Chris & Jessica - September 2002

This trip is was our "annual vacation" trip. We've been to Disney the weekend after Labor Day in 2000, 2001 and now 2002. In 2000, it was a short 4 night honeymoon trip, in 2001 we spent a total of 10 days in Disney, including Sept. 11. This year, we'd had several scheduling problems. We had originally planned to spend 10 days, but after relocating to GA and realizing that this was to be our 7th trip in a year, we decided we'd only go for a week. Then, Chris learned that he would be away on business from Tues to Friday. (We usually leave on Thurs) So, we planned to leave Friday night and were debating how long to stay when we learned that one of Chris's good friends was planning his wedding for Sat, Sept 7th. We then rearranged things so that Chris would be leaving right from Atlanta on Fri and flying back to PA to attend the Sat wedding, and then flying into Orlando Sunday morning, where I'd pick him up. Then, we determined that we'd stay at WDW until Tuesday, and that I would travel down by myself on Saturday. Which is where I begin.

Saturday, Sept 7th, 2002, I had set the alarm for 5:00 am, with the hopes of being up and out of the house before 5:30. I'm not usually a morning person, but I don't particularly like driving, so figured the sooner I got the drive over with the better. Plus, leaving so early ensured that I had a longer stay in WDW. I had gone to bed at about 11:00 pm the night before, finally falling asleep around 12:30, so you can imagine my surprise when I sat up, wide awake at 4:30 am. I tried to convince myself to go back to sleep, after all I'd read somewhere that 20 minutes was the ideal length for a nap, but it was no use. After about 10 minutes I just decided to get up and get headed out on my way.

I had packed everything the night before, and set out everything I would need to take. If I could have gotten away with it, I'd have slept in my clothes. It was relatively easy to get up, brush my teeth and hair, get dressed, then carry the stuff out to the car. (I later found out that I'd never put the cordless back on the hook, but all in all, it was a painless exit) After settling the luggage (large duffel bag) into the trunk along with the 12 pack of soda, I put the backpack (full of park essentials) on the floor in the front, and the large cookie on the passenger seat along with my directions, I was ready to go. I popped in my audiobook and pulled out. The audiobook was Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man, which is an incredible story and I highly recommend it. I enjoyed it so much I plan to buy the book.

I encountered no major problems on the drive down, and made it past Jacksonville before stopping to get gas. I had even packed a SlimFast bar so I wouldn't have to stop for breakfast. I eventually arrived in WDW and found my way to POFQ, my home for the next four days. I parked the car and went inside to check in. The CM asked me if I wanted a king bed, and I happily said yes. We had reserved a water view room for 99.00 a night, and I was thrilled that we'd end up with a king bed. After about 10 minutes of the CM poking through different computer screens and conferring with someone else, she informed me that they didn't have any king rooms. I found this odd, because she had just said that they did in fact have a king, water view room, but that it wasn't ready and she would check to see if she could find one that was. It wasn't that big of a deal, however, so I told her I didn't care and that I'd take a regular water view instead. She then pulled out a map and offered me a choice of several different rooms. I opted for a river view room in building 5, second floor. It turns out that the room was ready, so I got the keys and headed out to bell services.

A CM pulled up in his little cart, I hopped on and we headed out to the parking lot to my car. He unloaded the bag, backpack, and soda while I got the cookie, and then we headed off to the room. After arriving at room 5219, I tipped him, then settled some stuff into the room. I took a quick peek around the room, then headed out to the car.

I was headed to the MK to first renew our AP's, then I planned to complete the 100 Magic Memories Challenge. After doing that, I planned to do the I Conquered the World Pin Challenge. After that, I had no plans. On the drive over to MK, I called Chris to let him know I'd arrived, then called my mother to tell her the same. I parked the car, and headed over to the MK Guest relations window. In no time at all, I had spent a small fortune to have another year of play at WDW. Then, I entered the park. It wasn't even noon yet.

I immediately went to the Camera Center and asked a CM where I get the questions. She directed me to a counter where there were two guests and a CM. They must have been having problems with their digital camera, and the CM was unable to help them. After waiting more than 10 mins, with a line growing behind me, she finally decided to call for some help and then handed me the questions. In the meantime, I had found the card for the Pin Challenge and answered the MK question. I handed this to her only to have her say I'd have to go stand in line at another counter to get the stamp.

