Sonia - February 2002

Trip Dates: Feb 2nd –10th 2002

Characters: Sonia (me), Raj (DH), Nikki (DD- Age 3),& Anjana (DD-Age 20 months)

Resort: Caribbean Beach Resort

Feb 2nd

Too excited to sleep the night before, I forced myself to go to bed as we had to be at the airport early in the morning. Woke up at 4:30 am showered as DH loaded up the van with our luggage – heavy luggage. Woke up the kids at 5:00 and changed them quickly. As we headed outside a bitter cold wind engulfed us and we quietly thanked God that we getting out of this Winter Wonderland and heading for the Happiest Place on Earth… Yeah!!!!

We got to the airport and checked in. We went through Customs (we live in Toronto, Canada) and security. We finally arrived at the gate and boarded within 15 minutes. We had to change planes in Pittsburgh. (I won't go into too much detail about the Plane trip) We arrived in sunny Orlando at noon. We were already peeling off our layers of clothes before we got to the main terminal. There was a little mix up with our luggage- we are taking the cruise in the later part of the week, but it seems our luggage was determined to go on the cruise today. After a little discussion with a very helpful CM, our luggage was diverted from the DCL bus and on its way to CBR. We headed over to Mears because we arrived a day early and no DCL bus were going to the resorts. Mears honors the DCL bus transfers so we had no trouble getting to CBR.

On the pleasant bus ride to CBR we started talking to a man who comes to WDW every few months and boy did he know his facts, I was amazed as to how much I knew (thank you TheMouseForLess). We checked in at Custom House by 1:30, I had requested the Martinique Building 26 but was informed that it was already full. We would be staying in Aruba but the rooms weren't ready yet. After collecting our American Express Lanyards and pins we headed off to Old Port Royale to get some lunch (we didn't eat on the planes- I had brought cereal for the kids to eat on the plane). We dropped off our carryon luggage at Bell Services and was informed that our luggage had arrived from the airport also (that was fast!).

After changing the kids into their summer wear we caught the internal bus from the Barbados Bus Stop and headed to Old Port Royale. I love the CBR grounds they are so beautiful. We got to the food court and bought one Souvenir Mug (the kids don't drink pop- Ok we try not to let them drink pop). We ordered the kids the chicken tenders meal (without the pail - $1 cheaper…thank you whoever posted this tip) and DH ordered the Cheeseburger- Me I was too excited to eat so I nibbled off of everyone. After we finished I called the front desk for our room assignment and was told we were staying in Room 5314. We took a lovely stroll around the lagoon – CM gave the long route directions to the room.

I have to say I was disappointed when the CM had informed me that I couldn't stay in the Martinique Village, but let me tell you I couldn't have picked a better location than Aruba Building 53. We were on the lower level which was great, because at the end of the day lugging two sleepy kids and a stroller up stairs would not have been good. We usually rolled the stroller right in to the room- kids and all. We were down the hall from the Ice machine, and the laundry and pool facility, and I am not exaggerating when I say down the hall. We were a 3 minute walk to the Aruba Bus stop, and the Food Court was a pleasant 5 minute walk over the bridge and the through Parrot Cay Island. The beach and the hammocks were right down the slope from our building. Did I mention how much I loved this location. If – When we go back to WDW we are definitely staying in the same resort – same location. The view of the rest of the resort was breathtaking. I would have been happy spending my days in the resort- but alas I had done too much planning and preparing for this trip. I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE STAYING AT CBR TO REQUEST ARUBA VILLAGE….

We quickly freshened up as our luggage was delivered. And headed out to the Magic Kingdom to watch the SpectroMagic Parade. This was the main reason we decided to add an extra day to our package, it was the only day Spectromagic would be shown while we were there. And boy was I glad I did. When we entered the MK I quickly went to City Hall to pick up a Birthday Pin for my DD, she would be turning 3 on Feb 13th, but we told her it was her birthday everyday while we in WDW. The CM was so nice she gave Nikki a certificate honoring her birthday and gave a bunch of Mickey stickers. Nikki's face lit up- this was the 1st magical moment for us and we had just stepped foot in to MK. Nikki also got to listen to a birthday greeting from Goofy, this CM was awarded a CM appreciation certificate. When we walked out I caught a glimpse of the castle (I purposely didn't look in that direction before) and I thought I was going to cry- I got my camcorder ready before I pointed it out to Nikki (Who thinks it is her castle). I wish I could have bottled that moment forever. I will never forget it as long as I live- I can't even put it into words.

Next we headed to Le Chapeau and bought the girls the Mickey ears and had them monogrammed, these CMs are very talented. They do an excellent job sewing the names into the hat in cursive. My kids loved their ears. As we walked up Main Street – staring at the castle, we realized people we already lining up for SpectroMagic. It was only 6pm so there were still plenty of places available, we picked a spot in front of the theatre. I asked my DH to stay and keep our place while I looked for some milk for the girls. Guess what - I wandered into the bakery – YUM YUM!!!! But I told myself I would come back for a treat later. I picked up a bottle of milk (1.49 for 487 oz- excellent deal). Nikki and I headed back to our spot and sat on the curb and people watched. The castle had started changing colors – So I camcorded every color.

MK was very packed that day (Saturday of course). People was standing behind us to watch the parade – 3 folds out! SpectroMagic was truly magical. I have never seen anything like it before (I will probably say this about a lot of the attractions in future reports). My daughter Nikki is a huge fan of Cinderella and Ariel, and when she saw them all lit up – I swear I have never seen her so content in her life. Unfortunately Cinderella was waving to guests on the other side and didn't turn our way before she completely passed by- but I don't think my DD noticed. Anjana- my little DD was so excited to see Mickey she was jumping up and down – Stroller was forgotten.

Let me tell you guys, we brought Anjana along and didn't really think she would get in to the spirit due to her age (20 months), boy was I wrong. This child was so into the Disney Spirit I couldn't have asked for a better time for her. So all of you with kids under the age of 2 worried about them having a good time- DON'T BE- they might not remember the trip later on – but they will have the time of their life while they are there AND THAT IS ALL THAT IS IMPORTANT. Not once did we think that we shouldn't have brought her along or that she was still too young.

