This time our son is coming too! Final update at last!

[DisKate]

Happy (belated) Birthday! And great update...hope you are enjoying TSM!

 

[MeMom]

Thanks MeMom. We should have had you come and throw one of your Disney themed parties.

We'll think about that for next year!

Good pictures of Wilderness Lodge/Nicole's home.
It's an awesome place.

Did you throw coins in the bubbly water at the bridge and make a wish?
I know for a fact those wishes do come true!

 

[declansdad]

Yay the WL!! My home!! lol Great night at MK too!

It was a great day. That pool area at WL id awesome.

Finally caught up! I hope you are enjoying your birthday gift. We really enjoy it!

I have enjoyed it the one time I got to play it.

Happy (belated) Birthday! And great update...hope you are enjoying TSM!

Thanks for the wishes.

We'll think about that for next year!

Good pictures of Wilderness Lodge/Nicole's home.
It's an awesome place.

Did you throw coins in the bubbly water at the bridge and make a wish?
I know for a fact those wishes do come true!

We didn't throw coins. Some people were on a mission and didn't stop to smell too many roses.

 

[praisehisname]

Phew! Good thing Declan didn't catch on! Beautiful pictures of twilight around the bay and MK!

Denise

 

[declansdad]

Phew! Good thing Declan didn't catch on! Beautiful pictures of twilight around the bay and MK!

Denise

It was a close one with Declan.

Thanks for the comments on the pictures.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

All caught up again and ready for more!

 

[brookelizabeth]

First, Happy belated Birthday!!!! The Wii looks like such a fun game system, and to have the Toy Story Mania game just makes it even better.

I am truly loving all your pictures-the ones going on the boat to MK from WL are beaaaaaaaautiful.

I also have made a mental note to ride Star Tours in December because after that we might not be back for a whole year sad1 - and who knows when they are taking it down for refurb....thank you for the reminder!

I'm SO glad to read you were able to recover after the waitress almost slipped your secret!

I think the TSM viewmaster reel would fit in the Buzz viewmaster.

 

[pooksma]

Seems like ages since I've been on here

Soooo where are we dad? Right Day 4 and off to AK for the morning.

We all headed to AK for EMH and I have to say that this was a smart move for many reasons. Declansdad and our boy immediately went to grab FPs for Everest while the rest of us headed to the safari where we would meet them. This little jaunt of theirs provided some interesting conversation. More on that later when the pics are uploaded.

We were not sure how Princess Ariel would react to the safari ride but she liked it. This was probably the best safari we have done and I am convinced it was because of the early hour. We saw more animal activity than ever!

Time for the real thing:

The newest giraffe and his mama:

Rhinos fascinated Princess Aurora:

But these guys were the highlight. This was the closest they have ever come to us. (must be newbie luck)

When the lions came in to view, the adults began to snicker. It seemed that Daddy lion was attempting to get some morning action from Mommy lion.

DS noticed this but was only heard to say-look they're making out! (More than making out was taking place but this is a family trip!)

On to the ostrich, where Princess Aurora exclaimed, " Look Mom-his eggs are huge! Why aren't they picking them up?"

When we finished the safari, newbie Dad headed to FP Kali. More to come!!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Great updates.....almost sprayed coffee over the laptop when I read about the lions....

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Maybe there will be more baby lions when I take my kids back next year?

 

[praisehisname]

That's so funny about the lions!

Denise

 

[declansdad]

Great updates.....almost sprayed coffee over the laptop when I read about the lions....

Maybe there will be more baby lions when I take my kids back next year?

That's so funny about the lions!

Denise

I guess he likes a little morning "Know whatahmean, know whatahmean, nudge nudge, know whatahmean, say no more"

There is another picture in the Photobucket album of the lions. Nothing graphic but it does show the male standing. This was a first time we have seen him standing.


Free dancing banana if you can identify the quote above.

 

[declansdad]

Been away way too long, time to move this thing along.

After we left the Safari, we split up. We had FPs for EE and we hoped it was moving. When I went to get the FPs, it was stuck. It looked like this:

We checked at the main board and tey said it was back up. Our FPs took us right to the front of the line with no wait. Before I knew it I was sitting in the very front seat while the family sat in the next seat back. The front seat on EE is amazing and you can get some great pics.

After a great ride, we looked through the gift shop and them headed for Flights of Wonder. Declan was keen at first but he quickly warmed up to the show. Maybe it had something to do with this:

Yes, our little boy was selected to compete in a math contest with a bird. He had a ball and even managed to beat the bird on one question. If you have never seen this show, you need to take it in. Here are a few of the sights.

After the show, Declan decided he wanted to work at AK.

We walked through the Jungle Trek looking for the Newbies and found them at the other end. Kali was down so we all headed for Dinoland. The kids and Newbie Dad rode Tricerotop spin and we all played a game before heading into the Dig Site.

