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Karen: Doug wasn't the only one to go to Walt Disney World this summer. I went for 9 days with my husband at the end of August. This was my second time there, the first time being with my husband in 2009. I was amazed the first time at how much it had to offer, beyond the typical rides. I grew up in California and have been to Disneyland half a dozen times or so, but as much as I love Disneyland, there really is no comparison. Someone once described it thus: Disneyland is charming, while Disneyworld is mind-blowing.
Karen: The big difference this trip was that we would not be alone; at the start of our trip, our group consisted of twelve people! Besides my husband and me, we had two of our close friends and their teenaged girl and her boyfriend (they stayed all 9 days). For the first four days, we also had six family members: my husband's mom, his sister, her husband, and their three great kids, two boys aged 4 and 15 and a girl aged 10. So you can see we had quite a crew! One thing I learned: it's very different coordinating a trip with two adults than it is such a large group of diverse ages. But despite some difficulties, everyone seemed to have a fine time. I should give some credit here to my hubby, who took all the pictures you see here except for the family one.
Karen: We stayed at the Polynesian Resort, which I absolutely adore. I'm a big fan of tiki-style, and this place has it in droves. My husband has also become a fan and one of our pals is a major tiki guy (he even built a tiki bar in his house) so it was pretty popular with the group. It didn't hurt that when we entered the lobby they g
ave us -free! -fresh, hot chocolate chip cookies. Another big plus of the Polynesian is that it is on the monorail system and the transportation center is right next to it, so it is very easy to get around.
Karen: So much of the trip has blurred together, I won't give you a day by day run down, but instead focus on some highlights. First up, we had some really good meals. I know, you're probably thinking "park food?" but Disney has some very nice sit-down options. Heck even some of the fast-food options are pretty good. The hands-down favorite meal for everyone was at the Polynesian, at the Ohana restaurant. This was simply fabulous. It is served family style, and you start off with platters of pineapple bread, salad, noodles, pot stickers, and sticky wings. Then they bring out the skewers loaded with grilled meats. Steak, chicken, pork, shrimp -whatever you want, as much as you want. Delicious dipping sauces are provided. My husband and I felt the pork was the best, but you couldn't go wrong with any of those choices. The whole meal was topped off by a gooey bread pudding and vanilla ice cream desert. Can you say stuffed? Other great meals were BBQ at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge resort, Mexican food at La Hacienda in EPCOT, and burgers at the Sci FI Dine In in Hollywood Studios. The Sci Fi Dine In is an indoor restaurant designed to 
look like an old school drive-in theater, complete with movie screen showing trailers from old science fiction B movies, and the tables are cars! As you can see from the picture, it's a gas! They had terrific burgers and the best desert we had on the trip: chocolate bundt cake filled with warm peanut butter! Out of this world.
Karen: As Doug mentioned, Animal Kingdom always seems the most hot and humid of the four parks -probably because of all the foliage. But we got on the first safari of the day one morning and saw a ton of animals. The whole experience is really well designed (just what you would expect of the Imagineers) so that you think there is nothing separating you from the animals as you drive through their habitat. We saw giraffes, rhinos, hippos, elephants, and even the lion and lioness. It was amazing.
Karen: The Haunted Mansi
on is always a hoot. It seems like every time I ride it, I see something new. As you enter you have the option of going through the regular line, or a line with some interactive exhibits. These features are a lot of fun, especially for the kids. You get to interact with the spirits by pulling, touching or standing near certain items, like headstones and tombs. A great way to break up the monotony of waiting -although we rarely had a wait longer than 20 minutes for any ride. They've juiced up some of the interior scenes from years ago -for example, Madame Leota's crystal ball moves around the room now. The Bride in the attic is also a heck of a lot scarier.
Karen: My husband and I and our friends went to the Spirit of Aloha dinner at the Polynesian one night. This is a dinner show. The first part of the show is very cheesy, with 'Auntie' and her nieces and nephews preparing a going-away party for 'Leilani'. But the second half is very entertaining as it features performers in costume doing Polynesian dances. The headliner is the fire dancer -this guy was unbelievable. He spun flaming torches around and breathed fire. Absolutely amazing. The food was just OK. I don't 
know that I'd do it again, as it was about $50 each, but I don't regret seeing it.
