Lori Wagner - December 2001

Day 1

Who: Lori (32, Chicago) and Catherine (37, Washington DC area).

Where: Port Orleans-Riverside (4 nights) and Animal Kingdom Lodge (4 nights)

What: RADP 6 meet
When: November 30 – December 8th, 2001
How: Airplane, car rental, Disney transportation

The week went by in a blur, so where do I begin? I believe I should start at the beginning, I suppose! Catherine's plane arrived 1 1/2 hours before mine due to scheduling conflicts and canceled flights. She took Mears to Riverside and I was to pick up the car and meet her there.

Check in was relatively confusing, because we were splitting the room charges on two credit cards. We now know that the first credit card charged could also pick up the room charging privileges, while the second credit card could be charged with the room-only charges. We split the costs for both resorts this way.

I had arrived around 2:15pm, and we settled into our room in Building 14 in the Alligator Bayou section, second floor. I had a laundry list of things to do before our dinner at Boma at AKL that evening. Sometime after 3, we headed out the door to Animal Kingdom. The plan was to see the new Jungle Jammin' Parade.

Since it was late in the day, there was nobody at the toll gate to collect parking fees. It didn't matter since we were resort guests, but I thought it was interesting that nobody was there at the booth. As I walked toward the security tables, I noticed that there were characters around.

We saw Mushu, King Louie, Rafiki and Jane from Tarzan in her yellow dress. The strange thing I noticed about Jane was that she was blonde, not brunette! That was just plain wrong!

I still had time to get my new annual pass from Guest Relations and catch the parade. As I was exchanging my voucher, I had a Magical Cast Member Experience. I vaguely remembered reading about special lanyards with a pin for AP holders, so I asked if that promotion was still available. The cast member told me that it was only for those renewing their AP's. I shrugged and said, "Ok.", accepting that I was not eligible. (This is important! You'll see in a minute!)

As I chatted with her, she told me that we shared the same last name. "We must be long lost cousins," I smiled. Then she told me I shared her son's birthday! I joked with her that there was no way her son could share his birth year with me, since she was a young woman. She made her "magic" by pulling out a lanyard from her drawer and telling me that I'm getting her last one!

I fully believe she did this *only* because I did not make a fuss over not being eligible for one. Had I thrown a fit, I'm positive I would not have gotten one. I know someone who works at Disney's central reservations office. When I shared this story, he told me that because I did not *expect* it, the cast member was more than willing to make my day special. The people who complain and feel entitled to something will not get anything! It made perfect sense, and I know I was an exception to the rule. I would like to stress that I was the exception to the rule, and it was completely the cast member's discretion to give me the lanyard.

After that nice experience, I ended up making magic for a total stranger! Catherine and I walked towards Asia from Discovery Island, and we settled on the bridge between those places for a great spot to watch the parade.

We were chatting with a cast member, and I exchanged a pin. I mentioned that I was going to get the free internet pins with purchase at MGM later. A woman next to me heard me discussing this. She had forgotten her pin certificate at home. Luckily, I had brought multiple certificates "just in case", and I handed one to her. She was exceedingly grateful and I think I made her day. Woo hoo!

The parade was a blast! I was dancing and clapping to the music, and I think this parade should be permanent. If you have noticed that Disney likes to shoot water in various attractions, you'll be pleased to know that Disney added another item to that list: The float Donald is on will "spit" at you! Donald does not spit, but a hose does!

After the parade, we made our way out of the park, heading to All Star Movies. Laurie Jennings was nice enough to split the cost of the 2-for-1 deal Amazon.com had for the Disney Monopoly game. Laurie was also in the Guest Relations line, yet I didn't know this. I had the front desk call her room, waking up the napping folks inside. Whoops!

After that errand, Catherine and I made our way into the Studios, so I could buy my Magical Moments pins and get the free internet pins. Catherine didn't buy one, because she thought the pins were too big and clunky. She changed her tune a couple days later because she saw how much fun I had when my pins had a "magical moment".

Ok, we hit two parks and two resorts, and it was time to head to Boma! We arrived for our 7pm priority seating, and there were 10 of us for dinner. I enjoyed "grazing" at all the food stations, and I was in Soup Heaven! The smoked tomato soup was in the vegetarian section, and it was all smoky goodness. I didn't know if I'd like the coconut curry seafood one, but it was delicious, filled with lots of mussels and shrimp. Everything people have told me about Boma was true! I ate here again for breakfast and dinner later in the trip.

After dinner, Catherine rushed to Pleasure Island to host "Night of Roy: A Tribute to the Other Disney Brother"at the Adventurer's Club. I ditched the car back at Riverside and bussed myself over to catch the meet. Catherine made really cute magnets for this meet on her computer! When I arrived, I answered trivia questions asked by Linda from TheMouseForLess. A few of us went to catch a Comedy Warehouse show, which I hadn't done in over two years!

Since I hadn't been inside the CW in ages, I was startled to notice what I would think of as the "elephant graveyard" of old Disneyland and WDW attractions and signage. As you enter the theater, I noticed Figment leading us to the Image Works. Too funny! There were more "eye candy" props and signs inside, and it was fun to try to picture where I've seen those things before.

I thought most of the show was well done, but it seemed all they did was sing! We were sitting in the row where the sound and light technician sits, and apparently one person in our group overheard this relay between him and the people backstage: "Hey, it's not supposed to be a song!" ("Well it is, NOW!")

Afterwards, we headed back to the Adventurer's Club to socialize until it closed.

Tomorrow: The Big Meet, Mexican Begging Ducks, and the Wand of Power!

Day 2 - Saturday Dec. 1st

We went to the food court at Riverside bright and early at 8am to meet Deb Wills, Dave Marx, Rob, Keith, Pam, Sean, Jack, and Deb's Japanese email pals for breakfast. The two Japanese ladies were so adorable, and they were telling us about Tokyo Disneyland. I was charmed listening to the discussions about all the various Disney parks around the world.

After breakfast, Catherine and I headed to Epcot to host some Future World meets. For Spaceship Earth Roulette, Catherine was host and I was cohost, which meant I basically came along for the ride. Catherine devoted lots of time and effort to map out the various scenes in Spaceship Earth. All the contestants had to pick the scene they felt would be where the ride will stop. Whoever picked the correct scene would win Roman Mickey, a beanie Catherine picked up. We had "ride does not stop" as an option, because if we didn't, our luck would be that nobody would win!

Well, as luck would have it, the ride did stop at the Egypt scene, and I was pleased that the only child in the group was the big winner! Erica did seem happy to win her beanie! I would like to mention that my fingernails glowed a nice fluorescent shade in black light, and I raised my hands when we stopped at Egypt. I don't think many people saw us, though. I should also mention that my fingernails had been airbrushed with a likeness of Mickey Mouse, and I received lots of compliments from everyone who noticed them.

After Spaceship Earth Roulette, we headed to the Endless 30 minute Line at Test Track. I say this because this was one of two 30 minute lines we entered this week that lasted a lot longer! Unfortunately, the single rider line was not open, so we waited. And waited. The pounding bass music was fine for the first 30 minutes, but when it was getting nearer to a second 30 minutes, I felt like that test dummy for neck and head injuries! Of course the single rider line opened right as we're at the preshow area.

As I take my seat between Sorcerer Rob and Catherine, we head to the final seatbelt check area....and wait. Apparently the ride stopped. This gave us enough time to "imagineer" this ride differently. Either Rob or Catherine noticed a track that veered off to the left, as well as the uphill track in front of us. We thought it might be nice to merge Test Track with Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure. In our imaginations, the T-Rex was hiding past the left track, waiting to eat us "test dummies".