After the parade we made our way up Main Street to scout a place for the Fire in the Sky show. Boy was it hard to maneuver the stroller through the crowds, but we made it to the hub where the statue of Walt and Mickey is. Most of the hub was crowded but we found a spot and stuck to it. Soon there was Tinkerbell flying across the sky- Nikki's mouth was hanging open. My DH was making the movie. I have to say I thought is would be longer and more spectacular- don't get me wrong, it was wonderful, but I have seen postcards and pictures of truly amazing fireworks over the castle, I think they may have shortened the performance in recent times. After the fireworks we tried to get out of the park, and I suggested to DH that we stop and get some dinner while the crowds head out. We stopped at Casey's Corner and I bought some hot dogs and fries. DH wasn't to crazy about the hot dog – he complained the bun was soggy. The kids were really tired by now. The crowd had thinned out, so we leisurely walked back down Main Street and picked up some more milk from the bakery – too tired for a treat now.

We were back in or room ready for bed at about 9:30. I set the Mickey walk up call for 6:30 and drifted into an exhausted sleep- I don't think I fallen asleep this quickly and slept through the night without waking up even once. Good Night Mickey- Sweet Dreams….

Next Report DAY #2 - AK, BOMA,

Sunday Feb 3rd 2002

Mickey woke me up bright and early at 6:30. DH showered and headed to the food court to bring back breakfast. Woke up the kids who were a little reluctant to get up, but then Nikki remembered where she was and got up as quick as a flash, her baby sister is a little copy cat so she was up and about in no time also. We quickly fed the kids and headed out towards the bus stop. There was a CM standing with a Palm Pilot registering how many people were headed to each park. We waited 5 minutes before the bus arrived and we were off towards the Animal Kingdom. I was hoping to get there before the opening to see the Safari Sunrise – but alas that was not to be, we arrived just a few minutes after the gates were open.

We walked through the Oasis and took in the breathtaking foliage, and the beautiful birds were all being pointed out by my cute little 20 month old. We snapped some shots on the bridge with the Tree of Life in the background. You can't quite appreciate the beauty of this Tree until you see it in person, picture just don't do it justice.

We headed towards Camp Mickey and Minnie, the Festival of the Lion King was starting in a few minutes so DH and Nikki waited in line as baby DH and I headed towards the Kilmanjaro Safari to get fastpasses. On the way we encountered our first character, TERK. I though my baby would be terrified, guess what she went running to TERK. Thankfully I had brought my camera along, but unfortunately I had left my homemade autograph book (complete with pictures of the characters in the corners of each index page) behind in the camcorder bag. But this was not going to get me down. TERK was having a ball playing with DD's hair. I think that because TERK is not such a big character, she wasn't scared of her. We quickly grabbed the fastpasses and bumped into BALOO & KING LOUIE on the way back, baby DD wouldn't go to BALOO but was fine when I came into the picture also. We headed back to Camp M&M and found DH and Nikki, who informed me that she had met PLUTO. Luckily DH had enough sense to use the camera that had my night time film in (I brought along two cameras, one for regular daytime pictures and one for special fast film so that pics taken at night would be clear) to take the picture and actually dug out the autograph book to get Pluto's signature-(If you knew my DH you would realize what an accomplishment this was.

Within 10 minutes we were seated in the huge tent that houses the Festival of the Lion King. We sat down in the Warthog section all the way at the top (You can rest your back against the wall ). DH got up and stood on the stairs to make the movie. I have seen the Lion King Broadway Performance, as magnificent as that was, I was awed by the show put on in that tent. Both DD loved it, Nikki loves the song Hakuna Matata, and kept on singing it for the rest of the day. DH (Who if you haven't guessed by now was not a big Disney fan until he met me) decided that he loved that song also (even though he couldn't pronounce it properly). After a wonderful 35 minute performance we headed out and to our luck the character trails were not that long and all the characters were present. Within 15 minutes we had pictures and autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Pocahontas. I was thrilled to find Pocahontas as the show was not being played that day and Pocahontas is also one of Nikki's favorites. I asked DH if wanted to take a picture with her, he smartly declined. Nikki and Anjana would from this day on kiss and hug every character they met- yes even baby Anjana.

Our fastpass time was almost up so we headed towards Kilimanjaro Safaris and within 5 minutes we were seated in the Safari Truck and headed out. The ride was very bumpy and some animals were taking a Siesta, but I think this was one of my favorite attractions at AK. After the Safari we went through the Panagani Forest trails, this was ok and the kids thought it was too muck walking. By now my DH looked like Hunchback with the backpack pushing the stroller that neither daughter would sit in. We decided to do the train ride to the Conservation Station, we didn't get off at the station and took the same train back- we could have done without this attraction. We made our way towards Asia and it was great seeing the way it had been done up to look like parts of India, being of Indian decent it was nice strolling through this section.

We decided to stop at the Chakranadi Chicken Shop for lunch. As I was standing inline I realized that the standby time for Kali River Rapids was showing zero. DH decided he didn't want to get wet, so he stayed with the baby as Nikki and I made our way through the maze towards the ride. I brought my camera along (it is always with – even at home) and I took some nice snapshots with the statues along the way. Another guest sitting in our raft kindly took before and after pictures of Nikki and me on the ride. Nikki was not amused by this ride and got way to wet for her comfort. The fact that we were sitting in the "hot seats" didn't help much. I like the ride, I would have like it better if Nikki was having fun on it also. You don't just get wet on this ride, you get soaked!!!!! But guess what although I had put my camera in the little cubby hole in the middle of the raft I had forgotten to put the autograph book in there, when I got off the ride and remembered the book was wet, luckily the autographs hadn't been ruined, but on some of them the ink from the lined side of the index card did run. Strike one for MOM – way to go. But I wouldn't let it bring me down.

