The Complete Report: Donna Does Disney...and Universal, too! About This Page:

[luvnwdwgal]

Really enjoying your trip report! Way to show them at DQ! My DH is a really picky eater too, so I have not made too many PS's.

[Shell_of_the_South]

Donna, I really enjoyed your review of Disneyquest. I want to try it someday! Patiently waiting for another installment!

[disneydonna]

Part III: Let the good times roll...

Our first full day of Disney fun! DH is our built in alarm clock...he rises daily before the sun. I awake at a more reasonable time to the smell of coffee. Thankfully, he has picked up some staples on his stroll around the boardwalk. The kids wolf down bagels and juice and we're off to the Magic Kingdom. We decide to drive. Big mistake!!!! When we arrive at the TTC the crowd is enormous. We wait like a herd of cattle for the opening of the gates and then race for transportation to the Kingdom. Knowing that the boat is usually less crowded, we head there. The ride was not really enjoyable as the boat was packed to capacity. We arrive at the Kingdom to wait in yet another huge line, the security check. Between you and me, I think the current security system is a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, since the attacks of Sept. 11 I think it is a good idea to implement some sort of security system and I don't mind waiting in line to insure that the parks are safe. It is just that, not once, during my stay was my bag totally searched. I carried a sling bag with half a dozen pockets and each time I went through the gates the guards would only check a pocket or two. Anyway, back to the story. Once we cleared the gates, we dashed to Tomorrowland. Nobody was there! The family walked right on to Space Mountain. (I can't do rollercoasters. They scare me to death so I sat this one out.) While they were on the ride, I purchased a stuffed animal that my son wanted for his girlfriend. I had it sent to our hotel...I love this service. No more running around at the end of the day to gather souveniers from shops spread around the park. We visited Alien Encounter and Buzz Lightyear in rapid succession. Everyone enjoyed both of these rides. We were making good time so we decided to skip to the other side of the park to visit the "other mountains". Along the way, we passed Small World and, since there was virtually no line, I forced the family to go on with me. I love this ride. My family, however, hates anything cute. While I got off with a smile on my face, they were scowling. Since both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were crowd free, we weren't expecting the lines at Frontierland. We grabbed fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain. While we waited, we got drinks at the mile long bar and shot targets at the shootin' gallery. When it was time to go on Big Thunder, the family went to board and I went to Splash Mountain to get fast passes for that ride. Unfortunately, the time frame for the fastpass was right in the middle of our sceduled lunch. By the time the family got off Big Thunder, it was time for lunch. I had made an 11:00 am PS at the Liberty Tree Tavern. I had never eaten there before but it looked awfully quaint from the outside and it was on my list of new things to do. When you enter, they ask you what state you are from and they note this on your seating card. After a short wait, we were called by our server when she loudly announced, "Hear ye! Hear ye! We are now seating the Fist family from the loyal colony of Connecticut." I thought this was a cute touch. After we were seated and our waitress brought our drink orders, we were treated to two loaves of home-made bread with delicious honey butter. We consumed this quickly and were a little surprised when the waitress brought several more loaves to the table. Needless to say, we didn't leave a crumb. By this time our main course arrived. Several of us had ordered the turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. Boy, was it delicious. DS(12) had ordered the house chef salad. He couldn't decide which dressing to try so they brought him both the Raspberry Vinagrette and the Honey-Mustard. I sampled both and agreed that it would be hard to choose between the two. Between our entrees and all of those loaves of bread, we were stuffed and unable to even consider any of the tasty sounding desserts on the menu. All things considered, I loved this meal and I would definitely go back. The food at the Liberty Tree Tavern was great, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was wonderful. We unanimously agreed that riding Splash Mountain on such full stomaches would be a big mistake and decided to try some tamer attractions. Since we were in Liberty Square, we headed for the Haunted Mansion. I got a brief glimpse of the new tombstone but, since there was no line to wait in, I really didn't have time to read all of the tombstones. I'm not complaining, though. Next, we visited the Hall of Presidents. DS(17) is a history buff and loved this attraction. We swung around to Adventureland. Our first stop was Pirates of the Carribbean. The kids thought it was okay. DS(17) wanted to go to the Jungle Cruise next because it was one of the few rides that really made an impression on him when he was little. Since the queue area is outdoors with only ceiling fans to stir the air, we were fortunate that it was a walk on. My son was disappointed in the ride because the driver no longer shoots his gun at the raging hippo. We decided that they must have changed it to be more politically correct but it does lose some of the excitement. We proceeded to the Tiki Birds, Under New Management. The new show is cute and I think the new stars probably have more appeal to the younger set. By now, it was approaching parade time so we headed to Main St. As we walked, the sky seemed to get darker and darker. By the time we reached the street, it was starting to sprinkle. There were already people sitting on the pavement so we grabbed a piece of turf and plopped down. The sprinkles turned into a steady downpour. We broke out our ponchos and proceeded to wait. By parade time, there was just a steady drizzle and the parade route was packed. Finally, the CM in front of us gave the