2001 - A Disneyworld Odyssey About This Page:

[BostonTeaParty]

Hi Larry, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the report on CR. You know, I forgot all about Cakebread Cellars until I started writing this report. Now I'm going to go out and stock up on some for home enjoyment. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Do try the Chocolate Wave on your next visit, and think of me in between bites! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] Now, back to [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img] my report.

[BostonTeaParty]

The Cast:

Me - Nancy (Wife to Paul, mom to Paul and Chris)
Paul - my DH, devoted Dad and all around great guy
Paul - our 12 year old son
Chris - our 10 year old son

The Dates: October 19th - 24th

Day 5/Part I - Tuesday, Oct. 23rd

(Just one more quick note on the Coral Reef lunch. In addition to my wanting to try the CR, my kids saw an episode of the tv show "Boy Meets World" that took place at DW. There was a scene in the CR restaurant (the boys called me in to watch it when it came on) that showed the cast members sitting by that incredible aquarium. They insisted we "had" to eat lunch where "Corey and Topanga" did. LOL.)

We got off to a late start today, due to our late night at Epcot and the quiet pool. On this morning, as many others, we passed people riding around on the Surrey bikes. They look like fun and maybe on our next visit we'll try them. We definitely plan to try the water mice. We started our day by walking over to the Boardwalk for breakfast at Spoodles.

The boys each ordered a french toast plate w/ a side of bacon from the kids menu, while Paul and I decided to try something a little different. Paul ordered the Moroccan pancakes w/honey butter filling and topped w/ almond granola. I opted for the french toast, grilled and topped w/ banana nut brittle. There was a mixup of the dishes, Paul's and mine got switched. How overtired were we, we never even noticed it until we were almost done eating. It turned out for the best, as I gave him a taste of the pancakes and he didn't care for them. However, Paul really enjoyed my french toast while I found the pancakes alright. But after tasting it, I would have preferred the french toast.

The menu offered a specialty drink that caught my eye - Bellini. It was described as a blend of Prosecco (wine), raspberry and white peaches, and it tasted as good as it sounds! As I sat back after breakfast and sipped the Bellini, I began to look around Spoodles. I got very excited as I found my first hidden Mickey, yay! It was a grouping of very pretty copper trays displayed in an alcove, just above the chandelier in the open kitchen area. I pointed it out to the guys and took a couple of pictures of it. Then we decided to stroll along the boardwalk.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, so as we walked along the boardwalk after breakfast, taking pictures of the boys posing at the funhouse mirrors, we decided it was the perfect day to go to Blizzard Beach. This was Chris' favorite place, even over the theme parks. He loves a good water park and this was the best one we've been to yet. (Although next trip we've decided to check out TL.) The first thing we did was rented a locker and staked out a home base. The first ride we hit was Teamboat Springs. We all loved that ride! Next we hit Toboggan Racers, rode the Snow Stormers, Slush Gusher and Downhill Double Dipper. (None of us had the nerve for Summit Plummet.) DH Paul and I needed a little break after all that, so we brought the boys over to Ski Patrol Training Camp. DS Paul and Chris loved, and spent plenty of time at, the ice-floe walk and the T-bar. It was hysterical watching all the kids on the T-bar. It takes them out to the middle of a pool, hits a stop point, and the kids let go and plunge into the pool. The little ones were especially funny, and I spent some time video taping all sorts of kids tumbling into the pool. Before our time at BB ended, we stopped in the gift shop for a bit of shopping. (I know I haven't mentioned it until now, but we did, in fact, do some shopping during our vacation. I LOVE to shop and it is a favorite pastime while at the world.) I bought a beautiful, plush, BB beach towel, DH got a BB tee shirt, Chris picked out a visor, and DS Paul didn't see anything that caught his fancy. Of course both boys picked out some candy and we got a HUGE all day sports bottle, and a regular size refillable mug too!