After we got back to my DH and DD I changed Nikki's cloths and stood in line at the Chakranadi Chicken Shop for some lunch. As I was waiting all of a sudden I heard this weird screaming sound, when I looked up there were two real monkeys (they looked like King Louie- I'm not sure what species they were) and they were swinging off the wires up in the sky and making quite a racket, I had left my camcorder at the table- otherwise that would have been some footage. When it was my turn in line I was informed that they had run out of chicken and there would be a 15 minute for it. I had been spoiled up until now, I hadn't waited that long for an attraction, I wasn't going to wait for food that long. So I ordered the potstickers in a spicy broth (asked for the potstickers and the soup separate), and the fried rice. I purchased some Mcd's fries and we had our lunch. In the sitting area here there is an ancient looking bell, the girls got a kick out of ringing it – I'm sure it annoyed the people around us but no one complained.

We took some pictures of the girls in a rickshaw (their Grandmoms will get a kick out of those). We then headed towards the Maharajah Jungle Trek, again we went through but nothing exciting happened. We bought a Mickey Ice Cream bar, thankfully we only bought one and shared- those things are big.

There was only one showing left for Tarzan Rocks and I didn't want to miss it so we headed towards Dinoland. On the way we met Pooh, Eeyore, and Piglet at the Character greeting trail. By now baby DD had fallen asleep – too bad, Pooh is one of her favorites and both my kids were Pooh babies. After were done with Pooh & friends we made our way into Dinoland and to Tarzan Rocks! Within 20 minutes we were seated. And DH stood at the top to film it. I have to say this show is one of my favorite shows, I have always loved the songs from Tarzan, but the people performing it were quite outstanding, and the acrobats were wonderful. If you could only see one show at AK, make this be the one. But there is always a dark cloud to every silver lining, my camcorder battery died out just as Tarzan came out – and you k now what DH stayed back the entire performance because he was afraid of my reaction, needless to say I didn't want to make a scene, after all it wasn't his or anyone else's fault- but I felt like crying, also because now I couldn't tape Mickey's Jammin Parade – where we were headed to next!

We found a great spot to watch the Parade across from the Drinkwallah in Asia and it was the perfect spot. Most of the characters looked right at me and kids and waved. This parade is wonderful. I wouldn't miss it if I was visiting AK. In fact after the parade passed us Nikki decided she wanted to follow the parade, she danced behind the Parade sign until it passed through the gates and she couldn't follow it anymore. The CM holding the sign even motioned to Nikki to come and help her hold it- but Nikki was to shy to go and I didn't want to ruin her fun dancing, In face a lot of people pointed and waved at Nikki, the skinny, olive complexioned, naturally curly haired little nymph dancing behind the parade (another moment not captured on film– sniff!!!) but it was a truly magical moment for Nikki and for her MOM.

We had reservations a BOMA for 5:20, so we decided to make our way out of the park and to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We made it to Boma by 5:00 and waited for about 5 minutes before we were seated. We had a terrific table, with a view looking outside. My husband ordered the Victorian Mist drink, I took a sip and it was good. I loved the ambiance in the restaurant, and the food was good, according to my DH it was the best meal he had since arriving in WDW. The girls loved their spaghetti and meatballs with fries. They were also given their drinks in souvenir cups. I will list some of my favorites: ZEBRA DOMES (let's start with the dessert), Cassava Cake, Chicken Coconut Curry Soup, Potato with Afritude, Prime Rib…Everything was very good, I would give this restaurant a 4 out 5.

We decided to head back to the resort. We had early morning PS at CRT and wanted the girls to be well rested for their day in the Magic Kingdom. So I set the wakeup call for 6am and drifted off to sleep with flying elephants in my dreams…..I'll be at your place for breakfast Cinderella – See you then!

Monday Feb 4th 2002

Alright Mickey! Alright we're getting up. Mickey woke us up bright and early at 6am – okay it wasn't so bright yet. Luckily I had prepared all the clothes and the backpack before going to sleep. DH quickly showered and while I took my shower he woke up the girls and dressed them. We gave them each a sippy cup of milk and were on our way to have breakfast with the Princesses. We got to the bus stop at 7:20 and a CM was there was his trusty little palm pilot. The bus arrived within 10 minutes. I was getting a little worried as our PS was for 8am. But we reach the MK in 15 minutes and rushed towards the entrance.

There was a mob scene going on, everyone there had a PS for a character breakfast. The CMs showed up at 5 mins to 8 and I quickly walked up with my confirmation number, and was ushered through. We went through security check, and off we were. MK is truly gorgeous that early in the morning with minimal people around. I took pictures of my daughter with Minnie & Roy, the Indian, Walt & Mickey and in front of the castle. We then hurried to the castle restaurant and in no time we were shown up the circular staircase to the 3rd floor where the dining area is.

If you have never done this character breakfast before YOU HAVE TO DO IT!!! I loved every minute of it from the moment we walked in. The décor is beautiful and true to its theme. There were shiny armored knights in the corner, the cutlery was arranged in a cross, the goblets to drink from locked very authentic. We were seated right by the window and our view was fantasyland right in front of the carousel- excellent! Our server came over and he suggested pancakes with bacon for the kids and we obviously ordered the regular breakfast which included bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potato casserole, french toast and a cheese danish. The server brought us croissants and muffins before the breakfast came. You could also order the Healthy breakfast which included Muesli and yogurt – my DH couldn't say NO to that fast enough.

Everything in the breakfast was delicious, my DH's favorite was the cheese danish – I however enjoyed the potato casserole very much. While we were eating ALADDIN came to our table, Nikki was just staring at him with stars in her eyes. She was getting very shy with him and Aladdin was great, he asked her all kinds of questions and really spent time with her. My DH was filming and I was snapping away with my camera – PRICELESS. Nikki even asked Aladdin where ABU was, and he explained he couldn't bring the monkey to breakfast because he would eat everyone's waffles.

