City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[Sam33]

27 judys

 

[glennbo123]

I think Dan's right. 1 Judy.

Yup.

I would have called that the workout, but whatever.

Feel the burn!

Yeah, workouts are twice as hard when you have nothing to distract you from the fact that you're working out.

Yeah, you've got to trick your brain, which fortunately isn't too difficult in my case.

You went for coffee after a workout? I think we know Bizarro's origins.

I don't remember that being an issue this summer. We need to send someone down there to see if this is really a problem. I'll volunteer.

I think you're absolutely right, but we'll need a couple of opinions. I'd better go with you.

Didn't have that problem with the bacon, though.

Huh, that's odd....not!

Oh, come on. That never happens.

No one can resist!

Cool shot! Actually they all are.

Thanks Cap'n!

Obviously different. He's facing in completely the opposite direction.

Ooops, that'll make it harder to compare the strips then. I hope no one spends too much time doing that.

+1 He's not wearing an eyepatch, though.

I thought you might spot that one.

It's a gecko, often found in car insurance commercials.

Oh, that explains the cavemen in the Mara, eating roast duck with mango salsa!

Well Thanks for not keeping me in suspense but you could have called me as you were posting so I could be first to say 1 JUDY!!!! Now I too will go back and read!!

Well that wouldn't be fair...to call you when I was busy calling Dan.

Itried comparing Zebra stripes ,but due to Dementia , I forgot what the other one looked like !!!I am sure Marv with his magnifying Glass will be able to tell!!

I think the other one was black and white.

I'm going with one Judy, too!

Good choice.

I love your animal pictures. Wow - they are really nice! Especially the close ups - yeah, even that lizard thingy!

Thank you Mary Ellen. They're not as artsy as yours though.

It really does look like a terrible weather day. A perfect day for a day off.

It was much worse in the morning. It got a little bit better as the day went on.

Can't wait to hear what the ladies think about tea at the GF!

Oh guess what - I joined Longwood. I am now an official member for the next year!

Cool! Welcome! Did you go up to see the Christmas decorations?

 

[glennbo123]

What's up with this??? A little rain and all of a sudden you stop doing your "early morning photography stroll so I can put off working out."

I guess Judy wouldn't believe me that I was going to take pictures in the pouring rain.

My idea of checking out the fitness room at the resorts is more like "it's over there somewhere."

Hey, how many miles do you walk in a day in the parks anyway? Who needs an extra workout?

On a normal park day I agree, that's plenty of walking...more than plenty actually. But I didn't have that excuse on this particular day.

You're probably going to be the first person to walk into the Starbucks retro-fitted Main Street Bakery and demand they give you Nescafe instead of that nasty crap they're serving.

Now, it wasn't that good! Just not terrible.

Excellent day to skip the parks...

A little too humid.

Hey, why bend all the way down to the ground when you've got that stuff already at mouth level?

Are you saying that the Ankole Cattle are lazy?? Or just opportunistic?

OOOh!!! Let me guess... James goes to the Community Hall... but you can Poppy are just a little bit harder to guess...

Well there goes my whole chapter. So much for suspense.

Did anybody else think of Ace Ventura when they read that?

"Laces out Dan! Laces out!"

What a rainy day!! Big breakfast in the villa sounds really nice for such a day.

We usually try to have one big breakfast day, but the rest are quick since we're trying to get to a park.

I loved your animal pictures, you really got some very good ones! How long did you hang out at the observation area to get so many good shots? Or did you have a very good zoom lens?

Thanks Magdalene. We hung out for just a few minutes at a couple of different locations. I do have a decent zoom lens, which I had with me for these pictures.

I will never have to look up an Eland after I saw one walking past directly behind our tent on the first campsite we stayed at in Namibia. I just came out of the shower building and there it was walking ever so slowly past our tent down to the river just at the sun was setting. It was the second night of that trip and impressed me so much! Ever since then I had a soft spot for Eland. And for Kudus - because they remind me of Mickey because of their large ears.

What a great story! I'm glad it was an Eland and not some other, more predatory creature. The Eland almost look like they could be domesticated.

This is a Kudu calve picture from Wikipedia to illustrate the ear thing:

I wish they had those at AKL. They have them at the very beginning of the safari, but one rarely sees them very well.

Wow, what great camouflage the Kudu have. And with those ears, I'll bet it's hard to sneak up on them.

actually i have watched the myth busters and they did a whole thing on running vs walking in the rain, you actually get less wet when you walk. run causes you to hit more drops on the front of you.

they tested both running and walking and the clothes were always heavier from rain after running through it.

Yeah, I think I've seen some of that episode too. I can't remember if they did it over a particular distance though -- to see if the time you save by running makes up for the additional drops that you run into.

Either way, I don't care what they say...if it's rainin', I'm runnin'.

you tube the giraffes fighting by swinging there necks at each other. talk about wipe lash.

I've seen that. What a battle!

I've fallen into a another world. You slept in until 8 AND didn't think the nescafe was horrible.

I certainly can't defend it!

I think the rain got to you.

Something. I don't know what.

