The Dad and Chad Disney Adventure Report

Dates: January 20-23, 2001

Adventurers:

• Jennifer Watson: 32, Disney veteran and co-author of PassPorter Walt Disney World, on her umpteenth trip to Disney (from Ann Arbor, MI)
• Tom Anderson (Dad), 58, armchair traveler, first trip to Walt Disney World (from Lansing, MI)
• Kim Larner (Sister), 29, 4-mo. pregnant with second child, sixth trip to Disney (from Lansing, MI)
• Chad Larner (Brother-In-Law), 28/29, fifth trip to Disney (from Lansing, MI)

Transportation: Northwest Airlines (Jennifer and Dad), Southwest Airlines (Kim and Chad), and Tiffany Town Car

Resort: Fairway Villa at Disney Institute

Parks: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Magic Kingdom, Pleasure Island, and DisneyQuest

Restaurants/Eateries: House of Blues, Restaurantosaurus, Rose & Crown, Hollywood & Vine, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, Whispering Canyon Cafe, and Cinderella's Royal Table.

"Rise and shine!" giggled Mickey in my ear at 6:30 am. Does anyone else have a problem with his morning perkiness? Nonetheless, the wake up call did its job and I rolled out of bed. Boy, what a mistake that was! Once out from under the covers, I realized it was very cold in the villa -- maybe 50 or 55 F. I shivered my way down to the first floor to check the thermostat. It looks like someone (read: me) set the thermostat too low yesterday in an attempt to cool off the villa and forgot to reset it before bed. I hastily turned the dial up to 75 and skulked back upstairs, hoping no one would figure it out.

Back in my room, a small battle with the shower ensued. First, you must understand I'm not a shower person -- give me a nice, hot bath any day. I consider showers a necessary evil in life and generally despise them. And with the frigid air in the villa, I was dreading any state that required bare skin. Hoping to warm up the bathroom a bit, I turned the shower faucet all the way over to "Hot," closed the bathroom door to keep in the steam, and huddled under the covers for a few minutes. Once I figured the bathroom would be nice and toasty, I opened the door to discover nothing had changed. A quick test of the water revealed it was cold! My shower was cold! I fiddled with the faucet controls in desperation, eventually discovering that the "Warm" setting gave me lukewarm water. I had a VERY quick shower, in constant fear that even the warm water would disappear. I finished the ordeal, cleaner and colder than before, and resolved to call housekeeping when I had a chance.

By the time I came downstairs again, everyone was up and ready to go. Kim and Chad volunteered to go with me to rent a golf cart (recreation rentals opened at 7:30 am), so we set off into the chilly morning air. It took about 15 minutes to walk from the Fairway Villas over to Recreation Rentals on Willow Lake. When we arrived we discovered construction fencing around the building and no signs indicating where we should go. We stepped into Reflections Cafe, which had apparently just opened that morning after a rehab. The relatively new cast member made a call and informed us that Recreation Rentals was at the Front Desk now. We grumbled something about how we'd passed the Front Desk on our way over here and set off again. Once we found Recreation Rentals, the rental procedure was relatively painless (I gave him my room card, he gave me a key). We found our cart (#33), piled in, and zipped back to the villa. Ah, nothing like a cold blast of air in your face to get you going in the morning!

If you've never used a golf cart at Disney, you should know that these are small, virtually noiseless, and electrically-powered. They don't go very fast (maybe 10-15 mph at most) and will slow down when going up hills. The electric carts rented to guests at the Disney Institute lack windshields (hence the cold air in our faces), but they are covered. They fit four adults fairly comfortably (we all fit fine). At the Disney Institute, you can use the electric carts to get around the resort and to get to Downtown Disney. Cart parking (with electrical hookups for recharging) are available next to Downtown Disney Marketplace and West Side. The carts are fun to drive and very convenient when you're somewhere as spread out as Disney Institute.

Back at our villa, we parked the cart under the building and plugged it into the wall to recharge. Each villa had a designated spot for parking a cart and a car. Then it was off to the bus stop to wait for a lift to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Dad, Kim, and Chad waiting at Bus Stop #2

On the bus, my Dad was full of questions. "What's that?" "Old Key West." "What's that?" "That's still Old Key West." "What's that over there?" "The former Disney Vacation Club resort." I oh-so-patiently pointed out the resorts and parks we passed. Everyone seemed very interested in the McDonald's along the way (no surprise there). We made it to Disney's Animal Kingdom by 8:30 -- too late for the opening ceremony but with enough time to get to our breakfast at Restaurantosaurus at 9:00. 