As Aladdin moved on to the next table we saw CINDERELLA, BELLE & SNOW WHITE enter the dining area, by now the kids had forgotten breakfast. Nikki was just staring at them walk from table to table, not taking her eyes off them for a minute. They finally arrived to our table and Belle loved the homemade autograph book with character's pictures on them, she even pointed it out to her friend Cinderella. The girls had a blast with all the princesses, because they came in a group to our table it was like a Princess Party- EXQUISITE! After pictures and lots of filming they also moved on to the next table, but before long JASMINE wandered over to our table and spent some time with my awestruck daughters. After this my DH and I attempted to finish our breakfast, our server inquired if we would like anything else but the portions are pretty big and we already having trouble with what we had. We tried to get the girls to eat- but food was now forgotten. After a few more minutes just sipping our coffee and tea soaking in the atmosphere, we reluctantly got up to leave (after paying the bill of course). As we were exiting Aladdin came up to us and again my daughter had that dreamy look in her eyes, he asked if she had enjoyed her breakfast and the Princesses. As I was asking them to pose in front of the knight for a picture with Aladdin, Nikki gave him a kiss on cheek – she never does stuff like that with men- and she quickly got embarrassed, Aladdin even joked that she should make sure that Jasmine didn't see her- again a MAGICAL moment.

With a light skip to my step we wound our way down the stairs and saw that the GODMOTHER was sitting on her throne entertaining the people waiting to enter for breakfast. As we waited my husband filmed the lobby area, he had truly enjoyed this breakfast and commented that he wanted to come back next time we visited. If a grown man of 30 – who doesn't much believe in MAGIC – can enjoy himself, imagine what the kids were feeling right now. After posing for pictures with the Godmother she commented to Nikki to wave at her in the parade. I was smiling and humming to myself as we walked up to the ropes, MK was about to open in a few minutes. All of sudden Goffy, Mickey, Minnie & Pluto passed through to make their way to the entrance as the rope was about to drop.

Walking into fantasyland is like walking in to a dream. I just wanted to stand and absorb my surroundings but Nikki saw the Flying Dumbo ride and had to get on, she had seen numerous pictures and footage of the ride so she knew where she was going. We got on the ride after the first round was through. I had sent DH to get fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan's Flight. From way up in the sky I saw my DH walking back and TIGGER was peering into our stroller and was sad that there was no kid in it- I couldn't get off the ride fast enough. When we finally came down I grabbed each daughter and ran towards where Tigger was. Nikki started running when she saw him and he saw her coming so he scooped her up and twirled her around in his arms. He started bouncing and playing with them, no other kids were really around yet, so they had personal private time with Tigger, who incidentally is Anjana's favorite.

After we said our good byes to Tigger we decided to take the Winnie the Pooh as there was no standby time. I love this ride. Nikki was a little apprehensive at first because it was a little dark, but she was soon ooohing & aaaahing and pointing just like her little sister. I made my DH film the entire ride so we could enjoy it again and again back home- Good Idea! After that we headed towards the Mad Tea Party as there was no lineup for that either. I turned the Tea Cups around so fast I thought I was going to throw up, my DH commented that out Tea Cup was the fastest. We then headed towards Peter Pan's flight as our fastpass time was approaching. On the way I made a mental note of the time that Ariel's Grotto would open and it stated 10:30. No problem we had plenty of time.

Nikki did not like the fact that Peter Pan's Flight ride is in the dark, but once she started seeing her favorite characters, she was ok. I never anticipated that Nikki would not like rides in the dark, she always jumps to new ideas and experiences, but alas she is only a kid. When we came out I noticed that people had stared lining up for Ariel's Grotto, so I went and stood in line as DH took a potty break. Within 25 minutes we were in the company of a beautiful mermaid. We had fun waiting to get to her. We took pictures in front of Ariel's statue and the kids had fun stepping on the spots on the floor that made what seemed to be a flushing sound. When they got to Ariel baby DD was mesmerized by the fin and Nikki was staring at her. Nikki was wearing a t-shirt that has all the princesses on it and she pointed Ariel out. Just as the Park Photographer and I were about to snap the shot of the girls with Ariel, baby DH laid her head down on the Ariel's fin- Click! I got it. Everyone else waiting in line all sighed (aaaaanh)- it was so cute- Another MAGICAL moment, are you keeping track!

As we made our way out I saw the QUEEN OF HEARTS walking away to take her break, the CM promised she would be out in a few minutes. I decided to wait, and surely enough she came back out within a few minutes and actually held Nikki's hand while she walked towards the Mad Tea Party. Nikki was wearing her "Birthday Pin" and the Queen motioned to me asking for her name. She signed her autograph "Happy Birthday Nikki", and pointed to her picture on the index card and gave me a thumbs up.

Next we bumped into GOVERNOR RATCLIFFE from Pocahontas, but Nikki refused to take a picture with him so baby DD and I stepped in. I needed for the CM to take our picture and she was talking to someone in line, so Ratcliffe stomped his feet angrily to get her attention- very in character of him. PRINCE JOHN was out & about, and he took his picture sucking his thumb- how cute! We then bumped into CRUELLA, and she drawled that she hated Nikki's shirt because she couldn't stand the Princesses and went further to inform me that Belle really wasn't a princess because she didn't marry the Beast. My DH thought she was kind of rude, so I had to explain that she was in character and was acting- he still didn't like it.

I decided that we should leave fantasyland (reluctantly), I wanted to see the show they put on in front of the castle and wanted a good spot. On the way we passed Cinderella's Fountain – I think they call it Rags to Richs, so I posed Nikki in front of it and took a cute picture. After securing a spot in front of the castle, I realized that there were characters around from the show signing autographs. Baby DD had fallen asleep by now, so Nikki and I headed over towards RAFIKI & TIMON. Soon all the characters started walking towards the castle for the show "Cinderella's Surprise Celebration" which was starting. Another extravagant performance which I loved and of course taped- I won't ruin the surprise! Afterwards the characters came back out for more autographs, we followed PINOCCHIO – Nikki loved this movie and has seen it about 35 times. Nikki stood on the bench and they both hugged as I snapped their picture, he also gave her 2 Pinocchio stickers. When then stood in line for CHIP `n DALE, who showed the CM their picture on the index cards.