After a few minutes, the ride started again, and we were thrilled that it did not break down again! I was disappointed that the barrier test crash gimmick wasn't working again. When I first rode Test Track a few years ago, it didn't matter to me. It wasn't working then, either. It only disappointed me because I did see the car crash into the barrier once. Ignorance was bliss, I guess!

After Test Track, we were going to visit Ice Station Cool, but it was getting close to the Big Meet outside the International Gateway. I was very excited to be meeting people I've only chatted with or posted to on various Internet groups! Since there were so many faces to put with names, I found it a bit daunting. I managed to finally get comfortable associating who's who, and I just mingled my heart out! Bruce was giving out door prizes while Deb and Judi were organizing photos and such. My door prize was a Geppetto beanie, and Catherine had a Prince Charming beanie.

After the meet and greet, some of the TheMouseForLess members and I went to Innoventions to send the list a group photo. Of course, not being to bright, I never did send any photos of myself to various people when I had the opportunity. I was supposed to meet some people for a meet near Germany.

I headed over to Germany, hoping to run into people I knew, but I didn't see anyone. I had not eaten lunch, so I ordered what was a huge pile 'o sauerkraut accompanied by a bratwurst. Mmm! By this time, I found my group, and I grossed out a few people with my sauerkraut. Pamela was made of sterner stuff, and she helped me eat the 'kraut so I wouldn't waste it by throwing it away.

Catherine and I needed to get to a dinner meet at Ft. Wilderness, but since we had some time, we sat around the benches between Mexico and World Showcase Plaza. I had gotten a mango margarita, but I didn't care for it much, so I gave it to Catherine. As our feet were burning, (well, mine were at least) we enjoyed watching the Mexican Begging Ducks. These wily creatures were nobody's fools. There was a centrally located popcorn cart that factored into the ducks' begging habits.

One duck was quite bold, just staring at people who were eating their popcorn. Human nature being what it is, the little guy was never hungry. A few other ducks tried to horn in on his action, but he was the Alpha Duck of the group. When one popcorn feeder left, the brazen duck would search for other "victims". I was highly amused by his antics. I felt content sitting there, because we could also hear the lovely bells of the carillion played by the group Cast in Bronze.

We left Epcot to make dinner at Trail's End at Ft. Wilderness. The plan was to join Bruce, Marta, Bianca, Pamela, Sean, and Randy for dinner, then meet others for the campfire. I drove to the settlement post parking area, and we waited for the internal bus. There were no people waiting when I saw a cast member pull up in a golf cart nearby. He chatted with us for a while, and I was pleased to learn he was also from the Chicago area.

Alex, our Ft. Wilderness cowboy from Chicagoland, told us that if the bus doesn't come within 5-7 minutes, he'd drive us in his golf cart. Well, the bus was not there, so Catherine and I had our own personal chauffeur for dinner. I rode up front chatting about home with Alex while Catherine rode backwards like the kids we saw in other golf carts.

Trail's End was a new experience for me, and the server, Bob, made it more special. He was hilarious, and I thought he looked like a young Dabney Coleman. Poor Catherine needed instructions for the "bendy straws", while Randy was sitting next to me, wearing all five Magical Moments Pins on his vest. He was a light show, inadvertently giving himself "self induced" Magical Moments while he ate. I enjoyed my meal and found it not only good food, but a good value, too.

We walked in the dark to the campfire, and luckily Randy was leading us. I would have had absolutely no idea where I was walking otherwise. I had never attended the campfire before, and I have to say that I was charmed by it. There are sing-a-longs and s'mores, and then you see a Disney movie.

The area was set up with benches and bleachers, flanked on both sides by a fire pit. If you want to make s'mores, the Chuck Wagon will sell you a kit. Amanda from RADP was generous enough to share her kit leftovers with me, so I didn't have to go to the Chuck Wagon. I noticed that there were only a few of us who liked to burn the marshmallows, so we formed our own little support group.

The movie shown was "Toy Story 2". I was relieved that we didn't have "The Tigger Movie", which was the following night's movie. "Toy Story 2" inspired a catch-phrase we used the rest of the week. When the toys try to drive the Pizza Planet truck, Buzz is at the steering wheel wondering why the car won't move. The aliens, dangling from the rearview mirror, point to the gearshift on the floor and say, "Use the Wand of Power!" Catherine and I called the TV remote the "Wand of Power" for the rest of the week.

After the movie, we headed to the Ft. Wilderness Marina to watch the Eletrical Water Pageant. I haven't seen that before either, and I thought it was very cute. The music seemed a bit loud, though. After the water pageant, Sean and Pamela gathered us around for some trivia and prizes. I won a dalmatian beanie that night, making a total of four for our room collection. Santa Mickey, Geppetto, and the dalmatian were mine. Catherine's Prince Charming beanie joined the group, too.

When we got back to Riverside, Catherine had noticed that the TV remote wasn't working. "Oh no! The Wand of Power is broken!" This marked the first use of the catch phrase for the week. The maintenance man came by with a new Wand of Power minutes later, and we went to sleep.

Next: Tropical Themed morning and Really Large Baked Goods Meet. Also, the buffets continue!

Day 3 - Sunday December 2, 2001

Catherine and I decided to start our day full of calorie-laden goodness also known as Tonga Toast. I drove us to the Polynesian resort to start the day. We both ordered the Tonga Toast, and we also had a juice, the name of which escapes me.

I could not finish my meal, but we both managed to do it justice. Afterwards, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom. The lines to the security tables seemed much worse than they actually were, and we had some time before the Splash Mountain meet. We headed to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, which were both practically walk ons.

Afterwards, we walked across to catch the Splash Mountain meet. We had to wait for one of the hosts, and in hindsight being 20/20, we should have grabbed FastPasses for Big Thunder. (More about that later.)

There were a few dozen people from RADP at this meet, and I learned from my boat-mates how to make a "tidal wave": Lean forward during the small drops, and as you hit the bottom, everyone should lean back quickly. We used Randy's "now!" as the lean back command, and it did work well once, right before we entered the rainbow geyser area.

We kept the tropical theme going when the lot of us stormed the Aloha Isle. It was time for Dole Whips! I had the Dole Whip float....heavenly.

Afterwards, we were ready for the Pirates of the Caribbean to make merry in their looting and ransacking. I had a "magical moment" on my pin during this ride, making it very fun, indeed.

We headed en masse to the Jungle Cruise, where we had at enough people to fill the boat. We let any non-Internet folks fill the boat ahead of us so that we could take over our own boat.

And take over is what happened! We had with us a cast member who pilots the Disneyland Jungle Cruise, and a few people suggested that she "hijack" the ride from our skipper. He was agreeable to the request, and he loaned her the use of the microphone and hat.

Considering that the layout of the WDW is much different than what she's used to, she did a fabulous job. I thought we were a fun shipload of people, and it has to be one of my favorite Jungle Cruises ever.

Apparently, many of the people had gotten FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain while we waited for the host to arrive, but I was not so fortunate. The ride queue was toasty, and Theo, Donna, Tony, Catherine and I saw the fabled "back room" of the queue. At one point, I was able to see some RADP folks, and I waved and yelled to them through the wooden slats. I felt like I was in jail, a la the Brady Bunch's Grand Canyon episode.

Right as we were getting closer to the ride, a parade of people decide at that point to use the chicken exit. I have not seen that many people get out of queue, and it was kind of annoying, since they had to squeeze past us in the hot and sticky queue. Soon, we were on the ride, and I enjoyed being in the last seat.

Since we were in Frontierland, we wandered over to the Diamond Horseshoe, waiting outside to watch the new "Share a Dream" parade. I thought the parade was very good, and I would want to see it again.

