood outside because I didn’t see them right away.

We met up again after the show and decided that it was time to go stake out our spots for Fantasmic. It had stopped raining and it, dare I say, looked like it was clearing a little, so we were hopeful that Fantasmic would go on as planned. We decided that JoAnn and I would stop at the Candy Cauldron and pick up some snacks, then get seats in the amphitheatre for the show while Frank and Tim went back to ride ToT and RnR again. We got great seats right in the middle, in the top third, and I went back to the entrance to wait for the guys and show them where the seats were. As usual, they waited until the very last minute to show up. I was getting very nervous every time I heard them announce that ‘seats are filling up and we cannot guarantee that you’ll be allowed into the theatre’ or ‘ this performance can be cancelled at any moment due to inclement weather’ It appears that they never made it to RnR, just rode ToT 4 times in a row! They must have stomachs of steel! The rain held off long enough for the show to go on, however.

Once again, Frank and JoAnn loved this show! Tim and I count it as one of our favorites and we all enjoyed seeing Mickey and good triumph over the evil villains (of course, if they gave Cruella more say in what went on I’m not sure the ending would be the same!), and when it ended, we waited until most of the people had left before we made our way out of the theatre and the park.

On the way back to Vistana we stopped at a drug store to get some things and, because we hadn’t eaten since lunch, got some 7-11 hot dogs for dinner. What a mistake, especially for JoAnn! But, that’s a story for another day.

As usual, we talked for a little while about the day and discussed what the plans were for tomorrow (8:00 ressies at Boma, AKL, then the rest of the day at AK) and then I wrote everything up in my PassPorter and we fell into bed, another very enjoyable day behind us and dreams of tomorrow lulling us to sleep!

[PS - I LUV WDW]

Great report! You really made me want to be back in the World Showcase at Epcot [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] But now for the stupid question of the day .... what is the 'key under the mat' at the Muppets? I've seen mention of it before but don't know what it is and this is one of my favorite things to do at MGM.

Pam

[Cruella]

When you go into the attraction, look at the box office to your right. There is a sign there that says 'key under mat'. If you pick up the mat in front of the box office, there really is a key under the mat!

[tikibird]

Cruella,

Great report so far - too funny about the table in France! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Do tell about Joann's reaction to the food at the Gospel Brunch - was planning on this next trip, but not if it means another "pukeybird" trip! :eek!:

Congrats on conquering Space Mountain, and keep the great installments coming!