addot
06-25-2002, 11:30 PM
Welcome to my trip report. First the basics. I traveled with wife (DW), son 15 (DS), daughter 14 (DD1), daughter 10 (DD2), and sister-in-law (DSIL). Stayed off site (Residence Inn, LBV) and drove our own car (1300 miles in two days). The WDW part of the trip lasted from Tuesday, June 11 to Saturday, June 15. This is our second trip to WDW. The last visit was five years ago.
DAY 1: We arrived late Monday and checked in. The RI, LBV is new and very nice. Best of all, through Quickbook.com I got a two bed room, two bath suite, with three queen beds, a fold out sleeper sofa, fully equipped, full sized kitchen, full breakfast buffet, for $105 per night, 15 minutes parking lot to Disney parking lot. Yes, on site is nice, but with a party of six, there was no way I could afford it. Our first day was at AK. This park was not open on our first visit so it was all new. We arrived at the gates at 8:30 with a scheduled opening at 9:00. We weren?t the first in line, but soon there was a bigger crowd behind us. They opened the park at 8:45 so our wait wasn?t too long. We headed straight for KS, stopping to have a picture with safari Mickey near the gate. Already we had to wrestle with rushing vs. lingering conflict. We rode KS with only about a 10 min wait and then walked through the animal exhibits. We all really enjoyed both attractions. The rest of the group headed over to get in line for the Lion King show while I got FP for ITTBAB. I could see a wall of people coming up from the entrance and the central part of the park was really getting crowded. However, the part of the park over by the Lion King show was still pretty empty and we had time to shop and see the characters, who were out in the middle of the park instead at the end of the trails as no one was in line. I got an ice cube down my back compliment of Chip (or Dale?). We got in line when they opened the queue for LK. Although the wait wasn?t long, it was very hot. The LK show was super. We got out of there just as our FP for ITTBAB were about to expire so the timing worked out perfectly. We got there in time use the FP, but to soon enough to avoid the torrential downpour. The bug show was really fun, although some people missed some of the special effects. We came out of into the rain and got quite wet. It was lunch time and trying to find a place to eat in the rain was a challenge. Finally we decide to try the Flame Tree Barbeque, mainly because it was close and there was no line. The main problem was the outdoor covered dining areas were packed and we had to wade through a huge ankle-deep puddle to get there. Wet shoes seem to bother people more than wet clothes. We were lucky to find a table and after all the problems the rain had caused, were able to relax and enjoy lunch, which was pretty good. After lunch we decided to split up. DSIL and DD2 wanted to do more shopping and less walking. The rest of us wanted to see the rest of the park. We left the other two and went to Dinosaur. The wait was too long so we got FP and walked over to see the animal exhibits in Asia and on the trail around the back side of the tree of life. This is quite the structure and is an attraction in its own right. We then went back to use the FP at Dinosaur. Nearly everyone in our group (except me) is afraid of fast rides, but a CM and I were able to convince everyone to try this one. It isn?t really too fast, just bumpy. I was a little disappointed. I thought it was too dark and couldn?t see much. We then split up more. DW and DD1 went shopping and DS and I went to check out the animal exhibits by the entrance (he REALLY likes animals). We also found another trail that leads around the front of the tree of life. This one is hard to find but gave the best look at the tree up close. We all met up at a gift shop in the center of the park. It was mid afternoon and we were all very tired, and still a bit soggy. I whish I had more time to explore the rest of the park. Maybe next time. Back at the room we all crashed and burned and got ready to go to the AKL for or 6:00 PS at Boma. We got there a little early so we could check out the lodge and the wildlife. The resort is amazing and there were two guides from South Africa at the wildlife viewing area to explain the animals. One had been a safari guide in Africa and had many exciting stories to tell. Boma is fantastic. The buffet is full of dozens of fabulous dishes, some familiar, many not, all wonderful. The soups were my favorites (carrot curry and chicken pepper pot). I really like the no-line buffet ? just step up and get what you want. After dinner we shopped in the gift shop in the lobby. This is a great shop with some very reasonably priced African wood carvings. I didn?t shop at the AK so I don?t know if this merchandise is available in the park as well as the lodge. After shopping, we went over to MGM to see if we could get into see Fantasmic. We got there an hour before the 9:00 show and were seated. The theater seemed to fill up about 15 minutes after we got there so we timed it just right. We were worried about the rain in the area, but got a rainbow (directly over the stage) instead of rain. I had heard many great things about the show so was expecting a lot. After all, it must be good to get thousands of people to show up an hour and wait. The show was nice, but not up to my expectations. DSIL and DD1 were also disappointed. At least we got to sit, and it was cooler now that the sun went down. We fought the crowds back to the parking lot and went home. The bottom line from day one ? AK is great. The attractions were mostly excellent, the animal exhibits are great, and the park itself is beautifully landscaped. It?s fun just to wander around and look. Boma is fantastic. I could eat there every day. Try the soup!
