Trip Report WDW Trip #5 - Retro Disney II (1998/99 edition)

Hi folks!

Some time ago, I reposted from my travel diary my trip report from a WDW trip I made when I was 14. Within the same book, I have another trip report from nearly two years later, so I thought I would repost it here for you all to read.

Background

As of now (July 2014), I have made seven trips to WDW. The first three were when I was quite young, and my memories of those trips are a bit hazy. The fourth trip was the original Retro Disney report. My fifth trip is the one being reported here, and you can read all about my seventh trip here.

There is no report for my sixth trip, unfortunately. However, I can sum it up as follows. First, it was very hot. Then it was very cold. Also it was very busy.

Anyway, I digress. In this trip report, over the next week, I will post a day's entry each day, so it will be in pseudo-real time. As I said in the original Retro Disney report, I was quite young when I wrote this, so it's not brilliant, but hopefully you will enjoy seeing WDW through the eyes of a 16 year old.

But first, an introduction to the cast of characters:

Dramatis Personae

• Me - 16 years old. This is my fifth time visiting WDW.
• My brother - 13 years old. This is his third visit.
• My folks - xx years old. This would be their sixth or seventh visit. Additionally, my Dad has visited DL in California before.

So, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Prologue

It has been almost 2 years since we last went to Florida. In that time, there have been a few changes at Disney World. The most notable change is the addition of a new park; the Animal Kingdom. Also, we are intending to go to the Kennedy Space Centre (sic) this time too. That will be good.

Monday, December 28, 1998 - DAY 1

The day I have been waiting for has arrived. I am quite happy, considering we were not going to Disney this year and if we were, we certainly were not going to stay on the property. But we are! We are staying at Disney's All Star Music. It sounds fun.

We got up at 7:00am and were out of the house by 0845. We got to the long stay car park at 1030. We then caught a bus to Gatwick's South Terminal and checked in. We had to wait a while to check in. After check in, we looked at some shops and then I had a cup of tea and a chicken and bacon sandwich at Seattle Coffee Company. Dada had a coffee, Mum had a cup of tea and a BLT and my brother had a cappucino and a chocolate fudge brownie and caramel waffle things. Then we went through passport control where Mum had her bag searched. Then Dad got a duty free ????? (Ed: my handwriting is illegible at this point!). We looked around a bit more before heading off to the gate in a shuttle train. On arriving at the gate we heard a message that our flight was delayed due to a technical problem. This means the flight will leave at 1500, not 1400 as previously intended. When we boarded, we got a little bag of goodies and found our little TV screens. The flight is due to take 9 hours and 20 minutes. I may watch "The Avengers" and "Armaggeddon". However, at the moment, all there is is Sky News. Hopefully this will change.

(Ed: there's lots of nonsense here about airline food and the flight, which is really boring, so I'll skip it!)

We landed at 1920 local time. When we went through customs and another X-ray scanner, I got bleeped and then my bag was searched! Then we got on a bus to the car rental place. When we got our car, there was a problem; Mum's seat wouldn't go back. So we ended up with another with a New Jersey license plate. Then we drove to All Star Music resort in the thick fog. We got our room key/entrance card. After that, we bought some food and headed to our room. We unpacked a few things before eating a couple of things then going to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Tuesday, December 29, 1998 - DAY 2

This morning, we went to the Magic Kingdom. The first thing we went on was The Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we all went on Splash Mountain. After that, my brother and Dad went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, while Mum and I looked at some shops. Then we all met up and went on the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World. My brother and I decided to go on the cable cars to Tomorrowland and Mum and Dad met us at the other end. When we met up, we went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Then we all went on this new ride called "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin". It was excellent and very clever. What you had to do was shoot this gun at these targets as you moved along. You could also rotate the vehicle to help aim. I did not get any points, nor did my brother. Mum got 15000 points, and Dad got over 50000 points which was good. We then went to a place in Fantasyland for a drink and half a pretzel. I say half, because these things are massive. Then we intended to go on the Jungle Cruise but we found out the queue was too long. So we went to EPCOT. On the way out, we went into this little bit in Main Street USA and saw a couple of cartoons before taking the Magic Kingdom railroad.