Just inside the Animal Kingdom gates, my sister and I made a "beeline" for the ECV (Electric Conveyance Vehicle) rental podium. Before we ever left Michigan, we talked to Dad about using an ECV (or "ATV" as he kept calling them). He felt he could walk on his own without tiring (so long as we walked at his pace). We also think he was laboring under a false impression that ECVs were for the elderly or ill. We had explained that ECVs were very common at Walt Disney World and that he wouldn't feel strange about using one. In the end, he was still resistant. But we're just as stubborn as our Dad. We rented the ECV ($30/day + $10 deposit) and then worked on convincing him to use it. Once we'd actually rented it, he seemed more amenable to the idea. Perhaps he'd just been worried about the cost. He hadn't used one before, however, so it took a while to figure it out. Unfortunately, the ECVs you rent at Disney are one speed only -- either stop or go. But otherwise they do the job.

Once Dad was settled in his ECV, we entered the Oasis and headed into the heart of the park. Crowds were very light. This was the first time Kim, Chad, and Dad had visited Disney's Animal Kingdom, so we took our time and let everyone soak it in. Breakfast was beckoning, though, so we headed directly to Restaurantosaurus in DinoLand. In the mornings, Restaurantosaurus offers a character breakfast with Donald Duck, called Donald's Prehistoric Breakfast (appropriately enough). We had priority seatings, but the wait was still long. A rather grumpy photographer took our picture in front of a Donald's backdrop, and then we waited some more. I decided to "duck out" and take a brisk walk over to Kilimanjaro Safaris to get FASTPASSes for everyone. Leaving my waist pack with my sister, I gathered everyone's passes into my PassHolder (a pouch with a neck strap), made my way to the Safaris, got the FASTPASSes, put them in the back pocket of the PassHolder, and walked back to Restaurantosaurus -- all in about 15 minutes, just in time to be seated. Breakfast was plentiful and filling -- lots of eggs, bacon, hash, fruit, and pastries. We noticed about halfway through our meal that there were three "filling stations," each with some different items. Goofy and Donald paid us a friendly visit, and I got some pictures of Goofy with my Dad. The service was great and the atmosphere was fun, though the restaurant was noisy and a bit on the chilly side. The meal was $15.95/person + tax.

Goofy and Dad... see the resemblance?

Chad and Kim mugging for the camera with Goofy

After breakfast, we journeyed back to Africa to go on the Kilimanjaro Safaris with our FASTPASSes. With my Dad in the ECV, we were diverted to the wheelchair-access queue. We waited in a separate area just beyond the regular boarding point for a vehicle to arrive. We then waited for more guests to arrive and fill up the vehicle. But the wait was worth it for my family -- they LOVED the Safaris! My Dad kept asking me if the animals were real, as he just couldn't believe his eyes. Even when an ostrich came right up to the vehicle and poked its head in (yes, really!), my Dad still wasn't sure if it was real or Disney. Neither Kim nor Dad minded the bumps, which I noticed weren't as intense as usual -- perhaps due to the fact that we were in the wheelchair-accessible vehicle. 

After the Safaris, Kim and Chad turned left and walked through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Dad and I went directly to Asia, where I left Dad with a cup of joe and walked over to "It's Tough to be a Bug!" for more FASTPASSes (do you see a trend here?) We met up again with Kim and Chad, pottered around a bit in shops (Dad got a new hat), then went in to see the Bug show. Again, we were diverted to a separate holding area, which led into the front row of seats for the show. I encouraged Dad to transfer from his ECV to a seat -- I wanted him to feel the full effect of the show. Did they like it? They loved it! The only complaint was that it was too short (8 minutes). I agree.

We decided to head back to the villa after the show, so we dropped off the ECV (I got my deposit back and a receipt for our next park) and lumbered back to the buses. On the way, Donald caught sight of my Dad with his cane and imitated Dad's gait, complete with an imaginary cane. Donald did a good Dad. When we returned to the villa, we gobbled some snacks to tide us over 'til dinner and then took a quick jaunt over to the Treehouses in the golf cart. I've stayed in the Treehouses many times and my family was curious what they were like. Essentially, they are three-bedroom, two-bath villas in octagon-shaped, free-standing buildings. They have lots of stairs and decks, and are quite rustic. We like them, especially for group trips. I had decided not to use them on this trip due to all the stairs, though.

Our next stop was Epcot, where we picked up another ECV for Dad. Spaceship Earth had a short wait, so we headed back to the wheelchair-access point in the Global Neighborhood. Dad left his ECV to board and found the moving platform hard to navigate while maintaining his balance. Everyone enjoyed the ride, though Kim doesn't like riding backward at the end.

After Spaceship Earth, I walked ahead to get a FASTPASS for Test Track (Chad wanted to ride it; the rest of us passed it up due to Kim's pregnancy and Dad's disability). I met up with them outside Universe of Energy (Ellen's Energy Adventure) and just squeaked into the next show. Dad was intrigued by the moving "theatre seats." I took advantage of the dim light to close my eyes and rest a bit. Getting up at 6:30 am just doesn't agree with me.