Since today was our last full day at Disneyworld, we decided to hit the parks one more time for a "best of" ride session, and to catch the rides we wanted to go on, but hadn't gotten to yet. (At this point my note taking got a little sloppy, so I don't remember how or why this happened, but we ended up at the Polynesiun Resort waiting for the monorail. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] )

Whatever our reason for being at the Poly, it turned out to be our lucky day! The monorail pulled into the station, stopped and the operator got off. She approached us and ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE TO RIDE UP FRONT!!!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] OH BOY WOULD WE!!! It was the magical moment we had all been hoping for. We were all so excited. We let Paul and Chris take turns videotaping as we approached the Grand Floridian and then the Magic Kingdom. It was such a nice view up in front. Then the operator presented all four of us with Monorail co-pilot licenses. Too cool!!! She then asked me to show her how to operate our video camera and told us to stay put until she called us. She got off first and videotaped the four of us getting out of the front of the monorail!! Our monorail operator put the cherry on top of our vacation magical moments. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

Coming up: Splash Mountain, "The Elwood" and Treasure of the Incas.

[Suzie]

Love your report Nancy, especially the part about the sugared pecans...happens to me all the time. I get something the rest of them don't want and then then all help themselves to it!
I am so glad that you got to ride up front during your trip. We have done it several times and the kids (who am I kidding! Me too!) love it.

[BostonTeaParty]

The Cast:

Me - Nancy (Wife to Paul, mom to Paul and Chris)
Paul - my DH, devoted Dad and all around great guy
Paul - our 12 year old son
Chris - our 10 year old son

The Dates: October 19th - 24th

Day 5/Part II - Tuesday, Oct. 23rd

My apologies for taking so long since my last segment. Among other things, my son Chris had a hockey tournament on Martha's Vineyard (his team won the championship, yay! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) We had a great time, even got the chance to visit the lighthouse and cliffs of Gayhead beach, stunningly beautiful! I had to write up an email trip report for my family and friends which also took up time. But now, back to our story....
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When we last left off it was our last full day and we decided to hit the parks one more time. We had ridden up in the front of the monorail and were now strolling up Main Street for our last hurrah. The sun was shining, it was a warm day, perfect for a day at the parks. As we slowly made our way up Main Street we poked in and out of the shops along the way. I saw a tee shirt that I really liked and decided to get one for myself and for my brother-in-law Dan, to thank him for dropping us off at the airport, and also for picking us up upon our return. The tee shirt has printed "American Classic" and "Walt Disney World" on the front, and on the back is an American flag made out of baseball bats with the shape of Mickey's head in the middle with stars and stripes. It's a very popular tee shirt and the store only had one left. The CM was calling around to see if she could get her hands on another one for me. While I waited the guys decided to walk ahead and meet me at Splash Mountain. (I did eventually get the second tee shirt btw.)

Now my DS Paul was very eager to ride Splash Mountain. None of us had ever ridden it and my younger son, Chris, didn't want to. DH Paul decided he would wait with Chris and watch for our watery descent down the mountain. By the time I caught up to them, DH told me that DS Paul was a little panicked that I wouldn't get there in time and he had gone on by himself. I felt so bad that he didn't have anyone to share the experience with him, that I took off looking to see if I could catch him in line. No go! By the time I found him, he was already exiting the ride...and he had LOVED it!!! He said he was very willing to ride again if I would go too. We got FP's for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the next thing I knew we were in line for SM (which was moving along nicely). The parks really weren't all that busy during our visit, except for the weekends. I don't know if it was due to 9/11 or just typical for late October). Anyway, I got my first ride on SM. What an enchanting ride! I loved it as much as DS Paul did. Next we hit BTMRR, it was a blast. Again it was just me and DS Paul as DS Chris is leery of the faster rides. When we got off the ride I assured Chris that he would really like this ride. (He trusts Mom's judgement [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ). At this point, the wait for BTMRR was really long and we had a lot more ground to cover, so Chris decided that on our next trip he WILL ride BTMRR! Yay! I told him "I KNOW you won't regret it Chris." Well, the kids wanted to hit a gift shop in Tomorrowland. We got some really cute stuff there, a couple of stuffed animals and pens, but then we had to move on. DS Paul was holding me to a promise to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster (Oh God...)