When we got to EPCOT, we found that Test Track was open. Test Track was supposed to be new for 1997, but will be fully operational in 1999. However, the queue was over 2 hours long. So we went to Horizons which had no queue. During this holiday, we have learned that queues will be long. After Horizons, we went on the Mexico ride. Then we walked around the World Showcase, then into Innoventions. We watched a show about heat before returing to All Star Music. We had a few snacks before going to TGI Friday's. At TGIF's, I had a pepperoni pizzadilla, my brother had chicken strips, and Dad and Mum had mushroom steak mushroom. Then we looked around at the shops and one of the shops, Jungle Jim, that Mum wanted to go to was now a restaurant. We also got our 1998 Xmas decoration. Then we returned to the resort and went to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Wednesday, December 30, 1998 - DAY 3

In the morning, we went to EPCOT. But, for breakfast, we had doughnuts that we bought yesterday. The first thing we went on was Spaceship Earth. Then we went on Universe of Energy. We also went on Body Wars and Cranium Command. Then we went on Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which was as good as it was last time. Then we walked around the World Showcase. At Canada, Mum and I shared a pork sandwich. It was no ordinary sandwich. It was fresh, had onions and was extremely tasty. At the United Kingdom bit, we started talking to a "cast member" from the UK. His name was Stuart and he was friendly. We talked to him for a while before continuing our journey around the World Showcase. We went on the Maelstrom ride at Norway. Then we went to Horizons. When we finished at Horizons, we went back to All Star Music. Then we drove to a mall. I saw a Flyers top, but it was $75 which is over £40. We looked around for a bit, then got into the car and drove around. We found somewhere to eat. It was called "Outback". At Outback, my brother had a cheese burger, I had a Drover's Platter, which is a rack of ribs and chargrilled chicken. Mum had a strip steak and Dad had a prime rib. We also had a started; cheese fries. I would have finished my meal if I didn't have starters! We then returned to the resort and then we went to the Magic Kingdom. At the Magic Kingdom, we went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Then we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean then the Jungle Cruise. That was good in the dark. Then we returned to the resort and went to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Thursday, December 31, 1998 - DAY 4

This morning, we went to the Magic Kingdom before breakfast. We went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Buzz Lightyear's ride, the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean. On Buzz Lightyear's ride, I am the only one not to score any points - yet. After the Pirates of the Caribbean, we left the Magic Kingdom and headed out and about. We had breakfast at Perkins off Route 192. I had 5 buttermilk pancakes with bacon, my brother had a 2 egg combo with hash browns and pancakes, Dad had eggs and Mum had Eggs Benedict. It was really nice. Then we went to the Kennedy Space Centre (sic). It is really good. We went inside a Space Shuttle; saw some exhibits. Then we took the bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V centre. This was really good. We saw a real Saturn V rocket, real Apollo command module and touched a real moon rock. We also saw two shows; one about Apollo 11, and it's problems that I never knew it had and another show about Apollo 8. They were both excellent. Then we went to Launch Complex 39A and saw some real launch pads. Then we went to the International Space Station Complex. There we saw some real bits of the ISS which will be launched in the near future. We also walked through mockups of them. Then we returned to the Visitor Complex. I bought a guidebook and a keyring coming to a total of $11.55. Then we had a snack. We had something called Space Dots. These are little balls of ice cream that spacemen would have. They were nice but felt really strange when you ate them. After that, we left KSC and went to a restaurant on the Route 192, home of Perkins and Outback. The restaurant was an Italian one called Pacino's. My brother and I had chicken parmesan, which is chicken with melted cheese and spaghetti sauce with pasta. Dad had the same, only with eggplant (aubergine) and Mum had an Italian Sausage thing. It was nice. Then we returned to the room and watched The Naked Gun 33 1/3 and went to bed at 2300.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Friday, January 01, 1999 - DAY 5

Happy New Year. This morning we went to MGM Studios. The first thing we went on was Star Tours. Then we went to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Tht was excellent too. At the beginning, people were selected to be extras. I wasn't one of them. Nor was Mum, Dad or my brother. Then we moved on and went on the Big Movie Ride, then my brother and Mum went on Star Tours again while Dad and I went to the Making of Armaggeddon. That was OK. It told you how they go about writing a score for a film. Then we left MGM and went to the new park; Animal Kingdom. It is good if you like that sort of thing. I don't. (Ed: don't worry, readers - I have changed!). We walked around a bit then we went to the Disney Village Market Place. We looked at the shops and at the one called Team Mickey, I bought a Flyers keyring for $6.36 inc. tax. Then we left the Marketplace and returned to MGM Studios for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. Before that, we all went on Star Tours again then we looked at these illuminations which were excellent. They made pictures and they completely covered the houses we walked past. Then we went to the restaurant and saw these old sci-fi clips that were so rubbish they were funny. We all had burgers. Then we went back to the resort and went to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Saturday, January 02, 1999 - DAY 6

The first place we went to today was the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, my brother and I headed for Space Mountain, while Mum and Dad went on the TTA. Space Mountain is a roller coaster in the dark and is excellent. Then my brother and I went on the racing cars. After that, we went on Buzz Lightyear, where I scored my first points when the ride stopped. Then we all went to Fantasyland and went on Peter Pan and It's a Small World. Then we all went on the Haunted Mansion which stopped halfway through. It was a bit scary. After that, we went on Splash Mountain and on the way down the big drop, I stuck my arms out in the air. It felt weird. Then we went to the Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we had lunch at the Plaza Pavilion. We all had chicken strips and fries. It was southern fried chicken and really nice. Then we went on the Carousel of Progress and then we all went on the TTA. The Carousel of Progress is good. Then we left the Magic Kingdom and went to EPCOT.