signal that the parade was almost here. You can probably predict what happened next. A stream of late-comers elbowed their way to the front and tried to push their strollers onto the road in front of us. DH, being the polite person that he is, allowed several parents with small children in tow to stand in front of him. By the time the parade got to our spot, DH was so far in the back that he couldn't be seen. I, on the other hand, am not so considerate, especially after sitting in the rain for an hour. I can shove and elbow with the best of them. I had a great view of the parade and I was able to keep it. I really enjoyed the water globes of this parade and it is one of the best that I have seen. All too soon, the parade was over. As the crowd dispersed, we headed to Splash Mountain. The standby wait time was still over 45 minutes and, again, the fastpass time slot was right in the middle of our next meal. We never made it on this ride. The next showing of the Country Bear Jamboree was approaching so we got in line. My husband and I liked the show alot better than last time. The last time we were there, they had redone the show to encompass a beach theme and all the bears were wearing bathing suits. It was nice to hear Al sing 'Blood on the Saddle' again. Too funny. DS(17) thought this show was the lamest thing he had ever seen, though. During the whole rest of the trip, he compared all of the rides to the Country Bears. We continually heard "it's not as bad as Country Bears" or "it's almost as bad as Country Bears". We had skipped several rides in Tomorrowland so we headed there. Got fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear's Space Rangers. Cooled off with some Cokes and visited the gift shops in the area. When our time arrived, we boarded our space vehicles and joined the other cadets to defeat the evil emperor. At the end, my score was so pathetic that it almost wasn't on the chart. My sons, though, did really well and they liked this ride alot. It's kind of like being inside a video game. Our next stop was the Carousel of Progress. My husband and I noticed some minor changes to this ride since out last visit. I was really surprised to find that all three of my kids gave this attraction a thumbs up. It was time for dinner. I had made a PS for 6:00 pm at Cinderella's Royal Table so we headed for the castle. I was greatly disappointed to find out that you can no longer walk through the castle itself because they have it barricaded. When, and why, did this happen? Despite having to make a small detour around the castle to enter on the back side, we made it to the restaurant on time. We had a brief wait before the gong was rung to announce the seating of the royal Fist family. We took the elevator to the upper floor and were seated in a huge booth. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get a window seat but realized it probably wasn't possible with large parties. The setting though is superb and you actually feel like you are back in olden times. We almost all ordered the prime rib and we were not disappointed. It was cooked to perfection and quite tasty. The portions were huge and once again we had no room for dessert. I did notice that they no longer serve your food and beverages on pewter plates and mugs. I missed this touch but DS(17) did order a smoothie and was given a complimentary engraved glass mug so we do have a nice reminder of our visit. I still love this restaurant and feel that everyone should eat at least one meal in the castle in order to get into the true Disney spirit. After dinner, we returned to Fantasyland. I always find it hard to believe that some of the longest lines can be found in this area. We all agreed that the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was the best ride there. I was saddened to see the skeletal remains of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are still there. If they are not going to make this attraction into something else, I wish they would at least tear down what is there. It's quite an eyesore. Anyway, we went on a few more rides and then headed to Main St. to scope out a spot to watch Spectromagic from. We walked through all of the gift shops and finally found a great spot on the culd'sac at the end of the street. We staked out the area in front of a brick planter. There was just enough room there for our family and we wouldn't have to worry about people behind us trying to push to the front. Live and learn! Once again it was sprinkling but we were getting used to the rain and getting our money's worth for our disposable ponchos. Another family soon noticed the advantages of our spot and they plopped down beside us. They had come prepared for the wait...they all carried enormous turkey legs. I might be a snob but I truly believe that turkey legs (and spaghetti, for that matter) should not be eaten in public. You have to grant me this...there really is no polite way to eat a turkey leg. Our neighbors attacked their turkey legs with gusto befitting hungy cannibals while we, civilized creatures that we are, licked ice cream cones. At least they didn't try to elbow in front of us as the electrical parade approached. Despite all of our trips to Disney, my DH had never seen this parade and he was very impressed. We all agreed that it was too short, though. We followed the parade down (up?) Main St. We were greatly relieved to see that most people were leaving the park. We found a great spot in which to watch the fireworks and we sat watching the castle change colors with the different spotlights. We had a perfect view of Tinkerbell's flight and were mesmerized by the beauty of the firework's show. All too soon it was over and we had to join the sea of people leaving the park. When we reached the entrance of the park, we noticed that the lines for both the ferry and the monorail to the parking lot were horrendous. Since we had Disney resort hotel keys, I was confident that we could use the resort monorail with no trouble. There was no line, no one checked our i.d., and we settled in for the short trip to the TTC. Once there, we were able to quickly board a tram and were soon sitting in our rental car heading for the Beach Club. Our first whole day in the World was over!