I had never seen the Diamond Horseshoe show before, and I saw it from "Walt's box" on the lower level on the right side of the stage. Catherine and I had told a few people that we're going to the show, yet they never came in. I think they must have thought we abandoned them! Nevertheless, I did enjoy the show.

It was soon time to head over to Epcot to catch the Tapestry of Dreams parade. Hmm, what could I say about this parade? I thought the changes were a bit creepy. The opening chanting about dreams did that to me, as well as a character I would consider the devolution of Albert Einstein. Simian-like, Neanderthal, well, perhaps Albert Einstein, Ape Man is the most fitting term for him. He was on the float that activated the magical moment pins. The Tapestry of Nations part they recycled I still enjoyed.

Since there was a nice long block of time before Catherine would see Illuminations from Norway (and I from the dessert party on the lower UK terrace), we decided to try Akershus for dinner. Yes, my buffet streak is still going strong!

I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I thought the food was unique and suited me. I liked the brown goat-cheese and the salads especially. After dinner, Catherine and I parted ways as I headed to the dessert buffet.

I was a bit early, so I chatted with a a few people I had met on this trip. Soon, the terrace was opened and we enjoyed chatting among the desserts. The selection was ho-hum, but the atmosphere and people made it special. You also couldn't fault the viewing for Illuminations! I remember seeing Illuminations here before it became a private viewing area, and I really regret that it became another money-making venue.

Catherine and I managed to find each other miraculously after the show, and we headed back to Riverside. I had an early morning planned the next day, so I didn't make it back to Pleasure Island.

Next: Shopping! Also, MGM antics, "Conspicu-Micks" and losing the elusive Amy.

Day 4 - Monday, December 3, 2001

Veni, Vici, Visa - We came, we saw, we shopped 'til we dropped! Well, it didn't quite go like that, but it came close. My day started by meeting Denise and Laura from TheMouseForLess. Since we were all staying at Riverside, we arranged a meeting time. We picked up Amy at the Polynesian, and off we headed to the Swan for breakfast at the Garden Grove.

If anyone has breakfast at the Garden Grove, the best bet is the buffet! The selection was terrific, and the chef at the omelet station was a genius. Laura, Bianca, Denise, Judi, Amy, Lori, and I were still eating when Bill and Edna showed up. They were going to shop with us, and Judi was going to drive them to the airport.

Since we didn't have as many people as originally planned, we were able to drive in either Bianca's or Judi's cars to the Belz outlet. I managed to find a few bargains for myself, and I couldn't pass up buying a Hakuna Matata hat for Catherine. I had won the Overlooking the Obvious Award by wondering aloud where to buy a new battery for my camera. Lori directed me to the camera store across the way from the Character Warehouse store we were in. D'oh.

Hats were a big theme with me. I bought a cute one, but I had fun modelling the hideous ones for Amy and Lori. Each hat I found was uglier than the next, and I occupied myself while others shopped by poking fun at them and other questionable souvenirs. One hat in particular was a hat of Winnie the Pooh sticking out of a "hunny" pot. If you pulled his legs out, you can wear what I call the "Potty Hat". If you see it, trust me, that's what it looks like!

As I was waiting to check out, I spotted some other TheMouseForLess people, Carol and her sister Barbara. We bid each other farewell and found them at the next Belz mall, too! The original group was supposed to eat at Emeril's in Citywalk, but we scrapped that idea for more shopping...at the Premier Outlet next to some big church. I think it was Queen of the Universe, but in my head, I kept thinking, "Mary, Queen of Scots".

I think I was all "shopped out", since I didn't buy anything at the third mall. By that point, all the stuff seemed the same, and I think we could have skipped it. After we were dropped off at the Swan, I took Amy, Denise and Laura to Riverside.

Amy accompanied me to my room while I dropped off my souvenirs. She wanted to see what the Alligator Bayou rooms looked like. I think "Little House on the Prairie" is a fairly accurate description.

As I approached my room, I was greeted by a surprise! Waiting for me were all four beanies: Santa Mickey, Geppetto, Prince Charming, and a dalmatian puppy. They were arranged on washcloth "fans" in the window. I thought it was too cute! This was the first time the WDW housekeeping has ever done that for me. Woo hoo!

Since Amy and I had no lunch, she took me to the Polynesian's concierge lounge. We missed the lunchtime snacks, but we did have some cookies. "Chocalate chip" is a food group, no matter what anyone else thinks. The view from the lounge was terrific. I was looking out over Seven Seas Lagoon. The Grand Floridian was to my left, and the Magic Kingdom was ahead. I thought it was a treat that Amy showed me the room and the lounge. She gave me another concierge tour at Animal Kingdom Lodge another day. (More about that later!)

After the Great Concierge Lounge Tour, Amy and I headed to the Studios to see if we could make it to the Hunchback meet. We made it just in time, right before the show started. The RADP group saved some seats for us, in a great location, too! I cannot express how much I love this show. Why they haven't adapted it for Broadway is beyond me. I'm so glad that I didn't miss it this trip!

After the show, Amy, Catherine and I moseyed over toward Sunset Blvd. We were going to Bianca's meet to see Fantasmic, but Amy and I really needed something more substantial than those cookies. We ate some pizza in record time. We head to the entrance to Fantasmic, and I don't see Bianca anywhere. I start to walk into the entranceway, and Bianca appears, wanting to know why I'm walking right past her! Again, color me oblivious!

I apologized for my faux pas, and we all waited for others to join us. I saw the Cherrys, Ed and Laure, Sean and Pamela, Rob. I'm thinking that Jack was there, too, but all the events I remember seeing Jack attend are beginning to blur in my memory. The stadium was quite full by the time we entered, so we made our way down.

The good new is that we were front row, center. That's also the bad news. While I've seen the Disneyland version of Fantasmic back in 1996, this was the first time I've managed to see Fantasmic at WDW. I was always "too busy" to find time to go, but this time, I'm glad I finally made it!

Apart from squinting through the water screen mist, I found our view of the show to be, for lack of a better word, Fantasmic! We were able to see all the action on the island during the Pocahontas 'stunt show', and the fire helped dry us after being spit upon by the water screens. When we saw Mickey's nightmare on the water screens, Catherine cracked me up by commenting how Mickey looks like he's being "flushed" as he comments, "What's happening?" I made my own comment during the villains "morphing". I'm not certain if it was right before Frollo appeared onscreen, but as one male villain changed into another, I thought I heard something that sounded like the opening of "Leeeeeeeeet's get ready to rumbleeeeee!"

The park was still open after Fantasmic, much to my surprise. Catherine and I joined Rob, Sean, Pamela and Amy over to see the Osborne Lights, but we made a quick detour at Star Tours. Someone must have hit us with the Silly Stick that night, because we were very obnoxious in the next to last row. Star Tours becomes more fun when you interact with the scenes. Playfully shrieking "We're doomed, aaaaaaah!" or "Oh no, we're gonna die!" as we enter the ice meteor adds a new level of enjoyment. Rob and I also included the B- movie staple of "hands up/palms out" near our faces to signal the impending doom. Luckily, we survived, and we made our way to the Osborne Lights.

Woo hoo! Another first for me! I never saw the Osborne Lights before, and I was charmed by the "snow", also known as tiny soap bubbles. They drifted down New York Street, and we joked that we shouldn't try to catch them on our tongues like real snow. Ick. The cast member passing out the "angel" glasses was quite popular, but I managed to get 6 pairs for us.

