Bob & Larry's Excellent WDW Adventure About This Page:

[LLaffinPlace]

When: February 6 - 17, 2002
Who: Bob (54) and Larry (45), both WDW veterans, long-time friends and co-workers: Bob is the keeper of the PassPorter this time
Resorts: Wilderness Lodge (2/6 - 2/13), Caribbean Beach Resort (2/13 - 2/17)
Background: This is our fourth trip to WDW together. Previously, we have met my sister and her family, Bob's sister and his nephew's marching band and chorus and, in 2001, just to go back to Mickeyland! This time we will be meeting up with Bob's sister a week into the trip.
The Planning: [img]graemlins/read.gif[/img] Good planning will take care of everything, right? Well, perhaps not when it's an excellent WDW adventure--you just can't plan for every contingency.... Prior to Christmas, Bob and I worked on the picking the first place to stay: would we return to Dixie Landings, now Port Orleans Riverside? Go to the Wilderness Lodge? What about the Animal Kingdom Lodge--I had received a "special" rate offer in the mail? Well, we decided on the Wilderness Lodge (WL), but would eat one meal at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) to scope the place out for a potential future stay. After the holidays--in consultation with Bob's sister--we decided on a return to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR), where Bob and I had stayed the year we met my sister's family in 1995. Reservations for our flights had been made in December as soon as we set the dates and, with some judicious online tweaking, we managed to get seats together for 3 out of the 4 flights (Huntsville to Atlanta to Orlando and back). This left much serious discussion of priorities for where to eat during our stay, and what Priority Seating (PS) reservations to make ahead of time and which to put off until our arrival. We identified Artist Point at the WL, Boma at the AKL (to check the place out), and Flying Fish (a favorite [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) as the "first tier" spots. Others, such as Kona Cafe, Narcoosee's, and Le Cellier were strong possibles; the first two were new ones for us to try. I should point out that this obsession with eating is somewhat ironic as collectively we have managed to lose 150 pounds! But part of a vacation for us is to relax the usual regimen and eat stuff we would not ordinarily allow ourselves. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]

[ 03-02-2002, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[LLaffinPlace]

Departure Day Minus 3: Priority Seatings (PS) were made for Artist Point (APT) for the first night at 8:15 PM--handy because it's located at the Wilderness Lodge (WL)--and for Flying Fish at Disney's Boardwalk at 7:45 PM on Thursday. In the meantime I have found Mickey President's Day pins at the local Disney Store to commemorate the trip, even though technically Bob and I will be leaving the day before, we'll still be there for the holiday weekend. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] We've even received our "100 Years of Magic" luggage tags from our CBR package. Woohoo!

Just to add a little drama to the whole mix, the weather gurus are now predicting snow and sleet for Wednesday (D-Day). Huntsville, Alabama, needless to say, is not Snow Central; while the airport has deicing equipment there is precious little road equipment or treatment, for that matter. Interestingly enough we had a Winter Storm Watch in January 2001 for our previous trip, and the most snow we saw was the flurries on the way to the airport. Though a longtime lurker, I have finally registered on the PassPorter Boards as LLaffinPlace and posted our trip dates. Put me down as another fan inspired by Nate to share our experiences. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Anyway, laundry to do and tough choices to make as to what clothes to take. We have both bought new shoes to take, having located a store in town that actually (brace yourself) fits them! Given the time of year, a fairly broad selection of clothes is in order, and we plan to do some laundry on the day we transfer from the WL to the CBR, figuring the laundry next to the quiet pool will be less crowded than the single guest laundry at the Lodge. I am also taking some workout clothes because I plan to check out Sturdy Branches at the WL Villas as one of my "new things to try" on this trip.

Coming up... Delta Airlines challenges our intrepid travellers!