Luckily, that line went quicker, and I was soon headed back to the Train Station to start the questions. After answering a couple, I encountered a woman at the bottom of the stairs with the questions in her hand. I pointed her toward the answer she was looking for and we decided to team up, as her husband was at work that day. Sadly, I never did learn her name. We answered all of the Main Street USA questions, then headed over to Tomorrowland. We answered almost all of those questions, rode the TTA, and then asked a few CM's for help on the ones we couldn't find.

We then headed to Mickey's ToonTown fair, where we quickly located the answers, then it was over to Fantasyland. From there we entered Liberty Square, then headed to Frontierland. Finally, we got stumped in Adventureland. We had asked a CM for help on a particularly hard question and she hadn't known. We then found the answer, and the woman went back to tell the CM and we got separated somewhere around Pirates. We never met back up.

After searching for the woman for a while, I decided to head up to Main Street to buy the couple pins I would need for the Challenge. In the Emporium, I came across the Patriotic Mickey Antenna Ball that my grandfather had asked me to buy, and picked that up too. Then, I headed out to the monorail, and over to the Contemporary. I located the store I needed, and got my card stamped, then it was back to the car.

At this point, it was about 2:45, so I decided to go first to WWOS, and then to AK, so I could be sure I finished those sections before the parks were closed. I located WWOS, parked and headed into the complex without a clue as to where I was going. Luckily, the very first place I came to, other than the ticket window, was the store I needed. I didn't have the slightest idea what the answer for that question was, so I had purchased a pin to trade instead. When I traded with the CM, she then made me answer the question too. Basically, she held up something with the answer on it, but I thought it was strange, since the rules say you had to either answer the question or trade a pin. In any event, I had my stamp and was back in the car before 3 pm.

I headed over to AK, but somehow managed to get totally turned around and exited the parking lot without parking. At this point, I was developing a massive headache (I don't do well in the sun at all) and was frustrated, so when I saw the entrance to the All Star Resorts, I decided that I'd park there and take the bus over. It's against the rules, I know, and I shouldn't have done it, but I was desperate. It turns out that I would get what I deserved for doing it, too. The CM at the gate waved me through and I parked at Sports. I got out of the car and as I hit the sidewalk that the bus stops are on, I saw that there was an AK bus there. I started to run to catch it (not that it was moving, mind you) and just as I got even with the door, the CM pulled away. At this point, with my head throbbing from the running I nearly burst into tears. I sat down and collected myself, then decided I was hot, tired, thirsty and had a really bad headache. I also had a wait until the next bus, so I went into the gift shop, bought a 20 bottle of Coke, a bottle of Excedrin Migraine and found myself a seat outside. By the time the next bus arrived, the pain was letting up.

I got to AK, and then found that I didn't even have to enter the park (I have never been there, this was the closest I've come) and got my stamp. I headed back to the bus stop, where I talked with a couple of girls about Stitch merchandise and played peek a boo with an adorable toddler, until the bus came. I got off at All Star Sports, got back in the car and headed to MGM. I parked the car, took the tram, and again found I didn't even need to enter the park. So, I got my stamp, and then took the tram back to the car and headed over to Epcot. This was my final stamp for the parks, the only one left would be Downtown Disney, and I planned to take the boat from the resort later that evening. On the way into Epcot's parking lot, Chris called me from the wedding reception. We talked for a bit, and then I parked the car, realizing that it was now 5 pm, and I hadn't had a thing to eat since the SlimFast Bar at about 7 am.

After going through security, I headed to the Pin Station under SE, where I got my stamp. Then I headed to the Electric Umbrella, where I ordered a burger, fries and a soda in a souvenir mug. The mug had Stitch on it, and I bought it as a surprise for Chris who loves Stitch. After eating, I noticed that it had begun to rain, and I decided it was too stinking hot to wear a poncho, so I headed into MouseGear and bought an umbrella. Of course, the rain had stopped by the time I left. I then wandered through the Gallery and eventually left the park. I got back in my car and headed back to POFQ, getting the exact same parking space that I'd been in earlier. I headed up to the room, then called Chris again. We talked for a while, then I decided to take a nap before heading to DTD. I ended up not falling asleep, but reading instead. At about 7 pm, I headed down to the boat dock and hopped on the boat going Downtown. The ride went smoothly, and I arrived shortly after.