Best parts of the day: Space Mountain and lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern
Worst part of the day: The huge crowds at the TTC and missing Splash Mountain

Coming up...more of our JULY 10th-19 trip to Disney and Universal

[disneydonna]

Part IV: On with the show...

DH wakes us up at sunrise. He has already strolled the Boardwalk and visited the neighboring hotels Swan and Dolphin. He is a little grumpy because he has not yet had his morning coffee as there seems to be no place to buy beverages before the sun comes up. I once again try to persuade him to unwrap a couple of the resort mugs. He is a hard sell because he distrusts things that seem too good to be true. After I explain for the umpteenth time that there are really no strings attached, he takes two mugs and heads off to Beaches and Cream to get our morning coffee. The kids and I use this time to shower and get ready for the day. We make our 7:30 am breakfast PS at Cape May Cafe with plenty of time to spare. This is a buffet character meal and we decided it is absolutely wonderful. There are few patrons in the restaurant at this hour and each character spent an enormous amount of time at our table. Goofy kept picking on DS(17) and we got lots of great pictures of them "goofing around" (pun intended). The buffet was incredible with lots of fresh fruits, hot dishes, and pastries. The kids especially enjoyed the Mickey waffles. I stuffed myself with chocolate croissants. We practically had to roll out of the restaurant! We had planned on taking a boat to the World Showcase entry of Epcot. The boat was just pulling away as we approached the launch area and, since waiting for transportation makes DH very grumpy, we decided to walk. It was a pleasant stroll and the entrance to the park was virtually empty. Following the advice in all of the guidebooks, we set our sails to Test Track. It was basically a walk on when we arrived. Since I don't do roller-coaster type rides, I went ahead to the next attraction to see if we would need fastpasses. I found little wait up ahead and I met the family back at Test Track just as they were getting off. They all enjoyed the ride so much they wanted me to go on it with them. They cajoled me into it, reassuring me that it was nothing like a coaster, more like a simulator and it didn't really go anywhere. By this time the lines for the ride were long so we grabbed five fastpasses to come back later in the day. Our next stop was the Wonders of Life Pavillion. We rode Cranium Command and Body Wars. (I actually enjoy the simulator rides because I know that you're not really moving, that it is an illusion.) Try as hard as I might, I couldn't get anyone to see the film The Making of Me. It just sounded too corny for my teens. They were happy to visit the Universe of Energy, though, to see the dinosaurs. I don't remember the pre-show of the attraction to be so long and drawn out but maybe I'm mistaken. The kids voted the ride as a three thumbs up so I guess they didn't care. It was now time to return to Test Track. I kept wracking my brain trying to remember some of the reveiws for this ride because something was telling me not to get on. I let my family's urgings overide my better judgement and climbed aboard the test vehicle. You're probably all chuckling about now. When my test vehicle went from 0 to 65 mph in just seconds, I thought I was going to die. Put it this way...I hold on to the railing on Its a Small World. You can just imagine how I felt during those mock crashes and around those steeply banked curves. Needless to say, I was none too pleased with my family for having a laugh at my expense. Later, I got revenge. By this time it was raining pretty heavily so we made a mad dash through Innoventions to The Land. We got to the pavillion just as a huge thunderstorm moved in. While we waited for the storm to abate, we visited The Circle of Life and Food Rocks. Neither show was a unanimous thumbs up but I thought they were cute. (Are you seeing a pattern here? I love cute.) When we stepped outside, it was no longer raining but the humidity was way up there. It was the perfect time for a visit to Ice Station Cool. The rest of the family got a kick out of sampling all the different sodas from around the world. Myself, I had read too much about Beverly to be able to take a sip. I used my knowlege of this drink to get some revenge on the kids...It was my turn to laugh when DS(12) took a big gulp of Beverly. Being too polite to spit it out, he swallowed but his eyes were watering.LOL! Our next stop was Journey into Imagination and, like everyone else, we were glad to see that Figment has returned. (I still miss the Dreamfinder, though and can't figure out what was wrong with the original show.)As we headed for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience I prepared for my final revenge. You see, DH is petrified of snakes and I knew that this attraction featured a big one. It was my turn to laugh when he came out of the ride a little green! Everyone else enjoyed this attraction alot and agreed that the special effects are awesome. By now we were beginning to tire and getting slightly hungry. As we headed to the International Gateway I hoped to stop in Canada for some beaver's tails. I have yet to sample this treat. Unfortunately, the stand was closed and we had to settle for ice cream cones. They tasted great, though , as we walked back to the Beach Club along the Epcot trail. When we got to the hotel, DS(17) decided to use this time to call his girlfriend back in Connecticut. DD(17) decided to take a nap. DH, DS(12) and I put on our suits and headed to the pool. I love the sand bottom of Stormalong Bay. It's like being at the beach without having to worry about sharks and other groos creatures of the sea. DH and DS went to use the slide but the lifeguard wouldn't let them because they didn't have their I.D. cards. We didn't learn till later in the week that you needed to show your room card to an attendant by the towel shed in order to obtain a colored wrist band that would serve as your hotel identification. It was a bit of a nuisance but I guess with a pool as widely acclaimed as Stormalong Bay, they have to do something to insure that only hotel guests use it.

