Jude,
Thank you again for the quick reply. Unfortunately, this doesn't really help me. When I say that the menu bar disappears, this includes the Quick Access Toolbar (As a side note, I have used the workaround you mentioned for items I need from the File tab, which always seems to be inaccessible in Excel Inplace view). The only thing that is left after the menu bar disappears is the bar to enter formulas on.
Thanks
-Joe