As I got off the boat, I noticed the answer to the final question, so I headed into the Pin store to turn in my card. I got the final stamp and purchased the Disneyclub pin, too. After receiving my pin base, I went to pick out the add on. Chris is the pin collector in our family, and I knew he loved Stitch, so I wanted to get him the Stitch add on. They were out of it, and it upset me. I had really wanted to surprise him with Stitch. Not to mention the fact that they had sold out of the AP Pins that he really wanted too. So, I settled on Dopey and had the pin made. I then decided to walk around and see what was in the different shops. I wandered into the new toy store and the Gourmet Pantry before I realized that the entire day had felt wrong to me. It just didn't seem right for me to be in WDW without Chris, and I missed him terribly. I pulled out my cell phone and tried calling him but didn't get an answer. I headed back to the boat dock and my phone rang. It was Chris.

I talked to him, close to tears, as I was boarding the boat. The driver told me that I couldn't have my cell phone on because work wasn't allowed. I nearly snapped at him before I realized that he was just trying to be friendly and had no idea how I felt. So, I just explained that it was Chris and sat down on the boat. I talked to him the whole trip back, and then had to get off the phone as he had arrived at his father's house to visit.

I decided to check out the food court and get dinner, but after wandering around realized I didn't want to stay there and eat. So, I figured I'd order room service. I stopped at the front desk, for a few reasons, and then discovered that the frustration I'd encountered on check in was common at this resort.

I had gone there to accomplish three things. One was to get directions to the airport. This was handled easily enough, they handed me a preprinted card. Two was to arrange to have a card and balloons put in the room to welcome Chris. This, it seemed, was also handled easily. Three was to pick up the bag of rose petals that I had ordered from the WDW florist. They were supposed to be shipped to the front desk on the last delivery run of the day. The CM checked in the computer and said they were here. He then went in the back and came out only to tell me that there were no packages for me. He then advised that I go to the gift shop because that's where it would be left. That made no sense to me, but I didn't have much choice, so off I went. The first CM I encountered directed me to the register in the back, saying that they would be able to get them for me. I approached this register, waited in line, and when it was my turn was informed that the front desk would have the flowers. About to burst into tears of frustration, I asked the CM to please call guest services, and explained that I had already been there. She called, spoke to the manager who told her that he was looking at the rose petals. So, back I went to the desk, this time retrieving my bag of petals.

I then headed back to the room, where I dropped off the petals, picked up the ice bucket, and headed out for ice. I then settled the flowers into the ice bucket and ordered dinner. I ate, then showered and got ready for bed. Of course, I couldn't sleep, and finally drifted off around 2:30 am.

The phone rang at 8:30 am, and surprisingly it was Mickey not Stitch. The last few times we have been to Disney, it's been Stitch. I knew Chris would miss him. In any event, I got up and started to get ready for my day.

Today was the day that Chris was arriving. I know people think it's funny, but we really aren't used to being apart, and I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to seeing him. He truly is my other half, and I'm lost without him. I had a 10 inch chocolate chip cookie made (at Publix, where I work) and had brought it down with me, it said I love you on it. I had ordered a bag of rose petals, and I arranged the cookie on the table along with the Stitch mug and sprinkled it with the rose petals. I forgot to mention that the previous night, when I'd gotten back to my room, there was a call from the CM at the front desk stating that they would not be able to arrange the card or balloons, as they were out of the cards. I thought about it, and decided to check to see if this were the case (the way things were going, I wasn't sure if I should believe him) and if it was true, then I'd see if they could just put some balloons in for me. Before I left, I wrote a little note for the Mousekeeper explaining that I had a surprise set up for Chris and that he was coming back from a business trip and if there was any extra magic or pixie dust she could provide it would be greatly appreciated. I also left a tip, as I always do.

I gathered up my directions and my wallet and then headed out to the front desk. I explained the situation to a very nice CM, who checked to see if they were in fact out of cards and they were. He did say that he would make sure that there were balloons, though, and I explained that I was on my way to get him. He said this wouldn't be a problem. I thanked him and left.