[BostonTeaParty]

The Cast:

Me - Nancy (Wife to Paul, mom to Paul and Chris)
Paul - my DH, devoted Dad and all around great guy
Paul - our 12 year old son
Chris - our 10 year old son

The Dates: October 19th - 24th

Day 5/Part III - Tuesday, Oct. 23rd

After catching the Snowglobe parade on Main Street, we left the MK for the last time of this trip. (I have often wondered why the parades always bring tears to my eyes. I am actually relieved, after having read many trip reports here, to discover that I am not the only one who suffers from "excessive eye leakage"...lol.)

Our next stop was the Disney studios. We had already had a long day. Spoodles for breakfast, Blizzard beach in the morning, the MK, and now MGM. Whew! We didn't even bother with lunch. We'd had a big breakfast and really wanted to get in as much touring as we could today. We grabbed snacks along the way and decided we'd make up for it at dinner.

The main reason for the stop at the studios was to ride the Rock n' Roller coaster. DS Paul was most eager to ride, but didn't want to go alone. There was no way Chris was going so I told him I'd go with him. We were both a little nervous, so I decided to ask the CM at the FP gate a few questions. The first question I asked was "have you ever ridden on this?" (Dumb question) "About a million times" was the reply. My next question was "are there any steep drops?" "Not at all" he answered. The CM, seeing that I was still unsure, asked me if I'd ever ridden Space Mountain. "Yes, lots of times" I told him. "Well, this ride is better because it's a much smoother ride" he said. I thought it over....no steep drops.....smoother than Space Mountain....yes....Yes I can do this!!! I turned to DS Paul and smiled. "Let's go" I said. Both of my sons trust my opinion unquestioningly, so if Mom was okay with this ride, then he was too! While in line I looked around to see who else was riding. Was it mostly 16 to 25 year old young guys? Un-uh! Behind us were two fully grown men with their daughters, who were 8 and 9 years old. I asked the girls if this was their first time riding RnR coaster? "Oh no, it's our third time, we love it!" (I started to feel a little sheepish. If they weren't afraid of it, why should I be?) Before we knew it we were enjoying the pre-show. Being from the Boston area we certainly knew who Aerosmith were. The pre-show was a kick, and before long we were stepping into our "limo." (I was only shaking a little). I loved the music that was blasting from the speakers on both sides of my head, and as strange as it may sound, it helped me to relax a little. My DS Paul reminded me to keep my eyes open as we took off, as they would be taking our picture. And then, blast off! To those of you who have experienced this ride, you know what happened next. To those of you who haven't, what can I say? The ride took off so fast I remember thinking "so this is what it feels like to be shot out of a cannon." I screamed and laughed, and laughed and screamed. It was only the best thrill ride I've ever experienced. Would I ride it again? In a heartbeat. When we got a look at our picture we laughed even harder. DS Paul looks fine, but I screamed so loud all you can see are my tonsils. It was everything the CM had promised...a very smooth ride and no steep plunges. I have no problem with inversions and loops, it's those stomach-in-your-mouth drops that get to me. Unfortunately, that is what has kept me from experiencing ToT. I would love to try it, and I think I might if it dropped once. But the thought of going up and down and back up and down several times...makes me queasy just thinking about it. And that's a bummer because the ToT is themed so wonderfully, I would love to check it out. I'm so impressed by people like laughin' Larry and Tigggrrrl who have ridden it many times and like it. You guys must have cast iron stomachs! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Even though I loved the RnR coaster, when the ride ended I had to be peeled from my seat. I walked around like a drunken sailor for a few minutes until I got my bearings back. But we couldn't stop laughing, even after the ride was over. DH Paul and DS Chris met up with us in the RnR coaster gift shop. DS Paul got a tee shirt, and I bought a magnet for the fridge.

By now it was dinner time and we were getting hungry. We had never been to Downtown Disney and decided that tonight was the night. We hit a few shops on our way out of MGM and discussed dinner plans. As we didn't really know what was available at DTD (Downtown Disney) we decided to wait and see what was available. After dinner the plan was to check out DisneyQuest.