Angels were not just viewed from the glasses, they were everywhere! Angels in front yards of the backlot. Angels on a carousel contraption. Angels flying. Angels, angels, angels. The carousel angels we dubbed, "Angels on a Spit". They could also be known as "Angels Roasting on an Open Fire". I was overwhelmed by all the light displays, as well as all the angels. We saw that most "houses" had a Mickey displayed somewhere, but they were too obvious to be considered a "hidden" Mickey.

Since they were conspicuous, the term "Conspicu-Mickey" was coined. That was quickly shortened to "Conspicu-Mick", and we had fun pointing out all the "Conspicu-Micks" in each display. We even saw the "Conspicu-Minnie", too. However, during the course of our tour, we lost a member.

Periodically, a few of us would stop to view things in greater detail, then catch up with the others. Amy, however, vanished without a trace. She was with Pamela for a bit, then "poof!", she was gone. We weren't sure if she was behind us or ahead of us, but we still waited close to the exit. Then we waited outside the exit. Still, Amy was nowhere to be found. Catherine and I decided to wait on a bench, and finally we tried to see if she was at her bus stop. Nope. We knew we'd see her another time, so we headed back to Riverside. Catherine enjoyed seeing our beanie friends welcoming us home.

Tomorrow: Food, folks and fun. Grand Floridian parking nightmare, and "We've got zebras!"

Day 5 - Tuesday, December 4, 2001

Catherine and I were excited, since today was the day we moved from Riverside to Animal Kingdom Lodge! We were all packed and ready, and we were going to meet a bunch of people for breakfast at Boma. We were heading down Bonnet Creek Parkway to pick up Carol at Ft. Wilderness, and I get a message on my cell phone.

It was Carol. She overslept and couldn't make it. So, I did a nice U-Turn at Vista Drive and headed my way to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I didn't realize that depending on where you're coming from, you'll find "hidden" exit ramps to get to AKL. Apparently, if you're coming from the Downtown Disney area, you'll find one of them. I almost got into a car accident when a minivan wouldn't let me move over to the right lane. Ugh.

After that close call, Catherine unhooked her fingernails from the dashboard and we were on our way. As I pulled into a parking space at the resort, my cell phone rang. It's Sean, wondering where we were. I look at my watch, and it's 8am, the exact time of our PS. Am I late? No, Sean just mentioned that everyone else was early! There goes my reputation for being punctual!

This would be a big day for eating, and I shouldn't have suggested breakfast at Boma if I had known my afternoon tea meet would turn into a late morning tea meet, at 11am to 1pm at the Grand Floridian. So, I paced myself, knowing I'd be having lunch three hours later!

I have been waiting to try the Frunch juice, based on all the rave reports I've heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The juice is a blend of all sorts of fruit juices, and the refills were a plus! The breakfast pizza was...interesting. I'm not sure whether I cared for it or not. I found most of the items in the buffet to be similar to those found in most breakfast buffets I've tried at WDW, so nothing jumped out at me as new and exciting. I prefer Boma at dinner.

After breakfast, Catherine and I go to the front desk to check in. We knew our room wouldn't be ready, but we wanted to get our room keys. Afterwards, we headed to the Grand Floridian for the meet I hosted. Parking at the GF is horrendous, I've discovered. You park in a tiny lot across the street, and you're lucky if you even find an available spot! We managed, barely.

I was pleasantly surprised to get to the Garden View Lounge and see my meet on the podium "marquee" outside. The RADP 6 Tea Meet was now underway! There were a few early birds who arrived at the lounge before me, but I was quick to get my Palm organizer out and check off each new arrival. Everyone had prepaid, but we still had one or two no-shows. We had 28 people total, and the lounge was roped off exclusively for our use for two hours.

I had arranged that everyone get the Grand Tea (sparkling wine a la carte, extra). We were all at tables around the room, and many people would get up and mingle, taking pictures, and such. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and I think it worked well that the guests could leave when they wanted without worrying about dividing checks! I contrived to have a small prize for answering a trivia question, which was: How does the tag read on the Mad Hatter's hat? (Answer: 10/6) Jan supplied the correct answer, and she won a pin.

After the tea meet was over, I took photos of the amazing decorations in the lobby. The gingerbread house was so big and amazing, the back end opened up to form a "General Store"! A few of us took pictures, and I went to the gift shop to call AKL to get my room number. I repeated the number back after writing it down. Finally Catherine and I took our leave to go to Binnie's "patriotic meet" at the American Adventure in Epcot.

Binnie was running late, and we didn't see her as we went into the show. Her cohosts handed out really nice door prizes of chocolate lollipops that Binnie ordered! They were Mickey icons with three tiers of red, white, and blue chocolate. It was too pretty to eat. I love the American Adventure. Every time they play the "Golden Dream" song, I get sort of choked up inside. I get a kick out of the exit, where the first few lyrics of "Golden Dream" are written overhead as you walk down the ramp: America.....Spread Your Golden Wings......Sail On Freedom's Wind.....'Cross the Sky.... It's one of those details I love about WDW, and I wonder how many people actually notice it.

After the show, a few of us watched the Fife and Drum Corp. perform outside in the pavilion, and Binnie finally arrived. Beth and I admired Binnie's henna tattoo, and I was easily swayed into getting one myself. Beth managed to get to Morrocco before me, and she was almost done with her henna tattoo before I got my own. I chose a rose to be put on my forearm, above my watch line. The cost: $25. Beth's elaborate pattern was $20. The only drawback was that we had to find olive or vegetable oil to darken the tattoo the next day.

Beth and I walked towards the Canada pavilion, where we saw Catherine, Donna, Tony, and Kevin. The 'old fogeys' sat by the fence railing while Beth and I sat at the last bench to catch Off Kilter. Give Beth a beer and Off Kilter, and she's good to go! After the show, we walked one pavilion over and caught a set of British Invasion. It was poignant for me, since George Harrison had only died a few days earlier.

Catherine and I wanted to leave to get our luggage settled at AKL, but Donna, Tony, Kevin and Beth wanted us to stay a little while longer. They convinced us to at least stay to watch the space shuttle launch. The launch kept getting pushed back, and around 5:20pm, the word was spread that the launch was scrapped, yet again. We went to Morrocco to grab a bite at the Tangierine Cafe. The chicken wrap was good, but I wasn't crazy about the cous cous and some pickled side dish.

We doubled back towards France, and we got caught up in the antics of the living statue. My cell phone rang, and it was Sean, wondering where Catherine and I were. We were supposed to go to a meet at Old Key West, and Catherine and I forgot about it. Whoops! Donna was taking pictures of the antics of anybody in our group that interacted with the statue. He did all sorts of hilarious things with people, and he held up Kevin's can of candy like he was the Statue of Liberty.

I gained some courage, and I went to get my picture with the statue. He maneuvered me so that he held his cheek angled at me, so I kissed his cheek. Donna captured the moment on film, and the bunch of them laughed at me, because I had some of the white makeup on my lips and face. Donna regretted not taking an "after" photo of this.

At this point, Catherine and I really did say our goodbyes, and we headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge. As we were rolling our luggage past the guest relations area, I had to stop for a moment because my carryon bag was slipping down my shoulder. I put my rolling suitcase upright, but the momentum was too much for it, and it started to tip over........right on top of a kid in a stroller! The father and I managed to catch it before it fell completely over, but I scared the poor child. She burst into tears and I couldn't say I was sorry enough for what happened. I sheepishly went on my way with Catherine tsk tsking behind me.

We got to our room on the Kudu Trail, but the door would not open. After a few tries, I went to the Guest Relations desk to verify that I even had the correct room. I was given room 3313 over the phone earlier that day, but that was incorrect. We were in room 3317, on the Arusha savannah. This time, the door worked. Whew!