[ 03-26-2002, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[LLaffinPlace]

D-Day Minus 1... Neither Snow nor Rain nor Sleet nor Dark of Night
This was a work day; I am mostly packed with but a few odds and ends to toss in the bag tomorrow morning. The Weather Channel is predicting some snow, sleet, and freezing rain starting tonight, and the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for North Alabama. I have resolved to remain calm. [img]graemlins/ukid.gif[/img] Work is frantic, trying to make sure that everyone knows what to do while I am away. I left work pretty much on time (victory!) and headed home to eat and do some last-minute tasks. I switched over to The Weather Channel (why look outside when you can just pick up a remote?) to hear that Delta Airlines (our carrier for this trip) has cancelled 500+ flights into and out of Atlanta in anticipation of the bad weather. I sprinted for the bedroom and logged onto AOL to pull up the Delta website and discovered--to my horror--that one of those flights is our well-planned 6:45 AM flight from Huntspatch to Atlanta. Rats! I grabbed the cell phone and called Bob and he headed to my house to pick me up to go to the airport to see what we could do about this. We arrived about two minutes after the Delta counter closed. Doh! Regroup! Returning to my house we called the Delta Skymiles 800 number. A human being answered eventually. Yes, she could get us to Orlando-- after Midnight Wednesday night instead of before Noon as previously planned. We grudgingly agreed, but while being transferred (don't ask me why) to lock in the reservation, those last seats were booked by someone else. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] And now Delta says they cannot get us into Orlando--or Tampa or Melbourne--even 48 hours late! They can get us OUT of Huntsville, just not into Florida. We started chanting "refund" and they switched us (again!) to accomplish that.
NEW PLAN! We realize we are both essentially packed except for shaving kits, etc., so we will leave now--hopefully ahead of the storm--and drive to Disney World. They're not going to make us 2 days late! I threw tomorrow's clothes--already laid out (can you tell you're dealing with engineers here?)--and the shaving kit into a duffel, the remaining bananas and apple cinnamon bagels in a plastic bag, and threw my stuff into Bob's car, he having graciously volunteered his wheels for the trip. We then headed to his house in the snowy sleet to get Bob's stuff. He did his last-minute things while I loaded up his CD changer with Harry Potter #1 (I make no apologies for liking these books! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ). We departed Madison, Alabama at 10:54 PM CST in the snow. Woohoo!
There was much discussion as to what route to take, trying to take into account the weather, which was degrading, and where the warmer temperatures were. We discarded the idea of cutting over toward Chattanooga and down I-75, and also nixed driving to Birmingham and taking I-20 over to Atlanta as there were already reports of road problems. Best to head East and South as quickly as possible, so Rt. 431 to Anniston to pick up I-20 to Atlanta and then South to Florida! We carefully watched the temperature display hover around 32 degrees--34, 33, 32, dropping as low as 30 on Sand Mountain around Boaz where we began to see icy buildup on trees and some slushy stuff on the roads. There was precious little traffic, but considerable snow which lent an appropriate "warp drive" effect in the headlights. By the time we descended from the plateau that is Sand Mountain we now had fairly heavy rain and a climbing temperature. The running joke was that travelling as we were--at night--the kids would sleep through most of the trip. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] We stopped in Villa Rica, GA, at 3:00 AM EST, having lost an hour when we crossed into the Eastern Time Zone, and got a room at the Comfort Inn to get some sleep. The alarm clock was set for 8:30 AM.
Next... Our Intrepid Travellers Arrive at WDW!

[ 03-02-2002, 08:32 AM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[LLaffinPlace]

Day 1, Part 1 - February 6, 2002: Our Intrepid Travellers Arrive!
We got up with the alarm clock and showered, shaved, and dressed. Bob's not big on breakfast; I made some coffee and ate a banana and a bagel and was good to go. Bob is thinking IHOP pancakes for lunch. We had the TV on while we got ready to leave and found that there is not much trouble at the Atlanta airport this morning. "That's because they're only 25 flights scheduled out of there," observed Bob. Heavy rain is predicted with flood watches in the area, but we expect much better weather as soon as we drop south of this system. We got some gas before departing Villa Rica and getting back on I-20, and listened to the Millenium CD while I updated my trip journal.

