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To the left is myself (on
the right) with my parents. The rain only lasted for about an hour, but is doesn't really
help in keeping the humidity down. As planned, we
visited the Magic Kingdom on the second day. We figured it would be less crowded before
the weekend. We have heard and read that it is really crowded when the park opens in the
mornings and that it's a real stampede of people as they try to get to the popular rides
early. |
| We got there early and were almost in the
front of the line and when the gates opened there were none of the running and crushing of
people as we thought there would be. We have never seen the rides inside the park and
planned our route in the park according to the Unofficial Guide. We immediately headed for
Splash Mountain and when we got there, there was no wait. We were so surprised that we
immediately got onto the ride. |
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We saw part of the ride from the outside and
noticed that there is a big drop at the end. We feel kind of bad just getting on the ride,
since we didn't even think about our parents and whether they would enjoy it. Afterwards
they commented that they enjoyed it, but that they were so nervous during the ride that
they never followed the story Brer Rabbit. As we exited the ride we saw that there was no
wait at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and immediately went there. This ride was really
fun, but we'll never forget how my mother yelled on this ride. We don't think she
ever opened her eyes. After the 2 quick rides, we just wondered
around the park. |
| We had so much fun that we didn't feel like running from
one ride to the other. Besides, it was getting really warm and we didn't want to drag my
parents around
in the heat. To the right are we on Main Street U.S.A with Cinderella Castle in the background. The castle is maybe the
most photographed attraction at Disney World. We did some of the
other rides in the park including Space Mountain, which is a roller
coaster in complete darkness. My parents almost went on the ride, but
bailed out at the last minute, mainly due to my mother's high blood
pressure. It was a good thing that they didn't go, because the ride
has some tight turns in total darkness. |
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During the late afternoon, we positioned
ourselves for the afternoon parade. The parade is really impressive, nice music and lots
of detail to the floats and costumes. I just feel so sorry for the performers in the
costumes performing in that heat. We have so many pictures of the parade, but
unfortunately only one can make it to this page. I hope this is one is good enough. |
| Third day : Animal
Kingdom. This attraction only opened during May 1998 and although not finished yet,
it was much better than we thought it would be. First we went on a Safari which we didn't
think was that great. It was the simulated catching of the poachers that was a bit
annoying. Maybe it was because we've been on a real safari in Africa and know what it's
really suppose to be like. We'll have to give them credit for the effort, it's really well
done. |
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The Tree of Life (pictured left) was one of the most
impressive attractions in the park. The carvings are really amazing with lots of detail.
We enjoyed the interactive show they had in the theater underneath the tree. We didn't
even know it was there, we just decided to follow the line of people. After a couple of
hours, we decided to move over to the MGM Studios as planned. |
| We didn't know much about the MGM Studios and
what there was to do, so we just figured we'd walk and look at what there was to see until
we got tired. The visit ended up to be very enjoyable, probably since we didn't expect to
see much. We didn't do the Tower of Terror. It's an attraction where you're strapped into
a lift and do not know when it's going to fall a couple of stories down. Apparently it's
very enjoyable, but at the time it didn't seem like a lot of fun to us. To the right,
me at the entrance to the MGM Studios. |
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Here at the MGM Studios, we
met our good friend Mickey. We figured :"What would a visit to Disney World be
without a photo with Mickey and ourselves?" The picture didn't come out very well, because the stupid mouse didn't want to stand in the sun, since it was so hot!
Anyway, we got the picture and that was good enough for us. Vanessa calls this photo : "Mini, Mickey and Goofy"
I have no comment! |
| Although Downtown Disney wasn't on our list
of things to see, we sure was surprised by the amount of things to do. The picture on the
right are of structures made from Lego blocks. I'm sure a lot of you have seen pictures of
these creatures. It really is impressive and surely more for kids than for adults. |
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One evenings we went down to Downtown Disney
to see what the nightlife was like. To the right, me again at the Planet Hollywood
entrance. We
always had the impression that Disney World was for kids or for families with kids, but
this evening changed our minds. The Downtown area is buzzing with nightlife and there is a
lot to do. It's too bad we discovered it too late. |
| During the late afternoons when it was
extremely hot, we used the opportunity to visit one of the several Disney water parks and
it brought some much needed relief from the heat. To the right, my parents
and I can be seen exiting the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon. The park has the theme of a beach
that was recently hit by a typhoon. All the structures is either displaced or off balance
- Cleverly done! The park also has several water rides and slides. |
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The picture to the left was taken from our
hotel room at the Disney Boardwalk Hotel and Villas and it overlooked the Lunar Pool (have
no idea why it is called that). It was definitely worth while staying on the Disney
property, because everything was close by and we could use the transport busses provided
by Disney. |
| The afternoon when we left, our driver had to
pick us up from our hotel. We were told to be ready 45 minutes before the scheduled pick
up. We were, but our driver ended up being almost an hour late. I was fairly upset,
because not only did we have a plane to catch, but he was seriously wasting my vacation
time (patience is not one of my strong points). Fortunately, he had a little
surprise waiting for us - he came to pick us up with a limousine. Having never been in
one, we enjoyed our drive to Orlando International Airport. It felt especially good when
he dropped us off in front of the departure building with lots of people waiting on the
sidewalk! |
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