I go in and throw open the curtains. I was very excited to see some animals roaming about in the "artificial moonlight". I had some fun exploring the room, checking out the amenities. I decided to call Binnie and Amy and let them know our room number. As Binnie and I were discussing the henna tattoos, I hear Catherine on the balcony shouting back to me, "We have zebras!" I nearly pull the phone cord out of the wall while I'm explain to Binnie that Catherine discovered some zebras on our savannah. Yep, there they were, having a snack. I was really loving this resort!

Since it was only after 8pm, I decided to completely unpack. I put the beanies of Santa Mickey, Geppetto, Prince Charming and the dalmatian puppy on top of the TV armoire when the notion hit me. Again, the Silly Stick hit me with a vengeance! I told Catherine that the way they were arranged, they looked like the beginning of a bad joke that might go like this: "Santa Mickey, Geppetto, Prince Charming, and a dalmatian walk into a bar..." Catherine had put on the Bedtime Stories channel on TV while I was unpacking. Soon I was done, and off we went to Pleasure Island.

Catherine and I ran into the "usual suspects": Shawna and Scott, Donna, Tony, and Kevin. We discovered from Pamelia Perkins that the club is often thrilling on "Thespian Thursdays". Most of us knew that Cast Member night is Thursday, so we "got" the joke. For some reason, I felt compelled to yell "woo hoo" when I heard someone watching the Library show say they were from Chicago. Samantha Sterling chastised me. When someone said they were from Virginia, Catherine did a "woo hoo", which earned her a zinger of a comment from Samantha as well. On subsequent nights, there always seemed to be someone from Virginia in the audience, and Catherine still "woo hooed". I don't blame her, really!

We were very happy that the bus driver took us back to the closest stop near the entrance on our way back from Pleasure Island. We had an early day tomorrow, for Walt's 100th birthday, so we set the alarm and dozed off.

Tomorrow: Walt's 100th Birthday, Breakfast with Princesses!, How many forms of WDW transporation did we take?

Day 6 - Wednesday, December 5, 2001

Happy Birthday, Walt!

Catherine and I woke up bright and early in order to eat breakfast among princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table. The day before, Catherine asked our guest relations at Animal Kingdom Lodge to print out a confirmation for us, and I'm really glad they did!

I drove us to the TTC, and I couldn't believe how close you can park around 8:30am. Our PS was for 8:45, and we didn't have much time to spare. We walked to the gates to the monorail, and we saw a long line already formed. Luckily, we saw a cast member standing aside, and we asked if we were allowed to pass.

The confirmation slip came in handy, because after Catherine showed it to the cast member, we were ushered to the monorail ramp. Again, as we went past security at the Magic Kingdom, there was a turnstile dedicated just for people who had priority seatings for breakfast. Very nicely organized, I thought!

Catherine and I were just about on time for our PS, but the check in area was chaotic. You didn't know where to stand in line, and a queue rope would have come in handy. After a few minutes of confusion, we checked in and watched as we were the only adults not accompanied by a little girl in costume.

The Fairy Godmother was holding court inside the foyer, and the tree was all decked out in whites and golds. Simply beautiful. Catherine found a hidden gem of a detail that I had never noticed before. Up along part of a beam, you'll find Jaq and Gus peering down at people. They look like they're watching the Fairy Godmother greet people. Very cute!

Soon we were ushered in, and we had a great table next to a window, overlooking the entrance to Fantasyland. What a great way to start celebrating Walt's 100th birthday! I found that the food was quite good, and my downfall were the croissants and chocolate muffins! Our server was attentive, and each character visited us on a timely basis. We saw Snow White, Belle, Aurora (woo hoo!), Mary Poppins, and Cinderella. Catherine greeted her by saying, "Hiya Cindy!", and "Cindy" and I both chastised her for being so informal with Miss Cinderella's name.

After breakfast, we headed over to Aladdin's Magic Carpets. Normally I'd probably pass, but since this was new for me, I felt compelled to try it. Catherine was in front controlling the up/down movement, while I was in back controlling the sway of carpet. As we passed by the camels, one spit right at Catherine, nailing her with a stream of water! Of course I laughed, since the camel didn't get me!

When we went on Peter Pan, Catherine noticed that her Magical Moment pin wasn't going off in the appropriate places, yet mine was. We headed to the Town Hall Exposition Hall to test out the pins on the trivia machines. When we got there, nobody was using the machines, but Friar Tuck was there, helping us out!

We encountered Robin Hood himself, and he gallantly kissed my hand. I saw Princess Aurora again, and she remembered me from breakfast. I thought that was quite nice. I thought it was quite nice to spend some quality time with a few characters while Catherine went to exchange her Magical Moments pin!

Soon Catherine had a pin that worked, and we headed towards the exit. Instead of going back to the TTC via the monorail, we decided to take the ferry. There were only a handful of us on the ship, and it was a pleasant way to travel on a warm day. I mentioned to Catherine that this trip was the only one I've ever taken all forms of Disney transportation! It was odd, since I had a rental car at my disposal. We took the tram when we were at MGM. Today, on Walt's birthday, we took the monorail and ferry. (Later we'd take a Friendship boat part way to MGM.)

Soon we transferred to the the monorail and headed to Epcot. Tonight we were seeing Wayne Brady narrate the Candlelight Processional, and we needed to pick up our dinner package badges. Not only is the dinner package a great deal in the meal/show value, but it really becomes a better value when you shop! 15% on all our purchases this day only, when you show the badge.

As soon as we picked up our badges, we headed into the park and straight into MouseGear. Even our Disney Club discounts at Downtown Disney weren't as good as the Candlelight Processional discount, so we did the bulk of our shopping and had it delivered to our resort.

We were running late, because we were going to meet the Passporter group at MGM for the birthday festivities. My blisters started to give me trouble, so at the International Gateway, I seized the chance to rest a little on the Friendship boat. We only took the boat to the Boardwalk, and we walked the rest of the way along the pathway that runs behind it.

My cell phone rang, and it was (surprise!) Sean again, checking up to see where we were. I assured him that Catherine and I were walking to MGM, and I'd call him back when we get in. I liked having the phone with me!

As we entered the park, I saw a huge throng of people gathered near the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat. It looked like there was going to be something big happening soon, and I called Sean. He and I played "phone tag", but in the sense of trying to find each other in the crowd. "I'm standing near the..." type of clues helped us find the rest of the group.

Suddenly, a bunch of cast members in chef's uniforms and almost every character imaginable paraded past the Echo Lake walkway towards the big hat....accompanying a giant cake! Well, puzzle pieces to form a giant cake showing a picture of Walt himself. The real puzzling part was wondering why they had to make Walt's face GREEN! Very strange, and yet, I was there to see it!

After the green Walt cake, many of us sat around and answered some trivia questions Jennifer and Dave of Passporter fame put together for our enjoyment. I was happy to be off my feet, and soon it was time for the Stars in Motor Cars Parade. Before the parade, a streetmosphere character, "Roman Holiday", came by, giving away autographed photos of himself as prizes for answering trivia. I answered a question and won an absolutely hysterical photo.

Roman Holiday was there to narrate the new parade, which at first I found distracting, but then I thought it might help those who didn't know the characters from Atlantis or Monsters, Inc. I really thought the classic cars with the themed enhancements were pretty neat, and I did enjoy the parade.

Since I had not gone to Tower of Terror or Rock n' Roller Coaster at all that week, Catherine, Jack, and I headed there before the park closed at 4pm for the press event. I didn't realize until too late that I should have put my pin lanyard in my waistpack (the bottomless Mary Poppins variety) until it was too late. The darn thing smacked me in the face a bit, much to Jack's mirth. I quickly yanked it out of my face and held onto it for the rest of the drops. Unfortunately, our elevator did not have a photo available, and I'm wondering if my lanyard antics had anything to do with it!