After a dig, we decided to split up and have some lunch. We eneded up going back to the resort and then heading to POR to have lunch at their food court.

Some more pics from AK:

More to come.

 

[declansdad]

Back at the resort, I took some pictures around te food court and lobby wile Pooksma and Declan went for pins and the daily trade in the gift shop.

We walked over to POR and had lunch. The food court was nicer and they had a few more choices but for some reason, I have no pictures. We went looking for the fishing hole and it started to rain. The CM said they may have to close if it rained too hard so we put off our fishing trip. There were two young women fishing he needed some help getting a fish off the hook. After the assist, they let Declan give it a try.

We decided to take te boat back to POFQ and have a rest.

POR looks like a really beautiful place. The grounds look amazing.

We will finish the day later with a trip to EPCOT for a supper in Great Britain and Illuminations.

 

[MeMom]

That's great that Declan got to have that experience. We need Dawn to get chosen for that role someday!

Although a few of the decorations freak me out a bit, I like POFQ overall. I'm looking forward to staying in that pretty place after two more sleeps at home. I think the buildings and landscaping are so pretty, and the beignets are a definite pro. I don't think the weird looking jesters are enough to make me stay away, but I won't be spending much time looking them in the eyes.

Hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving up there!

 

[declansdad]

That's great that Declan got to have that experience. We need Dawn to get chosen for that role someday!

Although a few of the decorations freak me out a bit, I like POFQ overall. I'm looking forward to staying in that pretty place after two more sleeps at home. I think the buildings and landscaping are so pretty, and the beignets are a definite pro. I don't think the weird looking jesters are enough to make me stay away, but I won't be spending much time looking them in the eyes.

Hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving up there!

He has been lucky on our trips, he has been chosen for a number of things. Maybe we should get him to buy some lotto tickets.

I think you will like POFQ; it is well laid out and very pretty. Some of those decorations are a bit scary and the food court is a bit cramped but that isn't why you go to WDW.

 

[brookelizabeth]

What a very...um...educational safari you had!

Score on the Everest seat!! I would be screaaaaaaaaaming all the way and loving it!

I was hoping we'd fit Flights of Wonder in on this last trip, but it didn't happen-perhaps in December, after your pictures now I want to see it even more.

POFQ and POR look like such beautiful resorts! And I love that you can take a boat around the properties! What a relaxing afternoon activity.

 

[praisehisname]

OMG, that is soooo cute! So glad you're back and posting again!

Denise

 

[declansdad]

What a very...um...educational safari you had!

Score on the Everest seat!! I would be screaaaaaaaaaming all the way and loving it!

I was hoping we'd fit Flights of Wonder in on this last trip, but it didn't happen-perhaps in December, after your pictures now I want to see it even more.

POFQ and POR look like such beautiful resorts! And I love that you can take a boat around the properties! What a relaxing afternoon activity.

Well all those "take your kids out of school" threads always talk about the educational experiences WDW presents.

The front seat on EE is awesome! The view at the top is amazing and the big drop pretty cool.

That was our second, I mean first , time seeing Flights of Wonder. The CM that has the tour guide role is very good. We have heard that he has being playing the role for at least 2 summers.

OMG, that is soooo cute! So glad you're back and posting again!

Denise

Thanks, we'll try to get update a bit quicker.

It always amazes me to watch cats. Regardless of the size, they act alike. I have watched our house cats with the same mannerisms as the big cats.

 

[declansdad]

After some nice refreshing naps, we all headed for EPCOT. This was our evening to have supper at the Rose and Crown. Our ADR was for 7:30 so we were hoping to get a patio table so we could watch Illuminations from there.

We arrived at EPCOT, Newbies picked up a stroller, and headed for the World Showcase. We decided to do the tour for three reasons:

1. We had time
2. To show the Newbies where their Princess Breakfast would be
3. Churros and Magaritas in Mexico

After a nice stroll around the Lagoon, we checked in and asked for a patio table. We were told that tables are assigned as they come available. As we waited, the clouds started to move in and we were worried that Illuminations would be canceled.

Soon the buzzer buzzed, and we were shown to our table. We were at the very end of the upper patio. This proved to be a great seat not only for the show but because it started to rain just after we sat down. Being under the roof, we were able to stay dry.

After a great meal that we stretched out long enough, we were able to watch the show from where we sat. I have a video of the entire show (Link) and some pictures.

A few before the show:

And some from the show:

If you watch the video and listen carefully, you may be able to pick up a little drama that happened as we watched. Apparently a palmetto bug decided to climb up Newbie Dad's leg and it freaked him out a bit.

After finishing up our meals,, we headed back to the front of the park to catch a bus back to the resort. Here are some more pictures from the walk.

Next up: we return to EPCOT in the morning and DHS in the evening.