At EPCOT, the first thing we went on was Spaceship Earth, where I took photos of inside. I don't think they will come out. Then we all went to Living with the Land in the Land pavilion. It was OK. Then we saw the Food Rocks show in the same pavilion. It was boring. Then we went to the World Showcase, and I bought a small Mexican hat to go on my wall from Mexico. Then at the American Adventure, I had funnel cake. After the World Showcase, we went to the Centorum; a big shop. Mum bought 2 picture frames. After that, we stopped at a kiosk so Dad could look for a CD of Cast in Bronze. We saw Cast in Bronze next to the Innovensions Plaza. They have an instrument called a carelon which is a load of bells joined together. They were good. Then we went to Horizons and at the end, we went back by desert. Then we went on Spaceship Earth again. After that, we left EPCOTand journeyed back to All Star Music. We went by car to Route 192 and found the New York Pizza Company. We shared a big 16 inch pepperoni pizza with mushrooms on one half. It was great. Then we went to Dunkin' Donuts and picked up a box of 12 donuts and took them back to the resort. We had our donuts then went to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Sunday, January 03, 1999 - DAY 7

The first thing we did was to go to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf. It was excellent. I didn't do too well, and Dad won. Mum came third and my brother came second. Then we had a drink. After that we went to Downtown Disney. We looked around Pleasure Island and the West Side and the Marketplace. We saw this really good magnet shop. There was also the biggest Virgin Store I had ever seen. But they didn't do PAL videos. Then we returned to the resort and took the bus to EPCOT. At EPCOT, we went on Spaceship Earth, then we looked in the Land, then came out and my brother bought a big bucket of popcorn. Mum and I had a hotdog each. Dad had bits of my brother's popcorn. Then we walked around the World Showcase and went in the Maelstrom ride in Norway and the Mexico ride, which I now know is called El Rio de Tiempo (The River of Time). Then we went in Innoventions for a bit, then we all went to Horizons and returned by space route. After that my brother and I went on Spaceship Earth. After that, we all went back to the resort and drove to Chevy's - a Mexican restaurant. The food there was good (apart from the tamale). I had a combo of many Mexican dishes, Mum and Dad had smaller versions with different things and my brother had a chicken quesadilla. It was great. Then we went to the supermarket and got some jelly beans for our friends as well as some other stuff. Then we returned to the resort and started packing for tomorrow. Whilst doing that, we watched the end of the Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks ice hockey match. Detroit won 3-1. Then I went to sleep.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Monday, January 04, 1999 - DAY 8

This morning, while Dad and Mum were finishing packing, my brother and I went to All Star Music's amusement arcade. We played 2 games of air hockey. He won the first 7-4 and I won the second 7-3. When we returned to the room, Mum and Dad were just about ready, so we left All Star Music and checked in our baggage at the Virgin check in place at Downtown Disney. Because my brother bought a toy gun, we have to go through the Red Channel on arrival at Gatwick. Then we all went to Perkins for breakfast where we all had the same, except Mum had an omelette. After that, we drove to the Magic Kingdom. We went on Buzz Lightyear, where I scored my first points whilst moving (100 pts!!!). Then we went on the TTA, then on the Timekeeper show. After that, we went on Snow White's Adventures which was OK. Then we all went on Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we left the Magic Kingdom and went to EPCOT. On the way from the Transportation and Ticket Centre to EPCOT, we got to sit in the vert front of the monorail with the driver. At EPCOT, we went on Spaceship Earth, then The Living Seas, and then we went into the Innoventions pavilion. After Innoventions, we went to Horizons and returned by desert route. Then we left EPCOT, returned to the Transportation and Ticket Centre where the car was and headed to the Alamo Rent-a-Car place. We caught the Alamo bus (with it's corny jokes and annoying music) to Orlando airport. Because we had already checked in our bags, we walked past the very large queues for the Virgin check in. We then walked about and found a food court. We each had sandwiches with bagels instead of normal bread. Then we looked at more shops before heading off to the gate. We caught a little train to the gate area where more shops awaited us. We went straight to the gate and boarded half an hour later.

(Ed: the rest is a load of stuff about the flight, airline food and arrival procedures. To summarise, we landed, got our bags, picked up the car and got home around lunchtime.)

THE END









Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Now I just need to go again so I can write another trip report!