I drove to the airport, leaving about 9:30, knowing Chris's flight was due in at 11:18. I wasn't sure how far the airport was, or if I would get lost, so I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time. I found the airport with no problem, parked the car and headed inside. I had told Chris I would meet him by the Disney Store. I was in terminal B, but on the side opposite the Disney Store, so I headed down that way got a drink and a muffin and settled in with my book to wait for his flight. (The Hunt for Red October, if anyone cares)

At about quarter after 11, I checked a monitor and learned that Chris's flight was due in at a gate on the opposite side of the terminal (the one I had parked by) so I figured I'd try to catch him there. I got to the security checkpoint and waited for him to come out. He finally arrived, we bought a newspaper and then headed to baggage claim.

We picked up his baggage, then headed out to find the outlets. We opted to go to the Character Premier and Character Warehouse one. It seemed that the directions we had were the exact opposite of where we should go, but we managed to find them. We ended up buying a Mickey shirt for Chris, tinkerbell stationary for me, a Stitch towel and some Piglet socks. Oh, and we bought a new piece of luggage- a duffel type bag. (This made a total of six pieces of luggage that we had with us)

After visiting both outlets, we headed back to WDW so Chris could get his first look at the hotel. This was the first stay for us at either of the Riverside resorts, and while we both liked them, we agreed that they were pretty far out of the way. We settled the rest of the luggage into the room, then headed to the food court to get some lunch. After cheesesteaks, fries and beignets, we decided to go to MGM for a little while. We got in the car and headed over to the park.

We got through security, then headed to ToT and RnR. I don't ride either one, so I wandered through some shops, then settled down in my "spot" to wait for Chris. This is why I always bring a book. After riding both, he came and found me, then we checked out some other shops, got a drink and then headed to the giant hat. While there we checked to see if they had the Annual Pass Pin Challenge pin, and they did, so we bought that along with the Mickey shaking the firefighters hand pin. Then we hopped on The Great Movie Ride. Afterwards, we just sort of wandered our way out of the park.

We got back in the car and headed back to the resort. We parked the car in the same space (there really isn't any fighting for spaces here) and went back to the room to drop off the backpack. Then, we boarded the boat to DTD. Sometimes people amaze me with the questions they ask. On the boat, someone asked if the river was fresh water or salt water, after the CM just got done explaining that all the WDW waterways are man made and that there are about 40 miles of canal but only three are used for transport, the rest are used to control the water levels elsewhere. The boat seemed to be having some problems, so it took quite a while to arrive at DTD.

We wandered into the Pin store, where we ended up purchasing a few pins, then headed over to the Toy Store. In August, I had promised Chris that he could get a building for his monorail, so he spent quite a while checking them out. We were also looking for the Mr Potato Head Halloween Costumes. Surprisingly, we were told that they don't sell them there, to check in Frontierland (cowboy costume) and by Pirates of the Caribbean (pirate costume) Then, we wandered over to World of Disney, where we found a ton of stuff we wanted, and also discovered that they too carry the monorail buildings. We decided that we'd come back and make our purchases there, in one big group, as we'd get a discount (either AP or DC). We checked out the Gallery, the 2 R's store, Days of Christmas and Disney Home. In Disney Home, I noticed that there was a sale sign over some Mickey fleece throws (the big color blocked ones) it didn't say how much off, so Chris went to find someone. Turns out they were 50% off, so we had to buy one. We briefly debated buying something else, to qualify for the AP discount, as the throw was 19.99, but decided against it. I love the throw, the price was great, and it's so comfortable!! We got the cream and beige one.

We decided to have dinner at the Gourmet Pantry, and ordered two club sandwiches. They were good, but weren't the traditional club sandwich that I am used to. I got fruit salad and Chris got pretzels, along with drinks. After eating, we wandered a bit more, then headed back to the boat dock. We got back to the room and briefly debated whether we wanted to hit the hot tub or pool, but I was in no shape, so instead we showered, ate some cookie and settled in for the night.

When we got back from the airport and the outlets, Chris was delighted to find his surprises. He loved the cookie and mug, and was surprised that I'd ordered the rose petals. Sadly, there were no balloons. I figured they'd be there later, but they never showed up at all. In addition to my surprises, though, the Mousekeeper had made two alligators, a peacock, a heart with a rose and a little flourish thing all out of towels and left them for Chris. When we went to bed, we moved the animals to the bench, and Chris left the Mousekeeper a thank you note along with her tip. Now, on to day 3.