Since I didn't want a repeat of this incident on Rock n' Roller Coaster, I put the lanyard away for safekeeping. Jack, Catherine and I were in the front seats, and this time, we did have a photo! Catherine and I had expressions of "Wheeee!" and Jack? Well, Jack looked like he was just out for a Sunday drive. He looked almost bored!

We thanked Jack for his company and soon left the park. I was not looking forward to reversing the route back to the car. We took a bus back to the TTC, and I freaked for about five minutes, because I thought I lost my driver's license. Luckily, I didn't lose it, and soon we were back at Animal Kingdom Lodge to relax a bit.

Amy was joining us for the Candlelight Processional dinner/show, and she was in the concierge level at AKL. She took us to the concierge lounge, and I really liked the appetizers they had. The sugar kane chicken had just the right "kick" to it, and the hummus was so good, Catherine had to get more. I enjoyed the mixed fruit juice instead of the wine, since I was still the designated driver.

While we ate, we saw that the Space Shuttle was about to lift off! I kept wondering if anyone at the parks would be able to see the launch, but I had found out that the clouds made it almost impossible to see. The view I had was enjoyable, at any rate!

It was easier to try to get in the International Gateway, so I parked at the Boardwalk. Soon we entered the American Gardens Theater at the dinner package entrance, and we were going to be in the first row. Catherine was videotaping the show for Sean and Pamela, so we moved out of that area and halfway back, where we had good seats near the middle. Our show was at 6:45pm, and afterwards, we were having dinner at Chefs de France.

I had never seen the Candlelight Processional before, and I found Wayne Brady to be a very good narrator. From what others have told me, they thought Wayne was one of the best narrators they've seen. The multicultural aspect of the show was covered by the only two Hanukkah songs I know. Even though I'm not Christian, I really appreciated the show on an entertainment level. I would do this show again, given the opportunity!

After the show, we headed to Chefs de France, and we waited about 15 minutes or so for a table. I liked that we ate after the show, because I didn't want to be rushed through dinner to get to the theater. Amy and Catherine had the same goat cheese appetizer, while I chose escargot. I don't remember if all three of us ordered the same entree, but I know Catherine and I did....the seafood casserole. By the time the chocolate cake arrived, we were plenty stuffed!

We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant just as Illuminations was kicking into full swing. We fairly much heard/saw the entire show, and soon we were swimming upstream, like salmon during spawning season towards the International Gateway. Our day was not yet complete!

We needed to head to the Adventurer's Club and make a toast to Walt. Many people from the RADP group were there, and Bruce made a really nice toast in Walt's honor. I also met up with Alison, a "local" I hadn't seen in over a year. She looked great, and I looked....exhausted! I found a nice comfy chair in the corner to zonk out in. Passporter Jennifer helped keep me awake, as well as a few people who didn't go to the library show.

I managed to get my second wind, and I was ok to drive "home" to AKL. I had celebrated Walt's 100th Birthday in a very memorable way!

Tomorrow: "You won WHAT??", The Great Bathroom Ride, and the Parking Nazi at the Contemporary.

Day 7 - Thursday, December 6, 2001

Today was the first morning all week Catherine and I did not have to wake up at an obscene hour for any breakfast meets, so we reveled in the joy of waking up without Mickey calling us!

Well, I think I didn't want to take any chance I'd sleep the entire morning away, so I believe I set the wake up call just in case. Still, I felt rested that morning, and I was able to peek out the balcony and say good morning to "our cows" on the savannah. I think I saw those Ankole cattle (the ones with the gigantic horns) more than any other animals. I guess that explains why I became proprietory toward them!

We headed to Mara for breakfast, where we ran into Kym and Lisa. Catherine and I joined them at their table, and we all reminisced about how much fun this trip had been so far. Kym and Lisa went off to theme parks unknown, and our plan was to do any other park except for the Magic Kingdom, since we were going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party that evening.

Catherine and I ended up at MGM, and I saw Binnie and her mother Joanne walking through the Animation Courtyard gate just as we were entering. There was an informal meet at Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and I was very anxious to finally get to play for the first time. We saw Beth, Ed and Laure.

We all jumped into the standby line, and soon we were entering the soundstage. Something odd happened to me as I walked across the floor to the seats on the opposite side of the stage. The floor sort of freaked me out, because the glass acted as an optical illusion. At first, I thought I had to watch my step or fall into the floor. After my initial "wobble", I marvelled at how clever the illusion was. Still, I hope I was not the only one who ever "fell" for it.

I was quite eager to play, and soon I was pressing the buttons like a pro. In fact, I found a way to fake out the players around me into pressing the wrong buttons if they would ever try to copy my answers. And when the players made it past the milestone rounds, it was time for our pins to have a "Magical Moment". Woo hoo! Gotta love seeing all those pins "go off" in the crowd.

At the end of the first game, I was in second place! Well, I probably would have been more disappointed had I been in first place, without being able to play. Some of the others in our group also made it into the top ten. I felt determined to get into the Hot Seat.

Of course, I was hooked. I had to play the next game, so we got FastPass tickets. We spent our time enjoying the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I love the underwater effects, and the blacklight puppetry is really good. Could puppets be the reason I like the Hunchback show, too? Nah. But they do enhance the storytelling! And we all had another "Magical Moment" with our pins, too!

Again, I still did not make it into the Hot Seat, and by the end of the game, I had finished third. Instead of staying for a third game with Catherine and Beth, I decided that I had to see the Walt Disney "One Man's Dream" exhibit. I was glad that I was able to spend tons of time soaking in all the exhibits without feeling "pushed" by anyone around me to keep walking. It was all eye candy.

By the time I went back to meet with Beth and Catherine, I thought they should have been out of the show. When they weren't at the meeting spot, I went to search for them. Beth's motor scooter was still parked by the Millionaire show. Soon I see Catherine and Beth approach, and Catherine tells me that I will be ready to kill her in a minute. Hmmm....

Ok. I asked, "Why?" Because, irony should play a role here, big time. The ONE show I miss, Catherine gets into the Hot Seat, and Beth came in second right behind her! After I dragged my jaw off the ground, I said, "You WHAT?? I was beating the pants of both of you during the other two shows!" Ugh! Of course, after that momentary self-flagellation moment, I was truly happy for her. Catherine made it past the 32,000 point level and lost soon after. I was a bit bummed that I was not even there to witness her moment, too.

Catherine was proudly showing off her Millionaire cap, polo shirt, pins and lanyard that we didn't even notice that Bruce and Marta suddenly appeared. It's pretty cool to run into people unexpectedly at the parks, even if you have seen them the day before intentionally! I can't even explain why I feel that way, but the moment of surprise might be part of the reason.

Catherine and I chatted for while, managed to sneak in shopping at the Art of Animation store, and soon had to head out to meet Sean and Pamela for dinner at the California Grill before the MVMCP.

As I was driving to the Contemporary, I noticed there was a long line of cars driving towards and well past the Contemporary. I figured they were probably cast members who were supposed to work the party. I had noticed some signs at the Contemporary warning people not to park there for the MVMCP, but I didn't heed the importance of the signs until later.

What might have proven to be the worst judgement in hindsight, I decided to leave my jacket and "Mary Poppins Waist Pack" in the car and Catherine also left her stuff. We headed up to the restaurant, a bit early for our 5:30pm priority seating. We headed out to the Observation deck, and we both could see why people enjoyed coming out there for the fireworks. We could see Spaceship Earth and the "Big A** Hat" at MGM, too.

