🎢1989 ~Dec 19-23, Trip to Disney World Orlando, Florida

Day 1: Tuesday, December 19, 1989

My daughter, Tom, and I flew on Delta 511 to Orlando, Florida.

Our tickets were purchased at Valley Tour and Travel. 

Two adult tickets cost $546.00.

One child’s ticket cost $104.00.

The tickets were for 5 days at the Magic Kingdom, at Epoch, at MGM, a car rental, a night stay at the Polynesian Village Hotel, and three flight tickets to Orlando, FL.   

We flew Delta Airlines on jet 511 DC-9 seats ABC row 26 from Huntsville, Al., at 6:42 A.M arriving at Atlanta, Georgia 8:28 A.M. from Atlanta, Georgia on flight 74 at 9:44 A.M. to Orlando, Florida at 11:17 A.M. seats ABC row 28 we went to gate 19.  

My daughter and I had never flown before.

The cabin pressure was causing my daughter to have problems with her ears.  

I loved the flight!  It reminded me of riding a roller coaster. 

We arrived at the Orlando airport, picked up our rental car, and rode to the Polynesian Hotel, where the valet unloaded and parked the car. 

We went to the room to freshen up and then we headed out to the Disney parks.

Every morning before entering the parks we would find a breakfast shop where we would eat breakfast.

Day 2: Wednesday, December 20, 1989

The Magic Kingdom was the first theme park that we visited. 

Some of the sites that we saw were: It’s a Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean, we watched the Enchanted Tiki Room Bird Show, rode all the roller coasters, walked up to Peter Pans Tree House, and rode the train.

The crowds started to thin out because of the rain but we just purchased ponchos and stayed at the park.

We ate lunch at one of the theme parks and by the end of the day, we were ready to go back to our room.

Christmas Tree in the Magic Kingdom 

Cinderella Castle @ Magic Kingdom 

Bake Shop in the Magic Kingdom

Totum Polls in the Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom

Day 3: Thursday, December 21, 1989

The next day we went to MGM where we toured the backlot, where we saw Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom show.

We watched a water show where water was splashed on the audience.

I was selected from the audience to be a character on The Cheers Show.

We saw Chewy a Star Wars Character before we boarded the Star Wars Roller Coaster.

Christmas time is a very busy time at Disney Parks so we had to stand in line for hours.

Once Tom said, and I quote, “Are we having fun yet?”

  Who Framed Roger Rabbit @ MGM Studio

  Who Framed Roger Rabbit @ MGM Studio

  Who Framed Roger Rabbit @ MGM Studio Disney

  Who Framed Roger Rabbit @ MGM Studio

  Who Framed Roger Rabbit  @ MGM Studio 

Lora in Space  @ Cape Canaveral 

Space Suit @ Cape Canaveral 

The clown

The shoeshine chair 

The Polynesian Hotel

The Polynesian Hotel

The Polynesian Hotel

The Polynesian Hotel

Christmas at the Polynesian Hotel Disney 

Day 4: Friday, December 22, 1989

We were going to Epcot but it poured rain, so we decided to ride over to Cape Kennedy, where we took the bus tour to the launch pad.

That night we rode to the old downtown Orlando. 

We saw a Coke Cola shop that still served Coke in a glass bottle.

There was a clown making characters out of balloons and he gave my daughter a balloon.

We dined one night at the Polynesian Hotel Restaurant.

We rode to Downtown Disney it was late and they were closing up shop. 

All the theme parks and hotels were beautifully decorated for the Christmas holidays.

There was a very large Christmas tree in the center of the lobby at The Polynesian Hotel.

I bought Mickey Ears for my daughter and a Disney hooded sweatshirt for both of us.

It had turned cool and I did not bring anything warm for us to wear.

We had a wonderful trip we visited Disney World, MGM, Downtown Disney, and Cape Kennedy and now it was time to go home and celebrate Christmas with friends and family.

Day 5: Saturday, December 23, 1989

We left at 3:15 P.M. Saturday, December 23, 1989, at Gate 12 on flight 310 seat ABC row 38 from Orlando to Atlanta, Ga.

We arrive in Atlanta, Georgia at 4:40 P.M. on flight 664 at 5:59, and arrive at Huntsville, AL airport at 5:49 P.M. 

We picked up our car and rode home. 

• Total Cost $1,730.00

• $546.00 2 adults 5 days pass 3 parks

• $104.00 1 child ticket 5 days 3 parks

• $1,196.00 Four nights Polynesian village and Car Rental

• $534.00 for three Flight tickets

• $1,730.00 total cost 

• Disney World Central Reservation Office

• PO Box 10100

• Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-010

🚌🚌🚌🚌The Bus ride and the Driver

With one bus, a token, and a senior bus pass, the family walked out the door of the Ronald McDonald House.

They walked down to Thirty-ninth and Chestnut Streets to take the Septa Bus to downtown Philadelphia.

The long-awaited bus comes to a screeching halt.

Immediately the driver spots the little girl in the wheelchair.

The front door is left closed as he patiently walks to the center of the bus to lower the lift.

When the lift is level with the road, the bus driver gets out and wheels the little girl onto the ramp.

He raises the lift back up and rolls the wheelchair into place, he buckles and straps the little girl in the place. 

The bus driver struggles to keep his cap on his head, because the little girl in the wheelchair, keeps pulling at it. 

The little girl had everyone on the bus in stitches.

When the bus driver completes his task, everyone on the bus claps because of his patience with the little girl.

The bus driver walks back to the front of the bus, he opens the front door, and lets the rest of the passengers load onto the bus.

The passengers are putting tokens, cash fares, or scanning their bus passes on the transit service as the bus scurries away.

The buses rule the narrow roads as they travel downtown. 

A conversation between the little girl's grandmother and an older woman began.

The woman said, “I once went to the hospital to hold the babies but they would not let me because I did not have insurance.” They missed a great opportunity.”

The bus arrives at Sixteenth Street and this is where the little girl is again wheeled to the chairlift and onto the sidewalk.

The family thanked the driver, he once again opened the front door, passengers loaded onto the bus, and he scurried down the street.

At Liberty Square, the family visits the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the grave of Benjamin Franklin.

The family decides to take the seventy-minute amphibious DUCK.

There is no chair lift, the little girl has to be lifted onto the Duck, and her wheelchair is left behind.

The little girl squeals with laughter as the wind hits her face and when the DUCK hits the water, she squeals even louder.

It was very dark when the DUCK ride ended.

The family pushes the little girl safely back to Sixteenth Street where they ride the bus to Chestnut and Thirty-ninth Street.

The family arrives at their stop, the little girl and her wheelchair are unloaded, and the family walks safely back to the Ronald McDonald House.

There has been a lot of violence going on outside the downtown area of Philadelphia.

Just the day before there had been a police officer shot in the face during a routine traffic stop.

The next day the family takes a taxi to the airport.

After the mother pays the taxi driver, she soon realizes that she has been taken to the wrong airport.

The mother takes out her cell phone and calls Angel Flight. Angel Flight, in turn, calls the pilot and tells him what happened.

Angel Flight told the family to stay where they were and the pilot was on his way. 

Angel Flight, is a free service (privately owned airplane pilots) who volunteer their services for people with special needs children.

The little girl had to be loaded and unloaded onto three different airplanes, the little girl did not mind for she was going home.