We had PS at Epcot for the PSB this morning, so we set the alarm for 7 am. I had been bitten pretty badly on the boat ride back the night before so had taken a Zyrtec before bed. I think this helped contribute to the mornings events. (I actually have a script for it just for our Disney trips because I have a terrible reaction to the bug bites I get in WDW)

We stumbled out of bed and got dressed. I had the PS info with me, and we grabbed the backpack and headed out the door. The plan was to eat at Epcot, maybe see a little of the park, then switch over the MK until it closed, then come back to Epcot. Since we were there so early, we were going to leave the car, as we would have a great space, and use Disney transportation all day, so we'd be able to get out quickly at the end of the night.

We got to the entrance gate for Epcot at about quarter to eight. It turns out that they won't let you in the lot until eight, so we put the car in park and waited. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Finally the time came, and we pulled through and got a space. We approached the CM who was checking the PS, and she was less than pleasant when she informed us that she didn't have our PS on the list. I whipped out the confirmation number and she was like," Oh, you have that?" Then she made a note of our name and then number then let us through. We went through security, entered the park and walked past SE, where we encountered another CM checking PS. Oddly enough, she found our PS without any trouble, and we were quickly on our way to Norway. We arrived at Akershus just in time for a little girl to open the breakfast and were promptly seated. The breakfast was good, fruit, muffins and pastry, followed by scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon, potato casserole and French toast sticks. The characters were fun. We saw Belle, Snow White, Princess Aurora, Jasmine and Alice. Snow White appeared as if she were on tranquilizers, but all in all the breakfast was fun. We enjoyed it, but both agreed that we prefer the Castle breakfast.

After finishing the meal, we headed to FutureWorld. We rode SE, and I apparently was asleep for the whole ride. (I don't really remember much of the morning, this is what Chris told me later) When we got off the ride, he suggested that instead of going to the MK, we go back to the hotel and rest. I must have agreed, and while leaving the park, he became so worried that he asked if I needed a wheelchair to get to the car. I managed to make it to the bus, and spent most of the ride to the hotel asleep, and again insisted that I could get to the room on my own, that I didn't require a wheelchair. I'm told that I asked him to get me a drink once we got back to the room, but was asleep before he opened the can. When we returned to the room, we found a thank you note from our Mousekeeper for the note Chris had left her.

In any event, I woke up around 2:30 feeling more like myself, and we decided to venture out to the MK. We hopped on the bus to the park, and once there turned in my questions. I got three wrong, which was enough to qualify for the picture. Apparently you have to get about 80% right. We had the picture taken, with a Beauty and the Beast background, and then Chris decided he wanted to do his own set of questions. So, we picked them up and wandered out to answer them. In the meantime, I decided that I needed a new hat. They have a khaki and pink one that says Princess on it. We bought it at the Emporium, while answering the questions. I did my best not to show or tell him where the answers were, as we made our way from Main Street into Tomorrowland. We rode the TTA (if you're doing it, there are a lot of answers to be found on there) and then he went on SM. I continued to follow the exploits of Jack Ryan in the meantime. After riding the SM, he answered all but one of the Tomorrowland questions and we moved on to Fantasyland. I decided that I needed a snack, and so got a strawberry swirl at the little stand. I loved it!! It was so good!! We wandered through Fantasyland while he answered the questions, finally ending up outside Sir Mickey's where a woman stopped and asked me where I'd found the strawberry swirl. As I was answering her, I pulled out one of the Dove wipes I kept in my backpack, as she was having some problems with the Mickey bar she was eating. She was really surprised that by that.

We went to the little shop in the castle, where we learned about damascene, and I found a B&B plate that I loved. I had to talk Chris out of buying it for me, and then we headed out to Liberty Square. We continued with the questions, ending up in Frontierland. While there, we started looking for the Potato Head costume, but they had sold out earlier that day. They suggested we try Once Upon a Toy, and we explained that we had but they didn't carry them.

Moving on, we got to Adventureland, and after answering the questions, we tried to find the Pirate costume. No one in Adventureland had the slightest idea what we were talking about, and suggested either Once Upon a Toy or Fantasyland. I was puzzled by the Fantasyland suggestion, after all, where would you look for Pirate stuff?

By now it was about 15 minutes before the park was closing, so we headed out and boarded the ferry. We took the ferry to the TTC and then got on the monorail to Epcot.