I saw that Mickey was in front of the stage, but there was no line, you just had to stand by the rope and he was moving down it. I had bought Nikki a huge Mickey Stuffed toy back home, and brought it with me on the trip and today to MK in hopes that I could get Mickey to present it to her as a birthday gift. After inquiring with the CM, who wasn't very helpful, I decided I would get her close to Mickey and make it seem as if he handed it to me. IT WORKED. I told her that Mickey had just handed me the toy for her and I proceeded to take her picture with him before he disappeared. The things we do for a little magic. But it was worth it when I saw her run to her father and show him the birthday present that Mickey had given her, I got a thumbs up from DH along with a wink- I think he is starting to believe in MAGIC!

I wanted to go to Toontown so we made out way back, as we passed the Mad Tea Party I noticed that the MAD HATTER was signing autographs, so I brought Nikki over to meet him. When he noticed that Nikki had her birthday pin on, he informed her that it was his "unbirthday" today. He was a very funny character. In Toontown we decided to do Goofy's Barnstormer, I think this was the longest wait, almost had to wait half an hour. Nikki liked the ride so it was worth it. She also enjoyed all the funny displays you pass while in line. I took some pictures with her and the Goofy Scarecrow in the Popcorn patch. Next Nikki wanted to play in the playground next to Donald's Boat. Baby DH had been sleeping all this time and woke up as DH and Nikki were taking a tour of Minnie's house. The lines for the characters were way to long and we already had pictures and autographs with them, so we decided to leave Toontown.

It was getting close to Belle's Storytime in the Fairytale Garden. By the time we got to the garden there was only standing room in the back. I was looking forward to Nikki being picked for the show. As Belle arrived and the storytime began, a CM came over and asked Nikki to come with her – YEAH!!!! Nikki and two other kids were taken behind the huge chest and when they came out from behind it one was dressed as Lumiere, one was dressed as Mrs. Potts and my little Nikki was Chip. This was her first stage performance- I got teary eyed and my DH was busy taping the entire event. My little girl on stage with Belle – WOW! After the "production" was over the "cast members" were given stickers, and the rest of the crowd was lining up to get her autograph, but we already had a private meeting with Belle this morning at breakfast, so we left.

Next we walked through Frontierland looking for a place to eat, by now every place was packed. We kept walking enjoying the surroundings, I actually felt like I was in the wild old west. We found a place too sit around the corner from the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was an outdoor table area that looked like you were sitting somewhere in a desert tavern. I set down the family went in search of food. I ended up at El Pirata y el Perico counter service, where I purchased 4 taco kids meals (included drink and character cookies). We also purchased some fries from the wagon across from us.

After we finished we started into Adventureland and met CAPTAIN HOOK along the way. I grabbed fastpasses for Jungle Cruise and headed towards the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Nikki and I waited in line for 15 minutes before we were seated in a carpet. Along the way to the ride if you look down, there are jewels imbedded in to the ground, and the surrounding shops actually make it seem as if you are in the marketplace in Agrabah. Nikki loved the ride, I loved the camel that spits water at you while you are on the ride.

After we were done with Aladdin we headed towards the Jungle Cruise, I think I enjoyed this ride better than the Safari ride in AK. It was really fun pointing out all the animals to the kids, and they look like real animals. After we got off this ride I decided it was time to get a spot to watch the afternoon Parade, as we were on our way out of Adventureland I noticed the Aloha Isle and remembered those infamous Dole Whips, so I purchased one to eat as we waited for the parade to start- YUM! YUM! We found a curb spot right at the hub where all the different paths meet. During the Parade Snow White and Dwarfs danced in the street with the kids as the parade stopped. Another wonderful parade. Since we had only walked through Frontierland earlier we decided to go back. DH didn't want to go to Tom Sawyer Island, the Country Bear Jamboree was about to start and we just walked in and found a seat. Both kids fell asleep during the show which is very funny, but a little hard to understand for Nikki. As they kids had fallen asleep and we were close to the exit, we decided to leave just before the end of the show. There was a large group of people waiting for the next show and they laughed as we carried out two sleeping children, I assured them that the show was really good and had nothing to do with putting the kids to sleep.

Since both kids were sleeping I decided to do the Haunted Mansion, DH is too squeamish for that kind of stuff. I waited in line alone for about 15 minutes and was loaded into the chamber. This ride is a lot of fun and not scary at all. I especially loved the dining room scene with all the spirits dancing and eating. By the time I made my way back to the troop, everyone was awake. I suggested we go back to Fantasyland where the kids could enjoy themselves. We hadn't ridden the Carousel yet so off we went to Fantasyland. The Sword in the Stone Show was just ending so there was no line up for the Carousel. The standby lines for Dumbo and the rest of the rides by now were very long and the weather was getting chilly. DH decided to call it a day.

So we leisurely walked back down Main Street, picked up some more milk from the bakery and headed out. Since it was only 6:30 I suggested we ride the Monorail, DH wasn't too enthusiastic, but he went along. I asked the CM if we could ride up front with the driver, but he notified us that those seats were already spoken for, and rudely informed that he could not guarantee those seats for the next monorail, so we hopped onto this one and took the tour- uneventful. But it was beautiful seeing the castle changing colors from the monorail. After we arrived back at MK we got onto the CBR bus and headed back.

As I gave the kids a bath, DH went over to the food court for dinner. He brought back the Spaghetti Marinara for the kids (Kids meal would have filled me up just fine it was so big), and we had Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken & broccoli and a salad (Very good and very filling). By now the kids were asleep and I was very tired, after laying out the cloths for tomorrow I set the alarm and said good night. Tomorrow we conquer the world at EPCOT… Nighty Night.