Hmm, still plenty of time to wait, so I went inside to the bar so I kept a lookout for Sean and Pamela while simultaneously enjoying a glass of white zinfandel. Ah, I'm on vacation! We had another spontaneous meeting, this time with Gardenia and Sarah, who I met briefly earlier that week. I'm sorry that Gardenia's real name escapes me, because I'm so used to seeing her referred to as "Gardenia" all the time! Geez, I'm usually fairly good with names, too!

Sean and Pamela immediately made me feel so underdressed. They looked so nice, more like resort casual than theme park casual! They were dressed nicely because they wanted to make their MVMCP photo their Christmas card to relatives. I thought it was a very cool idea, and it made me feel less gauche! Ha!

We were seated next to the window, so we enjoyed a nice view of the Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon. Sean and I both had the same inclination to order the filet with the tamarind sauce. Pamela had the pork tenderloin and Catherine ordered the vegetarian meal, which was mostly a smorgasbord of all sorts of items usually found as appetizers on the menu. Catherine was in alt over her meal, I mean practically wrote verses of poetry rhapsodizing over the taste.

I quite enjoyed my filet, and it took no time to make me a member of the Clean Plate Club. Sean and I were in total agreement about the delicious meal, but I was a bit jealous of Pamela's. Her meal looked, for the lack of a better phrase, "good enough to eat"! Pamela took photos of everyone's entrees, and I thought it was odd until she had shown me her digital camera. She had a lot of food shots, and they were quite artistic! I think Pamela might have a lucrative career in food photography.

Sean and Pamela surprised Catherine and me by picking up the tab! We both protested, but we thanked them graciously after they refused our money. I really can't thank them enough for that lovely surprise. Soon, we were on our way to the party. First, we retrieved our stuff from the car, and we were heading towards the Magic Kingdom until there he was......the Parking Lot Nazi.

D'oh! He probably saw us taking stuff out of our car and heading through the parking lot instead of going down that nice sidewalk straight from the Contemporary. He asked if we were guests, and then told us that if not, we were not allowed through. Yes, I had my Disney resort ID from Animal Kingdom Lodge, but I was not going to attempt to show it. He might have asked for a closer look, determining that the code on the bottom is not for the Contemporary.

We have no way of knowing if he was blocking the way and stopping everyone or if he did see us near the cars. If we had walked out of the Contemporary and headed straight to the Magic Kingdom, we might not have been stopped. If we were, we could have then shown our resort ID's, bluffing our way past with the mention of using Disney transportation only.

Oh well. I wasn't parking there to bypass any parking fees. I had a legitimate reason for being there. I suppose I should have just parked at the TTC and took the monorail over to the Contemporary, but I was lazy. I did not enjoy the prospect of fighting hordes of people to the monorail at the TTC, so instead, we went back into the Contemporary and took the monorail to the MVMCP.

Our goal was to buy the merchandise made special for the party right away before the allotment for the night was sold out. I bought the tshirt, Santa MVMCP Mickey, 2001, and two pins. I still couldn't find the deelybopper antenna headband with Santa Mickeys, and I never had time to pick up the reindeer antlers with Mickey ears I bought at Epcot the day before. I shouldn't have had them shipped with my other purchases to the resort.

Main Street was "snowing" with the same "snow" found on New York Street during the Osborne Lights. It's still a charming touch. Sean, Catherine, Pamela and I meandered around. Meandered is a good word for our touring that night, because we really had no reason to go Commando Touring.

I was struck by the beauty of Cinderella's coach lit up in Fantasyland, with a few princesses holding court in four points around it. We wandered a bit in Fantasyland, and I finally found some Santa Mickey deelyboppers! Soon we were off, narrowly escaping the hag in Snow White's Adventures.

The queue for It's a Small World looked long, but it was really deceiving. There was a photo area set up within the queue, so we decided to get our photos taken then. I couldn't resist wearing the silly Santa Mickeys and holding my Santa Mickey beanie in my pose. I kept my wacky headgear on the rest of the night.

Since we were already there, I forced all of them to sit through the "evil singing doll ride" with me. I made Santa Mickey dance along, and I think Catherine and Pamela took their beanies and made them dance, too. We had to do something to make this more fun, so we played "Name that Country/Legion/Landmark". I enjoyed stating which areas of the world we were seeing. "The Leaning Tower of Pisa...ok, that's Italy!" or "She's doing a can-can in front of the Eiffel Tower.....ok, France" made the trip more like a game.

We enjoyed more of the park, and I wanted to see if the Passporter folks were around the Liberty Bell (the actual bell, not the Liberty Belle riverboat) for their meet. Yes, there were Dave and Jennifer and all their regular crowd. They gave us cute "candy airplanes" made from Smarties, LifeSavers, a stick of gum and some rubberbands. I admired the "MacGyver"-ish way they did it. The four of us had a spontaneous greeting with Judimouse, and we thought she was coming with us to watch the fireworks. She didn't want to come, so we headed towards the hub.

We were somewhere between the Adventureland gate and the hub, and Pamela needed to find a bathroom. She and Sean have those Talkabout radios, and she commented over the radio how long the lines are. I immediately thought, "That sounds like a new attraction....The Great Bathroom Ride"! I commandeered Sean's radio (with his permission) and welcomed Pamela to the Great Bathroom Ride. I proceeded to give her a bit of spiel, such as, "Please keep your hands and feet inside your stall at all times." Catherine was inspired to make sure I told Pamela "no eating, drinking, smoking... and please, no flash photography." Soon we were telling Pamela, "Please do not exit the stall until the toilet has come to a complete flush"! I wanted to know if the the women around her were giving her strange looks!

Sean, Catherine and I were in hysterics over our little "bathroom ride", and Pamela thought we were amusing. We headed toward Main Street to view the fireworks. I was laughing out loud when I saw Rudolph fly out of the castle, red nose and all, to start the show. Yes, the fireworks were good, but they became spectacular when they were shot off all around the perimeter of the Magic Kingdom! I've heard about the "3D" fireworks before, but no description did justice to the real thing!

After the show, we were heading back towards Adventureland to get our cookies and cocoa, but we saw a few more people we knew sitting around a tree. More spontaneous meetings! I saw Lori, Pat, and Bianca. There were a couple others to whom I've not yet been introduced, but I spent some time off my aching feet (yay!) talking to them.

The four of us were soon on our mission for cookies and cocoa, and it did not disappoint! We happily walked towards Frontierland, where we rode Splash Mountain. Sean and Pamela wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain, but Catherine and I thought we would get out in time for the second parade. I think we were both gun shy after our awful Big Thunder experience days before. We sat down at the taped line and waited for the parade.

Since the second parade reverses the route by heading to Frontierland last, and we were close to the parade exit, it did take a long time to arrive. We also chose the wrong side of the street to sit, because there was a huge light beamed directly at us. We jokingly asked some cast members to stand in one spot to block the light from our eyes.

Sean and Pamela did make it out of the ride on time to catch the parade, but they were not at the line like Catherine and I were. I enjoyed the parade, and Dumbo's firehouse was my favorite float. The four of us went back for more cookies and cocoa, and we ended our night perfectly by riding Space Mountain.

It was a long day, and my feet were screaming at me to get some relief. I was tired in a good way, though. We trudged back to the Contemporary without seeing the Parking Lot Nazi, much to our relief, and we took our respective cars back to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a good night's rest.

Tomorrow: "Did we just lose Amy again?", Pearl Harbor Sushi Meet, and the Boma Coma.

Day 8 - Friday December 7, 2001

After we got up and said good morning to "our cows", Catherine and I were determined to actually spend some quality park time at Animal Kingdom. Wewere at WDW for a week now, and only caught the parade!