When we arrived (by Disney bus), we found there was a House of Blues restaurant, with only had a 10 minute wait. Done! Before long we were seated at an outside patio table. They had some interesting menu offerings. For an appetizer we tried the pan seared voodoo shrimp with rosemary cornbread and dixie beer reduction. It was a deelicious start to our meal! [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] We also had some New Orleans style Seafood gumbo w/ andouille sausage, shrimp, oysters and crawfish. Of all the cuisine we tried during this trip, I have to say the seafood gumbo was the worst. I tried a couple of mouthfuls, and I've never had gumbo before, but is it suppose to be slimey and stringy? It was not at all tasty and I just had to push it aside. But hey, it was only one bad food experience. I had sooo many good ones that one bad one wasn't going to spoil anything for me. I ordered "The Elwood" a blackened chicken sandwich w/chili garlic mayo, green chilies, and sour cream, with an order of fries. DH Paul had the slow smoked babyback ribs w/Jack Daniels bbq sauce, mashed sweet potatos and turnip greens. (I had a taste of the turnip greens, which I'd never had before, and they were very good.) Did I mention dessert yet? DH Paul and I split the sweet potato cheesecake. DH Paul really loves cheesecake and this one was mmmm, mmmm, good! The boys had pizza (Paul) and pasta (Chris) from the kids menu and they enjoyed every bite. They ordered sundaes for dessert.

Aside from the food I should also mention the music! I LOVED the music. They had live music inside the restaurant, and in-between sets they played a lot of really, really good rock and blues music. The kids were getting tired, and they start snipping at each other when they get tired. I was laughing because they were arguing about Van Morrison's version of Gloria. It was being piped through the speakers into the patio area, and they like that song. Chris was singing and Paul was telling him not to sing unless he knew all the words...lol.

After dinner we stopped in a Disney store to shop around a bit. During our trip Chris had started collecting the tiny hats for Mickey et. al., and wanted to pick up a couple he didn't see anywhere else. Then it was a short walk over to DisneyQuest. What a fun place! We entered the Cybrolator (elevator) and were surprised to find ourselves joined by an unexpected guest. I won't give it away for those who haven't experienced it yet. DQ is a larger place than we expected. With only a couple of hours left we had to figure out what we wanted to do before closing. We did CyberSpace Mountain and the kids each designed their own roller coaster. Chris constructed a tame coaster that he and I rode together. DS Paul's coaster was considerably more wild. He rode with DH and we bought the videotape of theirs. They told us it really felt like they were on a coaster. Cool!

Next we did the Pirates of the Caribbean. We donned our virtual reality goggles and then DH Paul and I steered the ship, while the boys shot the cannons at the passing pirate ships. It was a blast!

After virtual pirates, we took the virtual jungle cruise. That was a cute ride, not our favorite though.

From there we went to Treasure of the Incas. We all took turns steering the remote control vehicles through the ancient Incan maze that you can see on your computer screen through a camera mounted on the vehicle, and then took turns watching the vehicle in the real-life maze, while calling out helpful instructions to the driver. That was pretty cool.

DS Chris especially enjoyed the Magic Mirror, while DS Paul enjoyed the Living Easels. The boys wanted to take the cartoon drawing instruction, but, they weren't offering anymore classes that evening. As is always the case with Disneyworld, there was so much more we wanted to explore, there just aren't enough hours in the day. It was closing time at DisneyQuest (it was now midnight!) and we had fit in as much as we could for one day. We were dog tired and dragged ourselves back to our room and just collapsed. We were asleep before our heads hit the pillows. I just knew we were going to sleep in tomorrow --- our last morning at Disney. We had originally planned to check out and head over to Universal at 11 a.m., but we kept pushing the time back and now planned our departure for 2:30 p.m.

[LLaffinPlace]

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! What a great description of the Rock 'N Roller Coaster! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I think it's one of the best.