Tuesday Feb 5th 2002

Mickey let us sleep in today, the alarm didn't go off until 7:30. I had wanted to take a walk around the resort this morning, and I had to make a stop at Custom House to register with the Disney Cruise Line. When we got out of our room it was very chilly, we quickly put the sweatshirts on the girls (Princesses for Nikki and Minnie for Anjana). Although it was cold it was a beautiful sunny morning and I very much enjoyed my walk around the grounds.

We grabbed some breakfast from the food court and headed towards the bus stop to catch the internal bus to Custom House. Once I got there I gave all my paperwork to the check in desk as the Disney Cruise Line people were not at their desk. I quickly walked back to the bus stop where I had left DH and daughters and we caught the bus to EPCOT which arrived about 2 minutes after I did.

When we reached Epcot I suggested to DH that we get a double stroller as there is a lot of walking to be done in Epcot. We asked the CM at the stroller rental if we could leave our personal stroller with them for the day, and she said no problem. So off we headed into Epcot with both daughters in the stroller (you will soon see that this was a waste of money). We headed towards Innoventions and DH went into the presentation presented by LUTRON on the Ultimate Home Theatre Experience. DH was gone for about half an hour as the girls and I roamed around, I was quite bored and couldn't wait for DH to come out. When he did he informed me that he loved the presentation and wanted to redo the house with the ideas he had gotten from the presentation (OH joy!!!)

We headed towards The Land and waited in line for the boat ride, but the kids were kind of cranky so we left and headed towards the Future World Fountain where Character Greeting was going to take place in 5 minutes. As we were approaching the fountain we saw the red Double Decker that was transporting MICKEY, MINNIE, DONALD, DAISY, GOOFY, CHIP `n' DALE, PLUTO, EEYORE & BALOO. I was excited because we hadn't met Donald yet in WDW. We stood in line for the various pictures. All the characters were dressed in their vacationing clothes. We took a family picture with GOOFY (who was steadily becoming DH's favorite). After pictures and autographs we took a picture of the girls in front of the bus with Mickey & Minnie in the background. As the characters were getting back on the bus we noticed Baloo was looking up Minnie's dress and even joked to Goofy about it (this was very discreetly done – but I noticed). After the troop moved on I took a picture of DH and the girls in front of the fountain with the Spaceship Earth in the background.

As we were walking we came across the leaping fountain. The girls got a kick out of trying to catch the fountain, DH thought it was cool also (the magic is still working). We decided to visit the Living Seas before heading towards the World Showcase. Nikki liked the exhibition with all the fish and sea creatures. I couldn't lure her away from the manatee. Just before we left baby DD fell asleep. We walked towards the entrance into the World Showcase but the rope hadn't dropped yet, so I purchased a passport and took some pictures of Nikki playing in the fountain.

As we entered into Mexico baby DD woke up and we walked right onto the El Rio Del Tiempo ride. I loved this ride as did the rest of the gang, one of my favorites in WDW I must say. Nikki was a little frightened as it is dark down there, but she got over it. As we were leaving I remembered I had to get the passport stamped. So I went back and waited in line at the cash register as the Kidcot stations hadn't opened yet. It would have been nice to eat at the restaurant – Cantina de San Angel but it was still too early for lunch.

We made our way into Norway and the girls ran for the teeter-totter located in front of the Viking ship. As they were playing I wandered into the Kringla Bakeri and I remembered the discussion on Lefse – so I decided to sample some. I shared the treat with the girls and didn't expect them to like it but they did! We moved on towards the Maelstrom ride and I was a little apprehensive in taking the girls on it (Nikki seemed to dislike rides in the dark- she was never afraid of the dark before this trip), but we went ahead anyway. I enjoyed the Mexican Boat Ride better than this attraction. We took some pictures of the kids on the bridge and decided to move on. I went into a shop to get the passport stamped before we left.

We strolled on into China and decided to just walk around in the gardens. We didn't enter the main building. I had forgotten to get the passport stamped while we were in China, but I returned at the end of the day to get it stamped. It was neat, the CM asked me the year of birth of the girls and she stamped the passport with the animal the corresponded with the years. This was one of my favorite stamps from Epcot.

As me moved along (of course the girls have yet to sit in the stroller we spent $15 on) we passed by the Outpost tent and snapped some cute pictures of the girls with the truck. The OrisiRisi band was getting ready to play so we stayed to hear it. I liked the rhythm but the girls didn't want to stay so we left.

We arrived in Germany and the Kidcot station was right at the entrance so each DD sat down and got to work on her mask. We then saw the miniature village – which incidentally really impressed DH. He even got out the camcorder and taped the train going through the village (Aah! A boy and his toys).

As we got close to Italy there was a huge crowd and we realized that the Masquerade Show was underway, we go there close to the end, but the performers then proceeded to walk around just in front of the pavillion. We got some terrific pictures of DH, DD and the one that looked like a Queen. And I took a picture with another one that was leaning against a lamppost. We stayed here for a while as the girls liked looking at the performers.

As we approached Japan, the Matsuriza (Traditional Japanese Taiko Drums) was in progress. Wow what a show, those people must have really developed arms to be able to hit the drums like that for 6 performances a day. After the show was over we wandered over to the pond and watched the colorful fish. Everyone was hungry now so we decided to eat at the Yakitori House. I bought the kids a Mickey's Child Deal (Fried chicken with mixed veggies and rice- teriyaki sauce and a drink), for us I bought the Beef Curry served on Udon noddles (very yummy- a little spicy but DH loves spicy food). We took some pictures around the beautiful pavillion. As we were walking over to the Japanese Gate the Character bus was there, but this time POOH had joined them. I was so happy as baby DD was sleeping when we saw Pooh at AK, so she was very excited to see him and was having trouble waiting in line. She gave Pooh a huge hug and just kept starring at him – Priceless!!!! We also took pictures with Chip & Dale and Piglet too. I was still a little hungry as DH and I had shared the meal at Yakitori, so I decided to splurge on Funnel Cakes. We were given a huge plate (powdered sugar), we sat down in front of the benches at the Japanese gate and just watched and relaxed as people went by. Nikki's mask was blown away by the wind and fell over the gate behind us on the benches- Oh Well!