Karen: The Magic Kingdom firework shows, which are nightly, are always spectacular. We saw them from both the park and from the beach at the Polynesian -it is across the lagoon from Magic Kingdom. The great thing at the Polynesian is they pipe in the music that is synchronized with the fireworks.
Karen: I saved the best for last. We got to ride the new Star Tours ride six times! Twice one day, and then four times in a row another morning. When we were at the park in 2009, we rode Star Tours and both my husband and I turned to each other and said, "They really need to improve that ride." Improve is an understatement. This ride is simply fantastic! You get a different experience with each ride, as there are now 2 different beginnings, 3 different middles, 3 holographic messages, and 3 endings. We got to experience all except one of the endings. They've incorporated many favorite Star Wars characters into the ride now and you really feel like you are in the Star Wars universe. The 3D effect is also very well done and not intrusive, nor are the glasses uncomfortable. This is a definite must-do if you go to Disneyworld.
Karen: There's so many things we enjoyed; this is just the tip of the iceberg. Even though we had 9 days there, we still didn't get to do everything we wanted. We really wanted to see Festival of the Lion King but the times never worked out. We also only spent one night at the World Showcase, and we never made it to Fantasmic either. But that just leaves some things to do when we go back. The family is already talking about a 2013 trip. Hopefully our bank accounts will have recovered by then!
Doug: Just to close out our Disney series, I just saw on the news that Disney has won the rights to build attractions at their theme parks based around the film Avatar. You can read about it here.
Doug: We'd like to begin a 2-post series with some reflections of our recent vacations in the Sunshine State. As reported previously, my family visited Disney World over the first of August, while Karen's family was there around the first of September. Today I'll discuss my experiences and impressions, and next week Karen will take it home with her perspective.
Doug: Before we get into the theme parks, for those who are interested we stayed on-site at the Port Orleans Resort-Riverside. It had a nice proximity to all of the attractions, and we could bus to all of the parks or water taxi to Downtown Disney. We parked the car on a Tuesday when we arrived and didn't get back in it until Saturday morning when we left. In the Port Orleans complex, our building was close to the main center where the shops, arcade, and dining hall were. My wife handled the meal plan, and it was perfect for our family -- no one went hungry, and we didn't spend a single dime out-of-pocket.
Doug: I had been to Disney World once before, in 1978. Back then, the Magic Kingdom had only been open for seven years and Epcot wasn't around yet. So 3/4 of our vacation was totally new for me. I'd have to say that going in, Epcot was probably the least anticipated park in terms of where I wanted to go. But coming out, it was just as good as anything else we saw. 
What an attention to detail! As you tour the grounds, the Disney Imagineers have really done a phenomenal job of transporting visitors to the very locales the exhibits represent. We enjoyed the Test Track ride first. It's relatively tame as far as thrill rides go, but the ending is pretty cool, as the vehicle you ride in hugs a vertically banked curve before ending shortly thereafter. Other attractions we visited included the Maelstrom ride in the Norway venue, the American Adventure animatronic feature in the American exhibit (those robots have come a loooonnnggg way in the past 35 years!), The Seas With Nemo and Friends Pavilion (don't miss Turtle Talk with Crush -- very cool interactive exhibit that the little ones in the audience especially loved), the Spaceship Earth ride inside the huge Epcot ball, 
and the Reflections of China 360 degree film in the China Pavilion. We ate lunch in the Mexican Pavilion at the La Cantina de San Angel with our QuickService plan. Everyone got more than enough to eat, and it was all very good. We left in the afternoon for some napping and/or swimming, then returned in the evening for the laser light show (which was interrupted by a heavy rain shower -- not as big a deal for us as for the wedding party that was just beginning a reception!). Oh -- the boys enjoyed listening to a British Invasion cover band in the England Pavilion before the laser show.
Doug: One of the things I was eager to see was the Marvel Comics presence at Disney World. I can report that there is a very limited presence, and you almost have to look to find it. In Epcot, Marvel was mainly present in the form of the 3 3/4" Thor Movie action figures in the Norway venue. The previous evening when in Downtown Disney we'd spied a few action figures in a toy store, maybe a coloring book or some such thing, but that's about it. I don't know where this is heading from a marketing standpoint, but I'd say at this point Disney has not embraced Marvel as they have Star Wars and the Muppets.
