The end of 1996 and 1997 were spent in bride-brain. I was married in December 96, Adrienne in December 97, and for a while we didn't give a thought to Disney (well, maybe some - especially when work was crazy and we longed to be walking in the Magic Kingdom). By the middle of 97, however, we realized that we had no vacations planned, and that we really missed being in Disney together.
Adrienne looked at her schedule (she travels a lot and plans many big events for work) and decided that August 98 would be a good time for vacation. She then checked through some Disney information and this time ... she came up with the genius idea. How do you top a weekend at the Grand Floridian????


With a four day trip on the brand new Disney Cruise Line!!

(I told you she was a genius!)

So....on Thursday, August 6th (after another 14 month "planning" period) we arrived in Orlando. Adrienne first. Then me. It was, simply, the vacation of a lifetime and one we will never forget (of course, we have nearly 3 hours of video to help that)

Our plan was to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday in and Monday through Thursday on the new "Disney Magic" ship! It was only their third voyage!! The ship was supposed to sail in April, but was delayed several months. We just kept holding a vision of drinking fruity drinks on the deck of the ship and TA-DA! Our vacation plans held!! And the fruit drink were very, very good - especially the strawberry daquiri's.


There was a fair amount to do on this trip to DisneyWorld since we visited nearly two years ago. This time we stayed in , another moderate price hotel. It has a southern theme, as you can tell from the name. We had seen the lobby once before, but had never stayed there (the Port Orleans is its neighbor) It was like staying in Tara. All we were missing was the big hoop skirts and that lovely theme song. It was certainly hot enough!!

The big (and I mean BIG) thing for us to see this trip was the brand new . This park takes up as much space as Epcot. We spent most of our first day here and managed to see all that we wanted (it opened at 7 am!). The safari was wonderful and we even got caught in giraffe rush hour (so to speak). The best part was the Tree of Life - truly spectacular. There is so much to see on it. It is beautiful from every side and it was great to see the sun and the mist on it in the early morning. It is probably the best part of the Kingdom.

Truthfully, it is not quite as magical here as it is in other parts of Disney. I think that may because it is still so new and also because they have not gotten to the the Mystical Animals yet. Then it should really flourish. Now it seems like an animal park with a Disney feel. (Although we did have one of our best purchases here thanks to Adrienne - T-shirt and short sets with Minnie for me and Tigger/Pooh for her... on sale!!).

We napped in the afternoon of our first day (before a scrumptious dinner at Alfredo's in Epcot - sigh) so that we could be refreshed for... E-nights in the Magic Kingdom.

What's that?

I didn't know either. Adrienne heard about it when she checked us in. It seems that for an extra $10 a limited number of resort guests can get into the Magic Kingdom from 10pm - 1 am on certain nights. AND ride all of the best rides with no lines!! It was great. And totally fun to be in the parks so late. It was like having the place to ourselves. We did a lot more giggling and even got to dance with Tigger (it's on the video, of course)

When we were back there in the morning for breakfast at Tony's (yum!!! they have the best cinnamon rolls) the place was mobbed, but we didn't mind. We had already done the important parts. And we got to see Belle that morning! I was thrilled.

And speaking of Belle, while we were in the store (we love the stores!) Adrienne and I each bought each other surprise gifts. I bought us matching necklaces with "Best Friends" and a Mickey on them, and Adrienne bought me a Beauty and the Beast porcelin pendant. We always so in sync!!

Because we hd limited time, we made our meal reservations in advance. In addition to breakfast at Tony's we also had lunch in Cinderalla's Castle. Sunday breakfast was at the Soundstage Restaurant at MGM and our final breakfast was a Winnie the Pooh character meal at the Artist Pointe in the Wilderness Lodge -- one of the few we have never seen because of its out of the way location.

And I've got to write about Disney Quest. But I may leave that for another page. There is so much to tell!

And then...finally... it was time for...the CRUISE!!

We explored so much of the ship. Spend A LOT of time in the spa ! There are three restaurants including the Animator's Palate and we will be trying them all. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time in our stateroom , which was -- cozy. Actually it was fine for two people who knew each other very well. .



We giggled and laughed for a week leading up to this vacation. I think we drove our husbands a little nuts
It felt like it hasn't been this exciting since our first trip!
Or is it always this exciting and we just forget?

Click HERE for a list of great Walt Disney World sites!! Yes, there are lots of people who love this place! (That's why the lines are so long).


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