For lunch we stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Tifton, GA. Comfort food! Bob had chicken-fried steak (don't ask if you don't know) and I had pancakes with eggs and turkey sausage. There were two cute little warm bottles of maple syrup. Earlier Bob had pointed out road signs advertising all the things Georgia is famous for: pecans, vidalia onions, peaches.... "And crackers," I added, chortling [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] . Once we got to Florida the rain began to taper off and the temperature to rise. We stopped south of Ocala and the sun was shining and the temperature was 77 degrees. Woohoo! With a beautiful sunset as backdrop, our intrepid travellers rolled into the WDW resort complex at precisely 6:00 PM EST. We navigated easily to the Wilderness Lodge (WL) and with the assistance of Bell Services, quickly unloaded the car. Check-in was fast and efficient, and we were soon off to the 6th Floor--Room 6164--on the end of the wing with a private balcony and a great view of the Villas pool and Bay Lake. Called my Mom to let her know we had arrived safely per "Plan B". We are well in for our 8:15 PM PS at Artist Point (APT), but missed an afternoon in the parks. BUT, we are much, much better off than arriving after midnight or worse, 2 days or more late. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Note: Bob may step in from time to time with his own comments or to correct any misstatements as the spirit moves him. Also, with my food obsession, I will be breaking out the "big" meals into separate posts. If food doesn't thrill you, feel free to skip ahead... when there's something there to skip to! [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img]

[ 03-02-2002, 09:51 PM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[LLaffinPlace]

Day 1, Part 2: Artist Point Restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge
We were seated promptly in this, one of our favorite places to dine at WDW. Dinner was superb as usual at APT.
1st Course
[B,L] Corn Chowder with Smoky Bacon and Tillamook Cheddar (Argyle Pinot Noir)
2nd Course
[B,L] Roasted Cedar Plank Salmon with Oyster Risotto, Wilted Baby Spinach, and Maple Whiskey Glaze [signature dish]
3rd Course
[B,L] Artist Point Cobbler: blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries with Cream Drizzle and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream [signature dish] (Kiona Ice Wine)

You'll note that we both got the same things to eat. The chowder was superb and the pairing with the Argyle Pinot was excellent. Of course, the Pinot was also great with the Salmon, and I heartily recommend this pairing particularly if you've never tried it and are feeling the least bit adventurous. Although the salmon was some of the best we have had at APT, the oyster risotto was a disappointment. Bob thought it tasted like cleaning solution and while I like oysters, I thought it pretty bad and a big step down from the Wild Mushroom Risotto previously offered. Tip: The mushroom risotto is on the appetizer menu and if you ask nicely the chef will substitute! Even Bob ate the Spinach! I love the Berry Cobbler [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] and have even made it myself (see "Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World" cookbook, widely available at WDW), so I have to have it at least once every trip--just like the Salmon. The Kiona Ice Wine is sweet, and perfect with the Cobbler.
We stopped in the Mercantile and I bought a 2002 "Ears to You" stuffed Mickey (more on this later). We returned to the room and crashed--Bob to read and me to "journalize" before turning out the light.

Coming up... To the Parks!

[ 02-24-2002, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[Fortissimo]

Phew...you made it! I was getting very nervous for you! jus tthink, more money to spend at the World since you didn't have to pay for those airline tickets. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Okay, when's the next installment? [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[DVC_Don]

Quick thinking and fast action on the transportation down to Orlando. I was hanging onto my 'puter chair during the drive through the mountains! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/usa.gif[/img]

[LLaffinPlace]

Day 2, Part 1 - February 7, 2002: A "Hot" Time at Disney-MGM Studios
We left a wake-up call with Mickey for 8:00 AM, but were up by 7:00 AM. The CM who checked us in had left a welcoming message after midnight, which while it did not ring, left the light blinking on the phone. While we appreciated the courtesy, it was annoying in an otherwise dark room! The weather is somewhat warm, breezy, and cloudy. We left the WL, opting to go directly to Disney-MGM rather than to stop for breakfast. We, like many others, bemoan the demise--hopefully temporary--of the early park entry; D/MGM is opening at 9:00 AM. There were some fussy kids waiting for the bus, but they were not too bad. When we arrived, we had to go to Guest Services to convert our previously purchased Annual Pass (AP) vouchers to the real thing; given the number of days we were staying we had decided that the AP was the more economical option (vice length-of-stay pass) and plenty of incentive to return before the year is up! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] The CM said he did not see many folks from Alabama; perhaps they just don't get Annual Passes? We hit Sunset Blvd and went directly to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (ToT), probably our mutual all-time favorite attraction. We pretty much went directly into the Library with a minimal wait, and ditto for the elevator, where we were in the first row! ToT is a great ride and even better now with fantastic "hang time" on the latest drops. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] From there, we went on Rock 'N Roller Coaster with Aerosmith (RnRC)--twice. Bob's first ride on RnRC was on our last visit, but now he's definitely hooked. As we came out to where the pictures snapped from the ride are displayed on the monitors, the CM asked the man who had ridden behind us with his young son if this was his first time riding RnRC. "And my last," he stated with feeling. His son obviously loved it. We moved on to Starring Rolls for "brunch" at 10:30AM. Bob had a cherry danish and large OJ and I had a cinnamon roll (good but not the best the parks have to offer) with a large coffee (gotta have that coffee!).