[luvnwdwgal]

Your trip report is great! Looking forward to your next installment! Hurry! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Ah, yes, I have a one of those picky American-food only eaters, so I understand where you are coming from!

Enjoyed hearing about DQ and BC - looking forward to more... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Umm, chocolate crossaints sound really yummy!

Glad you got to get DS with the Beverly! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Looking forward to hearing more....

[disneydonna]

Part V: On and on...

We awoke at 6 am to cloudy skies. The weather forecast called for scattered showers throughout the day. We don't let the gloom outside affect our spirits. We had an 8:00 am PS for Donald's Breakfastosurus so we head to Animal Kingdom. A CM met us at the gate and walked a group of us through the park to the restuarant. The restuarant is divided into separate rooms and our waitress walked us to a table in a room at the back. The food is served buffet-style so we help ourselves once we are seated. The buffet was loaded with the typical hot breakfast items and a few unusual dishes like Breakfast Pizza. We stuffed ourselves as we wait for visits from the characters. Unfortunately, the restaurant is packed so each character can only spend a few minutes at each table. It is one of the few places where you can see Donald Duck, however, and I got some great pictures of the kids with him when he stopped by our table. I had to use the restroom and I noticed as I walked by the other rooms that each buffet table is different. The buffet in the room next to ours features only fruit and pastries. We hadn't realized that we were supposed to visit the other buffet tables in the adjoining rooms when we filled our plates. By the time we realized this, we were too stuffed from the hot foods to even check out the fruit and pastry tables. The park was officially open when we finished breakfast. We headed to Dinoland. There are no crowds so we do Primeval Whirl, Triceratop Spin and Dinosaur in rapid succession. For a small coaster, the kids point out that Primeval Whirl packs a lot of punch. Next, we head to Kilamanjaro Safaris. It started to sprinkle and everyone pulled on there rain ponchos. The wait for a safari truck was brief. Because it was still early in the day, the animals were still out and we saw many. We all agreed that the storyline isn't needed and that the ride would even be better without it. We took the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and, by the time we arrived, it was raining pretty heavily. Unfortunately, the animals have all taken cover and there is little to see.
It was hard not to be disappointed. Since it is raining pretty hard we head for an attraction that is inside. We do It's Tough to Be a Bug. Everyone enjoyed the special effects. Next we visit Festival of the Lion King. We all thought the show was great. You have to put it on your list of must-see attractions. When we exited the theater, we noticed the rain had subsided but since we were already wet, we decided to do Kali River Rapids. I left my rain poncho on but the rest of the family didn't because they thought it was wimpy. That were laughing at me but I had the last laugh by the end of the ride. I might have been a wimp but I was a dry one! Everyone else was soaked. Our next stop was to see the show Tarzan Rocks. The music was loud and the cast was very talented. The boys especially enjoyed the stunts accomplished by the rollerbladers. I loved the acrobats. This show is so diverse that there is something that appeals to everyone. As we left the theater, the skies opened up and we were caught in a torrential downpour. Back on with the ponchos. It was almost parade time but we had no idea if it would come off because of the rain. It was raining to hard to even think about lining up for a parade. We had a PS at Rainforest Cafe for after the parade but we decided to go there early and see if they could take us in before our reserved time. We were in luck because there was no line and we were seated right away. We all loved the atmosphere of this restaurant. We would definitely put it on our list of must-do's based on atmosphere alone. The food wasn't bad, either. We all had burgers and sandwiches and no one was disappointed