Through security and into the park, we wandered back to the World Showcase. We were hungry, as we hadn't really eaten lunch, but also knew that we had dinner PS at Rose & Crown at 7:40. It was around 6:20, so we decided to split a beavertail in Canada. After finishing that, we headed to the UK, where we requested an outside table if possible. We went to check out a few shops when British Invasion began their show. We wandered out to the courtyard and found Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger just playing, without lines. We got Pooh, Piglet and Tigger's autograph, then wandered away. I asked a CM if she knew if Beast would be out, as I'd never seen him, she said no, but to ask in France if he had regular times that he'd be out the next day. As we came over the bridge towards France, I saw Belle and Beast in the garden!!! I was so excited, I nearly ran over, and managed to get their autographs.

Then, we headed to Morocco and found Jasmine there. Chris got a picture with her, and she told us that Aladdin was feeding her tiger, but that Genie would be stopping by soon. If you've read my other trip reports (and God bless you if you have, they're all long) then you'll know that on a trip this summer every time we went to see Genie (one of Chris's favorites) he'd leave just as it was our turn in line. So, we sat and waited, and were the first to see him. I thought Chris was going to jump on him when he came out, but we got his autograph and a few pictures.

It was time for our PS, so we headed back to the UK, where we were issued a pager. They told us it would be a 10-20 minute wait and nearly an hour later we were seated at an outside table. We ordered our usual, we split the fruit and cheese plate and the fish and chips, and watched Illuminations. It's a little different, more fireworks and the globe doesn't open, but still a spectacular show. The waitress didn't come back to see if we wanted dessert before the show started, so we opted to skip it.

We wandered out and got in the car (I loved having it so close!!) and headed back to the resort. We changed into our bathing suits, and headed for the hot tub. There were no towels by the pool, but we hopped in the hot tub anyway. When we got in, it was us, another younger couple, and an older couple. Then, this older woman got in and started chattering away. She was a bit odd. We were all involved in the conversation, but at times I had to bite my tongue, to keep from correcting her. She started out by talking about how the package she was on was such a great deal, their meals were included, and they didn't have to pay a thing. I learned that she was on the Discovery Magic and that she was using her wishes for the meals. She was telling the other people about how you could make PS 6 months in advance for everything, and how she could eat wherever she wanted, even in the GF at that "Albert's Place" Now, I know that it's V&A's is not included as a wish on the packages, but figured I'd let is slide, and Chris started talking about how we had eaten there and really enjoyed it. We were explaining about the wine pairings and why it was so expensive, and I'd also told them about how he got me a cosmetologist for the night. The older gentleman was joking that they would be married 40 years and now he felt like a heel for never doing anything like that. Then the topic turned to saving money on the trip, and some of the Epcot restaurants. The older couple said they wanted to try Marrakesh but weren't entirely sure they'd like it. I suggested that they go for lunch, as it's much cheaper, and we all started talking about that, when the woman said that her travel agent had told her to use her wish for that "Albert place" for lunch, as it's not as expensive. Chris just looked at me and told me to let it go. We started talking about where we were from, and the woman said she was from PA, we asked where and she told us the name of the place. It was about an hour away from where we'd been, and I stated that we used to live in Easton, to which she replied," Easton is not near where I live" I found that odd, I mean, I'd lived there, obviously I knew that. It was a weird conversation all around.

After a while, we decided that it was time to get out, and I sat in a chair by the hot tub while Chris ran up to get towels from the room. I was attacked again by bugs and now have several huge welts on my back. He came back with the towels, and we headed in to the food court. Chris ordered some beignets while I went to the front desk to request some towels. We bought the beignets and a bottle of wine and headed back to the room. I was totally surprised that the towels were there, given the way every other request I'd made turned out.

We showered, then relaxed and ate the beignets and enjoyed the wine. We set the wake up call for 9:30, so we could sleep in a bit, and then settled in for the night.

9:30 am the phone rang, and it was Mickey, waking us up on our last day in the World. We slowly woke up and started getting ready. I was in much better shape this morning, and we were able to get packed up and ready to go without too much of a struggle.