After this I suggested The Great Movie Ride (TGMR), but Bob suggested Who Wants to Be A Millionaire-Play It! (WWTBAM), which had slipped my mind completely. We went over to see if we could get into the first show of the day (11:00 AM) or to get a FASTPASS (FP) for the second. We were able to go into the first show, and were seated about 10 minutes later. The preshow and explanations are well done, although upon returning I find myself paying more attention to how the crew (cast) changes and their slightly different take on "the script". We started with the Fastest Finger question ("Place these Pulitzer Prize winning authors in order of their awards..."). I just hit the buttons willy-nilly, oblivious to the correct order and, WHAM!, the next thing I know Bob is poking me in the ribs--that's MY seat number on the big screen! So I made my way down to the Hot Seat and we started. Probably you already know that there are three significant differences between the D/MGM version and the TV version: (1) you play for points, pins, and prizes, (2) they have time limits on each question (longer for the harder ones), and (3) you phone a complete stranger out on Mickey Avenue. I remember asking the audience for help on a bird question ("Which bird does not make its own nest?") and did not need help on the plural form of "Poet Laureate" (Do you know? Hmm?). Having made my way successfully up to and including the 16,000 point question, things rapidly went south on the 32,000 point question. Now, I had already won a hat and 9 limited-edition pins (one for each question), but I was now going for the matching polo shirt. However, I did not know the answer to the art history question and neither did my "stranger". So I walked away to keep the 4 pins above the 1,000 point level. With the pressure off, the host asked what I would have guessed and, of course, I happened on the correct answer! Oh, well, still a lot of fun even though I was nervous. Oh, when I sat down the host asked me a couple of questions, one of which was, "What do you like to do when you come to Disney World?" "Eat," says I. I was escorted off stage by a very nice CM who took my name and address, explained the waiver I needed to sign (no getting into the Hot Seat for 30 days!), and gave me the goodies: WWTBAM 1,000 point hat, limited edition pins (100 to 16,000 points), and lanyard with WWTBAM "badge". I then got to return to my seat where Bob was still working hard answering questions. BTW, except for the 650 odd folks watching you (they wear strange hats and things!), in some respects being in the Hot Seat is easier than being in the audience because since you're already there, you can take longer to answer the questions, at least up to the limit. And if you use a lifeline, you actually buy yourself some more time because you use the first time limit to decide to use the lifeline, and then get another 20 seconds.