with their meal. DH and I sampled their specialty drinks. They were just what we needed to pick up our flagging spirits after all that rain. (In retrospect, we all decide that we should have skipped Donald's Breakfastosaurus and eaten breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe.We will definitely do this next time.) After our meal, we decided we had seen just about everything in Animal Kingdom and we headed to the car. On our way out of the Animal Kingdom area, we stopped by the Animal Kingdom Lodge as we had never been there before. It was very pretty but I disliked the smoky smell that permeates the lobby from the nearby restaurants. We put it on our list of places to stay someday. We headed back to the Beach Club. The boys wanted to go the arcade. The girls decided to go shopping. DH decided that he had better go shopping with us girls in order to keep a lid on their spending. Traitor. We loaded the boys with quarters and singles and set off. Destination: Disney Marketplace. Of course, DD(16) and I had to visit each and every shop before we would by anything. It took us several hours just to check out all the logo merchandise at the World of Disney. Accompanied as we were by the Spending Police, we did little damage though. DD(16) purchased a plush Pooh photo album and several postcards for her friends back home. I bought a personalized necklace and some candy to bring home to my niece. Upon our return to the hotel, we all put on our bathing suits. We went for a dip in the Quiet Pool. Because Stormalong Bay is so awesome, the Quiet Pool has hardly any visitors and this night was no exception. We had a private and leisurely soak in the hot tub before we retired to our room for an early night.

The Best Part of the Day: The surprises at Tough to Be a Bug and the dazzle of Lion King

The Worst Part of the Day: The rain and missing the parade

[wdwlovers]

I am enjoying your trip report very much! Looking forward to the next installment!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[luvnwdwgal]

Great trip report....More please!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[mom2my4dwarfs]

Thanks for the great trip report. Can't wait to read the rest.

[disneydonna]

Part IV: On With the Show (Continued)...

After our swim, we headed to dinner. I had made a PS for Cape May Cafe for the clambake. Not everyone in the family enjoys seafood so I was counting on there being other meats on the buffet. I wasn't disappointed. Everyone in the family found tons of food to tickle their pallettes. The clams were Cherrystones, the small ones that are not tough. DH and I filled our plates several times with clams and shrimp. Surprisingly, we all had room for dessert and there were tons of sweets to choose from. I particularly enjoyed the Oreo BonBons. We all agreed that this was our best meal of the vacation and lamented that we wouldn't have time for a repeat visit. After dinner, we headed back to Epcot. We arrived just in time to catch a performance of Shockwave at the American Gardens Theater. What a show! These talented young instrumentalists put on a professional performance worthy of any stage. DD(16) is the drum major for our high school marching band and she was totally impressed. You must put this show on your list of things to see. Next we visited the American Pavillion and saw the show there. When we walked out, the parade was just about ready to start so we lined up on the road in front of the American theater. This parade was definitely different. Some of the costumes worn by the CMs towered so high in the air that I wondered how the kept their balance. It must really be tough on a windy day! Anyway, it's nice that each park has a parade with a unique theme. That way, you are not seeing the same thing over and over. After the parade, we toured the rest of World Showcase. I forced everyone to ride Maelstrom because I heard that it would soon be closing and wanted to see it one last time. By that time, we needed to find a spot from which we could view Illuminations. We decided to watch from the bridge over by the International Gateway. That way, we could make an easy exit. We wern't wrong. This spot gave us a great view and at the end of the show we made a fast escape to the Beach Club. Too tire to visit the pool, we hit our beds.