I wish I could convince you to try out the Tower of Terror, although if it's going to make you miserable I won't bother--that's not why you're there! My friend Bob was hesitant about it at first--he actually rode ToT long before we got him on RnRC--but now he heads for it automagically! Maybe if you just think of it as some particularly steep roller coaster hills? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I enjoyed your description of the House of Blues meal--sorry about the gumbo--but it made me hungry and here I am trying to lose some weight....

This last trip I got really soaked on Splash Mountain and whined about it for quite a while. And it wasn't from our drop--it was right at the beginning where you come out and around and then we stopped right under the water cannon! [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img]

Anyway, great report!

[ 03-16-2002, 12:20 AM: Message edited by: LLaffinPlace ]

[tikibird]

Nancy,

I am really enjoying your report!

Congrats on braving R-n-R! Hope you get to try TOT next trip.

Thanks for describing DQ - I think we'll have to try that next trip!

And the Chocolate Wave sounds just TOO good!

Looking forward to the rest of your posts!

[inkydinkydoo]

Nancy, I am really enjoying your report and hate to see it coming to an end. I just wish you had ridden Tower of Terror. You gave such a "dead-on" description of RnR Coaster -- just exactly what I've been looking for on ToT. I wish I could find someone to describe what that feels like, and you have such a way with words. It's the one ride -- well, it and Alien Encouter -- that I've never worked up the courage to do.

Inky

[LLaffinPlace]

Originally posted by NancyW:
People around here drive like that all the time.

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">Hee, hee, well I am now rolling on the floor laughing! Nancy, I really like that ride. Part of it is the clever pre-show, and part of it is the zooming around the outside. And some of it is riding with people who have never ridden it before. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] That happens often because I (ssh!) pretty much always use the Single Riders Line. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Great save on the bag, BTW. And thank you very much for those kind words about my trip report. I, too, am sorry to see yours come to an end! [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] But it is very good and I have made some notes for my next trip! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

All the best as you bring it home! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[BostonTeaParty]

I'm so glad to see you folks are enjoying my report. I appreciate the feedback, as it really does provide incentive to write more.

Tiki - you MUST try the Chocolate Wave on your next visit. After all, it's your big birthday celebration! You are going to have to write the food police a summons to appear at the Coral Reef for said treat! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Larry and Inky - I will do my best to convince myself to try ToT next visit! After all, how can I not, if my description of what it feels like might persuade Inky to try it too! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[BostonTeaParty]

Before I add my final trip installment I would like to add that I've read some more trip reports. We have some very talented writers on this board. In addition to those previously mentioned, my hat is off to Laffin' Larry, Tikibird, TiggGrrrl, mattjs and Joe Carioca. Their reports are pure pleasure to read, and inspire me to write my best. I'm sure as I read more, there will be more incredible reports to enjoy, and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to share their trips with us.
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Me - Nancy (Wife to Paul, mom to Paul and Chris)
Paul - my DH, devoted Dad and all around great guy
Paul - our 12 year old son
Chris - our 10 year old son

The Dates: October 19th - 24th

Day 6 - Wednesday, Oct. 24th

On our last morning we awoke to bright sunshine. The light flooded our room as I drew back the curtains. Everyone jumped out of bed and hastily dressed in order to make the most of our final day at Disneyworld. No time for breakfast this morning! We stored our luggage with the front desk, and headed over to Epcot. First stop - Test Track FP. Chris took one look at the cars speeding by and (as you have probably surmised by now) opted out. It was up to DS Paul and me to boldly go where no member of our family had gone before - Test Track. (Insert Star Trek theme music here). Every time we had strolled past this ride it was always mobbed. We had to find out why it was so popular. We realized we were hungry, and decided to grab a bite until it was FP time.

We took a snack break at the Electric Umbrella. We just had the usual fast food stuff, burgers, fries and drinks. When we finished eating we headed over to Innoventions. As our time today was limited we only spent a little time at Innoventions East. The boys spent some time at the Internet Zone, and also learned some facts about Walt Disney's life. They were curious and wanted to learn more about the person behind this magical place. At that point, I decided to make a quick trip to the ATM while DH Paul stayed with the kids. As I walked along taking in my surroundings, I thought to myself about the many things we still hadn't gotten to do or see this trip. I began making mental notes of things to do for our next trip and I took one more photo of Spaceship Earth.