We skipped breakfast and went to catch the World's Shortest Bus Trip to AK. That's the only real "perk" AKL has, since it is the only deluxe resort that isn't connected to a theme park by foot or water transportation. Instead, you get a bus ride that lasts all of two minutes, if even.

When I was on the bus, looking out the window, I thought I saw Amy coming, waiting to get on. I didn't see her on the bus, but that's because she's so tiny. Someone was probably blocking her from my view. Sure enough, there was Amy as we got off the bus.

We shouted "Amy!" before she got away from us like the night of the Osborne Lights, and we decided to tour around together. We were going to get a FastPass for the safari, but first Amy wanted to look around the Tree of Life gardens for a minute. I didn't think there was a way for us to lose Amy, but Catherine and I managed to take our eyes off of her for one second, and zoom.....she was gone.

She must have found a back exit or something, so Catherine and I headed to Africa hoping to catch up with her there. Yep, sure enough, Amy was just getting her FastPass. After Catherine and I got ours, we wanted to grab a bite at Tusker House for breakfast. I had never had breakfast there before. There's a little bakery counter inside, and they had the most amazing cinnamon rolls. These rolls were the size of my head! And so delicious! I let the sugar high kick in, and we enjoyed the Festival of the Lion King show before heading back to the safari to take on the poachers. Little Red was safe, once again.

Dinosaur was the last attraction were went to that morning, and soon we needed to head to Epcot for a sushi meet in the Japan pavilion. When we planned to meet months prior, it never occurred to us what date we planned. As it turned out, we planned it on the 60th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The irony of the date hit us a month or so before the trip.

Nobody showed up, or if they did, they didn't wait. We were about 10 minutes late, and we didn't find anyone we knew. So, the three of us ordered sushi rather than wait. The service was slow, prompting Catherine to call the lounge, "Matsu Slo Mo Lounge" rather than the real name, Matsu No Ma. Who was our Surprise Spontaneous guest today? None other than Bruce and Marta again!

They both ate at Tempura Kiko next door, and they kept us company while we waited for sushi. The sushi was very tasty, but we didn't have time to linger. Amy was hosting "Whose Line is it Anyway? - Play It!" at AKL, and we needed to go back.

When we arrived back at our resort, we saw a decent crowd of RADPers already waiting. I had to run back to the room to drop stuff off, and soon I was back talking to Kenny, Kim Fudge, Julie, Donna, Jan, Denise, Peter, Kevin, Beth and anyone else I might be forgetting! Amy's meet had a good turnout, and we all headed to the storytelling lounge area, where we were semi-private.

I was one of the improv volunteers, along with half the group. The other half gave us suggestions for part of our games. We were having a great time, and we even had a little boy that was just a guest staying at the hotel join in our games! Nobody knew who he was, but he had a good time with us. He just asked to join in, and we welcomed him. It was really cute, too.

It was getting close to dinner, and the original plan was to go to Flying Fish Cafe. However, my energy was almost drained, so Amy asked us to tag along with her for Boma. She didn't have to ask us twice! I was just happy that I didn't have to go far. Originally, I was going to try to go to Jellyrolls to meet up with Patti, a local I know. Instead, I had to cancel, because I intended to stay in.

I had another wonderful meal at Boma, and who was there but Theo! She came in for the weekend and was staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, too. It was nice seeing her, and we had a nice group of folks at the table. Jan and I went nuts over the wonderful soup, and another great meal was had by all.

You know that feeling you get after you eat a large meal? You become a bit catatonic and sleepy. I call that a Food Coma. Catherine changed it to the Boma Coma, and the name really fit!

I was entertaining thoughts of using the pool, but I knew I really wanted to refill my mug at The Mara first. I said goodnight to all.

After filling my mug and returning to the room, I decided to that I really didn't have the energy to make it to the pool. Catherine wanted her last Adventurer's Club fix, but I declined. She started singing Samantha Sterling's song about "some gentlemen don't want love, they just want to kick it around..." and she headed out.

I welcomed the chance to relax, read, watch the animals and TV a bit. I knew my limit had been reached, and I needed some down time. I had gotten the majority of my packing done, which was also a good thing! I went to sleep well before Catherine made it back.

Tomorrow: Checking out....final moments before we leave for the "real world"

Day 9 - Saturday December 8, 2001

The end is near! This day was bittersweet, since we had to leave "our cows" behind and check out of Animal Kingdom Lodge. We saw the usual animal suspects grazing contentedly while we finished packing up.

I didn't realize until I got home that I forgot to pack the autographed photo of Roman Holiday from MGM. Catherine had told me that the photo fell on the floor by the chair, and so it's my own darn fault for being lazy.

Well, we took our sweet time that morning to leave, and we weren't going to any parks. Our flights were in the afternoon, and we had to leave for the airport around 2pm. So, we loaded up the rental car and chose to have fun at the Wilderness Lodge.

Our plan was to walk around WL and have lunch at Whispering Canyon. I had never eaten there, and I was looking forward to the BBQ platter. I decided that I didn't want any breakfast, knowing that I'd eat a sizeable lunch. Catherine and I planned on having a big lunch because we wouldn't have any meals on our flights.

When we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge, it was a bit too early to put our names down at the hostess stand, so we explored. We explored the whole resort, from the hallways that led to lookout points, to the gift shop, to the rocking chairs on the upper level.

That's when it happened. I found another collection addiction. As if pin trading weren't enough, I got hooked into the trading cards. I've never cared to buy them before, until the sweet lady selling pins (and trading cards!) at the pin cart showed me her card display book. She explained what the different cards are like, and I just had to get some.

I traded some of mine for a couple in her book, and then....I bought even MORE cards. I liked the Signature Series with the characters, and I was intrigued by the "gold" vs. "silver" signatures. You get about one gold signature per packet, and those are the most coveted. I had a couple duplicate "golds" of Daisy Duck, and that's how I got hooked. I liked the 30th anniversary of WDW cards, and I really treasure the Opening Day card.

Catherine was amazed at how quickly this turned into an obsession, and I had to stop myself before I bought the rest of the card packets! I dragged myself away from the pin cart to have a really good lunch!

What can I say about Whispering Canyon? They don't whisper, first of all. It's a rowdy place, fun for kids of all ages. Our server was M.T. (Pay attention, it gets amusing later.) She had a voice I'd attribute to Calamity Jane or Annie Oakley. She was really into her job and very fun. Catherine and I got the bottomless platter of BBQ, and we both decided that of all the sauces, the Maple Garlic sauce was the best!

The corn was not that great, but since I'm from Illinois, I may be pickier than most. The coleslaw and baked beans were very good, and the meats were good, but mostly just vessels to carry that Maple Garlic sauce. Mmm. You can tell the fun places to eat by whether you twirl your napkin over your head. I knew Chef Mickey's did this, but I didn't know any other place did. I twirled with the best of 'em! We were also entertained by all sorts of cute little kids having a stick horse race.

We were stuffed, which actually was a good thing, since again, we wouldn't be enduring bad airline food. As we received the check, we noticed that our server's name was M.T. Wallet! We both had a good chuckle over that. I never thought twice about her name being M.T., since that was what her name tag stated. I wish she would have finished that great pun when she was serving us!

It was time to walk off part of the lunch, so we decided to take a peek at the Villas. Catherine and I were both thinking of buying into the Disney Vacation Club at the time, and well, we were also very curious. I thought the buildings were beautiful, and the room models were gorgeous, too.

It was nearing 2pm and it was time for Catherine and I to go to the airport. We both were flying the same airline, so our gates were nearby. The trip was truly over, and it was one of the best trips to WDW I've ever taken.