Since Chris had been on a business trip, then to a wedding before joining me, all without returning home, we had a ton of luggage with us. From his garment bag, his bag of clothes, the duffle bag with Disney clothes, the Disney backpack, our new duffle bag, the laptop case and our purchases, we had a ton of stuff on our hands. We called bell services, and they picked us up from our room. We left a tip and some rose petals on the table for our Mousekeeper, then after sprinkling some more petals on the sidewalk, headed out to the little cart. The CM drove us out to the car, helped us load everything up, and after tipping him, headed off to help others. We then decided to park at Epcot, where we would end up, and then head to the MK. So, we parked at Epcot, took the monorail, then the ferryboat and arrived at the MK.

We got through security, then entered the park and took the train back to ToonTown. This was the only section of the questions that Chris hadn't completed. As we got off the train at ToonTown, we found a bunch of characters sort of hiding behind Mickey's Judge's Tent. We found Pluto, Gepeto, Pinnochio, Mr. Smee, Captain Hook, the White Rabbit, TweedleDee, TweedleDum, Rafiki, Donald, and Dopey. Surprisingly, we were able to get all the autographs we needed before the characters were called away. We answered the leftover questions, then headed into Fantasyland, where we found the Villains at the Character Greeting Area across from Pooh. We ran out of cards for them to sign, so I bought an autograph book, and we met Cruella, Queen of Hearts, Governor Radcliffe, Jafar and Prince John. Then we rode Pooh, and wandered back to see if Ariel was in. On the way, we bought a frozen coke, which was a good idea, as the waiting area was hot. Within 10 minutes, we'd visited with Ariel, and decided we were hungry. We stopped at the Pinnochio Village Haus and got some burgers before heading over to Peter Pan. Chris really wanted to ride this, but with a 30 minute wait, we opted for Fast Passes. Then we headed through Frontierland again, checking for the Potato Head costumes. They were still out, but a CM told us that she had seen the Pirate one in the new toy store on Main Street. We thanked them, then headed to Adventureland. Chris went on Pirates while I waited, then we decided to get a Dole Whip and a pineapple float for our walk back to Fantasyland. I have to say that I didn't really care for them, I prefer the strawberry one in Fantasyland. We settled on some benches in Liberty Square while we ate, then headed to Fantasyland and went on Peter Pan. After the ride, we headed to Main Street. We got a little sidetracked, due to stomach issues (I can't make it through a trip without getting sick!!) so we settled on a bench by the First Aid station for a bit. Then, we wandered down Main Street, checking out the stores. We found the Toy Store, and they had both costumes, so we snapped them up. (As a side note, they were not worth half the trouble that we went through to find them. The props are too big to fit in the potato head hands, and the don't fit very well. Of course, we didn't learn this until we got them home)

We continued up the street, to the Camera center where Chris turned in his questions. We got another picture, this one with the Lilo and Stitch background, then headed out of the MK for the last time on this trip. It was sad, but we were on to Epcot.

We took the boat to the TTC, then hopped on the monorail and entered Epcot. We headed right for Living with the Land, one of our favorite rides. (yet another thing I can't explain!!) Then, we wandered out toward the world showcase and took a friendship boat to the Morocco dock. We headed back into the Pavilion, to see if Aladdin was there. Jasmine was, but we waited a bit, and Aladdin showed up too. So, we got his autograph, then wandered the rest of the way through the World Showcase, stopping whenever and wherever the mood struck us. I should add that I was still carrying the remaining rose petals and tossing some at Chris whenever he was pestering me. It made quite a few people laugh.

We stopped in Norway for Rice Cream for me, then on to Mexico so Chris could get his churros (yes, multiple) Then, we ambled up to FutureWorld, checked out MouseGear, and watched the fountain for a bit. Then, it was time to say goodbye to Epcot too.

We left Epcot and headed for DTD. It was time to our major purchasing. We parked and headed right for World of Disney. We bought a set of Ariel Stationary, a Buzz Lightyear notebook, Tinkerbell sticker for my car, sunshade for my car, a screensaver and the Contemporary. The total was less than 75.00, after the AP discount. We took our purchases, and headed out to the car. We stopped at the gas station across the street to fill up, and I ducked inside to change clothes. We got a drink and a lunchable, then headed home. We find that it makes a world of difference to change clothes, or even just your shirt, and wipe down with a Dove wipe before heading home. It just makes the trip more comfortable. In any event, we arrived home safely, and unpacked then collapsed into bed. Thanks for reading,

Jessica