Doug: On our second day we toured the Magic Kingdom. My memories of my childhood visit came flooding back, as many of the attractions were just as I'd remembered: 
Snow White, It's a Small World, Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, the Dumbo and Tea Cup rides, the Country Bear Jamboree, the Jungle Cruise, and just the overall feel of the park. It truly is magical. My wife had meticulously researched our trip ahead of time, and one of the strategies she picked up was to head to the back of the parks first since most people enter and begin their tour near the front. I'd have to say that was a suggestion that paid off throughout the week. We were able to do what we wanted virtually without waiting for the first hour we were in each of the four theme parks. I'd also have to recommend the Disney FastPass system, which allows patrons to get a ticket for a later time; you are effectively allowed to cut people who have been in lines that are sometimes over an hour long. This is no exaggeration -- when we went on Splash Mountain the first time, we cut at least 300 people to get right on the ride. I'll confess right here that other than my older son, none of us are thrill riders. The Tea Cups and Space Mountain was about as adventurous as I care to be. I got through those, but none of the other rides really held any pull for me. I will brag, however, that being a wily veteran I was able to put the boy into a stagger on the Tea Cups, as I had a strategy of looking right at his nose the whole time I was spinning that cup. Not him -- silly lad. 
If you go, don't miss the PhilharMagic show -- while 3-D movies at the cinema are usually a bust, Disney has perfected not only the 3-D effect, but the integration of 4-D with smells, spritzes of water, etc. Also not-to-miss is the also-awesome 3-D Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Good stuff! Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the totally-revised Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hall of Presidents are must-sees. As I said earlier, the evolution of the animatronics is amazing! We were able to see parades during the day, and the not-to-miss Electric Parade at night (twice). On the last night we were in Florida, we went back to the Magic Kingdom for extended hours, and basically had the run of the place from midnight to 3:00 am. That was very cool, and as you might guess, the lines were very short the later we were there. Oh, and I guess people aren't too fired up for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as that ride was nowhere to be found. It was pretty hokey, though, as I recall.
Doug: Our third park was the Animal Kingdom, and to be honest it was the least fun. It was the hottest day of the trip, with the mercury at 98 and the humidity around 80% -- just miserable. So that was a tremendous factor in our decision to cut that day a bit short. Our first stop was at the Festival of the Lion King, and it was spectacular. We've seen the Broadway version of Lion King in Chicago, and while this was similar it was different enough to be special in its own right. The vocalists, dancers, and aerialists were top-notch, as were the large puppets of Pumbaa and Simba. 
Again, little ones were just enthralled. Shoot -- big ones were spellbound, too! We took the Kilimanjaro Safari, but were a bit disappointed that it began with basically zoo-type enclosures. Once out on the "savanna", we did see some animals, but none were too close and certainly by the middle of the day when we went none were too active. We did later walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the tigers and the Pangani Forest Expedition Trail to see the gorillas -- in both settings we were able to get pretty close to the animals, which was neat. There's also a 4-D movie experience called It's Tough to Be a Bug -- it was a lot of fun, with a couple of surprises at the end that got us! That's me and my homeboys readying for the feature.
Doug: We finished up our week at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it was a great way to end. As I mentioned above, we went to the back of the park first, and the boys immediately ran into Piglet and Donald and Daisy. You might not think that 19- and 17-year olds would get excited to have their photo taken with the characters; you might be wrong! One of the first things we went to was the Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian. Don't waste your time -- it was a glorified trailer, nothing more. However, we made a nice save by then going to Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. The museum-like entry was just wonderful, and the film was outstanding as well. After that we went to The Magic of Disney Animation. The surround sound and the calibration of the multiple speaking parts was something to behold -- extremely well done. After one of those, I can't recall which, we found Mickey in his "Sorcerer's Apprentice" togs, and Pooh Bear, too! Again, the boys were very excited for the photo ops. Perhaps the highlight of the day was the super 3-D ride Toy Story Midway Mania; the boys were lucky enough to get an extra FastPass, so they went right back in while my wife and I scored a table at Pizza Planet (check out the meatball subs!). It was again really hot on the day we were there, but we soldiered on to check out the Great Movie Ride (could have been better -- there was some goofy interactive parts) and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular (very fun). 