And it looked like there was a LOT of it. Still some really fabulous animal pictures!!!! Love the zebra on his back, for some reason that one cracks me up. Looks like the no park day reschedule was a wise move!

To be honest, I don't even remember taking that zebra-on-his-back picture. I guess I'm letting too much time get between the trip and this report!

It was pouring in the morning, but it became decent later-on and actually was a better day than the day before...if you braved the early-morning rain, which we didn't. Still, not a bad move to switch it up.

27 judys

Oh Sam, you're so close!

 

[Sam33]

Joke's on you, I named the giraffe Judy!

 

[glennbo123]

Joke's on you, I named the giraffe Judy!

 

[RGirl]

Wow, congratulations on the new house. Good to have you back DISing.

Thanks! Moving is no fun, but it was definitely worth it.

Oh yeah, if you're staying there you've got to plan some time to see him. It's a great time!

You know, this really does sound fun. And I have always been really bad about making time for the non-go!-go!-go! stuff. I really think that I am going to make a point of carving out some time to do this. I think DD6 will really enjoy it too! Thanks!!!

We tried to make the most of the day and weren't going to let some rain spoil it. I enjoy 50's PT...and so many other restaurants at Disney!

Very impressive. I hope I can do as well when we are there in AUGUST - I'm expecting that will be a lot wetter (and hotter and humid-er ) than our prior October trips. We have only ever eaten at HBD in DHS, and I am planning on eating there again this year! But DHS is my DD's favorite park, so maybe we'll try a new place as well. Hmmmmmmm

 

[RGirl]

And now I'm all caught up!

I'm loving the AKL pictures. I love that resort - I like to go to Boma for dinner just for an excuse to spend time there. It is high on my list of must-stay resorts.

 

[Aurora1972]

I can't imagine taking a day off! Probably because my trips have been further apart. I'm very interested in reading about the tea at Grand Floridian. Sound like something I would like to do with my girls.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks Magdalene. We hung out for just a few minutes at a couple of different locations. I do have a decent zoom lens, which I had with me for these pictures.

I just bought a new camera since my old one started to act up on my summer trip to Paris. And I was afraid that the old one would die in the middle of my next vacation. It is still a point and shoot, but has a 10x optical zoom lense. So now I am wondering whether I will be able to get some decent animal pictures for the first time AKL with the new camera! Still need to do some "training" with it to figure out the settings etc.

 

[Aussiesalad]

Those are some fantastic photos! And some ultra sneaky animals trying to fool you with their tricky illusionistic ways...

Looks like a perfect lodge morning.... as much as I love the ponchos and pouring rain combo.

All the girls look so pretty all done up ready for tea!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great savannah pics! Looks like a bunch of animals were out, I guess they liked the rain!

That lobby really is stunning, I love the details there!

 

[glennbo123]

Thanks! Moving is no fun, but it was definitely worth it.

I hear ya. There's so much to do and it can be very stressful. I'm glad it's behind you.

You know, this really does sound fun. And I have always been really bad about making time for the non-go!-go!-go! stuff. I really think that I am going to make a point of carving out some time to do this. I think DD6 will really enjoy it too! Thanks!!!

Give it a whirl, I don't think you'll regret it.

Very impressive. I hope I can do as well when we are there in AUGUST - I'm expecting that will be a lot wetter (and hotter and humid-er ) than our prior October trips.

I'm jealous that you've been able to go in October, the weather must be so much more comfortable. But of course, we've been tied-down by the dreaded school calendar. Oh well. Hey, it just makes you enjoy the pools that much more.

We have only ever eaten at HBD in DHS, and I am planning on eating there again this year! But DHS is my DD's favorite park, so maybe we'll try a new place as well. Hmmmmmmm

That sounds like our problem -- we always want to go back to our old stand-by's, but try new ones too? Thus, the trips get longer and longer.

And now I'm all caught up!

I'm loving the AKL pictures. I love that resort - I like to go to Boma for dinner just for an excuse to spend time there. It is high on my list of must-stay resorts.

Do you remember the old Remington shaver commercials..."I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company." ? Well, we loved our 2001 AKL stay so much, we had to buy into DVC.

I can't imagine taking a day off! Probably because my trips have been further apart. I'm very interested in reading about the tea at Grand Floridian. Sound like something I would like to do with my girls.

I know what you mean, believe me! But with a week of go-go-go, it helps to have a day-off in there somewhere. Plus, there's always so much to see at the resorts, or Downtown Disney, or a water park, or....well, you get the idea! (That still kind of sounds like go-go-go, doesn't it?)

I just bought a new camera since my old one started to act up on my summer trip to Paris. And I was afraid that the old one would die in the middle of my next vacation. It is still a point and shoot, but has a 10x optical zoom lense. So now I am wondering whether I will be able to get some decent animal pictures for the first time AKL with the new camera! Still need to do some "training" with it to figure out the settings etc.