Anyway, after it was over we went to "One Man's Dream" just up Mickey Avenue, and really enjoyed the history lesson and seeing some of the attraction and park models. From there we moved over to TGMR and got the cowboy for this trip. It was raining heavily (actually the hardest I had ever experienced in the parks) so we dashed over and under the Sorceror's Hat for cover, where I bought a bunch of pins while we waited for the monsoon to abate. We then made our way back down Sunset Blvd to get some lunch. I had a Pepperoni Pizza and Diet Coke (hey, you save calories for the good stuff, right?) and Bob had chicken fingers and fries with Diet Coke. We headed for the bus, stopping at the Disney Villain's Shop for Bob to buy a 100 Years of Magic (YOM) cap (I was planning to buy a new cap but would not have to after WWTBAM [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ) and for me to buy a bag of candy (chocolate peanut butter)and a poncho. On the way out of D/MGM Bob got a 100 YOM ice cream bar (looked good but I would hold out for some candy). We grabbed the bus back to the WL to recouperate before our PS at Flying Fish Cafe. Once back, we walked down to Roaring Fork to fill up our souvenir mugs (more coffee for me!). We stopped at the Pin Station where I couldn't resist buying a WWTBAM Fastest Finger pin. We proceeded to discuss the next 3 days of eating (beginning to see pattern here? [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] ) and returned to the lobby to Guest Services to make PS arrangements to return to Artist Point (more on that later) on Friday, Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge on Saturday (both for supper), and Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot for lunch on Sunday. Carla was the CM who helped us with these, and since there was no line, we talked to her a bit about how much we enjoy the WL and that we have taken the Lodge and Restaurant Tours, etc. Bob told Carla that he really wished that the tour included the roof, since he had read about the great view. Carla explained that for safety reasons that is just not possible, but a few people are allowed to help raise the flags in the morning. Then she looked at us and asked how long we were staying. We told her until the following Wednesday, whereupon she flipped open a binder and announced that Wednesday was open and did we want to help raise the flags? We quickly agreed, and were very happy to then discover that Stan would be the CM in charge; we had met him previously on the tours and when he was greeting new arrivals.
Oh, and on the way back up to the room a man stuck his hand out and congratulated me on my stint in the Hot Seat at WWTBAM. Woohoo! Sitting in our room with the balcony door open we can hear the kids in the WL Villas pool, but off in the distance we also heard the whistle of the WDW Railroad at the Magic Kingdom. Cool!

We headed for the WL Bus Stop--this time to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to catch the Monorail to Epcot near dark. This was Bob's great idea as the incoming train actually makes a loop through Future World in Epcot before arriving at the station, and it's always neat to see everything lit up. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] We headed into Epcot, and this time had nothing for Security to search because we had exchanged fanny packs for jackets. The rain had blessedly cleared and it was getting cooler. We rode Spaceship Earth and then hit the Single Riders Line for Test Track, the best non-secret for a major attraction in the parks. (CM to Larry at the entrance to the line: "Single Rider?" Larry to CM: "Yep, never married!" He let me in anyway....) From there we slid out the International Gateway to make our way to the Boardwalk and our much-anticipated return to the Flying Fish Cafe.

Next: Flying High with the Fish!

[ 03-02-2002, 09:48 PM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[LLaffinPlace]

Day 2, Part 2: Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's Boardwalk
Bob and I had a wonderful meal at FF in January 2001, so we were looking forward to our return. We were seated in a few minutes, although while we were waiting I was somewhat taken aback by the reactions of some walk-in people that it would be as much as an hour to 1 1/2 hours for them to be accommodated; I guess they did not know the appeal of this restaurant--or about Prioity Seating (PS). Jon was our CM/server, and he was among the best we have had in any Disney food establishment, IMHO. The food was exceptional--the food and wine pairings made it one of the best seafood meals I have ever had--bar none. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

1st Course
[B,L] Oak Grilled Dayboat Scallops with Rock Shrimp-Fennel Risotto, Citrus Glaze, Chile Oil, and Citrus Segments (Hill of Content "Benjamin's Blend", Australia 2000--a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Semillion)
2nd Course
[B,L] Potato Wrapped Red Snapper with Creamy Leak Fondue and Red Wine Reduction [signature dish] (Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel, "Stefani Vineyard", Dry Creek 1999)
3rd Course
[B,L] "The Original" Vahlrone Chocolate Lava Cake with Warm Chocolate Center and Blood Orange Ice Cream [signature dish] (Royal Tokaji, Tokaji Aszu' 4 Puttonyos Hungary 1995)

Jon suggested the white wine with the appetizer, which was an entree that they did as an appetizer for us. The chile sauce was not overt, but lent a bit of a background kick to the citrus overtones of the scallops. Bob picked the Zinfandel to go with the Red Snapper (note that it's a red, not a blush), and the Snapper was as good as Bob had described from the previous visit. The Dry Creek Zin was the epitome of "ready to drink", literally at the height of its powers as a wine. Any chocolate lover would go out of his or her way for a dessert like the Lava Cake; certainly a matter of 675 miles was but a trifle [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] , particularly when paired with the sweet Hungarian wine. BTW, the "puttonyos" are a measure of the wine's sweetness (the higher the number the sweeter the wine) and we had had an unbelievable SIX puttonyos Tokaji at the California Grill on our last trip. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Jon continued to impress me with his knowledge of both the FF offerings and wine, and told us a little about the indocrination and training required to become part of the wait staff there. FF is certainly on my "must eat there every trip" list. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

