🎢2004 ~ May 21-30, Trip to Disney World

Day 1: Friday, May 21, 2004

We left Friday afternoon, about 4:30 P.M., in our 2001 Damon Escaper RV.

We load my son's family's luggage and bicycles in the basement of our RV.

Then my son and my husband connected my son's pop-up camper to the back of our Damon Escaper. 

We were having a good time traveling south on I-65 when we hit a pothole.

One of the boots on the right side of our RV broke; it must have been rotten.

When it broke, the RV dropped to the right, bending the bar holding our bicycles.

We pull off the road, my husband makes the needed repairs to the boot, and he has to put the bicycles inside the RV.

It was getting late, and my husband was tired of driving, so we stopped on the South side of Atlanta, Georgia, at a Walmart parking lot, where we spent the night. 

Day 2: Saturday, May 22, 2004

The next morning, we cooked breakfast in the RV and were back on the road for another eight hours of riding.

We arrived at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground around 4 P.M. We checked in at the park, drove to the first site, unhooked the Hughes camper, then went to our spot and parked.

Fort Wilderness Disney Park has an outdoor theater, a swimming pool, a country store, and golf carts & bicycles to rent. 

From the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, you can get to the theme parks by way of bus, or you can walk down to the river and take the WDW Watercraft Transportation to the Magic Kingdom.

That weeken,d Fort Wilderness Campground was hosting a Bike-A-Tho,n and we had a terrible time getting around. 

We took the bus to downtown Disney, where it was beautifully decorated with many colored lights. We saw the Rainforest Café, McDonald's, the Movie Theater, Cirque Du Soleil, and many gift shops. 

Some of the nightclubs that we saw were Disney's Boardwalk, Downtown Disney's West Side, and Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner show. 

At one of the gift shops, we bought Hannah some Disney collectible pens to go with her Disney collectible necklace.

We rode the bus back to Fort Wilderness and went to bed, for it had been a very long day.

Day 3: Sunday, May 23, 2004

On Sunday morning, the telethon was in full swing, and people were riding their bikes everywhere.

It took us an hour to get to Downtown Disney on the bus.

While we waited with many other people for the bus, Hannah drank a soda.

My husband was dressed in his Blue Disney shirt, tan shorts, white tennis shoes, sunglasses, and a white hat with a blue band.

Hannah was dressed in a red, white, and blue outfit with the number 22 on the backside of her shirt.

She wore a red polka dot Minnie Mouse hat, and around her neck was her Collectible Disney necklace.

I was wearing my overalls, tan shorts, a green, white, and black shirt, sunglasses, a tan straw hat, and a fanny pack.

Downtown Disney

In Downtown Disney, we met Majorie and Russ.

Marjorie, Russ at Downtown Disney

We enjoyed delicious sandwiches served on Artisan bread, filled with roasted meat at the Earl of Sandwich. 

After we finished eating, we let Hannah run and play in the nearby waterspouts.

It was miserably hot that day, and my feet blistered through my tennis shoes.

I took pictures of my husband and Hannah in front of Rainforest Café, sitting next to Pooh, Tiger, and Piglet. They were also beside Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head, Donald and Daisy, Mickey and Minnie, and Hannah, in front of the Tinker Toys.

After a long day, we took the bus back to Fort Wilderness, changed into our swimsuits, and swam in the nearby pool.

Later that evening, everyone walked down to the river, where we all took the WDW Watercraft Transportation to the Magic Kingdom, then the monorail to Epcot, and finally the bus to Downtown Disney.

Day 4: Monday, May 24, 2004

On Monday, we all took the bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. 

The Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom

Upon entering the park, we were greeted by Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy, who were standing on a ride in front of "the Tree of Life," a 145-foot artificial tree that is home to "It's tough being a bug." 

Our first adventure was an excellent guided Safari ride to Kilimanjaro, covering 100 acres of African Savannah, where we saw elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, lions, and poachers.  

We saw alligators lying around the lake, zebras roaming in the jungle, and lions lying there as well. 

Next, we walked into a cave of "The Tree of Life.

We were each given a pair of 3D glasses to watch the performance of the life of bugs.

In Dinoland, we watched a 20-minute musical performance of Finding Nemo. 

We saw Simba and friends in a sing-along live show at the Festival of the Lion King. It was a thirty-minute live musical performance featuring a singer, acrobatics, and tumbling monkeys, all adorned with a blaze of color, feathers, beads, and beautiful headdresses. 

We watched Mickey's Jammin' Jungle parade featuring all the characters from Animal Kingdom Park. 

We had BBQ in the park at the Flame Tree BBQ.

We ended the day at the outdoor theater in Fort Wilderness Park, roasting marshmallows and watching a movie. 

Day 5: Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Everyone walked to the bus stop because we are all riding the bus to Disney's MGM Studios.

We walked down Hollywood Boulevard, passing Planet Hollywood, and straight in front of it was the iconic giant Sorcerer's Mickey Hat.

Disney Studios

We watched a 30-minute Indiana Jones Stunt show, scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We sat in the audience of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire "Play it Again!"

Our next adventure was the back lot tour, where we watched a video clip while waiting in line.

Then we all went to an outdoor viewing area where we stood behind rails to watch the special effect of the water tank. 

People standing near the front were splashed with water from the tanks during the show.

We rode the tram that passes through production bungalows, the wardrobe department (where you can watch the costumes at work), and the scenery shop. 

We passed by topiaries and vehicles from Disney movies. 

We went through Catastrophe Canyon, where the ground starts shaking, the tram starts rocking, and a fuel truck crashes, sparking a fire.