The Muppet-Vision 3-D was a lot of fun, but not at the top of our 3-D list. The very top, in fact the pinnacle, of the 3-D fun was the Star Tours ride. My oldest and I went on it once; Karen will discuss this ride further next week. Let's just say that it was so effective that we both jumped and covered our faces at the end!
Doug: If you've never been to Disney World, or if you're like me and hadn't been in ages, I cannot recommend it enough. Big kudos go to my wife for doing all the research ahead of time. Honestly, the boys and I just showed up and had a blast. She did, too, and we're already talking about going back in two years for our 25th anniversary. I'm looking forward to Karen's take on the same attractions next week!
Doug: Over the next two weeks Karen and I will give our thoughts and share a few photos of our trips to Florida. My family went around the first of August; Karen's just recently returned from a trip that ended August and began this month. While her family flew across the country, my entourage jumped on I-65 and drove south, and then across the panhandle of the Sunshine State. Along the way we visited some important and interesting sites, so today we'll kick off our vacation memories with a brief synopsis of my preliminary travels.
We arrived in Nashville for a quick look around LP Field, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. The stadium wasn't open, but we did manage to look around. It seems like a nice field, situated right downtown. Adjacent to the stadium is a footbridge that links gameday crowds to restaurants and watering holes. But our main purpose for stopping in Music City was tickets to a Triple-A baseball game: the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) vs. the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers). First off, it was super hot and super humid, so our willingness to have a good time was in question -- and we are a baseball-loving family. Secondly, I would expect a bit more out of a Triple-A ballpark. Having seen the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates) play at Victory Field in downtown Indy, our expectations were high. The Sounds stadium, however, is situated in an older part of Nashville. 
The field wasn't as nice as the field my sons played high school ball on (which is admittedly one of the nicer on-campus fields in Illinois high school baseball). We stayed for seven innings, and then beat it. We'd planned to drive a bit more after the game, and the humidity and still-87 degree temp made the decision to cut out early a bit easier.
Arriving in Alabama, it was rest area time! Now, not to gross anyone out -- that's not my purpose; what is my purpose is the attraction at said rest area. Say what?? Huntsville, AL -- an integral part of the U.S. space program, is right near our stop. And what was the attraction? Only a rocket, man! And if that wasn't enough, we encountered an armadillo on the way back to our vehicle. Weird looking critter that was!
After a night's rest, we headed to Montgomery. As I've said around these parts in the past, I am a high school history teacher. I'm lucky in that the rest of the family also takes an interest in such things, so we often try to build that into our travels. Our first stop in Montgomery (which for a state capital, by the way, is a pretty small town -- nary a skyscraper in sight!) was at the stadium of the Montgomery Biscuits, Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. 
I said we were baseball junkies... As the stadium was being cleaned, we were able to get into the concourse and have a look around. It was much nicer than Nashville. What was neat about the Biscuits stadium was the fact that it was built into an old train depot. The concourses had been the halls of the depot, and they just built the seating out from there. Very interesting. But our real purpose in stopping was to see the important sites of the Civil Rights movement.
Heading downtown, we visited the square where Montgomery's slave auctions had once been held. Adjacent to that spot was the bus stop where, in 1955, Rosa Parks boarded the bus on which she'd refuse to relinquish her seat only two stops later. A very short drive of only a few blocks brought us to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where King was pastor from 1954-60. 
In the street level fellowship hall of that building meetings were held to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Rosa Parks attended many of those meetings, which Dr. King and others led. We did not get to go into the building, as it was a Sunday morning and services were in session. What absolutely floored all of us was the proximity of the church to the Alabama statehouse -- literally one block away.
How symbolic was it, that the site of the beginning of the Civil Rights movement should sit basically in the shadow of the first capital of the Confederate States of America, and on whose steps Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as its first President? My oldest son, a college sophomore, expressed difficulty in wrapping his mind around the events of that morning's learning.
Back on the road, we headed to Florida and a stop in Tallahassee at Florida State University. In addition to baseball and history, we always try to stop at major colleges when on vacation. FSU's facilities were all open, and my sons had a blast walking around and taking photos. We went on to Gainesville, where the next morning we did the same touring at the University of Florida. They were most excited to get in to The Swamp, Florida's renowned football stadium. And after Florida, it was on to Disney World!
Tune in the next two Wednesdays for thoughts on the Magic Kingdom, and beyond!