Congrats on the new camera, I hope you like it and have a fun time learning the settings. With zooming, you have to be extra-careful about camera motion -- it's easy to get a little blur when it's magnified like that. Which reminds me, I have a really hard time on the Kilimanjaro Safari. The drivers never seem to stop moving, they'll slow down for a little bit and then gas it just when I'm about to take a picture. (But we haven't gotten to that chapter yet!)

Those are some fantastic photos! And some ultra sneaky animals trying to fool you with their tricky illusionistic ways...

Thanks Sally! These guys were amateurs...there are other sneaky animals that are really good at making their fellow animals disappear , but they don't allow them on the savanna at AKL.

Looks like a perfect lodge morning.... as much as I love the ponchos and pouring rain combo.

I had no desire to go to a park when it was pouring rain that morning! But it did get better later in the day, so it might've been all right. But hey, we made the call, and went with it!

All the girls look so pretty all done up ready for tea!

On their behalf I'll say, aw thanks!

Great savannah pics! Looks like a bunch of animals were out, I guess they liked the rain!

Thanks Sara. It wasn't too bad by that point, I think the rain had pretty much stopped.

That lobby really is stunning, I love the details there!

As many times as I've been there, it's still awesome!

 

[natebenma]

Great update.

Sorry to hear your trip coincided with monsoon season. That was some downpour!!!

The pictures of the animals on the savannah are awesome!!! The closeup of the crane is beautiful. The zebra on its back is a really unique shot. You sure don't see that every day!

Now I may know my fishies, but you impressed me with all the animal nomenclature.



The ladies looked very nice for their tea. I'm guessing whatever you guys ended up doing, it wasn't quite as refined.

 

[KatMark]

Slowly catching up after my week away from the DIS last week.

Love all the animal photos (although the giraffes are my favorite). I so want to go back to AKL and we hope to do that in 2014 (this year we're already booked at BCV, OKW and BWV).

It's so nice to see that James enjoys his time in the community center.

Glad to see the rain eased up by the time you got to Jambo House (love that lobby).

The girls looked lovely as they prepared to depart for their tea.

 

[Poolrat]

Yeah Yeah A day late and 1 Judy short.


Rain Rain Go away, all Debbie wanted to do was stay around and play.

Good for you making it down to do a workout. I commend you.

Good idea on the big breakfast.... after the workout.

Sorry Gram and Poppy had a hard as nails shower.

Beautiful shots of the animals. Looks like it really did clear up.

Maybe enough for some pool time ??

 

[englishrose47]

Joke's on you, I named the giraffe Judy!

I thought it was Carol!!!

 

[Poolrat]

I thought it was Carol!!!

I SO was going to say that.

 

[RGirl]

I'm jealous that you've been able to go in October, the weather must be so much more comfortable. But of course, we've been tied-down by the dreaded school calendar. Oh well. Hey, it just makes you enjoy the pools that much more.

Yep - we are now tied to that school calendar too. I am already missing those carefree days of preschool! I am actually pretty nervous about going in August - we have never experienced real crowds, and the heat will be insane. But you are right - I think the best plan is to head back to the resort midday and enjoy the pool.

That sounds like our problem -- we always want to go back to our old stand-by's, but try new ones too? Thus, the trips get longer and longer.

I hear ya! We are only doing 7 days at WDW this time (I think we had 10 or 11 in 2011), but we are tacking on a 7-day DCL cruise, so, well, I couldn't really justify MORE time at WDW to my boss!

Do you remember the old Remington shaver commercials..."I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company." ? Well, we loved our 2001 AKL stay so much, we had to buy into DVC.

I totally remember those commercials! I fear that a stay at AKL would have the same effect on me, and right now, buying DVC wouldn't be totally fiscally responsible! Nonetheless, I am so looking forward to staying there someday. If there is ever a code or discount on deluxe rooms that comes out during a planned trip, I will be switching to AKL very quickly. We LOVED the BWV last trip and it would be hard to pass up another stay there, but I am really drawn to AKL. Looking forward to trying POR for the first time too though!

 

[marvali]

Okay, trying to catch up a little. Sorry I missed the last update; you got some great pictures in spite of the rain.

I always wonder what the animals think about all the rain they get in Florida, since it isn't something they probably see that much of in their natural habitat......

And I agree that it is very hard to get a really great picture of the Jambo lobby. That window that you love so much at the end lets in way too much light to get the details of the lobby very well unless you do it in pieces. Hey maybe next time you might want to try piecing a bunch of pictures together to make one of your famous panorama shots so you can pick up more of the lobby details.

 

[englishrose47]

I SO was going to say that.

I am glad someone else remembered Carol the Giraffe !!!

Okay, trying to catch up a little. Sorry I missed the last update; you got some great pictures in spite of the rain.

I always wonder what the animals think about all the rain they get in Florida, since it isn't something they probably see that much of in their natural habitat......

And I agree that it is very hard to get a really great picture of the Jambo lobby. That window that you love so much at the end lets in way too much light to get the details of the lobby very well unless you do it in pieces. Hey maybe next time you might want to try piecing a bunch of pictures together to make one of your famous panorama shots so you can pick up more of the lobby details.

Good Morning Marv, so nice to see you around !!!