About the time I got back, DH Paul was in an absolute panic, as he realized he'd left our video camera bag at the Electric Umbrella. Inwardly I felt a twinge of panic too, but managed to keep a calm exterior. It wouldn't help to have both of us panic-stricken. We needed to think calmly and take action. We could freak out later. He and I raced back to the EU and traced our steps back to the table we had been sitting at. We asked the people now sitting there if they had seen a black video camera bag in the area. They told us an employee had just come by and they had turned it in to him. This was a good sign. We talked to the cashier, who directed us to guest services, lost and found. We were beginning to sweat as we race-walked over to the guest services building. A woman working there went out back to check and see if the bag had been turned in. When she reappeared with our bag she was the hero of the day! We were so relieved we could have kissed her!! (But we restrained ourselves.) There wasn't any money in the bag, but a lifetime of memories were. You just can't put a pricetag on that. Now we were back on track. Whew!!!

It was time for our Test Track FP so we headed over there next. The ride was fun but I have to confess, I don't understand the incredible popularity of it. People around here drive like that all the time. So many people just love that ride, that I wonder if I am missing something, or perhaps it's just a personal preference thing. I liked the RnR coaster much better. DS Paul really liked the ride a lot though. He thought it was way cool. He said "I always wanted to be a crash test dummy." He thought about it for a minute then he said "every ride was good, except for It's a small world...that was annoying." Spoken like a true 12 year old boy. LOL...

DH Paul and I discussed taking the boys to see "The Making of Me." I thought they were at the perfect age for this, and it would be an ice-breaker for future discussions of this topic. The film stars Marin Short and is wonderfully done. It was definitely worthwhile for the kids to see. At the end of the show the narrator instructed all the kids in the audience "if you have any questions, ask the big person sitting next to you." The adults in the audience burst out laughing.

We had lost some time due to the camera bag fiasco and decided on a last walk through World Showcase. At this time the wine and food festival was taking place, and had I known more about it, I would have definitely scheduled some time for it. I would have loved spending some time sampling the various offerings, but it would have bored the kids to tears. I settled on sampling some South African Chardonnay (mmmm), and grabbed the kids a funnel cake to share on the ride to the Hard Rock Hotel. I also stopped in Morocco for a sandwich for DH and I to share. Even though I was looking forward to the next few days we would be spending at Universal Studios/IOA, I felt a flutter of regret as we walked towards the IG and back to the Beach Club. Of course as we were heading out, several Disney characters, including Captain Hook, were just heading into Epcot. There wasn't even a line yet. It was a celestial sign that we should stop and get a few more photo's and autographs. We got back to the BC just after 2:30, and our driver from Tiffany Town Car was waiting for us. We said goodbye to Disneyworld (none of us wanted to leave), and headed across town to the Hard Rock Hotel, and Universal Studios.

Next up: Final musings, favorite moments and what's up for our next trip to "the world!"

[ 03-17-2002, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: NancyW ]

[BostonTeaParty]

Well, here it is five months later and I'm still waxing nostalgic about our Disneyworld Odyssey. Writing the report, reliving the magic, sharing the fun and reading your feedback has been a real treat. I am working on creating a small webpage so I will be able to, in future reports, shares our pictures with you, our passporter friends. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Some of our favorite moments from this trip range from the exhileration of our first ride on the Rock 'n Roller coaster, to the simple enjoyment of spending time together shooting goblins at the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade during MNSSHP. This attraction is so old-fashioned and I don't know, we just really had fun. It seems like one of the more overlooked attractions to me. Even though the thrill rides are first-rate, I get sentimental for the attractions from the early days at MK. We loved the sheer drama of the Headless Horseman galloping by to signal the start of the Halloween parade. We had so much fun splashing around in Stormalong Bay, just the four of us, laughing and playing together as a family. Simple things, like watching Cinderella's castle as it changed colors at night, stopped us in our tracks. I'll always remember that I got to share my first ride on Splash Mountain with my DS Paul, and the fits of laughter we shared getting soaked on the Kali River Rapids. Just watching all the kids, mine included, as they played on the T-bar at Blizzard Beach was pure joy. The ride we shared on Teamboat Springs, and the panorama we viewed from the top of Teamboat Springs while waiting to board our raft are something we still talk about. And how can we forget the magical moment when we got to ride in the front of the monorail. They made us certified co-pilots after all!!! Then there was the food...from the sugared pecans at Epcot, to the Chocolate Wave at the Coral Reef, the food was "vunderbar!" I had so wanted to go to the Sci-fi Dine In, and it surpassed my expectations. It was fun AND the food was delicious!