The Best Part of the Day: Cape May Cafe and revenge via Beverly

The Worst Part of the Day: My ride on Test Track and missing Beaver Tails

Coming up...Our July 10-19 vacation continues

[tikibird]

Oreo bonbons? Now those sound good!

Enjoying your report - looking forward to more! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[disnyfan]

[img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] Loving the stories keep them coming.

[disneydonna]

Part VI: Let the sun shine...

DH arises before the sun and today there really was sun. The rest of the family is very slow in getting up. (Note to self: You really need to schedule a "Do-nothing Day" in the middle of your Disney vacation. It would help combat exhaustion.) With a little prodding - alright, a lot of prodding- from DH we arrive at MGM just as the gates open. We dash down Sunset Blvd. and our first stop is Tower of Terror. I chickened out and waited outside for the rest of the family. While I was waiting, I checked out the lines for Rock 'n Roller Coaster. There were none so I didn't bother with a Fastpass. I met up with everyone just as they were coming off the ride. Surprisingly, Tower of Terror got three thumbs down from the Fist kids. They actually thought it was lame, not scary enough. Rock 'n Roller Coaster got great reviews, though. Since there were virtually no lines, they went on it twice. I wanted to buy their ride photo but DH, the Spending Police, nixed that. (While we were there, I wanted to buy the photos from almost every attraction and dinner show that offered them. Not only would it have cost me a fortune, I would have needed to put an addition on the house in order to have enough wall space to display them! I settled for using six rolls of film instead.) We were able to squeeze in Sounds Dangerous before catching the first show of Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. The kids love Drew Carey but thought his show could have been much better than it was. They all loved Indiana Jones. Having seen it before, I thought it was a little stale. It is interesting to note that no mattter where you sit in the theater, you seem to be scorched from heat of the explosion during the finale. Our next stop was Star Tours. Although it is like a roller coaster, is doesn't really go anywhere so I feel comfortable going on. The only thing I will say is that I am glad we rode it before lunch and not after it. By now it was lunchtime. I had made an early PS at Sci-Fi Dine-In. Despite all of the negative comments about this eatery on the boards, I had never been there before and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We didn't wait long before we were seated in our car. I thought the theme was cute and it was well executed. At this early hour, there were hardly any other patrons there, though, and I think a crowd of people would have helped the ambiance. DH and I both had rueben-like sandwiches. The kids had burgers. The portions were gigantic and the food was tasty. I had a milkshake and it had real chocolate flavoring. All in all, we thought the lunch there was pretty successful. We would probably not eat there again only because we would like to try something different. Anyway, on with the show. I had to persuade the kids to see Muppet-Vision 3-D. They were glad that I talked them into seeing it after the show because everyone thought it was pretty good. By this time, the schedule called for a live showing of Beauty and the Beast. This was the one attraction at MGM that DD(16) had wanted to see. She wasn't disappointed. The young cast was very talented and the production was something you might see on Broadway. It made us sad that this day was a dark day for the sister show, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Our next stop was the Studios Backlot Tour. We were one of the first in line and were delighted when DS(17) and DD(16) were chosen to participate in the show. DD(17) was a little reluctant to go. The last time he was chosen for something like this was several years ago at the Nickelodeon Studios attraction at King's Dominion in Virginia. We all vividly remember this because he got "slimed", covered with gross green imitation snot. We sensed his hesitation but were proud of him as he bravely walked away with the Disney CM. We didn't know what part the kids would play in the upcoming attraction but, as we watched from a distance while they were suited up in rain coats, waterproof pants and galoshes, we suspected something akin to slime. As the show unfolded, we realized that the activity was meant to illustrate how a sea battle is filmed. There was no slime but there was gallons and gallons of water. This show is funny when you are watching strangers chosen at random from the audience; when it is someone you know, it is hilarious. The kids were great sports and were only disappointed that they were unable to watch themselves on the monitors. We all enjoyed the rest of the ride, especially