Then a flood of water comes rushing towards us.

We watched a 25-minute musical performance of Beauty and the Beast.  

We took a 20-minute ride on "the great movie ride," where we saw "Casablanca," "Tarzan," "Mary Poppins," "Singing in the Rain," "Fantasia," "The Wizard of Oz," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Alien".

We saw Muppets 3D, and the basic premise is that the Muppets are going to put on a variety show starring the multi-talented Miss Piggy. Kermit tries to make the cast and crew happy, but mishaps get in the way. Fans of the old Muppet Show should recognize most of the characters, but then there is Waldo, a new 3-D character who wreaks havoc during the production.

At the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, we saw the mosaic portraits of Jim Henson, with Kermit the Frog, Fred Rogers, Burr Tillstrom, the creator of Kuala, Fran, and Ollie.

We saw the head statues of the funny Milton Berle, Walt Disney, News broadcaster Howard Cosell, and actor Sid Caesar.

We saw Daytime TV Star Oprah Winfrey, New Broadcaster Mike Wallace, Dick Clark from American Bandstand, and Comedian Bill Cosby.

We saw the funny Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett from The Carol Burnett Show, News Broadcaster Barbra Walters, Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Alda from Mash, Andy Griffith from Matlock and The Andy Griffith Show, and TV comedian Betty White. 

We watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, where the Academy Award-winning songs "Under the Sea," "Part of Your World," and "Poor Unfortunate Soul" were performed. An enormous 12' high and 10' wide Ursula puppet sings the latter.

We rode the Tower of Terror, a hotel with signs of neglect. The hotel is deserted, with spider webs, dim lights, and Rod Sterling from The Twilight Zone. You enter an elevator that goes up and down numerous times.

We rode the Star Wars ride with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leila, Darth Vader, R2D2, C3PO, and Chewy.

We see Toy Story, Mary Poppins, Mulan, Aladdin and Jasmine, Lilo and Stitch, The Little Mermaid with Ariel and Sebastian, Snow White and Dopey.

We ended the night by watching the laser show of "Fantasmic," where the Disney Villains turn Mickey's dreams into Nightmares.

The show includes dancing fountains, dazzling special effects, and Mickey Mouse creating dancing waters, shooting comets, and animated fountains. 

Day 6: Wednesday, May 26, 2004

My husband and I rode the bus to Epcot. We spent half a day walking through the park, beautifully decorated with a variety of flowers floating in the man-made river, shaped into Disney characters along the riverbanks.

Epcot 

There were many different topiaries in the park. We saw Mickey, Minnie, lions, seals, just to name a few.

We rode the bus back to Fort Wilderness, where we spent the day biking, swimming, and riding in the golf cart. 

We rode down to the water's edge at Fort Wilderness and watched the fireworks show from the Magic Kingdom. 

Day 7: Thursday, May 27, 2004 

We spent all day Thursday at Fort Wilderness, swimming and riding bikes. 

Day 8: Friday, May 28, 2004

On Friday, we rode the bus to Epcot. 

We rode Mission Space in Future World. 

The ride begins with the launch countdown, incorporating psychological effects that help build the tension you might experience before a launch. As the countdown approaches, the seats tilt back into the launch position, with your back facing the sky. At liftoff, you feel the engines roar and blast off. The ride generates enormous G-forces and a tremendous sense of speed as the craft escapes Earth's gravitational pull. 

Next, we rode the Fast Track. You get into a convertible, buckle up, and head onto the Test Track. You are stopped for a quick seatbelt check, the light turns green, and with tires squealing, you are on your way. 

We took a boat voyage through the greenhouse and fish farm in the living with the land. 

We went soaring in a free-flying hang glider.  

Epcot

In the world showcase, we floated along the river of time in Mexico. In Maelstrom, Norway, we took a Viking ride.  

We watched the laser show at the lagoon, a giant sphere that tells an incredible tale and fills the sky. 

Day 9: Saturday, May 29, 2004,

Saturday morning, we hooked up the Hughes camper, checked out, and started home. 

We spent the night at a campground site just outside of Dothan, Alabama. 

After we ate supper, the kids and I went for a swim. 

With all the wet swimsuits and towels, I decided to walk down to the washroom to wash and dry them.

An older woman was in the washroom using both washing machines, but both dryers were empty.

I decided to just dry my clothes instead of washing them, for they were just wet from swimming. I put my towel, and swimsuits into the drye,r not noticing that I was putting the money in the lower dryer while my clothes were in the upper dryer.

This made the old woman very angry, and she said You have contaminated both dryers and she was going to tell management. I said, "Fine," and continued drying my clothes.

Jake and Hannah were with me, the anger frightens Hannah, and she left crying.

Hannah returned with her dad, and the woman looked at Mike and said that we were all sorry people.

Mike said not to talk that way in front of his kids, and they left.

After Mike left, the old woman got ugly with me, and she said Nobody tells me what to do. 

I laughed and said, Nobody tells me what to do either, and she left.

I finished drying my clothes and walked back to the RV. Mike and my husband walked to the management office and explained what happened. He said we have lots of trouble with this woman. They also mentioned that the woman claimed I put dirty, filthy towels in the dryers. 

Day 10: Sunday, May 30, 2004

Sunday morning, we attached the Hughes Camper to our RV and left the RV Park to start our long ride home, which took about five hours.

We had a great vacation visiting all the Disney Theme Parks, shopping at Downtown Disney, swimming at Fort Wilderness campgrounds, and spending time with family.

I had a strange encounter with an old woman at the RV campground near Dothan.