I've read so many of your reports, and learned so much from all of you, that I have made notes for our next trip. (Ahem!) For our next trip we will do the following:

Dining:
- Le Cellier (Cheese soup, so raved about here, a must!)
- Cindy's Royal Table for a character breakfast
- Boma (again, raved about here on the boards, a must!)
-Whispering Canyon (still haven't decided --- do we ask for ketchup, or let some poor, unsuspecting soul do the honors?) What exactly happens anyway?
- Rose and Crown (If we're lucky we'll have a great meal AND a great spot to view Illuminations from too!
- Pecos Bill Cafe (Sounds like a great spot for a quick lunch)
- Kona Cafe (gotta check out that Tonga Toast Tiki bird raved about)

Adventures:
- Water mice
- Mini-golf (Fantasia Gardens or Summer/Winter course)
- Adventurer's Club (gotta try a Kungaloosh)
- Print out cute "Mousekeeping Envelopes"
- Wear a Passporter Pin!!! (Have decided to not be shy and get one!!!)
- Enjoy DS Chris's first ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Visit Typhoon Lagoon
- Try to talk myself into riding the ToT
- Check out Primeval Whirl
- Muppet-Vision 3D (Assumed it was strictly for the little kiddies, silly me. After reading about how much Gonzo loves it, we simply have to do it.)
- WWTBAM (DS Chris's favorite at Disney-MGM)
- E-ride night
- Diamond Horseshoe Saloon show (for 25 years I've been meaning to see it)
- Hopefully Mickey's Philharmagic show will be ready to see
- Check out the new Mission: Space
- Give Test Track another chance (thanks Laffin' Larry) [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
- Three words - Shop, Shop, Shop!!!!
- Take better, more detailed notes for next TR

This is how it is all shaping up so far, but everything is subject to change on a whim.

I think sharing times like this bring our already close family even closer. Years from now we can look back at these special times we shared together and smile. I love looking at the pictures of the four of us together, smiling at each other, transported from our daily responsibilities, to a carefree world where every day is a magical experience.

[ 03-26-2002, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: NancyW ]

[arielsmom]

Nancy, your report has been so much fun to read. We were down at the same time you were and it really is hard to believe that 5 months have gone by. I had to smile at your RnR desccription as I got my 8 yr old DD to ride it with me and prior to that she wouldn't even ride a Goofy's Barnstormer type coaster at our local park. Now she thinks that "loopy coasters" are the only ones to ride,lol. This was our 1st family vacation and you summed up the feeling of sharing it together as a family beautifully. I hope you will get the opportunity to do your must-do list soon. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Thanks for a great report.

[shooter364]

Nancy,

Your report was wonderful! Isn't sharing fun???

[LLaffinPlace]

Nancy, I haved loved sharing your trip and just wanted to give your trip report two thumbs up! [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

I enjoyed reading over your list for next time. You've helped me with my list--at least two things I have not done--Coral Reef (hey, it's food! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ) and DisneyQuest. I had thought to get to the Adventurer's Club in February, but we didn't make it, so that's on the list, too.

If you really want to know about the ketchup at Whispering Canyon, drop me an email. My advice is to wait and see if someone else does it and, if not, go for it. It's probably been talked up too much at this point! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Thanks, again! All the best and "see" you on the boards! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]