As we approached Morocco, the Mo'Rockin Band was playing and the are awesome, we just sat down on the floor in front of them as others had and again Nikki just got up and started dancing (this child is not afraid to dance in public- Remember in AK). As we toured the Pavillion we were quite impressed with the architecture and the details in the buildings. We took some wonderful pictures in front of the fountain and around the pavillion.

We walked through France, unfortunately Imaginum was not being performed today.

As we arrived in the UK the street act "King Arthur's Holy Grail" was just setting up. I think this is one of the funniest acts I have seen in a long time. They choose participants from the audience. It is about 20 minutes long- but I was sad to see it end. I inquired about our PS at ROSE & CROWN for 7:30 as I wanted the lower patio seats, and I was informed to come back about 20 minutes before the PS time.

We moved on towards Canada and took some pictures and walked around basically. We had come full circle and it was only a little after 5pm. So we bought some popcorn in the Epcot bucket and decided to take a ride on the Friendship Boat. The girls were told that they could eat the popcorn only if they sat in the stroller. We just wheeled the stroller on to the boat (handicapped area) and enjoyed a jaunt through the World Showcase Lagoon. We got off at Germany and decided to scout a place for the Tapestry of Dreams Parade. We walked over all the way to between Norway and Mexico before we found a decent place to sit. I had missed getting some stamps from certain countries, so I decided to take this time before the Parade started to get them. Nikki wanted to come with me, we only made it up to China, the Dragon Legend Acrobats were performing so we stopped to watch them, this show is quite intensive as the people performing the acrobats are kids. Nikki enjoyed watching them. By the time the performance was over I decided to head back to our parade spot as it was after 6pm by now and the parade started at 6:30. About 15 minutes after I returned to our parade spot the announcer informed us that the 6:30 parade was cancelled due to strong winds. I was so disappointed as we would be having dinner when the second parade came through. This is the only parade I missed.

So we packed up the kids and started around the World again. It was starting to get dark and cold. We bundled up the kids and I started getting the stamps we had missed. We made it back in the UK by 7:00 so we decided to check in with Rose & Crown. They gave us one of those palm pilots and we roamed around, we could hear Off Kilter playing but decided to stay close to the restaurant. I took a picture of the girls in the British phone booth while we waited. When we were called to the podium our waitress directed us to our table, she started to give us a table inside, and I reminded her that we had asked for the patio table on the lower level. She asked us to hold on while she went to check. She came back and escorted us to the lower level patio. The table was a little wobbly and she tried to fix it but couldn't and gave us the table next to it. Two male servers came and fixed the table (which I preferred as there was nothing obstructing the view of the lagoon. When the waitress came back I asked if we could have the original table as it was fixed and she said no problem. At 8:10 we heard the music for Tapestry of Dreams and saw a few of the "floats" from afar- I wish I could have seen it up close.

I have to say if we did not have reservation at Rose & Crown we probably would not have stayed for the Illuminations. It was so cold that they had the heaters out on the patio- which made it very cozy. We ordered the Mushroom Medley and Lamb Barley soup to start off with. Baby DD was starting to doze off so I wanted her to eat something before she fell asleep. I was already stuffed with just the appetizers and we still had to order dinner. Nikki fell asleep after eating the soup. This was a very romantic time for us (well about as romantic it can get for us with 2 kids). Each kid had their head on our lap and their feet on their chair. So we ate our dinner in peace at the Rose & Crown on the patio overlooking the lagoon on a cold night with heaters all around us (AAAAH! Life doesn't get much better this). DH ordered the Roasted Prime Rib and I asked the server if I could just order dessert as I was already full. She said no problem. Just before Illuminations was starting we ordered coffee, tea and I had a Traditional Sherry Trifle. In my opinion I have had better tasting trifle than this, the whipped cream tasted like it had freezer burn, I did not finish the trifle.

Illuminations was wonderful, Nikki actually woke up during the show as it was so loud. For us is seemed as though we had the front row seats. My DH captured it all on video. The people who were watching the fireworks from the pavillions must have been freezing. We had the best seats in my opinion. There was no way we were going to keep sleeping children in the cold to watch fireworks – not even Illuminations. So we might have missed the parade but the Fireworks made up for it. After the show was over, we paid the bill, thanked our wonderful waitress- she truly made the experience enjoyable for us. We made our way back to the stroller rental to return their stroller and pick up our own (we got a Disney Dollar in return). Waited 10 minutes for CBR bus and were in bed in no time – exhausted. Tonight I dreamt of a Huge Sorcerer's Hat. Tomorrow we become Movie Stars

Wednesday Feb 6th 2002

Mickey woke us up around 7am this morning. We quickly got ready and headed to the food court as the Character Caravan was visiting CBR today. It was already starting to get very hot- what a change from chilly yesterday. We bought two Breakfast Specials from the Royal Pizza Shop. This breakfast is so big you have to share. After we finished we headed to where the characters were suppose to arrive- they were already there. MR.SMEE was there, PLUTO played peek-a-boo with baby DD and Nikki wanted to take a picture with MINNIE (I think so far this is picture #4 with Minnie). After the kids got their fill of character interaction, we walked to the bus stop and caught the MGM bus.

We snapped some pictures in front of the 100 Years of Magic sign. My DH wanted to get a picture with the old fashioned Coca Cola guy near the entrance. I wanted the girls to see the PlayHouse Disney show with Bear in the big Blue House, which was starting in half an hour. The line was already starting to get long. They do have TV sets while you wait inline and the kids get to watch TV while you wait. The show was wonderful. You get to set on floor and watch BITBB, Roly Poly Ollie, Pooh & Friends. The kids really enjoyed watching this show.