DAY 1: We arrived late Monday and checked in. The RI, LBV is new and very nice. Best of all, through Quickbook.com I got a two bed room, two bath suite, with three queen beds, a fold out sleeper sofa, fully equipped, full sized kitchen, full breakfast buffet, for $105 per night, 15 minutes parking lot to Disney parking lot. Yes, on site is nice, but with a party of six, there was no way I could afford it. Our first day was at AK. This park was not open on our first visit so it was all new. We arrived at the gates at 8:30 with a scheduled opening at 9:00. We weren?t the first in line, but soon there was a bigger crowd behind us. They opened the park at 8:45 so our wait wasn?t too long. We headed straight for KS, stopping to have a picture with safari Mickey near the gate. Already we had to wrestle with rushing vs. lingering conflict. We rode KS with only about a 10 min wait and then walked through the animal exhibits. We all really enjoyed both attractions. The rest of the group headed over to get in line for the Lion King show while I got FP for ITTBAB. I could see a wall of people coming up from the entrance and the central part of the park was really getting crowded. However, the part of the park over by the Lion King show was still pretty empty and we had time to shop and see the characters, who were out in the middle of the park instead at the end of the trails as no one was in line. I got an ice cube down my back compliment of Chip (or Dale?). We got in line when they opened the queue for LK. Although the wait wasn?t long, it was very hot. The LK show was super. We got out of there just as our FP for ITTBAB were about to expire so the timing worked out perfectly. We got there in time use the FP, but to soon enough to avoid the torrential downpour. The bug show was really fun, although some people missed some of the special effects. We came out of into the rain and got quite wet. It was lunch time and trying to find a place to eat in the rain was a challenge. Finally we decide to try the Flame Tree Barbeque, mainly because it was close and there was no line. The main problem was the outdoor covered dining areas were packed and we had to wade through a huge ankle-deep puddle to get there. Wet shoes seem to bother people more than wet clothes. We were lucky to find a table and after all the problems the rain had caused, were able to relax and enjoy lunch, which was pretty good. After lunch we decided to split up. DSIL and DD2 wanted to do more shopping and less walking. The rest of us wanted to see the rest of the park. We left the other two and went to Dinosaur. The wait was too long so we got FP and walked over to see the animal exhibits in Asia and on the trail around the back side of the tree of life. This is quite the structure and is an attraction in its own right. We then went back to use the FP at Dinosaur. Nearly everyone in our group (except me) is afraid of fast rides, but a CM and I were able to convince everyone to try this one. It isn?t really too fast, just bumpy. I was a little disappointed. I thought it was too dark and couldn?t see much. We then split up more. DW and DD1 went shopping and DS and I went to check out the animal exhibits by the entrance (he REALLY likes animals). We also found another trail that leads around the front of the tree of life. This one is hard to find but gave the best look at the tree up close. We all met up at a gift shop in the center of the park. It was mid afternoon and we were all very tired, and still a bit soggy. I whish I had more time to explore the rest of the park. Maybe next time. Back at the room we all crashed and burned and got ready to go to the AKL for or 6:00 PS at Boma. We got there a little early so we could check out the lodge and the wildlife. The resort is amazing and there were two guides from South Africa at the wildlife viewing area to explain the animals. One had been a safari guide in Africa and had many exciting stories to tell. Boma is fantastic. The buffet is full of dozens of fabulous dishes, some familiar, many not, all wonderful. The soups were my favorites (carrot curry and chicken pepper pot). I really like the no-line buffet ? just step up and get what you want. After dinner we shopped in the gift shop in the lobby. This is a great shop with some very reasonably priced African wood carvings. I didn?t shop at the AK so I don?t know if this merchandise is available in the park as well as the lodge. After shopping, we went over to MGM to see if we could get into see Fantasmic. We got there an hour before the 9:00 show and were seated. The theater seemed to fill up about 15 minutes after we got there so we timed it just right. We were worried about the rain in the area, but got a rainbow (directly over the stage) instead of rain. I had heard many great things about the show so was expecting a lot. After all, it must be good to get thousands of people to show up an hour and wait. The show was nice, but not up to my expectations. DSIL and DD1 were also disappointed. At least we got to sit, and it was cooler now that the sun went down. We fought the crowds back to the parking lot and went home. The bottom line from day one ? AK is great. The attractions were mostly excellent, the animal exhibits are great, and the park itself is beautifully landscaped. It?s fun just to wander around and look. Boma is fantastic. I could eat there every day. Try the soup!