Once Ellen's nightmare ended, Chad went off to ride Test Track and the rest of us wandered into the World Showcase. Dad had really been looking forward to just browsing through the "worlds" and he wasn't disappointed. And Kim and I got a good laugh when we showed Dad the Coke coolers at the Refreshment Outpost -- if you're not familiar with them, they squirt water when someone lifts their lids. A most refreshing experience for Kim and I, if not for Dad.

At Germany, we met up with Chad, then Dad and I left to see The American Adventure Show. We had a long wait until the next show, during which time we entirely missed the Tapestry of Nations parade going on outside. This was intentional, though, as Dad appeared to have reached his saturation point and I knew he found it hard to navigate his ECV in crowds. The American Adventure Show was as moving as always, and my Dad found the Audio-Animatronics remarkable. 

Dad waiting for The American Adventure

After the show, we met Kim and Chad in the Japan pavilion (they were engrossed by the Taiko drummers) and walked to United Kingdom for dinner.

I had made 7:30 pm priority seating arrangements for Rose & Crown, hoping for a seat on the patio to view IllumiNations. Of course, I hadn't counted on it being so cold. But a quick check of the patio revealed that heat lamps were in place and plastic "walls" were keeping the chill air out. We ended up at the best patio table -- the one on the wall all the way down along the patio. We shared the fruit and cheese plate ($5.50, one of my favorite dishes!), then fish and chips for everyone ($13.75). Dad ordered a half-pint of Guinness against our advisement (it was the only alcohol he got on the trip). Dinner was served quickly, and we found ourselves finished at 8:30. So we lingered a bit and ordered two desserts -- Lemon Posset and Chocolate Guinness Cake ($3.95) -- to wait out our time until IllumiNations.

IllumiNations was as spectacular as ever. I noticed it was harder than usual to see the fireworks in the sky due to an overhang in front of us. When I'd seen IllumiNations from this exact table in September (with British readers Mikki and Andrew Young), I didn't notice this obstruction. The overhang may not have been there, or I may just be remembering wrong. Even with the obstruction, we thoroughly enjoyed the show. My Dad was astounded that they did put on such a show every night! Yep, "every freakin' night," as Adventurers Club Aviator Hathaway Browne would say. And my sister thought IllumiNations was the most magical point of the day.

After the show, we slowly made our way to the exit, keeping our eyes peeled for Linda, our friend who'd helped us find the great deal on the Fairway Villas. Linda was waiting for us by our bus stop, but then, that's her job (more or less). She's a Disney Transportation cast member. In fact, we call her the Goddess of Transportation, and for good reason. We met her on a group trip five years ago -- she picked up our rowdy group from Pleasure Island at 2 am, bypassed the regular bus stop, and dropped us off right at our door in the Treehouse Villas. We've been fans of hers ever since! We thanked Linda profusely, caught up on old times, and then it was time to board our bus back to the Disney Institute.

Once we were back at the villa, we "encouraged" Dad to get some rest while we escaped to Pleasure Island. Dad admitted that the ECV had been helpful -- he wasn't sure how he'd have been able to do all that walking without it. Nonetheless, he was still very tired and ready for bed. Besides, Kim, Chad, and I needed some kids-only time. We took the golf cart to Downtown Disney -- what a fast trip -- and walked to Pleasure Island. Once inside, we went directly to the Adventurers Club. We had time to see two shows in the Library, one of which included a presentation of Spam haiku. Very funny, as always! Emil Bleehall was in particularly good form this evening, no doubt owing to his glee at having won the Balderdash Cup. Again.

By 1:00 am, we were dragging. We made it back to the cart in 5 minutes and were home by a quarter after. We just loved that cart! We all went to bed directly, anticipating a full day tomorrow at Disney-MGM Studios.

From Our PassPorter:
The weather today was clear and sunny, but very cold.
The best thing today was showing my Dad all the stuff he'd only read about in books!
The worst thing today was the weather -- it was just too cold for Florida. Everyone was freezing.
Today we tried using an ECV (for Dad) and the result was mostly good -- Dad didn't complain of being tired, but he found the ECV hard to navigate.
The most magical moment today was watching The American Adventure Show, just Dad and me. I don't know why, but I get a little misty everytime I think of it. I have a feeling that from this point on, that attraction will always remind me of my Dad.

Notes For Next Time:

• Make sure my travel companions bring warmer clothes and jackets when traveling in January.
• My Dad would like to spend more time in Epcot if he is able to visit again.
• If we skip lunch again, make sure everyone has a substantial snack to keep up their energy. My Dad seem to wilt a bit in the afternoon.
  

Next: Day Three