I head over to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I knew it was in refurbishment but someone in WDW had mentioned that it was opening up today ¡V But no such luck. However the CM informed me that ARIEL would make a special appearance at 12:00. We were the 1st ones in line. When they opened the doors we quickly went in and took pictures with Ariel.

As we went up New York Street (I was trying to get to Al’s Toy Barn) we decided to take in the Muppet 3D show as it was just starting and we walked right in. DH & I enjoyed the show, I had remembered a tip given by someone that if your child gets scared- just remove the glasses. Nikki was ok, Baby DD fell asleep.

We made our way over to Al’s Toy Barn and stood in line to meet BUZZ & WOODY. Nikki was disappointed that JESSE wasn’t there, but she got over it quick when she caught a glimpse of Buzz & Woody. She first got a picture with Woody alone as Buzz stamped the autograph book with their signatures. Then she got a picture with both of them. As were leaving the area a GREEN ARMY MAN approached us and he actually signed the autograph book as Green Army Man. I don’t know how they breathe in that costume. I wanted to get to the next showing for Beauty & The Beast so we raced across back towards Sunset Blvd. Took some pictures in front of the Muppet Fountain along the way and made it just as it was starting. LOVED this show and its special effects.

We decided to get some lunch at the ABC Commissary, we were making our way back towards the Hunchback of Notre Dame show. We bumped into KIDA from Atlantis behind the Sorcerer’s Hat, and MEG from Hercules was just leaving so we didn’t get to see her. I bought 2 Kid’s Meal Deal (fish/chicken nuggets, french fries & drink), I was keeping my appetite to eat at Hollywood & Vine for the Fantasmic Dinner package. We finished eating and headed towards the Hunchback show.

I found this show to be a little long but enjoyable as all Disney shows are. Afterwards I took a picture of Nikki & Anjana with the Singing in the Rain Umbrella, but to my disappointment it didn’t do anything special. We then decided the kids could let off a little steam at the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground. The kids loved this placed and we were having hard time getting them out of it. They especially loved the green slide with the huge Kodak Film on it. I wish I could have let them play longer and vowed to let them play as long as they want next time. For those of you who have little kids- DON’T MISS THIS PLAYGROUND!

It was getting to be close to the parade time so we made our way back to find a spot. On the way we took a picture of the girls in the 50’s car in front of the SCI-FI Diner, adorable. We had a hard time finding a spot to watch the parade and finally settled on a spot in front of the ABC Building. The parade was great, we were sitting in a spot where the motorcycle drivers were doing stunts right in front of us. Nikki was happy that she got a chance to see JESSE, even though she didn’t come towards us. The car floats are really imaginative and this was a terrific parade. We hadn’t seen ALICE in WDW yet and she was also in the parade.

After the parade was over we just walked around and ended up at Echo Lake where we just sat and rested on a bench near Hollywood & Vine. We had a PS for 5:20 for dinner and DH looked sort of tired so we just relaxed. Dinner was pretty good at H&V, nothing spectacular but there was a lot of variety. And remember the kids have been eating for free at the buffets (CRT, BOMA, H&V). In this buffet the drink is included. Our waiter was very good, so far we hadn’t had a bad experience with a waiter. As we were leaving we asked the waiter for two glasses of milk and filled up the kids sippy cups. The waiter handed us our Fantasmic Ticket and we decided to make our way toward the special entrance as it was already 6:15.

We walked right in, but boy what a trek to the seating area. I even joked with a CM that this was the reason they made us eat before coming to Fantasmic. We were one of the first ones to there and got seats in the special section right next to the ropes that mark off the area. As we were waiting Nikki had to go potty, so I made my way up and asked a CM if he would remember that I was from the special section, he was a wonderful older gentleman who informed me that he could never forget a girl as beautiful as my daughter (How’s that for Disney magic). We returned and DH informed that the Popcorn lady had come and gone, I wanted the Fantasmic Bucket so I went in search of her. I had asked my DH for $5 (I had been using the Key to the World Card for all my purchases). But to my disappointment the bucket of popcorn cost $5.50. So I wound my way back towards our seat- I wasn’t about to go after her again. Just as I approached DH informed me that Baby DD had a loaded diaper. So off I went again towards the restrooms, where that kindly gentleman inquired as to how I could possibly have 2 such beautiful daughters, and the offered that they took after their mother (be still my beating heart). When I got back to my seat, DH and Nikki were having fun doing the “WAVE” with the rest of the audience. They kept doing it until finally it stopped and soon the show started.

I LOVED THIS SHOW!!!!!!! I know I keep saying this, but this is by far my favorite Disney Show. Amazing is not a strong enough word for it. Anyone going to MGM can’t miss this show. I was just speechless on the way back to CBR.

Back at the hotel we had to start packing as DCL was picking up our luggage by 8am. So I gave the kids a bath (It had been a hot sticky day) and put them down to sleep. I then headed towards the laundry building, which we could see from our room it was so close. I had brought along detergent (Ivory Snow) and Dryer sheets from home and did one load of laundry. After I had packed the bags I fell into bed and fell asleep right away- tonight dreaming of a ship that would make all my dreams come true. Bon Voyage!

Tomorrow- Port Canaveral/Embarking the WONDER

As I have come to the end of my WDW experience I wanted to mention some key things that might help someone else who is planning a trip, I know this list really helped me.

· Definitely go do CRT even, if you don’t have kids.
· Make reservation at Rose & Crown for 7:30 and ask for a table on the lower patio- excellent view of Illuminations
· Take advantage of the Fantasmic Dinner Package, It is worth it
· At CBR ask for Aruba Village, it gives you the chance to take a lovely walk over the bridge and through Parrot Cay Island
· Eat at BOMA. Yummy food and extraordinary atmosphere at AKL
· Get a Birthday Pin from City Hall. It truly does make your stay magical.
· My stroller came in very handy, especially at the end of the day when we were walking back to the bus stops, however it was hard to take out a sleeping child and fold the thing up to get on the bus. Most of the times someone gave us a hand.

Read Sonia's cruise portion of her trip.