We staggered out of FF [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] and walked the Boardwalk a bit. We watched people trying to flip rubber lobsters into pots for cupie dolls, which was more interesting than it sounds--at least for a few minutes! We then strolled over to the Boardwalk Bus Stop, caught the Downtown Disney (DD) bus and transferred there to the WL bus to get "home". After strolling the WL lobby on our return, we came upstairs.
All in all, an exceptional day--time to hit the sack, but not before updating the journal!

[Ursunique2001]

Well after some serious nail biting, you made it. Love how much details you are putting in your report. Keep it coming

[DVC_Don]

The descriptions of your meals are terrific. Even the wines and years, cool. (must make notes) [img]graemlins/read.gif[/img]

[LLaffinPlace]

Thanks, Don. I make sure I ask to keep a copy of the menu and the wine list so I can sort it all out later.

Glad to hear from the folks reading the report--I have certainly enjoyed yours! [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img]

[minemoz1]

Loving your report! Glad you made it safe and sound! Your meal descriptions are making my mouth water. They sound incredible! [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]

[LLaffinPlace]

Day 3, Part 1 - February 8, 2002: Three Parks in One Day?

The day started around 7:15 AM with the usual preliminaries. We dressed on the warm side as it was in the forties, although the sixties were promised for the afternoon. Bright and sunny--beautiful! We caught a full bus to the Animal Kingdom (AK) and arrived at 8:55 AM, essentially at opening. We went directly to Dinosaur and were among the first to ride! There were so few people that we decided to ride it again. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] We headed to Harambe and picked up a 10:20 FastPass (FP) for Kilimanjaro Safaris (KS). This meant there was time for Breakfast--more importantly, it was time for coffee. Woohoo! The Tusker House was nearby, so we headed there. Now, I stated previously that while the cinnamon rolls at Starring Rolls at D/MGM were good, they weren't the best to be found. The ones at Tusker House are the best! We got in the "bakery/fancy coffee line" (my terminology--give me a second) and both got a roll; Bob got OJ and I got a double capaccino. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Tip: We discovered that if one is willing to make do with regular coffee [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] , the cinnamon rolls are available in the regular Tusker House food lines and the wait can be significantly shorter.

After we ate, we had a few minutes so we browsed the pins a bit and then it was our FP time for KS. Together with the beautiful weather, this was a very successful safari this time--we saw lots of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, lions, wildebeasts, bongos, etc., and many birds besides the ostriches. We went on to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail afterward, which was pretty crowded. We did see a number of the Silver-Backed Gorillas.

From the live to the simulated, we headed to It's Tough to Be a Bug (ITTBAB), a definite favorite of mine partly for the chance to examine the Tree of Life carvings. It's fun to see the kids find the animals when they can be persuaded to look. But the show--what a hoot! I did a bit of shopping afterwards, a Hawaiian shirt and a polo (since I couldn't win one the previous day [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ) and they were on sale. I had them sent to the WL, a really cool [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] service if you are staying at a Disney Resort for another couple of days.

Done with the AK for the day, we headed for Epcot on the direct bus, for which we did not have to wait long at all. First up was O, Canada (a sentimental favorite), followed by Impressions of France, which is just an extraordinarily beautiful marriage of music and visuals. We then strolled around World Showcase to China for a nosh--egg rolls for Bob and cold sesame noodles with veggies for me; Diet Cokes completed the menu. The weather had warmed nicely and we could shuck the jackets. We moved on to Future World and in the direction of Ellen's Universe of Energy (UoE), stopping first at Test Track and the Single Riders line. BTW , don't go telling everyone in sight about how single riders can easily beat people in the FP line (forget standby) and how often two people will end up in the same car, just one in front of the other in the right-hand seats rather than side by side. We wouldn't want everyone to use this shortcut! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Next: Yet Another Park and We Meet the Weakest Links!

[PS - I LUV WDW]

Great report! Especially the food detail. Of course I shouldn't have sat here reading it since I was already hungry [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]