DS(12) who had his chance to get wet on Catastrophe Canyon. When we walked outside we were glad to see that the sun was still shining. This was more like the weather we had expected to encounter in Florida. Next up was "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"-Play It. The hostess had even more personality than Regis and the game was quite good. The prizes were probably the funniest part of the show. DH, a true trivia buff, got mad because he couldn't make it into the top ten. He had all the right answers but was too slow at pushing the buttons. The contestant in the hot seat got all the way to the top but blew it on the last question. Too bad, he missed getting his leather jacket. We proceeded to The Great Movie Ride and had a short wait. We didn't mind, however, because the indoor queue was air-conditioned and it gave us an opportunity to escape the humidity. We enjoyed the live-action of this attraction. Since it was almost parade time, we scoped out a pieced of sidewalk along the street and made camp. Further down from where we were sitting, there were live street performers entertaining the crowds while they waited for the parade. I thought this was a really nice touch. We waited about thirty minutes for the Stars and Motor Cars parade. I really liked it. The different themed cars for the different characters were pretty cool. The downside is that the parade is way too short as all too soon it was over. By now, it was time for dinner. I had gotten the last PS spot for the latest available seating for the Fantasmic Dinner package at Hollywood and Vine. It took us a while to find the entrance and the restuarant wasn't at all like what I was expecting. The food was typical of Disney buffets. I didn't think it was that great but DD(16) thought it was great. She had a heaping plate of salad, followed by ample servings of beef and turkey from the carving station, then a bowl of ice cream, followed by a second helping of carved turkey, topped off by slices of cake and pie, with a final bowl of ice cream for dessert. Everone stuffed themselves, although not quite to the extent of DD(17). As long as it was part of the Fantasmic package, we would eat here again. By the time we finished dinner, we were all starting to tire. Too pooped for strenuous activity, we decided to so some window shopping. We visited every single shop on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. Since DS(12) hadn't yet picked out a souvenier, we encouraged him to choose something. Unlike some kids who continually ask for things, he is very reserved and had to be prodded before he will ask for anything. I'm not complaining but sometimes it is hard to figure out what he wants. Anyway, he picked out a coffee mug emblazoned with the Indiana Jones logo. Go figure, isn't that what every twelve year old boy wants?!! (I must say, now that we are back home, he has used that mug everyday and I have a whole lot less glasses to wash.) I had the mug sent to our resort so that we didn't have to carry it around. I have to say it again, I love this service. Walking around had settled our stomaches, so we were ready to tackle another ride. Everyone (except me) wanted to go on Rock 'n Roller Coaster again. We had a thirty minute wait but they assured me that the ride was well worth it. We just had time to get some Cokes before we had to head to the entrance of the park in order to take advantage of our reserved seating for Fantasmic. The CM at the entrance let us into the back lot via a gate and we followed the crowd to the reserved seating section of the stadium. Although the seats are on the far right, I thought we had a pretty good view of the stage. I was happy that we had this seating because when we arrived the theater was almost filled to capacity and it looked like the people had already been there for some time. We had a 30 minute wait and we, and the other thousands of people in attendance, amused ourselves doing the wave. Finally it was showtime. Mickey's dream sequence was just starting when, all of a sudden, everything stopped. The stage went black and, after a brief delay, the announcer came on to tell us that they were having unexpected difficulties and the show was being canceled. Talk about being bummed out! [img]graemlins/cry2.gif[/img] I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this performance and had been anxiously awaiting it. We weren't the only ones disappointed; the other thousands of people in the crowd were even booing. Everyone got up to leave at once. I was relieved when they allowed us to leave the same way we had entered because we got the jump on the rest of the crowd. With little difficulty, we made out way to the park entrance and were able to grab a tram to the parking lot. It was a short ride to the Beach Club and we watched a litlle television before going to bed.

Best Part of the Day:Being chosen as performers and Rock 'n Roller Coaster

Worst Part of the Day: Missing Fantasmic